Evening Star Newspaper, January 17, 1924, Page 4

STRESSES BENEFITS OF SUPERPOWER Rev: John A. Ryan Declares Electric Service Cost Would Be Reduced Halif. With full development of & super- power system, electric sorvice would be reduced In cost by at least one-half, electricity would Become cheaper than gas, oil or wood, and would muke possible hundreds of new industries, greatly Increasing the productive power of those now in operation, Rev. John A. Ryan of Catholic Univer- Bity suid at the second day's session today at the Hotel Hamilton of a public conference on superpower and fts possibilities. Carryinz power of the railrouds would be doudled, with a correspond- ing reduction in the cost of transpor- tation, Dr. Ryan sald, and it would immensely reduce the burdens of farm rk. shows thut a super- e operated by tuking the n that the super-power s tems should be ownad and operated publicly rether than urivately is strengthened by ex- perience wpurable in- dustries—railroads nthracite coal mine The hi 3 of doclared. sed stand tha later Ry ory, these particuls mdust shows that th to be availub n are not re hypothetical. Opposes Private Ownership. Dr. Ryan declared it was a “pity” that the state of Veunsylvania evel permitted the anthracite coal lands and mines to become private prop- erty, rdding that the situation in the fiold of electric power Iy exactly par allel to that of tne anthracite In- dusiry. ome of the sources of clectric power are much richer thdn others, @nd therefore should yield the private companies much larger profits than are necessary it in public but are only cperation of the poorer sources an the poorer plants and instrumentali- ties. And '‘we can be quite certain that even though ull the plants and gources were owned by a single com- pa; the costs would not be aver- aged and pooled. The consumers Wauld not get the benefit of any pooling process, “The corporation would find ways of extracting rent from the more productive purts of its system while obtaining at turn from the parts that were least productive. “The remedy, the only adequate reniedy, is government ownership and operation of the whole syste Consider Proposed Bill The early part of the morning ses- slon of the conference taken up by discussion, in executive session, of & proposed bill fur u superpower Sys- in the United : Tollowin the com- mittee considering bill: Rey John A. Ryan, Senutor George W. N i Noo 1, Charles Ed . Beénjamin C, Marsh of Farmers' Ceuncil, Jennie Buecll of the Michigan State Grange and Charles K. Mohler, construction engineer of Chicago. For Umited Ntates Owmership, Bpeake: JEL night's session the conferénce declared ownership and operation ural revources of the United was the natural and logi Rallroads were eriticized b. P. Noonan, president of the tional etrical Workers, several railroud heads tricd to make government management of the roads during the war appear unsuceessful. Other penke Included Charles Tdward Russcll, an expert on water- power problem Mareh of the National Grange, and Norman Thomas ¢ on the of the League for Industrial Demoe- | raoy. CALLS CENSUS WRONG. Senator Objects to Cotton Report Methods. d by the census Lureau mating the coiton crop were eri 1 in the ite today Senator Dial . Juth Caro- Itna, who asserted the recent report was “packed” by the addition in one item of 230,000 bales under the title of “city crop.’ “I thought this mea cotton grown ar buck yards,” sald ut 1 find it fers to eady runted deducted ra- the collec- old as This_should be ther than added. tion of samples ¢ cotton Yy 1o 1 -glslation in thy injunction to force a ces hesc practic . said bhe had against estimates which ars nually of citrus fruit crops. iy o i Customer Had One. Prom the Sydney (Australia) S ai sald the barber, “my im has been sent to an times and_ it fina He and I worked side by side, Wl we both brooded au great deal. 5> money in this business now, you know. too low. Unless a cus- ®mer has a shampoo it doesn't pay to shave or hair cut. T caught Jim trying to cut a chap’s throat because he declined a shampoo, 8o I had to tave the poor fellow locked up. Makes me sad. Sometimes 1 feel wsorry I didn’t let him slash. It would Bave been our revenge. Shampoo, olr™ iy drove him lie cuerent) wore | d 2 h enough