article by Sgt. Jack
raises ‘some of the
gions asked by soldiers
about’ rehabilitation.
‘hope it will serve as an
sduction to a discussion
Sis vital problem through
columns of our paper. We
me letters, suggestions
wm comment from our read-
especially those in the
sed forces.—Ed.)

iE Canadian Army
¥ overseas is definitely in-
Sted in rehabilitation.
viryone is asking questions
yf discussing the pros and
of the legislation that
been passed to date.

ig I have followed the sub-
af closely, I have frequently
dg given the opportunity to
@-e on rehabilitation to
eqanies, platoons; and com-
[2 groups. I have also led
organized discussions on
x more phases of the pro-
#. and contributed articles
wae same to unit and Can-
4i publications. 1 have had
sless. -personal discussions
‘soldiers ranging from the
of private to lieutenant-
raiel—all interested in one
: Just what is the
fHeht dope on this rehabili-

I stated in an article pre-
esly, the army is skeptical
t rehabilitation.

#s not my intention to give
4 detailed analysis vf exist-
fiegislation and regulations,
*-ather to place before you a
{criticisms as told to me by
reds and hundreds of sol-
First, the soldier who
—is to go into business or
mil up a profession feels
ted. If a veteran wants to
arming he can“ buy a farm
serms up to the value of
2:0 if he puts 10 percent
a and then he can get credit
‘so $1200 for chattels.. Re-
faent is spread over 25
@-s, and if he makes his pay-

v

Rehabilitation Problems

Arising

ments : promptly, the state
writes off $2320, or 38 percent.

If a married veteran who
worked in a boot store before
the war wants to go into busin-
ess, he can apply for his re-
establishment credits. This cre-
dit is computed on the basis of

$7.50 for every thirty- days
active service in the Western
Hemisphere, and $15.00 for

every day outside the Western
Hemisphere. Thus an ex-soldier
who
service at home and three years
abroad would have a re-estab-
lishment credit of $7200. This
sum he can apply for and re-
ceive.

Yet the man who is applying
for a grant under the Veterans’
Land Act received the sum of
$2320, even though he may

-have served only half as long
as the man who wants to go
into business.

The army doctor, or lawyer,
who never had much of a
chance to build a professional
practice can borrow up_ to
$6,000. As under the Veterans’
Land Act repayment should be
spread over a period of up to
twenty-five years, with the
state making a conditional
grant of 88 percent after ten
years of prompt payment.

Interest should be lowered to
2% percent, at least, as it
should for those taking farms.
Granted it is more risk for the
state to invest $6000 in a medi-
cal practice or a grocery store
than in a piece of land with a
house on it, but the purpose of
rehabilitation is to try and help
every veteran to adjust him-
self into civilian life according
to his qualifications, ability and
inclination. To do so means to
do the best thing for the vet-
eran, for his family, and for

oO

mp CVERY CANADIAN ON WAR,
5 SERVICE OUTSIDE CANADA HAS
NGa}| THE RIGHT To voTé WHATEVER
Set us Ace.

GENERAL ELECTIONS IN CAN

atlor.

U IN 1920, ALL BRITISH
; SUBJECTS INCLUDING
WOMEN , WERE GIVEN, £2

THE RIGHT TO VOTE.”

served two years active: -

By Sergt. Jack Phillips

the nation. Every veteran can’t
become a farmer—and a large
number don’t want to.

Let us not forget in this con-
nection that the cream of the
university crop over the past
ten years has been drawn into
the armed _ services. Doctors,
lawyers, chemists, scientists
and so on down the line. Even
as such men have made a great
contribution to the defeat of the
enemy, so can they make a
great contribution to the new
and prosperous Canada we
want to build. We cannot afford
to be frugal in this matter.
‘The USA and New Zealand
have passed legislation grant-
ing generous loans to ex-ser-
vicemen. Canada must pass
similar legislation, in the inter-
est of the men and women who
served their country so well,
and in the interests of the na-
tions.

