Show I What My MV Community Should Do in Postwar Planning Planning I I By Bush Gibson GOING my way inquired VJ the voiced soft-voiced smiling marine sergeant as we boarded the same train at our mutual home town station During the two-hour two ride into the city we talked of many things including the fact that he wanted a small business of his own after the war perhaps on the Can Al-Can highway How v I wish I might have said Before you make an Can Al-Can deal get in touch with our home hometown hometown hometown town Re Employment Commit Commit- I couldn't however for fOt my community has not yet undertaken collective postwar planning Newton county an nn agricultural county of population in northwestern northwestern northwestern north north- western Indiana has announced its operative Co-operative Planning the result of ofa a years year's study by a committee of 25 comprising men and women representative representative representative of all phases of community community community life page Full-page advertisements paid for by various service clubs of the different towns were run in all nIl of the weekly papers in the county Re Employment Re-Employment ment of Veterans The ad began More servicemen will return home with the progress of the thc war The Re-Employment Re Committeemen of Newton County Indiana in conjunction with its advisory advisory advisory ad ad- committee and the Agricultural Agricultural Agricultural tural advisory committee are on the I alert All citizens both in service I and not in service should realize that the return of the servicemen will mean certain adjustments This will wiIl be so whether he returns to his former civilian job or seeks a new civilian job The servicemen of our country are asked to operate co-operate with the ReEmployment ReEmployment ReEmployment Re- Re Employment Committeemen and the citizens by marking the information information information mation questionnaires below Please 3 D R t t do not I a urn o v name of paper Under the general section were listed the following questions Do uDo you plan to live in Newton county when discharged from service Do you plan to seek employment in this area Do you plan to go to school or take up a special training course under GI Bill of Rights Do you plan to go into business as an employee employee employee em em- as an employer as an individual in- in individual individual in in- or as a partner What business Do you contemplate establishing a new business or taking over an established business Do you have previous experience in the business Will Vill you need any additional capital capital capital capi capi- tal What source do you ou contemplate contemplate contemplate plate using private or GI Gl Bill of Rights arrangements Will you need a house Household equipment equipment equipment equip equip- ment Under the agricultural section were these questions Are you interested in- in interested interested in in- in taking up farming as a landowner renter third one-third share operator or hired man Have you previous experience What size farm do you have in mind What type of farm do you desire livestock livestock livestock live live- stock grain or general Is there a ahouse ahouse ahouse house available Do you have a a farm in mind to rent or buy Will Wip you take over from father or relative relative relative rela- rela rela rela- tive Will viII the farmer you replace retire seek another farm or share his operations with you The advertisement concluded With the information thus assembled assembled assem assem- bled we shall endeavor to anticipate your return home An Excellent Pattern Surely that is an excellent pattern pattern pattern pat pat- tern that my community could afford afford afford af af- ford to follow in starting postwar planning immediately Instead of a wide county-wide basis however I would suggest that we use our high school district and our consolidated grade school district as the basis for our I community bound boundaries ries I Since our mens men's service organize I tion is the Lions Lion's club the officers of that organization could ask the officers officers officers of of- of the Women's Club American American American Amer Amer- ican Legion and the Legion Auxiliary Auxiliary Auxiliary iary to meet with them to to discuss appointing committees for postwar planning such persons to be selected from the entire personnel of the com com- These committees might well weB be e three Re-Employment Re Memorial and Education Seven members could constitute a Re-Employment Re committee a busness busi bus business business ness man a farmer the banker the lumber man a grain man the RedCross Red RedCross Cross home service chairman and anda a minister I should prefer for the business man and farmer to be Legionnaires Legionnaires Legionnaires Le Le- and to act as co chair men To lend advice on the possible success of new business adventures is the reason for suggesting the banker The lumber man on the other hand can head a subcommittee of Editors Editor's Note This article won the first prize in a contest sponsored by Western Vestern Newspaper Newspaper Newspaper News News- paper Union in connection with the recent II Midwestern Mid lid lid lid- western Writers' Writers conference ati at i f Northwestern university Miss 1 f Gibson the author author author au au- thor lives Jives in Sheldon Ill a aMiss aMiss Miss 1 Gibson town of 1000 population in Iroquois count county which is one of the leading agricultural counties counties coun coun- ties tics of the Prairie state After Arter graduation from the school of journalism at the University of Illinois she became a teacher of journalism at the Champaign Ill senior high school At present present present pres pres- ent she is a free lance journalist and chairman of public information information information tion for the Iroquois county chapter chapter chapter chap chap- ter of t Ute the e American Red Cross the building interests whose task it will be to supply the additional homes and business structures As the grain man deals with farming interests yet resides in town he should be able to see both sides of the picture The Red Cross home service chairman and a minister arc are recommended because of their contacts with servicemen When this committee has worked out an information questionnaire it itcan itcan itcan can be published in the local paper paper paper pa pa- per for our weekly paper goes to all the boys and girls in the service With the questionnaires returned the committee can begin to compile compile compile com com- pile information Then they can canvass the community to see what jobs will be available so so that when Sam who wants to be a partner in a grocery store comes home he can be sent to see old Mr Fuller who wants to retire from active work and become a silent partner On the second committee the Memorial I would have five mem- mem b h 11 11 t d J U e rs a au 11 men a AJI in inthe sports the high school board athletic chairman chairman chairman chair chair- man the grade school hool board athletic ic chairman a business man a farmer and a veteran the latter to tobe tobe tobe be chairman Trees As Memorials Windstorms have played havoc with the beautiful trees for which our town is noted What better memorial to our war dead than stately trees I should like to see seethe seethe seethe the village which is now free from debt plant American elms and hard maple trees in the parking the American elm because it is a quick growing tree and the hard maple because it