Evening Star Newspaper, July 26, 1929, Page 8

8 THE EVENING STAR| With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. FRIDAY..........July 26, 1029 THEODORE W. NOYES....Editor ‘The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business 3 1 ghicago Ofee: opean Office: 14 Rej Enel ach month. Orders may be sent in by mall or telephone NAtional 5000, Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. Dally and Sunday. Daily only . 1 mo, Sunday only 1 mo.; 40c 1 yr., $12.00; 1 mo., $1, ¥ .’nw: 1 mo., ‘8o $5.00; 1 mo.. 80c Member of the Associated Press. ‘The Associated Press is exclusively ertitled to the use for republication of all news d atches credited to it or not otherwise cre: ed in this paper and also the io published herein. All rights of publication special dispatches herein are also reserved. e Status Quo in Manchuria. The immediately urgent objective of international diplomacy in the Far Eastern crisis—avoidance of war—hav- ing been achieved, the peace-preserving powers, under American leadership, are now marching toward the next goal. ‘This appears to be the restoration of the status quo ante in Manchuria, or, in plain English, the return to Russia of its share in the management of the Chinese Eastern Railway. ‘To that end Secretary Stimson is now conferring with the representatives of Great Britain, France, Italy, Japan and Germany. The Department of State's position seems to be that before there can be any arbitral settlement of the controversy, Russia must recover pos- sesslon of any proprietary and man- agerial rights of which she may have been despoiled by China. It the Russo-Chinese railway treaty of 1924 had concerned itself purely and exclusively with ownership or control of the Chinese Eastern line, Secretary Stimson's essayed task would be rela- tively simple. There is, as he has pointed out, ample precedent and prac- tice in law, both national and inter- national, for re-establishment of the status quo ante before adjudication of counterclaims. But the Russo-Chinese agreement is not confined to the mere matter of the railway line. An integral portion of the treaty as binding and valid as any other part is, and from the Chinese stand- point its most vital section, is the solemn undertaking by Russia to refrain from the propagation of Communism in China. The Chinese may be expected to set up the contention, before the status quo negotiations have progressed very far, that if restoration of the pre-contro- versy is to be fully carried out, it would imply not only the return to Russia of her share of the railway con- trol, but also Moscow’s right to spread subversive propaganda. From Nan- king’s standpoint, in such a contin- gency, it would be like putting back in service unconditionally a cook who wanted to arbitrate a wage quarrel, even though while brewing the broth she had been apprehended in seasoning it with poison. According to the impressive statement of the imbroglio published today under the signature of Foreign Minister Wang, China is prepared to show the world that Red Russia was caught, over a long series of months, in the act of un- dermining the new Nationalist Republic. ‘The Soviet's depredations are alleged to have gone far beyond the mere spreading of Communist doctrine. Mos- cow did not shrink from directing the systematic removal by assassination, the Nationalists claim, of China’s most re- sponsible leaders. It was to throttle this conspiracy at the source and to estop its fomenters from further plot- ting against the Chinese state that Rus- slan propagandists were expelled from key positions on the railway line. It is difficult to foresee how there can be any lasting settlement between the Chinese and the Russians—arbitral or otherwise—until and unless the Soviet czars pledge themselves anew to aban- don the communization of China. How much such a pledge would be worth is extremely problematical. With Mon- golla, Tibet and Turkestan already propagandized into the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the world at large is likely to fear that Russia will have It represents what is probably a higher type of courage. Such & man was Bleriot. He apparently had little confi- dence either in himself or his plane, but he had the high moral courage which constitutes the highest reaches of heroism. ‘The man still is alive to enjoy the high honors which two nations are heaping upon his head this week. He has lived to witness such a develop- ment in aviation as makes his exploit of a short 20 years ago seem a puny thing. Long since flights across the Channel have become routine affairs— merely parts of the day’s work for com- mercial pilots. The Atlantic has been conquered, planes have remained in the air more than a week, and flights around the world have been consid- ered. And no small part of the impetus which led to this astounding progress was due to this self-conscious, middle- aged man who defled his fears for the first flight across the English Channel. He will long remain one of the glorious figures in the history of aviation. Future Action for Merger. The Washington Railway & Electric Co.'s reply to the Public Utilitles Com- mission on the question of renewed negotiation for merger follows generally the attitude of the Capital Traction Co., previously outlined, and might be interpreted as creating an impasse, with all parties concerned valiantly championing the principle of merged operation, but none willing to take the necessary first steps. Such an interpretation, however, would be a reflection pn the good sense of the Utilities Commission and the railway companies. All have now made, themselves definitely understood. The Public Utilities Commission asks the companies to state their attitude re- garding new negotiations for a merger. The companies declare, in effect, that such negotiations would be futile, as they have already demonstrated their willingness to merge and the essential facts regarding their demands and con- cessions in a merger agreement are matters of public record. The Public Utilitles Commission replies that re- newed negotiations should not be re- garded as futile and that the com- mission would be unwilling to accept the now nullified merger agreement in full and as favorably reported by the congressional committees that