Evening star., 1948-02-21
Ramey Scores Report
Proposing Ban on GI
Leisure Training
By GEORGE Beveridqe

Chairman Ramey OF mouse Vet-
erans' subcommittee said today thel
Budget Bureaus report asking for a
revision of the GI bill to wipe out
'leisure time" training appears to
him to be "a cunning New Deal
scheme to discredit the Congress"
The bureaus report said veterans
are taking free lessons in fight
training, dancing, photography and
other courses that serve no voca-
tional purpose and cost the Gov
ernment more than 5000, 900 900 a
year.
Mr.. Ramey, whose subcommittee
opened hearings on flight training
Yesterday, said the report arrived
at conclusions" but gave the commit
tee no specific suggestions about how
to wipe out abuses.
THE report" he said, seems to
have been written by high-pow-
cred ghost writer. I want to see
these generalities reduced to speci-
fications"
10000 Take Flight Training.
In the report, however, Budget
Director James E. Webb urged that
GI training programs be limited to
those which actually lead to jobs or
"occupational advancements." With
$4,000 veterans in fight training
courses, the report estimated that
only IA per cent of the instruction
is followed up for vocational use.
"Avocational flying lessons" alone
cost about $500, 100000 year, the
report said.
Except for introduction of the
controversial report, yesterdays
hearing dealt specifically with a
Veterans Administration regulation
barring college and university stu
dent veterans from using part OF
their $500 annual tuition allowance
to pay for elective courses in avia-
ton.
A long parade of witnesses, mostly
from State universities, blasted the
regulation and challenged the VAS
| administration of the flight training
program.
Urges VA Air Specialists.
Roscoe Turner, the former speed
flyer, said he believes CT flight
training should be continued in
schools and recommended that the
VA obtain aviation specialists in
its central and field Offices. Mr..
Turner, a former Army colonel and
vice chairman of the American Le-
gion's National Aeronautics CommiS-
sion, said he was testifying as an
individual flyer.
Another witness, Kit Clardy, spe-
cial assistant to the Attorney Gen
eral of Michigan, said the VAS
supervision of flight training lis not
bad because officials have malice,
but because they are ignorant OF
what is involved"
Other witnesses suggested super
vision of the program be taken away
from the VA and placed under the
Civil Aeronauties Administration.
They attested to its value as a
national defense measure.
Stirling Explains Regulation.
VA officials said that, while its
regulations have stopped veterans
from using part of their $500 tuition
for elective courses in flight train
ing, the students can take the
courses by forfeiting some OF the
eligibility time" they have coming
for free training. =
M. v. Stirling, VA education chief
said the regulation was invoked be-
cause.. private flying schools were
inducing junior colleges and other
small schools to start flying courses
that had nothing to do with regular
courses"
"If only the large schools, such as
State universities, were involved in
this program, there would have been
no problem" he declared. ~.
OF the 10000 veterans taking
flying lessons, however, only about
5000 were enrolled in colleges OF
universities that offered fight train
ing as an elective course, Mr.. Stir
ling said.