r 700 .>^-T ^-^6; GT tjc" PROVINCE OF NOVA SCOTIA. Report of Commission ON •■•■"■ Mothers' Allowances PRINTED BY ORDER OF THE LEGISLATURE / HALIFAX, N. S. COMMISSIONER OF PUBLIC WORKS AND MINES KING'S PRINTER 1921 • PROVINCE OF NOVA SCOTIA. ■ H • Report of CommissioR ON Mothers' Allowances COMMISSIONERS-JOHN McKEEN. Chairman JANE B. WISDOM ERNEST H. BLOIS ALEX. T. MacKAY, Secretary WEEKS PRINTING CO., LTD., HALIFAX DOCUMENTS OEPT. PROVINCIAL SECRETARY'S OFFICE Halifax, April IcSth, 1!)21 To His Honour MacCallum Grant, Esquire, LieutenMut-Govemor of Nova Scotia. May it Please Your Honour : — I have the honour to submit hciewith tlie Report of the Commission appointed under Chapter 2G of the Acts of 1919, in respect to ())) "Schemes providing mothers' pensions or allow- ances, and what scheme, if any, wou-d be practicable in this Province." Respectfully submitted, G. H. Murray, Provincial Secretary. Report of Commission To The Hoxourable McCallum Grant, Esq., Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia, May it Please Your Honour : — Your Commissioners, appointed under the provisions of chapter 26, Acts of 1919, beg to report on: (b) "Schemes providing mothers' pensions or allowances, and what scheme, if any, would be prac- ticable in this Province." as follows : The Commission first endeavored to find out by corres- pondence, reading of reports, etc., what had been attempted and accomplished elsewhere with such schemes. One of the Conmiissioners, Ernest H. Blois, had the opportunity of visiting Winnipeg and Toronto and investigating at first hand the working of the Manitoba and Ontario Acts. There is a large amount of literature on the subject. The Children's Bureau of the Department of Labour at Washing- ton has compiled a most excellent summary of all existing legis-ation up to 1919, and has in addition given much valu- able information regarding the practical working of the laws in different states and countries. We have also made use of the reports of similar Commissions in our sister Pro- vinces, where Mothers' Allowances Acts have already been adopted, particularly the excellent report prepared by W. A. Riddell, Deputy Minister of Labour for Ontario. After a careful istudy of all available information, your Commissioners find that the system of granting government- al aid to indigent mothers with young children, deprived of a father's support, is universally approved, and already in five Canadian provinces (viz. Manitoba, Alberta, Saskatchewan, 468822 REPORT OF COMMISSION British Columbia and Ontario), a system is in operation as well as in thirty-nine States of the American Union and in the territories of Alaska and Hawaii. In the remain! n.s: nine states, bills have been mider consideration in at least five. Outside of America, Denmark and New Zealand have notaV.e examples of successful legislation of this nature. With considerab'.e variation in application and adminis- tration ,the basic princple has been found to be the conserva- tion of child life as a matter of public concern, rather than sentiment, or benevolence in regard to the mother deprived of a bread winner. Without recognition of this principle as fundamental, it would seem that any scheme is likely to prove inconsistent with sound public policy, and in certain places we note also that the law as operated appears cumbersome and complicated through a tendency to regard it as a panacea for a wide group of social evils affecting child life. That it is a bad thing for the community if children are deprived of home life and a mother's care simply on the ground of povert}', is a principle to which all will readily agree. If anything further need be said as to the common de- mand for legislation of this nature, it must be evident that a great deal of the money and effort spent in the cause of social betterment is largely the result of neglect and indifference at a period ^vhen prevention was possible and would have been compart.,ti"vely inexpensive. In other words, society today is necessarily engaged in repairing evils in the social structure, sadly necessary because of poor foundation work, emphasiz- ing the old adage that *'an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure." The trend of modern thought, as a result in social reform, is turning more to the home, the unit of the social fabric. Mothers' allowance schemes, which have now passed the experimental state, are outstanding evidence of this, and may easily be classed as advanced constructive legis- lation. Early in our investigation we realized that it would be impracticable for us to recommend a scheme for Xova Scotia unless we could give a reasonably accurate estimate of the cost. Unfortunately there is no source from which we could obtain information giving us the number of widows and their condition and need. We therefore had to devise wjjvs and ON MOTHERS' ALLOWANCES means of obtaining the information for ourselves, and the time at our disposal and the limited appropriation did not enable us to canvass the whole Province, but we feel that the estimate presented is as accurate as can reasonably be ex- pected. We also concluded early in our investigations that while there were strong arguments to support the granting of pen- sions or allowances to all worthy women, bearing alone the responsibility of providing for their young children, it would be unwise and financially impossble for this Province to un- dertake any such scheme at the present time. After careful research and inquiry, we feel convinced that the five groups (referred to under head of ''Extent of appli- cation") into which we have divided possible claimants for assistance, stand in the order which the great bulk of public opinion would favor for support from public funds. We real- ize that for each of the several groups strong claims could be made for individual cases and your Commission had first thought a scheme might be devised whereby the really worthy in each of these classes might be assisted, but more careful and mature consideration convinced us that it was a wiser policy to begin with the really deserving of the first group, viz. widows with two or more dependent children, and after the necessary machinery was put in operation for carrying out such a scheme and the results were apparent to our peo- . pie, that it would then be comparatively easy to incude the most worthy of the other groups. In our enquiries of public officials and many private persons, we never met with the slightest objection to the granting of an allowance to the needy and worthy woman, left alone with the responsibility of bringing up her young children. There was, however, a very decided opinion ex- pressed, that the success of any such scheme would wholly depend upon the care and good judgment of the administer- ing body. It was the universal opinion, and we found the same thougllit strongly emphasized in all tthe report's we read — that too careful provision cannot be made for deter- mining who is to receive allowances and the conditions under which such allowances should be enjoyed. REPORT OF COMMISSION We found expression of many different opinions as to the method of administration and the equally important ques- tion, "Where is the money to come from!" We find in the United States, New Zealand and elsewhere, a great divrsity of method in the administration of such allowances, many of them acknowledged failures. In Canada there are broadly two methods fo.lowed. In Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan the Act is ad- ministered directly by the government through the Superin- tendent of Neglected Children. In Manitol)a and Ontario there are independent commissions to administer the Acts. We are strongly of the opinion that it is advisable to have uniformity of method in administering the law in this Pro- vince, and also one standard of qualifications and conditions of enjoying the allowances. Any scheme based upon the present Act entitled "The Relief of the Poor" (chapter 50 Revised Statutes) would be difficult of administration, and in many cases would bring unjust burdens upon compara- tively small and weak districts and municipalities. On the other hand to create a new basis of settlement or qualifica- tion would, we think, lead to endless dispute and contention. After giving this matter matured consideration, we are convinced that the scheme shou-d be ]H-ovince wide, and that the expense should be a direct tax on the whole province and not borne according to the number of cases in any particular locality. We believe that the great majority of our ]ieo])le would favor such a scheme. In the matter of administration we 1)elieve that our re- commendations embody the best points of both plans hither- to followed in Canada. The Advisory Commission with the local Advisory Committees will safeguard and interest the public and tend to inject into it something of the spirit of humanity. On the other hand the Minister being directly re- sponsible for the administration, is in line with our form of democratc government and places responsibility on the elect- ed representatives of the people. ON MOTHERS' ALLOWANCES 7 SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC VALUES OF MOTHERS' ALLOWANCES. It must be recognized that at the present time public sentiment in this, as in other provinces, is well advanced in the direction of providing for dependent widows* with young children, and certain classes are already included in existing schemes, -e. g., the government pensons for widows and child- ren of soldiers, the Halifax Relief pensions for the depen- dents of those killed in the Great Explosion, and the AVork- men's Compensation for the dependents of those who have lost their lives through industrial accident. The better sent- iment of the public is not satisfied, however, that outside of these groups the young children of other widows should be left to face the great hazards of poverty. Briefly, the common experience with indigent widowed mothers is in one of two directions. She may in the frst place resort to institutional care which at best is but a poor substitute for a private home for normal children, while in- cidentally the burden of maintenance is thrust upon the com- munity. Speaking on this point at one of the Ontario hearings, Father Bench is reported as follows: (See Ontario report page 26) "My experience with institutional work is that it is one of the biggest mistakes that can possibly be to place any child in an institution, if it possble to keep it out. I would go as far as to say that the best institution under the best management is not equal to the poorest home, provided that home be morally correct. If the surroundings of the home are good, if the environment is good, no matter about the poverty, I say, that home is better than the best managed institution I know of. So that we are all agreed, I think, those who are connected with institutional work that it is a sin, a crime, a hardshp, an injustice to institutionalize any child, unless as a last remed}", where aU things else fail. Under present condtions we are obliged to put children into institutions who really should not be there. If any such scheme as a mothers' pension v/ere in force, provision would be made for giving proper home training, and there is no question that these children would be much better citizens of the countrv. " 8 REPORT OF COMMISSION Tlie widowed mother may on the