Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1922-03-10
LEGION NEWS
Continued from page one)

funds This seemed bad enough, but
the Washington Star last week stated
the total cost would not improbably
range somewhere between fifty billion
and seventy-fve billion dollars.
What are the facts?
If the bill were adopted in the form
i'll which it was introduced in the
Senate by Mr. McCumber, it might, in
Senate by Mr.. McCumbe, it might, in
case all veterans choose cash COmpen-
sation, cost S1,500,000,000 in the course
of the next three years, and that would
be all that it would ever cost If on
the other hand all veterans were to
select as their option the alternative
OF paid up insurance, it might cost
little over S5,000000,000 at the end of
twenty years, when the insurance ma
lures. Those are the maximum and
minimum costs involved in the present
bill, and the actual cost will depend
upon the choice of the veterans as be-
tween the different alternatives. Ac-
cording to the estimates made by Sec
Rotary Mellon, based on the suppose
ton that half the veterans would take
cash and half insurance, it would cost
about S4OO,O0O,O00 for each of the first
two years, and very little thereafter
until the expiration of the insurance.
These are indeed formidable sums, but
taking the maximum payments for the
next three years, of 81 50O0O000O on
the assumption of every soldier Choos-
ing cash, the total would not amount
to half as much per capita for our peO-
pie as the bonus which Canada paid to
her soldiers involved for her pOpula-
ton
How, you may ask, is this great sum
to be paid,
1t should be noted in passing that
the suggestion of levying special taxes
to meet a special expenditure has new
er been raised before in connection
with the adjustment of compensation
for any other war claimants When
the Dent Act was passed, which ar
ranged for settling claims OF war con-
tractors, no particular revenue measure
was provided, although the actual com
pensation paid under that act amount
cu 10 HCdllN OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES ~ P4I
judice was created against these claim
ants and there was little protest
against them, because they were paid
out of the general resources Of the
Treasury, and no definite taxes were
assigned for their settlement The
same is true OF the adjustment OF the
compensation OF the railroads, amount
ing to Sj0O0OOOOO for the losses incur
red under war administration. 1t Is
true also OF the SlOOOO UOO voted 10
compensate 'l'lIe o"Ig'' W. ioS9'' ~
CuIIcu merely Ill Ae''i,'s lV'GS ~ P'o
auCe ili'IeIal'' 'o' O''0i'li,' a. 81 , a. -
nut "i'noul aC'u""y P'o 'y.iI. ."tiii,
IL Is Duc VI '''c NAM '''''I,o''3 w.,
Tor inc Iellel Vi ?HlPPl"7 h"'iu V''i
'laNlo'S' H. dts mas "'O,' '"'
we now incorporate l'c" 'dH0s IN .,'0
act adjusting lhe Coiilpt'Isd'ioH VI 'i'c
veterans we SI'aH uISNi ii''ili''' ~
manner qul'' WlVii'u' 'OO :, 'iO'',
@I'llI't I'Ie 'l'''''9 VI '''o'C wiz '''O.e,
TO 'ueH country Ho' P'UPei'y' nul
'leif youIl ANA '"Vi' iiNoS 0. a
amounting 10 OILY ''ao'io'' W. " 'i,o9T
already met lot property we S"'''
help TO turn Whal Is ll'clIoeu ~ w.
ana "na' ought To ''c' d" cNPiess .ll
oil $rali'uoe' I'l'o d SoutNe VI OIi''l''.''
ana "i'r r, "sI''''!' vi '''1so '''io
cr.'H' MS mas III '"'.' d" T'uS i''ui'
ed from inc Isl'"uo'' Vi 'G0n ploi'o,"i,
hu, can 'I'e'c I'"'i''1 lo' ''. n pa,
l"I the veterans nc duJu''Cu "I."ou'
rum ana ul'aS'e' " inc BUSINESS my =,
e'ls' ana "lt"u"' oNei ou' u0i''''s '''o
'dA payers vi '"c Oou'''iS
| am confident that the necessary
revenue can be provided without turth-
er borrowing. If the results OF the re-
cent Conference for the Limitation OF
Armaments are anywhere near as sub
stantial as we have been led to believe,
the resultant economies i'll the appro-
priaticns for the army and navy Will
amount TO at least S2OO,OOOOOO yearly.
These are economies that were not con
templated, and taken account OF III
next years Budget. The War Finance
Board which, according to present leg
lSlatlon, Will begin liquidation on July
first next, has many millions OF GoV-
eminent money which will be released.
We are continually told OF new econ
omics being accomplished by the Bud
get Committee; and that there are
other economies in prospect. But even
ii these sources did not exist, merely
IL.