in- vestigated and revised it. Nothing constructive toward merger is to be accomplished if the rallway companies persist in the attitude that they are broken-hearted over past fallures of efforts to merge and so dis- mally discouraged that further thought on the subject is painful and bitter. And nothing will be accomplished by berat- ing them for adopting such & frame of mind. The Public Utilitles Commission 45 1n a position to take the initiative in having a new agreement written and prepared for congressional action in its tongue in its cheek should it agree once again, in an arbitration of the rallway question, to keep its propa- gandist hands off Manchuria. In this country we must mot forget that 1t is primarily the Moscow gov- ernment’s refusal to pledge itself not to conduct Communist propaganda in the United States that has kept four ad- ministrations at Washington in succes- sion—the Wilson, Harding, Coolidge and Hoover regimes—from according diplomatic recognition to the imperial- ist-proletarian autocracy in the Krem- lin. ———————— Communism is not & form of govern- ment, but a starting point which keeps every intelligent person constantly in- quiring, “Where do we go from here?” ———— et The Voyage of Bleriot. A significant anniversary is being observed in France and England this ‘week. ‘Twenty years ago a French mechanic, Louls Bleriot, flew from Calais to Dover—almost as picturesque an ac- complishment at that time @s is flying the Atlantic today. Blerlot set out aczoss the Channel “on his nerve.” He was & man already approaching middle age, lacking the self-confidence and enthusiasm of youth to sustain him in his perilous exploit. He was, in his own words, “a poor pilot.” He was alarm- ingly self-conscious of his own in- aptitude for the glorious adventure. There are two sorts of heroes. One is the type devoid of imagination which never recognizes the possibility of fail- ure or stops to think of the dangers. The accomplishments of such heroes _sometimes seem miraculous. Thelr bravery is in large part an absence of fear. Their hearts never.rise in their mouths, They have no trepidations to conquer. Quite different is the type which knows and subdues fear—which sets forth on the wings of will alone, fully aessibilities of disaster, December. The commission has the facts upon which to rewrite, strengthen or modify the old agreement. A new one could be submitted to the com- panies with request for a categorical statement of approval or disapproval. If there is disagreement, the points at issue would provide tangible ground for discussion. There would be more prog- ress toward merger, favored on every hand, than is written in the interesting correspondence between the Utilities Commission and the railway companies regarding the now dimmed glories of the past, and who should be blamed for having spilled the milk. ——— vt Airplane achievements are constantly breaking records in one way or another. Lindbergh, however, managed to set a ce in his own manner which has not been duplicated. There is outstanding individuality in aviation as well as in statesmanship or literature. —— e New York authorities are trying to keep taxicabs from crowding around the theaters while the weary producers are wishing they could do something to en- courage them. o An Anti-Weed Campaign. An interested citizen has written to the Commissioners pointing out that much of the suffering among the vic- tims of hay fever could be prevented through & determined campaign to rid the city of weeds, especially ragweed, which 18 now reaching a state of lux- uriant growth in many vacant lots and fields. This citizen points to the fact that there are probably 45,000 hay fever victims in Washington alone who are going to spend weeks of discomfort and many dollars, beginning in a few weeks, because of an ailment that in many cases is traced directly to pollen from weeds. Wiping out weeds would not wipe out hay fever, but it might lessen the consequences of the annual epi- demic now about to begin. The suggestion is an excellent one. Bome constructive effort by the authori- ties to comply with it should be made. The District has an adequate law against weeds and for many years Health Officer Fowler has tried to en- force it, but without much success. This law requires that property owners in the congested or thickly populated areas of the city must keep the growth of weeds on their land below & maximum height of four inches. If they fall to comply with & warning within seven days they may be prosecuted. Some of them are prosecuted every year. Dr. Fowler's force is inadequate, for & large corps of inspectors would be necessary if the law were properly en- forced and the Health Department has no large corps of inspectors. But it is difficult to understand why the Police Department cannot be enlisted in a campaign sagainst weeds and every policeman on & beat given the task of reporting on property where the growth is luxuriant and uncurbed. These re- ports could be followed by warnings served by the policemen and enforced by the Police Department. For many years Dr. Fowler has asked for an appropriation to enable him to deal with the weed nuisance, but the money has mnot been forthcoming. Weeds, when Congress is in session and the appropriations are under considera- tion, are not regarded as pressing prob- lems. The District government, there- fore, can do little in the way of actually cutting down weeds. But there is an annual fund of about $2,500 available for the abatement of nuisances, and the Commissioners might find it advis- able and worth-while to devote as much of this money as can be spared to cut- ting down weeds where they are most offenstve. A few days ago the Public Heaith THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, FRIDAY, JULY 26, 1929. THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL, Service inaugurated an inspection of the city's area to determine the loca- tion of breeding spots for mosquitoes. ‘The survey, backed by Col. Grant, superintendent of public buildings and public parks, will bring an effort to clean up these spots. In that connec- tion the park service would render com- mendable service by a determined effort to rid the parks, especially Rock Creek Park, of the luxuriant growth of fine, upstanding