that he recommended it from. I received my voucher back. They had deducted some. They wouldn't pay all the expenses. They paid $106.30, whereas I had sent in for $131.30. This came back-well, before I had been lent $30 more from making this voucher up; whereas the chief clerk signed a note with me saying that until he received this transportation for me, and not until then, would I be expected to repay anything I owed, the $50 and the $30 which he advanced me then. Well, I told him that was all right. I thought he was very good to do it.

Then, when I received the check for $106 I proceeded to pay the Elks' fund the $80 I owed them, for which I think I have a receipt here.

The CHAIRMAN. You are in the University of Columbia now?

Mr. EDWARDS. I am in Columbia University at present. I then, of course, not having enough money-I owed the Red Cross there that was connected personally with the Federal board $50, which I paid, and have a receipt for. At the same time I owed $169, which was an allowance, at 353 Fourth Avenue. This allowance, by the way, was board money to keep me while I was taking treatment in the hospital and out from under the Federal board's auspices, which I have not been able to pay, which is another allowance and is really not expected of me to pay, but I will pay it, of course.

I then needed in my schooling at Columbia, writing short stories and special articles and other things-it was requested of the students to use a typewriter to bring up their work with, especially where they couldn't write, so you could read it very well, and I couldn't do that; just learning how to write with my left hand, and I found it difficult to do much with my left hand so that a person could read it.

I had to have this typewriter and I knew that the Federal board did not supply such things: therefore. I was forced to accept a small typewriter from Mrs. Jacobs, my friend, who is always behind me when I need things. She gave me the typewriter, which I still have. She also gave me $50 about the same time to buy me some clothing with, so that I would really look like a Columbia University student; that is, I would be comfortable in my clothing. That helped out an awful lot.

Now, I am at a time when I am really satisfied in my training for the first time.

The CHAIRMAN. How much are you in debt now?

Mr. EDWARDS. At the present time I am not in debt but $169, which I feel like I am in debt for, but really and truly it was an allowance that was given by the Red Cross: but I don't feel like taking charity in that way.

The CHAIRMAN. What do you get now from the War Risk Insurance board?

Mr. EDWARDS. I get section 3 from the Federal board and I get compensation at the rate of 100 per cent-compensation and claims. I get $28.75 from the War Risk.

The CHAIRMAN. All told, how much is it?

Mr. EDWARDS. $128.75-two different checks.

The CHAIRMAN. I think we had a sufficient recital now to get at the specific complaint that you have.

Mr. EDWARDS. There is one more thing I would like to bring out. The CHAIRMAN. All right, if it is material.

Mr. EDWARDS. It is material. It is the fact that when I received my 100 per cent permanent disability I was advised at 280 Broadway by the doctors in charge there-I was advised by the central office of the War Risk to take up section 3, in which I would receive my supplies and tuition, and then I could rely upon them for the $128.75, instead of receiving $80 from the Federal board in section 2 of the rehabilitation act. But after I received the 100 per cent permanent and had this advice I proceeded to write a letter to the Federal board asking them-telling them my wishes-that I wished to transfer from section 2 of the rehabilitation act to section 3 and receive two checks, which was much more than the $80, and which I needed, and so forth and so on. Later I received a letter from the Federal board advising me not to do it.

The CHAIRMAN. Not to make the transfer?

Mr. EDWARDS. They said:

DEAR SIR: Your letter of February 7 asking that you be transferred from section 2 to section 3 training in order that you might draw additional compensation from the Bureau of War Risk Insurance has been received.

It is our advice that you remain under section 2 of the rehabilitation act and accept $80 per month from this board, as you have in the past. You should make application to the Bureau of War Risk Insurance for your additional compensation, to which you are entitled, to the above $80 per month. It is our judgment that this would be more desirable than to grant you section 3 training and receive all of your compensation from the Bureau of War Risk Insur

ance.

Very truly, yours—

That is stamped "W. A. Clark.”

Then I wrote another letter, in which I told them that I wished to renew my request of February 7 and be transferred to section 3, and told them that I had been advised, etc.

