SEGMENT: FARMING DURING GREAT DEPRESSION & HEALTH
George Cline>UIS Collection C-G>UIS Collection C-G, Segment 3
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- FARMING DURING GREAT DEPRESSION
- Amount of monetary relief was determined by filling out a form about family size and age for old age pension. Remembers maximum amount for relief was "very little." Families also got surplus commodities. Any able person could apply for Works Progress Administration (WPA) employment. WPA workers got a week's groceries and then paid it off by working, and were paid $1.50 per day. Work was not steady; projects lasted only a few days each. Workers tended to be from out of town. Working and transportation conditions were poor.
- HEALTH
- "I took out all the appendixes and tonsils there was in Panther Creek township." Encouraged families on relief to see Dr. Zelle in Springfield and Dr. Athey in Beardstown, but they could go anywhere for treatment. Appendectomies cost $25 and tonsillectomies cost $50. Dr. Boone and Dr. Franklin were local doctors who took relief orders. No program for immunizations or vaccinations for children.
- FARMING DURING GREAT DEPRESSION
- Clothing was provided on occasion from relief. Tells story about giving good shoes for special events. Local cannery "was just a failure." Had no food and too few employees. People were very downtrodden by the Depression. "It looked like they didn't have any feelings." Every boy in the township who wanted to join the armed forces in World War II was accepted. State Government tried to teach families healthy eating. Tells story about his wife's cooking experiences.
