Evening Star Newspaper, September 26, 1923, Page 6

action by the commission. For ex- ample, the price of wheat ob ained by the farmer during the war was $2.26, Suaranteed by tne government. Today the Kansas farmer is receiving 80 to 90 cents for his wheat, but the freight THE EVENING STAR, ‘With Sunday Morning Edliion, - WASHINGTON, D. C WEDNESDAY .September 26, 1923 in the Mongolian plateau have proved to be most remarkable. Many skale- tous have been found. there, 4and it s noy believed that the ‘egion was the center of the dispersion of the moet ancient enimais. Seventy dinossur Can Europe Hold Together? B BY N. 0. MESSENGER ' e e e e e ‘ ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERI C J. HASKIN XHI—Cax Austria Li skulls and twelve complete skeletons THEODORE W. NOYES.. Dysiness Qfice, 11th 8t. & N Chicags Oce: Towsr Bulld icago 5 Buropean Office: 18 Regent 8 " taadon, Engiand. ' The Brenin aditien, is dell at 60 ania Ave. st end of each month. 4 Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance, Dally an only. Sunday eonl, All Other States. Daily and Sunday.1 yr., $10.00; 1 mo.,85c Daily only... $7.00; 1 mo., §0c Supday only. ; 1 mo., 26¢ Member of the Associated Press. The Assoeiated Press in exclusively entitled to the use for republication of all news dis- piitehes credited to it or not otherwise credited in this paper and aiso® the local mews pub- Tished herein. All rights of publication of cial dispatches herein_are also_reserves 0c 80c No Reaction jn Germany. Germany's decision to abandon passive resistance in the Ruhr has dpparently not caused any bad" re- action. In the occupled regions the &nnouncement of a change of policy was received with a feeling almost of indifference. There were no uprisings or demonstrations. In other parts of @ermany the news was taken calmly. Now it is expected that the reichstag will ratify the Berlin decision. The sremiers of the federated states have ajready given their assent. This con- currence is expressed in terms which indicate & desire to “save the face” of the central government, for it is stated in official communique that the step must be taken “in accordance with the dignity and honor of the nation.” Inithe Ruhr, too, some of the news- papers declare that abandenment .of passive resistance was doubtless ac~ companied by “‘mental reservations.” It is evidently a bitter pill, but it must be swallowed, Passive resistance in the Ruhr has been a failure. It has, to be sure, temporarily blocked the French move for the collection of reparations, but it has cost Germany enormously. It has drained the fed- eral resources in the payment of maintenance funds to the idle workers of the Ruhr. It has checked industries virtually to a standstill. It has weak- ened the credit of the country. It has eontributed to the further dilution of the currency and,demoralization of the national financlal system. It has not led to a breach between the allied powers, which undoubtedly was hoped. Nothing has been gained and much has been lost by the obstinate policy of Germany in the Ruhr. A great risk was run. Ever into the Ruhr there has been danger of @ break in the German federation, on the part of Bavaria particularly Had the Cuno policy been continued for a little longer Germany would have been on the point of disruption. Now will come some measure of set- tiement. For abandonment of passive resistance practically means yielding to the French demand for an adjust- ment on the reparations account. France may remain technically control in the Ruhr, leaving only a show of force, while the question of payment is discussed. But it is evi- dent from the dispatches from Paris that promises from Berlin have lost their value. There must be guaran- tees. France will take no more chances. To allow the matter to go back to the state of mere discussion will be a defeat for the French policy as well as for that of Germany. And Poincare, backed by an adequate sup- port at Paris, cannot poseibly afford to allow the occupation to result in merely the re-establishment of the status quo without actual performance by Germany in fulfiliment of the repa- rations obligations. ——— Sudden indifference of one or two statesmen might almost warrant an impression that Mussolinl. carries a certain amount of influence in Ameri- } egn politics. Farmer Relief Proposals. President Coolidge has before him definite recommendations from the Secretary of Agriculture, Mr. 'Wallace, regarding rellef measures for the American farmer. Outstanding among them are a proposed reduction in freight rates on agricultural products “of at least .25 per cent.' especially on export products, and the establish- ment of a government agricultural export commission or corporation with broad powers. The Secretary of Agriculture, in @ two-hour session of the cabinet, gave & resume of conditions, both domestic and foreign, with particular reference to the wheat situation. He announced that he had little faith in the efcacy of arbitrary government price-fixing of the wheat crop, as has been pro- posed by several members of Congress from the northwest. Such a course, he said, might afford temporary re- lief, but unless production of wheat * were controlled it would only make conditions worse. . It is interesting to note that the Secretary of Agriculture did not, at this time, advocate & special session of Congress to enact legislation to aid the farmer. One of his proposals, & reduction in freight rates on agriculs tural commodities, requires né legis- lation. Tt can be handled by the Inter- state Commerce Commission, and, in fact, it is known that the corhission has already been requested by thé ad- ministration to give this matter its close attention. The other proposal, ealling for an export commission or eorporation, would necessarily have to have the approval of Congress. The War Finanas Corporation already has been given additional powers to aid i the export & agricultural products, ‘but apparently Mr, Wallace is of the opinion that these powers showld be ‘considerably broadened, or that & new agency should be provided, The railroads, naturally, will not look with favor upon the proposal to cut their earnings on the transporta- ‘tion