I waited about two weeks, and then I happened to be at the Federal board on some other business for some boys, and there I saw Mr. Nuffsinger, and had him transfer me in front of my own eyes on to section 3, which he, of course, advised me not to do; that he thought it was not best for me to transfer to section 3 and receive $128.75, but I told him that nothing else would satisfy me; that I was 100 per cent permanent man and they had nothing to do with me whatsoever, and that I wished to transfer. There I was transferred, and I suppose that is about all of my recital.

The CHAIRMAN. Now, what is the specific complaint, if you can put it into a brief paragraph, Mr. Edwards, that you have to make against the board for its treatment of you?

Mr. EDWARDS. First, the long delay in refunding the transportation they promised, and neglecting my physical disability; for giving me training which I did not desire; for transferring me to Texas without notifying or having the other board notify me, so that I would receive-by the way, I might say that there was a letter, I think, sent me, but it was sent back to the board after I had landed in Washington.

The CHAIRMAN. When you went to Texas you gave your address to some member of the board, did you?

Mr. EDWARDS. Positively, and so did I when I wrote the letter. The CHAIRMAN. Are you sure that the address was the same?

Mr. EDWARDS. I have lived in Texas 21 years, and I don't think I would mistake the place where I have lived that long and give the wrong address.

The CHAIRMAN. There might be, however, some confusion in the mails unless you could be certain that the address was the same in each case. You are certain that your inability to hear from them is not due to a wrong direction on your part?

Mr. EDWARDS. I only gave them one address, and that one only, and that one address was where I was in Texas about all the time. I was at that same address that I gave to them in the letter when I requested the transportation. I gave them the same address that I gave them when I requested it by telegraph.

The CHAIRMAN. Do you remember the date, or how long it was after you had written for instructions to New York before you started from Texas to New York?

Mr. EDWARDS. Seventeen days.

The CHAIRMAN. There was plenty of time to have heard from them?

Mr. EDWARDS. Oh, I think so. It takes a letter three days to come from Texas here.

The CHAIRMAN. Your judgment is, then, that your inability to hear from them was not due to any negligence on your part?

Mr. EDWARDS. Well, I don't feel like it is. I know it is none of my fault, because I certainly gave them the correct address.

The CHAIRMAN. Are you complaining, as Mr. Wright did this forenoon, about discourtesies shown you in the board or through the officers?

Mr. EDWARDS. Partially; yes. I am not complaining as Mr. Wright did, and do not copy anybody.

The CHAIRMAN. That was not the force of my question. What I am trying to get at is whether the practice of the board was to show discourtesy to the boys who were seeking advice. Mr. Wright seemed to think it was. Your testimony thus far has not suggested any discourtesies at all.

Mr. EDWARDS. The discourtesy is just about even in my case, because I stood my own ground, as far as acting discourteously. When a person starts being discourteous with me I don't feel I have anything against him if I can take up for myself, but I say the interest shown by some men there in that board was not the best in them. Whether it was the board's fault or theirs, I know not.

Mr. SEARS. Could you name any of those men, Mr. Edwards?
Mr. EDWARDS. That did which?

Mr. SEARS. That were discourteous to you?

Mr. EDWARDS. I think if you will read my statement, that I said where a person was discourteous to me, that I felt I had no charges against that part of the board.

Mr. SEARS. Well, we want to get the facts, and if a man was discourteous to you, we want to know it. He might disagree with you and still not be discourteous.

Mr. EDWARDS. Oh, well

Mr. SEARS (interposing). You have no specific charges, as I understand it, to make against anyone, so far as discourtesy is concerned?

Mr. EDWARDS. Yes; I think that they could have been discourteous to me in some ways. I will cite you one.

And

When I told this man at 280 Broadway that I had been promised transportation, he asked me if I knew any more jokes, and thought I was kidding him, which, by the way, a soldier does sometimeskid a person-but I wasn't; I was deadly in earnest about it. another case where the doctor did not-at the Federal board there he told me: "I don't see why any red blooded American, as you claim to be yourself, would come in here looking for this charity and the sympathy of these people." And he was one of them. Of course, I didn't go in there with that intention in mind when I went there. Mr. SEARS. Have you the letter that was returned to you from Texas?

Mr. EDWARDS. Returned to me from Texas?

