Daily Kennebec journal., 1919-12-18
LEGION DEMANDS SPECIFY
ACTION IN FAVOR OF FORMER
SERVICE MEN BY GOVT,

'dSiiAi16 toil- Lex 1a-SpeeIy dCrlOn
was demanded Of Congress on all
matters affecting the government :
dealings with former service men. in
resolutions adopted tonight by Ma
tionai and state officers OF the
American Legion at the conclusion %
three-day conference here with
officials of the War Risk Insurance
Bureau. The resolutions also warned
congress of the imperative necessity
OF providing relief for men who have.
met with injustice through the in
adequacy of laws under which the
present insurance and compensation
regulations are administered
throughout the afternoon session
OF the conference an evident suir--
OF concern was evinced that the le
gIonS power must be exerted if tha
nation Is not 70 undergo again the
ourae1 OF pension payments The
pension system was characterized by
delegate after delegate as lnpeces-
sary and unjust anu as adding
burden on the coming generators
which the taxpayers of these year
should shoulder.
Er1gadier General Lord. Director of
Finance of the War Department. Y
w. Lambk.n. Chief Of the Rehahi7i-
rauon Division Of the Federal Boa,-I
Tor Vocational Education and Sur
seon Lav1nder, representing the Pub
lie Health Service appeared befnre
the legion Representatives and were
Questioned plnSGtr IN
uv1tieS of their departments. Spec
inc cases were employed II rapid sue
cesslon by the legion delegates in de-
Veloplng complaints of inefIicienc,-
and IN illustration Of changes n ad
rnlnlstrat!Te practices requested hy
the former service men.
Franklin D'0lier, grand command
er. aSSuled the government officials
al the close of the inquiry that ths
legion rad no specific complaint
against them. but that such must not
be interpreted that the legion din not
recognize failure on the part of the
war Risk Bureau. The Public Health
Service and the Vocational Educa-
ton Board ito function satisfaeto-
rlly."
Al the conclusion Of the discus
sion. the delegates summed un their
views Of needs Of the former service
men. as demonstrated by their study
OF the situation here. as follows:
The Wasen ana Sweet bills should
be passed by Congress forthwith.
The Bureau of War Risk Insur-
ance. Federal Board for Vocational
F.nfyF-rrnrr DttI,
Service the sections of the
two latter agencies dealing With ex-
service men-should be combined un-
der single head. and one represent
alive of the unified agency should
be placed IN each state.
The following notifications re-
garding insurance should be adopt
ed:
Premiums should be payable
through the local postoffices Restr;c-
tons based on relations of beneficial
ries should be removed. The amount
of the insurance under both term and
converted policies should be payable
Ia the option of the applicant in
lump sum OF otherwise ana if the ap-
piicant has exercised no option then
al the option Of the beneficiary.
4 partial disability benefits should
be paid under all policies
That all disabled persons having war
risk insurance while in the hospitals,
or wh le receiving training. should have
the ray-Tnent OF all in urauce premiums
rernitted during the Continuance e their
disa iiity and trimming. That ali forms
used shall be siupiited SO as 70 be
ma = as SHIRT and simple as possible.
An men rel ei ing vocational train
ing should have their maintenance paid
in full and a vccat ior al training official