Evening star., 1919-04-27
INDUSTRIAL CRIPPLES
MAY BE MADE WHOLE
Machinery for Rehabilitation of Wounded
Soldiers Likely to Be Continued as
Permanent Institution.

and despite the constant preaching OF
safety first to the workers thems
themselves"
tuberculosis Adds Heavily.
He estimates, after careful re-
search, that 1900 Industrial acoi-
dents result in permanent disablement
each year, without taking into con-
sideration the ravages OF tuberculosis
tuberculosis, however. is recognized
as being the direct result Of working
conditions. or the living conditions
under which workers must exist due
to wage standards. Mr.. Harris makes
the assertion that II tuberculosis also
was reckoned with as disa bling
force the annual output Of perma-
nently disabled from the industries
in this country would equal IL it did
not exceed, that from an army OF
more than 100000 men actively en-
gagged in military campaigns.
In making his estimates, Mr.. Harris
has considered only cases where ac-
cidents have necessitated the ampu-
tation of arms, hands, legs and feet.
total loss of sight of one or both
eyes and permanent impairment of
the use Of these members to the ex-
tent of more than so per cent. There
are many others disabled in other
ways. or to a less extent, thus swell
ing the total of the disabled in In
| dustry annually.
Mr.. Harris shows that the average
age of wage earners permanently dis
abled in industry is between thirty and
thirty-three years. He figures that to-
! day. on the basis of his computations.
there are in the neighborhood Of 3.6.-
900 industrially disabled.
More Than Million Victims.
Even higher figures than these were
during the hearings on the Smith
i Bankhead bill, which proposes to ex-
tend the operation of the vocational
| rehabilitation act to cover those in
Jured in Industries. Arthur E. Holder.
| a member of the Federal Board for
Vocational Education, told the joint
Senate and House committee on edu-
! cational labor considering the bill
| that during Ave years. ending De-
| killed in mines, quarries and on rail-
| roads. and 9s0,764 had been perma-
| nently injured.
The Smith -Bankhesd bill died, OF
course. with the end Of the last Con-
gress. But 1t will be reintroduced Inn
mediately when the new Congress
convenes next month, and Senator
Hoke Smith of Georgia and Repre-
sentative Bankhead Of A1abansaL vAe
introduced it in the Senate ana AOuss.
respectively, will do their utsa~sA to
have it acted upon favorably and
promptly. There is no secret about
the support which the administration
is giving this measure. OF course Ia
Dor is most interested in the passage
of the bill. and is strongly supporting
1t, too.
The mithBankhead bill is q half
and-half measure. 1t provides that
the federal government shall put up
a certain amount of money to be used
in the states for the vocational re-
ha utilization Of men and women dis
abled in industry and that the states
availing themselves Of the money
must match it dollar for dollar.
Million Dollars Year.
This is the same principle which has
been adopted in vocational education
legisla tion for the hale and in legfs-
lation for good roads, where the fed
eral government has taken the lead
course of Improvement. 1t proposes
that during the first fiscal year Of its
operation the appropriation shall be
$750,O00, to be distributed among the
states on condition that the states ap-
propriate a similar amount, and each
succeeding year, $1,000,00o.
The federal board for vocational
education is placed in charge OF the
supervision Of the operation OF the
proposed law, with state boards acting
in cooperation.
Figure out the saving to the country
and the positive gain If the workers
who are now disabled in INDUSTRY
were made At to take their part II
the production OF the country again
It would reach into the 0illions OF
dollars in a very short time. and prob.
ably into the billions. After these dis.
abled men and women have been re-
educated and made At for work again.
then it will be the job of the states
the communities in which they live
to provide them with jobs.
There are compensation laws Oh
jured or disabled in their work, botk
state and federal. These laws have
been q real benefit. But while they
provide compensation, designed to aid
in eking out a living. there is no
provision made for vocational re-edu-
cation Of the injured.
Discouragement Is Easy.
Take a healthy young man and let
him lose his legs or his arms or his
eyes, and he must have a rare energy
and determination to set about re-
himself after he has become
disabled. He is apt to- take the first
job-a cripple's job-that offers itself
and there he will stick, or to live
along without seeking an occupation,
living on the bounty Of the state or of
private individuals. But where the
government step in and says, 1--WE
will teach you something at which
you can make a livelihood, something
at which you can perhaps make more