Evening star., 1936-06-18
PAYMENTS IN CASH
SOUGHT ON OVER
THIRD BONDS HERE
Distribution in Capital Is
More Than $5,OO0,0O0
at Present Time.
.CASHING ENFORCEMENT
is OPPOSED BY STREET
Miss Hill Favors Requirement
of Gradual Liquidation
for Support.

With more than one-third of the
bonus bonds distributed here already
certified for cash payment. District
welfare heads called a meeting for
tomorrow to adopt a policy toward
World War veterans on the relief
rolls.
More than 10000 out of slightly more
than 27,00O veterans who received
bonds by mail have made app,ica-
tion to cash in on the bonus, accord
ing to an estimate today by Post
master Vincent C. Burke.
The total cash distribution now Is
approximately s5,00000O, with mort
OF the veterans asking for about $500.
In addition. some ex-service men a.,
cashing their bonds through banks.
In either case. the veterans receive
Government checks now flowing
through the mails by thousands.
Committee Meets Tomorrow.
Meanwhile, the Public Assistance
Committee of the Board Of Public
Welfare will meet tomorrow to detc--
mine whether veterans should be
dropped temporarily from the relief
lists and forced to spend all or part
Of the bonus for their support.
Up to now there has been no def
mite policy adopted. Miss Alice Hi,
relief director, declared today, how
ever, that the case Of each veteran on
the District relief list would be con-
sidered on its own merits, unless the
committee outlines some other policy.
Because there is some difference of
opinion among officials as to the
handling of the bonus payment quas-
tion as applied to relief, Elwood Street,
welfare director, said he would ask
the committee to establish general
principles.
There are less than 200 war veterans
on the relief rolls, according to a
count made for Miss Hill All per-
sons now on the relief list have been
found by case workers to be in the
unemployable class. This means that
the relief clients either are totally
incapacitated or untitled for work or
are temporarily so to the extent that
they could not now work if jobs were
available.
Street Against Forced Cashing.
Street is of the opinion a veteran
should not be forced to cash his bonus
if he prefers to hold it for some
future rainy day" However, if the
veteran cashes the bonus, Street be-
lieveS that at least some of it should
be used for the support of himself
or his dependents
Miss Hill believes veteran receiving
any appreciable bonus payment should
be required to cash a small portion of
it at time and apply the funds toward
his own support. but she said she did
not favor making the veteran cash all
his bonds or to spend it all at one time.
Miss Hill also said she felt the vet
Grams should not be taken off the re-
lief list if they cashed any part or all
Of their bonus and used the money to
pay old debts, contracted in good faith
before they became relief recipients.
But supposing a veteran received
several hundred dollars and proposed
to spend it all to buy an automobile
I think that would be an entirely diff
ferent matter" she said. II, person.
ally, cannot see that that veteran
should be continued on the relief list,
while public funds for relief are so low
to meet the needs Of the distressed"
Delivery Peak Passed.
Speed is being maintained in the
city post ofice in all departments
handling the bonus, the postmaster
said. The delivery side has passed
the peak of its load, however, although
it is still receiving more bonds from
the Treasury Department for deliv-
cry. Yesterday. for instance, the
Treasury Division of Loans and Cur
rency sent to the post Office 300 en-
| velopes for delivery here.
Certificate holders who have ap-
piled to the Veterans Administration
within the past few days already are
receiving acknowledgements in the
mails that their cases are being
worked out.
As veterans got cash in hands
through the big checks averaging about
$500, the effects Of an increase in re-
tail trade were beginning to be felt
throughout the city. Businessmen and
merchants were eager to see how much
of boom in business the bonus would
bring. Only preliminary indications
were available today. Most veterans
cashed Immediately their small checks
for less than $50 which came with
the bond delivery.
Meantime the IS certification units
of 10 men each from the City Post
once continued today on their travels
about the city to help certify bonds for
veterans. One of these units was at
the Office of The Evening Star yester-
day. 1t afforded every facility and