of agriculturdl products. But if the burden of transportation charges 1y greater than it should be—and that sueh 1s the case has been declared rAany tithes by men who have studied the subject—there should be prompt A .Editor — o ‘The Evening Star Newspaper Company nce the French went | in | ‘rate on his product to the Chicago market is approximately double what it was at the time he was feceiving a minimum of $2.26. The atatement issued by the Secre- tary following the cabinet meeting ad- mite the government has a very def- inite responsibility not ‘only to the wheat farmers, but to farmers in gen- eral, to come to their assistanfe at this time. The.'war administration,” the statement points out, was in part responsible for the present wide spread between what the farmer obtains for his products and the prices he must The war administration controlled prices of agricultural products caused a large extension in cultivated acreage and increased production, creating a surplus which is now bur- dehing the farmers; it caused a de- creased per capita consumption of wheat and meat; it caused large ad- vances in freight rates; it brought about large increases in the wages of labor, and encouraged the cost-plus system in industries other than agri- culture, thereby adding to inflation of costs, “These policies,” the statement said, “had no little part in bringing about the distorted relationship between prices for agricultural products and prices for other things, which is at the root of our troubles.” ‘The Secretary put his finger on the sore spot—the wide difference in the prices which the farmer pays today for his needs ond the prices which he gets for his products. The democrats insist that the trouble is largely to be attributed to the high tariff rates enacted by the republican Congress. The republicans, however, apparently are intent upon laying the blame upon the Wilson “war administration” and its policies. The Playground Report. There are @ number of strong points in the annual report of the supervisor of playgrounds. Nearly everybody knows that play is an instinct in chil- dren, that a child does not thrive without play, and that if not allowed to live a natural childhood generaily it does not develop into a normal and useful man ¢r woman. The play- {ground supervisor puts the thought this way: “There is no factor more potent of the future citizen than play. leisure problem problem compara public education. The greatest lessons learned In organized play; obedience, co-operation. teamwork, respect for the rights of others and all desirable qualities in the coming citizen.” The {report shows that playground facili- ties are smali; that populous areas of | the city are without then children cannot afford to pay carfare to go to distant playgrounds, and that the number of visits to the play grounds by children totaled 3,000,000 last year. During the summer there was a daily average of 20,000 children in publi¢ playgrounds. The playground department is in need of new grounds, permanent grounds, increased appropriations for lmainlenancn and more directors and assistant directors of play. We shall come to all this in time. In the evolu- tion of the plavground there have been discouragement and delay. But the playground idea has “arrived,” and is taking a deeper hold on chil- dren and aduits. There are certain recommendations in the report which the supervisor supports with facts and reasons, and among them are some recommendations which will be in- | dorsed offhand by everybody who has |given a thought to the recreational system of the city. It is asked that additional provision 'be made for outdoor and inside swim- ming pools; that more federal reserva- tions be made available for organized play; that shelter houses be built on all grounds now in operation, and that playgrounds be lighted and kept open during the early hours of the evening. The is a distinct social le in importance to in life are is 1 ———— It requires a man of strong pa- triotism to accept the responsibilities which fall to a man in Stresemann’s position. A public accustomed for a generation or two to flattering assur- ances of unconquerable superiority fl!.ld‘ it hard to face the plain truths it becomes his duty to communicate. With the brol; blue sky for his arena the aviator now gives perform- ances of grace and daring before an outdoor crowd unlimited as to num- bers and absolutely beyond the reach of ticket speculators. ——— ‘The fact that the United States was not very well represented in the mat- ter of airplanes during the war did not prevent America from developing some of the greatest aviators on earth. Ancient Eggs. American chicken farmers will per- haps be interested in the announce- ment from Peking to the effect that twenty-five dinosaur eggs have been discovered in the fossil beds of Mon- golia, the first of their kind ever to be unearthed. These egzs, it is mid, are elliptical, five to six inches in length. Their age is estimated at 10,000,000 years. The Chinese have a delicacy of diet consisting of ancient eggs. But there is no record of dinosaur egge being served even there. In fact, these are the first evidences that the dinosaurs maintained their sequence of life by means of eggs. True, they were vir- tually lizards, and lizards are reptiles, and reptiles lay esgs, so that the rea- soning hes always been in favor of dinosaur's eggs. But not until now has there been any logical proof. " Perhaps if these eggs had been known to the far easterners they might have served for royal feasts. Maybe, in fact, in the past they were used, which may account for the scar- city at present. A ten-million-year egg is, of course, a bit doubtful. The question arises whether any intrepid ploneer of science will undertake to open.one of these precious finds to see what it contalns. He would probably. bave to be ‘well insured for the sake of his family. 3 Apart from the eggs the discoveries | | l { in determining the character{love calls attention were unearthed. 