In our own State of Maryland, primarily through the efforts of Hon. Margaret C. Schweinhaut, Governor Tawes and the legislature, the State commission on the aging has continued with a fair degree of financial support. However, that support is not adequate to do more than hold the line. Funds are badly needed to bolster the efforts of the county commissions, to make possible research and demonstration projects which would test and put into action the work accomplished in the 1961 White House Conference on Aging.

May we briefly cite an example of one type of community cooperative effort which could be inaugurated, partially subsidized in other communities, if funds were available. As a direct outgrowth of our county's conference on aging, the Montgomery County Federated Women's Clubs, established the over-60 employment service, with one part-time counselor. With modest financial support, the project has managed to perform a significant service to the older citizens of the county.

In addition, through the experience of the project, the need for individual counseling of budget management, nutrition, health, resources, voluntary service opportunities, and other personal problems, has become more apparent. Neither through the Federated Women's Clubs nor through any other existing groups can staff or financial backing be deployed to extend the program.

We, in Montgomery County, are fortunate to have the interest and capabilities of our women's clubs, to carry on this important but limited demonstration; we feel sure that other counties in Maryland and other States could and would benefit from such activity if the leadership in State commissions and some financial assistance were available. In summary, we urge the Congress to support the effort which will benefit older persons by enacting legislation along the lines of H.R. 10014 and to appropriate funds for the purpose.

Mr. BAILEY. Any questions, Mr. Frelinghuysen?

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. I don't believe I have any very profound questions that I have to ask the witness, not that I ever have any very profound questions. The emphasis seems to have been on the financial problem faced at the local and State level. I just call attention to the fact that the Fogarty bill, which has been given primary emphasis recently, provides a total of $10 million a year, I think, for a 5-year period, for grants, and in order to receive the funds, of course, the States have to match.

Mr. HowE. This we know.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. So I do not imagine that you would envision any large new revenues coming in as a result of passage of this bill. And that leads me to my basic question of just what advantages are going to be at your level and the State level if this Federal agency or entity is established.

Mr. Howe. Well, in looking at this from our own county-and of course, this is the problem that we are most familiar with-we feel that if we had more direction and more contact with our State commission, we could involve the communities more effectively in programing for the aging.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. The Federal Government is not preventing you from having better contact with your State commission. In fact,

if you had a more vigorous Federal effort, you might have a reduction in usefulness of the State effort.

Mr. Howe. As I understand it, some of this money would be deployed to State commissions.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Let us not talk too much about money. Divide $10 million among 50 States, and I do not know how many older people you have in Maryland, but it would be a pitifully small amount, no matter how little your needs. You are not going to get much financial aid out of this.

Mr. Howe. As we look at our State problem, if there was some more financial support put into the budget, we would have an increased contact with the State commission, which we feel would be a help to us in programing in the county.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. This not an argument for the Federal Commission. This is an argument for more money.

Mr. Howe. Also, we feel that the Federal Commission would point up the Government's appreciation of the problem.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. You mean you want another demonstration that we are interested in older citizens? Of course, I think that is easy to do, in a variety of ways, but I would think that the more specific way you could provide some assistance, the better off we would be. How will it help the State commissions, or how will it help your commission?

Mr. Howe. Of course, we are not too terribly far from Washington. I did not have anything that would call for an airplane ticket, because it is just an hour's drive in. In our own area, we realize that at the time of the White House Conference there was a great deal of interest in the problems of the aging. We all are aware of this. Since that time, there has been some relaxing on this. Now, I don't mean to say it is going to reawaken everything and is going to revamp the whole program, but we feel that this Federal Commission would be an indication of the importance that this will play in our national community, and the moneys small as they are, would be felt and would manifest an improvement in local conditions.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Do you think it would be wise for us to establish a commission that would set up a dramatic demonstration of the needs of the older citizens in the Washington stadium, for instance? Is that the sort of thing that would arouse the lagging interest at home?

Mr. Howe. I would rather have it in the Washington stadium than Madison Square Garden.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Well, of course, if we do not run out of money we can have them all over the country.

Mr. Howe. But I believe merely the establishment of it is an indication of interest, and would also be productive. Not that the establishment of it is necessarily going to mean that you are going to have to contact a group of people over 60 who can put on some fantastic demonstrations and dance routines to draw this to the attention of the public.

But I believe that the establishment of a Federal Commission is a step forward. This is not the total answer. More will have to be done. More research will have to be done on it, but we believe that it is a progressive step.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Do you believe that a Federal Commission that has authority to look into what needs to be done might show up the inadequacies of the State commission's efforts and perhaps local commissions as well and point the finger where the finger should be pointed, and might be helpful in the long run?

Mr. Howe. Either this, or they might assist in better programing or assist in giving them a more balanced program in the local areas. Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. You mean tell them to cut out some program that they have developed because it is not, on the basis of their experience and judgment, a good one?

Mr. Howe. Well, I do not believe that we ever visioned this as a police group that is going to do that, but they could certainly stimulate it in the field of education.

As I have done some study for George Washington University in a study they want to get off the ground in the field of aging, we find that our national community for years has attacked health programs and social programs when they become catastrophic in nature and have done a very good job. Our own local commission is interested that the problems of aging do not ride until we have reached a catastrophe. We feel that we need a little added help from the Federal level to progress more in our local areas, so that we can ward off some of this. We are not into real catastrophes yet with the aging, and we do not feel that it is wise to wait until we get there.

