Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 302, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 December 1911 — HAPPENINGS IN THE CITIES [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

HAPPENINGS IN THE CITIES

Pension System for Widows a Success

KANSAS CITY, MO.—Kansas City’s plan of pensioning: widows is attracting wide attention. Requests for information come to the officers of the -juvenile court every day from cities of the United States and Canada. There are more than 40 widows on the pension rail and the plan Ib working satisfactorily. It was found soon after the establishment of the juvenile court that, many children were kept from school to work, ttys money they earned jefrtg the sole support of the family. This was particularly the case where widows with seveyal children, were unable to woTk because of title necessity for remaining at home to care ' tor the small children. At the suggestion of-Judge JicCune, then presiding: over the juvenile court, philanthropic persons formed a voluntary association and boys of school age compelled to work were paid a certain amount of money, according to the needs of the family, in place of

the money they on era dition that they attended school regn larty. Many sensitive womerf hesitated to accept this form of charity, and at first there were few applications for such pensions. Last winter, however, a law was passed by. the legislature providmlt that the county clerk establish a pension bureau, the pensions to be paid from county funds in such atnoUnt as the juvenile court found necessary, The law.provides that a widow may be paid exceed 310 a month for one child to enable that child to attend school; if she has more than one child, not to exceed $5 a month for each additional child. The yearly expenditure must not exceed $12,000. The idea of the law is to keep the family together nnder home Influence. Each applicant must answer questions prepared by the juvenile court The list Is made out in the form of a petition to the court and is considered at a formal hearing, after a full Investigation by a probation officer. To be eligible to a pension, a woman must have been a resident of the county two years. The pension sy» tem Is costing the -county about SSOO a month.