other hand, struggle to keep her children together, with any or all of the follow- ing results: — To meet expenses, boarders and lodgers are frequently introduced into an already crowded home and un- due intimacy is often fostered with disastrous effects on the family morals; if there are very young children, they must inevitably suffer from the mother's frequent or regular ab- sences from home while working, and immediately the door is opened to increasing an infant mortality rate, already too high; the children of school age can with difficulty be kept in regular attendance at school, while after school hours they are left to their own devices and the Juvenile Courts are fre- quently the next experience. Along with juvnile delinquency as a common occurrence "in the families of widowed working mothers, goes also the practical certainty of the children being poorly nourished, underfed and underclothed, and all the disadvantages of an uncertain and inadequate income in the physical development of young children . The problem of infant mortality is one that is engross- ing today the earnest attention of all public health authori- ties, especially as the saving of child life yields so readily to proper preventative measures. In all social reforms there are a number of contributing factors and experience and investi- gation go to prove that the support of indigent mothers with infant children has been an important aid. It is signifi- cant that in New Zealand where mothers' pensions haVe been in operation for a number of years, ^ye find the lowest rate of infant mortality in the world — 51 per thousand. The rate in Nova Scotia in 1919 from the latest available returns was 114.7, while the City of Halifax showed the startling rate of 171 per thousand. Any reform that tends to cut the roots of this evil should receive public support. The effect of spasmodic charitable assistance is on the whole admittedly undesirable morally, and ineffectual econo- mically. Where such a struggle goes on, the all too frequent result is found to be sooner or later a mother broken down from the strain and worry of the undertaking, and children "below par in every way as future citizens. ON MOTHEiRS' ALLOWANlCES While on the subject of need, an extract from a letter re- ceived from a Nova Scotia widow follows: '"I am a widow my husband having died nine years ago, leaving me Avith six small children, the oldest only thirteen years old, and practi- cally nothing to live on. No home and no insurance of any kind. At the time of my husband'^s death my youngest child was three months old. During these eight years I have had to go out to work by the day to support my family, and have had to work so hard that the last year my health Jias been very poor, which the doctor says is caused by overwork and worry. I find it very hard to get along as my parents are dead". This brave fight of eight years is no doubt typical of the silent struggle in many a home in the province to keep the little family together. It has been said that '4he ideal solution of the widow's problem is a longer and more productive life for working fathers, and provision for widowhood and orphanage through a liberal, inexpensive and safe system of social insurance". Even if this statement is accepted, it may just as truly be said that if the present and the next generation of widows' children are to be conserved for the nation, a mothers' allow- ance scheme is the present practical solution, — perhaps only an intermediate solution, which may in after years give place to a better one. Incidentally, a properly administered scheme of widowed Mothers' Allowances would have certain economic and social results in actually presenting the public with a concrete show- ing of the cost of preventible disease and death. From many quarters inquiry into applications under this kind of legisla- tion has brought out the fact that a large number of compara- tively young working men lose their lives from tuberculosis, not to mention other preventible diseases. In so far as such matters are receiving the attention of our public health de- partments, one public department would be working directly in line with another. Still further, by emphasizing anew in this way the im- portance of Child Welfare, the public will be the more ready to recognize the needs of other groups of children at present suffering through defects of existing legislation, e. g., the children of a deserting father or imprisoned man, already re- 10 REPORT OF COMMISSION ferred to in this report. It is not considered desirable that the particukav legislation proposed should cover up the gaps or defects which now exist and that should be remedied in other statutory ways. CONDITIONS FOUND IN NOVA SCOTIA. The facts disclosed by investigating the living condition of 356 widows are worthy of careful consideration. This in- vestigation was carried out, under the direction of the Com- mission, by a number of trained and experienced visitors, and impartially and accurately reveals the actual conditions, both in urban and rural districts of our Province. Thrift ']} Fam'hies of Working Men. It Avas found that among the class under consideration, the father had been in practically every case, a comparative- ly young man; that the vast majority of working fathers have only their o\vn industry to stake against the future, if indeed it wiV. stretch beyond the present needs of their young fami- lies, and hence there were in general only two ways of pro- viding against future calamity, viz. — by life insurance or by investment of savings in property. Where life insurance was held, it was found in practically all cases sufficient only to cover funeral expenses, doctors' bills, and clothing, or at most to tide over a temporary period of adjustment when the real struggle would be faced. In a fairly large proportion of cases where there had been a regular income, (be it said to the credit of our peop^.e), the family savings had been invested in a home or farm. Within this group a number of fatherless families were found to be self-supporting, although in many cases a mortgage was a continual handicap. Where there Avas a home and one or more older children at work and contributing to the family income, the greatest security probably in family life was found. In certain of these homes, also, the mother was a woman of unusual character and ability. In other homes the possession or occupancy of their property seemed a doubtful good, where it provided a home only and all source of income was removed from a mother who found herself as fully occu- pied as ever in caring for a large number of young children. ON MOTHERS' ALLOWANCES H On farms there was the same degree of variation — perhaps no greater discomfort and hardship was found anywhere tlian on a smaJ and poorly equipped farm depending on the hibour of such a mother with several young children. The Children of "Day-ivor'k" widows. In the city and country alike the visiting agents found an- other group of w^idows patiently and silently enduring much hardship in an effort to keep a home which at best made in- adequate provision for their children. In this special group are those widows whose only resort is to go out working by the day; here the visitors were told by the children to "come back at night and mother would surely be in by six or seven o'clock." Little realizing the pathos of their plight, they would also tell how^ they managed to get an early breakfast before the mother would leave for her work, how she banked the fire in the cold weather ''but it was usually out by noon" when they came home to the cold lunch left for them — and again at night they would start the fire and await the mother 's return to prepare a Late supper, after which the household tasks were attempted. In some of these very homes, the visitor found that the father had died of tuberculosis after a lingering illness; the children exposed and predisposed, had therefore the added handicap of poor and insufficient nour- ishment when most they needed special care. By the hard and continuous toil of the mother, the rent of a home is paid, food and fuel in uncertain amounts is provided, until illness or a lessening demand for her labour leaves the little family adrift, to become subjects for spasmodic charity. The children in ^'Boardin [/-house" families. While admitting that some widows were found who rightly deserve respect and admiration for their energy and ability in conducting boarding houses as successful business propositions, and who at the same time maintain a high stan- dard of family life for their children, such cases cannot be in- cluded with those mothers who are unable without assistance to keep their children wdth them in homers of their 0A\m. The unfortunate fact was quite evident to our visitors that in too many homes the introduction of boarders and lodgers as a means of living has been a real menace to normal family life and not in the best interests of the children. 12 REPORT OF COMMISSION CJiildren of Widoivs "in Service". The visiting agents also found an important though not large group of young widows in domestic service, sometimes caring for the children of well-to-do families in order to earn enough to pay the stipulated amount for the support of their own children in some institution. Some widows were also found in domestic service, whose children were scattered about with relatives who could provide a home as long as the mother could contribute from her earnings towards their support, and in other oases a child was boarded out among strangers at a nominal rate and receiving questionable care. While the emphasis in this study is placed on the child- ren and their welfare, perhaps some of the most appealing eases noted were those of young mothers physically unable to bear the strain of hard continuous work in "the open mar- ket^', yet risking their health and even their very lives in this way in order to maintain their children ; these women need the shelter and certainty of home-life and could respond to its demands without undue mental and physical strain. This is after all onh' another way of stating the case, for mothers of this calibre are as a rule the ones the children need. EXTENT OF APPLICATION. The extent of application of the proposed mothers' al- lowance or pension scheme is a question surrounded with many difficulties and raising a number of perplexing social problems. From a review of the exhaustive reports furnished by surveys for similar purposes, the concensus of opinion seems to point to one class in particular as unquestionably deserving of state aid, and that is the indigent widow with two or more children to support, the aim being to keep intact the home life and secure the supreme privilege of a mother's nurture and care. The widow with one child has also been considered, and we note in respect to this that as a general principle, the mother with one child should be able to support and bring it lip properly without public aid. There are, however, excep- tions, and for such provision might be made at a future time. ON MOTHERS' ALLOWANCES 13 Secondlly, consideration was given the family of a man who is totally disabled. To provide allowances to the mother and children, where the father is suffering from an incurable disease and is totally disabled, \vould require great care in the investigation and administration. • It can be readily seen that