to repay sold ut a rate high enoug! DR | aixtyor alxty-five miles hn hour. least & reasonable re-| ot | byt ‘SHENANDOAH SAFE IN HANGAR AFTER WILD NIGHT IN GALE (Continued from First Page.) agalnst a twenty-five-mile wind and flew to Perth Amboy. From there we drifted somewhat to & point over Keyport, and then nosed the ship into the wind again until we reached Frechold, From there to Lakehurst we rode with the wind.” Capt. Heinen voloed enthustastic praise for the work of Lieut, Com- mander Muyer, who acted as inapec- tlon ofticer ‘while the ship waa in the alr. His duties called him to every part of the mon: dirigible, and he never faltered, nithoush he wi forced to walk the narrow gangwa: while the ship careened and swayed with the wind. Lakehurst Is Jubilant. Naval officors at the station were too busy to comment this morning, but all of them wers Visibly jubilant at the safo return of the Shenandoah. About the only worse thing thet could have happened to her, one of them declared, would have been for her to have broken iu haif end come fiying back in two pleces. When the craft broke loose last night there was & furore of excite- ment at the station. = She had been moored to the 165- foot mast which was bullt in the shape of the Eiffel Tower in Parls, and was undergolng a ten-day test of her actions in such a position In preparation for a flight to the north pole. Eight minutes more and she would have been fust to the mast ex- actly four days. Capt. ¥. R. McCrary, commandant of the station, and Commander R. D. Weyerbacher, who designed her, had !Juat come from aboard the ship, de- {¥cent being made by | mast, and gona into thelr quarters for dinner. ~ Suddenly there came a cre<h that boomed out over the whining of the wind and the sound of pouring ra Officers and en- | listed men rushed from barracks in various degrees of uniforms, just in time to sec the Shenandoah lurch | from slde to side, then gradually ascend, sonding down upon them a | shower of fragments of Ler torn out- | rigging. Help Was Imponsible, Help was fmpossible, and all the wwe- stricken sailors and marlnes could do {was to watch the airship drift into the storm. AL that time the wind was blowing from the southeast at about, There was some consolation for those left be- |hind in the fact that the gale would {earry the craft Inland instead of east- ward to the sea. | Therc was u hurrled rush to the top jof the mast to determine if possible {what damage had been done. There it was found that the metal nose cap, into which converged the craft's entire framework, had been torn away land left dangling on the mast. Then |came speculation as to whether the ship would be able to weather the storm with this hole in her prow. | The radio set on the Bhenandoah had been out of working order dur- ing the day and no word came for an hour. Telephone and telegraph wires about Lakehurst had been biown down by the rtorm and officers © d get no information as to the ship's whereabouts, Some were pessis mistic, although uil were sure that f it was h anly possible, Capt. icinen would bring the ship home Virst Message Recelved. Then, after an hour's anxious wait- ing, there came through the air this message: “Eversthing 0. K. We will ride out the storm.” The message was signed by Com- mander Pierce, who also was on board the runaway ship. Hope was renewed and after a time other reassuring messiges were re. ceived and when it was learned that {the Shenandoah had won her battle over Statcn Island the entire crew of {the station, consisting of about 400 sailors and marines, were ordered on {duty to await her ianding. A sailor {was perched atop the mast, another {was stationed at a siren and even be- fore the ship hove {nto view a scresch- ling whistle pierc the air, br ing man to his post on the fleld i to land the ship. \ For a time it was not certain | whether the Shenandoah would be taken into her haugar before noon, as 1it was feared ground winds might {cause another mishap that might spell { aisaster. The storm had abated by | this time, however, and the ship { touched the ground at 3:20 o'clock | this morning. | Working cautlously, the ground crew grasped the lines and dragged the Shenandoah slowly toward the hangar where yawning doors awaited the truant. Capt. Heinen