Toward à permanent organization It was also the conviction of the majority of the delegates that the conference had laid the foundation for a further and more active collaboration among the States in dealing with the problem of aging. Most were in agreement with the delegate who urged that "some lines of communication be established which would enable the States to keep close touch with each other for an exchange of experience, results of research, etc." This idea was taken up by a delegate from Arizona who stated his belief that a national organization of State commissions or committees was a logical outcome of the conference. However, he thought it would be better to include all of the 48 States in order to get the "picture from all angles." It was particularly important, he said, to avoid giving the impression that this would represent a new Federal program; otherwise the people in the States might not take proper initiative. Following this, a formal motion was made by a Florida delegate to establish such a national organization. He also suggested that the gentleman from Arizona be appointed interim president, with “responsibility for working out a program and a set of bylaws for a formal organization in our next annual meeting if and when we have it." An alternate suggestion, though not in the form of a motion, was made by an Illinois delegate, that the American Public Welfare Association be requested to provide staff facilities for an interim organization. It was clearly evident, however, from the debate that the delegates were of the opinion that any step toward permanent organization at the present time was premature. Such a step, it was felt, might well be taken a year from now, when, it was hoped, a considerably larger number of States could be represented with official commissions or committees. As a result, the Florida motion failed to carry any substantial support. There was more general agreement with the suggestion of a Minnesota delegate that the present sponsorship of the Federal Security Agency, and other Federal agencies, be continued until such time as the State commissions felt they were ready for formal organization. In closing the session Mr. John L. Thurston, Deputy Administrator of the Federal Security Agency-and in behalf of the other Federal agencies involved expressed his pleasure at the opportunity to participate in the conference. It was, he felt, the responsibility of the Federal Government to serve as a catalyzer or stimulator in new expanding areas of social welfare like aging. He also said that, for him, the conference represented an "orchestration of resources"-Federal, State, and local. "We are all of us in this aging business," and "one of our larger tasks is to *** hold together our resources so that we come reasonably well toward hitting the target we are aiming at." He expressed a hope that there would be some sort of continuation of an exchange of ideas among the State groups, and said that if another conference next year seemed desirable, the Federal Security Agency and the other Federal agencies would be "delighted to welcome you back here at any time." A motion that a report of the conference be made available to all participants by the Federal Security Agency was adopted. And a vote of thanks was extended to Federal Security Administrator, Oscar R. Ewing, and to participating Government agencies, for their hospitality. APPENDIX A [An appendix describing the organization, membership, and general program of the 14 official State commissions or committees on aging in 1952 has been omitted because this material has been incorporated and brought up to date in Document No. 6 "The States and Their Programs in Aging," beginning on p. 197.] 2. FEDERAL-STATE CONFERENCE ON AGING JUNE 5, 6, 7, 1956 THE COUNCIL OF STATE GOVERNMENTS AND 82756-56-vol. 1—————5 |