The Washington times., 1921-06-26

VETS EXPECT BIG
SHAKE-CP AMONG
BUREAU OFFICIALS
Continued from First Pags.)

CONTINUED from First Pags)
bMator Grant and Captain spofford 70
direct two of the most important CEN
| ters in the country.
The National Disabled Soldiers
1 League, which opens its convention
here tomorrow, announced some time
ago that it would demand that Direc-
| tor Lamkin and his principal aloe
4 Assistant Director n. i. Fisner'
sign. Who is to succeed Lamkin mas
not yet been decided. but. according
to those In the inner councils, II will
be q former soldier or sailor VINO
attained success before entering the
military or naval establishment.
BOARD POORLY ARRANGED.
| II was pointed out last night that
the whole organization OF soldier re-
| lief agencies was poorly arranged
from its inception. The War Risk
Bureau was founded to handle princi-
paily the soldier insurance. but since
/ that time the matter Of compensation
| for the disabled has overshadowed
insurance with the bureau still under
the Treasury. The Public Health
Service had problems Of Its own on
national health long before the war.
still the whole medical treatment OF
the discharged soldiers was saddled
4
either In hospitals or personnel.
When the question of re-educatins
| the MANNED was advanced this was
sent to the Committee on Education
at the Capitol and promptly assigned
\ TO the Federal Board for Vocational
Training.
However. tho division Of rehabili-
tation has expanded on such scale
that the child has outgrown the
/ n w
has passed the House and is now
before the Senate. all three OF these
departments would be merged under
| the Assistant Secretary of the Treas
ury, who 10 Colonel Clifford.
While a continuous barrage of ad-
verse critieism has brought this
about. II is understood the proposed
plan will clarity the situation by ELI
mination Of conflict and will also
mark edly cut down overhead expense
by reduction of personnel. which will
not be necessary for the Implications
that have been going on for months
while the three sections have been
virtually independent of one another. |
$4,000 CASES RUSHED.
The Health Service and War Risk
Bureau are now functioning under
the Assistant Secretary of the Treas
ury and before long II is expected
that the Federal Board will begin
the same status. That Improvement
can be obtained under the arrange
ment is claimed as shown by the
speeding up that has already been
accomplished in compensation mat
ters since Col. X. b. Forbes has been
at War Risk. One Of the first acts of
Colonel Forbes was to call to Wash
ington from all parts OF the country |
nifty doctors to concentrate on old
clsims. As a result OF this more than
"a 00o cases. that had been hanging /
IRE for months have been adjusted.
and at the same time the force has
been able to keep abreast OF, current /
work. amounting to about 800 cases a
day.
While War Risk is admittedly far
from perfect. IT Is admitted there
has been vast imrovement OF late.
even though there has been a steady
decrease in the number of clerks IN
the bureau. 1t is further pointed out
that matters have been bettered since
team work under two discharged SOL
diers--Colonels Clifford and Forbes
commenced.
While Major Emery. Colonel CAL
brafths successor, as national COM
mander OF the American Legion. has
been In Washington his presence here
had nothing to do with the resiena-
tion OF Director Lamkin, who was
formerly commissioner of education
In Missouri. The legion considers that
II made a marked advance when IL
had its hve-fold plan for the relief
OF the discharged man incorporated
in the Sweet bill. the passage of
which. slightly amended, is said to
be assured.
Although the Federal Board has
been consistently a target from in
dividual soldiers and veterans or
carnations, little criticism has been
addressed to Director Lamkin per-
sonally. IL was pretty generally
agreed among those critioisinE the
board that so far as he went Lam
kin's services were satisfactory, but
the mian contention seemed to be
that former military and naval men
wers practically without representa-
tion by their members among the
very highest officials in the board
with the result that those who were
outlining the broad policies were not
able to quite comprehend the SYM
pathetic attitude of the public to-
wards the man disabled In war and
for whom Congress has been most
liberal in It's appropriations.
TEACHERS ARE UNsUITED.
Some have claimed that school
teachers and union lobbiests. broadly
speaking, are temperamentally un-
suited to undertake the vast task
involving the administration of hun
dreds of millions OF public funds
which involves civilian pride and
gratitude for those who went to the
coIors in the hour OF national stress
and who are today mentally or ply
sically handicapped az result OF |
service.
1t Is asserted that in their over
anxiety to thwart the efforts OF some
to impose upon public sympathy some
members of the board have been so
overzealous in interpretations of their
own regulations that a preponderate
majority of worthy cases have suffered
delays and vexations and denials and
postponements while the board was
most active In watching for the oc-
casional imposter and relatively neg
lible number of former soldiers who |
would cspitilize for their own aaeran-