and his crew remained on board until she was stowed safely away and he di- rected the work of hauling her to her berth. He was tn a jovial mood and as the rehlights that flooded the field played upon him a broad grin spread over his face. “You rons of guns,” he shouted from the con rol car, “you expected some- thing te happen. didn't you?" Great Holos in Envelepe. Tho truant ehip showed the wear and tear of the night's experiences. Hor battered nose, with the metal cap wrenched off, gave her a di {reputable appearance. { A few feet back great holes ape peared in both the outer and inner envelopes, and the gas was gone from two forward cella " These holes, one of them is about twenty-eight feet by ten feet, were the result of ballust 2nd non-essential objeots belng thrown overboard when the ship was whisked from her mooring mast. A large section of the outer cover was stripped off the forward bow, and a stabilizing fin had been dashed off. It was this, with the hole in the bow, that made steering so diffieult, Com+ mander McCrary sald. - The commander gave orders that no one was to board the Shenandoah until he had inspected it himself. “An official statement will be lssued by him later. s awarded to milk supplied by Chestnut Farms Dafry. MILK has for many Our PERFECTLY PASTEURIZED vears maintained the lead in quality. No milk can be safer or more de- THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTO WILL FLY TO POLE REAR ADMIRAL W. A. MOFFETT. BLIMP'S SAFE RETURN ASSURES POLAR DASH _(Continued from First Page.) el < present fastening methods airship and mast already {developed and will be put into use |Immediately. It was stuted that a gale pounding against the ship with hetween has been way of theimuch more force thun that of last, night could not sepurate the two. Because of known conditions In the north, a_stronger apparatus ocuring the dirigible to the mast would not be needed, but it will be put into use anyway. Navigator Is Pralsed. Praise for Lieut. Commander Plerce. the navigator, and his assistants was | volced in every quarter at the bu- reau this morning. It was an ex- cellent plece of airmanship to bring | the 630-foot dirigible under control aftor she had been tossed about In the storm. The engines were started, which enabled radlo messages to be sent and, unlike the ill-fated Dix- mude, me: ges were forthecoming vals. The first message was received at Lakehurst at 9:10 o'clock. It said: “Shenandoah all O. K. Riding out " “This and many more com- munications from the ship itself and other points were sent immediately to Washington by Commander Frank R. McCrary, “skipper” of the craft, where Lieut. Commander Cecil, Licut. T. T. Patterson, Lieut. Reicheiderfer and Lieut. Holeomb remained on duty unil 4 o'clock this morning. Ad- miral Moffett was in telephone com- munication with these officers every few minutes until final word of the |ship's safety was received. Tho second message andoah came in at 9 . We think we are over swick Holding our own. Verify position and send us weather information,” it said. Another received at 9:: 2 our engines over.” This one at 9:35 stating: Keep us informed on 11 o'clock this message “Pleas: arrange to give Weather reports. Us Other word was received tervals and at 12.58 am. ing was picked up: “Over Keyvport making some headway to south. Speed all engines Pleass tell fami- les not to worry. Control car de- lightful. First timo not being overs crowded. ' Signed Kincaid.” The bureau received a message from Commander McCrary that “U. 8 8. Shenandoah on fleld in hands of crew at 3:35 o'clock. Being walked to_hangar at present.” When first word was recelved here that the ship had broken luose, no orders were sent Commander Me- Crary, but he was allowed to act on his own initiative. The message ag pe of the dirlgible “Shenandouh broke away. Drifting to northwest. Capt. Heinen aboard. Not in sig Radio in an hour. "Full erew aboard.” The Shenandoah, on which the fu- ture of dirigibles has been resting ever since It was launched last Sep. tember ¢, now should have the sup. Port of the nation, naval air service officers said today. The fact that she was inflated with | hellum. a non-inflammable and non- explosive gas, eliminated practically all danger, even on