Show MARQUIS CH Brad Bradleys Bradley's s ey dig Big Job Concerns I Half Ha f of Nations Nation's i B By MARQUIS CHILDS Editors Editor's note This note TUN Is le the first of two columns on the veterans veterans' administration and Gen Omar N. N Bradley radle V WASHINGTON Less WASHINGTON Less than a American year ago flung far armies were sweeping acro across s Europe toward the tho final vic vie tory Today one of at the chief chIc authors of ot that victory General Omar N. N Bradley is head of or the government agency that oversees oversees oversees over over- sees the interests of or a n vast army of or veterans When General Bradle Bradley was drafted by President Truman to tobe tobe tobe be head of the veterans' veterans administration administration administration adminis adminis- he could hardly have realized what was wa ahead of oC him The job Is so big it is hard to grasp In July of ot 1915 1015 there were veterans of oC World War IL The figure for the end of March of ot this year was 11 When the tho veterans of other wars are arc included the grand total Is That Thatis is a large chunk of tho the tion I If you include families with an average of four to a family you get et I something close to half hall of all nIl the people in this country Overworked d Organization Inheriting a worn-out worn overworked overworked overworked over over- worked and hidebound organization tion Bradley is beginning to tomake tomako make mako progress At least hes he's beginning to see the light over the mountain of official documents documents documents docu docu- ments and papers that at the beginning of his term of servitude servi servi- servitude tude loomed like one Pil Pikes Pike's es e's peak penk plied piled on top of another That progress has come out of hard unremitting toil out of ceaseless p pat patient a t i e c n t effort 11 14 or 15 hours hour a day With the country in the midst of a a. growing growing growing grow grow- ing boom there have been obstacles obstacles obstacles ob ob- ob- ob that seemed at times in in- in surmountable The paper work connected with pension claims veterans' veterans Insurance and education under the G G. I L I. bill of rights has hasI I doubled and tripled from week to week There was a big backlog backlog backlog back back- log when Bradley took over To get this moving so that it would be current meant more office space It meant going into cities that were regional 1 headquarters for the veterans' veterans administration to try to find thousands of square feet of office space It meant trying to hire hundreds of additional clerks in a boom market Waiting List Cut Slowly but surely the waiting waiting waiting wait wait- ing list is being cut down In February for example disability or compensation cases caseR growing out of World War Var II were pending By tho the end of March this this m had been J 1 redu r re to 1 Mere figures hardly con convey the picture It rapidly A year car ago there tI J i ionly were tte only a few hundred thoiX thou hou veterans d i paying premiums pr the insurance o oA they to- to took out d dar ing the war Today the figure t 1 Is H around Two Teo lion letters a S month month many er ilion i them without tho the necessary in formation many of them w wout th out a proper address One special problem is ls ca ing Bradley a lot of worry worry now of Months ago a hospital construction blueprinted It provided for tor nT building of oC 75 hospitals In the t program that would t enable t te file veterans veterans' administration bl to ati up with its case load y through thrOugh 1050 1950 Congress Cong in du due ct S uru appropriated the money sp sW a fixed amount for each rf of tho the hospitals Bids on Hospitals Not long ago tho et veteran vetera i administration called for tor bi bid on two t of those hospitals hospital j h In each instance letters we were sent to about contractors pho would presumably be Interest interested in bidding For the tho pro propose hospital at Grand Junction Junco Colo three bids came in They were nearly nearly a over the tho cost corf stI allowed by congress On the other hospital at Providence R R. I. I one bid was receive which was about 60 above Ua cost allowed In the al appropriation That of course reflect reflects the boom Contractors oS simply 1 In P 11 r arent aren't interested in gove governing t construction on a narrow mu gin gm of profit They hope for i killing in jn a sellers' sellers market This makes a new and verr tough problem for General B Brad Brad- ley Icy In effect It means he car cannot build any of the 75 hospital because congress has hag sped specify the exact amount to be beon spit SP t ton on each one He must the fore go back to congress to get new legislation which Is lm I a lengthy and sometimes a n p pass pal ful process Copyright 1946 by United d Feature Syndicate j We Ve know there are arc groups trying to organize but mostly they have been talking big tug and do not do much u. Gea J J Joseph T T. European theater commander t |