Evening Star Newspaper, January 31, 1929, Page 8

8 THE EVENING STAR w0k Sunlay Worning Bditien. WASHINGTON, D. C. THURSDAY....January 31, 1920 Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company usiness Office: 11th St. and Pennsylvania Ave New York Office: 110 East 43nd 8t. ‘hicago Office: Tower Bulldine Buropean Offce. 14 Regent St.. London. Englan THEODORE W. NOYES. Rate by Carrier Within the City. - .. 43¢ per r,onth at Orders may be sent Main 5000. he'end of in by mail or telephone l—Payable in Advance. d and Virginia. 1 yr., §10.00: 1 mo.. 85¢ 1 yr. $6.00: 1 ino., 50c .1 yr., $4.00; 1 wo.. 40c All Other States and Canada. Enfly and Sunday..l 1200: 1 ally and Sunday aily only Sunday only aily only 1yr, 2 i 1 mo. 75 nday only \l..l1'1 yri $5.00: 1 ui mo.. §0c Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively cntitled o the use for republication of all rews dis- | atches credited to it or not of ted in this paper and also t publ! Al rights of therwise cred- the local [iews f publical Just Lump Sum Increases. As long as the lump sum plan of financing the District prevails in defi- ance of substantive law the amount of | this temporary annual appropriation | should in order to be more equitable | be substantially increased. For this reason Senator Bingham's proposition | of $800,000 increase for this year should | be welcomed as putting this issue in definite shape and as promising through discussion a final result which shall reasonably meet the equities. The interesting proposition is now | under discussion of measuring Uncle Sam’s financial obligation in Capital maintenance and development—first by ; figuring what he would pay as a municipal taxpayer on his real and per- sonal property, and second by adding what he would equitably contribute, personifying the Nation, to offset excessive expenditures made and abnor- mal losses suffered solely by virtue of | the fact that Washington is not a self- developing commercial city but the National Capital. A few items to be considered in this connection are, (1) loss of tax revenue on account of | excess above ordinary real property exemptions; (2) cost of excess park acquisition and maintenance; (3) cost of improving, maintaining and policing an extraordinary excess of street area; (4) the equitable obligation to pay lib- erally and to assume primary financial responsibility for the District, based on | '.he absolute and exclusive control of the District’s fiscal affairs by Congress, on the principle that fiscal obligation fol- lows power; and (5) the fiscal obliga- tion of the Nation to the Capital that springs from the circv—:‘ances of the creation and upbuilding of the Nation's city. ‘When all of these items have been thoroughly studied and converted into dollars and cents a very large increase, amounting to millions, in the national contribution for Capital upbuilding will be disclosed as equitable, whether that Just contribution takes the shape of a Jump sum or of a definite proportionate contribution in obedience to substantive law. d * The formula of the Bureau of Effi- clency for measuring Uncle Sam’s fiscal obligation to the Capital applies also to the corresponding obligation of the lo- cal taxpayers, and the Bureau consist- ently supplies the figures which enable us to ascertain whether with Uncle Sam as an ordinary municipal taxpayer the local taxpayers are contributing too much or too little for Capital upbuild- ing in comparison with the actual tax burdens of comparable American cities. The Bureau in treating Uncle Sam as a municipal taxpayer apprafses his real and personal property holdings in the District at $501,493,975 (with a tax levy of $7,440,939), and adds this amount to the assessment of District realty and personalty already taxable. Upon the basis of this total assessment per cap- itas for comparison with those of other cities are calculated. These comparisons disclose exceed- ingly interesting results. For example, the Bureau figures the per capita gen- eral property tax levies in 1928 in 14 American cities, between 300,000 and 1,000.000 population, and compares them with Washington’s per capita with Uncle Sam participating as a tax- payer. These figures show that Wash- ington’s per capita, thus calculated, exceeds those of seven of the fourteen cities—namely, Cleveland, St. Louis, Baltimore, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, New Orleans and Indianapolis—and is ex- ceeded by those of Boston, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Newark, Cincinnati, Rochester and Jersey City. ‘The significant comparisons so far @s current maintenance is concerned do not include a comparison of interest payments on city indebtedness, which represent expenditures in the past of the proceeds of loans, of which the benefits have been enjoyed. Washing- ton, which has enjoyed the benefit of no loans, should not be required in order to put itself on a taxpaying equality with other cities to tax itself in the amounts represented by these interest payments and they should be deducted from the property tax levies of all the cities In a comparison with Washington of the cost of current maintenance. Subtracting the Bureau's figures of per capita interest payments from the total per capita property tax levies of the fourteen cities and Washington, we find that in a comparison of the result- ing per capita lax levies for current maintenance Washington's per capita exceeds those of nine of the fourteen cities—namely, Cleveland, St. Louis, Baltimore, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, New Orleans, Indianapolis, Rochester and Jersey City. In comparing tax rates, aggregate taxes and per capitas it is to be remem- bered that the total taxes in other cities than Washington include State taxes. ‘Washington contends that in compar- ing with her the State tax should not be taken into account; that as she enjoys no State rights, privileges, bounties and benefits she should not be figured to pay justly as part of her normal tax burden what other cities pay in consideration of the enjoyment of these State rights, privileges, bounties and other benefits. If this equitable subtraction of per capita State tion of | s herein are also reserved. | the fourteen cities—that is, all but Boston, Pittsburgh and Cincinnatf. The figures follow: Washington, 58.412; Cleveland, 45.