Mr. DALLINGER. So men are being sent to this private institution in Philadelphia where the standard is not considered? Mr. REID. Where we did not consider the standard at one time as good as the work we wanted. Mr. DALLINGER. Do you think that the standard is high enough now? Mr. REID. I do not know. Mr. DALLINGER. Are men still being sent there? Mr. REID. No; they are not still being sent there. the school up and can not send any more. We have filled Mr. DALLINGER. Do you know of any other private institution, with the exception of the one of Mr. Boland's in Pittsburgh, and this botanical garden or farm that you have testified to, where men have been sent and have been kept where, in your opinion, the conditions are not such as they should be? Mr. REID. No. I do not at this time recall any such school. I have heard whispers, but I would not want to base any statement on them. I am not in touch with that. I will tell you frankly I am being put where I am not in touch with things. I will say that my work as officer in charge of the assembly depot has led me to believe that we made a sad mistake there when we guaranteed the school 1,000 men. Mr. DALLINGER. What school is that? Mr. REID. We call it the assembly depot, the place where we receive men and hold them temporarily until we can arrange for their regular training. Mr. DALLINGER. Is this a private institution? Mr. REID. No; you would not call it a private institution because while it is connected with the church still it does receive certain public funds and it is not a commercial proposition. That is a distinction we want to make. Mr. DALLINGER. I was trying to get from you any other institutions of a commercial nature. Mr. REID. We are sending them there. There has been some question. I remember we sent them to the Sweeney Automobile School, and it took us a long time to find that the Sweeney Automobile School was not giving the men the work. Mr. DALLINGER. You said something about some public institution where you said there was 1,000 men, where they were trying them out. Mr. REID. We told them that we would get them 1,000 men from the assembly depot. And let me explain the assembly depot. When the matter was put up to me, where to get 1,000 men, I was told to organize the problem by getting men in and taking charge of the work, and I told them I could not say but what some would think we were raising false hopes for these people in order to get them to put it over. I was not allowed to do anything more than take care of the office problem, was not allowed to, not allowed outside or to make any arrangements, so I did not feel that I was much of a factor in doing it. I tried to develop some things, but we just didn't develop them. Mr. DALLINGER. Is there anything else that you have not already testified to which you think it is important the committee should know? Mr. REID. In sending out important letters for the eligibility squad up there, I was told to take immediate action and told that men who have been declared eligible they could go to the assembly depot while we are arranging their regular training. These two groups went elsewhere. I had been previously working on these school matters for experimental purposes and taking care of some immediate needs and devise some letters, but these were revised and totally changed. I was not given a definite expression. I would say, that man seems eligible for training. Mr. Fuller would say, no, I am not sure of that. Is that correct? There was nothing definite; don't go on record for fear you are wrong. Mr Fuller admitted that the eligibility squad work was not correct. In fact, among the eligibility squad, it was never definitely decided whether A meant one thing, or whether C meant another thing. But different procedures had been devised and meanings given to these letters and they got mixed and some members of the squad got one and some the other, so that made it rather doubtful as to whether the audit was correct as made by the eligibility squad, but we had the letters so we practically said to a man, we have something here for you. You are asking me for specific cases. I will give you a record of one who was in training a year before he received any pay at the school and before the school received any tuition. Mr. DALLINGER. What school was that? Mr. REID. A special institution, the Pennsylvania Institute for the Deaf and Dumb. Mr. DALLINGER. The school had not paid them for a year? Mr. REID. About a year. Mr. DALLINGER. The man did not get any pay? Mr. REID. That was partly due to the system at the beginning, but later it was through neglect. Here is a telegram which may interest you in regard to the school at Pittsburgh, addressed to Mr. Fuller: "We are taking over a small building February 1, which will accommodate about 100 men in drawing and elementary commercial work." You are asking how they could expand the school That is how they could expand it. Mr. DALLINGER. Will you give us the name of that deaf and dumb case that you spoke about? Mr. REID. I can not think of his first name. I think it is Russell Emory. Mr. DALLINGER. Will you also repeat the full name of the school and where located? Mr. REID. The Pennsylvania Institute for the Deaf and Dumb. It is located in Mount Airy, a suburb of Philadelphia. Mr. ROBSION. Is there any trouble in any way with this deaf and dumb school other than what you have stated? Mr. REID. No; they are doing a nice fine work for us. I happened to go out there once to get some facts as to the accounting. I was more or less interested in that part of the work. Mr. ROBSION. What about the school for the blind in Philadelphia? Mr. REID. I know nothing about that. I do not even know that we have blind cases, if we do. It is all referred to Mr. Burritt. Mr. ROBSION. You say that a certain number of men were guaranteed for the botanical gardens or a farm outfit? Mr. REID. The original contract was made on that basis. I heard later that the central office had refused to sign it. Mr. ROBSION. You further state that you understood that men were sent out there that ought not to be sent in order to bring up the required number? Mr. REID. Yes. Mr. ROBSION. Well, nothing could be done hardly any worse than that, and it seems that ought not to be done just to bring the number up to fill the contract. Mr. REID. It was not fair to the soldier. Mr. DALLINGER. We are obliged to you for your statement, Mr. Reid. (Thereupon, at 4.15 p. m., the committee adjourned to meet again. at 10 o'clock a. m., Friday, Apr. 23, 1920.) COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, The