President Urges Senate To Prepare At Once For Rehabilitation

Northern Advocate, 25 November 1943, Page 2

President Urges Senate To Prepare At Once For Rehabilitation

WASHINGTON, November 24

President Roosevelt has sent a message to Congress requesting provision for mustering-out pay, unemployment allowances and social security credits for the armed forces. In addition, he urged enactment without delay, of a measure establishing an unemployment insurance scheme for the Merchant Marine The President believed that mus-tering-out pay should be uniform, reasonable, and paid monthly, rather than in a lump sum. The message said: “We must not lower our sights to prewar levels. The goal after the war should be maximum utilisation of outhuman material and resources. This is the way to rout the forces of insecurity and unemployment at home as completely as we shall have defeated the forces of tyranny and oppression on the battlefield. We must make provision now to help our returning service men and women to bridge the gap from war to peace. “They will return at a time when industry will be in the throes of conversion. Our demobilisation plans must be consistent with our plans for re-conversion to industry and the creation of employment opportunities. Congress will agree that we must have legislation ready for the returning veterans instead of waiting until the last moment. It will give notice to the armed forces that the people back home do not propose to let them down.”