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Show SEN. W ATKINS OPPOSES PROVISIONS TN SOCIAL SECURITY LEGISLATION i Washington (Special) Opposition Opposi-tion to social security legislation j which would endanger Utah's mine leasing industry and established employe retirement systems was voiced Friday by Senator Arthur V. Watkins (R-Utah). Senator Watkins' objections to certain proposals in the House approved ap-proved bill, H.R. 6000, were contained con-tained in a statement to the Senate Sen-ate Finance Committee which has Jbeen holding hearings on the legislation leg-islation for the past month. "From 1940 until 1944 mine leasing in Utah not only was terminated ter-minated but almost the entire activity ac-tivity carried on formerly by these groups was ceased," Senator Watkins Wat-kins told the committee in citing the effect such legislation had during dur-ing the years it was in force. Social security protection for lessees in itself is not objected to, the Senator said, if it can be achieved achie-ved without changing their present "self-employed" status. In his statement, Senator Watkins also included the views of mining and lessee representatives. Members of retirement systems, particularly the official spokesmen for the Utah State Teachers retirement retire-ment system also protested provisions provi-sions of the proposed legislation, Senator Watkins said, because of a tendency on the part of the various var-ious state legislatures to shift the burden of social security from the state to the Federal government. Since most of the state retirement retire-ment systems now provide more benefits than would Federal social security, and since inclusion of such categories of employes in this legislation might encourage departures de-partures from the state to the Federal Fed-eral programs, it would seem wise to eliminate employes covered by such retirement systems. Senator Watkins also objected to amendments in the new social security bill which would extend i social security coverage to proprietors pro-prietors and independent contractors contrac-tors and manufacturers' agents. He also supported the provision which would exclude newsboys and news venders. |