Evening star., 1927-12-18
LAST CALL FOR SOLDIERS BONUS
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

The coming New Year day is the
last date on which veterans of the
World War may legally apply for
their adjusted service certificates, or
soldiers bonus. as it is commonly
called, and there is every indication
that on that date the rights of a
large number of veterans will auto
matically lapse. No deep concern is
felt about this, however, even by
the veterans organizations, because
those who have failed, during the
past three and a half years, to ap.
ply for the bopus are chiefly men
Of a short period of service, whose
payments or certificates would be so
small that they probably did not
bother about making application
Others who have not applied are a
small group who do not want or do
not need the adjusted compensation
and such others as have simply neg
lected the matter. The latter have
yet few days TO get in touch with
a Veterans Bureau office, get an ap-
plication blank, fill it out, and speed
it to Washington. Army and Navy
recruiting offices also have blanks.
New Year will find between three
and a half and four million veterans
holding adjusted service certificates,
which are in fact paidup insurance
policies, with the premium based on
the length Of their war service. Since
the bonus bill was passed over the
veto of President Coolidge, in May,
1924, most Of the beneficiaries have
claimed their bonus. The bill offer
ed no adjustment of compensation
to men of less than so days service,
oh AA aV,ly
of captain in the Army or lieutenant
in the Navy. Hence slightly more
than four million men were eligible
TO the benefits of the bonus law.
While January ! may find three
or four hundred thousand of these
without certificates, the shortage will
include all who have died without
applying and left no dependents to
claim the benefits, and the others
mentioned who have not cared to APP
ply. Almost every service man who
was entitled to and wanted the ad-
justment of his war pay will have re-
ceived it. And the evidence bears
out the claim of the American Legion,
when it sponsored the law, that prac-
tically all of them wanted it. Dur
ing the years when the bill was a
public issue it's opponents claimed that
great numbers of the veterans want
ed no adjustment. When the bill be-
came law the War Department which
had to check the service records Of
all applicants, asked those who were
not going TO claim their bonus so to
advise the department and save that
much extra work. Fewer than a
thousand Of the four million said
they did not want the bonus.
Application Period Ends.
With the new year the bonus bill
passes from the stage of new applica
| tions to one of administration of the
certificates then eXtant. This ad
ministration places on the Govern
ment the duty of paying the death
! ing loans provided by law to certifi
cate holders, and Of preparing to re
deem the certificates at their eXpira
! ton, 20 years from date of issue
The latter duty is yet II years away
as the first certificates were issued
January /, 1925.
The death claims are now being
| paid, as they arise, with reasonable
promptness. This work is handled by
| the United States Veterans Bureau
which has paid between $4,000 anC
! 100 900 of them in the last three years
| While many people still differ as tC
/ the merits of the bonus law, none will
| question that this phase of it, the
! payment of the certificates as insur
ance on the death of the veteran. has
! been a blessing to many families. The
| World War men have no general dis
ability or general widows pension act
like veterans of the Civil and Spanish
Il
the sole financial aid left by a veteran
! to his dependents has been the ad
! iusted compensation certificate. Since
| these average about $1,000 per man
| the money has often been enough al
| least to tide over the temporary period
of distress following a service mans
death.
The operation of the loan clause OF
| the bonus act has not been so fortu
nate in it's results. In order to get
away from a cash bonus, Congress
provided that the certificates issued
| to the veterans should, after two
years, have a cumulative loan value
and that national banks should accept
them as security for loans. The two
/ year loan value was small. but in
creased each year.
| Under these terms Of law, thousands
Of certificates acquired their first loar
value on January /, 1925. There was
an immediate rush to the banks by
service men desiring loans. The warn
/ ing that they were in a fair way tC
waste their certificates for fraction
of their ultimate value did not stoT
the rush. Thousands wanted wha
cash they could get. and that quickly
Some banks made loans and others re
fused. and in the course of the year
j Congress amended the law to allow
the Veterans Bureau to make the
loans. A majority of banks had de