New Britain herald., 1918-03-09

erations both of sentiment and of sound political economies. The sen- timental reasons for such a program are obvious, but the other reasons are not quite so plain. They may, how ever, be summed up in the phrase, 'Nconservation of manpower." In other words, every dollar expended In remaking the wounded soldiers and sailors must be regarded as a dollar invested in national efficiency and hence a dollar invested in national prosperity and success in fighting the trade war which is due to follow the present war of arms.
 What vocational re-education will do is outlined by the experts of the federal board for vocational educa- tion. Summed up in a few words. the case may be stated as follows:
 Economic Benefits.
 Vocational re-education will re- establish the disabled soldier or sailor as an independent, self-respecting eco- homie unit Any other policy will in evitably induce economic dependency, with it's inherent moral and social evils. For these men and for the com
 
 as economic well-being, is, in a large measure, at stake. The age of the conscripted army (21 to 31 years) is such that the men are young enough to be susceptible to training, and that the benefits of such training will ac- crue during a period equivalent to the normal expectation of life for men in early manhood. Some of the men were taking training when drafted. This interrupted training can be re-, stunned.
 Experience has demonstrated that disabled men while under hospital treatment naturally tend in many in stances to fall into a state of chronic dependence, characterized by loss Of ambition. The difficulty of lifting them out of this well-recognzed phase in creases rapidly during the period inn mediately following conValeScence. Vocational training begun at the earliest possible moment and persist ent, systematic development of this training after convaIescence will avoid this danger of vocational degeneration. Once the men fall into a state of chronic dependence or drift back into industry without training, they cannot be industriaIly recovered.
 Without the protection of vocational re-education, together with system atic re-esta blishment in Wage-earnlng employment, the handicapped man will drift about in industry, an un- skilled laborer and a subject for ex- plOitatiOn by the unScrupulOus. The policy of vocational Tehabilita- tion is one of conservation. Disabled men skilled in specific trades will be, so far as possible, re-established in tro hN ton. Without such training acquired ! trade experience will in many cases be lost, and the ranks of skilled labor will be to that extent depleted. lnci- dentaly, the drifting of handicapped men in any considerable number into unskilled employments would occasion dem moralization and impair wage standards.
 The European countries have found the conservation of trade skill and eN- perience to be a factor of vital inn rortance in national rehabilitation. In these countries the conduct of industries, commerce and agriculture, even during the progress of the war. has become largely dependent npon the re-esta blishment in civil employ 1 mont of men disabled for furthey military service.
 It should be borne in mind that l the disabled men are, in many cases l especially trained and skilled. If al l lowed, through lack of such re- -edu- cation as they require, to sink into l the ranks of the uns1illed, their 1 places in the Nations scheme of eco l homie productivity can not be filled. l No supply of skilled men is now. or 1 will be after the war, available from ! other countries since every country l at war is experiencing and will con- 1 tinue to experience in the years fol- ! lowing the war a great scarcity oi l skilled labor.
 Insures Nations Power.
 l Vocational reeducation of men dis | abled for military service conserVes l trade skill in a time of national emer- l gency and prevents in some degree
 the scarcity of skilled labor that l: certain to develop as the war pro
 gresses. The nation which does no
 conserve the vocational skill of it.
 trained workers will to that exten
 weaken it's recuperative and compoti