- | 625; St. Louis, 36.966; Baltimore, 30.483; | Boston, 64.586; Pittsburgh, 59.326; Buf- [ falo, 56.839; Milwaukee, 46.525; New- {ark, 52.904; Minneapolis, 42.195; New Orleans, 34.757; Cincinnat{, 59.773; In- dianapolis, 38.267; Rochester, 53.311, and Jersey City, 48.100. [Without Uncle Sam's participation as a municipal taxpayer, Washington’s per capita in the above table is 44.232, which is almost 50 per cent greater than that of Baltimore, 30.483; almost one-third greater than New Orleans, 34.757; almost one-fourth more than St. Louis, 36.966; almost one-sixth more than Indianapolis, 38.267; distinctly more than Minneapolis, 42.195, and I nearly as much as Cleveland, 45.625, and Milwaukee, 46.525. Is not Wash- ington’s per capita city tax burden for current maintenance and future de- | velopment greater than the city should be called upon to bear, when in spite | of its vast excess of tax-exempt prop- erty it exceeds by nearly 50 per cent | that of the great and rich city of Baltimore and exceeds by nearly 25 per | cent that of the even larger and richer fcity of St. Eouls?] { It thus appears that with Uncle Sam | 1‘ participating equitably as municipal axpayer in Washington's per capita city tax for current maintenance and development this tax burden of the Washingtonian is nearly double that of the Baltimorean, 68 per cent more than that of the New Orleansite and 58 per cent more than that of the St. Louisan. On the hypothesis that Uncle Sam participates as a municipal taxpayer in | meeting the city tax burden for capital | maintenance, and contributes equitably |in addition as personifying the Nation, it has been established that his annual contribution of $9,000,000 toward cap- ital upbuilding should be increased by a minimum of a million dollars. When tax burdens are compared on the basis of the same hypothesis is it not equally clear that the Washingtonian's city tax burden for current maintenance is too great when it nearly doubles that of the | neighboring Baltimorean? e i A Fact-Finding Prince. If anybody in this country is in doubt | as to why the Prince of Wales is beloved from Lands End to John o’ Groat, the cables from London these days should clear up the mystery. King George's heir is in the midst of a tour of the poverty-stricken coal flelds of Northern England. 1t is a self-appointed mission. Neither the government nor his father dispatched him upon it. Britain for weeks has been ringing with tales of the misery prevalent among the mining communities of Durham and Northum- berland. The Prince of Wales deter- mined to learn at first hand what the basic causes are. He set forth upon a fact-finding expedition. Since the beginning of the week this fair-heired, soft-spoken, slender young man, to whose personal charm even republican America capitulated, has been making a literally house-to-house canvass of the mining villages. He has gone into the homes and interviewed their inmafes. The prince has heard from miners’ own lips and read from their paybooks the story of the misera- bly low wages which lie at the root of their plight. He has talked to men whose gross earnings are under $2 a week. He has encountered unspeakable squalor and hunger and all the human anguish and suffering that ‘nevitably stalk such conditions. To colliery managers, too, the inquir- ing prince has gone in quest of infor- mation, The operators have their own side of the tragic story and, naturally, are bent upon presenting it. An inci- dent illustrates young Wales’ methods when they do s0. A mine official offered a technical explanation of why wages in that particular district range from $3 to $6 a week. “This will have to be investigated,” commented the prince, bluntly. After a couple of days’ contact with the royal fact-finder, the miners seem well assured that their grievances will be “investigated” and justice even- tually done them. Not only their own immediate experi- ence, but the experiences of Britain's “submerged tenth” on many other occasions reveal the Prince of Wales as the true friend of the less fortunate element among his future subjects. Cynles may say that the British heir- apparent is furthering his own interests in systematically “playing up” to the proletariat. Some go the length of suggesting that the British monarchial system 1is so steadily on the downgrade that the Prince of Wales is fearful that he may be robbed of his royal birth- right and is comporting himse]f accord- ingly. Such views do scant justice to his oft-demonstrated democracy, modesty and sense of fitness. By far the fairer construction of his present-hour activ- ities is that they spring from an en- lightened conception of a modern throne’s obligations to its subjects, coupled in the Prince of Wales' case with a bonhomie and innate knight- liness that seem to captivate all that come within their scope. There is little likellhood that the crown of Britain will ever rest uneasily upon the head of this fact-finding prince when the time comes for him to succeed 2 King to whom himself the British people have only recently paid such striking homage. oo In police circles the so-called speak- easy is now regarded as the source of the loud noise. B —— The Teachers’ College. A teachers’ college in Washington, providing four years of professional instruction, would fill a fundamental need in the local egucational system. Teaching is a highly complicated and responsible profession. It stands on the threshold of an enormous development. Science has only pushed open the door of its possibility, The thoroughly competent teacher requires as much specialized education as the electrical engineer or physician, and an even greater cultural background. The day is long passed when the practice of pedagogy is for the callow youth await- ing an opportunity to engage in business or the girl who expects to marry in a year or two and quit work. States have recognized their respon- sibility in training their teachers for the past half century. When the pres- ;‘ux is made Washington exceeds in the Jesulting per capitas those of eleven of ent normal schools in Washington were established they represented the best ideals in the pedagogy of that day. The real science of education, based upon experiment, was in its infancy. The subject matter which the prospective teacher must master to stand in the front ranks of her profession was lim- ited. Times and ' conditions have changed. There is more to be learned tand a better cultural background is required. In order to receive instruction in much that is of vital importance in their daily work, Washington teachers desiring to give their best and ambi- tious to reach the top are thrown on their own initiative, d ‘There are at least two excellent col- leges of