Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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THE NEWBERRY SUN. NEWBERRY. S. C. EUROPE’S LITTLE PEOPLE—1946 Prices High and Goods Scarce, ' But Belgium Is Forging Ahead By PAULINE FREDERICK , WNU Foreign Correspondent BRUSSELS.—It was not a typical Belgian home, but it symbol ized Belgium in relation to the rest of Europe. This little conutry, though it has known the invader more than once, has made an amazing economic recovery and is in a class beyond any of its neighbors in this part of the world. <s> Pi SERVICE BUREAU EDITOR’S NOTE: This newspaper, through special arrangement with the Washinglon Bureau of Western Newspaper Union at 1616 Eye Street, N. W., Washing ton, D. C-, is able to bring readers this tveekly column, on problems of the veteran and serviceman and his family. Questions may be addressed to the above Bureau and they will be answered in a subsequent col umn. No replies can be made direct by mail, but only in the column which will appear in this newspaper regularly. Decentralization of Hospitals Promised The veterans’ administration in seeking to further decentralize hos pital facilities for veterans is con tracting with hospitals throughout the nation for “home town care” for veterans with service-connected disabilities, principally for those needing only “out-patient care.” In this connection Dr. Paul R. Hawley, chief medical director, an nounced that such service may be obtained in hospitals in Kansas, Michigan, California, New Jersey, Washington, Oregon and North Carolina and the service is being extended as rapidly as contracts may be signed. A schedule of fees has been ap proved by VA. When the program is in complete operation, veterans with service-connected disabilities will contact the regular VA chan nels, as formerly, and then will se lect a doctor from a list of co-operat ing physicians if they capnot be cared for in a VA out-patient clinic. The service is free to the veteran and VA pays the doctor through the state medical service agency. The plan will eliminate long trips by veterans to obtain medical care. The same regulations apply to those receiving similar treatment from their home town physician. Questions and Answers Q. Am I, as an officer, entitled to travel pay for my wife from point of my discharge to home while she is on terminal leave? She lived with me two months immediately prior to my discharge.—D. L. P., Pipe stone, Minn. A. Your letter indicates your wife was also an officer. I suggest you write to Dependent Travel Branch, General Accounting Office, Wash ington, D. C. Q. When will World War I vet erans receive a pension, and at what age? I' have been sick ever since I got out of the army, but couldn’t get a pension.—J. D. K., East Dubuque, 111. A. World War I veterans do not automatically get a pension at any age. They were awarded a bonus. If your illness was service-connect ed or aggravated by your service, your only hope is to apply for dis ability at your nearest veterans’ ad ministration office. Q. My husband was a veteran of World War I, serving six weeks at Little Rock, Ark. He was given a medical discharge on account of his heart. He died last year of heart trouble. Would I be entitled to a widow’s pension?—Mrs. O. E. P., Pocobontas, Iowa. A. I am inclined to believe you might be, but you should make your application to the nearest veterans’ administration office for their deci sion. Q. My husband went to the army on July 2, 1942, and got an honor able discharge on October 7, 1942. I did not receive an allotment for myself and baby while he was gone. Is there any way I can get it now and is my husband eligible for the S20 a week for 52 weeks?—Mrs. L. D. C., Tullahoma, Tenn. A. Although your husband was in the army less than 90 days, you might try getting back allotment by writing to the Army Central Ad justing office, 4300 Goodfellow Blvd., St. Louis 20, Mo. If your husbeud received a medical discharge prior to 90 days of service and is unem ployed, he is entitled to make ap plication for a job at your nearest U. S. Unemployment Service and receive up to $20 per week until he obtains employment, but not more than 52 weeks-. Q. My son was employed by a firm in St. Paul as personnel man ager before be entered service three years ago. He served in the Euro pean and Pacific theaters. He re turned in January and went to see about his job again. His employ er offered him another job at a much lower rate of pay. What can he do and can his company be made to give him his former job back?