has the most beautiful autumnal foliage of any tree I know As a memorial to our gallant fighters who return I should like to have a well run sports program A number of things may be considered considered considered consid consid- ered among them an outdoor swimming swimming swimming swim swim- ming pool at the high school with the school showers and dressing rooms available to the swimmers The initial cost might well weIl be met by popular subscription with the school operating the pool after after- wards During the summer vacation the pool could be open suitable nights from 7 to 11 with swimming classes I scheduled certain afternoons ns from 4 to 6 The athletic coach should bethe be bethe bethe the director In the winter the pool could be flooded and used for ice skating Softball might well be revived for forthe forthe forthe the grounds are still available and it would not take long to hook up the lights Four organizations such as business firms could each sponsor sponsor sponsor spon spon- sor a team with one or two nights a week set aside for double header games There should be no admission admission admission sion charge but a collection should be taken to pay for the lights Moreover Moreover More More- over consideration should be given given en to reinstalling croquet courts inthe in inthe inthe the park for the youngsters and marking ofT off space for horseshoes for the oldsters My town faithfully follows high school basketball which provides excellent winter recreation A survey survey survey sur sur- vey should be made however to see how the high school gymnasium may be used winter evenings for adults adults' for calisthenics volley ball baIl handball basketball and folk ing In all of this sports program the goal must be to use available available able community resources to provide a varied program to reach the greatest greatest greatest great great- est number of people Educational Needs Last but not least is the Education Education Education tion committee which should consist of five members the high school principal the grade school principal principal principal pal a town father who has children in school a farm mother who has children in school and a high school alumnus the latter to be chairman The business of this Education committee should be to make a n survey survey survey sur sur- vey of the postwar educational needs and make recommendations to io to the boards of education Perry L. L Schneider head of the evening elementary school division of the New York City board of education education education edu edu- cation says that there is a growing demand by adults for short noncredit noncredit non- non credit courses in cultural subjects such as history global geography literature literature literature litera litera- economics current events ture music art crafts and hob hob- bies He believes that it will be necessary to educate parents for reduction reduction re re- of juvenile delinquency Some of the courses Mr Schneider Schneider Schneider der suggests may be applicable to small schools Perhaps the folks in m my community will want not only the agricultural night classes which have proved popular but classes lasses in manual training personal typing foods sewing interior decorating or child psychology For those adults who still enjoy taking part in plays a community players' players club might well weB be organized organized organized organ organ- I to meet once a week and to present one or two plays for the entire community Those who like to sing might form a community chorus which could present concerts while those who like to play a musical musical musical mu mu- instrument might form a community community community com com- comI I dance band to sponsor r six dances Since our public library has a small stage these three e groups could easily use that as their meeting meeting meeting meet meet- ing place so as not to monopolize the high school gym which is a combined gym and auditorium These clubs as well weB as adult evening evening evening eve eve- ning classes should be considered apart a apart apart part of the high school teachers teacher's work and enough teachers should be hired to take care of the de de- mands Of even greater educational concern concern concern con con- cern is the quality of the grade school and high school instruction for servicemen will want good schools for their children It will be well welI to consider restoring restoring restoring ing to the elementary school the subjects that were dropped because no teachers were available art I c Oki o d J 1 I t vv ng sewing an LUlU manna na rain rain- ing Likewise attention should be given to possible new subjects Every Day Living for Boys Perhaps eighth grade boys should be taught simple cookery selection and care of their clothes ing and room care in a course called Every Day Living for Boys Both boys and girls might be taught simple gardening practices practices practices tices and encouraged to have their own garden plots during the sum sum- mer As a part of the high school survey survey survey sur sur- vey it would be right to consider if the history courses are providing the citizenship training we want and if the English classes in addition to teaching our young pet people to speak and write correctly are giving them the proper evaluating standards standards standards stand stand- ards so that they will know how ho hoto to judge fudge a newspaper magazine book movie and radio program thus discarding discarding discarding dis dis- carding the trash and fastening their minds on the things worth bering Since cooking and sewing were required required required re re- of eighth grade girls it would seem sensible to require of the freshman girls a home management course which could incorporate some principles of home nursing Then during the three summer vacations vacations vacations va va- of their high school days they might undertake such projects as canning vegetables house cleaning cleaning clean clean- ing and cooking with credit to be given for such projects after due inspection by the teacher in charge A first aid course comparable to the one taught by the American Red Cross should be required of ever every boy and girl after he is 16 years of age and before he is graduated In a recent forum on divorce conducted conducted con con- ducted duct by the Town Club of Chicago Samuel A. A Rinella divorce attorney declared Our schools train students in everything from carpentering toradio to toradio toradio radio announcing but not enough if anything is done about instructing men an and d w women omen in marriage Mr Rinella's statement is so true that I think the Education committee commit commit- tee should consider recommending a required semesters semester's course in t the senior year for both boys and girls in general sociology marriage and the f family amity In 1865 the folks of Pleasant Valley Val Val- ley a little village in the foothills of the Alleghenies piled the relics o of f the Civil war that had just ended the he old brass cannon the battered muskets the broken swords and th the e rusted bayonets into one heap They melted them down and from them cast the gentle bells bell s of Pleasant Valley Valley Val Val- ley to ring out over green fields a and fertile f farms arms as a memorial to their loved ones lost in that war Likewise it is my hope hoe that the Postwar ar Planning of the Re Em ReEmployment Memorial and Education committees will result in making my community a Pleasant Place in which to live |