this wild fiight, She carried fuel enough to turn her sIx motors over at full speed for forty-eight ‘hours, and there were cnough rations aboard for her crew for soveral days. “And while four ships went afoul yesterday, the Shenandoah was the only one that came through. Since its launching the Shenandoah has flown more than 5,000 miles and has spent 120 hours in the air. Her major flights include trips to Wash Ington in Beptember and to St. Loul October, 1-3; & flight down the Shenandoah valley, October 27, and a fiight to New England November 20. Many minor and practice flights also have been made. Shen- nge: iort in- ilow from the craft at few-minute inter- | D. '0, THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, TEAPOT DOME INQUIRY HALTS: AFTER SCATHING BLOW AT FALL The Senate's Teapot Dome investi- gation, which inspired a sensational speech on the Senats floor yesterday by Senator Caraway, democrat, Ar- kansas, probably will remain at a atandetill for several daye. Meantime members of the pubile lands committee, in charge of the inquiry, will canvas the situation to determine whether it would be ad- visable to agaln summon Albert B. Fall, former Secretary of the In- terior, accused by Senator Caraway of having “sold” the Navy's ofl re- serve for & “corrupt consideration” and of having told a “wiliful and daliberate falsehood” to the commit- tee when it sought to determine the asource of certaln funds he obtained to purchase ranch property in New Mexico. Chalrman Lenroot left Washington last night, and until he returns, next waek, there will be no meeting of the committee, When a meeting is called Senator Walsh, democrat, Montana, will make u report on his recent trip to Florida to examine Edward B. M Lean, the Washington newspaper pub- isher, from whom Mr. Fall said he borrowed $100,000. ~ Senator Walsh j®ald today he would not ask the com- Imittec to recall the former Interlor Secretary Caraway Accuses Fall. { _The Teapot Dome reserve was cor- jruptly leased by former Secretary i Fall ‘to the Mammoth Oll Company, by H. F. Sinclair, Senator 5 charged on the floor of the | Senate yesterday. The Arkansas senator declared that Mr. Fall, in his conflicting testimony 10 the Senate investigating cominittee and to Senator Walsh, representing the committee, had convieted him of having sold out the interests of the government to oll speculators. Senator Caraway included In his as- sault Secretary Denby and Assistant Secretary Roosevelt of the Navy, cause of thelr acquiescence in the lease. Paying his vespects to Attor- ney General Daugherty, he said that 4s long as Mr. Daugheérty remained jat the head of the Department of {Justice “they may well the White House and “be ubsolutely “tmmune n {from any prosecution federal court Scorcy Other Ofclals, Senator Caraway declared that aft- ler President Harding, without author- {ity, had transferred the naval ofl re- serves from the control of the Navy Department to the Interfor Depart- ment, Mr. Fall “without notice to the |country ncgotiated some kind of a {deal with two oll people and parted with the last gallon of Amecrica's na- Ival reserve fuel.” { "I should like to include also in | theee remarks the statement that ap- jparently ‘Mr. Full (s not registered under hiy name in Florida. He has vonted unother, and puts oppos! | that. ‘Charge to ‘account of Mr. M L McLean saye he did not au i him to do it, that he is just {loaded on him for that hotel acconnt |#nd nobody could see Mr. Fall except MeLear znd his lawyers. ‘That is not all. The present Secre. tary of the Navy, Mr. Denby, signed that contract. His assistant secre- tary, Mr. Roosevelt. admitted that he was somewhat active in the matter. j They now say, in order to stand from junder, that this wae just a mere mat- ter of detall, which great men like them had no time to consider. 