any such scheme would be open to abuse. All social workers agree that there are cases in this cLass probably as deserving as in anyother, and your Commission would re- commend that this class be included in those to receive aid as soon as possible. The case where the bread-winner is the inmate of an in- sane asylum is also one where the home has peculiar claims on the state for aid in keeping the family together ; while that of the man in prison, although recognized under some schemes, is one of more or less doubtful character, particular- ly as prison labour with remuneration for the wife and de- pendents is being strongly advocated in many quarters, and seems the more reasonable remedy. Deserted families bring up also a debatable question. There are undoubtedly very worthy cases and spnpathetie persons are often insistent in presenting the claims of such women. On the other hand it must be remembered that exist- ing legislation makes little or no provision for compelling the absent father to carry out his natural obligations to his fam- ily, and only until such time as legislation is enacted w^iereby every possible means Avill be taken to compel such husbands and fathers to support their families, is it proper to make provision for their families by any such schemes as contem- plated in our recommedations. Your Commission is convinc- ed that there are probably in this group deserving cases, but we wish to again emphasize the fact that at present there is not adequate machinery for dealing with such cases in the Courts. Umnarried Mothers : We are of the opinion that no pub- lic funds should be spent for the maintenance of children of unmarried mothers, without first changing the present law with regard to parental responsibilities for such children. We are strongly of the opinion that the present act should be repealed and a new act substituted therefore, making it the duty of the Province to initiate proceedings to establish the paternity of every child and to fix the responsibility of 14 REPORT OF COMMISSION financial support. Wo are doiilitful, if it would ever b? wise to pay as a class the mothers of illegitimate children from public funds. Certainly there is litt e public sympathy for such a proposa' at this time* Yet there are undoubtedly rare cases when it would be in the interest of tlie particular child and mother if they could participate in such a scheme. Pro- vision might be made at some future time to consider sucii cases on their individual merits. NOTES OX MOTHERS' ALLOWANCES ACTS IN OTHER PROVINCES OF CANADA. In British Columbia an Act to provide pensions for mothers was passed on the 17th of April, A. D., 1920. The Act is administered by the Superintendent of Neglected Children for the Province and includes a much wider range of beneficiaries than contemplated by your Commission for the Province of Nova Scotia. It practically makes provi- sion for assistance from public funds to any mother of child- ren under the age of sixteen years, whose case, in the opinion of the Superintendent of Neglected Children, is a proper one for assistance. In Alberta the Mothers' Allowances Act was passed on the 17th day of Apri^ A. D., 1919, and is administered by the Superintendent of Dependent and Delinquent Children for the Province. Uj) to February 1, 1921, the Superintendent reports as follows : Estimated population of the Province: 615,000. Families receiving aid under the Act : 446. Widows with one child: 52 Widows with two or more children: 356. Husbands in insane asylums: 48. Average amount per month, per family: $48.00. Total amount voted for coming year: $270,000.00. In Saskatchewan the Mothers' Pensions Act was passed on the 15th day of December, A. D., 1917, and came into ef- ON MOTHERS' ALLOWANCES ]5 feet on the 16tli day of February, A. D., IDIS. The Act is administered bv the Superintendent of Neglected' r,nd ])e- ipendent Children, who reports as follows: *'Tn the Session of 1919-the Act was ^^rT^nled ^o iiic^ifh^ all mothers whose husbands vrere either inmates of in- stitutions for incurables or feeble-minded or insane, or permanently incapacitated by incurable diseases, feebe- ness of mind or insanity." ''At the Session of the legislature this winter the Act was again amended by repealing Section 3 of the Act. . " "Although there has been some representation froai ,some quarters to widen the Act to include mothers, whose husbands are in jails and penitentiaries, also deserted wives, I do not think it advisable to make such provision for our Pro\diice at the present time. If anything is done for men who are incarcerated in jai'S and penitentaries it should be done through a jail system of making provision for the men to earn some monev to be used for the support of the family. As to deserted wives, we have very many of them in this Province, but there is so much room for co lusion and mis-re- presentation that this Province would be taken undue ad- vantage of." Estimated population of the Province: 700,000. Total number reoeiving aid February 1, 1921: Dependents 22 Widows 381 Total 403 Average amount, per family, per month: $26.00. Appropriation voted for fiscal year 1921-22: $150,000.00. The Superintendent states, "You will notice by the Act and the regulations that we are given considerable latitude as to the families we are to assist and are not hedged about by regulations and legislation that will debar us assisting a woman who is a resident of this Province no matter how many children she has, or how long she has lived here, or whether 16 REPORT OF COMMISSION or not the Imsbaiid died in this Province, or whether or not they lived in the Province at the time the Act was put into force, or whether or not they are British subjects". The Mothers' Allowances Act of Manitoba was passed on the ]Oth day of March, A. D., 1916, with amendments in 1917 and 1918. The Act is administered by a commission appoint- ed by the Lieutenant-Governor in Council. In 1919 the legislature appropriated $200,000.00 for the purposes of the Act. In 1920 the legislature appropriated $350,000.00. Here again it must be noted that the scheme has a wider application than that proposed for Nova 'Scotia, as it includes not only the widowed mother of young children, but also the wife of a man confined in a penal institution or insane asy- lum, and of a man who because of physcal disability is unable to support his family. In the .Province of Ontario the Mother's Allowances Act came into force on the 1st day of October, A. D., 1920. This Act also provides for a larger class of beneficiaries than those recommended by your Commission for the Province of Nova Scotia. The Act in Ontario has not been in operation long enough for us to know the annual cost to the Provnce and the total number receiving allowances. The Act is administered by an independent commission. These several Acts of the Pro\mces, together with the most important regulations made thereunder are presented in an appendix of this report. RECOMMENDATIONS. Mothers' AUowances and Not Wirloivs' Pensions Your Commission cannot too strongly emphasize the car- dinal principle underlying our recommendations, namely; that the object is to provide worthy mothers, who would be otherwise unable to do so, with the means of l^eeping their young children under their immediate care. It is indisputable that it is in the best interest of both the children and the state ON MOTHERS' ALLOWANCES 1? that they remain in their mothers' care. The scheme must not be confounded with compensation or pension for widows. We would also emphasize the fact that the administration of such an allowance differs materially from ordinary pensions or compensation. Your Commission unanimously recommends the passing of an Act to provide for the payment of allowances in cer- tain cases to mothers of dependent children, the provisions of the Act to include : — 1. Title of Act, "Mothers' Allowances Act." 2. The mother must in every respect be a suitable guar- dian for her children. 3. Allowances, subject to recommendation 20, paid only when there are two or more dependent children. 4. Allowances paid only when children are under the age of sixteen years. 5. The children must be in the immediate care of their mothers. 6. Allowances shall not be paid for adopted children, un- less such adoption was effected before the death of the husband. 7. Payments only to families of British subjects. 8. The mother and children actually resident in Nova Scotia at the time of the death or total disabil- ity of the father. 9. The mother actually resident in Nova Scotia at the time of application for such allowances, and for a period of not less than two years immediately previous. 10. Continued residence in Nova Scotia of the mother and children while in receipt of such allowance. iS REPORT OF COMMISSION 11. Allowance to cease when mother re-marries, and when the youngest chikl reaches the age of six- teen years. 12. The Act to be administered by a Minister of liie Crown, assisted by an Advisory Commission. 13. The Governor-in-Council, on recommendation of the Minister, to make such rules and regulations as are deemed expedient for the proper adminis- tration of the Act. 14. There iShall be an Advisory Commission of not less than five members, two of whom shall be women, appointed by the Lieutenant Governor-in-Coun- cil. The members of this commission first ap- pointed to serve, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 years respec- tively, and thereafter one to be appointed each year and to serve five years, any member to be eligible for re-appointment. In the event of a vacancy on the commission due to death or resignation, the person appointed to fill such vacancy shall hold office until the end of the period for which the retired member w^as ap- pointed. 15. It shall be the duty of the Advisory Commission: (a) To meet as often as circumstances require and not less often than once in each month. (b) To consider all applications for allowances under under this Act, and to make a recommendation thereon to the IVIinister. The maximum amout of any one family shall not exceed $60.00 per month. (c) To reconmiend to the Minister the -appointment of such visitors and investigators as may be required by the Act. (d) To consider all reports from visitors and investiga- tors regarding the recipients of any such allowance paid under this Act, and to make such recommenda- tions to the Minister thereon, as they may deem advisable. ON MOTHERS' ALLOWANCES 19 lo. Tlio Advisory Commission to serve without salary but to receive a per diem allowance, fixed by the Governor-in-Counci', when in actual attendance on their duties. 17. Each city, town and municipal council in the Pro- vince shall appoint annually on or before the thirty-first day of December, a local Advisory Committee of five members, two at least of whom shall be women, for such city, town or municipal council, whose duties shall be : (a) To receive applications for allowances under the Act. (b) To confer with such investigators or visitors as the Minister may appoint regarding all such appli- cants. (c) To make a recommendation on all such applications to the Advisory Commission. (d) To inform the council of such city, town or munici- pality of all such applications and their recommen- dations theeron. (e) To keep helpful supervision over mothers under al- lowances. 