visual field subtends an angular distance no greater than twenty degrees in the better eye. (b) For the purposes of this section, the term "World War II" includes, in the case of any veteran, any period of continuous service performed by him after December 31, 1946, and before July 26, 1947, if such period began before aJnuary 1, 1947. § 1902. Limitation on types of assistance furnished and veterans otherwise entitled. No payment shall be made under this chapter for the repair, maintenance, or replacement of any such automobile or other conveyance and no veteran shall be given an automobile or other conveyance until it is established to the satisfaction of the Administrator that such veteran will be able to operate such automobile or other conveyance in a manner consistent with his own safety and the safety of others and will be licensed to operate such automobile or other conveyance by the State of his residence or other proper licensing authority; however, a veteran who cannot qualify to operate a vehicle shall nevertheless be entitled to the payment of not to exceed $1,600 on the purchase price of an automobile or other conveyance, as provided in section 1901 of this title, to be operated for him by another person, but only if such veteran meets the other eligibility requirements of this chapter. § 1903. Limitation on amounts paid by United States. The furnishing of such automobile or other conveyance, or the assisting therein, shall be accomplished by the Administrator paying the total purchase price, if not in excess of $1,600, or the amount of $1,600, if the total purchase price is in excess of $1,600, to the seller from whom the veteran is purchasing under sales agreement between the seller and the veteran. § 1904. Prohibition against duplication of benefits. No veteran shall be entitled to receive more than one automobile or other conveyance under the provisions of this chapter. § 1905. Applications. The benefits provided in this chapter shall not be available to any veteran who has not made application for such benefits to the Administrator within five years after the date of the veteran's discharge or release from active military, naval, or air service; except that in the case of any veteran whose loss or permanent loss of use of one or both feet, or one or both hands, or permanent impairment of vision, as specified in section 1901 of this title, shall have occurred after his discharge or release from active military, naval, or air service, application may be made within three years after the occurrence of such disability. Notwithstanding the foregoing time limits, no otherwise eligible veteran shall be denied the benefits of this chapter who makes application within one year from the date on which his entitlement to compensation for loss or permanent loss of use of one or both feet, or one or both hands, or permanent impairment of vision, as specified in section 1901 of this title, shall have been determined. Chapter 73-Department of Medicine and Surgery § 4101. Functions of Department. There shall be in the Veterans' Administration a Department of Medicine and Surgery under a Chief Medical Director. The functions of the Department of Medicine and Surgery shall be those necessary for a complete medical and hospital service, including medical research, as prescribed by the Administrator pursuant to this chapter and other statutory authority, for the medical care and treatment of veterans. Background of Postal Regulations affecting the blind. POSTAL SERVICE Background of Postal Regulations Affecting the Blind Because of the weight and bulk of reading matter for blind persons it early became apparent to the Federal Government that special postal privileges should be extended to the blind on the basis of expediency if not for purely humanitarian reasons. The first law on the subject was passed on March 2, 1899. It provided for the acceptance as third-class mail of unsealed letters written in point print or raised characters. The third-class rate at the time was 1 cent for each 2 ounces or fraction thereof, whereas the firstclass rate which had been applicable to such matter was 2 cents for each ounce or fraction thereof. By the turn of the century the new struggling libraries for the blind or the blind readers found it a hardship to pay postage for the circulation of the heavy packages of books printed for the blind. Recognizing this, Congress, on April 27, 1904, passed "An act to promote the circulation of reading matter among the blind," which granted the free mailing privilege to books, pamphlets, and other reading matter in raised characters for the use of blind persons in single volumes not exceeding 10 pounds in weight or in packages not exceeding 4 pounds in weight and containing no advertising or other matter, when sent unsealed by public institutions for the blind or by public libraries as a loan to blind readers or when returned by the latter to such institutions or public libraries. The provisions of this law were placed in effect on June 2, 1904, by Order No. 541 of the Postmaster General. The years following saw a steady increase in the reading interests of the blind. A number of periodicals in raised print appeared, and it became very expensive to mail such magazines to the blind subscribers. Accordingly, Congress extended, on August 24, 1912, the free mailing privilege applicable to matter for blind persons to magazines, periodicals, and other