Guaranteed Incomes Plan In U.S.

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30977, 5 February 1966, Page 15

Guaranteed Incomes Plan In U.S.

f NZ. Pre„ Assn— Copyright) WASHINGTON, February 4. A special commission yesterfifly recommended to President Johnson that every American family be guaranteed a minimum annual income of 3000 dollars £1075), the Associated Press reported.

The annual cost of such a plan was said to range from 2 billion dollars to 20 billion dollars, depending on its scope. As many as 35 million Americans could be affected if the wage recommendation was adonted. This was but one of dozens of recommendations of a year-long study by a 14member national commission on technology, automation and economic progress. The group was created by Congress and appointed bypresident Johnson to study

“technological unemployment and related problems.” Many of the commission findings are certain to arouse controversy. Perhaps anticipating this, it said “Today’s more advanced ideas will be commonplace tomorrow.” The guaranteed income idea was labelled worthy of further study in President Johnson’s economic report to Congress last month. Under the plan, the Federal Government would make up the difference between a family’s actual income and a fixed minimum standard. Among the recommendations in the 210-page report were:

The Federal Government should become “employer of last resort” for the hard-core jobless, paying them to work in local hospitals, schools, police departments and other “useful community enterprises.” Every young American ‘Should be offered free educaition for two years After graduation from high school. Students would move on to community colleges or vocational schools.

Social security benefits should be increased and public welfare programmes should

be reformed and made more generous. The Federal Government should set a national model building code and deny certain assistance, such as Federal housing authority mortgages, to communities failing to adopt it.