Evening star., 1922-09-03
us. AND ALLIED SOLDIER
RELIEF WORK COMPARED
Facts and Figures Give Results of Meas.
ures Taken to Aid Former
Service Men.

operate over periods ranging from
eight to twenty-five years.
The applicants for these land bene-
fits go before a board. which deter
mines their htness for farming. Those
whom the board thinks may be made
At with training are given training.
The records show that moro than
$4,000 mem have applied for these
farm benefits, and more than $4,000
loans made to these men are $685.
ss4,21o, and the total area Of land
free and purchased by the former
service men is 4,S45.7ss acres.
In France the soldier bonuses have
been paid on the following basis:
Every French soldier who had min
imum of three months service and
every officer up to the rank of captain
received at rehabilitation a bonus of
$50 francs, equivalent at the Novem-
Der, 1918. rate Of exchange to $46.46.
at the rate of 10 francs a
day for every months service behind
the lines. or 20 francs per month If in
the fighting line. The French gov
ernment loaned to former service
men settling upon the land up to
$1,000 at 2 per cent per annum, or, if
he were disabled, at 1 per cent.
When t y Belgian soldiers were de-
mobilized number Of special pay
ments were made to them-discharge
from $3.50 plus $4.75 per
year Of service to s1s; special saw
ings fund, $76; clothing indemnity,
$3S: family allowance, $57. The pay
ment made to Belgian soldiers most
nearly resembling the proposed bonus
for American former service men was
a payment of $13.s5 for each month
of service at the front.
1t Is noticeable that in Canada,
France and Belgium at least the gov
ernments in providing cash bonuses
for former service men have increased
the amount allowed men who saw
service overseas or in the front line.
The pending soldiers bonus measure
for the American former service man
also makes a distinction. and allows
the man who went overseas $1.25
cents a day up to the maximum. $625.
and $1.00 day to the man who did
not go overseas up to $500.
Uncle Sans Record.
What has Uncle Sam done for the
former service men SO far?. On de-
mobilization the men were given $50
cash, approximately the equivalent of
two months pay of tho private. They
were allowed also a new outfit of
This Is all that the federal
government has done in the way Of
cash and allowances for the able
bodied former service man. When it
comes to the disabled veteran, how
ever, the government has done far
very properly SO.
The payment of $50 to the men as
they were demobilized reached a to-
tai, it has been estimated, of $270.-
000, 900. Chairman Wadsworth of the
Senate military affairs committee has
estimated that the amount Of money
set aside by the government this
will reach a total of $500, 100000. He
has called attention also to the fact
that this sum will undoubtedly in
crease, perhaps, even to $1,000, ,o00,o 900
a year as the years go by.
"It is a burden which the American
peox le will bear cheerfully," said Mr.
States Give Aid.
While the federal government has
so far limited its cash bonuses to the
former service mon to the $50 On de-
some Of the states of
grants to their own men. and sixteen
of them already have done so-Maine,
MASSACHUSETTS, Michigan, Minnesota,
Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jer-
sey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio,
Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota,
Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.
The law in New York has been de-
clared unconstitutional, however, by
the supreme court Of that state. In
half q dozen states legislative action
has been taken for grants to the for
mer service men, but the proposed
laws await referendum votes or fur
ther action by the legislatures them
selves These states are California,
Illinois. Iowa Kansas, Montana and
Pennsylvania.
In the states where cash bonuses
have been allowed bond issues have
been authorized to pay them, run
ming as high as SIS. 100000 in Illinois.
No action has been taken by the Dis
trict of Columbia to pay a special
bonus to the formerservice men here,
but Congress Is the state legislature
of the District. ...
The cash bonuses allowed by the
states range from SIC to SIS per
month of service. Some Of the states
have granted exemption from taxes
to former service men, among them
Texas and South Carolina, and many
of them have provided aid for dis
abled veterans.