18. That applicants for all allowances under this Act be classed in five groups, namely: — 1. Widows. (a) Two or more children, (b) One child. 2. The wife of a man who is totally disabled. 3. The wife of a man who is the inmate of an insane asylum or under sentence in a penitentiary. 4. The wife of a man who has deserted his family. 5. Unmarried mothers. 2(3 REPORT OF C O M JNI I S & I O N 19. The cost of administering- the Act to be borne by the Province. Allowances shall be payable on the recommendation of the Advisory Commission, on the order of the Minister from the annual ap- propriation made by the Legislature for such purpose. Of such amount 50% shall be a charge on all the nnmicipalities of the Province the fol- lowing year in proportion to their total assess- ment, the municipalities to assess and collect the same in the usual manner. 20. Your Commission recommends that the allowances be grantq.d to those in (a) of group 1 on and after date to be fixed by statute, and that the Gover- nor-in-Council, by proclamation, may fix a date when those in (b) of group 1 or in any one or all of the groups 2, 3, 4, and 5 may receive allow- ances under the Act. As conservation of child life is given as the basis of this proposed Mothers' Allowance legislation, it is therefore es- pecially recommended that in extending the application of such legislation beyond the initial group of widowed mothers with more than one child, preference be given those in any of the other groups where there is a child or children under five years of age. This recomendation w^ould bring the proposed legislation into line with the accepted conclusions of our pub- lic health authorities in regard to reduction of infant mor- tality. Should the legislature adopt this or any scheme of Mothers' Allowances, it is very important for the proper and harmonious working of the Act, that a dcfinlfp date be fixed only after which payments will commence to applicants, who have ben aprpoved; and that this date be not Jess than rhree months after the appointment of the administrating body. This is absolutely necesary to prevent confusion and hurried judgments, also, unnecessary criticism for delay in investi- gating cases, for not ])aying allowances fi'oni time of a]^])-i- cation, etc. ON MOTHERS' ALLOWANCES 21 THE PROBABLE COST OF CARRYING OUT OUR RECOMMENDATIONS IN NOVA SCOTIA. Your Commission, faced with the difficult task of ob- taining an accurate estimate of the number of widows with two or more children in Nova Scotia, carefully considered the methods used in other Provinces in like inquiries and decided in favor of attempting to obtain this information through the schools as being the most accurate and least expensive method. The teachers were requested to send us simply the names and addresses of all widows in their sections and we then sent to each widow, whose name had been furnished us, a let- ter explaining the purpose of the investigation and asking for the names and ages of all children under sixteen years of age and other information which it was necessary to ob- tain. This method was adopted in five representative counties, viz: Colchester, Halifax, Hants, Kings and Pictou — except that in Halifax City and Dartmouth the widows were noti- fied, by extended advertisements in the city daily papers, to register their names and addresses with the Commission, — with the intention of using the results obtained in these coun- ties as a basis from which to estimate the number for the whole province. Our next step was to find out how many of those haveing two or more children were really in need of assistance. This was done by having experienced investiga- tors visit the homes in 356 cases and prepare a careful re- port on each case. For the remainder we were governed by the results of the investigation of this number of cases. A brief summary of the results of the investigation are herewith set out: — 22 REPORT OF COMMISSION rrr ' 1 Cli- '-i o 1 o S* '-P . (/j '^ <«-, to •-^ H %- O >• 2 c o ^ Ct ^^ l^r^ a: : — — ^pti O 1) :-"?1 H LI| PS4 £ eg S f^ ? 1^ -p ^. ^ ^ ^ __ __ _ _ ^_.r:' — -^, 2 3S ^ 17 t^ j; ?: ii: H 5 1^ .S H £ ^C Colchester . . 24,000 51 1 IG 8 2 2 2 ... 47 14 42 3.00 Halifax .... 120.000 731 102 61 37 17 10 2 1 230 78 234 3.00 Hants 19,000 21 1 l.j! 10 5 6 11| 1 ... 48 13 39 3.00 Kings 1 21,000| 29| 211: ,12 1 4| 6|....| 11... 1 44| 15| 46|3.0S Pictou 39,000| 38| 39| 18| 15 71 5 1|...| 85] 26| 89|3.42 Totals 223,000 1 212| 193 118| 69 38 { 38 7| 1| 454| 140| 45013.10 Out of 454 widows with children under sixteen years of age in five counties with a total estimated population of 223,000, it was found after investigation that 146 widows with approximately an average of three children to each family Avere in need of assistance. The Director of Census at Otta- wa estimates that the 1921 population of Nova Scotia is 522,000 and applyng to this the results obtained above it is es- timated that there are three hundred and forty (340) widows in the Province of Nova Scotia in need of assistance. How- ever, it should be carefully noted that this is the maximum number of this class of widows who will need assistance and our visitors found in very many cases present earnings would need to be supplemented by only a smal or partia allowance in order that the Avidow might be enabled to continue maintain- ing: the home. The average amount of allowance paid to each family var- ies greatly in the diferent provinces from $26.00 to $48.00 monthly, but in view of the fact as stated above that in many cases only partial allowances would be necessary, it was felt by your Commission that a safe and sufficient average per family would be $35.00 per month. This average monthly payment in 340 cases would amount to $142,000, per year. This with the cost of adminis- tration would be safely covered by an appropriation oP $150,000, yearly, for this ciass of widows, and would in all likelihood not be reached until two or three years after tlie inception of such a system of Mothers' Allowances. Further, although the number of cases requiring assistance might vary ON MOTHERS' ALLOWANCES 25 from year to year because of epidemics, etc., yet this figure would not be subject to much change over a ten year period,, the number of cases added yearly being counterbalanced by the number becomming disqualified by reason of marriage and children passing the age limit, etc. In making comparisons with the other Provinces, it will appear as is shown in the following table, that caution should be used in making these comparisons of expenditure on the basis of population a' one, because of the much greater propor- tion of widows to population in the older provinces: 1911 Population Alberta 373,663 Saskatchewan 492,432 Manitoba .... 455,614 Ontario 2,523,224 Nova Scotia . . 492,338 Total Number Number of of Widows Widows per in 1911 1000 Population 4,509 12 5,556 11 7,260 16 78,407 31 16,440 33 In other words, there are approximately three, times as many widows in Ontario and Nova Scotia in proportion to the population as in Saskatchewan. However, conditions in this respect being much the same in Ontario and Nova Scotia, the following comparison will be useful. The _ Ontario figures are taken from the valuable report of their Mothers' Allowances Commission of last year, and it will appear that the estimates are very similar in proportion to population. Total Estimated Population for 1921 Ontario 2,750,000 Nova Scotia .. 522,000 Total widows Total Estimate per 1000 of Population cost 31 $1,000,000 33 150,000 On January 1, 1921, there were 233 widows receiving compensation in Nova Scotia under the Workman 's Compen- sation Act. The average number of children per family is three. The maximum allowance per family per month is $60.00. The maximum allowance per widow per month is $30.00. The maximum allowance per child per month is $7.50. On this basis, to support 233 widows' families at an average of $52.50 per family per month or $630.00 a year, would require $146,790.00, without cost of alministration. 24 REPORT OF COMMISSION Although the western provinces of Manitoba, Saskatche- wan and Alberta have a much smaller })roportion of widows to population than Nova Scotia, yet investigation has shown that Nova Scotia with a total of 16,440 widows will be under the necessity of asisting practically only the same number of widows as Alberta with 7,380 widows and Saskatchewan with 7,700. This apparent anomaly is doubtless expained in a large measure by the fact that in Nova Scotia, a much older Province, a large proportion of our widows are elderly ladies with grown up families and many more, w4io if situated in the West among strangers would need assistance, are here in Nova. Scotia among relatives, who assume responsibility for their support. The number of widows in Alberta and Saskatchewan re- quiring assistance being much the same as the number in Nova Scotia, a comparison as to cost will be valuable. c Z cj 1 c ■"w i— c '-*J ^ :j ? ■„ >-^ i, -— «.- ^ ^' o c •= '»— h^ v: |C 6c£ JlH C ^ c- ^ '« X c Ph .2 '-♦3 If. 'f. ." o 1 a ^1 §- ^ i 1 .^ -^ -^ ti 1 Esti 192 ^ H '' ~ Pro The Kxc -t.rz Alberta | G'IS.OOOI 446! $270.0n0| .336| $182,736 Saskatchewan I 700,000'| 403 1 150.001)1 3321 103,584 Nova Scotia '522.0001 340! 150,000l 3401 142.000 $48.00 20.00 35.00 These comparisons appear to confirm the reliability of the results obtained by your Commission and the sum of $150,000 may be looked upon as a sufficient amount to provide assistance for the 340 needy widows with two or more child- ren in the Province of Nova Scotia, together with the cost of administration under such a system of Mothers' Allowances as your Commission recommends. Respectfully submitted, John McKeen, Ckaiymmi. Jane B. Wisdom, Ernest H. Blois, Alex. T. MacKay, Secretary. Halifax, Nova Scotia, March 29, 1921. APPENDIX 26 REPORT OF COMMISSION BRITISH COLUMBIA. An Act to Provide Pensions for Mothers. (Assented to 17th., April, 1920). HIS MAJESTY, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of British Colum- bia, enacts as follows: — 1. This Act may be cited as the "Mothers' Pensions Act." 2. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires:—- ''Minister" means the member of the Executive Council of British Columbia designated from time to time by Order in Council to have charge of the ad- ministration of this Act : • "Mother" includes any indigent person who is the mother of a child or children under the age of sixteen years, and who is : — (a) A Widow, or ('b) A married woman whose husband is an inmate of a penal institution or public hospital for insane; or (c) A woman whose husband is unable to support his family by reason of sickness or accident arising while his wife was residing in this Province; or (d) A deserted wife; or (e) Any other person whose case, in the opinion of the Superintendent, is a proper one for assistance under the provisions of this Act: "Superintendent" means the Superintendent of Neglected Children appointed under the " Infants '^ Act." 3. (1) Upon application made to the Superintendent by any mother, and upon the recommendation of the Super- ON MOTHERS' ALLOWANCES 27 intendent, approved by the Minister, an allowance shall be made for the support or partial support of the mother and, her child or children out of the moneys appropriated by the Legislature for the purposes of this Act. (2) This amount and the times and manner of pay- ment of the allowance shall be governed by the provisions of this Act and the regu-ations made thereunder. 