In the case of returning ser-
vicemen wishing to continue
university or specialized train-
ing, the same scale of benefits
should apply as prevailed at the
time of discharge, plus a sub-
sistence allowance now appli-
cable (i.e. $1.25 per day for
other ranks and $1.70 for offi-
cers) and for twelve months a
year instead of for eleven
months as at present, where
men taking vocational training
are granted $60 per month if
single and $80 per month if
married, with dependent allow-
ances. :

The same scale of benefits
should apply to-those receiving

grants while out of work,
awaiting return from a private
enterprise, temporarily inca-

pacitated, or receiving vocation-
al training. This would place
the onus on the state and the
community to help adjust the
veteran into civilion life witk-
out lowering his income during
the interim period.

The argument may be ad-
vanced that if a man can get
full army

pay and allowances

Association

Of Europe

Why Women Cry —.

for a ycar as out-of-work bene-
fits, the. 2 will be little induce-
ment for such a man to take a
vocational course to
qualify himself to earn a living.
Such arguments are based on
the old, fake theory that every
man who is out-of-work is lazy,
that it is no concern of the
state to maintain a high level
of employment. It also loses
sight of the fact that under the
existing regulations, veterans
drawing out-of-work benefits
must comply if directed to vo-
cational training by the appro-
priate authorities. Similarly,
students attending university
must make satisfactory prog-
ress or their benefits cease.

F course, some hard hearted
Tories -will ask, “Where is
the money to come from?” The
answer_is so simple it is almost
a platitude. ‘Where did we find
the money in wartime?”

Surely if Canada could pay
officers and men, keep their
dependents, and spend many
times this much in Weapons,
ammunition, food, and all of the
materiel of war, so that men
could risk their lives to help
win the war—then the country
can invest a fraction of this
sum to help men win for them-
selves a future. The total cost
of rehabliitation will be like a
glass of water out of a pail
when compared to the cost of
the war.

Let us remember that if we
maintain a high level of em-
ployment and social security in
Canada after the war, and keep
the farmer prosperous, normal
employment will provide work
for the vast majority of ex-
servicemen.

ANY servicemen who have
employment to go to are not
satisfied because they will re-
ceive their gratuities in month-
ly instalments, averaging about

Fo, Good Reading Try These

Heritage of the Communist Political

Communists and the Liberation

hAaxine Levi

better

one month’s army pay and al-

lowances. Some want to buy

furniture, some want to take

the wife and kids for a vaca-

tion; others want to invest the

money in a_ business; others

want to put the money towards —
a house.

The two chief arguments
against giving the gratuities
in a lump sum are (1)The vet-
eran may spend it all foolishly,
and if he has dependents they
will suffer. (2) Because of a
limited amount of consumer
goods available on the market,
and because it may be some
time before controls are fully
relaxed, it is wiser to spread
the veteran’s gratuities over a
period of months.

The average veteran is a
volunteer and feels that he
should be consulted as to how
he should receive his money. It
would meet with general ap-
proval if the veteran was given
the choice as to whether he
should receive his gratuity as a
lump sum or in monthly instal-
ments. To make such lump pay-
ments possible, the Act of
Parliament authorizing grants
would have to be amended.

If controls are relaxed, only
as circumstances properly per-
mit, the veteran’s extra money
would cause no inflation of
prices. On the whole, the money
would be spent on the necessi-
ties of life.

S$
ITH servicemen about to
return to Canada in their

tens of thousands, every large
and small community where
there exists a housing shortage
must swing into action to meet
this problem. Long term. plan-
ning is very necessary, but here
is an emergency situation that
calls for imagination, boldness,
initiative and constructive un-
ity. Prefabricated houses should
play a large role in helping -to
meet this emergency.
Bitterness over the housing

muddle, the failure of national,
provincial, and local planning

agencies to provide emergency
housing for returned
men causes

service-
returning
servicemen to turn sour against
government and his
on the home front.

many

comrades

PEOPLE’S 6

420 West Pender Street

IESE ESESESESESESE

KSTORE

Phone MArine 5836

PIEIESESESESESESES EES

SATURDAY, JUNE 16, 1945.

OS Wey iG