education in Washington. One, that associated with Catholic Univer- the science of pedagogy which have been of the highest importance. George | Washington University offers excellent courses which are avallable to the teachers of the National Capital, but requiring, naturally, personal sacrifice of time and money. women who take advantage of these courses may not do so necessarily with i mains that their knowledge will be devoted to an altruistic purpose. It is well known that some Wash- ington teachers, purely on their own initiative, attend Summer courses at Columbia and other universitles. It is more than can be reasonably expected of the rank and file, however, to ask them to go to such extremes, in view of the limited advancement to which they can look forward. Without a four-year teachers' college Washington hardly has the right to expect the best in teaching service recrulted from the community itself. o A little courtesy often prevents a sit- uation from becoming difficult. Com- missioner Whalen's chauffeur, presum- ing on a reflected importance, defled a police officer and the officer tried to use rough-and-ready methods of argu- ment. The chauffeur is dismissed and the officer is transferred to a less de- sirable assignment. An unfortunate ele- ment of absurdity is introduced into an Important enterprise, and all because of the lack of a little common polite- | ness, sity, has made original contributions to | The men and |2 an altruistic motive, but the fact re-l THIS AND THAT Are you a book boor? Breaking the back of a book is the sure mark of a literary boor. You may dog-ear the pages and any well bred volume will forgive you. You may spill water on the cover without any harm to the soul of the book. It is even possible to cut the pages with a knife covered with butter, as ‘Wordsworth once did, without destroy- ing the life and happiness of a good work, 2 a0k Break its back, however, and no book is ever the same again. Seize the volume by both covers, pref- erably from the hands of a friend who is a lover of books, and forcibly open it with a violent wrench. There comes a splitting sound, and a gap appears all along the division be- tween the two pages, along the back- ne. Often this “backbone” appears to sight, gaping piteously at the sturdy book handler. One break, however, is never enough. If left to his own devices, the book boor invariably will yank the pages open here and _there, making breaks as he goes, 50 that by the time he is done with it the volume is a wreck. ke We have gone into detail because it is unfortunately true that the av age book boor hasn't the slightest idea in the world that he has done anything wrong. If you were to reproach him with it, he would call you a “crank,” to your face, or go away and tell a friend that {ou are the “fussiest” person he ever new. He simply is not used to handling 80 delicate a thing as a book. He knows how to crank a car, or to kick a foot ball; he is expert at sawing wood and splitting kindling: when it comes to feats of strength he literally shines. He fails to perceive in a book any- thing more than something else to be hauled around with vigorous fingers and tensed muscles.* * kK ‘While there is more and more an in- creasing tendency on the part of the book publishers to provide books with reinforcement where it is most needed, thousands of volumes are published without such necessary ald to integrity. Thus many volumes will split the moment they are opened, unless they find themselves in the hands of some —— | Conditions in Madrid have become almost as exigent as if the town had | prohibitioh and gunmen were seeking to | defy the authorities. Social disorders might be more easily dealt with if they could all be ascribed to one cause. Each country has troubles of its own, and should be depended on to cure them without attempting to magnify them to international proportions. { Lol Every assurance is given by sennwr' Jim Reed that a prospective retire- ‘ ment from official responsibility will not cause him to lose interest so long as he is still on duty. oL In order to preserve perfectly candid relations it may be assumed that Her- bert Hoover and Alfred Smith refrained from discussing golf scores and fishing | catches. oo The suave prohibition agent at a night club makes an interesting demon- stration in utilizing the methods of the confidence man for the purposes of the law. oo one who understands how the thing ought to be done. It must never be forgotten that printing presses are called “presses” for something. They really do_press. e result is that a book, after being sewn together and put in its covers, with end papers and all, comes to the purchaser usually in pristine condition. Probably no one has ever opened its covers. The result is that there is a certain stiffness in the binding and in the pages. If the book Is opened carelessly, and especially too vigorously at first, an ugly rip Gown the backbone is almost | sure to result, not on -the outside, of | course, but on the inside. * ok ok X Every time thereafter that the book is opened it will fall open involuntarily at the place where the split comes. Thus it makes no difference how old a book is, it carries with it forever the harsh things done to it by the book The way this is done is as follows: | BY CHARLES E. TRAQEWELL. learn how to open them correctly in the first place. The sad part of it is that there are | hundreds of persons who really love books who yet have never informed themselves as to the correct procedure when first opening a new volume. It is only a little trouble; after that the book will be much more able to withstand the assaults of manglers. * ok ok K Every new book should be opened first according to the following formula: Hold the book on a table, with the long edges of the covers up, one in each hand. Then gently open the front cover and press it down—Ilikewise gently—after which do the same with the back cover. If this is done carefully the stiffness will be taken out easily and gradually. Now you are ready for the pages. Take the front end paper—the first inside the cover—and press it down, easily but firmly, after which press down the back inside end paper in the same manner. Then, alternately front and back, press down the entire number of pages, one after the other, first from the front and then from the back. Thus you will end up about in the middle of the book. * ok ok x Most books will be found to have one or more natural splitting places. Per- haps the sewing was poor there, or glue lacking. At such places