The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-11-28
GUT RED TAPE, IS
 LEG|ON'S PLEA ID
 FEDERAL BUREAUS
Organization Would Compel Government to Function In Its Dealings With Former
 Soldiers
By Associated Press

Washington, November 27.-Repre- sentatives of the American legion in- formed officials of the war risk in- vocational education and the United States public health service today that the legion proposed to urge measures designed to cut red tape in the bu- reaus and to compel the government to function" in its dealings with dis charged and disabled service men.
 The legion representatives who met here with the heads of the three bu- reaus to discuss a plan to combine the work of the bureaus made the position of the legion clear, declaring that 1t proposed to press for Legislation con solidating functions of the three gov ernment agencies and doing away with long -winded talk about cooperation and coordination" John Sherbourne of Boston, a member of the legion s committee, admonished the government conferees that if the proposed con- ganizations fit would simply have to go ahead and destroy"
 MUCH OTHER WORK
 DT. S.t W. lAdNtHucI, IcPlcoSAtAhS tAiu public health service, made plea for the continuation of @other work in the health service outside of that done foa the veterans of the World war" say ing that his bureau had many othef functions in addition to the work with disabled veterans.
 AI have read every one of your
 appropriation bills,- MT. Sherbourne
 replied, aand find that the money
 you have to spend for the soldiers,
 sailors and marines is much greater
 than for all other purposes com
 bined. Now, we don't want to be
 rough and we do not want to inn
 pair handicap any governmental
 ngency unnecessarily, but I will go
 to the line on thist We are faced
 with the problem of government
 agencies not functiOning and we
 do not propose to permit any single agency to stand in the way.o
 ]. Robert Marx, Cincinnati member of the legions committee, declared it ap- peared each of the three agencies eff fected by the proposed changes. was seeking to retain it's separate entity and was opposing the programme solely because it meant the concentration of the three bureaus under the direction of one responsible head. This was de- Aclared by the bureau representa- tives jYto be an incorrect representation or { their position. All declared their will ingness to work out plan which would yield better results.
 FEATURE APPROVED
 The consolidation plan as outlined by the legion representatives proposes the creation of an assistant secretary in one of the executive departments. prob ably in the treasury, to have direct charge Nof the work of the. three bu- reaus having to do with ex-service men. The government representatives. R. G. Cholmeley Jones, director of the war risk insurance bureau, Uell Lamb kin, member of the vocational educa- tion board, and Dr. Lavender approved this feature plan, but doubted the ad- visibility of actually combining the three bureaus.
 Several members of the legion com mittee will remain here to complete drafting of the proposed bill. The I three bureaus represented at today's (conference have assured the committee lthey will aid in this work.