weeds that infest the woods and the cleared areas. It would be hard to name a better way to spend money in beautifying the parks, as well as ridding them of an unattractive and decidedly real menace to comfort and good health. —_————————— Help for Florida. ‘ ‘The President will ask Congress par- tially to indemnify the Filorida fruit growers for their losses suffered through Federal measures to eradicate and pre- vent the spread of the Mediterranean fruit fly. The President is satisfied that precedent for this form of relief exists, and the cases are cited of Federal cam- paigns against the European corn borer and the foot-and-mouth disease, where wholesale destruction and rigid quaran- tine, ordered and imposed by the Fed- eral authorities in conjunction with the afflicted States, imposed a moral obliga- tion for reparation against losses sus- tained. But if there were no precedents the President should be upheld in the case of the Florida fruit growers. They have suffered through attack from an alien enemy, more capable of wreaking loss and destruction than an attacking fleet of battleships or an armed host of dis- ciplined soldiers. The necessary Federal measures taken in Florida to fight this invasion have resulted in nearly paralyzing Florida's most important in- dustry. With few exceptions, no vege- table is being permitted to grow this Summer in any but a few sections of the State. No ripe fruit is permitted to hang on the trees. The packing houses are idle, the canneries are closed, the wild fruits of the forests and field are being destroyed. A rigid quarantine, now about modified, has prevented shipments of fruit and vegetables. For the danger of the invasion is not con- fned to Florida alone. Florida is merely the battle ground, the field of combat. ‘The fight is not only to destroy the enemy where he has shown his head, but to keep him from sending his ad- vance guards and scouting parties be- yond the boundaries of the State. Florida suffers now, not to save herself alone, but the Nation at large. The fight against Florida's enemy is against what might be a national calamity. A bill introduced in the last Congress called for an appropriation of $10,000,- 000, which would partly compensate the growers for their losses, but the bill was lost in the jumble and was never reported from committee. President Hoover's sympathy with its terms should help to assure its passage, and it should recelve immediate attention when Con- gress convenes. Losses in Florida may constitute only a local problem, but losses were incurred in a fight against & national menace. The State, just get- ting on its feet from the havoc of & real estate boom and a series of dis- asters from storm and flood, is doing its own part nobly to recover from this last blow. It needs and deserves all the help from the outside that can be given. ———ee His full artistry has not yet been re- vealed by Ambassador Dawes. His little deviations from custom in pipe and trousers would be quite forgotten if he were to produce his violin and play the truly exquisite Dawes “Melody in F.” ——— ‘Writing the laws of a nation is said to be easier than writing the songs. Writing the traffic regulations for a Capital City left-hand turn threatens to be harder than either. —————— A wholesome solicitude becomes ap- parent on the part of Russia and China as to the party to be held historically responsible in case real trouble is started. ———— Like every other good American citi- zen Calvin Coolidge finds genuine enjoy- ment in coming to Washington once in & while. —_————— Diplomatic conferences are doing gal- lant work in wresting genulne news in- terest from the sleuths and the grand Juries. SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Trouble Enough. Where's the good o' lookin’ mad, Makin’ & bluff? Hasn't this poor Old World had ‘Trouble enough? ‘Why disturb an hour serene ‘With the rough stuff? Hasn't this poor Old World seen ‘Trouble enough? Availability. “What do you regard as the highest duty of an ideal patriot?” “To watch his politics,” said Senator Sorghum, “so that his patriotic ideal- ism can still be on the job in case an emergency arises.” Jud Tunkins says modern wealth makes it seem possible for & man to have so much money that it doesn’t make any real difference. Maud's Disappointment. “Maud Muller, on & Summer day Raked the meadow, sweet with hay.” But found, to her poetic grief, She had no pull for farm relief. Advice. “A man should always ask his wife's advice.” “I don't have to ask it,” answered Mr. Chuggins. “Driving from the back seat simply comes natural.” “Good men,” sald Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “may meet SOITOW. ‘We are punished not so by our faults as by our follies.” Human ‘The Boss in politics I scan ‘With cheerful predilection. He never poses as a man ‘Who represents perfection. “If you had to believe everything you ,” sald Uncle Eben, “you’d mabbe begin -to wonder whether deafness wesntablesiohr T o ith often Just ridin’ around, a favorite amuse- ment of Washingtonians, gives every resident a chance to put himself in the seat of the sightseer. Perhaps the person who lives here cannot wholly capture the mood of the newcomer, to whom every building is new, but he can in some measure put himself in his place. By so doing he gets a mew outlook upon his city, although he may not do it consciously, or in any sense aware that he does it. ‘The fact that he does it, however, re- mains. It is impossible for him to re- gard the National Capital in exactly glde same light he would if he did not e. The evening automobile tour, there- fore, becomes something more than a mere cooling-off E!