Evening star., 1935-06-30
WORK CAMP PLAN
FOR TRANS|ENTS
CONS|DEREDHER
Proposals Revealed as
Bonus Leaders Call for
Recruits to "Army."
CROWDED CONDITIONS
IN QUARTERS CITED
Details of Progress to Give Jobs
to Men on Relief Are With
held by officials.

Development of a work camp" fol
transients under Federal care here is
being considered by District welfare
officials, it was revealed last night as
leaders of the new bonus army
mapped campaign to bring more
war veterans here In the interest o!
cash payment.
The idea of the work camp would
be to afford more adequate facilities
at which the transients could give
service in turn for their support. Off,
cials declined to reveal details of the
tentative plan. saying it had not yet
reached that stage
Fears are held by welfare officials
that any great influx of more tran
sients, either ex-service men or others
would create an emergency in housing
facilities.
Elwood Street, welfare director, said
last night present quarters for tran
sients already are badly over-crowded
and that the District has difficulty
getting additional space because OF
the competition for available rented
buildings.
Men housed at the transient lodges
now have to sleep on the floor al
times. Transients should be advised
to stay away from Washington for
this reason because reports of avail
ability of possible jobs here have been
greatly exaggerated.
Bonus "Chain Bulletin"
Roy w. Robertson, bonus army
commander, revealed yesterday q
chain bulletin" campaign on a ma
tional scale to bring war veterans here
would be started over the week end
Veterans, he said, would be advised
how to use transient camps en- route
10 Washington so the travel would be
easier as to food and lodging
Local officials say the Federal re-
lief directors have expressed no great
concern over where transient relief is
given. bu: that efforts are made to
return transientS to their homes
when bona fide jobs are awaiting
them there Transient relief funds
are provided by the Government fol
transportation.
Under the law, money is not sup
posed to be spent for care of persons
who make trip to attend conventions
but Street said war veterans now al
the Transient Bureau here are treated
as individuals, not as members of the
bonus army. He said 1t is not known
Just how many on the transient relief
list are members of the army.
The cost of person cared for by
the bureau is figured to average about
81 a day for food, housing, clothing
and other expenses. During May the
cost of bureau operation was S94,822
There were 5000 transients, including
families as well as individuals, here in
May.
At the various transient lodges there
are now about 2,70O persons, about
600 of whom are believed to be ex-
service men. The 2,700 total does not
include families and some other tran
sients who are housed in rented quar-
ters and not at the lodges.
To Visit White House.
At mass meeting Of the bonus army
in a vacant lot opposite the Transient
Bureau last night, Robertson an
nounced plans to send a committee tc
the White House tomorrow to deter
mine whether the administration
favors bill for cash payment of the
bonus already drawn up by legiSla-
tive committee of veterans, and pub
lished for the first time yesterday in
the first issue of the bulletin"
The Legislative Committee Of the
bonus army drafting the proposed cash
bonus bill consisted of Robertson
chairman; Howard w. Towner of Cali
fornia; James Wally of Maryland;
James H. McGrath of Pennsylvania
and William A. Boyd of Florida.
Robertson told the assembly last
night that the army is here to get
action on bonus legislation, and if il
failed to get some member to intro
duce a measure, a march would be
organized on Capitol Hill to petition
the Vice President.