Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1921-04-13
RELIEF PLEDGED
DISABLED VETS
BY PRESIDENT
Commander of LEGION
Tells Of Appeal To
Harding
BY WHIT HADLEY.

to cut the accursed red tape which
strangles our disabled American sol
diers, or will shock the civilized
world with the scandal that l will
expose"
This is the assertion of Colonel F.
W. Galbraith, Jr., national COM
mander of the American Legion. |
had asked him what the legion would
do in the immediate future to rem.
edy the neglect of Americas war
wounded.
'In my recent four-hour confer
ence with President Harding" he
continued, 81 told him the exact sit,
uation and he was greatly shocked
| He gave me his hand and he said,
Colonel, this is indeed dreadful.
will stand back of you to the verg
limit
II told President Harding that
the treatment of our wounded, help.
less and mentally affected soldiers
| had now become a national stencil
/ promised him l would write him
and state frankly what the situation
was. have done so.
The president is determined, as
are we; that these soldiers shall re.
ceive at the hands of the govern.
ment prompt and adequate treat
ment as well as decent compensa-
ton, and he will force new legis-
lation to that end.
1--WE need $20,000,000 a year for
| four years.
1--WE need 49, BAT hospital beds.
''For this year .$18,600,000 was
appropriated. We will prove that
this isn't enough and that it will
supply only 10000 beds
What Gaibraith Told Harding.
Here is what l told and then
wrote President Harding:
No permanent or continuing
hospital building program has beel
provided by the government. The
result? The disabled are scattered
over a thousand private hospitals
without government supervision. In
these hospitals there are 10,347 beds
which are flimsy and inflammable.
eve believe the money neces.
sary for continuing hospital build.
ing program to continue at least
three years, should be appropriated,
and the location and type of hos
pitals to be CONSTRUCTED should be
placed in the hands of committee
of eminent medical men working
with the surgeon-general of the PUB
lie Health Service, and that this
committee should be seleced from
the divisions of general medicine,
surgery, tuberculosis and neuro-psy-
chiatry.
1.-The adoption of such a policy
would permit of scientific plan be.
ing worked out and would immedi-
ately insure that the needs be met
as they arise
Urges Consolidation.
Next, / told the president about
consolidating the Bureau of War
Rick Insurance, the Public Health
! Service, and the Rehabilitation Sec
tion of the Board for Vocationa.
Training. Said l:
After unbiased study of the sit.
/ uation, we believe the conditions
affecting the compensation, care
| treatment and training of disabled
men can never be satisfactorily &C.
complished until thcte bureaus have
been CONSOLIDATED UNDER
ONE EXECUTED HEAD.
/ GAS the matter now stands a
man applies for compensation under
the war risk Jact of October 6, 1917.
The bureau being centralized in
Washington is unable to give the
man assistance in filling out his
claim and this occasions endless cor.
respondence and red tape. Ignor-
ant men and clever politicians defeat
his cause generally.
"If he is examined by a doctor
acting for the bureau the doctor has
no authority to determine the de.
gree Of disability of the helpless
sufferer, land only rating is given
on a general average according to a
fixed table, derived from the ex.
perience had by the bureau. De
spite his sufferings and needs it usu
ally takes three months to give him
rating. There are now $1,000
cases on file, of which 10000 are
over nine months old.
"In the consolidation of these
bureaus it is absolutely essential
that the Bureau of War Risk Insur
ance be decentralized and authorized
to establish FOURTEEN REGION.
AL OFFICES and as many sub-of.
fices as may be necessary in order
that the bureau may accept its re.
sponsibility and seek out and assist
the man where he may be in need;
that these regional and other offices
be consolidated in order that mau
requiring capitalization, conpensa-
tion or vocational training, may re
ceive through one organization the
attention he requires. This, at the
same time. should reduce the cost of
handling the work by avoiding end.
less duplication of rentals Cor of.
fices and personnel
Demands Greater Facilities.
81 then said and later wrote that
we are of the belief that it should be