The Washington herald., 1921-07-29
WOMEN UNONSTS
WAGING FIGHT FOR
VOCATIONAL WORK
Charge Sweet Bill, as
Amended, Would Kill
Present Bureau.

Women of the National Trade
Union League are fighting the Sen
ate amendments to the Sweet bill to
establish a veterans bureau in the
Treasury Department. claiming that
all vocational training of civilians
girls, boys. men and womeD-will
be consigned to the new bureau
and thus practically extinguished.'
= League organizations throughout
the country have been stirred to
action, and conferees on the bill are
being urged in letters and tele-
grams to defeat the Senate amend
ments.
Leagues Statement.
IF the House conferees refuse to
yield to the Senate on this point,
the issue will be thrown back to the
respective Houses for reconsidera-
tion," say the league officials.
Home economics, for example
and all other training of girls and
women, would necessarily receive
inadequate consideration in a bu-
reau charged with the administra-
ton of the War Risk Insurance act
soldiers, while. on the other hand
a bureau burdened with the respon-
sibility for these other departments
of vocational training would neces-
sarily function less efficiently 1or
the soldiers.
The Sweet bill as it passed the
House provided for a veterans bu-
reau in the Treasury Department
which should combine the present
functions of the War Risk Bureau
ana the Soldiers Rehabilitation Di-
vision. only. of the Federal Board
for Vocational Education. In the
Senate amendments, said to have
to have originated with Senator
Smoot. were added by the Commit
tee on Finance. which reported the
bill to the Senate. Those amend
ments provide that the veterans
bureau shall be an independent es-
tzblishment to which shall be trans.
ferred in addition to the War Risk
Bureau. all functions, powers, etc.
Of the Federal Board f6r Vocational
Education. A specific amendment
to the bill, adopted by the Senate
reads as follows: The Federal
Board for Vocational Education is
dDOAlShCus anu llC pO"Cl
and duties heretofore vested in sucf
rector
Senators Oppose IL.
Several Senators are quoted a!
saying that they did not realize the
full purport of this clause when il
was voted en- in the Senate. Senator
Sterling, Of South Dakota, and Sen
ator Walsh. of Montana, however
opposed the amendments in debat,
on the floor. Senator Walsh said
in part=
by the act of June %. 1918, ex.
tensive powers were given to the
Board for Vocational Education
with reference to the rehabilitation
of disabled service men, but its
original function and it's origina
= purpose had no relation whatever
TO the war. 1t was for the purpose
of cooperating with the States In
the matter of vocational education
upon a cooperative plan much like
that pursued in the case of the
good roads law. That work, OF
course. must be continued. and. ap-
parently. will now be transferred tc
the veterans bureau. 1t is a per.
fectly incorgruous thing, to my
mind. to put the matter of yoca
tional- education and vocational
training of young boys and men and
women VINO have no relation what.
ever to the service and ordinary
work Of vocational education under
the direction of the director of the
veterans bureau. l am disposed &c
believe that much confusion will
arise in the construction of the act
of February %. 1917. if the Boart
for Vocational Education is aboI.
ished. am very much afraid that
the entire work will be disorganIzef
and disrupted"