The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-08-23

Congress, and we feel that with the information we have obtained after careful investigation, and forwarded to the Board. trainees in Connecticut will be entitled to this increase of $2O per month. The Service Depart ment has devoted special attention to this important matter, and we feel confident that we have been able to show conclusively that maintenance and support is above the average and comparatively high in this State and that the increase will be allowed.
 Government Hospitals Visited.
 The Department Adjutant and his assistant have investigated conditions at Public Health Service Hospitals in Connecticut with a view to securing better facilities for caring for the wounded and disabled, and in adjust ing the differences which these men have with the Government.
 /. Recently the U. S. Public Health Service Hospital No. Al, at Alling- town, was visited, and it was found upon investigation number of cases of disabled soldiers confined there had compensation pending, and the Service Division has already taken these cases up with the proper Gov ernment department. It was found that many of these compensation cases have been hanging fire for number of months, but present indi- cations point to a speedy settlement of many of them.
 Reinstatement.
 The Service Division is in receipt of many requests from a large num- .ber of ex-service men to adjust such ma tiers as reinsta tement, conversion, and the tracing of delinquent re- ceipts. The Service Division has ad- justed many of these cases to the complete satisfaction of the appli- cants, as the letters of appreciation from the latter will testify.
 Another source of trouble to the ex-service man is the matter of allot- ments and allowances. Many men made allotments to their dependents while in the service, and for some reason OF other, these allotments were never delivered to the allottee. Many ex-service men have been re- lived from actual suffering and want by the prompt and efficient action of this Service Division.
 State Fund.
 Great relief has been rendered the ex-service men fho have been in dire need while their compensation and allotment cases have been pending, through the means of the State Fund. This $2,50O,0OO fund was passed at the last session of the General As senbly for the relief of discharged soldiers, sailors and marines.( The fund was turned over to the commit tee of the American Legion, to be dispensed through the various posts throughout the state in furnishing food, wearing apparel, medical OF surgical aid, care or relief, in bearing the funeral expenses of soldiers, sail ors or marines, and to their widows or dependent children under sixteen years of age who might be in need of same. The Service Division has explained to the posts throughout the department the relief which can be rendered in needy cases, and many of the posts have taken advantage of this Soldier Relief Fund by assisting worthy eX-service men in the differ ent localities throughout the State. Government Bonus.
 Tffe Service Division has also ac- complished remarkably fine work in | the matter of assisting eX-service men to collect the Government Bonus of | s60. In addition to obtaining bonuses | direct for men whose cases were pending because of some minor tech i nicality, we were successful in ob- i taining from the Zone Finance Officer list of Connecticut men whose I cfaims and discharges were at hand | but to whom bonuses could not be 1 delivered because of lack of proper j address. A Bulletin from Depart | ment Headquarters, sent to the va
 rious Posts, resulted in the location l of a number of these men.
 | Liberty Bonds.
 The Service Division has settled many cases where men applied fol
 Liberty Bonds while in the service | and who have fully paid for the Bonds, and have never received them Cases on which other organiza ton! have worked for a year, or a veal and a half, and have been unsu ccess ful, have been referred toeour Service | Division, and it has been but a mat ter of a few weeks before the Bond would be forthcoming.
 i Delayed Claims Settled.
 r The Service Division maintains complete set of all necessary form for eX-service men to place claims and the correspondence of the Di vision reaches a, high average daily a
 by this method time and trouble ar
 saved for, many ex-service men. Prac
 tically every needy case of an ex
 service man that is called to the at
 tention Of the Mayor of Hartford i
 referred by him to the Service Di
 vision of The American Legion, fo I the splendid results achieved hay
 gained recognition. Just recently
 list of sixty-two cases was referred t
 the Service Division from the Stat t.Board of Control cases which ha,
 been in the hands of another organi
 zation for over a year and on whicl they had been unsuccessful, and it the hope of the Service Division t soon show results on each and ever
 case in conjunction with the wor
 always on hand. No trouble is to complex, nor any inconvenience to great, for this Service Division to in 7 vestigate, and the usual result of tn investigation is the complete Satis , faction of the ex-service men.
 Exposing Government Frauds. :, The Service Division assisted ma , terially in apprehending Connecticu : men who were engaged in fraud
 growing out of the payment of allot S ments and compensation claims t f soldiers who served in the Worl War. The Service Division worke - with the Department of Justice, an V the Secret Service men in exposin 7: these frauds, and as a result two (
 1 the culprits are now under heav
 ! bonds and aUa itjpc triaJ