I am a member and have been a member for 7 years past of the pension and old-age committee. I have sponsored legislation that affects the senior citizen and will continue to do so. We have several bills affecting them that we will hear in the next session of 1962.

Senator, I am also a member of the Lowell Golden Age Club, one of the greatest. I think I would be remiss in my duties as a legislator if I did not appear here before you, Senator, and have you carry back the sentiments to your other 20 members on that committee, which I know that you will carry back and give them the sentiments of the senior citizens of Massachusetts.

I know that the committee will do a good job. I know that your committee in Washington is the same as the committee that we have here in Massachusetts that is trying to do a good job. I know that in the very near future we will have the King-Anderson medical bill.

The Kerr-Mills bill came before the committee which I sat on. I had to accept it, there was nothing else to do but accept it for the time being. I hope it will be a short time. There are things in that bill which I did not approve of. One, the need clause. I do not believe in the need clause. I do not believe in the embarrassment of the children going before a board and being very much embarrassed on their needs. Therefore, I was against that part of the bill but I had to accept it.

I refuse the commitment on the committee to try to wind up the difference. I refuse it. I said, "No, I am positively opposed to the need clause in the bill."

I know that President Kennedy and this committee that you are on, you have the King-Anderson bill before you and I think that in the next session, I hope you will be able to work on it.

Again let me thank you for allowing me to speak here on behalf of the Golden Age Clubs in all of Massachusetts and especially the Lowell Golden Age group.

Senator SMITH. Thank you very much for the fine work you have done in this field.

STATEMENT OF HARRY ROYLE, PRESIDENT, GOLDEN AGE CLUB, NEW BEDFORD, MASS.

Mr. ROYLE. Harry Royle, president of the Golden Age Club of New Bedford, Mass.

We have three Golden Age Clubs in our city. I pride myself with being in the one I am in charge of, which is the best. I hope I am right on that.

I have heard an awful lot of beefing today, this morning and mostly this afternoon, of what we have not. I have heard very little so far of all we have to be thankful for. As I look around and see all you people nicely dressed and looking happy for the most part, I think to myself of the song, "Enjoy Yourself, It Is Later Than You Think."

I think most of you probably have cars at home; I know I have. I can remember about 25 years ago I always worked in the cotton mill and I used to think, "What will happen when I am about 60 years old and they tell me, 'That is all there is, there is no more, you are out of work?" When social security came in I thought it was wonderful and I still do.

For myself I would rather have a little medical benefit than a raise in social security at my age. I am 74 years old. I think that is the main problem for the older people of Massachusetts and the country -to get a little medical aid or all the medical aid they can. I know there are very few cases where they are really in need and in want, but for the most part we get by very, very nicely. I think that we should all be happy and thank all those who are responsible, and more so thank God for what we have.

Thank you, Senator.

Senator SMITH. Thank you very much.

STATEMENT OF WILLIAM H. SHUMWAY, BOSTON, MASS.

Mr. SHUMWAY. I notice you have asked for the age and a very few have given it, but inasmuch as mine has been published in the newspaper I will have to admit I am 77 years old. My wife is also an oldster. I would not dare give her age but I will tell you that I am just 1 day older. I have several relatives who are oldsters.

I have been for the last 4 months organizing this Boston chapter and I have had contacts with probably 50 to 100 people in the oldster class. I have learned a great deal from them as to how they feel. A great deal of how they feel has been spoken of at length here so I will not go into detail. I will speak briefly on it.

First, I find that 99.44 percent are in favor of the King-Anderson bill but a lot of them feel it does not go far enough. I would also say I find a lot of feeling that so far the amount of money that has been spent on the Conference of the Aged in Washington, the brochure that was sent out and the committees traveling has been so far a waste of public taxpayers' money. We have had a lot of talk, a lot of publicity, but no deeds and no action. That is a feeling of a great many of us.

A lot of them feel that social security is entirely inadequate. They have not any investments to draw on, that they cannot live on social security as they should live and they think it should be increased to a minimum of at least $200 per month.