'In all previous ex- peditions less than 100 dinosaur skulls have been found, so that the magni- tude of this find is evident. But the eggs stand forth notable achievement. —_—————— Passing of the Farms. The diminishing area of farm land in the District has often been com- mented on. young citizens pastoral sections have become parts of the city, ahd what were cornflelds and meadows a few years ago are now neighborhoods criss-crodsed by paved streets close- built with houses or lined with busy shops. Where men not yet grown gray hunted quail and rabbit or went on rustic travels, electric street lamps burn and traction cars roll. Crowds of children in shoes and stockings, little girls in pretty frocks and boys in neat store clothes pass from home to school and from home to moving picture houses. These children in ‘their ‘everyday dress are arrayed as the boys and girls of that neighbor- hood were only dressed on Sunday e few years back.' The boy with bare feet and briar-scratched legs and the little girl with bare feet, calico dress and sunbonnet have greatly changed. l'l'ht old road bordered by a rail fence, Hnes of sassafras and locust trees and hedges of pokeberry bushes and elder- berries, bhas been widened, made straight and is now en avenue or a boulevard. The farm wagon and its slow-going team which onece stirred the dust there has passed om, and the specder, stepping on the gas, has ap- peared. The once familiar fields and woods have vanished. The topography of a2 number of sections has been made over by steam shovels that have ut away biils and by trains of dump car that have filled deep ravines and gen- tle valleys. The process is continuing, &nd the time is not far off when there will not be a rural scene in the Dis- trict. In the annual report of the Dis. trict surveyor it is said that 580 new subdivisions of farm land were made by the surveyor's office during the year, an increase of fifty-five qver the preceding year. ——— An Atianta woman accused of shooting a man because of unrequited to how much rougher our romance has become since a jilted lady was supposed to pine sllently away s the I ! ——————— Okiahoma farmers are likely to register & new item of agricultural complaint if they find they cannot even hold a state fair without danger of colliding with a military cris ———— The old battleships which are to be : that most | 90ld at auction will at least be worth | 1921-2 more than they would be if scrapped !in midocean during an engagement. —_———— About ail a resignation rumor ac- complishes at present is to draw pub- lic attention to the fact that a valued official has no intention of resigning. ————— Poincare is generous in delivering public speeches, but Berlin is enter- taining little hope of his saying any- thing new on the Ruhr situation. e One of the things the farmer re- fuses to understand is why the price of wheat should not be boosted as easily as that of anthracite. ——————— SHOOTING STARS, BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Publicity. He does not like publicity— Or s0 the story goes— But when the camera man draws near He always strikes a pose. He does not like publicity, But at the slightest hint Unto the scribe he will express A lot of things for print. He does not like publicity, But if the folks upstate Appear to want him he'll consent To be a candidate. He does not like publicity. The fact is understood. He leads @ life of martyrdom Unto the public good! A Monotony of Woe. “Why don't you say something about the high cost of living?" “I'veelready said a great deal,” said Senator Sorghum, “‘and it hasn't made the least difference. I'm begin- ning to suspect that if I want to be popular maybe I'd better let the peo- ple forget their trouble Pinching Economy. Jud Tunkins says that if his ex- penses keep piling up he doesn't be- lieve he'll have money enough to buy a ticket to next summer’s prize fight. Economy. To utilize all waste, they s: 18 now the proper caper. Even the German mark today 1s valued as waste paper. Perilous Highways. “A man used to take his life in his bands when he walked through Crim- son Guich at night.” “It's the same way now,” sald Cac- tus Joe. “You never know what min- ute you may meet a bootlegger in a flivver,” . T 2 Important Point. “My father said he wanted [{ billa up a fortune worthy of his éon,” re- marked Mr. Dustin Stax. “He succeeded “Yed. But later on he seemed to have his doubts about whethar he had built up & son worthy of his fortune.” Effort to Be Adroit, £ “You don't like to see women smoke cigarettes, vet you advise your wife to do so." £ o -“It's an experiment,” whispered Mr. Meekton, “Henrietta very seldom takes my advice #bout anything." “You has to skeer some men wif de ldea of future punishment.” ‘sald kin understand is ‘safety first.'” ‘Within the memory of ve?. HY JORN F. SINCLAIR ‘The league of nations in attempting to rebulld the shattered economie sys- tem of the little republic of Austria has undertaken the most far-reaching plece of construction weork she has 80 far attempted to do. The peace of St. Germfain cut Aus- tria to pleces. Trade lines, built up through the labor ef hundreds of Years, were hopelessly breken. Her territory was reduced from 261,000 square miles to 33,000 square miles. Jler population shrank trom 51.000.000 n 1914 to 6,500,000 today. iticians, in took no account of economic laws in thetr folly and madness. The situation was-made even mot difficult by the very size of Vien This great city of 2,000,000 people had been bullt up by being the very cen ter of the cultural, educational, busi- 3ep%,5nd soclal life of central Burope fof A thousand years. Today Austria, covering an area as large as Maine, is hemmed in by countries which have erected high tariff walls and : :;thm only selt goods to her * ok ok % Dr. Michael Mainisch, the fine old President of Austria, and an agricul- tural professor; told me that the land of his country was producing less than one-fifth of the amount of food needed by her people to live. Four- fifths must be bought outside. After years of intense cultivation of all the avallable land. the president | thought about one-third of the food needed In Austria can be raised within. Sixty-five per cent of her food must always be purchased out- side Austria. What an I ctical d impossible economic. unit for pol fticians to carve out. It is like cut- ting the heart out of a person, put- ting it on a platter and expecting it to continue to funetion. Here's the way the Austrian heart on the platter of civilization fune- tioned: 1919. 