The New York herald., 1922-09-17
Existence Of $4,000 Unoccu-
pied Beds Is Conceded,
but, Spokesman for War
Veterans Say, the Vacan-
cies Are in Unsuitable or
Unsafe Structures Which
Are Improperly Located
BY DONALD A. CRAIG.

has made its own investigation OF
these hospitals, there may be 10000
beds unoccupied, but look at the kind
Of beds they are. No expert on this
subject can help but admit that they
tended by Congress when 1t appro-
priated the money to take care of the
veterans. nor the kind Of hospital beds
the American people expect to give to
their disabled soldiers"
Legion Claims Old Hotels
Are Used for Hospitals
Only 5.973 of these unoccupied beds
are in Government hospitals directly
under the control of the Veterans
Bureau and 2,371 are in structures OF
the cantonment type, temporary and
not fireproof, declares the Legion.
Some of the remainder of these
10000 beds are classified as follows
by the American Legion:
One thousand one hundred and seven
in structures that are chiefly old ho-
tells leased by the Veterans Bureau.
Three hundred and twenty five in
United States public health hospitals
of very old'type. unsuitable in loca-
\ ton and conditions for tubercular and
mental cases.
1888 in Regular Army hospitals and
1898 in naval hospitals. which the dis
abled veterans want to stay away
from because they dislike the rigid dis
cipine to which they are subjected In
such institutions.
1881 i'm Old Soldiers Homes, not
suitable for young patients.
1 When confronted with the Govern
ments statement that there were 25,-
973 hospitalized veterans in August, a
decrease of 4,525 since February Is,
the American Legion experts grimly
point out that, according to the official
| figures of the Veterans Bureau in Au-
gust, S.055 of these disabled veterans
were "farmed out" in contract hos
pitals.
why" asks the Legion, do the
defenders of the present system over
look these contract hospitals? Every
man competent to speak on this ques-
ton knows that in many of these con-
tract institutions the men are not
getting the sort of expert cure they
/
the idea that our mental patients. for
instance, merely need to be domiciled.
What the Legion wants is to get these
men into Government hospitals
where they will be given a chance to
recover, and become useful citizens
once again. Our objection is to the
endless delay in remedying this de-
| plorable condition of affairs"
Charges Assert Politics
Influences Choice of Sites
The Legion officers charge that poll
tics has actuated the Government in
selecting sites for the new hospitals
authorized by Congress-; and that
there has been inexcusable delay in
building them. They claim that the
first consideration has not been the
welfare of the ex-service men who are
sulferir g and need attention, but COM
munities which want the hospitals and
the politicians who hope to be bene-
fitted by getting them located in their
states or districts.
The Legion says, for instance. that
all expert medical opinion favors the
location of these hospitals near large
centers of population where the men
can get the attention Of the greatest
number of expert medical practi-
TONERS and can see their friends with
the greatest ease. but instead they
have been located In out of the way
places, small towns, purely at the re-
quest OF Senators and Representatives
who have the ear of the President.
Col Forbes believes that more
money will he needed to give proper
hospital care to the veterans suffering
from mental diseases. He believes.
however, that the appropriation for
the current fiscal year for the treat
mcnt of patients Is adequate. On this
point he said TO THE NEW YoRR
HERALD
1T is estimated that the present ap-
preparation will supply adequate
money for the care and treatment OF
the United States Veterans Bureau
beneficiaries for the fiscal year begin
ming July 1. 1922. The sums appro-
priated for this purpose during the fis-
cal year will amount to s64,65S.-
$3.50. This money will be spent for
care and treatment of benefciaries OF
this Bureau receiving treatment in
United States Veterans Bureau Hos
pitals hospitals of the army and navy
and hospitals OF National Homes for
Disabled Volunteer Soldiers and con-
tract institutions"
Abandonment A of Contract
Uoen,x,ye Tc E,ryx 80,