regularly issued publications in raised characters for the use of the blind, which contained no advertisements and for which no subscription fee was charged. This provision of law became effective by Postmaster General's Order No. 6529, dated September 13, 1912. Many blind persons as time went on felt a desire to own their own Bible or parts of the Holy Scriptures. The average Bible in raised print at the time would comprise from 25 to 100 volumes according to the type used. Even if the Bible was sent to a blind person as a gift, the cost of postage would be considerable. To remedy this situation Congress, through public resolution of June 7, 1924 further extended the privilege of free mailing to volumes of Holy Scriptures or parts thereof in raised characters which contained no advertisements and when furnished without charge to blind persons by an organization, institution, or association not conducted for private profit. This law also provided that volumes of Holy Scriptures or parts thereof in raised characters when furnished to blind persons by nonprofit organizations, etc., at a price not greater than the cost price thereof should be acceptable at the postage rate of 1 cent for each pound or fraction thereof. The provisions of this law were placed in effect by Order No. 761 of the Postmaster General, dated July 8, 1924. TITLE 39-POSTAL SERVICE § 240b. Fourth-class matter; minimum weight; non-mailable matter; exception for appliances for the blind. In the case of reproducers for sound-reproduction records for the Exception for blind blind, or parts thereof, and of Braille writers and other appliances appliances. for the blind, or parts thereof, when mailed under the provisions of the fourth and fifth paragraphs of section 331 of this title, the maximum limit in weight shall be seventy pounds and the maximum limit of size shall be one hundred inches in girth and length combined. § 293c. Publications for blind; rate of postage. § 331. Reading matter for blind; Bibles; reproducers for sound reproduction records. Postage rates for blind matter. Books, pamphlets, and other reading matter published either Franking privileges in raised characters, whether prepared by hand or printed or in the for blind. form of sound-reproduction records for the use of the blind, in packages not exceeding the weight prescribed by the Postmaster General, and containing no advertising or other matter whatever, unsealed, and when sent by public institutions for the blind, or by any public libraries, as a loan to blind readers, or when returned by the latter to such institutions or public libraries; magazines, periodicals, and other regularly issued publications in such raised characters, whether prepared by hand or printed, or on sound-reproduction records (for the use of the blind), which contain no advertisements and for which no subscription fee is charged; books, or pages thereof, in raised characters, whether prepared by hand or printed, which contain no advertisements, when furnished by any person to a blind person without cost to such person, shall be transmitted in the United States mails free of postage and under such regulations as the Postmaster General may prescribe. Volumes of the Holy Scriptures, or any part thereof, published either in raised characters, whether prepared by hand or printed, or in the form of sound-reproduction records for the use of the blind, which do not contain advertisements (a) when furnished by an organization, institution, or association not conducted for private profit, to a blind person without charge, shall be transmitted in the United States mails free of postage; (b) when furnished by an organization, institution, or association not conducted for private profit to a blind person at a price not greater than the cost price thereof, shall be transmited in the United States mails at the postage rate of 1 cent for each pound or fraction thereof; under such regulations as the Postmaster General may prescribe. Reproducers for sound-reproduction records for the blind or parts thereof which are the property of the United States Government, when shipped for repair purposes by an organization, institution, pub lic library, or association for the blind not conducted for private profit, or by a blind person to an agency not conducted for private profit, or from such an agency to an organization, institution, public library, or association for the blind not conducted for private profit, or to a blind person, may be transmitted through the mails at the rate of 1 cent per pound or fraction thereof, under such regulations as the Postmaster General may prescribe. The Postmaster General may in his discretion extend this rate of 1 cent per pound or fraction thereof to reproducers for sound-reproduction records for the blind, or parts thereof, to Braille writers and other appliances for the blind, or parts thereof, which are the property of State governments or subdivisions thereof, or of public libraries, or of private agencies for the blind not conducted for private profit, or of blind individuals, under such regulations as he may prescribe. All letters written in point print or raised characters or on soundreproduction records used by the blind, when unsealed, shall be transmitted through the mails as third-class matter. DEPARTMENT REGULATIONS 138.2 Description Mail for the blind includes letters, books, pamphlets, and other material written or published in point print or raised characters or reproduced on sound reproduction records; reproducers for sound reproduction records or parts of reproducers; Braille-writers and other appliances used by or for blind persons to convey information for any purpose. 