‘opollflon. as it takes in the scope of the city, from Potomac Park to the far-flung rcaches of Wis- consin and Connecticut avenues, from the Key Brldzi u; fl.l‘z flplwl. Just ridin’ around brings home to one the size of a city which contains more than half a million people. It is the sight.of she people them- selves which does it—not so much the rows upon rows of houses, the miles of business establishments, the leafy parks, the great Government buildings. Even a long-time resident can cap- ture some of the amazement of a vis- itor as he passes great apartment building after apartment building. It is not so much the building as the people who live there. The evening sightseer has read that Washington is doing more apartment house building than any other city in the United States, being exceeded in actual num- ber during the past year only by New York and Chicago. An evening’s observation will convince him of the fact as he sees great nmew buildings along Connecticut and Wis- consin avenues extended. The involun- tary thought is: Where do all the peo- ple come from to fill them? People! Everything gets back to people. So- clety is people, buildings are for peo- ple, cars are for people, food is for peo- ple, city and State and National gov- ernments are for people. One is tempted to fall into a Whit- |5, manian rhapsody upon the subject of people, and people all being summed up in=you. e And what a collection of these “yous” there is around the Capitol on band concert night! One drives ‘east along Pennsylvania avenue, plunged in the midst of thou- sands of cars, cars from all the States, as well as bearing District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia licenses. ‘The careful drivers drive and the fool drivers drive, all stopping and starting, all going somewhere, all intent on_their business of the moment. ‘That most of it is pleasure, or what the car occupants think is pleasure, has nothing to do with it at all. The man who is visiting the city for the first time since 1915 expresses his amazement. “It is not as nice a place to live in,” he says. “There are 300,000 too many people here now. The only thing to do is to go home and stay there.” * ok kR Yet he, too, is on the road. Every- body is on the go. It is the spirit of America which has invaded the Capi- tal of the United States as well as any. Whether the inhabitants would have preferred to live in the same placid “pig country town” which Washington ! used to be makes no difference. They could no more help themselves than the ommh.bmnu of Detroit or of Indianap- Washington has lost its in some measure. One can recall the time, and not so years ago, either, when Pennsylvania avenue at this time the evening would have contained a few horse-drawn vehicles, a few street cars and nothing else much. ‘That day vanished in 1918. Today— and especially tonight—thousands " of cars of all makes, sizes, colors, wind and twist, stop and So at the bidding of police and signal lights. ‘The great dome of the Capitol stands forth in trees. There should be a special light to show the statue of Freedom upon the top. It becomes lost in the gleam, merging into the clouds. The great banks of trees hide the lower portion of the building. Glimpses through the grounds reveal the stately building, but it is not until the east side is reached that an ade- quate view is to be secured. Now the resident gets into the spirit of the newcomer, Thousands of persons bank the steps, listening to the concert. Thousands more are in a blanket of humanity be- low the steps. The dark sky presses down from above; the flood lights gleam from’ below. This is the Capitol of the United States, ladies and gentlemen. This is the dream of countless girls and boys, the aspiration of men and women. This building sums up what we all stand for, epitomizes the great country stretching to the oceans. It is more than just a building——it is us. It is you, reader, wherever you are, * ok k% Red, amber, green, amber, red, am: ber, green, the lights flash along Mas- sachusetts avenue. The taxi drivers used to turn up Seventh to Mount Ver- non place, but now there are changing lights even there. Plainly the amber light says “wait,” the red “stop” and the green “go,” but actually they say far more than that. ‘They speak of the bellef of the Amer- ican people in law and the readiness of the majority of them to obey proper WS, ‘When one is just ridin’ around, how- ever, the traffic lights speak no ser- mons, but & plain language of control. ‘The lights are with us this eveningw= we are able to go on and on withont stop until Eighteenth street is reached. It cannot be done every time, but some- times it can. It is the theoretical ideal which no doubt the traffic fathers sought to establish. Here is the so-called ‘“million-dollar bridge.” One mildly wonders if it really cost that much. Not so many years ago there was little beyond the Calvert Street Bridge. Now for miles one goes past resi- dences and more residences, past huge apartment houses suiting the needs of thousands of people who want comfort first. Here is Chevy Chase Circle under the glare of lights, bare, unadorned, a lost opportunity both on the part of the District and of Maryland. ‘The cool narrowness of the Brooke- ville road invites one to a run along one of the most beautiful thorough- fare near Washington. Pleasant homes, with well kept grounds, present a pic- ture reminiscent of some comfortable country town in the Middle West. It is, however, in what some day will be the center of the great metropolitan area which will be Washington, the National Capital of the future. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE No professional diplomatist in Wash- ington can recall any international transaction that was completed with the celerity of the MacDonald-Hoover “deal” to curtail cruiser building in Great Britain and the United States. If a disarmament conference had achieved such a result, merely as a starter, after weeks or months of pre- liminary preparations, it would have been_considered an accomplishment of the first water. Here is an open cove- nant, openly arrived at, if you please— to borrow Woodrow Wilson's language. The cables bring news of the Briti premier’s statement in the House of Commons. They are laid on the Ameri- can President’s desk. He sends for a stenographer and dictates a counter- statement signifying American readi- ness to match Britain's cruiser-curtail: ment program. In other words, there was obtained within one space of a single aiternoon a result which—left to professional sailors and diplomats— probably could not have been reached in a whole season of ordinary official exchanges. We are living in the age of speed, indeed, and, internationally speaking, MacDonald and Hoover seem to be its prophets. * * kX Undoubtedly the high spot in Pres- ident Hoover's cruiser manifesto is the statement that the United States and Great