Now, historically, the American Cancer Society has done a tremendous job in the health field, and so have your TB organizations. These things came about because tremendous interest was manifested due to an acute problem. I don't believe we have gotten quite that far in the aging field, but I don't think we want to reach that point.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. I would like to thank you, Mr. Howe, for your testimony, and say that I think it would be a catastrophe if I should live to be 120, to tell you the truth. I was appalled at the projection of what the future may hold for us.

Mr. Howe. It would not be a catastrophe here

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. It would be for me, and if my family should allow it, it might be for them too.

Mr. Howe. It would depend on your physical condition at 120.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Oh, I think my mental condition might be even more serious a problem. My physical condition I should think might well be debilitated. We cannot always bank on these things ahead of time, you know.

Mr. BAILEY. The Chair would like to ask the witness if he does not think that through recent years the activity of the Federal Government in the field of health has added to the life expectancy some 17 to 20 years; if that does not involve a Federal responsibility to do something with these citizens they have been able to add to their group with a greater life expectancy.

Mr. Howe. Certainly. We have spent a great deal of research money in our country through the years on coping with acute illness, and as you folks well know, we pull the elder person through pneumonia today, but we have not programed for what comes after the acute illness. We have saved countless thousands of people from early death, but we are not quite sure what to do with the life that we have. And I think that the national community has a responsibility to try

to find a way to make these years productive and enjoyable, and not just a longer time that we have to wait for final death.

Mr. BAILEY. I am sure the witness will agree with me that it is not in the American tradition for us to add 15 or 17 or 20 years to the life of the average individual and then let them starve to death.

Mr. Howe. The thing that our local commission is interested in is that we become aware of what is facing us before this problem snowballs and becomes a catastrophe. What we are interested in is helping people now, those that have the added years, helping them.

Mr. BAILEY. Mr. Howe, the committee is pleased to have your testimony, because I think you are the first witness before the committee on a local level. There have been State agencies and national groups testifying, but yours is the first coming from the grassroots, unless it has been at some of our meetings throughout the country, where I presume we have had previous witnesses on this level. We appreciate your viewpoint. Thank you.

Mr. Howe. Thank you.

Mr. BAILEY. The next witness is Miss Howard Hubbard, assistant director of the Washington office of the American Library Association.

You may further identify yourself to the reporter and proceed with your testimony, Miss Hubbard.

STATEMENT OF MISS HOWARD HUBBARD, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, WASHINGTON OFFICE, AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION

Miss HUBBARD. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

My name is Howard Hubbard. I am assistant director of the Washington office of the American Library Association, a membership organization which represents more than 25,000 librarians, trustees, and members of the general public interested in the development, improvement, and extension of library services as essential factors in the educational, scientific, and cultural needs of the Nation. It is a nonprofit, national, professional association representing all types of libraries, not only public libraries but also school, college, university, hospital, institution, and State libraries.

The American Library Association wishes to endorse the principles which are contained in proposals before the Congress, such as H.R. 10014, to have the Federal Government authorize grants to stimulate action on the problems of our growing population of older persons. Although the association has taken no position on the administrative organization necessary to achieve the objectives, we firmly believe that something can and should be done at the national level.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Miss Hubbard, could I ask you, do you mean something on the administrative organization side, or something in the field of grants? What do you mean?

Miss HUBBARD. I think we are thinking of something primarily in the field of grants. We have no position to take on the question of what the administrative organization should be.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. You are not strictly testifying with respect to the legislative proposals to establish a commission.

Miss HUBBARD. That is correct.

We welcome legislation which aims not only at obtaining information about the problems through surveys, studies, research, and dem

onstrations, but also proposes action for their solution. During the past few years, considerable data have been obtained about the aging population, but much more needs to be discovered.

Although such questions as reduced income, proper housing, vocational and avocational factors, are highly important, the association is not presenting any testimony concerning them, because it assumes that these have already been covered adequately by Government agencies and organizations appearing before this committee. The association will confine its testimony to three considerations: (1) libraries have had long experience in serving the aging population; (2) research and studies are needed in a number of areas so that library service to elderly persons may be improved; (3) libraries have many essential services to contribute to any program for the aging when sufficient funds are made available for the necessary materials and proper staffing.

In the first place, libraries are no strangers to the service of senior citizens. For many years they have lent books to this segment of the population for its pleasure and for its continuing education. They have carried on special services to the shut-ins, both in private homes and in institutions. Librarians have sought to obtain books with suitable print for declining eyesight and to utilize reading equipment for the physically handicapped, including bedridden patients. Libraries have made reading materials available to persons preparing for retirement, to persons who have retired, to the families involved, and to the staff of organizations working with the problems of the aging.

In the second place, so that a better job may be done for our older citizens, libraries need research and studies in such areas as the following, which is by no means an exhaustive list:

(1) Rate at which individuals and groups of persons age mentally and physically.

(2) The influence of cultural and educational interests as preventive bulwarks against mental decline.

(3) Effective methods of salvaging the great resources of experiences and skills existing in our senior citizens.

(4) Corrective equipment which may be used in combating failing physical faculties and the likely resulting mental decline.

Facts from the preceding and other possible studies would give libraries a sound basis on which to proceed in dealing with the aging population. Legislation is essential to stimulate the carrying on of such studies.

Our third consideration is that in any program or programs involving work on the problem of the aging population, libraries when adequately financed have these active, positive contributions to make: (1) By virtue of their experience with all classes and educational levels of the population, public libraries are unusually qualified to aid with suitable reading materials the educational and cultural needs of older citizens.

(2) Through their books and related materials, libraries can make people of all ages aware of the problems of aging, and possible solu

tions.

(3) Libraries at the State and local levels are a natural choice as the official clearinghouse of materials and information on aging prob