it is necessary for the booklover to press down gently, and to put a bit more pressure for a few pages to either side of it, in order to give the book a more uniform tendency to open evenly. After one has experimented with this method for a time, he will discover that not every book needs such page-by- page devotion. Some books, stronger in their backs, may be taken two or four pages at a time, first four at the front, then four at the back, and so on, until the entire book has been gone through. * Kk % There is, of course, the ideal of every booklover, the volume so manufactured that it cannot split. Such book usually may be recognized by the hand-sewn strip of cloth ap- pearing above the pages immediately at the top. Often it is of striped cloth. Book manufacturers would so bind all thelr books, without a doubt, if it were not for the fact that so many volumes are sold to book boors who don't care. All who buy books, of course, are not booklovers. It makes no difference to such people whether their book has an ugly split in it or not. ‘They pay their money, and they take their choice, and they will tear their purchases to pieces, if they want to. * ok ok ok ‘Those who love books will treat their books as friends, and no one would think of breaking the back of a friend. Above all, it is necessary for the book- lover to refrain from pawing over an- other’s book, just out of a curiously deemed politeness, and to handle such books more gently than his own. Many a book “fan” has been left in despair at what some well-meaning but alas! ignorant and careless person has done to one of his treasures. If you would escape being called a book boor by such, never break the back of one of his pet volumes. It is the unforgiv- boor, who did not love books enough to | able sin. BACKGROUND OF EVENTS BY PAUL V. COLLINS. California has good reason to_envy Florida, this Winter, for all the Presi- A remarkably mild climate in this part of the world makes the news from the Byrd expedition the more impres- sive in reminder of a rough Winter. B —— The public exercising the right to re- fuse patronage to undesirable entertain- | ment asserts the only really effectual power of padlock. —————__ Mysteries of mathematics are sug- gested almost by the caiculations of ‘warship efficiency as by the theories of Dr. Einstein. R Ancient tombs reveal furniture of be- wildering costliness, but nothing to rival in value a seat on the New York Stock Exchange. e — According to reports, Aimee McPher- son, whatever her critics may say, can- not be accused of being a “tight-wad.” oo SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. The Laugh Cure. ‘When Evolution brings a thrill, We're happy and contented still. To Friend Baboon our hats we doff And say, “Let’s try to laugh it off.” ‘When Einstein sets a puzzling pace ‘That leaves us lost in Time and Space, ‘We do not argue with the Prof. We simply say, “Let’s laugh it off.” When politiclans grow too warm And threaten temperamental storm, The Public does not scold or scoff, But simply tries to laugh it off. A Sense of Humor, after all, Our Common Sense serves to, recall, Perhaps we'll even cure a cough, If we can only laugh it off! A Sardonic Satisfaction. “Is there any satisfaction in being a lame duck?” “Yes,” answered Senator Sorghum, “an idea of retribution always brings a certain grim sense of pleasure. Every statesman who is retired feels sure that speeches will not be as entertaining or as enlightening as they were before he departed from Washington, D. C.” Jud Tunkins says it's hard to decide what to do with old safety razor blades, and pretty near as difficult to dispose of last year’s campalgn buttons. Undecided Mission. An airplane hastens through the sky To work new wonders, by and by. Great airplane, we're uncertain yet— Are you a promise or a threat? The Gentler Method. “She is going to get a divorce?” “Yes,” answered Miss Cayenne. “And it’s rather nice of her. So many women when they take a dislike to their hus- bands insist on shooting them.” “Beware of making others uphappy,” sald Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown. “Unhappiness is contagious.” Facts and Theories. Though Einstein leaves our minds played out By each unfathomable claim, ‘We plod slong and have no doubt Earth will keep going, just the same. dents—present, future and would-be— are flocking there just as instinctively as migratory birds fly from cold Winter regions to balmy sunshine. There goes ex-Gov. Al Smith for recreation aften his strenuous campaign, only to find that President-elect Hoover had beat him to it, so they meet to swap storles of how even the birds loved them and proved their devotion by flocking to their campaign trains. Mr. Smith had a funny story about a crowing rooster, which was given him before—not after —election. The rooster no longer crows. Not to be outclassed, President Cool- idge has gone to Florida to deliver a speech, tomorrow, on what he knows about birds, and the importance of bird refuges where all feathered creatures may be safe from the hunter. The spe- cial occasion will be the dedication of 8 bird refuge established by Mr. Ed- ward Bok, who proposes to import flamingoes and all kinds of birds to that land of flowers and eternal youth. * kK K How times have changed the atti- tude of mankind as to birds! Half a sentury ago, nobody esteemed the feath- ered inhabitants of the air otherwise than as pests, and laws were passed by all States intended to incite their de- struction. Then scientists began to study the mission of the birds, and dis- covered something of their habits in feeding upon pestiferous insects; today men know that without birds the insects would destroy mankind by destroying grain and making life miserable for hu- manity. If Pharaoh had had enough birds, possibly the insect pests would have been controlled and his Israelites might be still Egyptian slaves. * ok Kk It remains for Dr. Bartsch, ornithol- ogist of the Smithsonian Institution, to relate & mew story of the character of one bird. All through the Winter, wherever bird-lovers maintain feed- ing boards where birds may come to find their dally bread, the male car- dinal bird is king, permitting no other to approach while he is feeding. Not even the female may dine in the pres- ence of her lord and master; that is beneath his dignity. Dr. Bartcsh has /| witnessed the cardinal take an English sparrow by the scruff of the neck and wpnlk to the edge of the feeding board and there drop the impudent intruder over to the abysmal depths. Luckily