Britain are proceeding on the theory that they are henceforth to look upon themselves as co-operating friends and not as potential opponents. As soon as that principle becomes the im- movable bedrock of Anglo-American relations, they will be on the way to rmanently peaceful basis. Many thorities in Washington, who rejoice at the substantial progress in naval lim- itation which the two governments have now made, regret that nothing has yet been sald about “freedom of the . Until that thorny issue is tackled and settled, & bone of possible contention between John Bull and Uncle Sam will continue to exist. Naval “parity” will not obliterate it, no mat- ter how many battleships or cruisers the two navies agree to scrap. At pres- ent our views on that subject are poles apart from British views. The conflict between them nearly took us into the war on 's side in 1914, 1915 and 1916. * % % % For some reason which Washington telephone officials are unable to fathom, New York City recently omn e exchange called ‘“‘Wickers] " _The chairman of the Hoover Law Enforce- ment Commission has no connection with the legal department of the Bell system, so that can’t be the reason why Gov. Roosevelt’s now famous prohibi- tion correspondent has been thus im- mortalized. “Wickersham” numbers appear to be distributed through up- town reglons of Manhattan, including the “roaring Forties.” * ok ok ok - Mrs. Chao-Chu Wu, the accomplished wife of the Chinese Minister to the is due in her native country on a visit at this witching hour of its affairs, When Dr. and Mrs. Wu left China more than a year and a half ago, they were at the outset of & g The guide on duty in the capitol ro- tunda points out this fact and suggests that Martha must have been a poor housekeeper, since Houdon stayed at Mount Vernon for two months making the preliminary studies for the statue and therefore had every opportunity to portray Washington to the life,” * K x X Commenting on President Hoover's plan to apply the pruning knife to Army expenditure, with the possibility that such elite services as the Cavalry and Coast Artillery may find themselves in the discard, a distinguished soldier- horseman in Washington says that the general staff ought to summon Hinden- burg before it decides to scrap boots, saddles and spurs. The German gen- eralissimo, this authority declares, said somewhere after the armistice that ff he had had a division of cavalry in the “black week” of March, 1918, he'd have won the war. The idea was that when the Germans pierced the British- French line before Amiens, on their desperate drive for the Channel coast, they could have followed up their ad- vantage decisively if, with a powerful force of mounted , they had been able to cut off the British lnngotn France from its base of supplies. th food, ammunition and reinforcements could thus have been prevented from reaching Halg's encircling army, and xurrender—qccordlnge? the Hindenburg story—would have n only & matter of hours or dx};s.‘ i Representative R. N. Elliott of In- diana, chairman of the House commit- tee on public grounds and buildings, de- plores the fact that the late Senator Bert M. Fernald of Maine is left out of current encomiums over the plans for beautifying Washington with cent new buildings. Elliott says that, when the full story of the Greater Fed- eral City can be told, it will be discov- ered that Fernald, rather than Senator Bm.ldes‘:‘nesh tm;h:h llo;‘ll‘lal :12.‘“ of the ¢ for. e program through the se’n:t:‘ . Probably it's a mere coincidence, but the appearance of the first installment of Al Smith’s biography, “Up to Now,” synchronized with No. 1, Vol. 1, of the Challenge, a new monthly periodical published at Washington. Its maiden number gives every evidence that the m’-nn 's ambition in life is to boom and groom Smith for renomination in 1928. The Challenge calls itself a “monthly newspaper opposed to intol- erance.” Bert Walmsley, president of the publishing company, was once a Capltal scribe. (Copyright, 1029.) Law Observance Pays, Says Texas Observer From the Houston Chronicle. ‘The car strike violence at New Or- leans is of interest more because of its unusualness than because of its signifi- cance. This turbulence reminds us chiefly of a condition which we have almost entirely left in the past. It is illustrative of the hatreds and economic wastes of an older era when the battle over division of the revenue of industry made impossible an increase of these revenues to the point where all ht fare well. large part of the Nation's industrial advance must be credited to the estab- g § in | to write a letter. f | house and the reflected light above the |listen to Noisy Loud Speakers © Are Assailed as Rude To the Editor of The Star: ‘What is the “loud speaker” doing to us? All day long and for more than half the night its voice is heard. Some- times some woman is singing, prolong- ing her high notes until one wonders at the “endurance flight” of the hu- man voice. Sometimes a man reports base ball scores for the entire neigh- borhood, while one is trying one’s best Sometimes an orches- tra plays jazz until one feels a fit sub- ject for the insane asylum. turn the loud speaker on 8o loud? If a friend should come to our talk loud enough for the whole community to hear, we would de- cide he had forgotten his good breeding or was losing mind. There is no more reason why the neighbors should tel some one’s radio than there is that they should be subjected to any other preventable noise. Right now the voice from a loud speaker in a nearby home is s0 incessant I can scarcely con- centrate enough to express my thoughts coherently., ‘When radio was first introduced into our homes it was sald that the best music would become familiar to almost every one, and, as a consequence, the blic would learn to like and demand e better compositions? What has actually happened? The radio is turned on and jazz singers and jazz orchestras make day and night hideous. Doubtless there is d music in the air, but we are helpless in the presence of the neighborhood “loud speaker.” ‘When I was growing up, it was con- sidered an {ll-bred thing to carry on a conversation when some one was rendering either vocal or instrumental music. The children of today can have no such standard, for the “loud