1f they regerd that as a mere matter of detail and they know as little about the matters that come .within their jurisdiction. they ought never to have been entrusted with our first line of defense, as they osll the Navy. cither Mr. Palmer nor Mr. Lam- bert mor any other lawyer he (Fall) may hire can ever add to or take from the positive declaration that ‘T ®ot the cash from Hon. Edwin B. Mc- Lean of Washington, and I took it with me. McLean savs, ‘I never let him have a dollar’ zithough prior to that he hed authorized Mr. Palmer to say to this committes, hoping that that would quiet them, that in 152]—and T am reading now from McLean' tate- ment, the first one—'in 1821 1 loansd Fall '$100.000 on his promissory not Left With $100,000, “The Investigating eommittee.” sald Senator Caraway, referring to the Senate public lands committee, which %Wah directed to Inquire into the |lease, “finally commenced to inquire !with 'reference to the suddenly very ivastly increased apparent prosperity {of Mr. Fall, and Le came before the jcommittee and made a statement. {Other exidence was offered and then {he declined to go back before the commtitee, but claimed the privilege of writing a letter. In this letter, isince It had been positively proven that Mr. Fall left here about the time he let his friend Sinclair have the Teapot Dome, he said he left Washington with $100,000 and carried jit down to Texas and deposited it. “Anyway, Mr. Fall made a stat |ment,” rather resentfully. with ref. lerence to where he obtalned the !money. He said he was preparing to buy a ranch down in New Mexico land that the banking facilities were limited, and therefore he just took along the cash. He wound up with 8 burst of indignation by saying: _ ““The gentleman from whom I ob- tained it'—referring to the $100,000— ‘and_who furnished me_the cash, Wi the Hon. Edward B, McLean of Wash- {ngton, D. C." “Immediately after that the Hon. Edward B. McLean hired himself two lawyers and made a statement. One, A. Mitchell Palmer, Quote MeLean Sta “*Mr. McLean s mow in Florida for the winter, and is obliged to re- main there owing to the condition of his own health and that of hix wife. He has requested me to say that if you desire a complets statement from him in reference to said loan for the record of your hearings he will be glad to give it. He has just tele- graphed me as follows “*“In 1921 I loaned Fall $100,000 on his personal note. I have never met Harry Sinclair, nor have I ever met Doheny or any of the so-called oil crowd.” " “That {s the substance of the tele- gram. The investigating committee gent down to Florida the senator from Montana (Mr. Walsh), who took a first hand statement from Mr. McLean. Incidentally, Mr. McLean' real lawyer. Mr. Lambert, went along to advise his client, to enable him to remember just exactly what did occur, and when he got with his real lawyer he remembered that he never loaned Fall & dollar in his life, but e sald’ that Fall came to him and wanted to borrow some money, and he gave him some checks, and that afterwards Mr, Fall gave him his notes, and that thess checks were in 2 day or two returned to him un- statement by Mr. gotten this money from some other source, and there- fore did not require it. “Th nator from Montana then wrote to Mr. Fall, who is now also down In Florida for his health. put- ting up at the same hotel with that other invalld, Mr. McLean, and called his attention to the fact that M McLean had repudiated the stul ment he made to the committee and asked him would care to make a further ement, and he declined to do it. except that he wrote & let- ter, in which he ‘McLean told the truth. got any money from him.' Question Secrecy Oause. “If there was nothing wrong with the source from which Fall got this why did he not tell the source in the firct place? Why did he tell & willful and deliberate falsehood, as he did, to the committee? “Then why did Mclean, from his sick bed in Florida, wire a lawyer here overnight in Washington to say to the committes, ‘Yew, I let him have that money.” and then McLean under his oath said, a dollar. I did write two or three checks, and gave them to him." “1 know that therc {s something wrong with it, and I know that every reading man and woman n_America will know that Albert B. Fall, the Secretary of the Interior, sold every gallon of the American reserve fuel to ofl speculators, one of whom boast- ed that he was golng to make & hundred million dollars out of his share of the loot. ‘0f course, 1 rather imagine that if it were not for my distinguished friend, the present Attorney General, all these men would be Indicted. FALL ILL IN HOTEL. T never Arrives in New Orleans, But In- terviewers Are Barred. By the Associated Prees, NEW ORLEANS, La., January 17.