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Show Social Security For Farmers (Editor's Note. This is the second se-cond of a series of 4 articles explaining the proposals to extend ex-tend Social Security to Farmers.) When the Social Security Act was passed in 1935, agricultural workers were excluded along with certain other groups because Congress thought that the insurance insur-ance provisions of the new program pro-gram could best be started in industry and commerce, where coverage could most easily be administered. There was the question ques-tion of how to figure the amount that the individual worker should pay as well as the amount the owner of the farm should contribute. con-tribute. This was diffcult since a great many farmers did not keep books. , JIany of the problems considered consid-ered have since appeared capable of being solved. It is believed that by the use of stamps for reporting wages and paying contributions con-tributions of hired farm workers there would be no need for bookkeeping book-keeping by the farm operator. The Social Security Board has recommended that farmers, farm hands, and their families be brought into the svstem of Old- Age and Survivors Insurance, which would provide protection for the old age of the workers and their wives or for the widows wid-ows and young children in event of death of the wage earner. The suggested plan for payment pay-ment of the contributions into the Federal trust fund would be as follows : For his farm help, the farmer who has few or no regular hands, could use a stamp method of reporting re-porting wages and paying contributions. con-tributions. He could buy special stamps as needed, from any post office or rural letter carrier, and insert them in the stamp books furnished him by his workers when he paid their wages. Half the cost of the stamps would be deducted from the worker's wages, as his social security contribution. con-tribution. Stamps would be available avail-able in convenient denominations, so that $12 in wages, for example would mean 12 cents deducted from the worker's wages, and 12 cents contributed by the employer. Farm owners and employees in the United States number about 12 million and the same hazards of poverty in old age, destitution of widows and children resulting from the breadwinner's death confront agricultural workers just as they face industrial workers Federal family insurance protec tion would go far to stabilize purchasing p0wer in every community com-munity when death and old aee deprived people of earning capac- the nYf " Bard'S Proposals the people who make a living on farms could become entitled to monthly cash payments if tuev retired after age 65, as well as monthly cash payments to widows children, and dependent parents' of deceased workers, and lumP --um death payments. For further information consult ne Serial Security fieW 330 P. O. Building. Oaden. |