the sparrow carries its own sparrow- chute. Mrs. Cardinal knows more than an English sparrow, so she keeps dis- creetly away during the Winter, but as Spring approaches, when the young girl's fancy lightly turns to proper Spring dreams, she has the courage of her convictions and does not hesitate to land on the same feeding board with her mate. Does he act humanly and talk rough- ly to his wife? Not at all. He may look surprised, but she sweetly smiles at him, opening wide her bill, and he meekly feeds her, just as she will feed the voungsters in a few weeks. That proves that birds know the cardinal points of the seasons, and he “says it with * % ¥ % For two and a half centuries after the American Colonies were settled, the popular idea of birds was that they were like Indians—none good but dead ones. It is 73 years since Audubon died, but within the memory of men still in their youth—namely, about 1885 —this notion began to change, through the educative activities of the American Ornithologists’ Union, and Congress made a very small appropriation to en- able the Department of Agriculture to study the economic value of birds. States then awoke to the enormous losses agriculture had suffered through the indiscriminating slaughter of birds. and it was realized that many species are beneficial—indeed, indispensable, in the machinery of Nature. * K ok % The usefulness of birds is varied. One class sweeps the alr of mosquitos, gnats and midges. Swallows skim above wa- “A man dat tells you he can't git work,” said Uncle Ebe: st al- ways sittin’ still, 'stid o’ for it.” ter, flelds and marshes; purple martins patrol our gardens, swifts look after ths roofs and nighthawks and whip-poor- wills scout over the open country—all gathering in unwary Insect enemies. Some of these guards fly with mouths open so as not to have to pause for refreshments. The “police record” of some species has been cleared up by later investiga- tion. For example, the kingbird had been accused of destroving bees, but now it is known that about all the bees he swallows are drones, while he preys on robber flies and bee-killers. It is to get those enemles of bees that he hovers around beehives, not for the bees themselves. ‘The warblers and vireos clean the leaves of trees of their insect pests, as bluebirds, robins, tanagers, orioles, cat- birds, cuckoos and mockingbirds. It takes 400 eggs of the apple plant louse to feed one chickadee one day, The sapsucker and the woodpecker pay their board by eating grasshoppers, ants, wasps, bugs and files. e annual loss to farmers caused by chinch bugs is estimated by Dr. L. O. Howard, entomologist, at not less than $20,000,000, but it would be many times that if it were not that chinch bugs are the favorite meat of sparrows, blackbirds, robins and many other birds. Birds not only help mankind by fight- ing insectivorous pests, but also by de- vouring the seeds of noxious weeds, for they prefer wild weeds to cultivated plants. * Kk X ‘The migrations of birds are familiar. The travelers pass from regions far to the north even to corresponding local- ities south of the Equator, and in flying they are on the lookout for safe land- ings where they may rest and feed. It is astonishing to note how quickly the news spreads among them soncern- ing a safe refuge. Last A t we had an unusually heavy rainstorm which inundated the excavation made for the new Department of Commerce Build- ing, and within a few hours there were in that pool, in the heart of the City of Washington, 17 varleties of shore birds, which had heard the news while loafing upon the Atlantic beach. The birds hoped to find food in the new pool, but were disappointed until the water had stood a week, when weed seeds sprouted. There were 50 kildeer plover in the pool at one time. Dr. Bartsch advocates creating a nice, neat mud puddle: beside the s;)eedwny. which would induce hundreds of wild ducks en route to the South to take a rest and mud bath where we could enjoy their presence. The mud would be an additional hazard for golf players, thereby killing two birds with one puddle. Without it, there are only a few ducks in Rock Creek Park and along the Potomac, so life in Wash- ington is unnecessarily monotonous and uninteresting. Nevertheless, the District of Columbia contains, in proper season, more than 300 specles of birds, which number constitutes a quarter of the kind of birds found in all America. All of Cuba has only 275 species. No forelgn bird is admitted without & permit issued by Dr. Palmer of the Biological Survey, based on ‘“national origins” and condition of health. The law is as strict as that of human im- migration restriction. * % ok ok Beginn! in 1920, the Biological Survey of the Department of Agricul- ture has been doing systematic re- 1 search by catching and banding birds in.ml turning them loose after record- ing the bands. A total of 270,000 birds | have been so marked. In the first three years only 1746 banded birds were reported from differ-~ ent parts of the world where they had been !r?pfid or kiled, thus giving definite data as to their habits of mi- gration. Since 1923, 10,338 such re- turns have come in. Similar banding {s being done also in Europe, and some of marked European birds have been caught in the Western Hemisphere. An _American tern, banded at Eastern Egg Rock, Me., July 3, 1913, was found at the mouth of the Niger River, British West Africa, in August, 1917—certainly a remarkable case of four years of “globe trotting” or flying. * k% % The practics of Sanding birds will en- able the ornithologists to study many do many others, including the thrushes, | high Federal Highway 99 Longest in Country From the Long Beach Press-Telegram. Feeding into California from the north, United States Highway 99 is de- scribed by the Federal Department of Agriculture as the “longest continuously improved road in the country.” Be- ginning at the Canadian line near Blaine, Wash., it passes through Wash- ington, Oregon and California, and runs practically to the Mexican border. Its entire length of 1,580 miles is im- proved; and with the exception of some 95 miles of gravel surfacing immediately south of the Oregon line, and a few miles of its southern terminus in the Imperial Valley. its roadway throughout is composed of the highest types of pavement of concrete or asphalt. High- way 99, traversing the historice inland route of the Pacific Coast, is one of the most heavily traveled north and south roads in America. A land rich in tradition and history, and possessing many of