Mr. SEARS. Yes. I thought you said a letter came from the board notifying you that you had been transferred to Texas, but it came after you left Texas.

Mr. EDWARDS. It didn't come to me; it came back to the board, but not to me.

Mr. SEARS. You don't know what date that letter bore?
Mr. EDWARDS. No. It was approximately after March 15.

Mr. SEARS. Was it returned to New York March 15 or mailed out from New York March 15?

Mr. EDWARDS. It was mailed from New York March 15 and returned to New York when it found me, not in Texas. They found me back in New York.

Mr. SEARS. What time did you get back in New York?

Mr. EDWARDS. I got to New York in the latter part of March. I don't remember just the date.

Mr. SEARS. What was the date-I forget the date you said you wired.

Mr. EDWARDS. That I wired them?

Mr. SEARS. Yes.

Mr. EDWARDS. I didn't mention the date.

Mr. SEARS. What was the date?

Mr. EDWARDS. I can't say. I can't remember that well.

Mr. SEARS. What was the date you wrote them from Texas? Mr. EDWARDS. I wrote them-it was about March 15 when my leave lacked five days of being up, in time for them to send me transportation and get me back to New York City-just how long that takes, because I always take advantage of leave when I get it.

Mr. SEARS. You wrote about March 15, and afterwards you wired. When did you leave and when did you get to New York?

Mr. EDWARDS. I waited after I wired, I think the wire went off about the 15th. I think the letter had gone ahead of that some time. I am a little mixed in the dates. I would rather you would not ask me that, because you can find the dates are perfectly straight.

Mr. SEARS. You can see the importance of the date when they

wrote you.

Mr. EDWARDS. I wrote them, if I understand myself right, in ample time for them to send me transportation pay, and I also gave them ample time to answer me before I sent the telegram. I also waited longer after, not receiving an answer from the telegram, than

I did before, then I proceeded to New York City, to find myself transferred to Texas.

Mr. SEARS. That would put you in New York about the 15th of March?

Mr. EDWARDS. I am not sure that it is not the 27th.

Mr. SEARS. If everything worked smoothly.

Mr. DALLINGER. Did you have any dealings with Mr. Clark personally?

Mr. EDWARDS. Any dealings against him?

Mr. DALLINGER. No; any dealings direct with him?

Mr. EDWARDS. Yes; I think that Mr. Clark knows me. I know him personally. He knows my case. He knows that my case had been neglected. He has told me so in the presence of Mr. Farwell and Mr. Moulton. All three of them were of the same mind about it, that my case had been neglected and that they had almost failed in several ways, but at the same time he swore to me that he would do all he could for me.

Mr. DALLINGER. Was Dr. Clark in charge at the time you speak of, at the time you got back in March?

Mr. EDWARDS. I said D. V. O., assistant D. V. O. That is what I

mean.

Mr. DALLINGER. Dr. Clark was assistant at the time?

Mr. EDWARDS. Yes, sir.

Mr. DALLINGER. And when was this date that you say Dr. Clark and Mr. Farwell and the other gentleman admitted that your case had been neglected?

Mr. EDWARDS. I couldn't say. I really don't know. It was in November.

Mr. DALLINGER. The November following March that you got back from Texas?

Mr. EDWARDS. Oh, yes.

Mr. DALLINGER. And where was it?

Mr. EDWARDS. In Mr. Farwell's office, 469 Fifth Avenue.
Mr. DALLINGER. Was Dr. Clark ever discourteous to you?
Mr. EDWARDS. No.

Mr. DALLINGER. Or Mr. Farwell?

Mr. EDWARDS. Neither of them. They took a personal interest in my case and marked it "special" for the reason that they knew that I had been treated wrong, and I had not been given what I was supposed to have.

Mr. DONOVAN. I would like to simply ask this question. Where you say that you were treated discourteously and you say that the board treated you so, you mean one of the employees in the office of the board in New York? That is the man that you have reference to, as I understand it.

Mr. EDWARDS. I positively have no charges in reference to that, because I am a man of age, and I certainly would have no one treat me discourteously.

Mr. DONOVAN. Then your answer is that you were not treated discourteously?

Mr. EDWARDS. No, sir.

Mr. DONOVAN. That is all.