Illinois Valley News, Thursday. September 13, 1945 »<** At c I MEwmf-Go-aouND 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