"HAM AND EGGS"

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 122, 19 November 1938, Page 8

"HAM AND EGGS"

PENSIONS FOR CALIFORNIA

DAWNING OF UTOPIA

(From "The Post's" Representative.)

SAN FRANCISCO, October 26.

Mr. Aberhart would be jealous if he were to read the current "bestseller," entitled, "Ham and Eggs for Californians." It embodies the choicest of -his Social Credit ideas, together withthose of Upton Sinclair's EPIC (End Povei-ty in California) and Dr. Townsend's plan to pay 200 dollars a month to all persons over 60 years—on condition that they spend their pension cheque every month. The "Ham and Eggs" party have profited by the failure of their predecessors; they have outshone them by securing sufficient signatures to ensure a plebiscite being taken at the elections on November 8, designed to pay a pension of 30 dollars a week to every man and woman, over 50 years of age, irrespective of income, provided that they do not work, or employ others for hire. The scheme was born in Hollywood.

California, by virtue of its climate, is the Mecca of retired folk. Already it is paying; from State funds, the highest old age pension in the country—32 dollars per month. Today, under the influence of Utopian schemes, it is the haven of penniless, dispossessed farm families from "dust-bowl" States, aged couples, retired or semi-retired, and failures from all walks of life, all attracted by a racket that has no parallel in history. Park benches are filled, all day and far into the night, with old men and women, of many races, sitting silent, shabby and dispirited. City sidewalks, here and especially in Los Angeles, are filled with them, walking aimlessly, staring into shop windows, waiting for Utopia to unfold.

The racket is far worse than that which Dewey charged against Tarn many. It was started by a candidate for Governor, on the Labour ticket He promised 25 dollars a week, to be paid in State scrip, basing his scheme on the Alberta plan. He was succeeded by two brothers who improved his offer by five dollars a week One of the pair, formerly a cheer-leader at the University of Southern California, used college methods to rouse oldster audiences. Swinging his arms to left and right, he shouted: "Five, ten. fifteen, twenty, twenty-five, thirty— ham and eggs!" The proposed amend ment provides that the Governor appoint one of the brothers as State administrator of the plan. The intention js that he should draw from the State Treasury 700,00 dollars for the expense of implementing the plan, plus 200,000 dollars for publicity

That is by no means all. The Ad minfstrator would also be authorised to appoinl pension agents, who would receive ten cents a week for each recipient passing through their hands plus 2 per cent, commission on the sale of stamps to be affixed to each dollar of scrip. On the basis of 1,000,000 pensioners, the agents would collect 38,000,000 dollar*.