NEW YORK'S senior citizens aged 60 and over will display and sell wood carvings, ship models, doll houses, jewelry, leathercraft, and other articles made with their own hands in a unique nonprofit Elder Craftsmen Shop, scheduled to open this fall.

Announcement of the project, first of its kind in the city, was made at a press conference by J Donald Kingsley, executive director of the Welfare and Health Council of New York City, which is sponsoring the shop. Theodore Charnas, New York attorney, is chairman of the Elder Craftsmen Shop, and Allen M. Schauffler, vice-president of Abercrombie and Fitch, serves as chairman of its Executive Committee.

"The annual Hobby Show for Older Persons which the Council has sponsored for the past 9 years, has encouraged thousands of men and women to use old skills and develop new ones, both as a hobby to offset boredom and as occupational therapy to help restore their mental well-being," Mr Kingsley explained. "Now our Elder Craftsmen Shop will provide an important further step, to help them sell their articles in the open market in fair competition with other merchandise, to supplement their pensions and low fixed allowances and thus achieve some degree of self-support."

Pointing out that there are now more than 1,000,000 men and women 60 years of age and over in New York City, with 30,000 more reaching 60 each year, Mr. Charnas explained that about 12,000 live in homes for the aged where occupational therapy and hobby programs play a major role in mental and physical rehabilitation.

"This craft outlet shop can become one of the important interests in the lives of these residents," he said, "as well as of the thousands of other older persons who live in their own homes. Even if the amount earned is small, it will give them a measure of independence, which is a keystone in the morale of those who formerly supported themselves and those who now find themselves dependent on others for the barest necessities of life."

The Shop will also draw attention to the creative potentialities of older persons, Mr. Charnas added, in order to inspire others in this age group to develop and make use of their own abilities or talents.

"During the past few years, many older men and women have served with distinction in industry and business," he stressed. "But when, for one reason or another, their jobs are terminated, it has been impossible to find other employers who will accept them. Consequently, in addition to losing the opportunity to use their skills, many soon fall into despair and age more rapidly. Others are hospitalized in already overcrowded institutions. Our craft shop would be a practical source to keep them from losing their skills while, at the same time, helping them retain some sense of independence and productivity.

As evidence of the Shop's chances of ultimate success, Mr. Charnas pointed to Cleveland, with a total population of only about 910,000, where a successful craft outlet shop has been operating since 1948.

"New York, with its huge and ever-growing population,” he maintained, "will certainly give solid support to a project of this kind."

AUGUST 14, 1955, marked the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Social Security Act. The event was commemorated by the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare at a general staff meeting on August 15. Present and former staff members and friends of the Social Security Administration were in attendance.

The program, presided over by Commissioner of Social Security Charles I. Schottland, featured two men-Marion B. Folsom and Dr. Edwin Witte-who participated in the studies that culminated in the recommendation that a Social Security law be enacted. Mr. Folsom served as a member of the Advisory Council to the Committee on Economic Security whose report and recommendations were the basis of the Congressional legislation of 1935. August of this year brought him to the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare as its Secretary. Dr. Witte, the Executive Secretary of the Committee on Economic Security in 1935, is now Professor of Economics at the University of Wisconsin. The two men shared with those at the anniversary meeting their recollections of the beginning of the Social Security program.

Mr. Folsom said that the American approach to the problem of social security has been a sound one. Many people employers and others who opposed social security legislation in its inception, felt that it would result in a lessening in the incentives of the individual to provide for himself. In answer to this, Mr. Folsom stated: "The 20-year experience under social security has proved that this has not happened. The system has, in fact, proved to be an adjunct to our private enterprise system. It has grown along with the growth in individual savings, life insurance, and other indices of a sound and expanding economy."

Mr. Goodwin

Bureau Director Addresses AFPH Convention in Johnstown

No. 10

SPEAKING before the 7th triennial national convention of the American Federation for the Physically Handicapped at its meeting in Johnstown, Pa., August 28-31, Bureau of Employment Security Director Robert C. Goodwin related how State agencies have expanded service to handicapped applicants since passage of the Vocational Rehabilitation Amendments in 1954. Pursuant to that legislation, Mr. Goodwin explained, the Employment Service now has at least one person in each of its 1,700 local offices charged with the specific responsibility for seeing that handicapped job seekers receive prompt and efficient service. The Bureau has increased its staff engaged in working in the field of improved services to the handicapped and has made arrangements for both qualitative and quantitative evaluations of local office services and State programs dealing with the handicapped.

Other advances described by Mr. Goodwin included training of 2,500 Employment Service employees to improve the competence of those responsible for

counseling and placing the handicapped and in strengthening our working relationships with cooperating agencies such as the Veterans Administration and the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation. Once the tooling-up stage is passed, Mr. Goodwin indicated. that the Employment Service expects more tangible results in the form of increased counseling and placement service for the handicapped.

Recent Appointments

SENATE confirmation in late July paved the way for return of Ewan Clague to his post as Commissioner of Labor Statistics. Since the expiration of his previous term as BLS Commissioner, Mr. Clague has been acting as a Special Assistant to the Secretary of Labor. During the interim, Mrs. Aryness Joy Wickens, Deputy Commissioner, was Acting Com

missioner.

