The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-04-08
VETERANS SERVICE
 ADMINISTRATION IS
 CHIEF POINT URGED
Seven Specific Recommenda- tions Made to President By Commission Investigating
 Case of Soldiers
By Associated Press

By Associated Press
 Washington, April 7.-Seven spe- cific recommendations, chief among them the creation of the veterans service administration to take entire charge of government work among ex-soldiers, and to be headed by di- rector general, responsible directly to the President, were contained in a re- port submitted today to President Harding by his special commission in- vestigating the case of veterans.
 Charles G. Dawes of Chicago, chair man of the commission, told the presi- dent as he handed him the report that he believed the recommendations were sound and that they would prove satisfactory solution of the troubles ex- isting in the present administration of soldier relief work. Early action by President Harding on the report Is ex- pected.
 ASK DIRECTOR GENERAL ] Recommendation No. 1 provides for the new agency, and gives 1t Jurisdic- I tign over the war risk insurance, the Rehabilitation division of the public health sevice as may be necessary to take proper care o@ disabled veterans l Il. also asks that a director general assume charge of the new agency with full authority to obtain necessary fa- cilities when those already available prove inadequate. This provision would permit the lease or purchase of hos- pital, buildings whenever the demand exceeded the supply.
 Care Is suggested in the framing of | new Legislation creating the adminis- tration in order to avoid present in eonsistencies of law affecting the three existing bureaus. Particular re- quest is made that no statutory lim- itations be placed on the director gen eral as to the number and salaries Of his employees.
 | No } says that pending the enact- 1 ment of new laws, Secretary Mellon or the treasury shall issue orders to the heads of the public health and war risk bureaus. authorizing the latter bureau to take charge of the public health activities and personnel engaged in providing medical care for the vet- 1 erans The effect would be to consol- lidate these bureaus under one head by executive order without waiting for Congress to act or risk delay from that cause.
 1 HOSPITAL EXTENSION
 The next recommendation provtde3 4 for an immediate extension and utilf-i zation of all government hospital fa- sl cilities, together with such mobiiiza- ton of such civilian medical facilities as may prove necessary
 Continuous hospital building pro- gramme is asked in the fifth recom- | ha tary Melons committee recently ap- pointed to report on sites for new hos pitais, be directed to report concern ing the type and locations of the re- quired buildings. It adds that ap- | propriations should be made available by the Congress which convenes next Monday.
 I The sixth calls for exertion of hu- manizing influences to impress the sick and wounded with the fact that
 the nation is entirely concerned Tn their welfare and rehabilitation.
 The last asks immediate use of the
 $18.s00,ooO, appropriated by the last \ Congress for new hospitals.
 Tt cannot be too strongly em-'
 phasized," the report says in conclu- sion, that the present deploTable fail- ure on the part of the government to properly care for the disabled veterans
 is due in large part to an imperfect organization of governmental enort
 There is no one in control of the whole < situation. Independent agencies by
 mutual agreement now endeavor to co I ordinate their action, but in such ef- forts the Joint action is too often modl- fled by minor cons iderations, and there
 is always lacking that complete co-
 operation which is incident to power ful superimposed authority. No eme-- gency of war itself was greater than \ iC Ha nation in its duty to care for those disa bled in it's service and now neg !. lected.
 UNDIVIDED SUPPORT
 .The sommoning of this commission
 by you is an earnest to the country
 that you are convinced of the vital na- ture of this problem and that you are determined to secure a prompt and eff fective solution thereof. The man to whom this important mission is en-
 trusted by you will receive in the per-
 formance of his arduous duties the hole hearted an enthusiastic support
 and co-operation of all Veterans ana 'tl all other patriotic Americans. No cabinet officer or assistant secretary burdened with othert duties should be the one to whom the man charged with the welfare of the disable saviors of the country should report. He should j1eport directly to the President. His place should be held In spuDllc es-
 teem as one of the greatest honors , that the President can bestow and the
 service he can render should be of un- :. told value to the nation"
 The report was submitted as the . unanimous agreement of the commis-
 sion and Brigadier General Sawyer, [ the Presidents personal representative
 on the commission. It's introduction reviews the evidence collected during
 the three days investigation of con- ditions affeeting government treat