Evening star., 1942-05-16
Congress Seeks Hint
|0f RooseveIt's Stand
On Army Pay Boost
Committee Members
Ask Budget Bureau for
Opinion on Measure
~ the Associated Press.

~ the Associated Press.
Congress would Ike to know
whether President Roosevelt favors
paying Army buck privates and
Navy apprentice seamen the ~
monthly voted by the Senate or the
$50 approved by the House, mem
bers said today.
With the hope Of getting at least
an indirect indication OF the Presi-
dents attitude, members OF q joint
Senate House conference commit
tee have asked the Budget Bureau
for its opinion on the military pay
adjustment bill. Customarily, the
bureaus recommendations are re-
garded as rejecting the views Of the
Chief Executive.
Chairman Reynolds Of the Senate
Military Affairs Committee said the
conferees probably would be guided
largely by the bureaus recommen-
dations-if any are forthcoming-in
attempting to compose Senate and
House differences over the politically
delicate pay queGion.
Request Ignored Before.
The bureau ignored the Senate
committees request for an opinion
when the measure first was being
prepared for Senate action.
House members, fortified with .
33l-to-28 vote Of their body, we're
expected to insist on retaining the
$50 scale. Senate conferees, on the
other hand, were bound to put up
an argument for the $42 figures, al
though some Of them personally
were reported to favor the higher
amount.
Congressional leaders pointed out
however, that even If the soldiers
obtain the 50 higher pay check
favored by the House, they may flnd
q considerable portion Of 1t eaten
up by income taxes.
Senator George, Democrat, of
Georgia called attention to the fact
that adoption by Congress Of pend
ing proposals to lower exemptions
for single persons to $500 would
automatically bring privates without
dependents within the fold of in
come taxpayers.
Disnkes Idea Of Returns.
He said that while he was not
opposed to reasonable increases in
the soldiers pay, he disliked the
idea Of making it necessary for
thousands of Army privates and
Navy apprentice seamen to I'LL out
income tax returns.
Meanwhile. suggestion from the
c. I. o. women's auxiliary that pro-
posed Government payments to de-
pendents Of servicemen be in
creased sharply and that the Federal
Security Administrator be empow-
cred to augment them got a cool re-
ception yesterday from the House
Military Committee.
Concluding public hearings on leg
islation whereby dependents would
receive part of the servicemens
pay plus additional sums from the
Government, committee members
demonstrated a definite lack of en-
thusiasm for the c. I. o. proposals
Payments originally proposed, said
Mrs. Eleanor Fowler, Washington.
secretary treasurer Of the Congress
Of c. I. o. Women's Auxiliaries, are
absolutely inadequate" and should
be boosted substantially.
On behalf of the wives, mothers,
sisters and daughters of c. I. o.
workers, Mrs. Fowler told the COM
mittee that in some cases the origi.
aal proposal would not permit de-
pendents Ito survive"
Points to Bilrs Provisions.
She pointed out that under pro-
visions Of the pending bill a de-
pendent wife with two children
would receive . total Of $50 q
month, made up of $40 from her
husbands pay and $40 from the
Government. Under the c. I. o.
recommendations, the same family
would receive $50.
Mrs. Fowler urged that the maxi
mum allotment from the soldiers
pay be retained at $50, but that
the Government allowance be dou-
bled from $50 to 50 for a wife and
increased from $40 to SIS for each
child.
She offered no proposal to in
crease payments to secondary de-
pendents, such as parents, brothers,
sisters or grandchildren, which
would be a maximum total Of $50
per month.