1920, 1921. Metric tous. Imports . 2,089,000 6,062,000 8,173,000 490,000 1,310,000 1,477,000 | Exports Import balance 1,565,000 4,774,000 6,898,000 It we translate the figures into dol- lars. we find that Austria_bought $130,000,000 more goods in 1920 than she "sold, and $127.000,000 more in 1921, and $110,000,000 more in 1932 L She couldn’t balance. But sbe had to live. To pay these huge billy she had some outside Investments and some tourist travel profits, but prob- ably not enough to cover 20 per cent of the deficit, She borrowed $73,000,000, pledging {her state monopolies and her reve. nues. She spent every cent of it. Her condition got steadily worse, = Her money was going down in value every day. Prices were rising. She { was unable ‘to baiance her budget. Her expenses far exceeded her re- ceipts from taxation. In 1919-20 she jestimated her expenditures at 16,800 | millions of kronen and her receipts at 6,200 kronen less than one-third. She ‘was compelled to pay all public-debts by new issues of paper Imoney—by corrupting her currency. This made prices rise still higher. In 1920-21 her expenditures were 70.- 000 millions of kromen and her in- come 29,400 millions. The budget for provided for 347.500 millions of kronen and income of 209, mil- lons. The inflation of her went on at a terrific Tate. record of debauch: money Here's the Paper krove outstanding per money increased more than eightfold in eleven months and her gold reserve dollar would purchase: Paper kronen. [ 8 5 kronen n In Tu 1914 .. ot 38 kronen 1921 (August) 1.137 kronea 1923 (May) ... 11110 71,000 kronen Prices increased as the purchasing ower of the money fell. Prices tn . 1923, were 11,400 times as high as in August, 1914 Wages were from 3,500 to 5,000 high: ‘That means that the pre-war standard of living for the workers had been reduced trom one-half to three-fifthe. & o o At this time Austria was dying by inches. Vienna looked like & haunted city. She kept up her great opera, but it seemed like a mockery. I called on a former cabinet minister in his squalid home. Never have I heard a more pitiful story. The story of how Austria_was gone—her culture gone. Her great university, founded in 1365, and the first in importance in Europe for centuries, was destitute. Some of the greatest exponents tn the world of blology. medicine, the natural sciences, mathematice. politi- cal ecomomy and law were being /7 The United States Coal Commission ihas revorted to the President that it | costs from $1.20 to $2.80 a ton to produce bituminous coal. The De- partment of Agriculture reported last week that it costs farmers $1.23 to produce a bushel of wheat. Quite a coincidence! A ton of coal; therefore, fs equal to a bushel of wheat, if mined at the minimum cost. Or (in order to be fair and safe), let {it be assumed ‘that an average cosj | o all bituminous coal Is $2.46. Count- Ing copl as a unit of $2.46 and wheat at $1.23, it takes two bushels of wheat to equal one ton of coal. There Is, probably, no more labor in producing a ton of coal—bringing it:to the surface—than it takes to plow, seed, harvest and thresh a bushel of wheat. » * * x % One peculiarity in the traffic of wheat and coal is that wheat, Which coats the producer $1.23, sells on- the farm for about 85 cents and in the market for about® $1.03, while coal, costing the producer an average of 32.46 in labor, sells at the mine for about $6 and at the’bin of the cop- sumer for about $13. As & by-product of both industri there is unrest. Farmers can use their undérpriced grain for fuel, as they have done in past seasons. But what should the mine fi:-:’n?:: oir $2.46 product perais :: thé innocent bystander for five times its labor cost? . In countries ' where money has ! to be a fair medium of ex- change, bartering_is being considered [ oul our . Yould Do wiling. o barier. twa ‘bushels of wheat for a ton of codl or other producta of mcres in exchange for clothing and machinery. N i "If is reported that western wheat farmers are about to- urge.upen the President the vevival of the United States Grain Corporation, with she view to alding the wheat raisers in marketing their sirplus crop abroad. This grain corporation was a war meusure and not planned to meet conditi - but- :the:: wheat ers are llm te straits their mmmfl:‘ f T, ot her P forced to quit only to black boots or 11 papers on the streets of Vienna or” & 1fving. That's what wrecking the international exchange machinery has meant to Austria. The league of nations decided to take a hand. Some- body must make the attempt. Aus- desperate, demoralized, diseour- her national vitality gone, would agree to anything. Could Austria be made to function as an economic unit? Could she pay her gay or must she dle? s as Dr. Zimmermann, former mayor of Rotterdam, was appointed commis- sioner general of Austrla in October, 1922. He Is directly responsible to the league of nations. ' He arrived in Vienna in November, 1922. Hé rules Austria as a financial dictator. What is he trying to do? His job Is to make a living economic unit out of a shatfered economic wreck Here is his plan of action. (1) To establish a new bank of ue based on gold. (2) To balance government receipts and expenditures by July, 1924, (3) To secure a foreign 'loan of $125,000,000 to pay the deficits in run- ning the government up to July, 1924, (1) To stop further printing of un- secured paper kronen and thereby re- store stability to the money and confi- Qence n the future of Austria. Dr. Zimmermann has been in Aus- tria nine montl ‘What has he done? The new gold bank of issue opened its doors in January of this year with paid-in capital of $7,600,000. Today its gold reserve is equal to 30 per cent of its bank notes and deposit: N Government expenditures are being reduced. Thirty-five thousand govern- ment employes have been dropped. De- partments are being merged. Dr. Zimmermann told me that by July 1, 1924, he believes, the govern- ment receipts and expenditures will balance. The foreign loan of $123.