Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-12-10
Home Service

Home Service
The general administration OF the
local chapter and the Home Service
work was reported upon most fully
by Miss Margaret Brann, executive
and Home Service secretary. The
report follows:
Home service in any chapter is
usually varied and interesting ana
Augusta, l believe is no exception,
for, although have only been en-
ployed as part time worker oeVot-
ing about three hours daily to Red
Cross work, l have had many inter-
esting things to do.
THE eX-service man is OF course
| the one with whom we have the most
! contact. for, of the ASS visits regis
| tered at the office over half oil them
were made by eX-Servlce men or pS
others on their behalf and as result,
out of the 595 letters written during
| the wear nearly 400 were written III
| connection with these men. Seven
new claims for compensation have
been filed and in addition many more
have been assisted in obtaining al
! fidavitS to assist in proving their
right to compensation. During the
spring and early summer when it
l WAS eApCClSu titctl iiltIN itShlo "Aeb
reference to government insurance
| would expire there We're numerous
| inquiries with reference to the var
| ious features of this insurance.
THE various field workers of the
! U. S. Veterans Bureau, who usually
| average a visit to Augusta every few
weeks, frequently ask for assistance
\ in locating eX-service men and their
| families and often it is possible to
assist them in many other ways in
| getting information which will serve
| to effect a just decision by the Bur-
eau for the eX-service men.
| Frequently we are asked to make
! Investigations to assist the Guard
! ianShip Section of the Bureau to be
| sure that the wards of the govern
ment, who come under their care. are
\ receiving the benefit of the money
which is being paid by the Bureau in
| the form of compensation, etc.
I'm common with many other Red
| Cross Chapters throughout the
country the Augusta Chapter acts as
Il cooperating agency for the Travel
| ers Aid Society, and in that connec-
| ton alone we have been of service in
| ten different instances. For example,
u few months ago we received a
check from the Travellers Aid So
ciety In Detroit asking that we pur-
| chase a ticket for a little ten year old
| girl, ward of the State who was to
| go to Detroit to make her home with
an aunt 1t was necessary first OF
| all to see Mr.. Cornish at the State
House and make arrangements for
the little girl who was not living in
! Augusta, to be at the station at the
proper time. a ticket was purchased
! and berth from Boston arranged
! for. On the morning the little girl
started on her journey she was met
at the station and placed aboard her
J train, telegram was sent to the
! Travellers Aid Society at Boston and
! another to Detroit announcing the
! time of her arrival. We were much
! pleased to hear a short time later
| that she arrived safely.
'1nasmuch as there is no other So
/ cial agency in Augusta we are fire.
, quently asked by agencies in other
cities to make Investigations which
will assist them in dealing with
cases on which they are working. OF
course in return we frequently ask
| them to help us in the same way.
There is another type of case
upon which we sometimes work; that
] of the man who is yet in service;
| perhaps we are asked to investigate
home conditions to assist the army
authorities to decide whether or not
1t is necessary to discharge the man
| because of dependency which has
arisen since his enlistment, or again
| to verify requests for furlough which
have been made because of alleged
| illness at home, etc. Sometimes the
f, people at home become worried be-
cause they have not heard from the
one who is in the service, then we
can write the director of Red Cross
Service, and every military or naval
station is covered by one, and ask
that he find out whether or not that
particular man is in good health, etc
Action has been taken by the Au-
susta Chapter during the past few
months on all these problems.
"All Of the home service work is
not done in the office, for sixty five
visits have been made on behalf of
the various cases which have been
| worked on. These include visits to
homes, to Togus. the State Hospi-
tai. City Hall, and the Court House.
During the year SIG was handled
to be used for Disaster Relief work,
which was carried on by the National
Red Cross in Florida and other
places.
1.-THE expense involved in carrying
on this work in comparison with the
number of people served in compar-
| atively small and it is hoped that
| Red Cross will continue keeping an
| office and maintain this sort of SER
vice.