PAGE FOUR Tht OREGON STATESMAN, Salem, Oregon, Thursday Morniag, August 8, 1929 AUXILIARY HAS mm. RECORD Avis White President This Year of Salem Chapter; Welfare Work Done - For the past eight years the Salem American Legion Aux ilary has taken an active part in civic and charitable work, particularly in the field of child welfare and hospital aid. The auxiliary was first or ganized in 1921 but met with reverses and was re-organiz ed in 1924, with Irs. J. J. Rottle as president. Member ship has increased steadily and the field of activity has; greauy wiaenea. The present officers are: President, Avis White; first vice president, Luclle Meyer s;econd Tice-president, Fay Lleuallen: chaplain, Mrs. Albert Gragg; Sergeant at arms, Mrs. W. T. Wat kins; historian. Alice Lock ard. The executive committee con sists of Mrs. King Bartlett, Mrs. Walter Zosel, Mrs. W. E. Vincent. Harriet Wechter and Genevieve Tragllo are standard bearers. Welfare Work Done The child welfare work has been under the direction of Bess Watklns as chairman while Mrs. Jesse George directs the work of the hospital committee. Mrs. George Is also a member of the department hospital committee so the scope of her work la much wider than the Salem district. The auxiliary has sponsored a girl scout troop as part of their work and the girls win act as pases for the coming convention. Oa Memorial Day the auxiliary sponsors the sale of red poppies made by the disabled veterans. The funds from this sale are used for hospital work. This year, on Memorial day the local auxiliary presented a cop of the picture "In Flanders Field" to each school in Salem. The ladies of the auxiliary gave one day each month to assisting ia the work of the Marion County child health demonstration. This is in addition to - the extensive child welfare work done by the auxiliary. To Mark Graves This year the local organiza tion started a movement to get government markers for all the unmarked graves of war veterans in Salem cemeteries. Those gov: ernment markers are of New Eng land marble and the only expense to the local unit is that 'of setting them. A great deal of work is In volved in getting the complete WELCOME Oregon SAlTO-GlVEL-CEl .1405 N. Front Street Here's the lit Lf ft i . . Photo inado at San Antonio, Texas, la September, 1028, When of the United States. mar record of the deceased and the consent of surviving relatives to place the marker. This is all done by the local women. Until recently a woman could gain membership In the auxiliary only if some near relative was a member of the American Legion. Now one may Join the auxiliary on her own war record. The present membership of the Salem auxiliary is 217. LARGE DELEGATION LAGRANDE. August 5. The American Legion Post of La Grande can well be recognized as the leading post in the eastern Oregon district. It has always maintained the largest member ship in that section and its mem bers have always taken an active part in legion afiairs. The total membership for the year 1929 has reached the 300 mark and under the leadership of Commander C. V. Talbott the post ha's had a very remarkable year. Two things of which the La Grande post and its auxiliary are justly proud are the Legion drum corps and the auxiliary drill team. Both organizations will be in attendance at the Salem conven tion and from the combined or ganization and the delegates and visitors from La Grande a total of 70 people from La Grande will be present. This is the largest repre sentation from any single eastern Oregon town. The drum corps has a membership of 32 and the drUl team-18. Delegates to the convention from LaGrande are C. V. Talbott, commander of the post, Otis Pal mer, post adjutant. Harry Sandoa. Ralph Huron and Hugh Brady. Hi SENDING mSTm fcsssa. Legionnaires and Members of the AuxiKaiy item Gravel Way Salem's Drum Corps Looked Way Down South 2 . i X - . -r -.N .... - i . . .... .-. J v. More Hospitals Needed by Vets Who are Mentally 111; Congress is Asked to Help There are 10,658 more mental ly ill patients in the state institu tions of New York than there Is capacity, an overcrowding of 30.9 per cent, according to Frederick W. Parsons, M. D.. commissioner of the department of mental hy giene. There are 1.020 ex-service men in these state institutions, he said. Under the law these veter ans are entitled to treatment and ears ia government, hospitals. The government hospitals for the men. tally sick are filled. The statment of the overcrowd ed condition of New York State In stitutions was made to tbe Amer ican Legion which is endeavoring, nationally, in conjunction with state authorities and the "V eterans' B area a. to determine the acute need of providing additional gov ernment hospital construction to care for the increasing load of mentally ill war veterans. According to Commissioner Par sons, whose figures are taken as of May 1. 