- 000,000, of which United States took 325,000,000, has been raised. This will take care of the government deficit until July 1, 1924, o ow o The printing of more ypapers kronén stopped on November |18, 1922 The krone since then has become established at 71,000 for one dollar. That fs the important thing now—to know that next month or the next six months the money will | | | not fluctuate either up or down. Sav- ! :!nfs ‘bank deposits have 500 per cent during the past three monthe. Confidence Is returning to her people. The most serious problem is that of the increase There are twice as many of “work today as there months ago. menace., 2 It is useless to balance the budget without at the same time promoting & healthy industrial life. This is Austria’s real difficulty. Can she sup- port herself? Can she pay her way? No financial scheme, however, can lcompletely solve the problem for 1Austria. She must, in the final an- alysis, earn as much with her ex- ports ‘as she purchases. plus the in- terest charges on foreign debt The problem is one for the neople of Austria to solve. The loaning of money to Austria will not keep Austria from collapse unlees she can pay. by her excess of exports- the cost’ of her imports and interest charges on her borrowings. Can she do it? The league of na- ticns has helped her over the first hurdle. but the other hurdles are much harder to get over. * k% x 1 cannot say Austria’s problem is Insoluble, though, - in my several hundred millions of dollars will be nseded to increase her in- dustrial activities suffciently to en- able her to pay her imports and in- terest charges and live, What 1 do say is that in addition to being able to obtain huge sums for industrial expansion, the recovery of Austria cannot take nlace with- out an immediate restoration of the Industrial lifo of Europe, and espe- cially Europe who are her neighbors and cus- tomers—Hungary, Germany, Russia and the Balkans. More even than Great Britain, Italy and Belgium, Austria must have Eu- ropean markets to pay her way. Tariff walls must give way to free trade. For years to come her load will be a heavy one. Another Eu- {rcpean war—or even a localized |Balkan affair—would leave Austria lan_economic desert. Austria, too, must join hands with the other nations of Europe, who |know that modern industriaiism and modern warfare are deadly enemies. Which will the world throw into the discard? xt—Czechonlovakin, the Cham of Defiation. (Copyright, 1023, in Uited Stat ritain "by North American News, Alliance. All rights reserved. increased i v CAPITAL KEYNOTES BY PAUL V. COLLINS T avold calling a special session of Con- gress without that the Executive can do nothing. 1t is believed by the President, and other officials, that the federal farm loan banks and the in- termediate credit banks are- fully able to finance the orderly marketing of all crops, and that no governmental activity could affect the price. * % ¥ % In contrast with the ‘complaints of the wheat farmers, it is cheering to | read reports of good authorities to the effect that there is a brighter side to the flmancial outlook, even for agriculture. This was the atmosphere found at the conference this week of leading business men at the United States Chamber of Commerce when they gathered to discuss freight rates. High officials/of great railroads re- ported that business was in excellent condition all alongtheir roads—the Santa Fe and Wabash, particularly, which traverse agricultural states of the Missisisippi valley. Vive Pregident Maxwell of the Wabash asserted that “where farmers have lost a million on their wheat, they have gained $20,- 000,000 on their corn. The galns in 0ats, rye, bariey’ gnd hay are five times the loss ‘on wheat.” Similar tales of prosperity of farm- ers, except the wheat raisers, were told by others in attendange. This is in great contrast with vonditions,as reported-in England. In that coustry the numper-of unemployed—aided by the govérnment—amounted fo 1,223,- 000 warkers, ‘Auguat. 20, increase ©f.38,000 in’ the previous month. .In America the- 4,000,000 unempJoy: four years ago, have all found work. Ok % % ‘The supreme indication of our na- tional gmparu¥ lieg in the monthly trade balance for August, 1923, of $38,000:000, ‘in contrust with $20,§9 114 &t, 1932. For the elgl months ended August, 1923, imports Inoreased $7,000,000,000 over the. cor- Tesponding - period ' of the previous year, and . gporu increased In the same way mbre than $3,000,000,000. e I Years ago carefully selected on the bridge across the Rio_Grande—as near a neutral point as possible. In some such spirit of neutrality oth the greatest polit- parties of the United States have gen Washingtof ity as ¢ eir r':w‘o'cuvo thn’l becau ‘ashington is ‘politics, having mo fran- unsecured | of unemployment. | men out | were six | 1t has become a real | opinion, | of those countries of central | When the new Congress meets, the first Monday in December — next, liquor and the Volstead act, coal prices and “passing the buck” on the responsibility for increases in the latter will become toplcs for discus- #lon. As In their physical qualities ibothicoal and llquor engender heat, %0 will the talk become red hot, with the probability that nothing but ashes will remain after all is sald— and nothing done. For no practical results are expected in any direction. As: one Philadelphia newspaper £ays, commenting upon the advance of anthracite in Philadelphia of $1 a ton and at Harrisburg, the very gate of the anthracite field, of $1.50, in- Vestigators may investigate, commis- sloners may report, negotiators ne- gotlate and governors write letters one to the other, but the coal buyer oes the paying. * * % ¥» Gay. Pinchot's “gettlement”, of the coal strike is not panning out Gn'l [tirely satisfactorily to the consum- ers. Not only have the operators re- fused to.assume, as he thought they would, 10 cents a ton on the in- creased wages, but they have in= creased the price at the mine. Many of the dealers have been holding |meetings and have decided that they cannot reduce the cost ‘of handling. The coal-carrying rallroads have re- Solved that the Interstate Commerce Commission should not reduce the freight rates on coal. Thus, with !Veryhnd’}' “sidestepping” the burden of the fncreaso in wages given the miner, the consumer CAn see It grad- ually but remorselessly falling upon his'poor shoulders. * x5 ¥ Pinchot, however, may say that there is another way of looking {at the case, and in such view might { &Sk 1f he is not entitled to a modicum ©of credit. The essential point, come the rigors of winter, is that the con- sumer may have coal. It ranks above the question of what he may. be salled upon to pay for it. Geal to burn is the thing. When Gov. Pin- chot took up the controversy there Was no prospect of any anthracite at all. The government, realizing +this |teature, was already laying plans to provide substitutes for anthracite and gettng ready to move vast quantities of bituminous coal from the western |and southern flelds and to educate the people in its use in their furnaces. Gov. i i Q. Are Treasury. ‘saving stamps costing 31 still avallable?