speaker” furnishes the most of the music they hear, and who has any re- spect for a “loud speaker”? I visited in a home last Easter. The man of the | H. house is a graduate in piano and his wife a good performer, and both sing. A number of other guests came in in the evening. The radio was turned on. The choir of Trinity Church was sing- ing “Calvary.” The conversation in the room went merrily on, the voices raised above the music, and although I sat near the loud speaker, it is need- less to I could get no enjoyment from the music. Just what is the loud speaker doing to us? A. M. GARDNER. Says Wife Inspired Bleriot to Make Flight To_the Editor of The Btar: In July, 1909, my wife and I were touring in Europe and were in Paris about this time ard we eagerly sought every morning the Daily Mail, an Eng- lish paper which has extensive circu- lation in Paris. We wanted to learn of the success of Lathram, an English aeronaut who wanted to cross the British Channel. He made several half-hearted visits to the water’s edge, for a few mornings, but claimed the weather was unfavorable, too cloudy or too windy. There was a French woman whose husband was named Louis Bleriot, also an aeronaut, and she said: “Louls, I cannot stand it. I know I made you promise not to fly any more, but for ‘La Patrie’ I don't want that Eng- lishman to beat you. I know you can do it. Now for the honor of France, go fly across the Channel and make me proud of you.” STANSBURY BOYCE. Insects Guided Home By Rays of Sunlight BY E. E. FREE, PH. D. ‘That sunlight, in addition to doing almost everything else in the world, from working the weather to curing sick babfes, also provides the mysterious guide that leads insects home to their nests is suggested by observations quoted by Prof. H. H. Turner, astronomer of Oxford University, in the anonymous notes which it is an open secret that he contributes to the publication of British amateur astronomers, Observatory. “Imagine’ an east and west ant path- way,” his quotation runs, “with direct sunlight falling on it from the south. Make a shadow on a portion of the pathway and then with a mirror re- flect sunlight on to this portion from the north. At once the ants reverse the direction of their march. It is the angle of the sun's rays which directs them.” This is so easy an observation for amateur naturalists to make that it is to be hoped that many in America will repeat it. Bees, also, may be able to tell which side of their bodies is sunlit and thus to direct their mysterious homing flights. Prof. ‘Turner’s quotation continues: *“Bees were caught at the feeding place (150 yards north of the hive) and put into three closed boxes. One box was car- ried 150 yards east of the hive, another 150 yards west, and the third 150 yards south of the hive; the bees were then liberated. Now comes the strange thing. They did not fly back to the hive, but from each of the three places where they had been liberated they flew due south, and when they had flown just 150 yards south they stopped.” These, too, are observations which scientifi- cally 'lncllned bee-keepers are urged to repeat. Grain Transportation Over Water Routes From the St. Louls Times. News of waxing importance has for weeks been gathering as to the leap which will be taken this year by ship- ments of grain through the St. Louis River port toward the South. Much of these consignments will in time go to foreign countries. Men with inside information state privately that the revious records for grain movement 152;“'4'1' will be absolutely drowned in The Mississippi Valley has just made public that 40 new barges designed for use in the waters of the big river and its confluents have reached completion at Pittsburgh and will arrive in the vicinity of this river port within ap- g;loxmwu a fortnight from this date. eir importance is impressive. They cost under the contract $61,000 each. In a 6-foot channel they can carry 1,000 tons of freight apiece. In 9 feet of water it will twice that much. This variable tonnage renders them available for service out of this port to either the Gulf or the falls of St. Anthony. Today, the Federal barge line is ex- pecting to receive from Omaha the first shipment of the grain from the North- west which will go down the Missis- si) The trafic between here and Mum&l:l.l will be in full flower about the t of August and is expected to attain its peak during that month. This season is to mark the opening wide of the channels which lead to the future seaport of the prairies. Destiny il ot be demed, We gouid not evade . We could not evade her embraces if we wished. But They Do Wash. From the Pittsburgh Post-Gagette. Drought is threatening the London ‘water supply, but there is a question whether some American tourisis will know anything about it. But, Oh!—No Lean and Hungry Looks. From the Seattle Daily Times. diet and preserve h:hv:trb:::ndar flcure? e X d too e padiog. proving. Then There Would Be Action. From the Boston Evenine Transcript. If the States and the Nation could only ‘“concur” as successfully as the ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Have we had the pleasure of serving you through our Washington informa- tion bureau? Can’'t we be of some help to you in your problems? Our busi ness is to furnish you with authoritative information and we invite you to ask us any question of fact in which you are interested. d your inquiry to | The Evening Star Information Bureau, | Frederic J. Haskin, Director, Washing- ton, D. C. Inclose 2 cents in coin or stamps for return postage. of the automobiles in American make?—S. R. A. On January 1, 1929, there were 32,028,584 automobiles, trucks and busses in operation. Of these about 90 Enr cent were of American manufac- ure, Q. Where is the Marathon Dam?— C. R. C. A. It is near the village of Mara- thon, In Greece. It is a solid concrete wall, but this dam is the only mosaic, marble-faced dam in the world. When completed the reservoir will have a ca- pncuny of 41,000,000 cubic meters of water. Q. Was the French Foreign Legion in Europe during the World War? If so, how wf‘ra the replacements recruited?— . J. M. A. The French Foreign Legion was engaged in Europe during the World War. Replacemenis were not recruited | for the legion. All enlistments were voluntary. Many persons went into the legion because they were not taken into the regular French army. ;Ih:c are young foxes called?