Evening star., 1932-10-27

will be for the citizen to decide how Tar
he, wishes the present policy OF COM
pensating for injuries not resulting from
military service to 60.
1t has already been proposed that
upon the death OF 9 veteran from
causes other than military service his
widow and his miner children, and even
his dependent father or mother, or both,
receive compensation. Judging by our
experience In veterans legislation, this
proposal will continue to be made, and
must be disposed Of. The expense VIII
be great, and Congress will have to de-
termine upon the merits of such pro-
posal. Congress will have a dif1cult
time in meeting this proposal, for our
sympathies naturally go out to the
widow and children in need. However,
I have no doubt that were such legisla
ton to be seriously considered 1t would
nave to be considered in connection with
the capacity Of the country to pay, and
Congress might have to determine in
order to assure balanced budget what
existing Federal expenditures could be
discontinued to meet the amount neces-
sary. Certainly, problems of very con-
siderable magnitude within the next
several years will be presented to Con-
gress in the question Of veterans relief,
dllu again IL Is up 10 our ClllZeiS 10
consider these matters so their feelings
may be translated to the Congress.
Veterans Cared For.
We now care for in our hospitals vet
Grams who need disqualification regard
less of the origin of their disabilities.
and while some years ago our service
connected load was a considerable pro-
portion of the total load, in more recent
years an increasingly non-service con-
nected load has developed. An an ex-
ample. during last August Of the total
of some $4,000 admissions reported to
all hospitals approximately IS per cent
were admissions of veterans suffering
from disabilities which were not due to
their military service, and in our hos
pitfalls at the present time so per cent
of the World War group are there be-
cause they are suffering from conditions
not of service origin. The question Is
not presented so much as to whether
or not these veterans who are in need
of treatment should be in our hospitals
at this time. because the authority for
such admission has been in existence
for some eight years, but rather what
are we to do in the future. Our hos
pitfalls have limited capacity, and while
under present authorizations We will
have sufficient funds to provide for the
estimated needs through 1885, after
that time these facilities will prove in
adequate to meet the probable demand
for disqualification to be expected from
our vast reservoir Of eligibles. The
question presents itself, are We to go
on building hospitals to meet estimated
requirements, or shall our hospital con-
struction program cease with present
authorizations and we accommodate
only such patients as the facilities per-
NIT? If we are to build additional
facilities. then money must be appro-
priated for their construction and their
operation. The Congress will have to
speak on this question shortly.
In 1880, under appropriate congress
sional authority. the President author
lied the consolidation of Federal activi-
ties dealing with veterans relief which
resulted in a consolidation into the Vet
Grams Administration Of the Veterans
Bureau the Bureau Of Pensions, then
under the Interior Department, and the
soldiers. This consolidation without
question was in the interest of our
service for many reasons, not only of
economy in operation but also and more
especially in that 1t permitted these
several activities to be under a single
control, and thereby permitted the COM
prehensive study of all veteran relief
measures and Of inequalities which have
developed in our pension laws for vari-
GUS groups Of veterans. For the most
part the reorganization act of 1880
granted necessary authority so to dis
pose of activities within the Veterans
Administration as to attain the maxi
mum of results under the laws which
Congress has enacted. But the con-
solioation has strengthened our original
conviction that in justice to all con-
cerned, the taxpayer as well as the vet
eran, the existing legislation governing
veterans relief should be co-ordinated. |
classified and simplified One of the |
last acts of the recent Congress was TO
point joint House and Senate COM |
mlttee to investigate the laws pertaining |
to veterans relief. END this committee. |
under the act appointing it, is to report |
back to the Congress by January of |
next year. To aid this committee. ex-
haustive studies have been mace within |
the Veterans Administration of the |
significance and trend of our present |
laws, Of the inequalities and incon-
sstencles for the various groups of vet |
eranS under them. and of the complexi- |
Ties In the Interpretation of them.
AhC oLu0y VI l6dQS one TO |
wonder whether the exceptional pros
perity Of the latter years of the first |
decade following the World War did not
lead us to a generosity which in the
long run will prove burdensome or even
impossible of continuance. 1t is ap-
parent that We have gone ahead with
our benevolences much faster during
the past IA years than was the case for
the period Immediately following 1898.
Comparisons Are Offered.
Further, it is apparent that what We
have done and are doing for veterans of
the World War. in comparison with
what our allies are doing, again en-
phasizes our generosity. Confronted
with the impressive total of past and
present expenditures and anticipating
an increase in certain items of present |
expenditures as result of the increase
of applications because of disabilities in