Evening star., 1945-08-24
Veterans'Cen
Improvements
.ArePromised
Lesendre Says Other
Agencies Will Help;
Woggomon to Leave
BY MIRIAM GUTENBERG.

BY MIRIAM GUTENBERG.
1t. Col. Leonce Legendre, Com
John Russell Young's
advisor on veterans affairs, promised
today that Everything will be
different" at the Districts much
criticized Veterans Information
Center, starting next month.
Col. Legendre said the center
would have new chief, representa-
tlves will start coming in from other
agencies on a loan basis, the center
Will have more space and "the Com
mlssloners are making arrangements
about appropriations"
The American Red Cross, he re-
ported, already has agreed to send a
representative to work at the center
and other agencies have been in
Vlted to do so. Their spokesmen
on the advisory committee. for the
center have indicated representa-
tlVes Will be furnished, Col. Legendre
said. The only exception is the
veterans administration, he added.
Center to Get New Head.
MAJ. Ennalls Waggaman, a VOL
unteer who has been in charge Of
the center since its establishment
SIX months ago, will not be in charge
OF 1t in the future, Col. Leeendre
salo' out the new head has not yet
been selected.
When the Volunteer Office moves
out OF its half of the cottage at
1890 Pennsylvania avenue NV. Col,
Legendre said, the center will ex-
pand, The move is expected next
Thursday.
The promises of immediate i'm
proVements were Col. Legendre's re-
spouse to complaints from workers
That they feel like forgotten men"
aho nave been very much afraid the
veterans will feel the same vav
When they see what the District has
proVloed as the core of it's service
to veterans. '
Col. Legendre said he was "jn
ana out of the center" all the time
out workers said visits from the Dis
trlct Building were rare and Mai
Waggaman's files show this COPY Of
a memorandum dated August "a
from Maj. Waggaman to Col. Le-
gendre:
1T would be very good if VOL
could find it possible to spend a
part OF a few days in the Center
inoroer to see the operation and
oetter to be able to answer the, what
l consider, unjustifable Criticism
II would be very ENCOURAGING tn
those OF us who are over here to
nave some one beside ourselves in
position to defend the Center
Volunteers Do Work.
al present. much of the inter-
viewing Of veterans at the Center
Is oone by volunteers who sav thev
just grew up with the Center" and
nave had on special trair1ns
10 make certain that all the rou-
.ihe problems are ironed out before
the men leave the Center, thev ar
ssAo-no mattr what thy cam to
una out-Whether they have notified
thelr draft board of their ret,1r,,
whether they have recorded their
olscharged papers and taken care NJ
tilelf insurance and whether thev
nave any claim, employment or
housing problems.
"A visit yesterday demonstrated
INT when the men hear thesa
questions they generally settle bact
ana air all their problems, The in
reviewers are not supposed tn hs
counseuors, one of the center work
ers explained, but there is always
me temptatlon-which some of the
volunteers fall victim TOTO give
DIT OF good advice
before the lntervieWers can sto,
the veterans, they already are deer
IN the problem of whether or not
tney are too old to return to school
whether they should use their az
losI guarantee to buy a home or
business or whether they shouId
SeVtle mere or look elsewhere for a
permanent job. The interviewers
are supposed to refer them else
Where for counseling which means
the Veteran-if he goes to the Other
piace at all-has to cell his story
e1 oFC1 dSdlu.
would Sdue Men Time.
1T would be wonderful" said Mrs
Huth Yates. one of the workers "if
we could get representatives hers
from the Veterans Administra tion
civil Service Commission and tba
united States Employment Service
Ihose are the three agencies we
use most, and it would save the
men so much time and runnine
around" -'inis
she cited the record for one dav
this week as an example of The
amount of referring that has to he
cone. There were 70 Clients" in
cluolng 10 who telephoned their
queries. They asked lo4 Questions
seventeen of the questions were an.
sWered at the center. To get the
answers to the remaining 81 oues-
tlons the men had to 60 to other
agencies. OF these referrals, seven
were to the Civil Service Commis-
sion, 26 to the Veterans Admins
tratlon and 10 to the USES.
Mrs. Yates, who has been 81 ~.
centes since it started, felt that
many of these questions could have
oeen answered at the center if reno
lesentatlves of the agencies were on