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Show Relief Funds Running Low, Says Director LimiUitions on State Sales Tax I-aw May Work Hardship Soon. SALT LAKE CITY, July 8 W.Kt Shackled by limitations of the state sales tax law, Darrell J. Greenwell, state welfare director, warned today that Utah social security and direct relief funds may be exhausted before the end of the year. Social welfare cases, he said, are increasing at the rate of three per cent a monMi. Completion of the summer employment season, it was feared, would increase this problem additionally. Cases in this classification are those which cannot can-not be handled either by the WPA or under social security legislation. legisla-tion. Small Surplus Only a small surplus existed last month after all costs had been met, Greenwell explained, and officials believe that an increasing in-creasing security load may amplify ampli-fy the situation to a poinfc where funds available to the welfare department will be insufficient to meet demands. Although the state sales tax brings in approximately S3.000,-000 S3.000,-000 annually, only $2,000,000 of the amount is available for relief purposes. The balance is directed to other uses. With sales tax funds, county contributions and federal funds all flowing int'o relief channels last month, completion of the month's operations left a surplus of only $11,666, officials said. Numerous remedies have been suggested in the event the situa- tion becomes acute. They hinge principally upon realignments at the next legislative session of laws limiting relief agencies to their present financial quotas. Excess sales tax revenues collected col-lected during the two fiscal years have been deposited in a fund which now totals $600,000. The law prescribes the governor may use this money to make up deficiencies defic-iencies in the general fund budget. Since the state's budget is in balance, bal-ance, proposals have been advanced advanc-ed that the governor may use this money to make up deficiencies deficien-cies in the general fund budget. Since the state's budget is in balance, bal-ance, proposals have been advanced advanc-ed that the governor allocate sufficient suf-ficient of this money to relief purposes pur-poses to carry through until additional addi-tional funds may be made available avail-able by legislative action. Another $100,000 is available to 'the welfare board from a special liquor commission fund. This source is expected to provide greator revenues in the future since the commission now has paid off its indebtedness acquired' when it began operations a year ago and now has a substantial working capital. ; ! |