USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Reading > Town of Reading Massachusetts annual report 1935 > Part 18
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17
March 1934
5-15-1934
20,000.00
2,000.
Yearly 10 Yrs. 3
May 15-November 15
00
2,000.00
18,000.00
67.50
18
March 1935
6-15-1935
20,000.00
2.000.
Yearly 10 Yrs. 13/4
June 15-December 15
00
00
20,000.00
14.58
Total Notes
$131,400.00
$91,400.00
$2,000.00 $38,000.00
$ 82.08
Total Bonds and Notes $433,900.00
$354,400.00 $12,000.00 $37,500.00
$ 480.01
No. Of Date
Date
Amount Of Original
Retired to Retired Decem. Decem. Jan. 1, 1935 During '35 31, 1935 31, 1935
15 March 1921
7- 1-1921
7,000.00
1,000.
Yearly
7 Yrs. 6
January 1-July 1
7,000.00
00
00
.00
SCHEDULE "4" TOWN OF READING MUNICIPAL LIGHT DEPARTMENT COMPARATIVE STATEMENT OF MERCHANDISE OPERATIONS For the Years Ended December 31, 1935 and 1934.
1935
1934
GROSS SALES $ 39,694.64
$ 30,252.10 1,451.24
Less-Returned Sales . 1,817.74
NET SALES
$ 37,876.90
$ 28,800.86
COST OF SALES
25,926.79
20.173.05
GROSS PROFIT ON SALES
$ 11,950.11 $
8,627.81
EXPENSES :
Salaries and Wages $ 7,053.34
$ 6,098.63
Commissions
2,021.21
1,760.43
Free wiring on In- stallations
3,743.07
1,507.07
Rent
1,009.27
1,232.49
Disc. on Loans
2,787.32
1,206.83
Heating (one-half)
165.79
179.70
Automobile Exps. .
136.50
238.44
Express
14.35
14.13
Store Expense
58,57
61.85
Misc. Expense
4.87
17.05
TOTAL EX-
PENSES
$ 16,994.29
$ 12,316.62
NET LOSS
FROM MER-
CHANDISE
OPERATIONS
$ 5,044.18
$ 3,688.81
NET GAIN OR
LOSS* FROM
JOBBING OP-
ERATIONS . .
19.09*
259.27
NET LOSS
FROM MER-
CHANDISE
AND JOBBING
$ 5,063.27
$ 3,429.54
249
SCHEDULE "5" TOWN OF READING MUNICIPAL LIGHT DEPARTMENT COMPARATIVE DETAIL OF KILOWATT HOURS PURCHASED, SOLD AND USED For the Years Ended December 31, 1935 and 1934.
1935
1934
Increase Decrease*
Kilowatt Hours:
Generated
00
00
00
Purchased
7,973,642
7,516,389
457,253
Total
7,973,642
7,516,389
457,253
Kilowatt Hours Sold:
Residence Service
3,946,502
3,741,318
205,184
Commercial Lighting
620,885
565,299
55,586
Commercial Miscellaneous
353,980
324,730
29,250
Commercial Power-Retail . .
466,340
561,537
95,197*
Commercial Power-Wholesale
354,730
314,070
40,710
Municipal Lighting
35,223
94,161
8,938*
Municipal Miscellaneous
6,690
9,760
3,070*
Municipal Power-Retail
1,776
1,682
94
Municipal Power-Wholesale
337,700
331,100
6,600
Co-operative Re-sale Service
30,261
18,403
11,858
Street Lighting
652,257
560,137
92,120
TOTAL KILOWATT HOURS SOLD
6,856,394
6,522,197
334,197
Kilowatt Hours Used at Sta-
tion, Office and Garage
63,442
60,995
2,447
Kilowatt Hours used for
Christmas Illumination ..
6,909
8,234
1,325*
Kilowatt Hours Unaccounted
for
1,046,897
924,963
121,934
TOTAL
7,973,642
7,516,389
457,253
Per Cent Unaccounted for ..
13.17%
12.31%
. .
and Miscellaneous
..
250
REPORT OF BOARD OF PUBLIC WELFARE
To the citizens of Reading :
In a large measure Reading has created its own unemployment and imposed its own relief burden.