— Albert S. Fall, former Secretary of the Interior, accompanied by Mrs. Fall, arrived in New Orleans from Florida yesterday, and were quartered today at a local hotel. where the former Secre- tary was reported by Mrs. Fall to be iy ‘When newspaper men called at the hotel to inquire if Mr. Fall wished to say anything regarding the attack yes. terday in the Senate on the former retary by Senator Caraway of Arkan- sas in connectlon with the leasing of the Teapot Dome oil reserve, Mrs. Fall Informed them that her husband was fatigued by the journey from Filorida, and was too {I] to see them. She said. however, she did mot think he would e to make a reply to Senator Cara. way's remarks. It was said the former Secretary had ngaged rooms at the hotel for se eral days and was under the care of & physician. ‘What They Were Saying. From “‘Campel] Benverman,” by J. A. Spender “One d. E when King Edward and Campbell-Bannerman were ‘snapped’ the picture was circulated under the legend "Peace or War?—for they were guessed to be discussing the Euro. situation. § C. B looked at the plcture and said to his retary: ‘Would you like to know what the king was saying to me? He wanted to have my opinion Fhether halibut i3 better baked or ofled!" " By Ordering a Gas Range This Month You Will Benefit As Follows:— —~SPECIAL PRICES have been made on many models, repre- senting substantial savings. —You need only make an initial cash payment now of.. 2 aid not let him have | 1924 SAND MAKES MUSIC IN LIBYAN DESERT Lenroot Leaves Capital for Few Days, Delaying|Haunted by Queer Sounds and Probe—Caraway Charges Corruption—rFall Seill 1. Peopled With Animals and Inseots. TO BE CROSSED BY PRINCE ‘Wild Region 400 Miles from Oasis in the Sahara. “The Libyan desert, the most in- hospitable portion of the sequestered | Sahara, which an Egyptian prinee ans to cross to establish a route between the Nile and the western Bahara, s the home of the ‘song of the sands'" according to a bulletin from the Washington headquarters of the National Geographic Soclety. “This fe a distinctly musical but very faint sound glven out by the sands of the deserts, which some- times seems to be composed of two distinet parts. One desert traveler described the one part as resembling | tho sighing of the wind in telegraph wires, and the other as a deep, throb- bing sound that strongly resembled the ‘after-reveberation of the chimes of a large clock. It took place after a steady downpour on an almost coid day, followed by frequent vivid sum- mer lightning, and was explained by him as probably belng caused by the sand pouring over a low scarp or declivity somewhere in his vicinity. Ameong the Muslcal Sands. “It s hard to realize that an utterly barren desert could be haunted by queer gounds and peopled with abundant animal life. hen one treads upon the hard crust on the top of the sand it breaks with a hollow, almost bell-like sound, and it fs said that there is a place on the top of a plateau near Kasr Dekhl which gives out a musical note when struck. It supports, mysteriousiy, num- ‘bers of birds, snakes, lizards and me very unusual varieties of moths and insects. Foxes and jackals make thelr ways out into the desert to a distance of several days' travel from the water holes. Thelr presence might be explained, as they live on the snakes and mice, but it is almost impossible to explain how the mice live, as there Is practically no vege- tation. The simplest thing to do un- der the circumstances is to fall back upon the old Bedouin explanation that they ‘live upon the stone: Biggest Blank Patch. “The Libyan desert may easily be found on_a map of Africa by looking for the largest blank space on the continent.