138.3 Classification .31 Letters for the blind Letters for the blind include those written in point print or raised characters or produced on sound reproduction records for purpose of correspondence. The rates are the same as for third-class printed matter. See 134. .32 Other matter for the blind .321 The following may be mailed free of postage when they contain no advertising: a. Books, pamphlets, and other material published in raised characters or in the form of sound reproduction records or other matter when sent unsealed by public institutions for the blind, or by public libraries as a loan to blind readers or when returned by the readers to such institutions or libraries, and b. Books or pages thereof in raised characters, whether prepared by hand or printed, when furnished by any person to a blind person without cost to such blind person. On the address side of each parcel must appear the name and address of the sender in the upper left corner and the word FREE over the words Reading Matter for the Blind or Sound Reproduction Records for the Blind in the upper right corner. No special authorization is required. Weight is limited to 15 pounds for each package. 322 Magazines, periodicals, and other regularly issued publications in raised characters or on sound reproduction records that contain no advertising and for which no subscription fee is charged may be mailed free under the following restrictions: a. The publisher must file a written application through his postmaster to be sent to the Bureau of Operations, Postal Services Division, together with a copy of the publication showing its name, frequency of issue, and a statement that it contains no advertising and that the subscription is free. b. A deposit to cover rates of postage otherwise applicable to such mail may be made with the post office for any mailings made while the application is pending. Deposits will be returned when the application is approved. c. On the first page of a publication authorized to be accepted as free matter must be printed the following: name of publisher; place where published; date of issue; frequency of issue; and the words Accepted os free matter for use of the blind at__ d. Publications on sound reproduction records must have a label bearing printed indicia shown in c above. .323 Magazines, periodicals, and other regularly issued publications in raised characters, or sound reproduction records, that contain no advertisements, furnished by an organization, institution, or association not conducted for private profit, to a blind person at a price not greater than cost, may be mailed at the rate of 1 cent for each pound or fraction of a pound under the following conditions: a. The mailer must file a written application through the postmaster at the office where the matter is to be mailed accompanied by satisfactory evidence that the organization, institution, or association is not conducted for private profit and that their publications when mailed will be furnished at a price not exceeding cost, to be sent to the Bureau of Operations, Postal Services Division. b. No mailing will be accepted at the 1-cent-a-pound rate until the application has been approved. c. The mail must be wrapped in a manner to permit easy examination and must bear the words Periodicals for the Blind below the name and adressd of the sender which must appear in the upper left corner of the address side. 324 Volumes of Holy Scriptures, or parts thereof, published in raised characters or in the form of sound reproduction records and containing no advertising when mailed by an organization, institution, or association not conducted for private profit may be mailed at special rates under the following conditions: a. When furnished to a blind person without charge, postage free. b. When furnished to a blind person at a price not greater than cost, postage is 1 cent for each pound or fraction of a pound. c. The organization, institution, or association desiring to mail at the special rates must file an application through the postmaster at the post office where the matter is to be mailed to be sent to the Bureau of Post Office Operations, Mail Classification Division, accompanied by satisfactory evidence that the organization, institution, or association is not conducted for private profit and that the volumes will be furnished to a blind person (1) without charge or (2) at a price not greater than cost. d. In the upper left corner of the address side must appear the name of the sender over the words Holy Scriptures for the Blind, together with the word Free in the upper right corner when the volume is furnished without charge. The word Free is not shown on volumes subject to prepayment of postage when furnished at a price not greater than cost. 325 Reproducers and sound reproduction records, Braille-writers, and other appliances, or parts, for use by the blind may be mailed at the postage rate of 1 cent for each pound or fraction of a pound under the following conditions: a. Reproducers or parts that are the property of the United States Government may be shipped for repair purposes between a blind person and an organization, institution, public library, or |