Imperial Valley press., 1930-07-03
Sc I TIE
VETERAN
MEASURE:
Conference Elimi >ates
Senate Amendments To
Disputed Bill
HOOVER WINS POINT
Praises RiIl Passed BY
House AS Being Fair
To All Concerned
BY PAUL r. MALLON
United Press Staff Correspondent

WASHINGTON, July 3. U.E1
After President Hoover had made
known his inSistcnt opposition to
the world war veterans pension bill
passed by the Senate, Congressional
eonfereeS today reached an agree
ment on the bill eliminating all the
important Senate amendments.
The confcrccs decided to report a
full agreement TO both Houses EN-,
bodying the house bin which was
satisfactory to Mr.. Hoover.
The agreement followed three
hours of conferences beginning with
a White House breakfast attended
by his Republican floor leader Wat
son Of the Senate, Senator David A.
Reed, Republican, Pennsylvania, In
charge of the veteran s legislation,
and others
Mr.. Hoover handed Watson let
ter opposing provisions in the meas
urc passed hy the Senate. The Pres
idcnt objected TO the increased Sen
ate rates ranging from $50 to 500
month, the vencrca. disease clause
ans to get disability allowances even
though they pay income taxes.
The agreement was carried i'm
mediatelv to the house by Chairman
Johnson of the house veterans com
mittce, who announce he would
take it up the floor as soon as pos
siblc
Leaders are confident they can
get the bill signed by President
Hoover before night, and are hope,
ful of bringing the l6 months scs-
sion of congress to an end shortly
thereafter
Mr.. Hoover won all three of his
points in the agreement The rates
fixed in the bill now are those
ranging from Sl2 to $40 month,
starting with more than one fourth
disability. Elimination of the ven
ercal disease amendment means that
no veteran can collect disability
for willfu misconduct. Veterans
will be excluded from disability al
lowauccs if their private income is
sufficient 70 pay income taxes m.
der the other provisions accepted
by the confcrccs.
The President explained that the
bill rs passed by the House was in
itself ga generous national action.
based upon sound principles, and
except for some minor technical
points met the entire approval of
both the American Legion and the
Veterans of Foreign Wars. These
two organizations, Mr.. Hoover said,
opposed the Senate amendments.
Scores Amendments
These amendments. Mr.. Hoover
declared. "Again rcestablish inius-
tices and determinations between
veterans, imposing unwarrantcd bur
dcns ON the tax payer and perpetu-
ate entirely wrong principles in Snch
legislation.
:" For instance under these a
mcndmcnts the average allowance
TO veterans whose disabilities were
ine:rrcd in civil life subsequent to
the war will work out very close to
the same average payments rs that
given to veterans who actually suf-
fcrcd from battle and in the tren-
chcS. This is an injustice both to
the men who suffered from the war
and to the public.
"'Fhc Senate amendments seri-
ouSly affect the men who were en-
rolled after the armisticc and whI
never heard shot fired; they scri-
ously modify the clauses in respect
TO venercal disease and impose :,
burden upon the treasury therefor,
which must be condemned from IT,
point of view of family life.
-'General Hines estimates the cos,
of the first year of this bill as
passed by the Senate will be $70,-
100000 rising to about $l75,000,000
in five years and thereafter. This
represents an increase on the House
bill by about 250 per cent. These
are sums wholly uncallcd for by the
need of the situation and probably
imply an increase in taxes.
"Thcrc are many other objections
to the Senate amendments such as
renewal Of certain prcsumptions but
perhaps this will indicate my
views.