Evening Star Newspaper, January 20, 1929, Page 27

ON-MAGNETIC VESSEL HUNTS COMPASS DATA Experimental Cruise Gathers Informa- tion on Variation Carnegie Out Since May. Note—Last May the non-magnetic ship Carnegie of the Cargenie Insti- tution of Washington left port on a three-year cruise to make magnetic surveys of the oceans. Before it re- turns, it will have traveled more than 100,000 miles and have visited every ocean. The investigations have to do primarily with variations in the compass meedle, and also with the collection of various oceono- graphic data. This is the seventh cruise of the Carnegie, and the fourth under the command of Capt. J. P. Ault, a member of the depart- ment of terrestrial magnetism, who has written the following running account of the voyage in the North Atlantic. A ago, we set May 1, 1928, as the date for sailing from Wash- ington and October 9, 1928, as the date for arriving at Panama after encircling the North Atlantic. As these words are being written we are about 140 miles from the latter place and the date is October 9. So you see that we have kept pretty close to our schedule. Would you like me to tell you of ‘what has happened to us during these first five months of this three-year cruise and of what we e been doing? It is a difficult task because at sea one day is much like another. Sails Aways on Time. ‘We left Washington exactly on time, ® am, May 1, with our families and friends crowding the dock wishing us godspeed and a safe return. Five beautiful days greeted us during our experimental work at the mouth of the Potomac River, near St. Marys. Eight of our colleagues from the office at Washington were on board, assisting in getting things started and it looked like a real yachting party with men sleeping all over the decks. ‘We “swung ship” to test for the pres- ence of any deviations in our magnetic readings due to new installations of generators, engine and radio equipment. And we set up a station on shore to :observe the electric potential-gradient, or electric charge of the earth, carrying on simultaneous observations on_board ltxhlg, where, on account of the effect of salls, davits and deck buildings, the values must be corrected to agree With the shore results. Oscillator Is Repaired. We pedched Newport News May 7, and wemt into dry-dock for repairs to [the oscillator, used in measuring ocean ,depths by the echo-method, to install new radio equipment, and for some minor repairs. Finally, all grepautium having been completed, photographs having been taken and our Washington colleagues ~having said good-by, the sails were set, | the towline was cast off and we squared away for the North Atlantic—for un- i known experiences, storms, calms, cold weather, head winds, new lands and ' new friends. Graduall; BY J. P. AULT, Commander. T SEA ON BOARD THE CAR- NEGIE.—When planning cruise 7 of the Carnegie several years . . the new me& !:3‘ n}etr sea 'legs ant ame acqual with the |instruments and obseervational pro- cedure. They found that they could | live, eat and sleep in quarters full of water; with ship hove to in heavy gales, yand with waves flooding decks, {lllng , boats and flinging one against the rail. They fund that, even under the most thmuzhc:"ig“mu; 1) AL laid aily program down. But they also. found that the old saying still held true, “The best ! place to see the sea is from the shore.” The radio helped a lot’ We cauld "tell those at home how we were faring and feel their interest and sympathy reaching out to us over the invisible avenues of the air. _ First Great Thrill. ‘We have been learning many things about the sea. Our observations have told us how much the compass has changed over these routes since our previous cruises in 1910, 1913 and 1915. We have secured new data relating to the electricity in the air and the quan- tity of dust to be found at sea. The water bottles which came up on the wire from the ocean bottom felt ice cold, and the thermometers gave the temperature as 2 to 3 degrees above freezing, with the surface at 44 to 82 Fahrenheit, depending upon lo- Many biological specimens were col- lected at night by means of the sub- marine light. At times the sea is filled with jellyfish and other organisms. » horescence is often present and the “firefiiest’ of the sea switch on their lamps with sudden and brilliant glow. New Depths Discovered. The depth of the sea is measured every few hours during the day by the ,echo method. Many new deeps and peaks have been discovered and much new information added to our knowl- of the shape of the ocean bottom in regions where no soundings have heretofore been taken. And so through the storms, calms and head winds of the North Atlantic we approached our first port—Plymouth, ‘Enfhmt But first we were made to Teel the temper of the sea. For 10 days before we could enter the English hannel we had to tack back and forth 4and run the engine against a wind Ehlch seemed to be nailed down to the point of the compass. When we were within a few hours of Bishop Rock Light, Sciuy Islands, it began to Tain. Fog and mist closed in on us and we were compelled to stand out to #ea as we had repeatedly done. For the next two days a terrific wind blew from the south. Had we not been Jucky enough to weather the Channel when we did, it would have sent us hur- Tying back again for another week. Plymouth Gives Relief. Imagine with what joy we went ashore at Plymouth, once more to tread on solid ground, to get a taste of fresh food, to see and meet other people and to relax after the strenuous trip, the first experience at sea for some of the members of the party. Ship repairs, conferences with scien- tists of the Marine Biological Labora- tory, dinners, lunches ashore, a hurried trip to London, showing visitors over vessel