The Veterans' Bureau

ARMY AND NAVY

The Veterans' Bureau

The public hearings of a subcommittee of the Senate investigating the Veterans' Bureau closed, at least tentatively. The Senate is expected to receive the report of the investigation (which has so far cost about $15,000) about Dec. 15. As the hearing closed General John F. O'Ryan, counsel of the committee said:

"What has been presented in the public hearings constitutes but a fragment of what has developed since the investigation began last March, both in regard to the neglect of the disabled, and corruption and waste in the Veterans' Bureau."

Colonel Charles R. Forbes, former Director of the Bureau, testified in his defense towards the close of the hearings. He answered the principal charges against him as follows:

P: That he had secretly given out lists of hospital sites that were to be purchased by the Government. Forbes testified that excepting only two, all sites were given free to the Government.

P: That he had given out advance copies of the plans of a hospital. The Army official who drew the plans testified that they had never "been in Forbes' possession.

P: That he had authorized the engagement of a civilian architect who drew plans for a hospital that could not be used, although the architect received $97,000 in payment. Forbes declared that he had been ordered to engage an outside Republican architect; he admitted that the only person who could give him such an order was the President of the United States (then Warren G. Harding).

P: That he had awarded a contract at Northampton, Mass., to a firm whose bid was $27,000 higher than that of another bidder. Forbes testified that the higher bidder promised to perform the job in 60 days, the lower bidder in 120 days, that winter was approaching and it was necessary to get the contract completed.