— Mother, Cloquet, Minn. A. Under the Selective Service law your son is entitled to his old job or one of similar pay and senior ity if he is physically able to fill the job. Suggest he contact his selective service board and they will see that he has legal representation. Q. My son enlisted in the service the summer of 1942. I did not re ceive a family allowance until De cember 1, 1944. I was and still am his dependent mother. A would like to know if I am entitled to and can get family allowance beginning No vember 1, 1943, or for the year 1944. —A mother, Mathews Co., Va. A. Family allowances to parents is not compulsory. The question is, was the allowance deducted from your son’s pay during that year. If so, you are entitled to it. Write to Army Central Adjustment office, 4300 Goodfellow Blvd., St. Louis 20, Mo. No, the Van de Yens do not live in an average Belgian home, be cause greater material advantages than many of their countrymen know have provided them with a modernistic house, in the Holly wood sense, with expanses of glass and chrome, salons, a breakfast room on the second floor, a library, the decor and furnishings bespeak ing a trend toward the ultra-smart. As I sat talking to Madame Van de Ven, I could look across the cof fee table with its bowl of narcissi in the center, to the salon with chairs and divan covered in clipped wool, a bowl of scarlet tulips on the table, to the dining room with its full-wall landscape in oils. It was in this setting that Madame Van de Ven talked about living conditions in Belgium as she knew them dur ing the war and now. “You caii'“ get anything you want in Belgium, if you pay for it,” she told me. “That was true during the occupation as well as now—although INTERVIEW . . . Madame Van de Ven and son Johnny in their home in Brussels where Pauline Frederick interviewed them. every week prices are dropping as tonishingly. “During the war, it took ten times as much money to run my house and take care of my family as be fore the war,” Madame told me. “It is now down to five times as much, and I think when it gets to three times that will be about what is expected to be normal. “Of course, the prices have been very hard on the poor people. You had to buy things on the black mar ket because they were not avail able otherwise. You still have to buy on the black market, if you want things,” she went on. For example, butter on the black market is roughly $2 a pound while it has been as high as $3 a pound. The official price is around 60 cents. Real silk hose bring around $8 on the marche noir whereas the official price is about $1. There has been only one shoe ration during and since the wai, so that it is almost necessary to buy shoes on the black market. For an ordinary pair of women’s shoes, the black market price would be between $35 and $40, whereas if you wanted a pair of stout walking shoes that would last for some time, you probably would have to give the equivalent of $60. Cigarettes command the usual fantastic price that they do in all countries of Europe today. There is a black market street in Brussels where anything may be had from American uniforms to potatoes. And clothing coupons can be bought on the streets. “The black market has been help ing to bring prices down,” Madame Van de Ven said, and then went on to explain: “The Belgians are im, dividualists. They must be active —even outside the law. When it was said no goods could be pro duced, people buying on the black market created such prices that the government was forced to do some thing to increase the supply so as to bring prices down. Because goods are coming on the market, the price of textiles has come down 60 per cent since New Year’s and the gov ernment is taking steps to close up places that are selling above the official price.” In the food line, the scarcest item is potatoes, with meat running sec ond. Just before the elections, a new list came out which slightly in creased the ration for fat, meat, and coffee and, of course, there was a suspicion on the part of many peo- When I awoke, my sleeper was standing in the rain beside the sta tion platform in Brussels. It was seven o’clock and not yet light. The rest of the train on which we had crossed the Rhine at full flood the night before coming from Germany, had moved on to Calais with its England-bound servicemen. I noticed right away that there was a difference in the station from that of almost any major German city I had entered in the last three pie that this step had a direct con nection with the elections. If you don’t deal on the black,market and stay within the ration—here are some of the allotments: As in other European countries, bread and potatoes are an impor tant part of the Belgian diet. Just under a pound of bre^ld a day per person and tw r enty pounds of pota toes a month are the ration. Three- fourths of a pound of coffee a month per person is the coffee ration and about two pounds of fat which must include margarine, a butter-spread which contains cheese and butter. Oranges are rationed to two and bne-flfth pounds a month and dried fruits and raisins less than one- fourth pound. The cheese ration is less than a quarter pound per per son per month. Miners, who are so essential to Belgium’s economic re covery, are given extra points, of course. As for clothing, 100 tickets are allowed