and equipment, all in 10 days— and we were off for Hamburg, through the English, Channel. Fifteen busy days were spent in Hamburg. More repairs were made, new oceanographic equipment was pur- chased, German scientific bureaus and organizations were inspected, confer- ences held with specialists in the dif- ferent subjects which we are investi- gating (an illustrated lecture was given before a joint meeting of scientists at Berlin, and official luncheons, dinners and receptions were conquered). We flew over the city for a view of its fa- mous harbor. In every way we en- joyed our contacts with the Germans, especlally with their men of science. We left with a new inspiration for the vy task ahead. After being towed 20 miles into the North Sea against a head wind, we started our own engine and continued 10 get an offing from shore before head- ing up for the Shetland Islands. It was Summer time and the North Sea was in a quiet. mood. Fair winds hur- ried us along past the Shetlands, past the Faroes and at last, on July 16, to a glorious view of the enormous Oraefa glacier on the eastern end of Iceland, 7,000 feet high and 50 miles wide. Head winds again greeted us and for #ix days we fought our way westward along the south coast of Iceland, using the engine with fore-and-aft sails when the sea was sufficiently ,smooth. We tacked or wore ship 11 times. in North Atlantic. We came into Reykjavik, Iceland, on July 20, in the midst of rain squalls and low-hanging mist and fog. Owing to strong currents and local magnetic disturbances, rendering the compass almost useless, we were well up into the Havnafjord Bay before we became aware of our position, which we were able to determine only when the mist lifted with the rising sun. Iceland Fishers Never Quit. It is difficult to describe the weird- ness of continual daylight, of sighting a new country, having small farms, green meadows, beautiful and enormous pansies and poppies, and over all the atmosphere of fishing, the chief indus- try of the island. Despite Winter gales and storms and darkness, the trawlers are out on the ‘fishing grounds every day of the year. ‘We went by auto to Thingvalla, about 50 miles east of Reykjavik, a beautiful valley, where in 930 the first Parliament of the world was organized. A nearby shallow lake still retains the | name which signifies drowned woman, | | the penalty meted out to female crimi- nals in the early days. Walking out over the lava fields, the hot sun soon had our cgats off. In the deep crevasses the clear and smooth water pools took on unpaintable colors of blue, turquoise, sapphire and the rest. In one place, called the “reserve treas- ury of Iceland,” coins of all realms could be seen glistening against the dark rocks of the bottom. We added some from the United States, signifying our interest and support of Iceland and her prineiples. Glima Wrestlers Rough. Several tourist steamers arrived at Reykjavik while we were there, and we witnessed a special exhibition of Ice- landic wrestling, called the “glima.” The wrestlers stand facing each other, each gripping the other’s harness, which consists of a belt around the waist and & strap around each thigh. The winner must lift his opponent off his feet and swing him and trip him until he lands with some part of his body touching } the hard wooden floor, the victor stand- ing clear. A bout never lasts very long. Once again we left port and once more against a head wind, however, under our own power, Heading south toward Cape Farewell, Greenland, we were on our way fo warmer latitudes. Northern lights played around us on several nights, and on August 5 we passed close to an iceberg, 400 feet long and 95 feet high, which furnished a great thrill, This berg was somewhat late in its migration, and its presence .and location we immediately radioed to the Hydrographic Office at Wash- ington. Air's Electricity Gauged. During this cruise Parkinson began making atmospheric-electric observa- tions continuously over 24 hours, once a week, assisted by Torreson. Previous results had indicated certain facts re- garding the diurnal variations in the zl:ec;:;: elements and more data were | ne Jones, our radio operator, had con- tact practically every night with some station in England, France, Holland, Germany, United States or Brazil. ‘We owe much to these kind friends, the amateur radio fans in the United tates, as well as of other countries, and wish to take this opportunity to thank them. - You ask what we do with ourselves on board ship all the long days and nights. We read, study, play bridge, five hundred, poker and nearly every- thing else. Voyagers Keep Fit. We have the horizontal bar for those athletically inclined, the salt water shower bath, and, of course, the phono- graph, which is kept going during every meal. Once in a great while we catch a shark or a bonita and the “tincan” is varied with a meal of tresh fish. A flying fish jumps on board occasionally, but only the tail and fins remain to' tell the story after the cat has finished with the intruder. Then, there is always the serious work of the expedition which keeps us oc- cupied during the day and frequently into the night, for there is always some- thing to compute and to check and to abstract. e On August 7 we occupied a station on the edge of the Grand Banks of Newfoundland in the cold Labrador stream, which at the point had a depth of 426 feet. At the surface the water registered 52 degrees Fahrenheit, but at a derth of only 170 feet the thermome- ter fell to 34 degrees. Two days later we entered the Gulf Stream, changing from Arctic woolens to temperate me- diums and tropical shorts in 24 hours. The water surface temperature rose to 79 degrees by August 10, and there followed many days of fine weather. Calm Weather