St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1947-12-12
Dear Joe
By JAMES L. HICKS

No matter where you go or what
you do on New Years Eve, Joe, you
will still end up behind the eight
ball on New Years Day if you have
not renewed your National Service
Life Insurance by that time.
That's right-here you have been
worrying about how Christmas was
creeping up on you and all the
while that $4,000 policy of yours is
slipping through your fingers.
Get this straight: December
81 is the last day on which you
can renew your insurance with
out taking a physical examina-
ton. It's your D-Day. Just pay
up two back premiums, and
tell a lie and say that you
are in as good health now as you
were on the day you were dis
charged. You aren't, but your
policy will be accepted.
And also get this straight, Joe.
People are getting mighty sick and
tired of reminding you that that
loaf of bread under your arm (GI
benefits to you) was put there to
feed you but it does not slice and
butter itself automatically. You'd
better wake up and learn how to
feed yourself. AS a veteran you
are not the PEOPLES CHOICE
that you once were, son-Or have
you already heard?
How Bout JOe's HOuse???
Some time ago this column
pointed out that the American Le-
gion was toying with housing idea
which would put the Veterans ad-
ministration in the housing bust
ness and that the program would
bear watching.
The question Of how cOlOred vet
Grams will share in the program is
still very much in the dark, how
ever.
Under the Legion program, which
is designed to provide new rental
ap a r m en- t 5 or owner Occupied
homes, at low prices to veterans,
Congress would:
. Authorize the Administrator
of Veterans Affairs to charter nom
profit corpOrations-tO be known as
Veterans Homestead associations
upon application of five honorably
discharged veterans of World War
II, having suitable ability, charac-
ter and responsibility.
. Empower the associations to
construct and purchase housing to
be sold to veterans for occupancy by
themselves, their families and their
dependents. They could also con-
struct, purchase, maintain, and OPP
crate housing to be rented to vet
Grams, and make loans to veterans
for the purchase of housing.
The VA administrator would be
charged with supervising the opera
tons of these associations.
No veteran could become a mem
Der until he had at least 500 in the
hands of the association.
The associations would be au-
thOriZed to issue bonds up to
$4,000 for each veteran mem
Der and the VA would be auth
Orized to sell the bonds as the
fiscal agent of the association.
The bonds would provide the per-
manent financing of property ac-
CURED by the associations and
would be fully guaranteed by the
government. A limitation of 81
100000 would be fixed on the
amount of bonds that may be
sold. The income derived from
the sale of such bonds would be
tax-exempted.
The short-run financing for such
assOciations-until the bonds are
issued - would be provided by
loans from the Veterans admins
tration upon non-negotiable notes
OF the associations. Such loans
would be made from a revolving
fund of $1OO,OOO,OOO at an interest
rate of not exceeding y per cent.
The Federal Works administra
ton would be given 100000, 900 to
make grants-in-aid to states, coun-
ties and cities for improvement of
sites, not exceeding so per cent of
the cost.
1t sounds like a good deal. 1t
probably is a good deal for the
white veteran.
But what we'd like to know is
what the Legion is going to do
about cOlOred veterans in that
elaborate use of federal funds.
Will they be allowed to rent or
buy houses on the same cOndi-
tons as whites? What about re-
strictiVe covenants? In other
words, what about a home for
Joe?
The Legion has stated that it has
not given this matter any thought
but hearings will be held on the
bill during the special session of
Congress.