committee met at 10 o'clock a. m., Hon. Simeon D. Fess (chairman) presiding. The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Littledale, I understand you have some additional matter you want to present. Mr. LITTLEDALE. Yes, sir. The CHAIRMAN. We will hear you at this time. ADDITIONAL STATEMENT OF MR. HAROLD LITTLEDALE, OF THE NEW YORK EVENING POST, NEW YORK CITY. The CHAIRMAN. You may make such statement, Mr. Littledale, as you desire. Mr. LITTLEDALE. Thank you. In the charges against the Federal Board for Vocational Education several references were made to documents. These have not been placed in evidence, and it seems fitting that they should be included in the record at this stage. These documents are quite short and will only fill a few pages of the record. With the permission of the board, I will read from two, of which I have only one copy each, and simply submit the others and ask that they be put in the record at this point. In the hearings in connection with the second deficiency appropriation bill, 1920, Sixty-sixth Congress, second session, occurs the following: Page 954: The CHAIRMAN. Do many of them discontinue the training before the prescribed courses are finished? Mr. LAMKIN. Approximately 10 per cent of them. Page 964: Mr. LAMKIN. Our figures show that about 30 per cent of the men have not yet accepted after they have been notified. Page 966: MI. MUNROE. Yet, on the other hand, during the spring the hospitals, in which there are still some 18,000 or 20,000 men, will be emptying pretty fast, and we will be getting those men whom we have not touched at all yet. Mr. ROBSION. What is the date of that hearing? Mr. LITTLEDALE. I have a copy here, sir. I think it was in January, 1920. This is the actual hearing, and I think it was on January 17, 1920. The CHAIRMAN. Was it before the Appropriations Committee? 4661-20-VOL 1--60 943 In the regulations for district offices in the administration of the Vocational rehabilitation law, effective August 1, 1919, and superseding the code, amendments to the code, and certain circular letters mentioned therein, issued by division of rehabilitation of the Federal Board for Vocational Education, Washington, D. C., is contained the following August rulings, of which mention has been made: I. RECORDS AND RETURNS. 900 Form 535 is official notice that the man has been a member of the military forces of the United States and that he is separated therefrom. 991 Form 77-B, revised, will be sent to the district vocational officers only in the case in which the man is being considered or recommended for training under section 3 of the law. 902. When the district office assists the man in preparing his application for compensation, Forms 504 and 526 must be sent directly to the bureau and the covering letter must be over the man's own signature. 903. Form 215, revised, supersedes Form 144. This form whenever it contains the address of the man to whom it refers will be forwarded to the district office in which the man resides. 904. Survey Form 502, revised, shall be forwarded to central office as soon as possible after contact has been established with the man, but not until the district office has been able to secure the information required in the form. Note that this form must be signed by the man himself. It should not be held in the district office until the recommendation for training on Form 503 is prepared. If the man's signa ture be illegible and likely to create confusion, the district office should typewrite the man's name under his signature. 905. Recommendation for training Form 503 should be forwarded to the central office as soon as completed. 906. Form 538, covering proof of dependency, should be forwarded to central office as soon after the man is put in training as the district office can secure the required affidavits on the form. 907. Form 107, revised (2), must be sent to central office within three days after the man has commenced his course or has been placed in a receiving station. Seven copies shall be prepared by the district office. The original and five carbon copies, all duly signed by the district vocational officer, shall be forwarded to central office; the remaining carbon copy is to be retained in the man's file in the district office. 908. Form 107-a, revised, shall be forwarded to central office whenever there is any change of the status of a case in training or in receiving station, either as to address of man, change of course, change of institution, or change of payment. Seven copies shall be prepared by the district office. The original and five carbon copies, all duly signed by the district vocational officer, shall be forwarded to central office. The remaining carbon copy shall be retained in the man's file in the district office. 909. Form 107-b, revised, shall be forwarded to central office whenever a course of training is completed, or is discontinued for a period exceeding 30 days. Seven copies shall be prepared by the district office. The original and five copies, all duly signed by the district vocational officer, shall be forwarded to central office. The remaining carbon copy shall be retained on the man's file in the district office. 910. In Appendix 12 will be found sample contracts of each of the types referred to in section 540. These sample contracts are to be used as a basis in formulating Contracts for instruction. 911. The pay roll on Form 528 shall be prepared in the district office for every man in training during the month for which the form is forwarded and shall be sent in triplicate to the central office in time to reach central office not later than the 25th of the month for which the form is prepared. 912. The daily report on Form 18 shall be kept in every district office as a record of daily action on all cases handled in the district office. The summary of the daily reports shall be made at the end of each week on Form 519 and forwarded to central office not later than Monday following the Saturday for which the report is made. 913. Form 190, requisition for supplies, shall be used in making requisitions on central office for all printed material. Form 190-a, receipt for supplies, shall be used in acknowledging receipt of such supplies. Three copies of Form 190 and one copy of Form 190-a shall be prepared at the same time, and two copies of Form 190, signed by the district vocational officer, together with one copy of Form 190-a, shall be forwarded to central office. The remaining copies shall be retained on file in the district |