Region. On August 23 we reached the region of light winds and calms, and for 12 days we averaged only 65 miles per day, with 97 miles the maximum run. The engine was operated frequently until we were forced to conserve our supply of gasoline. Fresh water also began to disappear rapidly and meas- ures were taken to husband our store. When we came to 8 degrees north, we decided to head for Barbados, as our time was limited. On September 10 a oderate gale from the southwest greeted us, an unusual wind for that latitude, being preceded by peculiar changes in the wind direction. This un- doubtedly was the beginning of the terrible hurricane which devastated the ‘West Indies on September 13. We ar- rived at Bridgetown on September 17, 52 days after leaving Reykjavik and only 3 days behind our schedule. A load of mail we found awaiting us! News from home, fresh food, tropical fruits, diversion, swimming, tennis, sightseeing filled a busy fortnight. Visits Submarine Garden. In the beautiful, clear, blue, warm water of Carlisle Bay we put on the diving helmet and walked along the ocean floor, in the midst of schools of marvelously colored fish, with forests of submarine trees waving in the water surges, flower pots, baskets of shells, Jewel cases (all of coral growths), grottos of sapphire, trees of growing coral with jeweled tips, the spaces be- tween the branches filled with schools of vari-colored fish, and the floor cov- ered with bristling, long, waving, black- spined, sea eggs or sea urchins. After touring the City of Bridge- town for two hours, accompanied by three stalwart Negro Sherlocks, search- ing for two of the sailors who had not come on board on the day of sailing, we slipped our mooring line through the ring of the huge buoy, to which we had been secured, and headed up toward Martinique. ‘The next morning was clear and we had a splendid view of the island. Mont Pelee stood out in clear outline, ex- cept that his peak was covered with clouds, For a few moments the clouds lifted, as though Pelee were lifting his hat in salute, the jagged points of the tck::wr !;ppearlng in dim outline against mist. Two Miles of Wire Sink. ‘Three days later, while occupying an ocean station, disaster, long expected, but never acceptable, came upon us in the flash of a second. With 4,000 meters of wire down, a bottom sampler on the end, and 11 Nansen water bottles, with 122 deep-sea reversing thermometers at intervals on the wire, one bottle jammed against the davit block, the wire broke and all went slowly sinking to the bottom. Tomorrow we reach Panama and the first North Atlantic portion of our cruise will be completed. We have de- termined the magnetic declination, or compass variation, at 135 stations and THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. O, JANUARY 20, 1929—PART Retiring Presidents of U. S. Shall They Enter Private Pursuits or Their Great Knowledge Be Utilized to ‘Aid the Government? BY VANCE WYNN. ALVIN COOLIDGE leaves the ‘White House in a few weeks, a man in his physical and mental prime, so once more the question arises: “What shall we do with our former Presidents?” And there may be an answer in this suggestion—a provision that a retiring President should automatically become a member of the Senate, a sort of ex- officio delegate to that body. In that event, should he have a vote or merely be present in an advisory capacity? These are interesting ques- tions, and they have been placed be- fore various members of the Senate, whose opinions appear in this article. Every man who has served in the presidency came out of it with valu- able knowledge and experience. Is there any good reason why these should not be utilized by the country? Would it not be a fine thing for the United States if the Government could have the benefit of Mr. Coolidge’s advice, experience and judgment after he has laid down the presidency? Senator Ex-Officio. It is true that the American desiring continued public service might have 1f elected to the House of Repre- sentatives or the Senate as has been done by at least two of our former Presidents. But every one after hold- ing the most exalted position in the gift of the people does not have the desire to scramble for office. Hence, the Senator ex-officio! The fact that a man who has served as President can continue to give valu- able assistance to the Government has been strikingly illustrated in the case of John Quincy Adams. The “old man eloguent” continued his public career and to the last moment of his life was thick in the fray. Informed of his nomination to the House after his service as President had ended, he said: “I am not aware of any sound prin- ciple which would justify me in with- holding my services from my fellow citizens.” His record in the House furnishes one of the most brilllant chapters in the history of that body. ‘What happened is what might be expected to happen if any one of our other Presidents should consent to serve in House or Senate. One of his biographers says of Adams in this con- nection: “He exhibited a fund of knowledge, so vast and profound—a famillarity so perfect with nearly every topic that claimed the attentjon of Congress— he could bring forth from his well replenished store of memory so vast an array of facts, shedding light-upon subjects deeply obscured by others, dis- playing such readiness and power in debate, pouring out streams of purest eloquence or launching forth the most scathing denunciations, when he deemed them called for, that his most bitter opposers, while trembling before his sarcasm and dreading his assaults, could but grant him the meed of their highest admiration.” Motives Beyond Question. It is not in oratory alone that a former President should be valuable in the legislative body. In the Senate