reimburse at full rates schools now participating. They estimate it would take four times this amount additional annually to bring into the program all schools with the wish to enter it.

Kansas.-Approximately 115 schools with attendance of 12,000 pupils could be taken into the program if funds were available. An additional $65,000 annually of Federal funds would be necessary to bring into the lunch program all schools with the wish to enter it.

Vermont.-Five hundred and ninety schools with attendance of 15,000 children could be brought into the program if there were sufficient funds. In the year 1949, an additional $18,000 would be needed to reimburse at full rates schools in the program. An additional $40,000 annually would be needed to bring into the program all schools that wish to enter it.

Mrs. JACK B. FAHY,

Executive Director,

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, PRODUCTION AND MARKETING ADMINISTRATION, Washington 25, D. C., December 28, 1949.

The American Parents Committee,

Washington 3, D. C.

DEAR MRS. FAHY: In response to your telephone inquiry of December 27, we have prepared a list of States which found their initial apportionment of national school-lunch program funds insufficient for their program last year. These States shared in a later reapportionment of funds, but since only seven States and the District of Columbia released funds for reapportionment, the increased allocation was not significant in most of the deficit States. The States which requested an additional allocation of funds were as follows:

With respect to this year's program, the school year is not yet far enough advanced for us to reapportion funds. However, rates of reimbursement set up for participating schools give some indication of the adequacy of funds. The standard rate of reimbursement for a type A meal to a school needing maximum assistance is 9 cents. While some schools operate at a reduced rate of reimbursement because their need for assistance is not so great, we feel it is safe to say that when the average rate in a State is 8 cents or less, assistance has been curtailed because of a shortage of funds. The average rates of reimbursement for this year are:

In connection with the above, it should be noted that the high rate of assistance in New York and Utah are maintained partially with State funds. The effective Federal rate in New York is about $0.045, and in Utah about $0.030-$0.035. We hope the above information will be of assistance to you.

Sincerely yours,

C. ROY MURPHY,
Chief, School Lunch Division,
Food Distribution Programs Branch.

Senator SPARKMAN. I have been very highly pleased with the reaction to the school-lunch program in my own section. While I was down home this fall I was told by a good number of school people and leading citizens that it was fine as far as it went, but that there were great, unfilled needs particularly in rural areas, where there had been a crop disaster this year.

Mrs. FAHY. Yes.

Senator SPARKMAN. We made an effort to ease the situation, but about all we could do was get additional allocation of surplus prod

ucts.

Mrs. FAHY. Which is not enough. It does not cover the need. Senator SPARKMAN. It allows the program to spread itself out further but does not fill the need by any means.

Mrs. FAHY. Did you find in those rural areas that they had a problem of equipment?

Senator SPARKMAN. Yes, in some places. However, in most of the places the PTA or school organization has managed to raise funds to equip the schools. Most of them are pretty well equipped.

Mrs. FAHY. From the very beginning we have asked for money for equipment, but I have never been certain as this program has gone along since the beginning of the war that most communities had not had that taken care of, although undoubtedly you would find rural or very poor areas where they did not have equipment, and there would not be a PTA that could do it. I think a small amount of the money should be appropriated-

Senator SPARKMAN. My experience has been that the sense of consciousness of need for school improvement is keenest in rural areas. In most rural areas the parents will manage to do what has to be done, and I am rather of the opinion that if it comes to a question of deciding which is the greater need, the amount applied toward getting warm food to the children is more important than equipment. I think it would be interesting to have a survey made to determine to what extent equipment is actually needed, not wanted, but actually needed. I think it would show some pretty pleasing and surprising results. Mrs. FAHY. You know, Senator, if you have a short session this coming year-

Senator SPARKMAN. Do you say that with any expectation?

Mrs. FAHY. No. I just tell you we will do the survey if you will go home early.

Senator SPARKMAN. I will work to that end.

Mrs. FAHY. That is a personal lobby, too.

Senator SPARKMAN. Thank you very much. It has been a very fine contribution that you have made. You have pointed up a real problem that we must recognize.

Mrs. FAHY. Thank you.

Senator SPARKMAN. Mr. George Riley.

Mr. RILEY. Good morning, sir.

Senator SPARKMAN. We are glad to have you with us, Mr. Riley. Mr. Riley is national legislative representative of the American Federation of Labor.

Mr. Riley, we have your prepared statement. We are very glad to have it. You may read it or discuss it or proceed as you see fit.

Mr. RILEY. At the outset may I have permission to submit a statement prepared by the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees. Their representative has been unable to come to Washington, and they have asked if they might have leave to include that.

Senator SPARKMAN. We are very glad to have that.

(The document referred to is as follows:)

STATEMENT SUBMITTED BY THE AMERICAN FEDERATION OF STATE, COUNTY AND MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES, A. F. OF L., TO THE JOINT COMMITTEE ON THE ECONOMIC REPORT

Re: Low-income families.

State and local government employees fared poorly during the recent war emergency, which has been a period of substantial increase in the cost of living. In most instances, adjustments made in salaries between 1939 and 1945 have lagged behind the corresponding increases in the cost of living and consequently, at the end of the war, living standards of many State and local government employees were below the level of 1939. Since the end of 1945 the position of public employees has further deteriorated both in relation to cost of living and the trend of earnings of other income groups. Workers in private industry have had three full rounds of wage increases since early 1946, and the fourth is now in full swing. By contrast, few employees in State and local government have received even three rounds of salary adjustments; many received only two and some only one or no adjustment at all.

Between 1939 and 1948 the average per capita income for the United States of America went up over 160 percent compared to an average increase of only 66 percent in the salaries of nonschool State and local government employees. Making allowance for the rise in prices during this period, we find that the average American enjoys today a standard of living which is 50 percent better than that of 1939, while public employees are actually worse off today than they were in 1939. (See chart and table found on pp. 576 and 575 respectively.) In other words, public employees have had no share in the general advance of the standard of living which has occurred in this country during the last decade. The niggardly treatment of public employees must give cause for serious concern because the low level of pay, in addition to entailing all the undesirable consequences of substandard pay, also endangers the ability of State and local government to perform its vital services in an efficient manner.

Instances of low pay in State and local government are numerous, and the following list taken at random from the files of this federation will serve only as an indication of the great extent of substandard pay in the public service:

State School for Feeble Minded at Redfield, S. Dak.:1

Ward attendant__

Drivers-

Telephone operators--.
Nurse-----

See footnote on next page.

30 to 33 cents per hour.

58 cents per hour.
39 to 47 cents per hour.
40 to 44 cents per hour.

$0.50 per year.

Lufkin, Tex.: Average rate of pay for city em- $0.65 per hour.

ployees.

State of Illinois:

Attendant; clerk I; janitor I; laborer; switch- $1,500 to $2,316 per year. board operator 1; watchman I.

Laboratory helper; laundry worker; park me- $1,380 to $2,112 per year.
morial custodian I.

Laundry foreman I; numeric key punch opera-
tor.

Nursing assistant; occupational therapy aide;
psychiatric aide.

Pittsburgh, Pa., TB and Municipal Hospital:

Typist.

$1,740 to $2,580 per year.

$1,680 to $2,448 per year.

$1,681 per year.

Laboratory assistant and assistant X-ray tech- $1,620 per year.
nician.

Elevator operator; occupational therapist; hos- $1,320 per year.

Indianapolis, Ind.:

Janitor; night watchman__

pital maid.

1 All employees receive full maintenance. Those living off the premises receive $10 extra per month.

$1,469 per year.

$1,560 per year.

Clerk; clerk-typist; collector; key punch operator. $1,220 to $1,593 per year.