Illinois Valley News, Thursday. September 13, 1945
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drew
P earson
(Note—hile Dr eu Pearson is on
i acation, Secretary of Agriculture Clin
ton P. Anderson contributes a guest
column.)
By CLINTON P. ANDERSON
Secretary of Agriculture
WASHINGTON. — The first Sun
day after V-J Day, a friend came
by with an automobile to take my
family and hfs for a drive into the
country to have dinner with another
friend Nothing like that had hap
pened in years. We were all de
lighted at the chance to ride through
country lanes, to talk about the
height of the corn, the possibilities
of crops, and the probability that we
would enjoy meat for dinner.
But as we started back into Wash
ington, we could not help but notice
that the roads were filling up. There
was a long line of traffic and many
folks drove by at speeds which
seemed reckless to us. They were
perhaps driving 40 or 45 miles an
hour and we had become accus
tomed to the 35-mile an hour leisure
ly gait.
When
one
speeding
car
swirled past us, I heard my wife
murmur, “My, what I wouldn’t
give to have gasoline rationing
back.”
I began to wonder how many of
the things that war had brought to
us as sacrifices or privations we
would soon come to appreciate as
blessings in disguise. I began to
wonder how long it would be before
people would sometimes sigh for
some of the real advantages of the
days during the war when we all
lived a little closer together, a little
more simply, and perhaps a little
more in the traditional Ameri-
can pattern that had started this
country on its way to becoming a
great nation.
Real Values of Life.
Do you remember back in the
years of the depression that Henry
Ansley out in Amarillo, Texas,
wrote a book entitled, “I Like the
Depression"? Frankly, I liked his
little book, because he told of the
blessings that had come to him with
a reversal in his financial situation.
He told of the discoveries that he
had made as the period of wild pros
perity passed and the long months of
depression set In. He told of the
farmers who had gone back to liv
ing on their farms instead of living
off their farms.
The war has done something to
all of us. It made us appreciate
some of the real values of life
that many of us had lost sight
of. We all complained a little
about the war, didn't we? We
were a little disappointed when
we found that the stocks of new
cars were frozen, but we dis
covered that the old car was a
lot better and would run a lot
longer than we had thought.
SERVICE
X BUREAU
EDITOR'S NOTE: This neuspapei
through special arrange.neat uith the
U' ashington liureau of U estern Vews- By P aul M allon
paper I num at 1616 Eye Street. V. U .,
U ashington, I). C... is able to brine
Released bv Western Newspaper Union.
reader, this weekly column on prob
lems of the i eteran and serviceman and FUTI RE OF LEND-LEASE
his family. Questions may be addressed
to the above Hureau and they will be NOW HELD IN DOUBT
answered in a subsequent column. No
WASHINGTON. — Shenanigans
replies can be made direct by mail,
but only in the column which uill a[e are starting for the dispensing ol
credit-and-loan billions abroad to re
pear in this newspaper regularly.
place lend-lease. Mr. Truman an
nounced the good news about the
let-down in lend-lease spending, and
Because of the much greater per Mr. Crowley simultaneously took the
centage of survival irono gun- credit to taxpayers for the news
shot wounds of the brain, chest and that Britain. Russia. France. China
abdomen in this war than in World and the rest of the world were com
War I and because of new disabili ing in with their hands out to him
ties incident to service in the trop now. Every news reader is naturally
ics, the Veterans administration has asking himself the question what
adopted a new rating schedule in kind of a bargain did we get. or are
determining the degree of disability we going to get? It should be a good
bargain because the rest of the
suffered by veterans of this war.
world is politically non-co-operative
The schedule, which has been in
with us in certain glaring examples
preparation for two years, replaces
Photograph shows part of the landing party which accompanied General MacArthur when he arrived in
of foreign policies, but must have
and liberalizes many provisions of
Japan to set up headquarters in Yokohama as Nippon’s military ruler and to receive the official sur
our financial help.
one prepared in 1933 and lists, for
render of that country. General MacArthur landed by air accompanied by a large force of paratroopers.
The answer is nowhere apparent
example. 176 separate disabilities of
Their first duty was evacuating American prisoners of war from a "black hell hole.”
bones, joints and muscles with nu yet, in front of or behind the news,
but
some
doubtful
aspects
are
dis
merous gradations within each, as
compared to 126 listings in the pre cernible to those in the financial
know-how.
vious schedule.
Disability Rate Change
Special attention has been given
in the new service-connected dis
ability ratings to scars resulting
from explosions, oil burns and the
residuals from frozen or immersion
foot. A number of tropical diseases
have been listed as cause for dis-
ability with special ratings adapted
for each, although only malaria
and filariasis have been encountered
among discharged veterans.
