Evening star., 1942-05-26
Senate Group Nears
Action on Bill for
Aid 10 Dependents
New Druft Glasses
For Married Men
Also Considered
BY the Associated Press.

Also Considered
By the Associated Press.
The Senate Military Affairs Com
mittee today scheduled action on
measure authorizing the payment of
allowances to families of servicemen.
Under the terms Of the bill. $22
monthly would be deducted from a
serviceman,s pay and matched with
a S28 Government grant to provide
$50 for maintenance of his wife.
The Government would add S12 for
the first child and $40 for each addi-
tional child.
The committee was expected to
approve an amendment authorizing
the classification of men with fami-
lies into groups who would be in
Quoted only after the rolls OF those
without dependents had been ex-
hauSted.
This legislation, it's hackers be-
lieve, might help to relieve uncer-
tainty in the minds Of men with
dependents, who now may be called
into the Army in the discretion OF
local boards.
Present Status Not Known.
Senator Taft, Republican, of Ohio
said many married men had COM
planned that they could not learn
exactly what their status was under
the present system; they asked that
they be given some concrete indica-
ton whether they would be inducted,
so they could arrange for the care
of their families.
| He expressed the opinion that If
the Selective Service were given the
authority, it would promulgate gen.
eral regulations, but would not
make them iron bound. For exam
pie, he said, a married man Of
wealth might not necessarily be de-
ferred.
Meanwhile, fearful OF the outcome
of a record vote on whether to es-
tablish q $50 monthly minimum pay
base for the armed forces, House
proponents of a s42 floor cast about
for some means of averting a roll
call when the bill comes up tomor-
row.
They conceded privately that it
would be difficult to retain the $42
recommended by a Senate-House
conference committee If the issue
were put squarely to vote, which
Representative Rankin. Democrat
of Mississippi said he would de-
mand.
Rankin Proposed Increase.
1t was Representative Rankin who
proposed the amendment over
whelmingly adopted by the House
May 13 to increase the base pay Of
privates and apprentice seamen to
$50. The Senate had voted the $42
figure, and this was accepted by the
! House Military Committee. The
i present pay is S21 for the first four
months of service, $50 for the next
eight and $40 monthly after one
! year.
TT would be political suicide, this
close to the elections, to vote against
raising it to $50" said one Military
Committee member who favors the
S42 proposal IF we can avoid
| roll-cal vote, and there may be
ways to do it, there will be no
difficulty in retaining the $40, but
there's not chance to do it on
record vote"
Veteran House observers said they
did not know how record vote
| could be avoided if Mr.. Rankin and
enough other members insisted on
one.
Time Element Cited.
Economy minded members were
expected to rely heavily on the time
element in their arguments for the
$42 compromise. They pointed out
that the bill would not become effec-
tive until the first day of the
calendar month following its pas
sage.
To make the raise become effective
in June, the legislation must be
approved not later than May 81.
Refusal Of the House to accept the
conference recommendation would
send the bill back to conference,
with little hope for final action
before June /.
Chairman May OF the Military
Committee said he would ask the
House to make its decision tomor-
row and would insist on the $42
provision. Earlier he had suggested
that action be deferred until the
pending allotment and allowance
measure was disposed of, but under
a change in plans House action on
this proposal will not be sought until
next week.
Allotment Bill May Be Altered.
Changes in the allotment legisla-
ton, committee members said, may
be necessary after final action on
the pay increase bill. The allotment
bill was drafted with the under
standing a $42 base pay would be
voted.
Should the base pay be boosted
to $50 the schedule of allotments
and allowances may be revised. But,
committee members said, if the
House accepted the $42 pay the
allotment bill could be amended
to provide for Federal payment of
one half the cost of a serviceman's IS
Government insurance. The Gov
ernment now pays no part of the
insurance cost, usually $6.37 month.