for a period. A woman’s tailored suit would take 80 points, and an ordinary slip would use up 9 points. However, it is possible to obtain lingerie in certain stores without coupons if you pay extra francs, or you can buy clothing on the streets of Brussels. “But Belgium is doing very well,” she asserted. Madame Van de Yen’s husband is an inporter of regrigeration and wood products from the United States. They have a 15-year-old daughter, Jacki, and a nine-year- old son, Johnny. A lordly camache poodle, named Jeep, completes the family. Jeep, born on the day of liberation, hps brown hair clipped to leave ruffs about his feet and head and wears a German iron cross. Yes, the Van de Yens think Bel-, gium is doing very well. And that is the impression you get everywhere. One business man pre dicted to me that if conditions con tinue to improve, this little country will be back to normal by the end of the year. Already coal production is up to 75 per cent, and steel 60 per cent. The textile mills are get ting under way. But Belgium must have imports —especially from the United States. And in order to buy American goods, she must have dollars. Bel gium’s greatest resources are labor and coal with which she lhakes im- JEEP ... The Van de Yen’s camache poodle with Johnny. The German iron cross, once given to Nazi warriors for bravery, now adorns the dog. ported raw materials into goods for sale abroad. She has plenty of goods for internal consumption, be cause the outbreak of the war found her plentifully stocked, and the Bel gians were able to hide much of their supplies from the Germans which they are now putting on the market. But Belgium must have export business. Before the war, Belgium was a land of low prices and low wages. When the cost of living began to ad vance 10 times above normal, wages were raised 80 per cent in order to make existence possible. But at that point the government decid ed that only a vicious spiral of in flation was in progress, so it put a halt to wage advances and start ed working on price decreases. As a result, Belgians themselves tell you that the price drops in as short a time as two weeks are “aston ishing.” months. There were no twisted gir ders and smashed skylights, no crumpled locomotives standing in the yards. As I came out onto the street, crowded street-cars (trams, they call them here) were hurrying by with people jumping on and off as best they could, as seems to be the fashion in trolley-boarding all over Europe. There was a bustle of civilian traffic to which I had grown accustomed in Germany. Cities in Belgium Still Show Bomb Scars Released by Western Newspaper Union. By VIRGINIA VALE P AUL HENREID, who plays a curate :n Warner Bros.’ “Devotion,” was puzzled by a group of eight nice looking gerttlemen who visited the set where he was working. They edged up as close as possible, and paid rapt attention when he did a scene with Olivia de Havilland. Afterward he learned that they were clergymen, and were interest ed in the Henreid technique dis played in making a parish call. In cidentally, after getting her man in 30 straight pictures since 1935, Olivia gets turned down by Victor Francen in this one. However, she marries Henreid — and she says her infatuation for Francen was just a school-girl crush anyway, so it doesn’t count. * Louise Allbritton, who co-starred with William Eythe in “For Al ways'’ on a recent “This Is My Best” airing over CBS, did it under difficulties. She’d been badly un nerved by an auto wreck on her LOUISE ALLBRITTON way to the studio. She wasn’t hurt, but she was upset and axcited. Yet you’d never have suspected it.’ She didn’t even look nervous, and she didn’t fluff a line of her complicated dialogue. * Robert Montgomery, who co- stars with Miss Garson in “A Wom an of My Own,” is going to delight all of us who liked him so much in “Night Must Fall” by making an other mystery story by the same author, Raymond Chandler. This one is “Lady in the Lake.” * Columbia Broadcasting System is certainly covering the news with the organization behind “Robert Trout with the News till Now” (5:45-7:00 p. m., EST). It includes 36 Colum bia news experts located in 17 of the world’s liveliest news centers. Something new will be introduced by a staff of experts who will “re search” the news; they’ll build au thentic backgrounds against which the news can be projected, give documentation to the stories. Trained reporters will help prepare the scripts. * Patti Clayton’s made history — she’s zoomed to popularity via a singing commercial! She’s the orig inal “Chiquita Banana” girl, and people everywhere used to listen to her voice telling them not to put bananas in the refrigerator, even though they hated bananas. Now Patti has her own program, “Waitin’ for Clayton,” on CBS at 6:15 p. m., EST, thanks largely to the tons of fan mail she received. In “Little Giant,” their new Uni versal picture, Abbott and Costello break their 16-year-old