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Show SOLDIER BONUS CAUCUS CALLED House Republicans Meet Thursday to Issue Orders for Action WASHINGTON-. Jan. 24. -Call for a Icaucua Thursday night of the Republic:, Repub-lic:, h members of the houe on Uie soldier bonus wax inmied .Monday. Ini J ' mediate aeilun on an adjusted com-penatlon com-penatlon bill haa been demanded bf n group of members who were In the military ner1ce durlnir the war I At the conference they Djan to offer , a resolution Im-triietlnK the way.i and neana committee to proceed at one to the drafting of a bonus measure, j The resolution aluo will provide that when reported to the houne the meafl- 1 jure is to be the continuing business until passed. TREAS1 KSL OPPOSED House lead is - nl no effort would' he made at the caucus to instruct the j ways and means committee us to how-, I it should provide for the raising of i I necessary revenue. That guestion will' be determined, It was said, by the 1 committee. Data on possible new methods of 1 I taxation to raise funds for a bonus ! has been prepared by the treasury de- ; ! partment. It was said, for the lnfor-: lnfor-: matlon of COIlgri I Treasury official said, however, that the department would await re- queflta for such information between; transmitting it to congress. It also Iwa--; said thai the treasury's position Inn th ad la ability of a bonus for vet-erana vet-erana of the world war was unchanged, un-changed, enactment of compensation , leglalatlon under existing cdnditlona being viewed with disfavor. M.l.ll.l) DEBT IMPRACTICAL. In the event a bonus bill is enacted treasury officials taid. some t.ix would have to be provided I 'se of the allied debt as a basis for bonus financing was said to be regarded as Ithprac-1 Ithprac-1 tlcal. ( In the opinion of the treasury, offi-l offi-l cials suld, it would cost more to raise jthe money for a soldier bonus from jihe sale of bonds based on the debts I of the allied nations than It would to float the country's own obligations. For intence. It was explained, should bonds representing Great Britain of I approximate! J5.00o.000 be Issued as a part of a bonus payment plan, they j would have to be sold at a discount by this government, because they would be subject to the various forms of tuxutions. At the same time, it was added, the j government would have to guarantee the foreign bondw, the sale of which I would be taking money out. of the investment in-vestment market which otherwise might g. toward American securities Data compiled by the treasury was Understood to cover various fields of possible taxation without. however, considering a sales tax as a practical solution of the problem The treasury It was added, considers consid-ers as advisable and Isa.s suggested, a tax of two cents on all bank checks which it is estimated would produce ?iO. OOO.oOO a year, while further revenue reve-nue might be obtained from Increasing Increas-ing taxes on negotiable instruments. Accoiding to the treasure's estimate approximately $80,000,000 a year could be obtained Irom a three cents a gallon tax on ga.soline Increased postage through use of a three-cent stamp It was thought, would produce approximately $70.- ooo.ooo a year On the basis of the pending M. -Cumber bill, the treasury estimated it would be necessary to provide approximately ap-proximately $800,000,000 for the bonus In the first two years. |