he would have a steadying Influence on partisanship. With nothing to gain or lose in future political rewards or punishments, he could speak absolute- ly disinterestedly on great questions. His motives could not be questioned. ‘Three former Presidents have val- untarily taken conspicuous posts in the Government after leaving the White House. John Quincy Adams was elected to the House, Andrew Johnson became Senator from Tennessee and Mr., Taft accepted a post on the United States Supreme Court bench, then became Chief Justice. In the early days former Presidents never lost interest in the Government. ‘When Washington retired to Mount Vernon he kept in constant touch with his former officlal associates. upon the issues of the da John Adams retired to er his term as President. He electes the Sf the constitution on the creation of the district of Maine into a separate State. That was his last public service. 3 Jefterson’s Activities. Jefferson lived 17 years after he quit the presidency. His estate at Monti- cello, Va., was the mecca for politicians, statesmen and tourists. He was con- sulted by those in public life concern- ing the questions of the hour, and his constant de- James Madison was 66 when he left the White House. Twelve years after ripe judgment was in mand. that he served as a delegate in the Virginia convention for the revision of the constitution. He was one of the most valuable members of that body and his advice was eagerly sought. Martin Van Buren was one of the earliest of former Presidents to tour Europe. When the Civil War came he arrayed himself strongly on the side of the Government. ‘When John Tyler left Washington he went to his home, at Sherwood For- est, Charles City County, Va. where “he lived in peace and comfort in a He watched legislation carefully and had no hesitation in expressing his opinion y. his farm aft- spent. much of his time writing historical papers, and November 15, 1815, he was by his district of Braintree to te convention called to amend home he prized.” Before he died the mutterings of the Civil War were being heard. He joined the Confederate side, and was elected a member of the Con- federate Congress. The fact that he died before taking his seat adds to the dramatic side of the picture. ‘When Millard Fillmore retired the members of his cabinet united in send- ing him a letter expressing apprecia- tion of his “abilities, his integrity and devotion to the public service.” He was a candidate for the presidential nom- ination in the Whig convention of 1852, but the fact that he had signed the fugitive slave bill made him unpopular in the North and he failed to get more than a handful of votes in the conven- tion. A few years later, while he was in Rome, in 1856, he received word that he had been nominated for Presi- dent by the American party. But the real struggle was between the two old parties, and Mr. Fillmore did not get back to the White House. Gen. -Grant, after his two terms, made his celebrated trip around the world. He was greeted abroad almost as a sovereign. Never had a former President of the United States been received with such distinguished hon- ors. Meantime, his friends had di termined to have him nominated for a third term. The plan failed, and there is reason to believe Grant was chagrined. Later he made the mistake of going into the banking business by lending his great name to associates. There was a crash which engulfed him. Driven by necessity, he wrote a series of magazine articles on the Civil War. It was after he learned that he was mortally ill that he began writing his (Continued on Fifth Page.) The Story the Week Has Told BY HENRY W. BUNN, HE following is a brief summary of the most important news of the world for the seven days ended January 19. *ioxiE% 1 Great Britain.—In the week ended January 12 the total of unemployed among the registered workers of Great Britain rose above 1,500,000. Certainly the total of unemployed workers in the realms is not less than 2,000,000. ‘Al- lowing three dependents to a worker, you have 8,000,000 persons in Great Britain being supported at the expense of the remainder 35,000,000 of the pop- ulation. It is probably a conservative statement that, under present condi- tions, Great Britain is overpopulated by 10,000,000 souls. » Some day there is going to be a Chan- nel tunnel. Satisfactory plans for such a tunnel have long been awaiting reali- zation. Some people are urging that construction be started at once, as it would provide no mean relief in respect of unemployment. “Construction start- ed,” however, is not an accurate expres- sion; one showd say ‘“construction re- sumed.” In the early eighties of the last century construction was simul- taneously begun. on the French and English sides, and about one and one- half miles had been excavated on the French side and three-quarters of a mile on the English side when the mili- tary gentlemen on both sides of the ditch by alarmist pressure caused ces- sation of the work. The military gen- tlemen played the fool in this instance. The signs point ever more strongly toward church disestablishment. The other day the aging queen of the Atlan- tic, the Mauretania, established a new record for the voyage from New York to Plymouth, of 4 days, 19 hours and 55 minutes, faster than the previous record (made by herself) by 2 hours and 2 minutes. Recently the Mauretania was overhauled and equipped with new ma- chinery, with a view to maintenance of her primacy in face of the challenge to come from the North German Lloyd ships, the Bremen and Europa, now nearing completion. The Mauretania holds the record also for the east-west passage, Plymouth to New York, namely, 5 days, 2 hours and 32 minutes. 2 France.