The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-10-31
SECOND REPORT IS
 NA|n'sE |'sE ON VETERAN ; : yuKtAU PROBLEMS
Sweeping Recommendations to Increase Efficiency Con- tained In Findings of
 Committee
By Associated Press

By Associated Press
 Washington. October So.--Sweeplng recommendations to tncreaSe effi- ceucy or the veterans bureau were made in a report pupiished today by tne speclai Senate committee which Is lnVesugatng government actiVltte Tor the reiief of former service men. The report was the second compiled by the committee, which has not yet competed its task.
 The bureau should broaden its in depreciation and widen the scope Of application of existing laws" the re- port said, adding that additional leg islation would be sought to meet de- ficiencies shown by its hearings. Among specific recommendations were:
 Appropriation of s16, 100000 for hos pitals; transfer of all government hospitals, including solder homes mot needed by the army or navy, to the bureau; creation of chaplain corps for service in hospitals and training centers; provision of ceme- teries at soldier hospitals for inter lnent of veteran dead, standardization of training, permitting the applicant to select as far as possible his own | ance to s1o,000, for each policyholder If he wants 1t, and extension of in- surance and compensation privileges to Americans who served in allied | forces.
 Contract Cancellation Cancellation of contracts with state, municipal and private hospi- tals which were not in existence April 1. 1917, and with all similar institutions which after inspection are found unsuitable, was recom- mended as one administrative reform others under this head included: issu- ance of rules and regulations for the maintenance of order and discipline | frequent and thorough inspection of | hospitals and training centers; elim- ination of politics from appointments, l establishment of additional vocationai 1 centers at institutions where mental l and tubercular patienta are under l treatment
 To July f. 1921, there had been l 3SS,000 applications for vocational ] proved, but only 10s.00o had entered ] training at that time, the committee I found, adding that although we are | approaching the third anniversary of the arfnistice' only 5,o5o have been 1 rehabilitated
 Tt is with deep regret" the com mittee said, that we represent this melancholy fact"
 only 12.ooo Accept l Only 12.000 men have accepted ' training without pay out of tctal | of 96913 elgibles. and only 96,o00 with pay out of 159,309 eligibles. the report said. the committee finding that ia vast majority" of those eli- gible are unable or unwilling to train because OF their inability to support themselves without pay.n About sone-falfs fsfjlose training arc 1 in schools. colleges or universities
 many receiving better educational opportunities than they otherwise
 could have obtained" it was said.
 Special reference was made to | conditions which the committee 1 found at the Pascagoula, Miss, in-
 stitutions and the Nauvo, H.. train l ing centers, but the report declared 1 a repetition of those very infor-
 tunate experiences" would be pre- vented by requiring the completion of training centers before the men
 are admitted for training.
 l Pointing out that only HOO of the 1 5000 employees of tho bureau In July
 last were former service men, the committee declared it was unable tc i dii0ct StRlto Niiy liiC DOdid tAiuS LII eliminates against former service
 men, and suggested the immediate
 cutting down of the large force oi 1 employees in Washington"
 Fall to Get Results. The committee said the government ] had failed to obtain results commen-
 surate with the large expenditures' in rehabilitation work and expressed 1 belief that Knowledge of the gov
 ernment's failure prevented mer from seeking hospital treatment un-
 til too late. and stream of dying ! patients beyond the possibility of 1 cure is in part the result" ] We feel it necessary to emphasize | as strongly as possible the absolute
 necessity of expending money appro- priated by Congress for the hosp!tali- 1 zation of former service men with | out reference to insistent but i'll l advised local demands, political In
 reference, aggrandizement of exist ! ting government agencies or agita- tion of local groups of any kind what 1 soever," the committee declared l"Abominable conditions have existed in various hospitals which could havt been avoided and which should D, avoided in the future" the repor 1 continues. "The need of new hos pitals is too clear for argument"
 AssaiI Claims Policy.
 The committee criticized the polio, l which dealt with compensation claim as a purely medical problem, and de c!ared many applicants have been un
 fairly and unjustly rated; other have had their compensation reduced | without cause, and some are receiv ing, more compensation than the. should. The system has been who'll,
 upsa tfsfactory unjust and unfair, tn, committee declared. and "cannot t'
 too strongly condemned and shoul' receive special attention by Con
 gress."
 A careful rc-examination of all dis I allowed claims was recommended.
 The report showed about 3S9,42
 policies of term insurance and z5s,
 BIO life insurance policies :n efrec
 August 1, 1921.
 In discussing the question of main
 taining proper discipline anaon'
 trainers and patients, the committe
 declared that while the men shoul' not be compelled to submit 10 arm!
 discipline. proper rules should De en
 gorced The problem has not peel solved the report said, and in son nlaces like Johnson City, Tenn
 "amazing conditions existed" clas
 of unworthy beneficiaries, small il
 number but noisy" the committee as
 serted. '.arc doing great harm to thei
 more worthy comrades" Such men, I
 was added, pretend the need Of hos pitalization flor the sake of the goo' living at the expense of the govern
 ment and are constant trouble ma
 kers." The committee urged thei dismissal.
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