Changes in the medical concept
of the relationship of specific dis
eases to other conditions and to their
service connection are also reflected
in the new schedule. This has re
sulted in the inclusion cf many new
disabilities, some of which are
rated as high as 100 per cent on a
temporary basis where they are
not expected to produce more than
a 10 per cent permanent disability
All changes are designed to facili
tate more accurate and more equita
ble rulings for the various types of
disabilities.
In using the new rating schedule,
however, the basic policy of the Vet
erans administration remains un
changed and the veteran is allowed
the benefit of the doubt as between
the higher of two ratings, in deter
mining whether or not a disability
is service-connected
Questions and Ansiver»
Q. How does the death rate of
wounded soldiers In the present war
compare with that of the First
World war?
A. According to the war department
announcement June 1. the death rate
of our wounded soldiers In this war
is fl per cent. The death rate of
wounded soldiers, who lived long
enough to reach surgery in the First
World war was 24 per cent.
Q. Would transfer to a different
outfit overseas account for the de
motion of a corporal to a private?
Car-I'ool Neighbors.
I remember my first experience
with a car pool We had two auto
mobiles at our house; our next door
neighbor had two automobiles at his
place. We were not well acquaint
ed. mostly because it wasn't neces
sary, until the war came along.
Then my next door neighbor and I
and two others, who heretofore had
gone to our offices by separate
means, found ourselves fused to
gether into a car pool We were ir
revocably tied to each other, We
had to rise at the same time in the
morning, leave at the same hour for
work, and return home together in
the evening.
I am sure that at first we all re-
sented a little the fact that we lost
our freedom of action, but we
gained a great lesson in neighborli
ness. We found out that the people
who lived next to us might be just
as interesting and attractive, just as
pleasant and just as companionable
as the people whom we had always
known who lived down the street or
across the city.
A. One star has been authorized to
be worn on the Asiatic • Pacific area
service ribbon for participation in
one or more of the following actions-
Vella Gulf action. August 6 and 7,
1943; Vella Lavella occupation. Au
gust 15-October 16. 1943, and action
off Vella Lavella October 6-7. 1943
<L How soon after tiling applica
tion for a pension can the widow of
a war veteran expect payment?
' Ictory Garden Blessing,
How many women improved their
figures as they walked to market!
And think what Victory gardens did
for the men!
Like Drew Pearson, I will perhaps
be away from Washington w hen
this column is printed, away on a
short vacation. While 1 am gone,
someone will be mowing my lawn.
During the war I had to mow my
own lawn I couldn't find anyone
interested in taking care of my par
ticular little piec of property. And
a strange thing happened I found
that I could mow it as well as ¡i any-
one else, that ! could mow it
quit kl.v, and that I could learn with-
in a short time exactly how each
particular section could he best
mowed to develop the best cut of
grass And I found out also that
u hen I mowed It myself, I not only
Improved the lawn, I improved my
own digestion.
A. There would be no way of tell
ing the exact time which would
elapse, but the pension would be
retroactive from the date of appli
cation.
Q. Mould you advise dropping
government Insurance policy?
A Most service officers believe it
advisable not to drop government in
surance. especially if you have a
service disability and likely will not
be able to pass a physical examina
tion for private insurance A ma
jority of veterans are converting
their government insurance into 20-
pavment or other form of private
life insurance At least, the veteran
should permit his insurance to
run its present term until he has a
chance to analyze his ability to keep
up an insurance schedule of pav-
menta. We suggest that you con-
suit your local draft board, veterans
administration or your private in
surance company.
I ll miss that now that the war Is
over, because I’ll tell myself that
I'm too busy to do it when I can
hire someone else for the job. I
suppose that my wife will miss
something, too. because she used to
walk to market and carry her gro
ceries back home in a basket.
As for myself. I reflect upon the
fact that an automobile salesman
used to be able to sell me a new
car each year. But when the war
came I learned that automobiles
will go 50.000 or 100.000 miles and
still be pretty dependable as a
means of transportation.
N ews
B ehin
MacArthur Forces Landing on Japan Homeland
A. The war department says that
a soldier could be demoted, without
prejudice, to the grade of private if
he was transferred into an organiza
tion where there was no vacancy In
his grade.
Q. Is a former member of the Sea
bees, who participated in the action
at Vella Lavella entitled to a star?
Take Britain first, the biggest and
most-easily-seen case. An American
letter to business men purporting to
carry official British viewpoint
though it does not always say
justifies large loans to London
the ground that the proposed
cialism for the British mines and
transport (their purchase by the
government) is to be financed by
self-liquidating bonds — so we na
turally can have no interest in them.