In regard to the medical bill, I find a lot of them had an adverse feeling against going to welfare or the department of the aged. They feel it is degrading to a certain extent; they feel it is charity, and no one wants charity. They want and are entitled to it, but not charity. They feel that going to welfare or the old-age assistance is charity and they would rather let their medical and dental attention go rather than apply for charity. That is one reason why so many of them favor the King-Anderson bill.

There is one point that has not been brought out which I want to speak about and that is the employment of the aged. We have a very paradoxical situation there. You have the Government and the unemployment service agitated to the businessmen and employers to hire older people if they have the ability, and yet your State unemployment office right here in Boston has an age limit on whom they will hire. Now, if that is not paradoxical, I do not know what is, and I know that from personal experience.

I said I was 77. Two years ago I had to retire. I had a certain amount of unemployment coming to me which I took and then I went

to 6 Somerset Street here and had an interview to get a job. The minute I told them my age, "Oh, we cannot help you, Mr. Shumway." I said, "Well, I can help you here. I have been in the business of securing executives 32 years. You have a certain number of those jobs and I could handle them here.'

They replied, "We know that, Mr. Shumway, we know your reputation. We know what you have done but we cannot hire people over 70. I am awfully sorry, we cannot use you."

Thank you.

Senator SMITH. Thank you very much.

STATEMENT OF BLANCHE BALCOM, NATICK, MASS.

Mrs. BALCOM. Senator Smith, my name is Blanche Balcom. I come from Natick, Mass. I do not think my age group has been represented. I come from the middle-aged age group. I have taken care of my mother and I am now taking care of my mother-in-law. I have educated three boys. I do not know what is going to become of our age group. We have sent our children through school and now we should be saving money for our old age and we cannot do it.

I just recently paid hospital bills of $1,500 for my mother-in-law which I am glad to do while I can, but it is going to be the same old story. When we get to our old age, my husband will not retire at 65, we are going to be in the circumstance of these people now, that we will have to have some assistance because we have not been able to save. Then my sons, each has four children-they may have more before long, I do not know-they will not want to support us, they can't.

I feel that something should be done on the social security and I hope you will be able to do something.

Senator SMITH. Thank you very much, Mrs. Balcom.

STATEMENT OF ALICE DAKIN, BETHANY CHURCH, QUINCY, MASS.

Mrs. DAKIN. I am Alice Dakin, of Quincy, president of the group of senior citizens from the Bethany Church. I would like to make this very brief and change the subject if I may.

I am very much interested in hobbies and find that so many times we reach the age of 65 when we have to retire. We are not prepared, and I think it is like that they would try and get up a hobby. When I was 60 I started hobbies and I have spent 15 years going to the high schools, they have so many different courses to offer. I want to say for myself I have taken a number of things.

I would say that anyone here, senior citizens, that do not already have a hobby, that they would find one because it gives you new friends and it sort of gives you a lift in life and I think they would benefit by it.

Thank you.

Senator SMITH. Thank you. You certainly have a very important point. Individual older citizens certainly can help themselves greatly in this period of their lives.

STATEMENT OF JOHN M. REGAN, PRESIDENT, RETIRED
BETHLEHEM SHIPYARD WORKERS, QUINCY, MASS.

Mr. REGAN. Mr. Chairman, my name is John M. Regan. I am happy to be president of a group of approximately 400 men in the city of Quincy which has a population of about 85,000. Out of this 85,000 there are roughly 7,500 above the age of 65. I have come in contact with many of the problems of the aged. Some of these people through thrift in years when incomes were not so high as they are today own a modest equity in their homes. Others are not so fortunate because of sickness, hospitalization, and accompanying medical expenses.

Sickness, hospitalization, and medical expenses is a threat which is common to the people. The threat of the atom bomb comes only a poor second to that of hospitalization. Many of those senior citizens have given sons and daughters to the services of their country in the U.S. Armed Forces. Some of these never came back, others came back physically or mentally disabled and have problems. Far too many never returned and are in Flanders Field or other fields in foreign countries.