—Marshal Foch, aged 17, has been very seriously il with attack, but latest reports show tharked improvement. 4 On January 11, Poincare wrested from the French Chamber a vote of — the inclination and horizontal force at 49 stations, most of them being near stations of former cruises. Thus val- uable information is added to our knowledge of the annual or secular changes over the North Atlantic Ocean, Three hundred and thirty determina- tions of the depth of the sea have been made with the sonic depth-finder. This sonic depth-finding apparatus was loaned to the Carnegie by the United States Navy Department. 1t is an elec- trical apparatus designed to measure the depth of ocean floors by recording the time required for sound waves, from an oscillator mounted on the hull below the water line, to reach the bottom and be reflected back to the surface. ficlent checks have been made with wire soundings to show that its ac- curacy is within expected limits, A definite statement of the value of results thus far obtained cannot be made for many years. Much care is be- ing taken to obtain accurate records. Every one is busy all the time; in fact, more work is being accomplished than could be expected, and all deserve great credit for their enthusiasm and for their loyalty to the purposes of the ex- pedition, The work done thus far In the North Atlantic augurs well for that planned in the vast Pacific to be begun when we take our departure from Balboa later in October. (Copuzight, 1929.) heart | confidence by a majority of 74; smaller than he could have wished, larger than he expected. In a speech of three and a half hours (a marvelous effort considering his age and the almost unexampled strain -to which he has been subjected since July, 1926) he set forth, among sundry other considera- tions, his hope that the international committee of experts which is about to overhaul the machinery of German reparations payments, would achieve an arrangement that would make possible consummation of satisfactory debt arrangements between France on the one part and the United States and Great Britain on the other, an arrange- ment that would “contribute enormously to the peace and prosperity of the peo- ples.” He won over only & minority of the intransigeant Radical Soclalists, but enough. It would appear that the trees which line the central boulevards of Paris must go, ylelding to the demands of motorized traffic. Confound your motor- ized traffic, which soon will leave no beauty in the world. Really, the re- maining pedestrians should make a stand, but probably it is too late. * ok ok ok Germany.—With the acquiesence of our Government, Owen D. Young and J. Morgan have been ap- pointed the American members of the international committee of ex- perts which is to overhaul the machin-~ ery of German reparations payments, with Thomas N. Perkins of Bos- ton as alternate for Mr. Young. Mr. Perkins is law partner of Roland W. Boyden, unofficial United States rep- resentative on the reparations com- mission prior to institution of the Dawes plan, and whe made so great a repu- tation in that capacity. Mr. Young is generally esteemed to have been the leading spirit of the Dawes committee. * kK K Italy.—We await with curlous and sympathetic interest the inauguration in the coming Spring of Mussolini’s new Parliament, the first “economic Parliament.” A nation run as a cor- poration, with a supreme general man- ager and a self-perpetuating board of directors; that “harmonization of the political with the economic status of man;” that rather curious adaptation of the medieval guild system; will it ‘work? ‘We are assured on good authority that the ‘long-vexed “Roman question” is almost certainly very close to a satis- factory solution, but comment had pe; haps best be withheld till the business has been consummated beyond perad- venture. x ok k% s Afghanistan.—Afghanistan has made very special contributions to the news I Reassure a Mother BY BRUCE BARTON. MOTHER writes me about her son’s reading. Among other tl “In or say, he stories. How can | correct this habit?” Frankly, know. It is about as madam, | do not any writing about from village to village, gathering the people together and telling them stor The love of fiction tory, older even than civi It can not be rooted out roots run back too far. And why Should you want to root it out? The greatest Teacher that ever lived spent half His time telling sciples. “With- (a story) He: taught them nothing.” Thi stories have transformed humanity. One great story written in our own country, “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” so red men’s hearts that they said, “Slavery must g0 Good stories will not hurt your boy; they may, if he is the right kind of boy, inspire him to real achievement. And they will do something else for him, equally important. They will develop his imagina- tion, We have too little regard for the high value of the imagina- tion, we Americans. We are too matter-of-fact. We forget that all great inventions, all great all great achiev: bu: ) € to p some man first had imagination enough to conceive them. Many men h been hit 6n the head by a falling apple. Newton, when the apple hit him, had imagination enough to for- mulate the law of gravitation. M kettles. Watt had imagination enough to con- ceive the steam engine. Look through the pages of history, and you will - discover ders of men have who could dream of powerful, intel- ligent imagination. Because this is true, the editor a magazine that prints ty that he must take seriously if he i any sort of man at all. He intrusted with the duty of stimu- lating the imaginaton of thou- nds of children of mothe like you. He may, if he choose, publish I to the r. side of the imagination— and even achieve a certain sort of own mother, and every mother's son as a younger