entertain ment formula. They perform as individuals, not as a team, and for the first time since 1930 they’re fol lowing a script, studying lines and written directions — formerly they improvised their dialogue and in vented the accompanying action. And they’re not including any of their comic routines. A special group of page boys has been assigned to the 6th floor stu dios at NBC in NewiYork, to handle the exuberant bobby-soxers who swarm in the wake o{ their new idol. Robert Merrill. The 27-year-old bari tone has been creating a sensation at the Metropolitan Opera House. In the movie, “Doll Face,” which stars Perry Como, he’s called upon to sell his barber shop to finance his show business aspirations. The , screen writers were just delving® into history — Perry once ran his own barber shop, in Cannonsburg, Pa. And he sold it so that he could get money to take a whack at sing ing professionally. ODDS AND ENDS—Ray Milland was en route to a gas station for a job one day 13 years ago when William Meiklejohn, Paramount talent chief, signed him to a screen contract. . . . Robert Young grew a trim mustache in three and one-half weeks for his role in Hal Wallis’ “The Searching Wind.“ . . . David O. Selxnick says his multi-million dollar production, “Duel in the Sun,’’ will run for two hours and thirty-five minutes. . . . Before the “Queen for a Day" group even reached Denver, 25,000 requests for tickets had been received at the radio station carrying the broadcast . . . Probably all from wom en hoping to be queen for a day. Woman's World . Pretty Bedroom Accessories Can Be Made of Old Curtains W HETHER you share your bed room with another member of the family or enjoy its privacy, you want to make it the most attractive and cozy room in the house. Bed rooms and dressing rooms can truly reflect their owner’s personality, and in fact, they offer more oppor tunity to show your skill with the needle than the other rooms. Pink and blue are the old stand bys in color schemes for the bed room, but the trend now is to intro duce just a little bit of sophistica tion even when these colors are used. Instead of pink, you may want to use a melon shade and add touches of chartreuse or lime as a color complement. If your choice is blue, then perhaps a deep blue with touches of deep, bright red would make the most of the room. After your color scheme is decid ed, then is the time to look into available materials to see what can be made or remodeled to make the room as pretty or smart as your heart desires. If no new materials are available, then take a trip to the attic to see what you can dis cover. The chances are ten to one there will be a discarded set of frothy curtains or a faded pair of drapes or an old tablecloth that can readily be converted into something extremely practical. If you are fortunate enough to have a dressing table in your room, then bear in mind that it is the focal point of the room. Iq mak ing the skirt for it, remember that good draping and a full skirt are the keys to its being truly success ful. The style of the dressing table skirt depends upon your own in dividual taste. If you go in for tailored things, then you will dispense If you have a pair of “weary” curtains . . . with that fluffy, frosted look and concentrate on draping and detail, smart color and accessories. If you like the room to be as feminine as possible, plan a skirt that is made fluffy with a sheer or starchy ma terial and use wide ribbon for bows and draping at the top. But what can be converted into a dressing table skirt, you ask? If the skirt is a two-piece affair—a sheer fabric on top, and an opaque material for the under skirt, your choice would naturally be discard ed curtains of some sheer material. The under skirt can be almost any thing you happen to have—an old damask tablecloth, cotton sheeting, bedspread or drapery. Even the full skirt of an old sheer evening gown can successfully be reconvert ed into a frilly overskirt. Your best choice for a tailored dressing table skirt is any old Fashion them into a dressing table skirt. drapery material which you will probably dye to suit the color scheme of the room. Some of the old tablecloths or old formals have a lovely heavy material which also might be utilized. For this type of skirt you will not need as much ma terial as for the very feminine, but you do have enough for deep plaits or tucks so the finished skirt does not look skimpy. Fit Material to Table Before Cutting Before you begin working on the material, see that it is carefully launderdd and pressed or dry cleaned. Patterns are not a great deal of‘help since the sizes of the tables vary a great deal. It will be best for you to actually fit the material'to the table itself. The Nice but Neat The ever popular bolero suit ap pears in a Nettie Rosenstein ver sion with a double-breasted box bolero over a brown crepe top dress of light blue wool. The straw hat with the perky veil is in keep