4. No mother shall be entit-ed to apply for or receive an allowance under this Act unless : — (a) She is a British subject; and (b) Has been a resident of this Province for at least eighteen months prior to making application for assistance under this Act; and (c) Has a child or children under the age of sixteen years living with her; and (d) Is without the necessary means with which to sup- port such child or children. 5. No application for allowance under this Act shall be granted unless the Superintendent is of the opinion: — (a) That the applicant is a fit and proper person to have the custody of her child or children; and (b) That it is in the best interests of her child or child- ren that the applicant should have the custody of them. 6. The allowances granted under this Act shall in no case exceed a monthly allowance of forty-two dollars and fifty cents to the mother and one child under the age of six- teen years, w^th an additional monthly allowance of seven dollars and fifty cents for each additional child under the age of sixteen years. 7. Payment of the allowance granted under this Act in respect of any beneficiary shall cease : — 28 REPORT OF COMMISSION (a) Upon the beneficiary ceasing to reside within the Province; or (b) Upon the remarriage of the mother, "8. (1) For the more effective administration of this Act throughoujt the Province, the Lieutenant-Governor-in- Council may in any place appoint a Local Advisory Board, whose duty it shall be to report on applications made to the Superintendent, to visit families receiving assistance under this Act, and generally to perform such duties as may be pre- scribed by the regulations. (2) Such other officers, clerks, and employees as may be required for the proper administration of this Act shall be appointed in accordance with the provisions of the ''Civil Service Act." 9. In the absence of any special appropriation of the Legislature available for the purposes of this Act, all moneys necessary to meet the allow:ances payable under this Act and the salaries and expenses necessarily incurred in the ad- ministration of this Act shall be paid ot of the consolidated Revenue Fund. The Lieutenant-Governor-in-Gouncil may make such re- gulations, not inconsistent with this Act, as he may deem necessary for the proper administration of this Act, and for regulating the expenditures to be made thereunder. 11. This Act shall come into operation on a date to be fixed by the Lieutenant-Governor by his Proclamation. Instructig^ts for Investigators. In making reports would you kindly give special atten- tion to the following points : — 1. State what steps you have taken to verify fact that applicant has been at least 18 months m B. C. 2. Where there is room for any doubt about nationality of applicant state how you have verified the fact that they are British subjects. ON MOTHERS' ALLOWANCES 29 3. In cases of desertion state how you have satisfied yourself that desertion has actually taken place. 4. In cases of incapacity please note section "C" of clause '2' in the Act which provides that incapacity must have arisen while applicant was resident in B. C. Verify this fact. Grive your opinion as to the total incapacity of hus- band. (The question of Doctor's certificates will be taken up from the office). 5. State if you have verified birth dates of children by examining birth certificates. Where certificates are not available obtain address of office in which births are register- ed. If they have not been registered advise applicant to do so at once and send copy of registration to this office. In cases where this cannot be done, if possible, obtain name of church and clergyman where child or children were baptised. 6. In cases where applicant is living with parents or other relatives report on ability of parents or other relatives to support or contribute to support of applicant and family. 7. Where an income is given from boarders and lodgers state whether they are boarders or lodgers and how many. 8. Where insurance or other moneys or securities have been left by a deceased husband state what disposition has been made of same and how much if any is still on hand and how it is invested. 9. Where ownership of property is given, obtain all de- tailed information possible particularly whether same is oc- cupied by applicant and whether it is revenue producing or otherwise. 10. In cases where mother is employed state how child or children are now being cared for while applicant is at work. 11. In all cases state how applicant has been meeting living expenses up to present. 30 REPORT OF COMMISSION ALBERTA. (Laws 1919, ch. G.) Ax Act Grantino Assistance to the Widowed Mothers SUPPOETIXG CniLDREX. Section 1. This Act may bo cited as "The Mothers' Al- lowances Act." Section 2. In this Act, unless the context otherwise re- ciuires : — (a) ''Municipality" means any city, town, village, or municipal district; (b) "Council" means the council of any municipality; (c) "Superintendent" means the Superintendent of Neglected and Dependent Children appointed un- der the Children's Protection Act of Alberta. Section 3. Appointment of Inspectors in Cities: — There shall be appointed by the Council in every city and to\Nm in the Province one or more inspectors, whose remuneration shall be fixed ^and paid by the council, and whose duty it shall be to receive applications for assistance under this Act, to inquire into any case brought to his or their attention, and generally to do and perform such matters and things as may be required by this Act or by any regulations passed thereunder. Section 4. Aid to widowed mother-Application. — Any woman who is a widow (or the wife of a person committed to a hospital for the insane under the Insanity Act, and ac^-ually an inmate thereof* and wiio, having in hm- custody a child or children under the age of fifteen years in the case of boys and sixteen years in the case of girls, is unable to take proper care of such a child or children, may by herself or through any other person on her behalf apply to the inspector of the city or town of which she is resident for assistance under this Act. Section 5. Investigation and report : — The inspector shall thereupon make a full and complete inquiry into the ON MOTHERS' ALLOWANCES 31 facts of the case, and shall forthwith report thereon to the Superintendent, who, if satisfied that the case is a proper one for assistance nnder this Act, sha'l recommend to the Attor- ney-General the payment to such woman of such sum or sums in weekly instalments as to the said Superintendent may seem fit and necessary. The Superintendent, when satisfied upon inquiry that au}^ woman in any city or town is entitled to and requires assistance under this Act, may make a recommendation under this section whether or not an application has been made by or on behalf of such woman to an inspector. Section 6. Payments. — Wlien any recommendation as aforesaid is approved by the Attorney-General the w^oman mentioned therein may be paid out of the moneys appro- priated by the legislature for that purpose the sum or sums specified in the said recommendation. Section 7. Upon any subsequent recommendation for the termination, decrease, or increase of any payments made under this Act being approved by the Attorney-Genral such payments shall be discontinued, decreased, or increased in accordance with such subsequent recommend'ation, and so as to any further recommendation of the Superintendent. Section 8. Levy upon cities and towns. — The Attorney- General shall every three months forward or cause to be for- warded to the treasurer of such city or town, a statement of all moneys expended under this Act during the next preced- ing three months in respect of any woman or women resid- ing in such city or town; and the said city or town shall thereupon become liable to the province for an amount equal to one-half of the moneys so expended, an dthe said amont shall be paid to the Provincial Treasurer within thirty days ■after such statement is so forwarded, failing which the Pro- vincial Treasurer may sue for and recover the same as a debt by action in his name against the said city or town as de- fendant. Section 9. Other municipalities. — In municipalities other than cities or towns, the Superintendent may make or cause to be made inquiry as to the necessity of rendering assistance 32 REPORT OF COMMISSION under this Act to any woman who is a resident of such muni- cipality, and who, if she were a resident of a city or to^^^l, would he entitled to apply for assistance under section 4 hereof ; and may thereupon in any fit and proper case make the like recommendation to the Attorney-Greneral as in the case of cities or to^vns, in which case the Superintendent shall forthwith forward to the secretary of such municipality, by mail prepaid, a notice of the recommendation so made set- ting forth the date and substance thereof. (2) Recommendations made under this section shall be dealt with in the same manner as recommendations made in respect of a woman residing in a city or towii, and the coun- cil of the municipality of which such woman is a resident shall be liable to the Province for an amount equal to one half of the sums expended by the Provincial Treasurer in respect to such woman as shown by statement for- warded monthly to the treasurer of such municipal- ity, and the said amount shall be paid to the provincial Treasurer within three months after the forwarding of such statement, failing which the Provincial Treasurer may re- cover the same in like manner as in the case of a city or town. Section 10. How funds may be raised. — Notwithstand- ing anything in any Act or ordinance contained, all moneys required to be paid, by any council under the provisions of this Act may be paid either out of the general tax fund of the municipality or out of a fund established by the levy of a special rate over and above the general rate of taxation of the municipality, and the council is hereby authorized to levy such special rate in each and every year, and the provisions of any such Act or ordinance limiting the rates to be levied by such council shall not apply to any special rate levied under this section : Provided, however, that the council may from time to time by by-law authorize its mayor (or reeve) and treasurer to raise by way of temporary loan such sum or sums as may be deemed necessary to meet all expendi- tures under this Act for the then current year, such loans to be made payable not later than the 31st day of December of' the year following that in which such loan is made. Section 11. Report to Superintendent when aid should cease. — It shall be the duty of every inspector to make pro- ON MOTHERS' ALLOWANCES 33 per investigations as to aU women, within the territory over which he is appointed receiving assistance nder this Act, and upon any such woman ceasng to be a resident of the munivii- pality or otherwise ceasing to be entitled to such assistance, the said inspector shall forthwith report the facts of the case to the Superintendent. (2) The liability of any city or town in respect of pay- ment made by the Provincial Treasurer to any such woman sliall not be affected by the fact of her having ceased to be entitled to assistance under this Act, if such fact has not been reported as aforesaid to the Superintendent; Provided, however, that in case any moneys so paid are subsequently reimJbursed to the Provincial Treasurer, the council shall be entitled to reimbursement from the Provincial Treasurer of the amounts paid by it in respect of the payments so made. (3) In municipalities, other than cities and towns, it shall be the duty of the council to report to the Superinten- dent in the case of any Avoman so ceasing to reside therein, or to be entitled to assistance under this Act, failing which the said municipaility shall be and remain liable in respect of payments made to such woman, subject to a right to reim- bursement as aforesaid. Section 12. Residence. — For the purposes of this Act, a woman shall be deemed a resident of the municipality when she lives therein, and has habitually lived itherein for a period of one year last past, and in case of dispute as to whether or not a woman is a resident of a particular muni- cipality, the iSuperintendent shall decide, and his decision shall be final. (2) A woman having been a resident of any municipal- ity shall not be deemed to have ceased to be a resident there- of during such time as she shall remain or be in the Province unless and until she shall have become a resident of some other municipality under the provisions of the first subsec- tion of this section. Section 13. Assistance for inspectors. — The council of any city or town may appoint any person or persons of any association to inform and advise any inspector appointed un- der this Act in carrying out of his duties 'thereunder. 