the scenic wonders of the world, is reached by this magnificent boulevard, and that it affords a favorite trip for vacationists is the statement of the official document telling of the charms of this notable artery. Mount Baker, Puget Sound, the Olympic Peninsula, Mount Rainfer National Park, all in Washington: the Columbia River Drive, Mount Hood, Crater Lake, and mineral springs, in Oregon; the Sierra Nevadas with Mount Shasta, Mount Lassen, the only active volcano in the United States; Lake Tahoe, Mount Whitney and Death Valley, the highest and lowest altitudes in this country, and the redwoods in Californla—these are some of the more important natural features that are reached almost directly by this high- way, while other notable points are not far distant. From Sacramento the road follows the San Joaquin Valley | into Southern California, entering Los Angeles and swinging thence through Pasadena to San Bernardino, Redlands, Indio, Brawley and El Centro. In the improvement of Highway 99, the three States have been helped materially by the National Government. For about one-third of the total dis- tance, the Bureau of Public Roads of the United States Department of Agriculture shared the cost of the work, which was $16,798,725. with the sum of $8,498,825 coming from the central treasury On this basis, Highway 99 represents an aggregate investment of about $50,000,000. Some day, no doubt, Highway 99 will lose its glory as “longest continuously improved road in the country,” for the motoring public will insist on further progress with the paving of transcon- tinental roads. However, there is an excusable pride on the part of the Pacific Coast States on having been first to complete not only the longest road, but one reaching from national border to national border. The Canadian government has extended this road to Vancouver, and Mexico has plans for o highway system that unquestionably will connect with United States High- way 99, thus causing the work of Wash- ington, Oregon and California, with the assistance of the Nation, to be a link in a major international boulevard. e — Ford’s Announcement Rediscovers a Truth From the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin. Just why there should be such a furor over the Henry Ford announce- ment that his working forces are to be ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS ‘This is a special department, devoted to the handling of inquiries. You have at your disposal an extensive organiza- tion in Washington to serve you in any capacity that relates to information. Write your question, your name and your address clearly and inclose 2 cents in coin or stamps for reply. Send to The Evening Star Information Bureau, :‘oredglcc.v, Haskin, director, Washing- Q. What is the sigrificance of the red thread that rufs through all rope used in the British Navy?—W. A. H. A. The British naval attache says that all British Navy rope does not con- tain a red thread. Some has blue and some yellow. The color indicates the dockyard at which the rope is made. Q. When was the old fort on Mack- tnac Island built?>—A. J. A. Tt wes built by the British in 1780. Q. What was the population of Mos- cow when it was abandoned and burned at the approach of Napoleon?-—I. W. P, A. The estimated population of Mos- cow just previous to its evacuation and burning at the time of Napoleon I's in- vasion was 250,000. Q. Will city which has been chlorinated freeze as rapidly as natural water? What will make it freeze faster for an ice-skating pond?—G. H. E. A. The Department of Agricultural Engineering states that such a small amount of chlorine is used in city water that it should have no appreciable effect on ice used for skating. That depart- ment knows of nothing that could be | put in the water to make it freeze more quickly. Q. Are there any States which have not ratified the eighteenth amend- ment?—J. F. T. A. Connecticut and Rhode Island are the only ones which have not ratified it. Q. How far west of Panama is Colon?—N. G. H. A. The Panama Canal Zone is an east-and-west strip of land connecting North and South America, with a northerly or upward turn where the canal crosses, This makes Colon, the Atlantic terminus of the canal, nearly 20 miles west of Panama, the Pacific terminus, and causes the canal to run from the northwest to southeast in con- necting an eastern sea with a western ocean. Q. What years are included in the twentieth century?—W. W. H. A. The twentieth century includes the years from 1901 to 2009. This is because the first century embraced the years from 1 to 100, inclusive. The twentieth century commenced immedi- ately after midnight December 31, 1900. Q. What i3 the derivation of the word totem?- -A. L. A. It is derived from ototemen of the Chippewa ard other cognate dialects. It signifies generically “his brother- sister kin.” Q. How is the expression “swan song” used in the motion picture world? —M. A. Recently it has been used in Hol- lywood in referring to the last perform- ance in a motion picture of a moving glchm star whose contract has not renewed. Q. What causes printing static?— augmented so that, while the personnel (M. M. may continue to enjoy the five-day ‘week, the plants and equipment may work six days, is hard to understand, Modern machinery is enormously ex- pensive, and when it lies idle it is not earning anything toward its keep. In these days when the capital invest- ment behind the worker in a highly developed mechanical industry may run up to $10,000 per man, it is important that whatever rest and relief man may require should not be at the price of putting the plant out of commission. Wisdom lies in the opposite direction of making sure that while Jack plays, the plant keeps right on working. ‘The whole story of economic success rests on production, and not on the number of days or hours of work, ex- cept as they affect production. When nothing is produced there is nothing to divide. The more production, the greater everybody's share. And it is the enormous contribution of modern automatic machinery and machine tools to production that is the big factor in gl s and shorter hours. Toughtful manufacturers ha ve studied long and hard over the possi- bility of two days’ work in the 24 hours, in order to keep machinery going 12, or 14, or 16 hours instead of eight or nine. Lord Leverhulme, one of Britain's great captains of industry, has expressed the opinion that eventually all plants will operate 24 hours a day, with three shifts of workers, as the oniy means of getting the most out