Evening star., 1949-09-01
Veterans
Guide
Rx Moi. Thomas M. Mol

d1lu u dlll1A4S PASSA cAAA'
In that job hea has had contact
with more than 100000 World
War II ex-servicerS who have
taken some training under the
CT bill.
The bill has been amended
many times since it became law in
June, 1914. Subsistence allow
ances have been raised. Income
ceilings were imposed on veterans
taking training. Other controls
were place on the job-training
programs to make sure the vet
eran got his just due. An insti-
tutional on the farm training
program was set up.
Then last year Congress placed
curbs on avocational, or recrea-
tional, training programs which
the VA said were not at all condu-
Give to readjustment of veterans.
Mr.. Stirling, whose influence
has naturally been felt in all these
notifications of the original CT
bill, is motivated by only two
things:
l.. The readjustment to civilian
life of all veterans who have
wanted to take a bite out of the
education apple.
2. Protection of the taxpayer
(and, incidentally, of the veteran) :.
About half the changes in the CT
bill education section have in
creased readjustment opportuni-
ties for veterans (such as farm
training program) and half have
been devices to protect taxpayers.
such as the ceiling plan, without
interfering with the intent" of
Congress to aid the readjustment
OF veterans.
Today he is waging q fight
against a few of the thousands of
proprietary" schools. profit
schools which give courses such
as paper hanging, business ad-
ministration. house painting, ma
sonry. etc.
He thinks some of these schools
are becoming menace to tax
payers. He thinks some of them
are not aiding in the readjust-
ment of veterans.
How does he get that way?
Well. he points out two facts:
/. Some 1,400 of these propri-
etary schools have sprung up In
the past year.
2. They have sprung up in places
where unemployment is severe,
where veterans are desperate for
jobs.
Why would there be a connec-
ton between new proprietary
schools and jobless veterans?
That's simple, he says. Start
a profit school and enroll a bunch
of unemployed veterans. The vet
Grams get between SIS and $3.50 al
month as subsistence allowance
not much, but better than any
thing less. The school gets a nice
tuition check each month for each
veteran-student, plus free sup
plies used in the courses taken byt
the veterans. -.
80 everybody is happy-the
veteran. the school and the com.
munfty. for the new business.
Everybody but the taxpayer"
But If q veteran wants to learn
the trade of house painting, and
has chance to. why shouldn't he?
IF he needs house painting for
his readjustment, he should" Mr..
Stirling grants. But the chance
is good that with many veterans
readjustment does not enter the
picture. We know Of many cases
where the veteran, after learning
house painting, runs across town
to another, school to learn paper
hanging. Then why not a course
in bricklaying? And one in the
art of masonry?
This could go on, and some
times does. until the veteran has
exhausted his entire period of ell
gibility under the CT bill.
II don't think the CT bill ever
was intended to be used this way,
just as it wasn't ever intended to
pay subsistence allowance to a
$10,000-a-year bank vice president
training to be president. We
finally cut that out"
How Mr.. Stirling plans to cut
out housekeeping" among pro-
prietary schools will be explained
next time.
fYou may 1urite Maj. Mai in
care OF this newspaper in con-
zection tDith your otDn serDice-
connected problem. Inclose a
SELF addressed, stamped en-
Delope.