brother. not concern your- your a reads the right kind of stories— do they appeal to his ima ton on its best and highest That is th, for you. (Copyright, 1029.) of the week. Pirst the Ameer Amanul- lah, desperately hard pressed in his capital, Kabul, by the rebels, abdicated in favor of his brother, Inayatullah, four years his senfor. It was generally thought that this would satisfy the rebels, as Inayatullah is understood to be a conservative of deepest dye, and the rebellion was not thought to design the overthrow of the dynasty. The popular opinion was far out. The rebels continued their attack on Kabul, and Inayatullah, shut up in his citadel and dis of only a small force, in turn abdicated on assurance given of sofe conduet for himself and his fam- ily out of the country. Thereupon the chief of the rebels assumed the crown under the title of the Ameer Habibullah. A highly pic- turesque fellow, the new monarch. For years he been outlawed and he had acquired a kind of Robin Hood fame under the nickname of “Bacha Sakao,” or “Water Boy.” The followers of the Water Boy are a wild list of lawless resolutes, but he seems to be a man of character and sagacity. Report has it that mo out- rages are bei committed in Kabul and that the foreigners are being treat- ed with the greatest consideration. Of course, Moscow claims that the rebellion was incited and aided by the British authorities, because of the pro- Russian leanings of Amanullah. There is not, however, the slightest proof to that effect. No doubt the British were not displeased by the displacement of the pro-Russian Amanullah by the pro- British Inayatullah, but their attitude toward the further development must wait upon disclosure of the sentiments of the Water Boy. Might it be that Russia is back of the Water Boy? Somehow, apparently by automobile, Amanullah escaped with his charming consort,- Souriya, to Kandahar, far to the south, where, report has it, he has hoisted the royal standard. We hear that the Kandahar section is entirely loyal to him, and that he can count on a great deal of support in sundry other parts. In other words, Amanullah is not done for yet; indeed, it would not be surprising to see him reeover the throne. * ok ok % China.—A committee of over 30 American experts, headed by Dr. Edwin ‘W. Kemmerer of Princeton, is about to isail for China, there to survey, at the irequest of the Nationalist government, the Chinese economoic situation, with special reference to finance and trans- portation, and thereafter to report and recommend. The enterprise may well result in benefits beyond all calculation to China. That famous ‘“economic physician,” Dr. Kemmerer, has already { (beginning with 1905) prescribed with notable success for the following-named | alling countries: The Philippines, Bo- | livia.. Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guate- mala, Mexico, South Africa and Poland. He was expert in currency and bank- ing to the Dawes committee. The name of the old capital of China has been officially changed from Lhtktlrég” to “Peiping.” Rather silly, = * ok ok ok United States.—On January 15 the Senate ratified, 85 to 1, the Kellogg- Briand peace pact. The ratification was not qualified by any reservation or statement. Of course, the President has signed it. The last to remain of our Marine "l outfits, sent to China some two years ago for emergency service, are being withdrawn. The decision to divide Harvard Col- lege into a number of “houses” more or less on the Oxford and Cambridge model, made possible by the liberality of Edward S. Harkness of New York City (a Yale man, by the way), is en- gaging the most vivid general interest, as it should. It seems to this writer a most admirable decision. The number ;; students per house will average about 0. Under ‘the will of Mrs. Louisine W. T (Gontinued on Fifth Page) * U. S. QUESTIONS OCCUPY . BY ALBIN E. JOHNSON. ORE than 50 per cent of the questions discussed by the fifty-third Council of the League of Nations at Lugano directly involved the United States, .and a large part of this 50 per cent affected interests vital to filmedcl's political, social and economic e. Although it was expected to have been one of the least interesting ses- sions of the year, the Lugano Council nevertheless furnished a perfect ex- ample of the interlocking aspects of the political, financial, social, technical and economic interests of the civilized na- tions of the world. Then at the last minute there appeared on the horizon the South American war threat. The League had ample excuse for keeping its hands off this complicated and diffi- cult question, yet there was not a mo- ment’s hesitation as to what the Coun- cil would do. Reminded of Pledges. Acting under the article in the covenant which makes it the interest of the League “whenever the peace of the world is threatened,” Aristide Briand, acting president, with the unanimous approval of the thirteen other members of the Council, called the attention of Paraguay and Bolivia to their treaty pledges. And though there may be those who claim credit for stamping out the flames of war, for the Pan-American Conference on Con- ciliation and Arbitration, one of Wash- ington’s highest diplomatic officials in Europe has frankly acknowledged that it was the Council’s action and nothing else that brought Bolivia and Paraguay to their senses. = Another question, mtton thetci::ncfls agenda, yet a dominant one at Lugan, w‘:s repy:rnlonx. Until the United States points the way it is extremely doubtful that Europe can untangle the skein of economic and financial com- plexities arising out of the Versailles treaty. War debts and reparations are inseparable. W n_and Wall street hold the solution. Whether 1t be revision or commercialization of Ger- many's payments