Two or three years ago the budgets of the town departments were cut rigorously. The Board of Public Works, School Department, and to a lesser degree, other departments had to fire town employees. The paid personnel of these departments could no longer perform ser- vices therefore rendered. At the same time the men who were let out by the town departments, or their numerical equivalent, had to apply to the town for aid. The town had created the unemployment. It had to furnish the aid.
The Welfare Department of necessity assisted these people (they may not in every case be the identical individuals, but the unemploy- ment created amounts to the same thing). It gave them food, clothing and perhaps helped on their rent or medical expenses. In return for the aid the persons who received it were sent to the Board of Public Works or the School Department, and so forth, and did the work for which the town had previously hired men. Here was an anomalous situation. The town took relief labor and used it to throw its own citizens out of work. Last year the Welfare Department furnished other departments with sixty thousand man hours of labor in return for food and clothing and fuel costing approximately $18,000. In ad- dition to that about $5,800 in relief was afforded to persons who did not work for other departments, but performed relief functions such as cutting wood. Stated in another way the various boards in town used relief labor equivalent to hiring twenty-seven men every day for a year. The work which they have done has been intermittent, in- capable of proper supervision. It has been impossible always to assign men to the tasks for which they are best suited. The workers have not been as efficiently or economically employed as the same men could be if they were working on a regular assigned job. The work which these men did was not "made work". It has been regular everyday maintenance work such as highway repairs or mowing the lawn at the Junior High School. The Town needed these things done, had to have them done, but it made no direct appropriation for them. The men had to eat and maintain their families. The town had to help them and required that they work out their time. The work which they did was in no sense a job. These men were at all times relief dependents working on a subsistence basis and not for a weekly wage. The whole set up has the aspect of peonage.
251
The Board of Welfare, therefore, has suggested to the other town boards that their budgets be raised by an amount sufficient to ab- sorb the labor which they need and, if the Board of Welfare can be assured that persons receiving relief can do the work for the other boards on the basis of regular employment, the Welfare Board will reduce its budget by an amount equivalent to the relief load thus taken off the Welfare Department. Every board which has been approached on this subject has shown a spirit of hearty co-operation and entire sympathy with the view above stated. Apparently there are no major differences of opinion among the town officials as to the advisability of this policy. If the town adopts it, it is debatable as to whether or not it will add a small amount in dollars and cents to the town expenses-perhaps it will. Relief is given on a subsistence basis. Wages are paid on the basis of a decent living. This Board can think of no way in which the town can justify compelling a part of its citizens to work for bare subsistence while another part of its citizens working shoulder to shoulder with them are paid a decent weekly wage.
One matter which should be noted here is the fact that at the time of writing, 101 cases handled by the department are those who are not employable. A large number of them are aged, some of them are mothers with small children, others are crippled or infirm. The ex- pense for these continues without reference to any question of em- ployability. There is certain to be a marked increase in the Old Age Assistance when the Legislature reduces the age of eligibility, as it undoubtedly will, from seventy to sixty-five.
During the past year with federal assistance the Department of Welfare has sponsored a garden and canning project. We have put up about forty thousand cans of vegetables at a cost per can running from one-half to two-thirds of the cost on the open market. These vegetables have been and are being given to those who are eligible to receive them. The Board is making its plans so that if the federal government does not provide for continuance of these projects they may be continued under the direct supervision of the Board. This policy will result in material saving to the town.
Last May the town stopped giving cash relief and instead fur- nished welfare recipients with the necessities of life. Among social workers this policy is questioned, but the Board, after a careful study of a large number of cases, was actuated by the fact that it could, by this method, be better assured that relief families would receive the things which they need and on a more economical basis. Grocery orders which have been issued have been based upon careful study of nutritionists to assure each family the elements of a balanced diet.
252
During the coming year increased emphasis on the nutrition factor has been planned. As one element of administrative cost, the Board has mapped out a program of expert nutritional guidance. It is not ex- pected that this will amount to more than about $350 per year and the returns ought to be much greater than such a nominal expenditure would suggest.
This report has departed somewhat from the tradition of a sta- tistical abstract in order to afford the town some high lights of welfare policy. The report of the Superintendent will embody a great amount of extremely valuable statistical information which should be studied by every interested citizen.