of the heavy investment in machines and their upkeep, and raising production to the point of its highest return to the wage- worker, Mr. Ford is sold on the five-day week for men. But he knows that if he is to hold his own in modern motor car industry he cannot get along with only five days’ work out of his machinery. ——— e Rather Catty Comment, From the Uniontown (Pa.) Morning Herald. A Persian kitten has been insured for $25,600, and Uncle Hiram of Ramcat Hollow opines that if anything happens to the cat, it will be the insurance company which has the fit. ——— Coal as Yule Gift. From the Ottawa Journal. This is the time of year when a lot of fieople reflect that a ton of coal might have made a corking good Christ- mas present. ————r———— Watch Dog Watches Liquor. From the Springfield, Ohto, Sun. A cache of liquor was found under a dog kennel in San Francisco. All the owner has to do is go into court and prove the dog is a booze hound. e~ Nothing to Live for Now. From the Trenton Evening Times. Now that we have a golfometer which records strokes honestly some one ought to invent a liarproof device for meas- uring fish. problems which are today largely guessed at. For example, it is difficult to make certain identification of individual birds when the seasons go by and birds re- turn to their familiar haunts. : stmfles u‘re told ;r hlrdsl coming back In the Springs and actually pecking on windows of their last-year lrlt‘ndu. Some of these stories are challenged and the pecking is explained by the reflec- tion of itselt which the bird sees in the glass; it mistakes the reflection for its prospective mate. Perhaps it is the same individual bird of the previous year, pos- sibly a stranger; but if banded, the identity would be determined. A more serious economic study, based upon banding, is the study of bird hab- its, disclosing their predatory practices as related to fruits and grains. * ok ok % Congress has long wrestled with the project of establishing bird sanctuaries, and there is a measure pending now (H. R. 16,525) to provide for such refuges, to be supported by a license fee from hunters. Through this license fee, a fund would be _,;mvlded against an appropriation of $75,000 the first year, $200,000 the second year, $600,000 the third ycar and after that $1,000,000 a year up to the tenth, when it would drop bac to $200,000 & year for mainte- nance. ‘There is no certainty that the bill will pass, owing to jealous opposition from fearful that some State ernments, 'muu'ry will profit at the the Federal expense of State funds. (Gopyrights 1929, by Paul V. Collins) A. The Bureau of Standdrds says that printing static is introduced by the friction of the paper with the metallic parts of the printing press. In large establishments special equipment is used to prevent this. Controlled hu- midity conditions assist to some degree, since paper that is kept yery moist gives little trouble. Q. How many acres are there in the Nancy Hanks Lincoln Memorial, where her grave is located?—S. C. A. There are 85 acres in the tract set !apart at Lincoln City, Spencer County, Ind., in memory of the mother of Abra- ham Lincoln. ' Q. Is our minimum wage system Enlgmed after that of any country?— A. The Women's Bureau says that the minimum wage system in this coun- try is a direct outgrowth of the wage regulation for all workers in specified BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. industries that developed in New Zea~ land and Australia at the end of the nineteenth century. Whereas there are many differences between the laws to be found in the United States and those of the other countries, American legise lation has profited largely by the mors mature foreign experience. Q. Is milk or cream heavier?—L. P. A. Milk is heavier. Cream comes td the top and rests on milk. Q. Has England a constitution?—A. A. The British constitution is matn unwritten and customary, but its d velopment is marked by certain standing and fundamental laws, of which the principal are Magna Charta (1215), the habeas corpus act (1679), the act of settlement (1701), the act of union with Scotland (1707), the act of union with Ireland (1800), the Par- liament act (1911), government of Ire- land act (1920), and the Irish Free State act (1922). Q. When were boats first propelled by sails?>—C. T. A. The paintings and sculptures in the early records of Egypt show regu- larly formed boats, constructed of sawed planks of timber, propelled by numerous rowers and also by sails. These vessels were long galleys, with one mast and a large, square sail, which was sometimes of linen and sometimes of papyrus. The oldest authentic record as to these sail- ing vessels is the illustration of one of them used as a decoration on an Egyp- tian amphora (in the British Museum), judged to have been made about 6000 B.C. It is noted, however, that thess boats could sail only with the wind. The science of salling against the wind was unknown for thousands of years. They sailed only when the wind was favorable. The oarsmen worked when the winds were unfavorable. Q. What makes a geyser erupt?— J. K. A." A true geyser has an underground passage communicating with a source of water supply. By seepage from th surface the geyser tube is filled with column of water, which at a consider= able depth receives heat from buried lava flows or other volcanic sources. ‘When the temperature in the lower part of the tube is raised to such a point that the water boils in spite of the superincumbent eolumn a portion of the water is changed into steam and by expansion causes an overflow at the surface. Thus relieved of pressure, a large quantity of water flashes into steam and ejects the whole column vio- lently into the air. If the circulation of the waters be impeded by throwing stones into the geyser tube, the eru) tion can often be hastened. Geysers in many cases were originally hot springs, from which they have gradually devel- oped by building and extending their tubes. Q. Do Chinese universities have courses in journalism?—N. B. A University has just put in a course in journalism, with Hubert Liang as its professor. This Chinese professor was graduated from a univer- sity in the United States. Yenching University, at Peking, expects to estab- lish the first complete school of journal- ism in China next Fall. Q. Where is the largest electric sign in the world>—P. M. A. It is thought to be the electric sign on a hill overlooking Portland, Oreg. The letters are 60 feet high; the row of letters is 725 feet long, and can be read at a distance of 20 miles. The sign is of the neon type. Q. What causes mahogany to look blue?