Omaha daily bee., 1921-07-02
Legion Deplores
Delay in Caring
For Ex-Soldiers
Congress and y Executive
Branches Of Government
Scored for Dilotory Meth
ods in Affording Relief

Washington. July Mot only
congress, but the executive branch of
the government, is proving extreme
ly dilatory in meeting the demands
OF proper care and relief of former
service men, according to officials Of
the American Legion.
With the Sweet bill TO create a
veterans bureau still awaiting action
by Senator Smcot's subcommittee, it
became known that Secretary of the
Treasury Mellon has not yet begun
construction of the new hospitals for
which the last congress appropriated
$lS,o00000.
The appropriation was made avail
able March 80, but in the four
months that have elapsed only Il
projects costing $6,l00,000 have been
approved and the funds allotted. Sec
retary Mellon is being advised en-
the expenditure of this appropriation
by a committee consisting of DR..
William c, White OF Pittsburgh.
chairman; DR.. Frank Billings of Chi
cago. DIR. John G. Bowman of Pitts
burgh, and Dr. George H. Kirby of
New York.
Mellon Approves Allotment.
Mr. Mellon announced his ap-
proval of the allotment OF $3,l00000
to the board OF managers OF the. ma
t,onal homes for disabled volunteer
soldiers to be expended in the de-
velopmcnt and expansion OF five
existing soldiers homes into hospi-
tails for the treatment of world war
veterans. Among the approved pro-
,iects are.
Among the approved projects are:
Leavcnworth (Kan.) Soldiers
Home-New hospital for 200 tuber
cular patients.
Battle Mountain Sanatarium, Hot
Springs, 5. D.-New hospital for
100 tubercular patients. .....
The secretary said these projects
could be completed by January /.
Previously he has approved seven
projects costing $3,000,0O0. The
$lS,600.000 appropriations Will pro-
vide about $500 addition beds, a
number far short OF requirements, as
was demonstrated in congress
when the fund was voted.
Afford Best Facilities.
Explaining the. decision to utilize
the soldiers homes, Mr.. Mellon
said: t-s
"We have taken into consideration |
the fact that tuberculous and men
tai and nervous cases require long |
care for cure and rehabilitation.
After looking over the various hos
pital groupings, such as the public
health service hospitals. the army
and navy hospitals and others, we
have decided that the existing ma
tional soldiers homes afford the best
facilities for the treatment of long
illnesses. The other institutions will
be utilized principally for cases re-
curing shorter periods of treatment.
sour second consideration in se-
lectng these soldiers homes for en-
largeirent and permanent improves /
ment, was the probatie future need
OF housing facilities for the veterans
of the last war. We have found
that within five or 10 years after
the Civil war, the housing of veter-
ans became a problem that had to
be solved and we will have. the same
situation following the more recent
war. We've decided that it is the best
sort of economy to expand these
permanent soldiers homes into hos
pitals to meet the needs of the next
decade and we will then have insti-
tutions which can readily be conf
verted into permanent homes for
those who will require them after
the need for disqualification has
passed"