Insurance

A soldier bonus, the idea of which was sidetracked by the House Ways and Means Committee in order to expedite the tax reduction, was again shunted back onto the main line. By a vote of 16 to 4, the Committee decided that a bonus bill would be reported and then fell to quarreling as to what form the bonus would take. The old form of bill with its alternative of insurance, vocational training, farm and home aid, etc., appeared to have been thrown into the discard. Insurance--probably paid up endowment insurance--will apparently be the main feature of the bill. The Democrats took a new angle by demanding a cash alternative. No proposal of this kind has been before Congress in two years on account of the difficulty of meeting immediate payment. Representative Garner, Democratic leader on the Committee, who had previously been opposed to every form of bonus, suddenly came out as a proponent of cash payments. The cash payment alternative was voted down in committee but it is not dead yet. It is practically certain that whatever form of bonus is finally agreed on will be passed by both Houses. In an expensive form it is almost sure to be vetoed by the President. After that--nobody knows.