US Presidency
1931

These, like the others, are being provided the basic necessities of life by the devoted committees in those parts of the country affected by the depression or drought. The governments and many employers are giving preference to veterans in employment. Their welfare is and should be a matter of concern to our people. Inquiry indicates that such care is being given throughout the country, and it also indicates that the number of veterans in need of such relief is a minor percentage of the whole. The utility of this legislation as relief to those in distress is far less than has been disclosed. The popular assumption has been that as the certificates average $ 1,000 then each veteran can obtain $ 500 by way of a loan. But this is only an average, and more than one-half will receive less than this amount. In fact over 800,000 men will be able to borrow less than $ 200, and of these over 200,000 will be able to borrow only an average of $ 75.