TWO MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE
Tuesday, Deembr 21, 1934
Bncreases in Social
Security Pay Slated
To Start After Jan. 1
(Editor's note: Social security cov
erage will be extended to millions
of Americans under new laws ef
fective Jan. 1. In addition in
creased benefits are in store for
those who retire after Jan. 1. This
Is the - second of two stories on
the new social security laws.)
Br rex chaney
United Press Correspondent
Washington (U.R) Social
security benefit increases rang
ing from $5 to $35.30 a month
are in store for workers who
retire after the new" social se
curity law becomes fully effect
ive Jan. 1.
There will be tax increases
on some, too, to help pay for the
higher benefits. Beginning with
the new year, the two per cent
social security tax will be levied
against the first $4,200 of an
employee's annual pay compared
to a tax against ths first $3600
under the old law.
The effect of this on workers
who earn $4,200 or more a year
is that the social security tax on
an annual basis will be $84 in
1955, compared to $72 in 1954.
The matching amount paid by
employers directly to the gov
ernment will go up correspond
ingly. Coverage Extended ..
The tax and benefit increases
are part of the new law enacted
by- the last Congress. Besides
boosting benefits, the. new law
extends coverage, to some 10,-
000,000 additional persons, in
cluding farmers, many farm and
household workers, architects,
accountants, engineers, many
state and local government em
ployes, and clergymen.
Persons whe become, totally
disabled are given special con
sideration under the new law.
And it is now possible for a re
tired worker between 65 and 72
to earn as much as $1200 a year
15 N. CENTRAL PH. 2-2970
without sacrificing any social
security benefit rights. Under
the old law the maximum earn
ings permitted was $75 a month,
or $900 a year.
Persons covered by social se
curity who already have reached
the retirement age of 65 started
receiving their benefit increases
in checks mailed about Oct. 1.
These increases ranged from
a minimum of $5 to a maximum
of $20.30 for a retired worker
who had been drawing a benefit
check of $127.50 for himself and
his .wife.
Higher Payments
' Persons retiring in the future
will fare even better. Those who
retire after paying in at the
$4,200 annual. base for the next
18 months until July 1, 1956
will get the maximum increases.
The top payment for a retired
worker and his wife will jump
from $127.50 to $162.80. The
too payment for a surviving
widow with at least two children
will go up from $162.75 to $200.
These benefit increases , are
based on three actual changes in
the old law.
Changes In Law -
'The first was hiking the tax
base from $3,600 to $4,200.
The second was a new "drop
out" provision. Under this pro
vision, a worker can forget about
his four years of lowest earnings,
which might pull his overall
average down. Thus, it becomes
easier to qualify for higher bene
fit 'payments.
The third change which con
tributed to an increase in bene
fits was in the basic formula.
Under the old law, a worker
used as a basis of computation
55 per cent of the first $100 of
the average monthly wage, plus
15 per cent of the remainder up
to $200. -
Under the new law, the bene
fit is figured by taking 55 per
cent of the first $110 of average
monthly earnings and adding 20
per - cent of 'the next $240 of
average earnings.
Federal Aid Set
For Slum Clearance
Washington (U.R) The ad
ministration, launching a sharp
ly curtailed public housing pro
gram, has offered federal aid
to cities planning slum clear
ance on redevelopment projects.
Housing Administrator Al
bert Cole notified mayors of
such cities that the government
can help rehouse families forc
ed to move when slums are
torn down. But he said there
are strict limitations on such
aid.
Meanwhile, Rep. Edward A.
Garmatz ; (D-MD) announced he
will ask the new Congress to
enact legislation re-establishing
the original 1949 housing pro
gram under which the govern
ment would build 810,000 public
housing units over six years.
Multnomah Police
Nab Burglary Suspect
Portland W (U.R) Multnomah
County police captured a 21-year-old
burglary suspect after
a wild auto chase early Monday,
but the man's two companions
escaped.
Held in the county jail for
breaking and entering was Ger
ry Lavell, Portland. Lavell, who
is on three years probation for
burglary, is charged with steal
ing some $491 in loot from a
food market outside the Portland
city limits.
Lavell was captured after
county police, making a routine
check of the store, flushed the
burglars. The three men fled in
a car with their loot, but the
gar failed to make a turn and
crashed into a plowed field.
Lavell tripped and fell and
was apprehended. His two com
panions outran the officers.
The men entered the market
by cutting a hole in the roof.
The loot included two deep-fat
cookers, a portable radio, wrist
watches and beer, but no money.
WEATHER By United Press
Northern California: Fair ex
cept fog and local drizzle in Cen
cloudiness extreme north.
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;
MONSTERS OF THE SEA The luxury liner, SS United
States (background) moves past the newly-christened USS
Forrestal at Newport News, Va. The big passenger ship is
being moved to drydock for its yearly overhaul, and final
touches are being put on the Forrestal, including moving of
its superstructure.
Once-Famous Opera Singer
Recalls Good Old Times
Madrid (U.R) From riches
and fame to rags and oblivion is
the story of Ramonita, a mezzo
soprano who once shared i the
limelight with Enrico Caruso.
