Evening star., 1950-08-16
GI Family Allotment
Plan Expected 10 Gel
Speedy Action on Hill
By the Assoeruied Press

BY the Associated Press
President Truman and Congress
appeared agreed today that speed
is needed in setting up system
of family support allowances for
Servicemen.
They had different ideas on
how much the payments should
be. how much the CT should con-
tribute, and how much the Gov
ernment should kick in.
But both the Senate and House
Armed Services Committees have
given the matter a high priority
and a solution is expected soon.
A House subcommittee called a
hearing today.
Truman Plan Made.
A plan Mr.. Truman sent both
houses of Congress yesterday
from the Budget Bureau embodied
two of the ideas included in most
proposals being considered:
l. That the serviceman should
bear good part of the cost of
his family'S support from his own
pay.
2. That the Serviceman with
many dependents shouldn't be in
the armed forces anyway.
Chairman Tydings of the Sen
ate committee, disclosing that a
new plan has been given "tenta-
tive support" in his committee,
told reporters that "a man should
take care of his family while he
is in the service" He added that
if the serviceman could not do so
with the allotments, he should be
discharged from service as a
hardship case" or deferred from
the draft.
Mr.. Truman's plan similarly
recommended discharge from &C
tive duty of any serviceman whose
family could not be supported on
a $150-a-month support allot-
ment. the top limit he suggested.
Urges Speedy Action.
The President, urging speedy
action, called for benefit payments
to begin September covering this
month.
Under the administration plan:
l. A dependent wife would get
$75 a month, plus $25 month for
each dependent child-but not
more than $3.50 altogether.
2. A dependent parent would
get $50 a month, two dependent
parents total of $40.
Under the tentatively-approved
Senate committee plan, a pri-
Yates wife alone would get $50, a
wife and child $81, and a wife and
two children sos a month.
Senator Tydings told reporters
there probably will be a "compro-
mise" between what the admins
tration proposed and what the
Senate committee has been plan
ming. He said the basic benefit
payment might wind up at about
$65, instead of the $75 proposed by
Mr.. Truman.
Extend Allowances.
Under the Senate plan living al
lowanceS of $67.50 now given to
the top three grades of non-com-
missioned officers, and to part of
the fourth highest grade, would be
extended to all enlisted men from
buck private to top sergeant in
the Army and corresponding
ranks in the Navy, Air Force and
Coast Guard.
The. serviceman would be re-
quired to sign over half his pay
plus allowances if he had a wife.
so per cent if he had a wife and
child, 70 per cent if he had wife
and two children. Senator Ty-
dings said anybody with more de-
pendents than that should get out
of the services.
Under the administration plan,
no additional allowance would be
given to families of men in the
top enlisted grades who now re-
ceive the $67.50 monthly allow
ances.
Share Payments.
Other Servicemen would con-
tribute either half of the new al
lowance for their family, or so
per cent of pay, whichever was
the smaller sum.
Under the Senate committee
poSposal. the private would get
$45 from the Government If he
had a wife and would add this to
his $75 monthly pay and then
send back half or $50. With one
child the private would get $50
plus his $75 pay and send back
so per cent or $81. With two
children he would get $75 plus
$75 pay and send back 10 per cent
or $105.
For comparison, a top ranking
sergeant getting 1896 with a de-
pendent wife would get $67.50 and
send home $151.25; with one child
he would send home so per cent
of the total or $181.5O; but with
| 4. i =