Newell Brown, formerly Director of the New Hampshire Division of Employment Security, took office as Administrator of the Wage-Hour and Public Contracts Divisions on August 15. Stuart Rothman, Solicitor of the Department of Labor, had been Acting Administrator since the resignation of William R. McComb last spring.

New Opportunities For Those Over 70

THE Civil Service Commission recently made it possible for all persons over 70 years of age, whether Federal annuitants or not, to receive regular Federal job appointments if they are qualified. The move follows congressional action lifting maximum age restrictions in Federal appointments during the fiscal year 1956, which ends next June 30.

Specifically, the Commission amended a regulation which provided that persons over 70 could receive only temporary renewable appointments for a period not to exceed one year. Under the new regulation, persons over 70 who are not annuitants can receive any type of regular appointment, including careerconditional appointment, for which they can qualify. They will not be considered for temporary renewable appointments.

Annuitants over 70 who wish to return to Federal employment also may obtain any type of appointment for which they can qualify. In addition, they can be given temporary renewable appointments.

(continued on page 26)

HE place, Washington, D. C.; the time, 11:06

doors opening; corridors filling with people. All moving rapidly but in an orderly manner. Building wardens patiently answering questions as they encourage others to move onto elevators and stairways.

The sound of many feet on the tiled halls, the opening and shutting of office doors, with now and then a voice raised in nervous laughter or suppressed excitement, and the siren wail in the background gave reality to a planned situation of attack.

"That siren gives me the willies. Reckon it is a real attack and not just an exercise?"

"No, it's just a bunch of foolishness that takes up time; but I don't care. I was tired typing that manuscript that has to be out by noon."

Yes, it was foolishness as seen by this young and very new employee, and it was foolishness in the eyes of a few others, but for the majority taking part throughout the Government, in Washington and in other cities, the exercise was as necessary as fire drills and the purchase of life insurance.

The emptying of Government buildings, the crowds on the sidewalk, the white helmeted civil defense

wardens was a common scene throughout the city' Before the siren subsided, most laughter in groups was replaced with quiet and somber expressions; thoughts doubtless turned to speculating on individual and group action in time of a real attack.

By 11:10, the outskirts of Washington were filled with cars carrying an estimated 15,000 employees to 31 relocation centers located anywhere from 1 to 4 hours' driving time from Washington. The Secretary of Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff were flown directly from the Pentagon by helicopter to a relocation center.

"Operation Alert, June 15, 1955" was an important and serious matter. This fact was indicated in part by the actual participation of the President of the United States, members of the Cabinet, directors of bureaus and agencies, and selected staff members. The fine spirit of cooperation displayed by the rank and file of Government employees indicated the recognized need and acceptance of such exercises in this age of thermonuclear weapons. It is true that there are many "doubting Thomases," many who are quick to criticize and laugh at efforts to prepare for such a devastating emergency, but they are a minority

that daily is decreasing in number. In the face of known facts and estimates of possible damage from thermonuclear weapons rated by megatons, most any kind of planning is better than no planning at all. The magnitude of known weapons should be enough to stimulate necessary planning at all levels.

Megaton, as used in connection with the size of thermonuclear weapons to convey their destructive power, causes cold sweat to break out when one realizes the full meaning of the term. It takes 50 A-bombs the size of the one dropped on Hiroshima to make just one megaton. At Hiroshima more than half of the city's population of 300,000 in a 10-square-mile area were killed or critically injured. How destructive are the weapons owned by the United States? Possibly somewhere between 14 and 40 megatons. To equal a 14-megaton weapon it would take 700 Hiroshimatype bombs.

What is the size of the thermonuclear weapons owned by Russia? Regardless of the weapon size, it is a known fact that Russia is capable of delivering a disabling attack on this country of such proportions that without foresight and preparation we would be faced by nationwide destruction of lives and property never seen before in this world.

As distasteful as it may be, continuous planning and test exercises must become a part of our way of life, if

we are to meet and withstand an attack on our Nation. The June 15 Operation Alert did not begin with the wailing of the sirens which resulted in the evacuation of buildings and the immediate departure of essential employees for relocation centers. It had its beginning many months before in the way of plansplans thought out, written, rewritten, and tested by Federal and State Civil Defense Administrations, Office of Defense Mobilization, and the Departments and Agencies. A simulated, simultaneous bombing of 55 continental and 6 territorial cities in a test exercise required developmental work at all levels of Government-national, State, and local.

The Department of Labor worked closely with the Office of Defense Mobilization and the Federal Civil Defense Administration in the development of preliminary and broad plans for the exercise. In a memorandum on April 18, the Secretary of Labor outlined the Department's organization to implement wartime programs and relocation center testing. He also named those who would be responsible for directing and carrying out programs and tests. The assignments cut across all bureau lines.

Planning responsibilities for (1) Field Operation, (2) Recruitment and Manpower Distribution, and (3) Unemployment Insurance was assigned to the Director of the Bureau of Employment Security.