The Board desires to express its appreciation to fellow townsmen for the many expressions of sympathetic understanding of the relief problems of the town. It has worked harmoniously with organizations representing the various churches, the schools, and private relief bod- i.s. The working personnel of the department is earnest, intelligent and industrious. It has received many and frequent instances of com- mendation from state officials and departments which have had oc- casion to know about the relief work done in Reading.
The Board was organized last March as follows : Myrtle L. Leman, Chairman : Orville S. Poland, Secretary, and Harriet L. Rooney. The working personnel during 1935 has been as follows : Superintendent of Public Welfare, Edward E. Harnden; Assistant Superintendent of Public Welfare, Sterling W. Powell; Visitors, Helen A. Brown and Mary F. Daniel; Office Secretary, Gladys M. Lane; Visitor for Old Age Assistance, Annie E. Patrick.
Respectfully submitted, MYRTLE L. LEMAN, Chairman ORVILLE S. P.OLAND, Secretary HARRIETT L. ROONEY
REPORT OF WELFARE SUPERINTENDENT
To the Board of Public Welfare :
I submit the following report for the year 1935.
The total number of cases handled by the Welfare Department during the year was 426, representing 1431 persons, the classification being as follows :
Family Cases 239 Single Cases, 92
Number of Cases, 12
Dependent Aid
Persons represented 1198 Persons represented 92 Mother's Aid
Persons represented 58
253
Old Age Assistance
Number of Cases, 83 Representing one person each
The classification of expenditures under the various divisions above is made up in statistical form in the Welfare Department from its office records, the complete tabulation then being furnished to the Town Accountant so that it may appear as a part of his report.
The bills against other cities and towns and the Commonwealth are issued from the Welfare Department, but the receipts resulting therefrom go directly into the town treasury. Such receipts also ap- pear in the report of the Town Accountant. In the report of expendi- tures for Dependent Aid the tabulation is shown under the two sub- divisions of "Aid, Board and Care" and "Temporary Aid".
The average amount of aid rendered per person under Depend- ent Aid for the year is $57.05. This low average figure means, of course, that there are many instances where assistance is required for a short time only, to tide over some emergency. There are also many cases where the family income is far below a subsistence level and and supplementary assistance from this department is necessary. These partial assistances require the same investigation, case history record, settlement determination, and other data required by law, as do those cases which are fully supported from welfare funds, but when this necessary administrative work is once thoroughly done the subse- quent cost of such cases is, of course, materially less than that of long continued wholly dependent cases. Our records show 226 De- pendent Aid cases, representing 884 persons, as active at the end of the year 1935.
The plight of the unemployed single person, with no friends or relatives able to assist and without resources of any kind, has been brought forcibly to our attention many times during the past year.
The single person, particularly the single man, invariably has more pressure put upon him to maintain himself, both by investigation and through personal attention of the welfare board itself, than does the family man whose wife and children are obviously in distress. The fact remains, however, that the single person can become just as des- titute as anyone else, and when he does arrive at that stage to withhold relief would be inhuman. It might well be socially expensive also. Towards the last of the year the W. P. A. was able to give con- sideration to certain single cases and thus take them off the welfare list.
All men receiving dependent aid who are able to work are re- quired to perform some service in return for aid given. The Board endeavors to assign these men to the different town boards, having in mind the adaptability of the men for the work the departments
254
may have to do. Work cards are issued from the welfare office des- ignating the town department to which the man has been assigned and showing the number of days to be worked in return for aid given.
The following table indicates how this labor is distributed among the departments. It should be borne in mind that some departments are better able to utilize broken-time labor than other departments where supervision becomes a greater factor in the problem.