—E.-C. D. . A. ‘The Treasury Department says that these were withdrawn from sale at the close of businéss September- 30, 1922. Treasury savings certificates are offered until further notice -at the following flat issue prices: $25 maturity value, issue price. $20.59; $100 maturity value, issue price $82; '$1,000 maturity value, fssue price $820, Q. Who originated the term “knockout” in prize fighting?—D. C. A. This term is sald to have been coined by Billy Madden. Sullivan's trainer, on the occasion of Paddy Ryan's defeat by Sullivan February 17, 1882, at Mississippi City. Q. Was Pr ent Hayes inaugu- rated twice?’—A. G. L. A. Rutherford B. Hayes was in- augurated both on March 4, 1887, which was a Sunday, and on the fol- lowing Monday, President Grant nom- inally holding office until noon on Monday. In refefring to the matter President Hayes sald that since the 4th of March came on a Sunday and the inauguration ceremonies were fixed for Monday, he -thought the question might arise as to the legali- ty of the ceremony on that day. The oath of office was therefore admini: tered at the White House on Sunday by Chief Justice Waite. Q. Where do most of the Jews of the world live?—M. E. C. A. Dr. H 8. Linfleld of the Bureau of Jewish Soclal Research estimates that the nations having the largest Jewish ulations are: The United States. ‘with 3,000,000, of which 1,- 643,000 live in New York City; Poland, with 3,500,000, and Russia, with 3,- 130.000. The second Jewish city is Warsaw, with 309,000, and the third Vienna, with 300,000 The entire Jewish population is estimated at 15,560,000, of which two-thirds inhab- it Europe, about one-fourth North and South America, and only 7% per cent Asia, Africa and Australia combined. Q. Has the United States a poet laureate?—C. D. H. A. The United States does not have o poet laurcate representing _the country as a whole, s England does. Four states, however, have officially appointed them, while four more have poets regarded as such. They are: California, Ina Donna Galbraith; Ne- braska, John G. Neihardt; Colorado, Nellle Gurget Miller, and Oklahoma, Violet McDougal, all officially ap- pointed; New York, Edwin Markham; Yermont, Robert Frost; Pennsyivania, Florence Earle Coates, and Wyoming, B. Richard Shipp, unofficiaily holding that title. Q. How can American school boys and girls open correspondence with school children in China?—T. F. C. A. The Christian Herald recently “Anyhow. you are going to have coal,” Gov. Pinchot is entitled to s | ’ * ok % | The . pessimistic observation that jthe talk in Congress is likely to re- {sult In nothing but ashes is befleved {to be well taken. In point of fact, what can the statesmen do but de- |claim? Can't you picture them now, | taking the floor in House and Senate {in high dudgeon of indignation in behalf of their constituents and against the profiteers, making the welkin ring with their protests? We {may expect tb hear again about the atrocities of our friends the “coal barons” and the “soulless corpora- tions,” the railroads. If some wight in the gallerles should ask, “What are you going to do about it?"“the only answer would be “Investigate”: and thereupon the statesman would draw from his bosom & carefully prepared resolution, with & lot of “whereases” and “therefore, ibe it resolved,” etc, and solemnly I present it |~ The democrats in Congress may be expected naturally to try to put the blame om: the republican admini ition and tell how they would | prevented this grinding of the jof the poor had they been in pow which, of course, they could not have dona, Thére is a tremendous lot_of “bun- combe™ in the whole thing. One hard {and incontrovertible fact stands out, however. and that is, you might as {well make up your mind to “aig"e ;lnd pay., * % ok % | An important political development has occurred in New Jersey on the liquor question. A dispatch from [Trenton recites that after several years of unsuccessful effort to go through their campaigns without positive declaration of their attitude on the question of prohibition, re- publican leaders of New Jersey at a conterence held in Trenton sought definitely to place the party organi- {zation on record as favoring a more liberal attitude on the question. The conference declaration took the form of a resolution reported by a sub- committee and advocating a modifi- {cation of the ‘mational prohibition {law to permit the manufacture of beer and light wines. The resolu- tion is to be acted upon either favor- {ably or unfavorably at a state con- vention in October. Whatever the outcome, the action thus far taken is worthy of note as indicating the lines along which an effort will be imade in the new Congress to obtain |a modification of “the Volstead act 50 as to permit the use of light wines and beer. * ¥ ¥ ¥ Perhaps you have observed reeent- 1y that in all the suggestions put forward in behalf of the light wine and beer propesition the basis for a change in the law has been the assertion that the widespread and ever-increasing extent of violations of the national prohibition law has resulted in a general disposition to hold other laws in contempt. Feartul ones have professed to beileve that the way is being paved toward a breakdown of the social, moral and law-observance system. ' Of course, every man knows in his own case and his neighbor's that such is not fhe fact. People In your own ac- published a request from<“the princi- pal of the Porter Middle School, an institute of the American board mis- sion at Techow, Shantung province, China, for such correspondence. He belleves that communication with the bright,~ promising Chinese children will be mutually helpful and interest- ing. Letters should be addressed in care of the principal, Mr. A. D. Hein- inger. Q. Wh, is water carried, in the In- in leather bags made of goatskin?