— Q. J.E F. A. They are called pups. QA zhal is meant by chirurgics?— | ‘A1t ‘means surgical practices. | Q. Who are some of the smallest of the prominent screen actresses>—M. R. | A. Among the smallest screen stars are the following: Dorothy Janis, 4 feet 11 inches; May McAvoy, Betty Bronson and Bessie Love, all 5 feet. Q. Which is more desirable, a Shet- | land pony or a Welsh pony?>—M. K. A. The Department of Agriculture says that the Welsh and Shetland wmu have similar characteristics. hich is the more desirable is simply M08 | good reason to believe they left back & matter of preference. In this countr the shetlnng pony is more popular ro¥ riding and the Welsh is usually driven, Q. From what countries does the | United States import most of its sawn | mahogany?—S. S. H. | A. Logs come primarily from British | West Africa and secondarily from Cen- | tral America. Q. How many students are there in | college in the United States?>—D. 0. B. A. There are about 510,000 men and 314,000 women. Q. How long did Edgar B. Davis finance “The Ladder”?—C. C. A. This play was withdrawn from the | Cort Theater the week of November 10, 1928, after having been kept in New York for more than two years by its wealthy backer, Edgar B. Davis. It homes. * The total value of cakes pro- g‘%:%%om a year is more than $1,300,- Q. Where is the Riley Hospital children?—C. R. C. Y = e A. The James Whitcomb Riley Hos- pital for children is in Indianapolis, Ind. It was established as a memorial to the poet and the funds were col- lected from all parts of the State. The hospital was formally dedicated on October 7, 1924, Riley’s birthday, and was given to the trustees of Indi- ana University to be administered for the welfare of the children of Indiana. Q. When does the shooting season open in Scotland?—H. C. A. The 12th of August marks the be- ginning of the Scotch season. Q. How does the weight of a man's clothing compare with that of a wom- an?—F. N, A. In a recent experiment it was found that the average weight of wom- en’s clothes was 2!2 pounds and of men’s 81, pounds. A man's shoes weigh more than the total weight of a woman's apparel Q. How are spots removed from a white enameled range?—D. M. A. The gas companies are advocating the use of a certain creamy white paste for the cleaning of white enameled ranges. Since this is sold under dif- ferent trade names in different locali- ties, we suggest that you ask concern- ing it at your local gas office, Q. When were the rolls of the Chero- kee Nation closed?—E. D, McL. A. The Department of the Interior says that May 15, 1926, was the last day when applications_were submitted for enrollment in the Cherokee Nation. Q. What makes eggs get mol E A B - A. Tt is caused by dampness. Since egg shells are porous, mold naturaily penetrates to their contents. Eggs should be kept in a cool, dry place. Q. How large is the stafl of the Miss- ing Persons Burcau in New York City? —T. A. D. A. The job of finding all New York City's runaways is intrusted to Capt. John H. Ayers and his personnel of 39 men and 7 women, including the clerical force. The small size of the bureau proclaims its efficiency. Q. How large is the Goodyear lin hangar at Akron to be?—P. A. The Goodyear Zeppelin hangar at Akron will be three city blocks long. It will be the largest building in the world and perhaps the most unusual. The great arches that make up the cross section of the building will be 325 feet wide and 286 feet high. Ex- tending throughout the length of the Zeppe- | building and projecting at both ends will be docking rails from which trolley cars will carry cables attached to the ship, holding it firmly in place in a | harness of steel against wayward gusts as it moves in or out. Q. For what purpose did the Scots display the fiery cross?—S. L. A. Brewer's Directory of Phrase and Fable says that the fiery cross was is said to have cost Mr. Davis $1,250,000. Q. How much flour is used in cake | baking in this country in a year>—L.T. | A. The Department of Agriculture | says that 5,550,000 barrels of flour goes into cakes in a year. More than half | of the cake baking is still done in the anciently a signal sent around the Scottish clans in the highlands sum- moning them to assemble for battle. It was symbolic of fire and sword. It consisted of a cross, the ends of which had been dipped in the blood of some anima! slain for the purpose. Neither Wets Nor Drys Like Wickersham ‘Whatever may have been the purpose of the letter from George W. Wicker~ sham to Gov. Roosevelt of New York, which was read at the recent governors’ conference, it has stirred up national debate on prohibition along new lines. ! Neither wets nor drys generally are en- | thusiastic over the suggestion of the | chairman of President Hoover's Law En- forcement Commission that more defi; nite responsibiiities in connection with | prohibition enforcement should be placed on the States. The New York Sun sees “a ray of | sunshine for the drys” and observes: | “If the Federal Government, under Mr. | Wickersham’s plan, should prevent the | importation, manufacture and ship- ment of intoxicating beverages, there would be no speakeasies for the States | to suppress.” To the Fort Worth Rec- ord-Telegram, however, any division of authority seems all wrong. “Either the | Government of the United States should enforce the prohibition amendment,” says the Texas paper, “or the amend- ment should be withdrawn and the States left to make their own regu- latory laws as expressed by the will of the majority of the people.” “The weakness of the plan,” in the | opinion of the Rock Island Argus, “is | the assumption that the States will | universally co-operate and use the same measures. The plan, in the opinion of some, amounts to & concession that prohibition, thus far, has proved to be unenforceable.” The Richmond New: Leader argues: “Mr. Wickersham's ideas might not work out well in prac- tice, however sound they may be in theory, but it is better for him to sug- gest something for discussion than to throw up his hands in despair.” * kK x “Before the body which he is the chairman has begun to study the ques- | tion submitted to it,” contends the New | Bedford