Evening star., 1921-04-27
FEARING SETBACK
TO SOLDIER RELIEF
Argument Against Further
Reduction of War Risk
Insurance Force.
BUREAU WORK OUTLINED
Includes Hospital, Compensation
and Vocational Training Activi-
ties, Officials Inform Congress.

! Soldier relief work. including hospi-
talization. compensation and vocational
training activities. will receive serious
setback if Congress insists on its de-
termination to reduce the forces OF the
war risk insurance bureau. according
to officials of that institution. Another
serious phase of the matter which is
facing the officials is the requirement to
reduce the number of employees receiving
i 81. 500 a year md over by nearly one
half
Steady reduction in the forces of the
war risk bureau is going on. Wherever
work is found to he getting slack err
ployes are released or transferred to
some other division where the work is
behind. But the total number of en-
ployes in the bureau must be reduced
by ZOO people by July ! next. to COM
ply with the wishes of Congress as eX-
pressed in a law.
There are now 500 employees under
the war risk bureau and Congress has
| legislated that this number must be re-
duced to 1000 by July l. There are now
460 employees receiving more than $500
A year, and this number must be re-
| duced to 266 by July 1. This latter
restriction. it was pointed out by Di-
rector Cholmeley-Jones, is one of the
faces at this time.
Class Of Employees Affected.
Those drawing these higher salaries
are the supervisors. examiners. doctors.
| etc, who pass on the many cases which
the bureau must handle. If the con-
gressional restriction is kept in force
by the. present Congress in the light Of
conditions that have been presented by
both the director and Secretary Mellon.
it will be serious blow to the efficient
and quick settlement of the thousands
of claims which the bureau will be
called upon to consider.
Congress has been fully acquainted
with the facts, it was pointed out.
Veterans and veterans organizations
all over the country are complaining
| now of delays in cases. These COM
plants, it is pointed out, are likely to
become more numerous and more Seri-
! Gus when it becomes necessary to re-
duce the forces to the point where the
daily receipt of new claims will swamp
! the forces.
! But the bureau is powerless. Cn-
| less the legislation is repealed. it will
be necessary to continue to cut the
forces to comply with the congressional
. wishes. With the demand for CEN
: tralization of veteran relief activities.
and the move to carry this demand into
realiZat ton, there will be much addi-
tional work thrown on this bureau.
Some reorganization of the war risk
! bureaus activities now is being worked
out under the director. This includes
Capitalization of public health, war
! risk and vocational training work both
! here and in the field. The proposed
plan will cut out much of the duplica-
ton to which have been ascribed de-
| lays about which there has been much
complaint.
Divisions in Operation.
At the present time there are four
| teen vocational training districts, each
| with supervisor; fourteen public
/ health districts, with separate heads,
and eight war risk districts with
their field supervisors directing the ac-
| tivities.
Under the scheme on which Director
Cholmeley-Jones is working, these
would be- combined into fourteen dis
tricts with one head to each. but each
| district having a department of voca-
tional training, public health and war
risk. All activities in particular dis
trict then would be under one man. and
much Of the duplication would be
obviated.
No general reorganization of the war
risk bureau here or shifting of the
present officials is contemplated, ac-
cording to the director. The present
forces will be continued, except, of
course. for the reductions which have
been demanded in legislation enacted
by Congress.