Culminating a long debate among its members, the University Chapter of the American Veterans Committee last night resolved to back the national organization's policy of gearing veterans' subsistence allowances to the increased cost of living according to the change in price levels determined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Meeting in Emerson Hall, 150 members of the chapter argued the motion for half an hour, following its presentation by the Veterans Affairs Committee which was evenly split on this phase of policy. The final vote was heavily in favor of the plan, which at this time would call for a general raise in veterans' allowances.
The opposition to the resolution, led by Irving Telling 4G, declared that "veterans should avoid a grasshopper policy. The world does not owe us a living and we must not be completely dependent upon the government," he concluded. Tony Garam, speaking for the resolution claimed, "Congress meant the law to give subsistence, but it is no longer subsistence because of the greatly increased cost of living."
According to the report of the AVC National Planning Committee, which has been campaigning for a bill in Congress embodying the main ideas of their proposal, the adoption of the measure at this time would mean a raise on single veterans monthly allowance from $65 to $100 and an increase for married veteran students from $90 to $125.
Other accomplishments of the three hour meeting were the election of five delegates to the forthcoming New England Conference on Student Veteran Problems to be held in the University this Sunday, and the collection of funds for the legal expenses of a Cambridge negro who is fighting a suit involving his expulsion from a theatre in October.
Representatives of AVC chapters and other student organizations from colleges all over New England are expected to atted the Conference.
Final action was taken on a proposal to change the chapter's constitution to prohibit new business not on the agenda from being brought up from the floor. The motion for amendment was narrowly defeated.