® "It {s bordered on the north by a populated coastal strip running down to the Mediterranean, on the east by a populated area in the valley of the Nile, on the south by Darfur, and on the west by Tibest! and the Great Sahara. It overlape into Egypt, the Anglo-Egyptian Su- dan, and Italian Libya. ‘The Kufra oasis, 400 miles south of the.neareat point on the Mediter- ranean coast, {s an fmportant stop- ping ‘place on the caravan routes from Darfur and the Lake Chad re- gion. Before the war camels groan- ed under the 10ads of feathers. ivory &nd hides which they brought into the settlement for barter and ship- ment to the coast. “Few attempts have ever been made to chart the rolling sand dunes or locate definitely the fresh. bitter or suit water holes in various parts of the great expanse. The trails are falrly well known from the coast as but for to Kufra guides are difficult to obtaln, und often they lose their way and the party is never heard of again. One of the eommon t forms of marking the trail em- ployed by the Bedoulps is to tie a string or strip of their garments to the occasional bushes that dot the landscape, but even this 18 impoasible south of Aujila, as there is no vege- tation. The Arabs have a pecullar way of cautioning desert travelers: ‘If ‘one goes too far west OF too far «ast, one goes to hell.’ “Despite the tumbled-down walls of its mud houses caused by a combina- tion cf lack of funds and the Mo~ hammedan antipathy toward keeping property in repair, Aujila is one of the most pleturesque of the Libyan desert towns. It has nine mosques whose only roofs are the sky and the occasional shadow cast by a palm branch, a ‘qubba,’ or domed tomb, of the prophet's cierk, and a square watch-tower. The gardens in this and other ‘southern oases of the desert are irrigated, and pumpkins, radishes and onlons grow in neat or- derly rows. 'One of the most startling features of the Libyun desert to the person unfamiliar “with desert travel is the wide range of temperature taking place during twenty-four hours. From 113 degrees Fahrenheit dur- ' | i i i i ing the heat of day the thermom- eter falls to a few degrees above freczing point during the night, and often strong cold winds blow out of the south. Indeed, the Bedouins may well be classed as to dislike of ©cold weather with the ‘snow-dodgers’ of the United States who hit southern trails as moon as winter comes. De- spite the intense heat caravans make o5t of their distances during the | summer season, starting two hours hefore sunset and traveling through the night to make their camp two hours after dawn. “South from Buttafal, which lles just to the southeast of Aujila, there is a seemingly endless waste of flat nd, the monotony of which Nature as not chosen to relleve with sticke, stones or even & blade of grass. Few e the individuals wiw can recog- nize a landmark beyond an occasional camel gkeleton or a human skull. Parties which become hopelessly lost sometimes await a mirage, which Lrings the country from fifteen to fitty miles distant {nto sight for a briet moment, to reveal to them some irregularity in the landscape they may identify. The Arabs say ‘the country is turning upside down.' Ripples Molded in Clay. One sclentist who has made a rpecial study of the sand dunes in the Libvan desert reported that he obderved in certain portions of the| desert clay ripples. 5o hard and compact were they that a fairly atrong wind did not disturb their outward appearance, and they gave the imnpression that they were formed at & very early date. “Hesides the brilllant electrical storms that take place over the Lib- van desert, other interesting electri- 4l phenomena have been noted. A woolen burnoose or woolen blanket which has been left oat during a sandstorm will almost biaze with elactrical sparks when it is picked up and shaken. and brush discharges of lightning six or eight inches long have been noted on the ears of camels during sandstorma.” Health Precautions. From the Berkshire Eagle. A doctor tells us that autopsies re- veal four people out 4f five have had a struggle with tuberculosis at some time or other in life. This is shown by scars in the lungs, indicating that the dread disease hud been overcome by the body's power of resistance. Keep the general health in good shape and there aren’t many diseases that a person need worry about. Ex- posure to bad weather, strain, over- work, lack of sleep and overeating— these are the chief things that lower the body's powers of resistance. RETIREMENT BILLS ARGUED IN DETAIL Government Workers Appear Before Joint Senate and House Hearing. ‘The bllls proposing amendments to the eivil service retirement act were discussed in detall today by George B. Buck, chairman of the board of actuaries under the existing law, at a joint hearing