The sun., 1919-08-07
WAR WOUNDED SAY
.. s. Is NEGLIGENT
Vocational Education Board
Unequal to Task, 0rgani-
cation Charges.
ONLY II JOBS OBTAINED
Not O Single Soldier Among
1900 Employees Of Fed
cral Department.
ONLY II JOBS OBTAINED

pHTtApxISrlA. August ss---Hundreds
Of war cripples throughout the country
are registering serious complaints
asainvt the insftsctusi resuits obtained
/, by the Federal Board Ter Vocational
Education, the 0evsfnmsnt agency
charged By Congress with the rssponsi-
bnity Of retaining disabled soldiers FOR
lives OF usefulness. according 10 state"
ment issued to-dsy by the Association
for Disabled Soldiers, Sailors ana Ma
rines-
Cases Of wounded soldiers who
have been made TO suffer untold delay,
injustice and actual hardship because
OF the faulty administration Of the Fed-
erai Board are said TO have come 70
| the attention OF the association. which
10 an organization Of over 5000 ais
Abled ex-servioe mon bent on setting
square deal for themselves ana FOR the
/ thousands OF their fellows who are
| badly IN need Of encouragement ana
The Federal Board for Vocational nd
ucation, with headquarters At waning
ton, 10 under the chairmannhip OF sec.
rotary OF Agriculture Houston. Secretary
Of Commerce Redfeid. Becrstary OF
Labor Wilson ana Comfnissioner Of Ed.
| ueation Ciaxton are members OK the
board. while James p. Munres v vios-
chairman.
The director Of tho board 10 Charles
A. Prosser. The Association OF Das xSa
Soldiers, Sailors and Mariner. with head.
| quarters In Philadelphia, was organised
nationally In Juns Of this year. RAY
| niond L. cvnsff 10 chairman, John :.
Ridxway 10 secretary, Harry Remes 70
treasurer and Robert r. browning 70
| neld secretary.
what the Men Charge
The statement OF the association f0i-
| lows IN part.
AFTER waiting patiently for many
months for the FEDERAL board 20 make
adequate provision for the scores OF
cripples who wera barred from return
ing to their old jobs because OF DIS
abilities incurred In service ana AFTER
urging President Wilson 70 veto the sun-
| dry civil Appropriation Bill % that the
Federal Board might receive sl4,ooo'VVo
to carry on Ia work unimpsded. the
| association has reached the point
where It feels that the public ought to
be informed OF the situation regarding
the disabled soldier.
Investigation Of the work Of the Fec.
erAi Board and actual contact with
| thou sands Of war cripples have revealed
to the association the following start
! ling instances Of injustice to the dis
abisd soldier:
"(1) According to . report Of the
Federal board under date OF June III,
1919, only eleven men have been placed
In rsfnunsrative employment aftsf COM
pleting courses Of training. This
would indicate an aiarfningly low nsufe
considering the number Of disabled sol
diers who have completed training
| courses. .-..
"(2) Hundreds Of msn have com
planned that they were oompsilsd 10 walt
from six weeks 70 six months without
pay and forced TO DEPEND on the help
Of friends or charity before their cases
were finally acted upon BY the board.
rs. A number Of men have complained
that in spite Of President wilson's order
that physical examinations be waived
in the cases OF men certified by the Fed
eral board for civil service Jobs, the
board refused to give the required data
and that consequently they were unable
to obtain the positions under the civil
service.
Dlssriminatton Charged.
80. Il has recently como to the at
tention of the association that the FED
srA board has issued to its fourteen
district vocational officers an order that
precedence be given to cases OF seriously
disabled men over those with minor In.
juries. Such ruling IL resented by the
thousands OF soldiers who have suffered
less conspicuous disabiiities.. but who,
nevertheless arc prevented from return
ing to their old Jobs aad who need re-
training Just - much a. the mon who
lost an arm or . leg In battle.
IS. Many Of those being trained under
the Federal board auspices have objected
to their pay being reduced by tho
while learning q new trade. This 10
| manifestiy unfair. thsy claim. since such
method offers no incentive for prog
ross and u encourages the employer 70
exploit the disabled soldier.
"e. Another grievance OF the associ-
alton 10 that N has not learned Of
single disabled soldier among the 1900
employees Of the FEDERAL board. Aus-
tralis points proudly 10 its Department
OF Repatriation, which has 20 per cent.
of returned disabled soldiers in la en-
ploy "
that Il has made contracts with lee. ss1
men for training AID that OF this num-
Der only 6,SeS already have been placed
in training. At les present rate Of prog
rsss Il will take the board over a year
TO place this number in training. As q
result over 100000 disabled men will
be waiting without pay from the Fed
eral board.
IN ssasral Il has boon the experience
Of tho association that the Federal
Board for Vocational Education has
shown q decided unwillingness to co.
operate with o0isting agencies that have
offered their facilities freely and gen.
erously for training aAd absorbing into
employment disabled soldiers; that II
| has acted in . bureaucratic fashion by
demanding for is headquarters In
Washington absolute power and by de-
privinE Its district vocational oficers OF
any initiative, and that the Federal
board has failed TO be guided In the Ad-
ministration Of he work by the sound
scientific principles evolved by other
countries that have been recognised A
the pioneers In vocational reeducat ton. y"
FRANCE HoEoRs K. OF @.