The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1922-02-04
S45O,0OO,OOO A YEAR
TO DISABLED SOLDIERS
Likely TO Be Required for Many Years
and Billion More to Meet Com.
Ing Insurance Claims

Likely TO Be Required for Many Years
and Billion More TO Meet Com.
Ing Insurance Claims
Washington. Feb. More than
four hundred and fifty mi lions dol.
lars year, which in pre-war years
represented hals the amount spent
Tor entire government budget OF the
United States. Is to be expended dur
Ing the coming years and doubtless
the next FIVE or six years to pay com.
pensation TO disabled veterans and
insurance on the lives Of those who
were victims of tho war.
While tho agitation for q soldier
bonus to be given to those who were
physically uninjured By the war con.
tnues, tho facts Of what the disabled
veterans are costing tho government
are gradually being disclosed. II was
not genera fy realized until the house
Of representatives sent 30 the Senate
the Veterans bill that 40 large an
amount Is being expended as re-
suit % the war
The best estimates available indi.
cate that the $3.50. 1000 900 item Will
continue TO be part Of the budget
Tor the next several years II Is one
O ghth Of the total cost OF govern.
ment nowadays and may be cut
somewhat az the hosp tlllzation OK.
pense dimiUlshcs but In general the
expenditure viii he IN tie neighjor.
hood OF 100000. 600.
There is one item, however, which
will grow. II is rarely spoken Of in
connection with estimates Of the fu-
ture but II Is as much a debt as any
thing else in the long tabulatlons Of
government expense. In the budget
sent to Congress thu words linden.
mite appropriation are used but too
truth is the government must set
aside fully a billion dollars during
tho next twenty years to meet a
payment on the insurance policies
Of those who died during the var.
Unfortunately from fiscal stand
po'nt only SS50.000.000 In premiums
we're col ected during the war 10
meet tho insurance policies that
might become due. The potential
liability of the government to those
who died is about $1,000 000 ,0e0.
Thus far the payments have been
made out OF the premium collections
Of S350.000.000 but this viii come q
an end In q year. Then provision
must be made TO meet the billion dol
lar deficit. The payments are grldu
ated over 90 years so it will not
strain the government al one time
but Il means that the annual appro
priation for tie veterans bureau vii
always carry H.
In other words. {! tho days OF nor
malcy should ever come. the debt O
the government TO the disabled vet
Grams will require nj least half
bill dollars. The chances arr
that America wi mover see a pre-
war budget OF a billion dollars ~
at least 20 years TO come.
Another item which promises c
DO of long duration IL tho interes
on tho public debt which amounts Z
about $500 100000 q yenr. This ma
be reduced as some Of the loans arr
retired but II, as seems certain. IN
allies are unable 20 pay the primer
pa the Tn ted States government
will have - keep on borrowing auc
keep on paying interest t1roughou
/ this generation
/ The reason tho bonus Is rea ~ BE-
/ Ing fought so aggrestively by th'
men who know the 6ecal side Of tn
TIE HE HE TIE He HE HE HE ~
government Is that thcy know X
bonus Is paid II will be contnunl
item. The government viii AVE Il
paw annually and once the precedcn
To-. government aid 20 those VIII
we're uuinjured physically Is cslat
lished tho chances OF indefinite ~
preparations for pciNd OF year
are approcably increased.
Analysing the appropriation for di
ahlcd veterans. one finds $2b.OOooO
for So aries and administrative cN
ponsps. Only about SIX million q
this "a spent In Washington an
labout Si0.000.000 In the fourteen r.
gicnal ufHces whore tho government
tires tO keen ~ closer touch VII
the veterans.
More than SlGo,00o.oOo isrequire
.
families OF those who lost their I've
and 10 those who wore disabled
About S12 100000 IS bcing spout "a
hospitals aud medical aud 6urgic.
laid suil being eXteaded TO vet ms Y
the war This item may dimmis
somewhat IN the next fveyears Voc
.ional education and training rs cos
ing about $l3OO00,000 o year, Thcs
arc tho principal items
II WAS thought at first that the a.
TO rie disabled would be cut dow
three years after tho war but "hll
tho government spent S3S0.o0O.ooO
fiscal year OF 1921 for tbs purpos
the amounts needed for 49, ana ~.
average Si5O,000.00Q ON top OF q
this n soldier bonus is declared i
government Of icials TO Ia nm u
warrentod strain with more disadva
tnges in the long run TO the ina vi
ual who receives the bonus than a
vantagcs,
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