Evening star., 1919-11-09
Two Cases Dissimilar.

arising out of the law for the voca-
tional rehabilitation of the soldiers
and sailors injured in the great war.
There Congress specifically provided
that the work of training these men
should be carried out by the federal
board. Consequently. the board has
gone to work to get these wounded
men rounded up. and to place them in
schools for training.
On November the report of the
rehabilitation section of the federal
board showed that 1907 former serv
ice men. injured during the war, were
in training in some 900 schools of all
kinds throughout the country. There
were 1889 men who either had COM
pleted their training or dropped the
courses-about so per cent had drop
ped out Of the courses of instruction.
These men are being trained in
every conceivable vocation. While it
has been estimated that nine months
will be the average course FOR them,
officials of the bureau feel that in the
end the men will have to have much
longer training perhaps as long as
eighteen months on the average. The
federal government is not only Civ
ing these men this training and sup
porting them. but also is providing
for the support of their dependents
while the training is going on.
Added Impetus to Movement.
The enactment of the law for the
rehabilitation of the wounded soldiers
and sailors added impetus to the
movement for rehabilitation of the
injured in industry much larger
task, for more persons are injured in
industry annually here than were
disabled during the entire war
among the American forces. Also the
reha abilitation of the injured in in
dustry will be a permanent matter.
while the work of rehabilitating the
wounded veterans OF the war must
necessarily be temporary.
In anticipation of the passage of
the federal law for the rehabilitation
of those injured in industry, two
states have already put through laws
federal plan, creating the necessary
agents to care for the operation
of the law and carrying money to be
expended in the actual work or
giving vocational training to the
cripples These states are Minnesota
and Nevada. The supporters of the
man are confident that other states
will fall in line as soon as Congress
takes final action on the measure
The states are expected 10 SUBMIT
plans for vocational rehabilitation of
the injured in industry TO the fed
eral board for approval. 1t is not the
purpose of the federal board. nor the
intent of Congress. that the federal
government should interfere with
state management of these plans for
the retraining of the injured, once
they have been approved. The state
officials will pass upon the justice of
the claims of the cripples for re-
education, upon the training to be
given in each individual case. There
is to be no effort. it is said, to die
tate to the states in these matters.
House Bill More Specific.
In the Senate bill, it is provided
that the vocational rehabilitation
shall apply to persons disabled in
industry or otherwise" The House
bill is more specific. and the language
used is persons disabled in indus
trial pursuits, including agriculture
trade. commerce, manufacturing. min
ing, transportation. and all the me-
chanic arts.
In still another clause the House
bill narrows the number of those who
may be given aid under the provi
sions of the act. 1t specifies tina,
only those who are without suffi-
cient means to provide for their re-
Mobilization and their return to civil
employment: are to receive the voca
tional rehabilitation. The Senate bill
on the other hand. makes no distinc-
ton, in granting the training to in
jured persons. between those who
may have had some money laid BY
which they may use for fitting them
selves for work again and those wht
have no means.
There is no more reason for making
such distinction. it is said. than
the pubic schools shall be used mere,
l. for the benefit of the children