—A. H. A. A. The bluish haze that is often no- ticed on a polished surface is nothing more than the accumulation left by. moisture and dust from the atmosphere. This may be washed off with a damp cloth or soft material, wrung out of tepid water in which a little pure soap Wipe off wlfl‘l“:'lou‘ chamolis. Q. Is Sarah Bernhardt's son, Mau- rice, Uving?—N. C. A. He died recently in Paris at the age of 65. He was manager of the theater which bore his mother’s name. Country’s Opinion Is Divided On New Money for Prohibition Even among strong supporters of the cause of prohibition there is a division of opinion conoernln{ the additional $24,000,000 for dry law enforcement which was initiated in the Senate. Many observers would defer the employ- ment of such funds uhtil the President- elect can look into the situation through his proposed commission, and some flatly charge that the whole thing is & move- ment to embarrass the incoming ad- ministration. is the suggestion of the Detroit Free Press (independent) that “the action will stand in the record of the Senate as & $24,000,000 vote of confidence in a President before he has taken the oath of office,” and that baper exclaims, “What leader of a parliamentary gov- emnment in Europe would not sell his soul for such an indorsement!" “The logical thing to do, of course,” in the opinion of the Baltimore Sun (independent), however, “would be to leave the whole business, including the additional sum that may be needed for enforcement, up to the incoming Presi- dent. * * * There seems also to be very general agreement that Mr. Hoover's plans for making a survey of the whole subject should be awaited before any largely important step is taken in Congress.” Other ?npers which advocate the idea of awaiting a report from the Hoover commission in- clude the Chattanooga Times (independ- ent Democratic) and Philadelphia Eve- nlli:fi Bulletin (independent Republican), while the New York Evening World (independent) believes “there is some- thing to be said for that view.” * kK X The incident seems to the Springfield Republican (independent) to have “the appearance of political shadow boxing,” while the Indianapolis Star (independ- ent Republican) offers the opinion that “the Senators’ motives may have differed somewhat in detail, but they were mostly political.” The Columbia Tribune (independent) remarks: “It 1s generally understood that the senti- ment in the Senate, expressed by the nature, and does not find its source in any sincere desire for real prohibition enforcement.” “Those citizens who seek orderly processes of government and are neither radical wets nor radical drys will look upon the present phases of the battle with new misgivings,” says Bing- hamton Press (independent Republi- can). The Louisville Times flnglelgend- ent) declares: “Enforcing prohibition is not the only task of the United States Government, and could not be the whole or the major duty of the Presi- dent. But, aside from that, vengeful politicians who gayly vote for an appro- priation of $24,000,000 in the hope of embarrassing the incoming President ‘The very reverse of the latter thought | g comfortable majority, is of a political | ‘nad display spectacularly their moral unfit- | beer through the Treasury Departmer.!, which is charged with the enforcement of prohibition, where will he put it? * koK % Review of lawless conditions by the Santa Barbara Daily News (Democratic) is accompanied by the advice: “The remedy for these conditions is simply honest and fearless enforcement of the Jaw. Of course, this requires money, but it requires something else more im- Do"l.m' and that is a will to enforce g Surprise is expressed by the Omaha ‘World-Herald (independent) at the at- titude of prohibition leaders who op- posed the appropriation. “The organ- ized prohibition leadership of the coun- try has had little criticism to offer or complaint to make. And now, when an effort is made to provide needed funds for enforcement, a good half of that leadership joins with Andrew Mellon in pposing it.” o c a “battle royal” the Charleston Evening Post (independent Democratic) feels that “it is not im- probable that the administration present and the administration prospective will be brought into it. In . continues that paper, “the whole issue of enforce- ment is open for something warmer than discussion.” The Savannah Press (Democratic), nevertheless, states: “We are obliged to regard the vote in the Senate as a step in the direction of what many people hold a great moral reform. The significance does not lie in the amount given, but in the favor- able sentiment in the United States Senate.” »® N “The measure simply plays fast and loose with the people’s money,” insists the Columbus Ohlo State Journal (Re- rubllc:nl. “for the appropriation is not jarge enough, either to gmnde any evi- dence as to the impossibllity of enforc- ve present ngzmrrohlbmun or to im| tions to any appreciable extent.” ‘The Worcester Telegram (independent) A0 to'the 845,000,000 Which Congreas addc 1,000,000 wi has already um)ropmud. would repre- sent only added expense and continued nadeqt The Utica Observer-Dis- patch (independent) contends: &3 add $24,000,000 to the fund and maks no provision as to how it should be a hazardous thing, for the money might be frittered away in a most senseless manner. First plan the work and then make necessary appro- priations for carrying it out.” “The question of how much the Gov- ernment is willing to spend for prohibi- tion remains a puzzle, with the answer still very much in doubt,” remarks the St. Paul Pioneer Press (independent), but the definite position taken by the Milwaukee Journal (independent) is that “our whole system of administra- Uon calls for apportioning on a con< sidered plan such revenues as it has n est are needed and can be ness for the office to which their con- stituents elected them.” “Federal prohibition has been cause of many spectacular follies, as well as unmeasured evils, but this ac- tion of the Senate caps them all,” avers the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (independ- ent), with the 3 the em! pendi hibition laws without knowing what to do with fit. uleh':r! Mellon does not the | he sees fit. properly applied, not simply handing & lump sum to an official to be spent af Moreover, it does not meef Mr. Mellon’s objection that there is & Secretary Mellon and cmuwmfi Doran as the panacea, concludes the Asbury y > .Plrk Press (Indae