Evening star., 1923-01-28
WOULD FORM COMMITTEE
ON VETERANS BUREAU
Ex-Service Members of House Favor
Transference Of Legislation Affecting
Their Comrades to Single Body.

were transferred to the Veterans
| Bureau.
The bureau of war risk insurance
/ was created by act OF Congress APP
proved September 2, 1914. to insure
| American vessels and their cargoes
against the risks of war. BY an act
| approved June IL. 1917, Congress add
ed the duty of insuring the lives of
masters and crews of American Yes-
/ sells. On October 6, 1917. the most
| important provisions of the war risk
/ act were added. These provided for
payment Of allotments and allow
ances to the dependent families OF
| members Of the military, forces of
the United States, payment Of COM
pensation for death or disability and
, the writing of term policies of in
| surance by the federal government
| against death or total disability.
| Several amendments to this act have
been made since, notably the amend
! ments approved December "a, 1921,
| which greatly decreased the restric-
| tion on reinstatement of lapsed in
| surance by disabled ex-service men
and the furnishing of hospital and
| other medical treatment for disabled
members of the military and naval
| forces, and which transferred the
duty of furnishing vocational train
! ing to disabled members of the mili-
| tary and naval forces from the Fed
| eral Board for Vocational Education
| to the Veterans Bureau.
Enormous Bureau Expenditures.
| Director Forbes Of the Veteans'
| Bureau recently made the statement
that his Independent establishment
| was actually spending nine-tenths OF
the total appropriations made for all
the activities of the federal govern
ment. John Thomas Taylor. vice
chairman of the national legislative
| committe of the American Legion,
claims that "the Veterans Bureau
now expends greater sum annually
than the combined expenditures of
the Departments OF Agriculture, Com
merce, Labor, State and the Post Office
| Department In addition, it spends
more than the Army. the Navy. the
| Treasury or the Interior Department
more than any other department
\ Of the government"
| Chairman Madden of the House ap-
! propriations committee explains that
the appropriation of the Veterans
/ Bureau for the next fiscal year is
| $42s,i6o,775. with about 10000 en-
| ployes, while the largest appropria-
tion for any government department
tho Post ONCE DEPARTMENTS
$5s5.ooo.ooo. and this covers $4,000
employees.
1t was never contemplated by the
| Constitution of the United States, say
f, those in Congress who have made a
| close study of this subject, that there
! should ever be such an independent
! establishment disbursing sums of
\ money larger than executive depart
ments. The Constitution contem-
plated that all of the principal func-
! tions of the government should be
performed under the heads of execu-
tive departments, whom we now call
! cabinet members
We've gone so far afield that we
even have a bill which appropriates
I for Independent establishments of the
! government. including the Veterans
| Bureau. none of which are responsi-
BILE to q head of an executive depart
ment. The Veterans Bureau is under
4 dictatorship. The pension bureau,
! which during the course of it's exist
ence has disbursed pensions totaling
\ billions of dollars, Is subordinated to
the Secretary of the Interior, to
whom appeals are made from the
| decisions OF the pension bureau.
Proposed Change.
Now this resolution introduced by
| Representative Royal c. Johnson
for the organization of former service
men in the House, for the creation of
\ new standing committee to be
! styled the committee on veterans leg
islation, proposes that all legislation
| affecting veterans who served in the
world war shall be referred to the
committee, except proposed pension
| legislation. At the present time there
| are some four or five committees to
which have been referred bills af-
! fecting the veterans of the world war
such as the adjusted condensation
| or bonus bill to the ways and means
committee, the disqualification pr"po- .
| sitions to the committee on pcJiic
buildings and grounds, bills affecting
soldiers public land rights to the
committee on public lands and irri-
cation of arid lands. bills affecting
veterans with respect to farm loans
} to the committee on banking and cur
rency.
| 1t is not understood to be the pur-
pose of the ex-service mems resold-
ton that a new standing committee
should embrace within it's jurisdic--
| tion all Of these legislative propcsi-
tions. but only such rs are directly
embraced within the functions and
authority of the Veterans Bureau
| And yet the resolution itself says
that all propositions affecting the
| veterans Of the world war should be
| referred to the committee.
/ That's where the rub comes. Com
diction over various matters concern
| ing the veterans. to which some COM.
sideration has been given, are loathe
| to diyest themselves OF this jurisdic-
| ton and power and lodge 1t in this
proposed committee.
| 1t Is though that if simple prop
| osltion, clearly defining the proposed
| that II will be understood that 1t is
| to have control over such matters
only as relate to the administration
| OF the Veterans Bureau, to soldiers
insurance, compensation, allowances,
| vocational and physical rehabilitation
L ~ "