New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1919-03-19
new YORK TO help
DISABLED SOLDIERS
Red Cross Conference Discusses
Means Of Rehabilitation

New York March 19--Ho" nun
dreds of thousands or d1sa oie" SUI
diers have been rchablltateu' hloSC VI
them so successfully as 70 pe ''l@ ~
enter the wage earning lle'u "7el'''
was told at length yesterday az tue
WaldOrf-Astoria at the HrSt iii'0i i''
tional conference OF the hli'u eve
in tbis country. More than one hum
dred delegates responder ~ 'n
vitation of the Red Cross INSTITUTE
under whose direction the congress
is being held.
There are three delegates from
Great Britain, three from France
two from Belgium, one from Italy
and thirty from Canada, the others
making one hundred in all, repre-
senting various American Red Cross
denominations. the surgeon generals
office. the federal board for Voca-
tiono1 education and the bureau OF
risk Insurance. Douglas {. McMur-
trie. director of the Red Cross in
stitute. opened the conference.
The object of the conference, which
will continue through Friday, is to
learn at first and what foreign coun-
tries are doing for disabled soldiers
which delegates will point out, and
to show the progress being made in
this country with the $4,000 men who
have been brought back from France
disabled and the $4,000 others who
are still overseas
Tells Progress of Work Here.
DIR. c. A. Prosser, director of the
federal board of vocational education
,o1 II oy~C
the evening session. He explained
the government programme for voca-
tional rehabilitation in the various
hospitals here, which, he said, had
shown excellent results. Besides the
personnel of the medical depart
there are assisting in this work 1000
women aids in the curative work.
shops; 500 in the phNsiO therapy de-
partment; 900 enlisted men instruc-
tors and 100 commissioned officers.
Telling of the provision made by
the government for returning disabled
soldiers. DR. Prosser said in part
When the federal board faced the
problem of vocational rehabilitation
it found that there were more than
$3OO,OOO,0OO worth OF school facili
ties already in existence with which
to discharge the task. Furthermore,
shops and factories and Offices and
farms all over the country have Of
fered their facilities without stint
1.-THE federal board determined that,
briefly speaking, there were four very
large lines of work into which these
men would and should go, namely,
agriculture commerce. industry and
the professions Every man who is
disa bled and entitled to-. compensa-
ton for disability has the right to
the widest possible choice of occu-
patton and tanning as he comes out
of the army. If the soldier cannot go
back into the old job in his own line
he should be given training SO that
he can get back into another job, q
better job in the old line. If he has
been machinist and cannot work at
the bench again and sby training you
can make him a foreman, the thing
to do is to give him training and
make him foreman.
Promises Aid to the End.
THE government is saying to the
disabled soldier; Uncle Sam will see
you though clear to the end with
every dollar it costs to make the
! most of everything that is III you of
ambitions and pluck and ability and
persiStenCy."
"Over twelve thousand men have
applied to the war risk insurance
bureau thus far for compensation
Those who are allowed compensation
are entitled to the benefits of the vo-
catonal rehabilitation act Our lob
is TO get hold of these men and to
explain to them the opportunities
that are theirs for the asking
j, In describing the work being done
by France DR.. Maurice Bourrillon
said that SO far as possible disabled
men had been trained to resume their
! pre-war trades, and where this was
{ impossible they were receiving tech
! nical instruction to fit them for new
occupations and the government has
! provided just pensions for them.
Belgium is expected soon to pass
bill which provides for the official
recognition Of rehabilitation work
| begun by civilian personnel, ac-
! cordjng to Professor Louis Alleman,
| who represents that country.
| Italy offers varied enterta inment
| for her disabled soldier to make him
| forget his injuries, and when he has
been pronounced cured he is COM
| PEELED to spend fifteen days in the
vocational training school.
Mrs. Ethel Wood said the industrial
training schools in England were open
not only to soldiers wounded in bat
| when they enlisted.