ing with the neatness of the suit. material should go all the way around and open in front, with enough overlapping in front, of course, to prevent the skirt from gaping. As you pin the material to the table, allow for tucks and pin them in, using a rule or measuring tape to see that they are evenly spaced. For the feminine dressing table skirt, .allow generously for the flounce at the bottom. This, of course, may be done after the skirt is cut, but do see to it that you have enough material to go all the way around. For ease in making the skirt, and also as a help in laundering or clean ing, the two-piece skirt is made in four parts. Both skirts will ■ ftt around half the table coming to gether in the middle at the front. If the table is placed solidly against a wall, the skirt need not go all the way around the back. Probably your only purchase for the skirt will be ribbon for the trim. Don’t dash out to the store as soon as you get the idea for making it. Take your measurements first, and use strips of paper for fitting and tying in bows if you want to be per fectly accurate. In the tailored type of skirt, you may want to do some dyeing. Sturdy cotton or cotton and rayon draperies will dye fairly easily. This should be done before cutting. Sheer cur tains are best left their original white, but the under skirt which is of opaque material will be pretty in a light pastel tint, if you want to introduce just r. ’’.ttle color. Patching Pointers Every woman has her share of mending to do whether she likes it or hates to approach the task. Doing it on a regular routine will take some of the drudgery out of and assure the family of their clothes always being ready to wear. A darning basket or kit is a necessity and should be- kept separate from sewing materials. All different types of thread are essential and also a quantity of buttons. Make a habit of putting loose buttons directly in the mending kit so as to have the right ones onjiand. Snaps and hooks and eyes are also essential. Other “musts” are a pair of small, sharp-pointed scissors, a darning egg, darning and sewing needles; darning thread, tape and a small razor. A darning stitch which is most often used for mending is like a weaving stitch. It substitutes for the material and therefore the thread should be as much like the material as possible. In mending dainty, fragile gar ments, use fine thread and small stitches. Lace should always be mended by dainty overhand stitches. Spring Fashion Notes Shoulders in both suits and coats are very wide and full but soft. Sleeves, too, carry out the fullness. In many of the coats you will find wrist length sleeves with buttons just as on dresses or blouses. ' Your favorite choice of mate rials for this season are first, thin rayon crepe*; second, soft satins; third, sheer and not so sheer cot tons. , Greatcoats are more feminine and graceful than in years before. They boast a soft quality, but frou frou is absent. Radiant colors in stripes, polka dots and solids are all first choice for the younger fashions now. Graceful skirts play up the youth, ful figure, giving it a sense of free movement and grace and mini mizing the waist. Hostess Apron Is in Hearts and Flowers H EARTS and Flowers” is the gay theme of this adorable apron for parties or pantry! Appli que heart border; embroider gay flowers! Make pretty hostess apron with or with out heart bib top. Pattern 7458 has transfer of embroidery, needed pattern parts; directions. Due to an unusually large demand and current conditions, slightly more time is required in filling orders for a few of the. most popular pattern numbers. To obtain these patterns send 20 cents (in coins) for each one to: Sewing Circle Needlecraft Dept. 584 W. Randolph St. Chicago 80, ni. Enclose 20 cents for Pattern. No Name^ ■— Address —— Sweet peas should be staked as soon as seeds "break through soil so that plants may cling to stakes as small tendrils form. If allowed to sprawl on the ground the growth of vines will be checked. —•— Poppy seeds must be sown in the open ground as soon as the ground can be prepared. If sown late, failure is likely to result unless seeds are carefully watered and shaded. —•— Do not paint or paper walls im mediately after they have been plastered. Let them stand from eight to 10 weeks—even longer-in damp weather—otherwise, the job will not prove successful. —•— To remove grass stains from canvas shoes add a few drops of ammonia to a teaspoon of peroxide of hydrogen and rub the stains with the mixture. Wash off with water. -High ENiRwmvi helps build RESISTANCE TO COLDS Enjoy the feeling of energetle well-being! Take good-tasting Scott’s Emulsion right away, if you feel tired, rundown, unable to throw off worrisome colds— because your diet lacks natural A&D Vitamins and energy-build ing. natural oils! Scott’s helps build energy, stamina, resistance. Buy at your druggist’s today! 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