—R. A. G. A. This variety of leather is used to accommodate the Mehammedans, who could not drink from a bag made of pigekin, and the Hindus, who Old Castle of | would be unable to calfskin i, LRy ud < Q. Why {08 Taeat of,some birds uch as thé ‘ddve @11~ daFk in color Whije that of others is part light and part dark?>—L. B. 8. A. The bureau of biological survey says very little data have been co, piied regarding the.reason that some birds have all dark flesh and others part light and part dark. it has becn Obtfir\'ifl. however, that birds in Which the power of flight is well de- veloped have more dark meat others. grink from one of Q. Who designied the NC' Are’ they buflding this type of boat now?—T. 0. W. A. The NC draughtsmen boat was designud in the bureau of con- struction and repair at the Navy Di- partment. THe building of this 1vpe of boat has been discontinued . What {8 the meaning nificance of the word “amen ers?—E. J. H. A. Amen is a word of Hebrew ori- gin, having the sense of firmly er surely, certainly, truly. and when used at the end of a prayer or cre:d it has the meaning “So I believe rwig. in prav- is the Academy of ‘Politi- —C. E. W. A. The American Academy of i'o- litical and Social Science was orgaa- ized December 14, 135§, to provide a national forum for the discussion of political and social questions. ¥ive sclentific meetings are held each year, with an annual meeting in Apr Q. What is albertite?—M. S. 1. A. Alpertite is a pitchlike min- eral first digcovered in Albert county, New Brunswick. It is much lighter than ordinary coal, ignites freely from a match and burns like a candle, leaving an almost impalpable ash. Q. How dJoes the speed at which a movie camera is turned in shoot- ing a plcture affect the picture on the screen?—K. A. P. A Slowing up the camera speeds up the action. Therefore, if the crank of a eamera is turned slowly, the action on the soreen appears rapid. Q. Can an_ alternate ‘in a co |vention vote if his principal is pres ent, but refuses to vote?—A. C. T. A. The rights of alternates are fixed by the rules adopted by each convention, but convention chairmen have ruled that on roll call if a mem- ber answer, “Present, but not voting.” he 1s constructively absent and the alternate may vote in his steal Q. Of whom.is the story told that her father gave her her weight in gold upon her marriage’—F. B. A. Betsy Hull is the heroine of |a narrative of colonial times, which merely relates the fact that her father placéd her in the container on one side of a large nair of scales and balanced the scales by pouring into {the corresponding container shining gold pieces. reless called radio- The wo radiograph was d because radio is an abbrevia- tion for radiation and the radiograph is the instrument for radiating elec- tric energy through air (Send_your questions to The Star Information Bureay. Frederic J. Has- kin, director, 1220 North- Capitol street. Gdve your full name and ad- dress a0 that the information may be scnt direct, Inclose 2 ocents in atamips for veturn postage.) Tannhauser And Luther Falling to Decay BY THE-MARQUESE DE FONTENOY. Lutherans throughout America and also admirers of Wagner will be in- terested to learn that a fund is be- ing raised in Germany for the repair, preservation and maintenance of the picturesque Thuringian Castle of Wartburg, from which Wagner took some of the principal scenes of his “Tannhauser” and where Martin Lu- ther found refuge and spent the most eventful vears of his life; where, in- deed, he began his revision of the Holy Writ, by translating the New Testament from the Greek original into the German tongue. When one considers the influence which Lu- ther's Bible has had upon the Ger- man language, an influence at least equal to that of King James' “Au- thorized Version” of the Bible has had upon the English tongue and upon English literature, it s not surprising that the Wartburg should be looked upon by the Lutherans all the world over as the mecca and by the Germans of every denomination as classic ground. As long as the ex-kaiser was on the throne the Wartburg was kept in a splendid state of repair, regardiess of expense. Putting forward preten- sions as to the supreme chieftainship of the Lutheran Church, and regard- ing himself as sort of a Lutheran Pontifex ~ Maximus—claims which were often voiced in the sermons which he w; wont to preach on every Sunday and at religious fes- tivals—he made, until 1914, a roint of going into a sort of annual re- liglous retreat at the Wartburg, for the purpose, as he declared, of ‘inti- mate communion with his Maker.” During this retreat, no ministers of state, nor even ~the highest ' digiii- taries of the army, were permitted to bring anything mundane to his notice of a character fo disturd his religious meditations. Had he been a merely normal man, no one would have had any reason to complain. For a few days and nights, even a few hours, of quiet and meditation and undisturbed re- flection are good for us all, the trou- ble being that, nowadays. the rush of life is so great on both sides of the Atlantlc that little leisure is left for quiet thought, and almost every- thing is done on the spur of'the mo- ent without due and careful con- sideration. But, with a man so men- tally abnormal as the ex-kaiser and o prome to fits of religlous mania, like intance who . gleetully violate The prohibition law—when they can— are good citizens, obeyers of the ten commandments and all that sort of thing. Ak This assertion that we must have light wine and beer, because the lack of it induces to weakening respect for the law in other directions, is very subtle. Note how it is worded In the resolution prepared by the re- publican