But this happened so long ago
that time has effaced her past
glories and dulled her memories.
The young Spanish girl .who at
the turn of the century com
manded fees of over 1,000
pesetas gold for one night's per
formance today is a partially
blind woman of 74 who sells
lottery tickets for the blind on
a street corner barely a stone's
throw from the Royal Opera
House where 40 years ago she
had been applauded, by Alphonse
Inrnl
jwas the night
and all through the bank,
were asking just whom
before Christmas,
ine tellers
pleasure
ml
they should
thank, fort making their year
I, -
jrjjfjg one of
greeting each man
and joy, while meeting and
girl
or boy.
lien out in the lobby, loan officers.
came and typists
question
9
and clerks
PJ1 :
, their
the same. From offices, vaults,
and from (jgogff 1 compartment...
guards ...
bookkeepers,
uKflg trust department
and the
the managers
gn sixty-nine branches
t ' "
icnew, tnat tney naa a messagengL to carry
9 S
to you. And so they all sang
loud and clear,
. . . and a Happy
Ii4f
in tones
G vrMerry Christmas to all
New Year!"
I
Or, to put It another way, th peo
ple of the 69 statewide banking
offices of The First National Bank
of Portland wish you and yours a
very merry Christmas and a happy,
prosperous New Year 1
MZDFORD BRANCH
urs tuao cxegoh togcthes
NNW MUUMCi COUOWMN
t
XIII, then boy-king of Spain. '
Shared with Caruso
In the golden days, Ramonita
sang mezzo-soprano roles in
"Aida,". "Lohengrin," "Rigolet
to" and "Carmen" in Milan,
Rome, Warsaw, Odessa and St.
Petersburg.
But what she remembers most
vividly is sharing the public's
applause in Milan's Teatro Lirico
with an up-and-coming Italian
named Enrico Caruso.
"That was in the 1880's or
1890's, but I can't be sure of any
dates it has all been so long
ago," she said. "Caruso was be
ginning his career then. I was in
'Rigoletto' with him for just one
performance. That was because
the mezzo-soprano billed with
Caruso was suddenly taken ill,
and I was called in to take her
place."
She wistfully recalled the high
life of pre-revolutionary Russia:
'"How much gold there was in
Russia . . . how many rubles . . .
what beautifully attired women!
Everybody, it seemed, spoke
French, and St. Petersburg was
more fancy than Rome or Milan,
though perhaps not so much as
Paris."
Begins in 19th Century .
The story of Maria Ramona
Galan begins in the latter part
of the 19th century when, at the
ago of 14 and at her father's in
sistence, , she commenced to
study voice , in Madrid. Her
voice coach was an Italian bari
tone named Battistini.
"Somehow, I remember him
quite well," she said. "He was a
big man with a fine powerful
voice.
From Madrid, she traveled to
Milan for an audition and was
booked by agents of the Teatro
Contanzi in Rome.
T lived in Milan for 20 years,"
she continued. "Milan, you un
derstand, was the mecca of opera
singers.";-
The last time Ramonita ap
peared in the Madrid Royal
Theater was in 1926, the year
the theater closed. It has re
mained closed ever since. The
civil war wiped out her savings.
The Republican government in
1936 impounded all savings ac
counts with banks to help
finance the war.
Years of Sickness
Then came, long years of sick
ness. She was forced to go on
relief. Eight years ago she under
went an operation for cataracts.
The operation was only partially
successful and she was admitted
into O.N.C.E., a self-supporting
government relief organization
for the blind.
Today Ramonita lives alone
and forgotten in a small unheated
room on Calle Independencia,
barely 100 yards from the Opera
House, still nursing dreams for
the future. : ... r
"I'd like to start my own little
business," she said. "I'd like a
kiosk where I could keep warm
in the winter and sell papers
and magazines I could do it
wth 2,000 or 3,000 pesetas. May
be, one day, it will come about."
4-H Ciubllews
Griff ia Creek Sewing Club
The 4-H Sewing Club j "But
tons and Bows" met at the Grif
fin Creek school cafeteria Dec.
18, for a Christmas party. All
22 girls and 4 mothers were pres.
ent. . . '.'
We had a short business meet
ing in which a schedule was
worked out for the rest of the
year. ; '
The girls were anxious to
start the party. We had games
and exchanged gifts and then
refreshments were served by the
leaders.
Elise Eskew,
Reporter, - ,
slMv vv C'-'
''' "
LOW
DOWN
PAYMENT
Something to
Smile About !
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confidently looked toward a future of hap
piness and security by purchasing their own
home and found home ownership as easy
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These ambitious young people simply turn
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SOURCE OF MORTGAGE LOANS - LOCAL
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own their own homes, through pay-like-rent
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more than ever before!
Why deprive yourself and your family of
that home you want and need? Come in
and talk to us about various ownership plans
with no obligation. Our business is help
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Jackson County Federal
SAVINGS and LOAN ASSOCIATION
126 E. Main
Medford
'Where You Are Paid To Save'
V
You're SAFE
when you buy by reliable
Your investment in a product is pro
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