Evening star., 1949-07-28
Continued From First Page)

"on-the-job" apprenticeship pro-
gram and the farm training plan
are rated as satisfactory.
I'VE believe, however. Mr..
Stirling said, that the whole edu-
cational project as envisioned by
Congress may be thrown out OF
balance by the new schools which
actively solicit veterans to use up
all the .time they have coming to
them under the Bill of Rights. The
GIs are proving a gold mine to
this type of operator.
Substitute for Jobs.
New schools spring up in sec
tions where jobs are scarce, al
though Congress never intended
the educational rights as relief or
"a bonus. Recently, 80 new private
or profit schools were set up IN
three weeks in three counties OF
an Eastern State to take advan-
tage of temporary decline in en-
ployment.
"such schools, under the law,
must be approved by State sp-
proving authorities. Once they
have obtained enough requests
from veterans for enrolment. the
promoters are in a position to, put
heavy pressure on State otbc.als.
After all, Uncle Sam will pay the
bill. and new schools mean added
community incomes.
Once approved, the schools re-
ceive from $40 to $50 monthly
tuition for each veteran, plus al
lowable costs for equipment and
supplies. Some private schools
run three classes a day, and one
in the Middle West has $500 stu
dents. The latter's monthly tuition
payment alone is some $165, 900.
Recently, a school for meat cut
ters in an Eastern State billed the
VA for $4,000 worth OF meat
butchered in the classrooms. The
item was disallowed.
100000 Get Benefits.
Subsistence pay for veterans is
$75 month for single men. going
up to $120 a month for married
men with children. They can spend
a maximum of 48 months in school
or training, depending on length
| of service.
More than 2 100000 veterans are
now receiving educational benefits
2.250,000 more have applied for
them, and 100000 have COM
pleted or discontinued their train
ing. This latter class is worrying
,the VA because of the sales pres
sure being put upon them to re-
enter training.
With new appropriations ex-
pected from Congress soon. the
VA is planning to tighten restrlc-
tions on "repeaters" and on types
of training which are avocational
or merely recreational. Emphasis
will be on the kind Of schooling
which will advance the student IN
his business or occupation.
In other words. subjects like
dancing, art, musical instruction
or a dozen others bordering on the
recreational will be discouraged
unless the veteran can show they
will directly benefit him in his
business or occupation.
Avocational Schooling Studied.
Under scrutiny also will be the
avocational type of schooling in
which "repeaters" who had trained
as carpenters, for example. might
wish to learn something tentirely
different and unrelated.
Some schools are willing to
keep students indefinitely as long
as tho Government pays the bill"
Mr.. Stirling said. When a boy
finishes one course another is
waiting for him. He finds it i'm
possible to funk out-until, Of
course, he has used up all his
credits.
1.-The boys pick up around a
dollar an hour in the classes.
Many who already had good jobs
are persuaded to sign up for night
classes. This is not hard to do.
especially now that jobs are
harder to lind and hold.
Approximately 1,490 new profit
schools kave been opened to G1s
in the last II months, bringing
the total up to 10000. In the
same period the number Of vet
erans in schools below college level
rose from 584 ,2OS to 699,76s. and
the trend is still upward, accord
ing to VA statisticians.
OF 2,250,000 veterans who have
filed notice that they intend to