leaders in New Jersey for submission to their state convention: “The widespread and flagrant viol tion of the Volatead act has created a condition of lawleasness, with a re- sultant contefapt for all laws, that demands = remedy.” That puts an idea in the mind that if light wines ang beers are permitted the people Will not want to break the law by using liquors of high alcpholic con- o e elghtesnth amendment left it to_Congress- to: prescribe what is an intoxicating liguor. The Volstead act made it In excess of one-half of one per cent. ngress could as easily say that anything above 50 per cent of alcoholie tent is intoxicating liquor and all below that is innocu pus. But the beer and wine advo- cates know it would be impossible to elect & 88 which would do that. Most legisiators believe that it will be many years before a change can ‘acts and ‘condtlons 1a.t Looking fa conditions in the face, enn‘nrvnlvt men in Congréss are of opinion that the only pro ble han the operation of the Vol- Steag act in the mear futurs rests in the power-of the -United ‘States Su- preme Court, his grapd uncle and predecessor on the throne of Prussia, King Frederick Willlam IV, who died insane, afflicted with the same curious and incurable bone omposing aural malady, these annual retreats ot his at the Wartburg were invariably followed by some plece of palitical or adminis- tratlve estravagance, which he in- sisted was_the result of Divine in- spiration, but which were a subject of profouhd concern and embarrass- ment to the responsible statesmen of the empl: ndeed, they grew to dread t{ e ‘religious retreats of his at the Wartburs. 2 Although _ the 'ex-kaiser still preaches In his luxurious Dutch exile at Doorn, and wearies his entourage past all endurance by his intermin- able religious monologu yet ‘he seems to %vc lost all his former in- terest in Wartburg. He no longer contributes to its maintenance and has until now remained deaf to all appeals for subscriptions to the fund. It was taken over, along with mos! of the other castiés of the gran duchy of Saxe-Welmar, by the New Federated Republic of Thuringia, which, lke most of the new common- wealths of Europe, shows an lndiflfli' ence to religious matters "nd‘.cchi‘t' astical interest and does ROt mee’ \'a way_to contribute fim‘x‘_‘ the vation of . PThe result is Rt the castie has tallen into such a shocking state of repalr and nevm that the authgri- ties have felt {t necessary to closg it to vigitors and pligrims. For the first time in dreds of years its great jron gates are now bolted, while: all the caretakers and guides have been dismissed. But the roomis occupied by Martin Luther and especially the one + the -inkstain made .onv the wall wi ¥ Tuther huried his heavy inkpot-at the “messengers of Satan' who had been sent to torment him (an inkstain periodically renewed) have been carefully sealed up. It was a room in which many relics of Lu- ther were preserved. including his low. four-poster bed, with fluted col- umns, his table. hix chairs and the historic inkpot, still bent from its violent contact’ with the wall, from which the plaster is peeling off. The room will not be opgned again until enough money has been collected from pious Lutherans at home and here in America and from discipies of Wagner in ell parts of the world to provide a fund for the permanent maintenance of the Wartburg., whic® was built four years after the Nor man conquest of England, in A. I 1070, as a residence of the ~ld-time sovereign counts of Thuringia, Wi afterward became the sovereign elec- tors and grand dukes of Saxony. * ok kO Mrs. Charles M. Astley may esteem herself extremely fortunate in marry- ing off her very pretty, barely eight- een-year-old, daughter, Joan Stevens, to Allister McCormick of Chicago. For neither Mrs. Astley nor her hus- band, the Hon. Charles Milton Astley. have any fortune whatsoever, and the young girl“has been called upen to share many of the hardships, trials and unpleasant adventures of her mother and of her stepfather, dus to their persistent impecuniosity, so that it s doubtful whether the memory thereof will ever-be effaced from her mind. Her mother was a daughter of the late Maj. Gen. Strover of the Indlan army, who, for' a timé, held an ad- ministrative post as deputy commis- sioner of Upper Burma, and her first husband, that is to say. the father of the bride of Allister. McCormick, was a man of the name of Stevens. Mrs. Stevens came to ‘America in 1915 with her then barely ten-year-old daughter and a mald, manV trunks, but with very little ‘money. and established herself at one of the leading hostel- rie in New York. There, and else- where, she received . extraord!narily long credit, thanks to the letters of iptroduction which she had brought from England. and few knew of her financial troubles. Indeed, it was in the belief that she was a very rich, and certainly a very fascinating, widow, that the Hon. Charles Astiey. Younger brother of the. fmmensely wealthy Lord Hastings, ‘tharried her very quietly one fine morning at ona of the New York churches, on 5th avenue. 3 It wag only after the marriage that the bridegroom discovered that his bride had nothing but-a long list of debts, while she was equaily dis- mayed to learn that he was quite as badly off in & Pecuniary way as her- self and that he had been subsisting in this country very largely by meany of loans. The late Frederick Town< send Martin, until his generosity b came exhausted, was pasticularly lib- eral to him. > In a Few Words. I am nelther a democrat nor a re- publican. They will have to show me a difference before 1 affliate with either pa: Theyh@re both tarred t same brush. i e —HENRY FORD. The extremists who style themselves “Liberal,” with a capital "L* arregate to themselves all virtye and good In- tent and deny thbde qualities to all others. g —P] ENT ERNEST M. HOPKINS tmontn). 1 Pojncare ig out for reparation his olley will m‘.’aum & Bue it e s out for trouble, it has been a great success and in the future’ will even hl‘rnm triumph for his p. A o “-LLOYD' (HQRGE. Burope today 1s & riot of individ- u.lhm" and "mn-rmum. through which militarism, chauvinism, 1 ! cism and.Poincarism are’ spread! ke » BT R e