Town Department
Man-hours Val. of Aid Given
Public Works
47,609
$ 14,282.70
Wood Yard (Welfare)
19,552
5,865.60
School Dept., grounds and buildings
6,708
2,012.40
Cemetery
1,284
385.20
Town Forest
2,988
896.40
Fire Dept., hydrant sprinklers
946
283.80
Police Station, cleaning
104
31.20
Town Building, grounds
164
49.20
Traffic Count (state survey)
192
57.60
Watchman at Playgrounds
40
12.00
Repairing shelves, E.R.A. sew'g project
8
2.40
79,595
$23,878.50
The observation of certain sporadic instances has occasionally brought out disparaging comment on the value of "welfare labor". Our view on this matter, based on first-hand information, is that in the great majority of cases this work is worth at least the aid given in return for it. There is a factor of inefficiency about it, however, par- ticularly when it concerns departments which can use large labor units. Due to unavoidable changes in the working hours of E. R. A., W. P. A., or other assisting agencies, weather conditions, and other uncontroll- able elements of the system, a department foreman cannot be sure on just what days welfare help will be available or in what numbers the men will report to him for work. Under this disadvantage the labor cannot approach the planned value of men working full time throughout the week, regardless of the "rate per hour".
The number of employable welfare recipients who have been able to secure jobs during the year has not been encouraging, but it is noticeable that when a decent man does secure work of a permanent character he usually makes good and keeps his job. The fact must be faced that there are always men who never could or would make any great effort to keep themselves employed. Welfare has made such men neither better nor worse than they were in normal times.
255
The Federal W. P. A. program seems to offer a better guarantee of steady income for its workers than previous forms of government work relief. A regularly monthly income, even though not entirely sufficient for the subsistence of a large family, gives a solid basis on which to, start when the giving of welfare supplementary aid has to be considered. Its value cannot be too strongly emphasized, par- ticularly as regards morale. It is less expensive to grant a small amount of supplementary relief to a family each week than to meet frequent emergencies when the income is entirely shut off. We are hopeful that this element of stability will count in our favor during the coming year.
Just before Christmas an acute food shortage developed in the families of workers on W. P. A. due to an extended delay in the arrival of W. P. A. pay checks. Conditions became so serious that the welfare department had to step in and provide food and meat orders to the extent of six hundred dollars to prevent actual suffering.
Mother's Aid
Of the twelve Mother's Aid cases handled during the year one was closed in June because developments at that time indicated suf- ficient resources within the family for its maintenance. There are now 'eleven active cases.
The branch of public welfare which includes aid to mothers with dependent children shows a steady increase throughout the state, due to various slow-working economic factors which tend to bring the mother to a point where she must be assisted if she is to bring up her family without detriment to future citizenship. The Mother's Aid division as a whole, however, is not subject to the numerous ups and downs which occur in the much larger item of general relief, more especially the effects of temporary unemployment and of seasonal' requirements, particularly medical attention and fuel.
Assistance to the mother is given only after a thorough investi- gation having special bearing on this type of case. The usual form of aid is cash so far as practically may be, so that the children may ob- serve that the mother is managing the family affairs herself. In nearly every instance this cultivates a tendency in the children to en- courage and help in household management. The value of the dollar is appreciated at an early age and the idea of self-support is accepted as a matter of course.
This works out noticeably under observation. It is a hopeful form of aid.
At the present time Mother's Aid represents some eight or nine per cent of the expense of the total assistance given through the de- partment of public welfare.
256
Old Age Assistance
There has been a very substantial expansion in Old Age Assistance during the year. New state rulings, which reduced the Massachusetts residence requirements by more than half and at the same time in- creased the allowable equity in property by a third, have resulted in a steady increase in Old Age cases so that we have about 50 per cent more persons on our list than we had a year ago. A recess commission of the Massachusetts Legislature has just completed an exhaustive study of the entire relief situation and is about to report with a recommenda- tion of enlarging legislation.
We are assurred by the State Bureau of Old Age Assistance that the age limit will be reduced from 70 to 65 years. It is also probable that a minimum monthly allowance will be included in the law, this minimum being materially above the average allowance now in effect in the various cities and towns throughout the state. A careful sur- vey taken in Reading indicates that Old Age cases will show an in- crease of more than 100 per cent on the basis of an age limit of 65 years. Further legislation along the lines of recent Federal action will no doubt be enacted in Massachusetts this year and will widen the scope of assistance to aged persons still more.
While municipal appropriation is necessary to take care of this expansion there is every indication that reimbursement to the cities and towns may be more generous. The federal portion of such re- imbursement may possibly be received in advance, based on estimates furnished by each town to show its requirements. This would not lessen the appropriation to be voted, but it would ease up on the tax rate to the extent that it could be reckoned as money coming into the general receipts of the town. Under present laws the Commonwealth reimburses one-third for cases having a legal settlement in Massachu- setts, and in full for those cases which have no legal settlement.