34 REPORT OF COMMISSION Secton 14. Regulatioiis,— The Lieutenant-Governor in Council may make such rules and regulations not inconsis- tent with tlie provisions of this Act as may be deemed ne- cessary for the proper carrying out thereof. Assented to April 17, 1919. Amendments. The Mothers' Alowanee Act, being chapter 6, of the Statutes of Alberta, 19] 9, is amended as fohows: 1. Section 4: By inserting after the word "thereof" in the third line the words, ''and who was either a resident of the province at the time of the passing of this Act, or whose husband was a resident of the Province at the time of his death or at the time of his entering the Hospital for the In- sane. ' ' 2. Section 5: By striking out the word ''weekly" in line 6 thereof, and substituting therefore, the word "month- ly." SASKATCHEWAN. (Laws 1917, 2d sess., chap. 68) An Act to Provide for the Payment of Pensions to Indigent Mothers. Section 1.— This Act may be cited as "The Mothers' Pensions Act." Section 2. Aid to widowed mothers. — ^Tlie Lieutenant- Governor-in-Council may set aside during each fiscal year, out of the consolidated fund of the Province, such sum or sums, not to exceed in the whole the amount voted for that purpose by the Legislature, to provide support or partial spport for any mother who is a widow and who on account of poverty is unable to take proper care of her child or children, and who is otherwise a proper person to have the custody of such child or children. ON MOTHERS' ALLOWANCES 35 Section 3. Levy on municipality.— (1) The Attorney- General may order the municipality to which the mother be- longs to pav such sum as to him may appear reasonable, not to exceed three dollars per week, in respect of each child whose welfare is in question, in order to recoup in whole or in part the amount expended by the Lieutenant-Governor-in- Counci'- under the provisions of this Act in connection with such mother. (2) For the ]3urposes of this section the mother shall be deemed to belong to the municipality in which she last re- sided for the period of one year. Section 4. Regulatioins. — The Lieutenant-Governor in Council may make regulations for the administration of this Act and the control of all necessary expenditures to be made thereunder, and the appointment of all necessary officials. Section 5. This Act sha'l come into force upon a date to b3 proclaimed by the Lieutenant-Governor in Council. Assented to December 15, 1917. In effect, February 16, 1918. 0. C. 561/18. Regina, Thursday, April 11, 1918. The Executive Council has had under consideration a report from the Attorney-General, dated April 10, 1918, stat- ing that it is necessary and desirable that certain regulations be approved for the proper administration of "Mothers' Pensions Act", which by proclamation became effective on the sixteenth day of February, 1918. Upon consideration of the foregoing report and on the recommendation of the Attorney-General, the Executive Council advises, under the provisions of Section 4, of ''The Mothers' Pensions Act" in that behalf: (1) That the Superintendent of Neglected and Depen- dent Children be charged with the supervision of any mat- ter or thing, which may from time to time arise out of the ad- ministration of the said Act. REPORT OF COMMISSION (2) That no arowance be paid to any mother save upon the recomendation of the Superintendent of Neglected and Dependent Children, and that in no case shall any allowance be paid in respect of any child of the age of sixteen years or over. (3) That the Council of the Municipality to which the mother belongs, be notified of the allowance being made to the mother, and be charged with the responsibility of advis- the said Superintendent of Neglected and Dependent Children, of any change in the conditions surrounding the mother or children, or both, w^hich by virtue of such changed conditions may affect the allowance made. (4) That the mother be paid such allowance in each case as may be determined by the Lieutenant-Governor in Coun- cil, the same to be made payable monthly, on the first day of each month for the preceding month from the Legislative Appropriation made for such purpose. MANITOBA. (Laws 1916, Chap. 69, as Amended by Laws 1917, Chap. 56; Laws 1918, Chap.' 41.) An Act to Provide Allowances for IVIothers. Section 1. This Act may be cited as ''The Mothers' Al- lowances Act, 1917." Section 2. Allowances to poor mother — Conditions. — The Lieutenant-Governor in Council may set aside during each fiscal year, out of the consolidated revenue fund of the Province, a sum or sums, in the wdiole not to exceed in any year the amount voted for said purpose in the supply bill of that year, to provide support or partial' support for mothers of dependent or neglected children within the Province, and an allowance may be made therefrom to any mother of a neglected or dependent child or children whenever such mother is a widow or her husband is an inmate of a penal in- stitution or insane asylum, or, because of physical disability, is unable to support his family, and the dependent or neg cet- ON MOTHERS' ALLOWANCES 37 ed condition of such child or children is due wholly or in part to the poverty of the mother and the want of adequate means to properly care for such child and the welfare and best in- terests of such child will 'be subserved by permitting it to re- main in the custody of its mother. Section 3. Mothers' Allowances Commission. — The Lieu- tenant-Governor in Council may appoint a Commission of not less than three and not more than five persons, male and fe- male, or both, to administer said moneys, and in and by said appointment or subsequently may prescribe rules and regula- tions in accordance with which said moneys shall be expended, and in accordance with which said Commission shall be gov- erned and act, and may prescribe, limit or extend its powers, and may prescribe returns and reports to be made by such Commission, or may appoint such Commission generally and approve of any rules and regulations the said Commission may make in respect of the matters in this Act, but no rules or regulations so made by the said Commission shall have any force and effect whatsoever until they shall have been ap- proved by the Lieutenant-Governor in Council. Section 4. Levy upon municipalities. — The Lieutenant- Governor in Council may authorize the Municipal Commis- sioner to levy upon the respective municipalites of the Pro- vince the whole amount so expended or such portion thereof as may be just to recoup or partially recoup the Province for the same, and such levies, when so authorized, shall have the same force and effect as if made under the Municipal Com- missioners Act, and on receipt of any moneys so levied from a municipality the Municipal Commissioner shall pay the same over to the Provncial Treasurer. Section 5. This Act shall come into force on the day upon which it is assented to. Assented to March 10, 1916. Amendments assented to March 9, 1917 ; March 6, 1919. COPY of a Eeport of a Committee of the Executive Council, Approved by His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor, on 16th March, 1917. 38 REPORT OF COMMISSION The Honourab-e the Provincial Treasurer submits to Council a report setting forth. WHEREAS, by Order-in-Council No. 25961, a Commis- sion was appointed to administer the monies payable under the provisions of an Act passed at the last session of the Leg- islature entitled "An Act to provide allowances for Mothers". AND WHEREAS, under section 3, of the said Act, no rules or regulations made by the said Commission shall have any force and effect whatsoever, until they shall have been ap- proved by the Lieutenant-Governor in Council. On the recommendation of the Honourable the Minister Committee advise THAT the rules and regulations as herein set forth be approved by His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor. Eligibility for Allowances. 1. The husband of an applicant at time of death, incar- ceration or admission to Institution must have been or be a Canadian Citizen. 2. The wife and children of the husband at the time of his death, incarceration or admission to an institution must have been residents in the Province of Manitoba for a consecutive period of two years immediately previous but a mother and her children who at the time of their taking up residence outside the Province had been resident in Manitoba a consecutive period of two years and who at the time of the death, incarceration or admission to an Institution of her husband has been less than six motnhs' re- sident outside the Province shall not be excluded from bene- fiting under the said Act, and a mother and her children who at the time of her husband's death, incarceration or admission to an Institution had been resident in the Province less than two years if she and her children had lived in the Province for two consecutive years at any time previous and provided that at the time of his death," incarceration or admission to an Institution the accumulated period of her residence with her children in the Province both before and after return was ON MOTHERlS' ALLOWANCES 39 not less than her period of absence immediately prior to her last period of residence in the Province shiall not be excluded from benefiting under this Act. Formation of Municipal, Committees foe the Purpose OF Administering the Act With the Municipality. Each and every municipality in the Province of Manito- ba shali appoint a committee not less than three in number, whose duty it shall be to receive applications for allowances, investigate all applications received, forward a complete re- cord of all investigations to the Provincial Commission and supervise aU families receiving allowances, each and every Muncipality shall advise the Commission immediately after the appontment of such Committees, of the names of the Com- mittee and their Officers. Certified, (Sgd.) P. Whimstee, Clerk, Executive Council. Winnipeg, Man., March 16th, 1917. Province of Manitoba. A Memoranum prepared by the Commissioners for the guidance of Committees appointed by Cities, Towns and Rural Municipalities to assist in the administration of the Act. Winnipeg, January 1, 1919. 