Evening Standard, “it is sur- prising that Mr. Wickersham should be expressing conclusions. However, as he has gone so far, he ought to go farther and state precisely what degree and kind of modification he has in mind. Then his proposal can be discussed in- telligently.” Further details are de- manded also by the Fort Wayne News- Sentinel, the Lexington Leader and the Erle Dispatch-Herald. Deploring the fact that the statement | “created unnecessary confusion, and perhaps has unnecessarily prejudiced the work of the commission,” the New- ark Evening News remarks: “The gov- ernors of the several States are as di- vided in their reactions to the Wicker- sham letter as the public. They flatly refused to act on it. All of which goes to show that prohibition is too ‘techy’ a subject and the public attitude to- ward prohibition too disorganized to expect much of anything to come out of the Wickersham flurry.” “But of all places within these placid States where dynamite should be flung —the governors' conference!” the Bir- mingham News explains. “Gov. Roose- velt might easily have warned his fel- low governors of this Wickersham let- ter hidden in his sleeve. Suddenly to have read it in the presence of gentle- men gathered, not to undergo a ques- tionnaire or to have their brains be- fuddled by an issue which they had home—that is the unkindest of all.” * ok ok Kk As interpreted by the Lincoln State Journal, “Mr. Wickersham merely had a personal view which he wished to put before the governors to get their re- actions. wets, however, have turned the affair into a clever piece of | propaganda for their cause.” Neither side appears to the Utica Observer-Dis- thing | patch to be pleased, and that paper states: “Some of the wets do not like Dry Law Letter mercial suggests, “It may be that Mr. Wickersham felt that from the reac- tion of the governors there might be assumed the reaction of their States to such a proposal, which, it must be un- derstood, does not now come as a de- cided policy of the commission, al- though there appears direct probabil- ity that such recommendations may later be made.” “It is remarkable that Senators Borah and Caraway should even consider re- fusing funds for continuing the work of the commission,” declares the Kan- sas City Journal-Post, arguing that “to attempt to starve the commission be- cause the chairman has said some- thing which angers these Senators would make a travesty of the whole in- quiry.” The Milwaukee Journal charges an “effort to turn the incident against Mr. Hoover.” The Baltimore Sun and Topeka Daily Capital feel there is soms gain in bringing the suggestion to pub- lic attention. 2 “Mr. Wickersham's shot in the air and the consequent discussion empha- sized the truth that one of the first steps in the solution of the problem of prohibition enforcement is the effec- tive correlation of Federal and State authority,” in the opinion of the Phila- delphia " Evening Bulletin, while the Seattle Daily Times, advocating the fixing of responsibility by some such means as that proposed by Mr. Wicker- sham, describes present difficulties: “Variations of State law, if any, make for uncertainty; the superimposition of Federal authority is demoralizing to & degree; thousands of local officers, cer- tainly not all of them corrupt, evade tesponsibility by a policy of non-inter- ference in the functionings of the Federal forees.” The Rutland Herald, pointing to cases of double jeopardy under the existing conditions, “argues: “If this legal para- dox were taken out of the law and an acceptable way were found virtually to return to the States the police powers taken away from them by the eight- eenth amendment, it would certainly be an important step toward better under- standing, at least.” In criticism of the Wickersham state- ment, the Des Moines Tribune-Canital asserts: “He has sacrificed any chance he had of offering a program to the people that would be acceptable, Every- thing that is done will, if he remains, be interpreted in the light of this let- ter.” The Dayton Daily News feels that he “would better have let his idea rest until there was time to consider it in the commission and discuss it with the President.” The Cincinnati Times- Star holds that “it would have been better if it had never been written,” and the Louisville Courier-Journal states as to the suggestion that the letter was issued as a “feeler,” that “if the Courier-Journal believed, as it does not believe, that Mr. Wickersham had any such purpose in putting out his letter, it would share Senator Caraway's opin= jon that he should resign.” Waterways Shipping Revival Is Spreading From the Texarkana Gazette. Along with a revival of the use of inland waterways in the Middle West, as exemplified by the growth in popular- ity of the Mississippi barge lines and the pending extension of service to the Missouri River, comes word that Eastern rivers, too, are to have their part in the Tenaissance. ‘The Connecticut River once had many steamboats and barges, which carried passengers and freight from Long Island Sound far up into Massa- chusetts. For many years the river has been practically unused. Now, however, business is picking up. Oil companies the idea of pressure upon the States to co-ozerlw with the National Govern- ment. Drys do not fancy the sugges- tion of a modification of the law.” “The drys seem to be as pleased as the wets,” according to the Charleston Evening Post, which concludes: “The commission and the administration know no more now than before how the emmtrfi;nuld line up on a modifi- cation of prohibition laws. Every- body is for it—the drys for a drier condition and the wets for a wetter. As a trial balloon, to show the way the wind is blowing, the Wickersham whs 2 50p.” Tho Bangos-Com - are discovering that shipping by water is economical, and are preparing to send their freight as far as Springfield, Mass., by river. River terminals are being expanded at Hartford and prepa- rations are being made for extensive of the river's facilities. It is interesting to mote this revival in river traffic. The rivers were for a time our chief arteries of commerce. ‘Then they fell into almost complete disuse. Now they are com! back. Modern industrialism deman: that every form of cheap transportation be used o Lhe Wlosk