V A Promises Payments In Coming Three Weeks

University veterans, threatened with no G. I. Bill payments until late January, were assured yesterday by General William J. Blaik '13, regional manager of the Boston Veterans Administration Office, that checks would be out sometime during the next three weeks. But University officials termed the statement "optimistic."

Some of the University's 1,230 veterans claim that such a delay in payments would force them to withdraw from College. And once withdrawn, they point out, they could never again receive G. I. Bill aid. Others say that the University loan office will be flooded with applications.

Blaik said that he has increased his staff, which had been cut in half, to hasten the processing of the veterans' applications. He says he will be able to complete work on the 24,000 applications made by college veterans in Greater Boston within the next three weeks. Since Harvard begins classes later than most colleges in the area, applications from students here will be taken up last.

Checks Out In January

Earlier, Washington veterans officials issued a statement saying that checks probably will not go out until late January. They suggested that veterans should supply themselves with enough money to carry them through the winter. Some veterans attacked this stand, contending that they would not have enough money to pay their monthly rent.

Representatives of five other Greater Boston colleges met with Blaik last week' to solve the situation. After the meeting, Blaik decided to reassign workers from other departments to the one dealing with veterans' check to speed up check issues.

Ten Percent Cut

The cut in Veterans Administration personnel came after Congress approved an Appropriations Bill which cut ten percent from the money granted to each department. The Boston office was requested to slash half of its staff working on veteran applications.

Ordinarily, veterans get their first checks at the end of October. From then on, veterans receive checks once a month.