PUBLIC WELFARE War Services, day nursery programs, health pro. Only a comprehensive and a compulsory govern- grams for war wives and infants, allotment and ment scheme will equalize the distribution of those allowance provisions, the War Relief Control services. There are of course, honest differences Board, educational and unemployment compensa- of opinion as to what groups should be included ion programs for veterans, etc. whether it should be compulsory or voluntary This great expansion of governmental social what proportion of expense should be met by gov services has brought to public welfare administra- ernment, by industry, and by workers, and whether tors such problems as: What social services should it should be federal or federal-state or exclusive be private and what public? Which level of gov- state administered. It does seem incontrovertible ernment should perform what services? What are that the people of the United States increasingly the functions of grants-in-aid and how should they need and want more medical protection be distributed? What should be the standards of Third. The creation of the unrra. an inter- public assistance? What services should be national relief and rehabilitation organization, is a financed by government and what by recipients? tremendously significant development in the wel What is competent performance? Typical of fare field, both because it represents a method of specific problems to which public welfare admin- international cooperation and because it utilizes istrators are now giving their attention is whether the experiences of skilled social workers. For or not all public assistance should be dispensed as example, Fred A. Hoehler, former director of the general or as categorical relief, the former being the American Public Welfare Association, is the head proposal of the Wagner-Murray-Dingell bil of the Division of Dislocated Persons. Many of Second. Particularly important in the expansion the principles of the organization are derived from of governmental services are the social insurances. the experience of welfare administrators. Other he passage of the Social Security Act in 1935, international conferences as the Food Conference with its provisions for old age and unemployment at Hot Springs, Virginia, the Monetary Conference insurance offered new security to the wage earners at bretton Woods New hampshire, the I L.o. of the country. The Wagner-Murray- Dingell bill. Conference at Philadelphia, the peace conference at liberalizes the already existing provisions and Dumbarton Oaks, are proof of international con provides for permanent and temporary disability cern with postwar economic and social problems. insurance and for hospital and health insurance They are significant for social workers because they The sections of the bill having to do with health represent international effort to prevent future insurance have brought terrific opposition from wars and to help the sufferers of World War II the medical profession. Mr. John M. Pratt of Fourth. during the war period, despite deple- the National Physicians Committee for the Exten- tion of staffs, welfare administrators have done all sion of Medical Services, in a little bulletin en- they could to maintain standards of personnel ar titled "abolishing Private Medical Pract administration. They have continued to improve Prelude to a Centralized Control of the Professions merit plans, to provide supervision, to offer nd of Industry "which has been distributed by the service training programs, to distribute reports millions writes, "Senate bill 1161 makes provision handbooks, and professional literature. In short, for free general medical, special medical, laboratory they have made a valiant effort to protect the gains and hospital benefits for 110 million people in the of the last decade. The Federal Employment United States. "He seems to have forgotten that Practices Committee composed of personnel from the bill provides for a six percent tax from em- public and private welfare agencies has made ployees and the same from employers, and he commendable but unsuccessful efforts to obtain akes no suggestion for substitute services even Federal funds for the training of social workers as though his committee professedly is for the ex- for doctors and nurses. This failure indicates that tension of medical services! social work is not yet accepted to the same extent It is unfortunate that the United States is almost as the medical and nursing professions. Generally the only large western ciently comprehensive to latures value competency in the administration of ountry which lacks a social speaking it appears that Congress and state legis- scheme suffi clude medical care and disability security. The the social services, although these bodies may not distribution of medical care and of medical costs. to what that competency invol, work profession as data included in many studies shows the unequal entirely agree with the socialPUBLIC WELFARE 185 War Services, day nursery programs, health pro￾grams for war wives and infants, allotment and allowance provisions, the War Relief Control Board, educational and unemployment compensa￾tion programs for veterans, etc. This great expansion of governmental social services has brought to public welfare administra￾tors such problems as: What social services should be private and what public? Which level of gov￾ernment should perform what services? What are the functions of grants-in-aid and how should they be distributed? What should be the standards of public assistance? What services should be financed by government and what by recipients? What is competent performance? Typical of specific problems to which public welfare admin￾istrators are now giving their attention is whether or not all public assistance should be dispensed as general or as categorical relief, the former being the proposal of the Wagner-Murray-Dingell bill. Second. Particularly important in the expansion of governmental services are the social insurances. The passage of the Social Security Act in 1935, with its provisions for old age and unemployment insurance offered new security to the wage earners of the country. The Wagner-Murray-Dingell bill. liberalizes the already existing provisions and provides for permanent and temporary disability insurance and for hospital and health insurance. The sections of the bill having to do with health insurance have brought terrific opposition from the medical profession. Mr. John M. Pratt of the National Physicians Committee for the Exten￾sion of Medical Services, in a little bulletin en￾titled, "Abolishing Private Medical Practice or a Prelude to a Centralized Control of the Professions and of Industry" which has been distributed by the millions writes, "Senate bill 1161 makes provision forfree general medical, special medical, laboratory and hospital benefits for 110 million people in the United States." He seems to have forgotten that the bill provides for a six percent tax from em￾ployees and the same from employers, and he makes no suggestion for substitute services even though his committee professedly is for the ex￾tension of medical services! It is unfortunate that the United States is almost the only large western country which lacks a social insurance scheme sufficiently comprehensive to include medical care and disability security. The data included in many studies shows the unequal distribution of medical care and of medical costs. Only a comprehensive and a compulsory govern￾ment scheme will equalize the distribution of those services. There are, of course, honest differences of opinion as to what groups should be included, whether it should be compulsory or voluntary, what proportion of expense should be met by gov￾ernment, by industry, and by workers, and whether it should be federal or federal-state or exclusive state administered. It does seem incontrovertible that the people of the United States increasingly need and want more medical protection. Third. The creation of the UNRRA, an inter￾national relief and rehabilitation organization, is a tremendously significant development in the wel￾fare field, both because it represents a method of international cooperation and because it utilizes the experiences of skilled social workers. For example, Fred A. Hoehler, former director of the American Public Welfare Association, is the head of the Division of Dislocated Persons. Many of the principles of the organization are derived from the experience of welfare administrators. Other international conferences as the Food Conference at Hot Springs, Virginia, the Monetary Conference at Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, the I.L.O. Conference at Philadelphia, the peace conference at Dumbarton Oaks, are proof of international con￾cern with postwar economic and social problems. They are significant for social workers because they represent international effort to prevent future wars and to help the sufferers of World War II. Fourth. During the war period, despite deple￾tion of staffs, welfare administrators have done all they could to maintain standards of personnel and administration. They have continued to improve merit plans, to provide supervision, to offer in￾service training programs, to distribute reports, handbooks, and professional literature. In short, they have made a valiant effort to protect the gains of the last decade. The Federal Employment Practices Committee composed of personnel from public and private welfare agencies has made commendable but unsuccessful efforts to obtain Federal funds for the training of social workers as for doctors and nurses. This failure indicates that social work is not yet accepted to the same extent as the medical and nursing professions. Generally speaking it appears that Congress and state legis￾latures value competency in the administration of the social services, although these bodies may not entirely agree with the social work profession as to what that competency involves