534 of the 1.020 ex service patients In the state insti tutions of New York are being cared for in the Kings Park hos pital. The remaining 488 cases are under treatment in the other 13 civil state hospitals, the largest number In one institution being 120 at the Manhattan State hos pital. There ts ao snrercrowding in the Veterans Memorial TJait tn the King Park State Hospital, ac cording to CemmJBstoaer Paraoas, Who adds that w heMeve tke ex service patients hi tb ter state hospitals are all wen cared far." The American Legion national survey shows tke ver-crowded conditions of New York institu TO S; BUILDING f ? the corps fromhere won secesd tions to be similar to the condi tions in most other 6tates, In many of which, however, the vet erans are not receiving the prop er care to which they are entitled under the law. " The World War Veterans Act, 1924, as amended, in Section 202, Paragraph 10, provides that all Veterans mentally 111, as well as a few other classes of disabled, are eligible to treatment and care tn government hospitals, regard less of whether they can trace their Illness to war service, but no beds are available tor such veterans, many of whom carried oa without complaint for several years after the war. According to a statement made Jane t by the service director of hte Legion department of New York, there was one "service con nected" mental case awaiting hos pitalization by the government; three non-service connected; 18 service connected now in hospitals awaiting transfers: 22 non-service connected hospitalized awaiting transfer, besides a roster of hund reds of cases in state institutions where no contact by the bureau was had due to the fact that they are non-service connected and no reauests had been made of the bureau for treatment Members of Los Angeles Lodge 1 of Elks, No. 99, have organized an aviation club to encourage in terest In aeronautics. The club members are chartering planes for visits to Elks' lodges within a radios of 1.000 miles of Los Angeles. MATERIALS Telephone 244 natiomal honors nsjainat field of HMissnnis III 1IH1Y Commander of Salem Post Says Task of Putting on Meet No Worry About as smooth a functioning piece of mechanism as there is in the world is a Chevrolet car in the eyes of Douglas McKay, com mander of the Salem post. When Doug" appointed his convention commission, however, and saw it get to working, he decided that the commission - was even a smoother piece of mechanism in its functioning than the well known car which provides the McKay family with funds for rent and food. Doug's idea has been one of delegating work to responsible men and letting them go ahead to work out the details. His idea has succeeded beautifully. In complete harmony, the con vention commission has gone ahead with plans for publicity, housing, entertainment, transpor tation and the other problems which confront any legion conven tion commission. Lots of people have asked me how I can get any of my own business done with the conven tion on my hands this year," com mented McKay this week. "Real- 1 III Hi - ft " ' . " " ii in . it . -f-- corpe entered from all sections , . j tly, the convention plans have not worried me. Tbe commission has done each consistently good work j that the conelave has never both-, ered me. Hospital Now Ready for Use In Emergency An emergency hospital station, under the direction of Dr. W. V. Carlton Smith, will be maintain ed at the courthouse grounds all during the legion convention. A tent 18x50 will be the offi cial headquarters and the Golden Ambulance company has given the services of one ambulance to be on dnty all the time. The Marion county court gave the use of the ground free of charge. Oscar Bower, county sher iff, donated the electricity, and an extension light line will be run from his office to the tent. The telephone wrll be secured in the same way from the office of the eeunty treasurer. Red Cros Flag Shown The red cross flag which will designate the tent Is the gift of the Salem legion auxiliary. Cots for emergency cases will be pro vided. Medical supplies will not he kept at the tent but some one will always be in attendance and doctors will always be subject to calL Welcome American Legionnaires and Members of the Auxiliary 430 N. Commercial Street CONFINED VETS ARE SEEN OFTEN Salem Legion Auxiliary Has Its Members go to Port land to Call Veterans who are In the hos pital and their families have been one of the chief concerns of the American Legion auxiliary since Its organization and Capital Unit of Salem has been very active In this field during the past year. Mrs. Jesse George is chairman of the hospital committee for the Salem unit as well as a member of the state hospital committee. Mrs. George or a member of her committee calls at least once each month upon those veterans who are in the tuberculosis hospital. Gifts of fruit, flowers, or any thing that the patient desires are always taken oa these visits. All Salem veterans who are confined to hospitals are called upon and cheered in every way possible. Freauent visits are made to the veterans hospital in Portland and Welcome Buddies - and -Ladies Auxiliary, too. Hope you enjoy Salem, Western Dairy Products Co. Sunfreeze Ice Cream. to Salem rvn JM1CJ at each visit cigarettes or tobacco. is given to every man ia ine hos pital. At Christmas time. 325. was given to provide gifts for the men. Whenever a veteran dies this committee sends flowers in the name of the auxiliary. Onue very Important feature of the work is the attention given to the wives and families of veterans who are ill. In case the wife wants work the committee sees that suit able employment Is found. If the family is in need the necessary food and clothing is provided and the wife and children cared for until the father is again able to work. War mothers also coma In for their share of attention. Ono case in Salem has attracted a great deal of interest from the women. This woman has been confined to a local hospital for some time. A wheel chair was purchased tor her use and a needed sweater was pro vided. Much of the work of the hos pital committee, like tht of the child welfare section, is done so quietly that few people know any thing about it. Funds are secsred by contributions and by the tea which the auxiliary sponsors each year. This is given at tbs Elks club and the proceeds are divided between the hospital and child welfare work. ' i S;