That is the kind of propaganda to
appeal to the American business
mind — self ■ liquidating loans are
sound. They pay themselves off
from profits. So, concludes the prop
aganda letter, there could not pos
sibly be able objection to them ir
the United States.
Nothin»; Left on Corregidor
\\ hen U. S. Heroes Fell
&
The propaganda neglects to
reveal to our people the one sal
ient fact of the matter which
would knock that whole appeal
into a doublecocked Homburg,
namely that British Socialism
contemplates also taking over
the Bank of England, which, of
course, is the most important
consideration in her future cred
it standing.
Any American business man who
thinks of that fact (he will have to
WAVs and U. S. engineers examine a portion of the ruins of “topside” barracks. Corregidor, Philippine
think of it himself because the
islands, showing the complete destruction that resulted before the gallant American forces were defeated by
propagandists will not tell him) will
the superior Japanese arms. There was nothing but ruin for the Japs to take over and there is nothing
immediately say to himself: “Why,
left of the strong prewar fortification now that the island is back in the hands of Americans.
if the Socialists are to abolish the
standards of credit of Capitalism in
their best, and perhaps change it
from day to day, or run it in any di
rection they want. I would not make
them a loan. I would make them
1
give me some unchangeable assur-
I
a ace of flnancial good faith before
I would even consider it.”
Youth to Spur Drive on Crime
Under Sec. of State
A
Cancelled Last Loans.
Now their argument (the British)
is that they had to have the John
son act repealed to cancel their
last war debt; the London economist
was put up to say that a 50-
cents-on-the-dollar settlement is nee-
essary to pull them out of lend-
lease red (although no one else said
anything officially about paying any
thing), and they are in a desperate
financial plight for dollars, credit
and internally from their terrific
war debt—but they want more debt
from us and want to increase their
internal debt untold billions more
for Socialism and make their people
pay the interest. That sounds like
a one-sided proposition.
1
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X
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To put it in its simplest terms:
Britain wants us to pull her out
of the red and yet have her way.
way,
Interests in
In
exclusive of our interests
anv particular. I Her government
told parliament It would be aw-
aw
ful for us to interfere with her
wishes in any way.)
This same proposition is being
sold to the public in an equally clev
er political way. The news accounts
out of the Crowley press conference
(quite plainly presenting off-the-rec
ord material) said a $3,000.000,000
loan to Britain was being discussed
but British officials were anxious to
make some arrangements “concern
ing eternal debts incurred during
the war before taking on additional
outside debts." Not a word was
mentioned about Britain taking on
more internal debts by purchasing
her own industries — ones which she
already controls in the public inter
est. Our officialdom just let it be
known "some way would have to be
found to carry Britain over the
bumpy road ahead," but not a word
that I see about what we would get
out of it in any particular.
Q. Can a veteran of either thia
But one day the news from abroad
war or the First World war enter a quotes the British brain truster.
hospital In another state to take ad Prof. Harold Laski, as suggesting
vantage of a better climate, or must the new British government does not
he remain In the hospital within the have the interests of the United
state in which he lives?
States at heart in any respect but
A According to the Veterans ad- ' would work closer to the Russian*,
ministration, it is possible in some developing
Socialism
throughout
cases to be transferred to a hos
Europe, revise England throughout,
pital outside his state His transput < and enough other things to drive any
tat ion would not be paid for unless creditor away, and then days later
the physician I in charge ordered comes Foreign Minister Bevin, be
such a transfer You should refer latedly. agreeing that maybe some
the matter to Die regional office of of the Balkan elections and plans arc
the Veterans administration which not on the level, or our level Have
rated you and is handling your case
we any guarantees In this condition*
r
Fearful of a possible increase in juvenile delinquency, civil, religious
and business leaders asked the youth of Chicago to redouble efforts for
the welfare of youngsters. The Chicago Youth conference is given
credit for a 25 per cent reduction in juvenile crime for 1944. It has a
membership of 1*6.000 parochial and public school students.
Being sworn in as under secretary
of state to replace Joseph C. Grew,
Dean Acheson takes the oath of of
fice. Acheson served as special rep
resentative between the White House
and congress.
Truman Gets a Hat
When General MacArthur landed in Japan to map the future course
of conduct for that country towards the rest of the world, he was not
the first American to do just that. In 1854. Com. Matthew Perry of
the V. 8. navy made the Japs cry “Uncle" when he forced the Mikado
to open Japanese porta to American shipping and establish commercial
relations.
President Truman was presented
with a “five star beaver hat,” by a
delegation from Maricopa county,
Aris., when they called upon him to
discuss a hospital project.