It will be recalled that it was not until 1930 that any specific legislation was enacted in Massachusetts providing for Old Age As- sistance. At that time Chapter 11SA was placed on the books so that provisions could be made for "Adequate Assistance to Certain Aged Persons" and the first payments were made in Reading under this statute in June, of 1931. Until other revenue could be provided, all poll taxes were increased one dollar, this money going to the state so that it could reimburse its one-third to the cities and towns on account of payments to Old Age Assistance recipients.
The statute empowered the State Department of Public Welfare to make such rules and regulations as it deemed necessary for the administration of the assistance to the aged. Such changes in these rulings as have been made, as noted in a previous paragraph, have
257
already operated to broaden the scope of the act to a measurable degree. Present contemplation of this entire phase of assuring securi- ty for citizens of advanced years brings forward the proposition of vastly increased revenues for the purpose, from taxes on liquor, to- bacco, race-tracks, and other sources, as well as substantial contribu- tions from the federal government. Revenue thus provided, the whole field of what we now know as Old Age Assistance will immediately broaden. Certain requirements which now bar many applicants are already in process of removal and there is unquestionably a strong trend toward increasing the amount of assistance allowed each indivi- dual eligible to receive this form of aid. It is a reasonable presumption that Old Age Assistance, in some form or other, may very soon become the major part of public welfare.
Administrative
In considering the burden which falls on the administrative force of public welfare in Reading it should be kept in mind that we have no town infirmary. Many cities and towns in the state maintain infirmaries and their operation is reported as a separate account, entirely apart from administrative expense. Further in Reading, the itemized ac- counting of all welfare transactions is taken care of in the welfare office. This work includes the preparation of detailed vouchers each week, the posting of the thousands of items to the accounts of each recipient, the making up of all bills to other municipalities for aid rendered by this department on their account, and the maintenance of intricate and voluminous records made necessary by the continuous demand for specialized reports made by the major branches of govern- ment relief, such as E. R. A. and W. P. A., these reports having par- ticular bearing on unemployment relief.
At the present writing the regular monthly report to the regional office of the W. P. A. asks accurate information covering 241 items under five tabulations with their subdivisions. Two supplementary re- ports accompany this main project, giving data on 94 additional items.
In many cities and towns the financial accounting and general bookkeeping incident to welfare operation is handled in the office of the city auditor or town accountant, which means that in such towns this clerical expense appears as an accounting item and not as a welfare cost.
The administrative detail has been considerably greater in 1935 than in any previous year, but has been cared for adequately because the office personnel has remained intact and has worked industriously and with intelligence. The personal attention of the members of
258
the Welfare Board to many individual problems requiring tact and special treatment has been of great assistance. The unpaid welfare boards of many towns outside of Reading are unwilling to give the immense amount of time and effort which our local board has cheer- fully offered through its high degree of interest in the general welfare of the town.
Co-operation with other town departments and with the various state and federal divisions of relief has been excellent. We feel that we have made an honest and consistent effort to bring about the best results possible under existing economic conditions and we are sure that this effort on our part has been appreciated to Reading's advan- tages by the outside relief agencies with which our town is in constant contact.
In the first part of December the welfare offices were moved from the Municipal Building, where they were quartered in the base- ment, to the Town Farm Building on Pearl St. This building had been completely renovated under an E. R. A. project and as many activities having a direct connection with public welfare, such as the canning, garden, and sewing projects, as well as the welfare wood yard, were in operation at this location, many advantages were ap- parent through the direct welfare office contact thus brought about. The office of the Sponsor's Agent, who acts as co-ordinating officer between the town and the various federal projects, is also situated in this build- ing. The relations between the sponsor's office and the welfare de- partment must be maintained at close range to be most effective and our new location has been a decided betterment in this respect.
It must be remembered that the entire matter of relief, which is a major cause of concern throughout the nation, is in a constant state of flux. As comprehensive changes in the different branches develop and become solidified into general policies, it will become necessary for administrative methods and setups to alter themselves in conformity. Such changes, made with judgment and after due consideration, indi- cate progress toward the solution of the present uncomfortable and dangerous complexity affecting the general welfare.
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