that will bring a so- lution depends entirely upon them. While at Lugano, Briand, Stresemann and Chamberlain, with Adatchi of Ja- pan and Scialoja of Italy often sit- ting in, prepared the political ground for the financial experts’ Paris parleys. Kellogg Pact Vehicle Sought. It would be difficult to say which questions on the actual agenda of the Council were of greatest interest to the United States. The W;l‘ld l‘:ot:lnj mh Washington again contempl joining, appeared when the Council took up the question of advisory opinions, revision of the statutes and the matter of en- larging the bench. Considering that American interest in the court is as great as that of its members, especially in view of the necessity of providing a vehicle for the Kellogg pact, the Coun- cil appointed an international commit- tee, which is to include an American national, to make a preliminary study of possible changes in the statutes. Such prominent international jurists as M. Fromageot, France; M. Gaus, Germany; Sir Cecil Hurst, Britain; M. Politis, Greece; M. Ito, Japan; Senator Sci- aloja, Italy; M. Urrutia, Colombia; M. Van' Eysinga, Holland; M. Raesstad, Norway, and M. Rundsteim, Poland, were selected by the Council. The presi- dent of the Council, M. Briand, and the rapporteur, M. Scialoja, were author- ized to select the American member of matter o be taken hastily, and advised the governments to give further thought to the matter. Codification of international law was Wi E: committee, upon which George W. ‘Wickersham, former Attorney General in the Taft cabinet, has sat for six years, has reached a point where an international codification of law con- ference is possible. Code Committee Appointed. ‘The Council appointed a committee of three, M. Schuecking, Germany; Diena, Italy, and Guerrero, Salvador, to prepare a systematic survey of the mat- ters, which it proposes to include in the codification, and to draw up a code of various international conventions, which are to be published &s an annex to the League's treaty series. The ques- Councuu'(‘l‘eclded it was too important a = HALF OF LEAGUE’S TIME Lugano Council Furnishes Example of Interlocking Aspects of Interests by World Powers. tion of an additional judgeship, which will guarantee permanent representa- tives for the United States and Ger- many, will be considered by the com- mittee on revision of the statutes. In the economic fleld the Council first took up the question of double taxation and tax evasion. The Department of Com- merce, under President-elect Hoover, took a deep interest in this subject, which so vitally affects American com- mercial interests abroad, and had a large delegation at the Geneva confer- ences. The Council recommended that governments begin negotiations for the conclusion of conventions, along the lines worked out by the League com- mittee. It also decided to create within the framework of the League organiza- tion a committee to study taxation questions. This committee, which is to be appointed by the Council, will in- clude an American among its 10 mem- bers, or at least a representative of Washington serving as a “corresponding member.” Another matter which undoubtedly will have widespread interest is the committee which the Council ordered set up to study the “causes of fluctua- tions of the purchasing power of gold and their effect upon economic life.” This committee will include eight or nine persons and a few members of the financial committee of the League. Disarmament Issue Important. Disarmament is another question in which the United States plays a very important part. No decision is ever taken by the League without first either. directly consulting Washington or weigh- ing the possible viewpoint of the United States. The reconvening of the pre- paratory commission on reduction and limitation of armaments was ordered by the last Assembly during the first of 1928, but the Council, in private ses- sion, decided to delay its convocation until after Mr. Hoover had been inaug- urated. In deference to the United States not being a member of the League, the Council also decided to al- low the preparatory commission to de- limit its own agenda so as not to in= clude questions which might be dis- tasteful to Washington at the moment. ‘The commission discussing th2 con- trol of private manufacture of arms having reported failure to draw up a draft convention, largely because of constitutional objections put forward by the American and Italian delegations, was instructed to resume its delibera- tions in February and report again to the March Council. Of more than passing interest was the Council's action in regard to the opium and narcotic problem. The United States, after the nunfortunate Geneva_conferences of 1925-26, with- drew officially from co-operating with the League's social section in its fight against dangerous drugs. The Leaguc was in no way to blame for the re- fusal of its members, who had certain “interests” to protect, to accept the American thesis of “limitation of pro- duction and manufactuse to the med- ical and scientific needs of the world.” But the Geneva convention having been signed and ratified by the requisits number of states, it fell to the League to create the “central board” which was to see that the treaty was carried out. U. S. Member Nominated. The League, despite Washington's aloofness, invited the Government to nominate a member for the central board. Secretary of State Kellogg re- fused. So the Council, independent of the Washington administration, nom- inated a prominent American, Herbert May, of the Foreign Policy Association. 