1. Applications. At the present time applications are only considered from widows and women whose husbands are confined in an In- sane Asylum. New applications or requests for a revision of a former allowance must reach the Commission's office not later than the 15'th of any month if the allowance is to be allowed or re- vised for the following month. 40 REPORT OF COMMISSION It is quite legitimate for a mother whose normal child- ren are now in institutional homes to make application for an allowance to enable her to make a home for them. Unless special circumstances warrant the Commissioners will not entertain applications from women with only one child un- der working age. 2. Investigations. The Commissioners do not wish applicants to be consid- ered as applying for charity. A mother when in receipt of an allowance is receiving recognition for her services to the Province in bringing up her children. It is the duty, therefore, of the Municipalities to investi- gate carefully the fitness of the applicants. Marriage, death and Canadian citizenship must ho prov- ed by examination of the certificates, which certificates should be sent with the application form unless special reasons exist for not doing so. History records as complete as possible shou'd accom- pany applications. All correspondence should be sent with the application form; the application form will be kept by the Commission- ers, but the Committee ishould make a copy thereof, on the form provided for the purpose. 3. Municipal Residence Qualifications. Whilst order-in-Councii Number 27423 prescribes a Mun- icipal Residence qualification, this is of no effect at the pre- sent time in so much as the government levys at large on all the Municipalities of the Province for half the cost of all al- lowances (jra/nted irrespective of the residence of the benefi- ciaries. So long, therefore, as an applicant has the necessary Provincial residence, qualification it is in order for a Munici- palty to forward an application from a mother irrespective of the length of her residence in that Municipality. 4. Co-operation to be Sought from Relatives. ON MOTHERS' ALLOWANCES 41 The Act was not intended to relieve near relatives, i. e., fatlier and mother of applicant or applicant's husl)and, and brothers and sisters of either, of their responsibility for giv- ing such assistance as they can. These near relatives should be seen where possible and otherwise written to secure as much help from them as possible. 5. Estimate of Expenditure. Food: — The Commisision have adopted the following monthly schedule for mothers who live under such conditions that they are obliged to purchase all their food, but it is real- ized that mothers in small towms and rural districts, who are able to keep poultry and perhaps other stock, should not re- quire as large an allowance for food: — Adult $9.50 Child 1 to ,3 3.50 " 4 to 6 4.50 7 to 10 5.00 " 11 to 14 7.00 Clothing: — The Commission has adopted the following monthly schedule for clothing: — Adult $5.50 Child 1 to 3 1.50 4 to 6 2.50 7 to 10 3.00 " 11 to 14 4.00 Property: — When the interest charges on mortgages or agreements of sale, plus taxes and insurance, do not exceed the amount which would other wise have to be paid for rent for a family, and provided that 'these charges are only upon property actually used by the family, an amount will be al- lowed monthly in lieu of rent sufficient to meet such charges when they fall due. Cash: — Allowances will not be granted to mothers hav- ing cash assets of over $200.00. Insurance: — Inasumoh as the Commission is authorized l)y the Government to make special grants for reasonable 42 REPORT OF COMMISSION burial expenses, no allowance can be made for life insurance; mothers holding- life insurance may take the surrender value of the policy or convert into a paid up policy. Earnings of Children : — The gross earnings of any mem- ber of the fami'y should be stated, but on.y tiie amount paid into tlie home entered in the expenditure column. Where boys and girls are competent to buy their own clothing, the amount they retain for their own use will be increased, with a decrease in the amount, aUowed for clothing for the family. Earning children should always be a. lowed some spend- ing money of their own, but are expected to pay into the home as much as possible, thus allowing the family to become self- supporting at the earliest possible date. 6. Supervision of Mothers Under Allowance. A mother must not only satisfy the Committee of her fit- ness to receive an al.owance at the time of her application, but she must satisfy them that she is fulfilling the trust which has been placed in her, and on adequate, careful and helpful supervision the success or failure of the Act will largely de- pend. Particular attention should be paid by the Committee and supervising visitor to those points on which a monthly report is required covering health, earnings, housing, clothing and school record. These monthly reports are not accepted by the Commission as a recommendation for revision of allow- ance, which must be submitted in separate form direct from the Committee . Changes in Financial Condition will be bound to occur. Working children will change to more profitable or less pro- fitable employment, hence no family can be said to be proper- ly supervised, for this reason if for no other, unless visited at least once a month. If possible these visits should be made during the first half of each month, so that any recom- mendations to the Commission for an increase or reduction in allowance mav reach them before the fifteenth dav o-f ON MOTHERS' ALLOWANCES 43 each month, and that the change may become effective by the first of the foLowing month. 7. Presence of Boarders or Lodgers. The policy of the Commission is entirely opposed to mothers mider allowance seeking income from the presence of ma.e boarders or lodgers. 8. Mothers Deriving Income by Work Done Away From Home. The object of the Act is to enable a mother to give pro- per care to her children at home; mothers, therefore, any of whose children are below school age, must not be encouraged to work out by the day. 9. That the personnel of all Committees must include at least one woman as a member. Commissioners : — Ald. George Fisher, Chairman, Mrs. T. R. Deacon, Mrs. J. Dick, J . H. J. Murray, W. A. Matheson, A. Percy Paget, Secretary. ONTARIO. An Act to provide for payment of allowances in certain cases to the Mothers of Dependent Children. HIS MAJESTY, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, enacts as follows : — 1. This Act may be cited as The Mothers' Allowance Act. 2. In this Act, 44 REPORT OF COMMISSION (a) ''Commission" shall mean Mothers' Allowances Commission apiDointed under this Act. (b) "Local Board" shall mean board appointed for a county, city or separated town or for a provisional judicial district under the authority of this Act; (c) "Minister" shall mean that member of the Execu- tive Council to whom for the time being the ad- ministration of this Act is assigned; (d) "Regulations" shaU mean Regulations made by the Lieutenant-Governor in Council under the au- authority of this Act. 3. Subject to the provisions of this Act and tlie regula- tions a monthly allowance may be paid towards the support of the dependent children of a mother who, (a) Is a widow or the wife of an inmate of a hospital for the insane in Ontario or of a man who is per- manently disabled and incapable of contributing to the support of his family. (b) Was resident in Canada at the time of the death or total disability of the father of the children on who'se behalf the allowance is to be made, and for a period of three years immediately prior to the application for an allowance; (c) Is resident in Ontario at the time of the appli- cation for an allowance and for a period of two years immediately prior thereto; (d) Continues to reside in Ontario with her dependent children while in receipt of an allowance ; (e) Was a British subject by birth or naturalization or is the widow or wife of a British subject; (f ) Is a fit and proper person to have the care and cus- tody of her children; (g) Has resident with her two or more of her own children under fourteen years of age and has not ON MOTHERS' ALLOWANCES 45 adequate means to care properly for them without the assistance of an allowance under this Act. 4. (1) For the purpose of this Act there shall be es- tablished a Commission composed of five persons, two of whom shall be women, appointed by the Lieutenant-Governor in Counci-, and the Commission shall be a body corporate un- der the name of "The Mothers' Allowances Commission." (2) The Lieutenant-Governor in Council shall annually appoint one of the members of the Commission to be chair- man and another to be vice-chairman of the Commission. (3) Li case of the absence of the chairman or of a vacancy in the office, the vice-chairman shall have and per- form all the powers and duties of the chairman under this Act and the Regulation. (4) The members of the Commission shall be appomted in the first instance for one, two, three, four and five years respectively and every member subsequently appointed shall be appointed for a term of five years. (5) Li case of a vacancy caused by the death, resigna- tion or incapacity of a member of the Commission a succes- sor to such member shall be appointed to hold office for the remainder of the unexpired term. (6) Members of the Commission shall be eligible for re-appointment. (7) The members of the Commission shall serve with- out remuneration except that the Lieutenant-Governor in Council may fix a per diem allowance to be payable to each member for attendance at meetings of the Commission and every member shall be entitled to his reasonable and neces- sary travelling expenses as certified by the chairman for at- tendance at such meetings and in the transaction of the busi- ness of the Commission. (8) Three members of the Commission shall constitute a quorum. 5. (1) The Lieutenant-Governor in Council may on the recommendation of the Commission appoint an executive 46 REPORT OF COMMISSION secretary, and such other officers, clerks and servants of the Commission as may be deemed expedient and may fix the salaries of the members of the staff of the Commission. (2) The Ontario Pubic Service Act and The Ontario Pub'-ic Service Act, 1918, shall apply to the Commission as a Brancli or department of the public service. It shall be tlic duty of the Commission, (a) To inquire as to the persons qualified as provided by section 3 to receive allowances under this Act, in any county or district or city or separated town in Ontario; (b) To obtain such information as to such person as the Regulations may require ; (c) To receive through local boards or otherwise ap- plications by or on behalf of persons so qualified for the payment of allowances under this Act and to consider the same; (d) To fix the maximum and minimum allowances which may be granted under this Act; (e) To make orders granting allowances to mothers by whom or on whose behalf application is made to the ■Commission and who appear to the Commission to be qualified to receive such allowances; (f) To keep such records and statistics as the Regula- tions ma}' require or as may appear to be necessary for the proper discharge of the duties of the Com- mission; (g) To report in writing to the Lieutenant-Governor in Council at the close of each fiscal year, with such particulars and information a sthe Regulations may require. 