Evening star., 1923-11-12
Head of Veterans Bureau
Medical Division Says Pa
tients Lacked Proper Care.
LEASES MADE THOUGH
U. S. FACILITIES AMPLE
Discipline at Low Ebb, Senate
Committee Is Told-Loose
Payments Alleged.

Great abuse in the use of contract
hospitals was charged today before
the Senate veterans committee by DR..
L. B. Rogers. director of the medical
division of the Veterans Bureau.
DR.. Rogers declared there had been
abuse in the matter OF charges for
the care of the veterans, the care
given them and the food furnished.
He also said contract hospitals are
used when beds In government hos
pitfalls are available.
Wasn't this practice followed with
desire to have the owners of the
contract hospitals profit?" asked John
F. Organ, general counsel for the
committee.
Asked About Missing OMcer.
II don't know about the motive"
replied DIR. Rogers, but in many
cases there is the desire to please the
veterans"
Asked what had become Of the Of
ficer in charge of the hospital in New
England where Director Hines found
80 per cent of the patients were out
side the hospital grounds when Hines
visited it. DR.. Rogers said he has
been transferred to another of our
hospitals"
That's the favorite remedy" re-
marked Organ.
Conceding that discipline in the
hospitals should be frightened, DR..
Rogers could not recall that any
medical officer of the bureau had been
punished for failure to maintain dis
cipline.
More Beds Than Patients.
Senator Reed renuhIicap peppsyI-
vania, chairman of the committee. in
on October II there were 1856 pa
tients in contract hospitals. whereas
the. total of-vacant beds in govern
ment hospitals was s.212. Only in the
the total of beds available in gov
ernment hospitals less than the num-
ber OF patients in contract hospitals.
DR.. Rogers, who was the tirst wit
ness. could not recall that he had
placed any limitations upon employees
of his division III furnishing fnforma-
tion to counsel for the committee.
DR.. Rogers said he had given orders
on April s, 1928. that information be
furnished to the committee. Later he
issued a second order, under instruc-
tions of Director Hines, he added.
under which errors in rating were
first to be called to the attention of
the rating section for immediate cor
rection and then to be referred to
committee counsel.
Referring to the transfer Of DR.. w.
E. Clark from the central office to the
fourth district, Organ wanted to
know IL this transfer had not resulted
from the activities of DR.. Clark
in hunting up information about cases
for the committee.
HE was transferred for insubordi-
nation and insolence." DR.. Rogers re-
piled. adding that the transfer order
was issued by Mr.. Hines. The wit
ness said he had made some repre-
sentations to the director about DR..
Clark's activities in searching out
ca ses for the committee and neglect
ing his regular work.
1t was disclosed that until a few
months ago clerks in the accounting
office had passed upon bills Of civilian
nation of former service men. After
this matter had come to the attention
of Gen. O'Ryan two medical officers
were assigned for this work. Since
a committee to make further check
on these bills, which totaled several
millions of dollars a year.
Reports Expenses Cut.
DR.. Rogers said that since these
additional checks had been placed
the amount of the bills paid has been
materially reduced.
Operations of the four major divi-
sions of the, Veterans Bureau-med-
ical, insurance, rehabilitation and dis
ability claims-formed the first sub
ject Of inquiry today by the COM
mittee. The directors of these divi-
sions were called as witnesses.
An effort. will be made to close the
public hearings this week, and with
this in view Charles r. Forbes. for
mer director of the bureau, probably
will be heard Wednesday. if he de-
sires to take the stand at that time.
Aside from that which is being ad
duced publicly. Investigators in the
field and in Washington have gath
cred large masses of evidence which
the committee will consider in its
private sessions when 1t begins to
formulate its report and recommenda-
tions to the Senate.
James A. Mcfarland, national COM
mander of the Disabled American
Veterans, will come to Washington
this week to consult with the COM
mittee on the matter of immediate
posais looking for improvement In
consideration of construction pro-
the operation of the bureau.
A statement issued from the Wash
ington office of the Disabled Veterans
says that as the situation now stands
the committee can make no construc-
tive progress because the foundation
upon which it will have to build Is
not solid, much of the information OBJ
tanned by 1t not only being misleading,
but some actually untrue.