Evening star., 1926-11-11

shock" or breaking down of mental
powers, whose roots of breaking tap
those scenes and experiences prio:
to Arnistice day, 1918.
4 + X
AT tho late national meeting Of the
American Legion, in Philadelphia. il
was decided that the program for tho
next years activities in legislation
must be concentrated upon q bill to
increase the number of beds in Vet
erans' Bureau hospitals all over the
country by $500. That will require
an appropriation by Congress of $40
oo0,00O. No other legislation will he
asked 70" by the Legion until those
needed beds are provided. Of the l.,
3oO neuropSyC hiatric cases, there are
now about 1900 held in Contract hos.
pltals' or State insane asylums (noU.
called hOspitals), where they are most
~ getting no curative treatment, but
are held in confinement without hope
II Is felt that many of such could
De benefited IL put under modern sci
entiiic care III Veterans Bureau hos.
pltaiS, and the proposed enlargement
of capacity is intended 10 make that
possible. AS their support is paid for
now by the Government, there will
be economy IN having them in Govern
ment institutions. as well as humane
ness in giving them all a fighting
chance for recovery.
|. Il y X
1t will be recalled that during the
war there were more than 1000, 900
of our soldiers in Europe, and an
equal number in training in the
American camps. Many claims for
compensation come from men who
were not across the sea, but who s :
fered from disease in camps. It Is
not. therefore, a great proportion Of
overseas veterans who figure in the
statistics Of compensation payments.
At a luncneon in Cincinnati today.
Gen. Frank 7. Hines, director of the
Veterans Bureau, in a speech made
the following statement:
ut has been stated that about one
out of every five men who served had
made claim under the death and dis
ability clause of the Veterans Bureau
act, and about one-half of the claims
had been awarded, with payments
now being made each month to some
230, 900 disabled veterans, and on some
80 900 death claims, to total of $13,-
900 900 Ca year,. For this type of re-
lief alone $934,000,O0O has been dis
bursed."
Yet, if half of zone out of every
out Of every ten men who served
that would be, not 100000 allowed
claims, but one-tenth of about 4,500,-
600, to wit, 100000.
I'm addition to this" added Gen.
Hines, "in the Government rehabil1-
tation program, 179, 900 veterans have
been entered into some form Of train
ing, 1877 900 have been rehabilitated
and over $643.0O0. 900 have been dis
bursed." These are all a part Of the
100000 claims for compensation-not
in addition thereto.
Gen. Hines spoke of the liberaliza-
ton Of the law, by the last Congress,
whereby the hospitals of the Vet
are available to all soldiers Of any
war. He stated that some 5000 vet
Grams of the Spanish and Civil Wars
have taken advantage of this PRIV.
lege. That does not mean that of the
1855 patients now in the hospitals
5000 are not veterans of the World
War, for the 5000 includes all who
have been hospitalized even for a few
days and are not now in hospitals.
indicating the volume Of turn
over" of the hospitals. Gen. Hines
states that since 1919 there have
been over half a million admissions of
bureau Denel1c1arieS 10 nOSpltaIS; 1884,
900 Of these were made in 1922, when
many came to the bureau from State
hospitals. The gross number includes
many repeat" admissions Of the same
patient, discharged and readmitted.
~
One of the most commendable enter
prises Of the American Legion is the
raising of a fund with which to care
for the orphans or halforphans Of
soldiers Of the World War. This was
begun under the administration of
Gen. James Drain Of Washington,
when he was national commander Of
the Legion, two years ago. It was
proposed that a fund OF $5.00o,O0
should be solicited from the public,
which would provide an annual In
come sufficient to establish and main
tain homes for the orphans. and give
partial support TO their care In the
homes Of suitable relatives or suryiv.
ing parents.
1t is now reported that the net fund
actually raised, above all administra.
tive expenses Is $6.0O0.O00. This will
be safely invested and only It's income
used, In the care and education of
the children.
CcaaSsaxAt 1895. bs Paul ". Callnaa