This is the past many of our old-aged folks look back on, with hospitalization and medical expenses threatening to impoverish them in the future. These old-age citizens want to work, too young to die, are too proud to accept public charity and welfare. I ask that the hospitalization and medical expense be administered as is social security and discontinue his threat of poverty in his remaining years. I appeal to the Senators and Congressmen who represent them in Washington to so vote and place this on the statute books as the law of the United States in the coming 1962 session.

I thank you.

Senator SMITH. Thank you very much.

STATEMENT OF MANUEL J. MACHADO, PRESIDENT, LOWELL GOLDEN AGE CLUB, LOWELL, MASS.

Mr. MACHADO. Senator Smith, my name is Manuel J. Machado, president of the Golden Age Club of Lowell. We have 590 members and we meet twice a month. We have 300 at the meetings. I am in favor of the medical bill. Thank you.

Senator SMITH. Thank you very much.

STATEMENT OF HENRY HANSON, DORCHESTER, MASS.

Mr. HANSON. My name is Henry Hanson, speaking under the caption of senior citizen. I think there may be people here who are more interested in the environment of the rest home rather than its mechanics of economic management. Our Government spends great amounts of money on employees, scientific men, to provide sceneries for animal life. Man belongs to the animal kingdom, and I think it is little less than mental torture for a hospital in the city to send their patient a block down the street to a rest home who has arisen in the morning to the crowing of a rooster or to sleep through the night while the frogs croaked in the hollow or the crickets chirped outside.

The idea of the rest home is to provide a compatible atmosphere. I think the Government in providing the money, if we are going to

spend our last days probably in the environment of a rest home, should see to it that they are strategically placed both topographically and geographically so that the patient will be in a natural environment conducive to recovery of good health.

That is not the case in all circumstances. I think it probably is not feasible at the present time but it should be considered as a long-range thought on the subject of rest homes. Thank you.

Senator SMITH. Thank you very much.

The next speaker will be Representative William Bolger who I know is extremly interested in this whole problem.

STATEMENT OF WILLIAM BOLGER, STATE REPRESENTATIVE

Mr. BOLGER. Senator, I will speak very briefly. I am a member of the legislature from South Boston. I am not a member of any Golden Age Club.

Today I am celebrating my 11 months in public service. I came here today to find out somewhat generally about the administration's proposal to provide medical care for the aged. I will abandon that and just speak very briefly upon the remarks of another young man who came to your microphone earlier, Mr. Jack E. Molesworth. I believe his opinions are quite out of harmony with the opinions of the other young people in our society. I would suggest to Mr. Molesworth, if he is still here, that he come with me to my district in South Boston and become forcefully aware of the needs of the people who now depend upon Federal aid for their existence. Let Mr. Molesworth come and see the needs and I think his attitude will change.

That is where he is most wrong, in his attitude of the younger people of the society, that they do not care to bear the responsibility of a debt. I suggest that he is completely wrong when he says that this is the feeling of the younger people of the society. I wish that there were time to stand here and to dispute the false economic premises upon which he bases his objections to this very human, proper and Christian legislation. Thank you, Senator.

STATEMENT OF MARTIN BUTLER, SOUTH BOSTON, MASS.

Mr. BUTLER. Senator Benjamin Smith, I come here today for a purpose. Knowing some day I hope to grow old, it is God's blessing to grow old.

My mother worked for the Boston-Harmony Railroad and she has a small pension. When my father died and left my mother with seven small children I was at the age of 3. My mother went to work for the Boston-Harmony Railroad. She took the place of father and mother and went out and supported the family and raised them.

I think it is altogether fitting and proper that here in this Commonwealth with President Kennedy's medical aid to the aged, it is the finest thing that ever came out of Washington. This day here and now as I stand here speaking, I know as the clock ticks and ticks my life is going on to another life, that of the aged, and that group I hope to be my friends of tomorrow.

Knowing of the young group here in America that has to go out and do the work that has to be done and receive bodily injuries which they have to carry for the rest of their lives, knowing some might