of the Senate and House civil service committees. Mr. Buck submitted to the com- mittees flgures show!ing the estimated cost, In percentages of the govern- ment payroll, of the varlous pluns proposed. House resolution 703, known as the Stanfield-Lehlbach bill, he estimated, would cost 6.46 per cent of the pay roll, of which the government em- ployes would contribute 3.50 per cent; House resolution 201, known as the Falrchild bill, which contains the recommendation of the board of ac- tuaries, he estimated would cost in the neighborhood of 5.09 per cent of the pay roll, with the employes con- tributing 2.50 per cent; House reso- lution 4978, {ntroduced by Mr. Lehl- bach, containing the recommendations of the pension bureau, would cost 5.09 per cent, with the government emploves contributing 2.50 of that percentage. Cost Now 352, Under existing law the percentage cost is 3.82, with the employes cou- tributing 2.50 per cent of the total. Mr. Buck told the committee also that owing to the fact many emploves would be retired who had contributed com- ment act did not go into operation un- paratively small sums since the retire- til 1920, over a period of thirty years there would be a deficit which had to be made up by the government. Ho estimated that this deficit under House bill No. 705 would equal 4.78 per cent of the pay roll; under House bill No. 201, 3 per cent; under House bill No. 4973, 3.33 per cent, and under existing law, 2.55 per cent. Discussing H. R. 705, Mr. Buck pointed out that the provision of that bill authorizing employes to retire after thirty years of service, no mat- ter what age, would result in remov- ing an incentive to stay in the serv- ice after the expiration of the thirty- year perlod. since the employe under the terms of that bill could not re- celve a higher annuity than he would recelve at the conclusion of his thirty years' service. Mr. Buok told the commit{ee that under the other bille an_empleye who continued in the service would receive the benefit of a greater annuity, determined by the length of his service. Argues for Increase. Willlam A. McDonald of Bosto representing the metal trades depart- ment of the Boston navy yard, ar- gued for an increase in annultie saying that the employes he repre- sented would be willing to pay an increased contribution 1f necessary to oring about the increased annuit Th. present anuuity, he declared, was entlrely inadequat John H. Bosche of New York, re) resenting the post office laborers, a recommended {ncreased annuities urged, too, that the law be amen: 80 that the post office laborers shouli retire at 65 years of age instead of The joint committes adjourned meet again on Monday at 10 o'cloclk, when the hearing will be resumed T 1 2 “CHAR with lined. e EASY WEEKLY “IF IT'S NEW WE HAVE IT” Ladies’ Specialty Store N\ Milton RMNey Pennsylvania Ave. at 8th N.W. Thrift Week The woman of today must dress well to keep up a good ap- pearance. We are going to assist you and show you how to dress well and save. A CHARGE ACCOUNT with us will enable you to have a savings account in the bank. We have worked out a plan whereby in making a purchase you divide the pay- ments of that purchase into ten equal parts, each part represent- ing one week’s payment. In other words, if you purchase a dress for $25.00, you pay $2.50 a week for ten consecutive weeks. That will enable you to dress well with a small outlay of money. The following facts, among many others, are reasons enough to show why a CHARGE ACCOUNT is essential today No necessity for waiting for change or the incon- venience of meeting C. O. D. deliveries. You are informed in advance of the special sales we are to make, so that you can take advantage of them before they are announced to the public. 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LIGHTING ATTACHMENT. - D“'i“é S‘u:lmfity't“;f y::i':l"“ b‘:}::?g’ wet l;“:ifi"’hed : a ing hones y an itimately e peo- pxmuu ton S0 when we cak you “WHY NOT OPEN A CHARGE A UNT” we know we can ask nothing fairer. Make your application for a “CHARGE ACCOUNT" at our ofioe—thtlird floar. You will receive the most courteoys and kind- dowtonn, Sum phone Tepresentati wilal & WASHINGTON GAS LIGHT COMPANY SALES DEPAR'(MENT—dD TENTH STREET N.W. "Iubkuafl Main 8280 and a