1t then sent a stinging re'g ly mmxellnu'l Iy the American Government refused to have anything to do with the League's fight against dangerous drugs, on the ground that it would be “ineffective,” it welcomed an inquiry by the League into opium smoking in the Philippines. Among the other interesting, but less important, matters before the Council the invitation to Washington to partici: the invitation to Wi partici- pate in and help fix the date for an ine ternational conference for the protec~ tion of foreigners, the decision to call a second sleeping sickness conference, appointment of an advisory commission on refugees, a review of the Armenian question, and numerous social and hu~ manitarian questions which involva American private philanthropy. (Copyright. 1920.) . Age of Retirement To Keep Capable BY GEORGE R. WALES, United States Civil Service Commissioner. N its last annual report the Civil Service Commission expressed the opinion that an amendment of the retirement law providing for op- tional retirement after 60 or 65 years of age and 30 years of service would prove a governmental economy. Such an amendment would-increase the efficiency of the service in two ways: (1) By relieving it of employes whose efficiency is impaired, although not to the extent of total disability, and (2) by allowing the prescribed re- tirement age to be sufficiently high to permit the retention of the more vigor- ous members of a group beyond the age when the weaker members should leave the service. As employes differ so lven age, any retirement age prescribed or a group will be either too high or too low for most of its individual mem- bers. tion of the most vigorous is provided for by the continuance pro- vision of the act; but failing employes, unless totally disabled, must await the Eel‘:‘;lfrlbed age, to the detriment of the ce. No Abuse Likely. The difference between salary and annuity would afford ample protection against the excessive use of an optional retirement provision. Under the pres- ent law, the average annuity is $721.39, salary for the last 10 years. No annuity can exceed two-thirds of the salary, or $1,000. Few employes who feel able to continue at work would be permitted by their financial obligations to accept optional retirement at such a reduction of income. . That opiional retirement would not burden the retirement-fund is indicated by the fact that although some depart- ments have not favored continuances and many employes arriving at retire- ment age are not fit for retention, over 60 per cent of all employes who reached retirement age during the fiscal vear 1928, or whose prior continuance ex- pired during that year, are continued on certificates of lppcllnt).nl‘!'l officers indi- cating unimpaired, or only slightly im- paired, efficlency. In the executive departments it is learned informally that from 95 per cent to practi ly all employes, on arrival at retirement age, wish to re- main, if they are at all able to do so; except that in the fleld branches under the Post Office Department the per- centage willing to retire is greal somewhat Unauthorized Continuance. The act of March 3, 1927, which re- greatly in physical and mental vigor at a | 1, or 52 per cent of the average annual* Sufficiently High Employes, Is Urged the results of delay or inadvertence in his department. The law still requires that continuance be authorized before arrival at retirement age; otherwise the !m&lnye must be dropped, regardless both of his desires and fitness and the need of the Government for his work. This serves no purpose. commission accol ly recommended the following amendment in a letter of January 31, 1928, to the chairman, House committee on the civil service, as a fourth paragraph to section 2 of the retirement act: “In all cases where an employe otherwise eligible for continuance has been retained beyond retirement age without prior authority, the Civil Serv- ice Commission may issue certificate of continuance legalizing the service of such employe and authorizing his urther continuance as provided in pcninph 1 of this section, upon being satisfied that the retention was due to erroneous or incomplete records of age or service, or to faulty administration on the part of the department or office concerned, and not to any attempt or desire by the employe to deceive for the ?hml.s - of defeating any provision of act.” ‘The amendment would defeat no pur~ pose of the retirement act, but would effectuate its expressed intention that employes fit and desirous of remaining m&d retirement age should be res Inequalities Pointed Oat. The commission has frequently called attention to existing inequalities in the relation of deductions, length of service, and annuities. The commission regards the following as unfair: (1) An employe at $3,000 per an- num pays into the retirement fund twice as much as one at $1,500 and gets no larger annuity. (2) An employe retiring after 40 fl:‘“ of service pays one-third more to the fund than one retiring after 30 years, the salaries being equal, and gets no larger annuity. (3) An employe who enters the serv- ice at the age of 20 receives no greater annuity on retirement at 70 than one who enters at 40, although the Govern- ment compels him to serve 20 years longer to obtain it. Benefits under the retirement law are in no sense a charity or gratuity. Retirement with annuity is based upon sound business principles. The em- ployes contribute 31, per cent of their pay to the retirement fund, and thus far the system has been more than self- sustaining. This law is one of the recent advances in the employment system of the Gove moved the requirement that contin- uance in the service must be authorized 30 days bafore reaching retirement age, only partially reluvend the employe of ernment. It is plainly imperfect, but it will doubtless be improved by the legis~ lative body, according to the needs de- ; experience In its adminis- veloped tration. e 4