7. Allowances granted under this Act and the expenses of administration of this Act shall be payable out of such moneys as may be voted by the Assembly and appropriated by the Legislature for those purposes, by the Treasurer of Ontario upon the direction in writing of the Chairman of the Commission countersisried bv the member of the Executive ON MOTHERS' ALLOWANCES 47 Council to whom the administration of this Act is assigned, and every such direction shall be final and conclusive and shall not be subject to further examination or audit, and the Treasurer upon receivlno- the direction shal' issue the cheque and the Provincial Auditor shal countersign the same. 8. (1) Every direction for payment of an allowance under this Act shall name the county, city or separated town or provisional judicial district of which the person to whom the allowance is payable shall be deemed a resident for the purposes of this Act. (2) Notice in writing, signed by the chairman, that such allowance has been granted with the name and p'ace of resi- dence of the person to whom the same is payable and stating that the municipal corporation of the county, city or town Avill be required to contribute to such allowance as herein- after provided shall be sent b}' registered post to the cVrk of the corporation of the county, city or town of which such per- son is resident. (3) If the corporation desires to object to making such contribution, the Commission shall hear the objection and consider the same, and may confirm the direction, or if it is deemed unfair or unjust that tlie corporation should be chargeable may amend the direction and name 'some other county, city or town as liable for the contribution, but no mun- icipal corporation shall be chargeable under this section, un- less the person to whom the allowance is payable has resided in the municipality continuously for at least one year imme- diately prior to the application to the local board for the al- lowance under this Act. (4) Where the person to whom the allowance is payable removed to another municipality, that municipality shall not be made liable for the contribution until such person has re- sided in such other municipality continuously for at least one year. (5) Every municipal corporation named by the Commis- sion as a contributor under this section shall at such inter- vals and upon such dates as may be fixed by the Regulations, pay to the Treasurer of Ontario an amount equal to one-half of the allowance, and everv such amount shall be a debt due to 48 REPORT OF COMMISSION the Crowii from the corporation and recoverable with costs by action at the suit of the Treasurer of Ontario. (6) Where the person to whom an allowance is payable under this Act is found by the Commission to be a resident of some place in a provisional judicial district, other than a city, contributions shaU not be required under this section, but the whole amount of such allowance shall be borne by the Province. ^ 9. The decision of the Commission as to any matter arising under this Act shall be final and conclusive and shall not be subject to appeal or review by any court of law or otherwise, but the Commission may reconsider any decision and may rescind, alter or amend any order, direction or de- cision previously made under the authority of this Act. 10. On approval of the Lieutenant-Governor in Council the Commission may make Regulations^ (a) Governing the procedure of the Commission and prescribing the time and place of meetings of the 'Commission; (b) Prescribing the duties of the executive secretary and other members of the staff of the Commission; (c) Providing for the appointment of a local board for a county, city or separated town or district, or for any defined territory in Ontario; (d) For the conducting of inquiries and investigations by local boards as to persons to whom allowances may be paid or who are in receipt of allowances un- der this Act or by whom or on whose behalf appli- cation has been made for payment of allowance; (e) Prescribing the form of reports of local boards and the particulars to be stated therein; (f) Providing for the appointment of visitors or other local officers of the Commission and prescribing their duties; ON MOTHERS' ALLOWANCES 49 (g) Respecting the proofs to be furnislied before pay- ment of anv allowance or continued yjavment there- of; ' (h) Fixing the intervals at, and the manner in which aHowance .shall be paid under this Act; (i) Prescribing forms to be used by the Connnissiou, local boards, visitors and other officers and by per- sons applying for allowances under this Act ; (j) Respecting the property qualifications and other sources of income of beneficiaries under this Act; (k) Generally for the better carrying out of the pro- visions of this Act. 11. This Act shall come into force and take effect on the 1st day of October, 1920. Mothers' Allowance Commission. Qualifications Residence. 1. Besolutiou. That applicants for allowances under the Mothers' Allowances Act, which applicants reside on pro- perty the estimated value of which is in excess of $2,000 in the country, $3,000 in a town, and $4,000 in a city, shall not be granted allowances under the Mothers ' Allowances Act, with the exception that in certain special circum- stances the Commission reserves for itself the right to give special consideration. Allowances fok ITpkeep op Property. 2. Besolutiou. Adequate Atloivances. That applicants for allowances under the Mothers' Al- lowances Act such applicants owning real property shall when they become beneficiaries under this Act, be allow- ed in lieu of rent an amount not in excess of five per cent of the estimated value of the real property but always however, providing that the estimated value of the real 50 REPORT OF COMMISSION propertx' sluill not exceed $2, ()()() in the country. j|^;),()00 in a city. With Hkcjahi) to DEniH^Tiox for Kqt'ity ix Kkat. Phopkriy l)irf;ix(; (iRAXTixii oi' Flat Rati:. 3. iicsol iilioii. That in ascertaining' the amount of al- lowances to he i^-rauted durinjj- the lii'antin.i;' of the fhd rate, (le])lications are considered in the order in which they are received. MoTHKiis' Allowances Commissiox, Kkv. Petek BitvcE, ('hairiHau., Mrs. Auam Short, Vice (luihnuui, Mrs. Wm. F. Singer, ]\Ia.jor T. J. Murphy, A. J. Reynolds. MoTHETts' AtJ.OWAXCES AcT. Province of Ontario. Bulletin Xo. 2. Eegulations reAp])ointment of Local Boards. 1. A local board shall consist in general of five mem- bers, who shall give their services without remuneration, and of whom not less than two shall be women. The Commis- sion may, in any instance, for I'eason, i)rovide for a larger or smaller number of membei's ow a local board. 2. The governing body of I'ach county, city, separated town, district, or of any defined territory in Ontario, as the case may be, may choose two members for the local board. The remaming three members shall be chosen by the Com- mission and the five members so chosen shall be appointed by the Connnission and shall together constitute the local board. 54 REPORT OF COMMISSION ."). Should the .jjovcniiii^i' l)0(ly of a comity, city, sepa rat- ed town or district fail to choose those two iiiciuhors for the local l)oard, aftci- haviii,n' been requested to do so tlirouj;h its Mayor, Warden or other chief represeutative, theu the Com- mission ina\' ap])()int fi\'e persons to form a local hoard. 4. The jR'rson whose name ai)i)eai's first in llie list of members appointed to the local l)oard, shall convene its first meetiui^-. At this first meetiujL^' it shall he thi> (hity of the hoard to a])point from their members a chaii'man, a vice- chaii'man and a secretai'X' ; and to considei' the time and ])lace of tlieir reiiulai- meeting's. ."). The membt'rs of the IocmI hoai'd shall he ap))ointed for a period of one \"ear, dating from October 1st. 1920. and annually thei-eafter from ()cto1)er 1st; members shall be eli- gilile for re-appointment. (). in the e\'ent of a x'acancy due to the dealli or rcsigna- tiou of a membei* oi* to other cause, the local board may i"e- commeiid and the Conmiission shall a])point a successor to the retired membci-s. 7. Three members of a local board shall constitute a (piorum. 8. Should any member of a local boai'd be absent with- out valid reason from three successive meetings, the chairman nuiy declare the seat of that member vacant, and the local board ma>' then i-ecomme)id to the Commission a successor to act for tlu' unexi)ire(l poi'tion of the year. i>. In general, a])plications foi- allowances shall be made iu the first instance to the local board, which shall consider the same in relation to the terms of The Mothers' Allowances Act and Regulations, and shall foi-ward the same with theii' repoi't and reconnnendat ions to the ( .'ommission. 10. In oi'der to assui'e ]uiblicily, the Secretary of the local board shall announce through the local ])ress, ihe i)er- sonnel of the membershi]) of the boai'd, and the fact that they are preijared to receive ap])li{'ation for allowances under T!ie Mothers' Allowances Act. ON MOTHERS' ALLOWANCES 55 Toronto, September 15tli, 1920. Duties of Local Boaiid. Local Publicity. 1. The Local Board shall use any means in its power to keep before the community the meaning- and purpose of the Mothers' Allowances Act and the methods of its application. The Local Board shall have permission to publish, without any expense to the Commission, any literature sent from the Offices of the Provincial Commission. 2. The name of the applicant and the details of the ap- plication shall be considered confidential. Receipt of Application. 3. The Local Boai'd shall i-eceive all api)ru'atioiis, which shall be filled in under the supervision of a member of the Board, except in the case of Comities and Judicial Districts, when applications may be received by individual members of the Board, or the Clerk of the Township in which the appli- cant resides. Applications forms shall be made in duplicate, the one to be forwarded to the Provincial Commission and the other to be retained l\v the Local Board. -1. The Local Board shall forward to the Commission information concerning- any changes in the domestic condition of the recipient of an allowance which will, in any way, affect the amount to be paid. Reports in reference to such matters shall be forwarded to the Commission as occasion arises. 5. A quarterly report of the operations of the Local Board shall be made on the form supplied by the Commission and forwarded to the Provincial Commission on the 1st day of October, January, April and June of each year. 6. Local Boards shall forward to the Provincial Com- mission a record of each application made, whether or not such application comes within the meaning of the Act. This will give the Commission information respecting- the number of deserted wives, widows with one child, unmarried mothers, and other similar cases. October 1st., 1920. Makers Syracuse, N. Y. PAT. JAN. 21, 1908 M' 1 W: 468822 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY o^^-^' DATS VtJVt-^ ,e i???*'*"'