Evening Star Newspaper, August 2, 1929, Page 8

THE EVENING STAR ~—~WWith Sundsy Merning Edition. . ‘WASHINGTON, D. C. FRIDAY. .August 2, 1920 THEODORE W. NOYES. ...Editor ‘The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Of Uith 8. and Pennsslvants Ave. Cai Bindine. European London, Rate by Carrier Within the City. The Evening Star, .45¢ per month e Evening and Suni r '4"Eundase) 60c per month unt 3 Bui "6s¢ per month 8¢ Der onmy ¢ f each month. Orders may e sent i by mall oF telephons NAtional 8n00. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. Daily only . Sunday only Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively ertiiled e use for republication of all news dis- patches. credited to it or not o*herwise cred tted in this paper and also the ocal putlished herein ients of publiration of All T special dispatches herein also reserved. - e The Fare Rate Battle. The first week of hearings on the street car companies’ application for higher fares has not been notable for smashing victories or defeats for either side—the public or the corporations The street car companies have failed ih an effort to have the Public Utilities | Commission sanction a divorce of merger and economies of unified opera- tion from the pending rate case and the commission has succeeded in put- ting the Capital Traction Co. on record | as refusing to interpret anything but a universal fare increase as meeting its | own demands for financial relief. These points of view on the part of the rail- way companies and of the Public Utilities Commission were anticipated from the beginning and were not sur- prising. But the week's hearings have been notable in showing the temper and the | mettle of the new personnel of the! Public Utilities Commission. The fre- quent clashes between representatives of the corporations and of the Public Utllities Commission have been chiefly interesting because of contrast. They | have enlivened a proceeding which, in the past, has been more or less routine | and altogether dull. The members of | the Utilitles Commission have in some | instances conducted what amounts to a cross-examination of the corporations’ witnesses, and the reaction on the part | of the witnesses has not been marked by jovial good nature or cheerful com- | pliance. The impression is left, not only with the public but doubtless with the corporations as well, that the Public| Utilitles Commission is determined to leave no stone unturned in getting at | the root of the fare question. That| should be accepted merely as the primary duty of the commission, but the uproar caused when an effort is made by the commission to turn up a stone gives to the proceedings a color and significance that have been lacking before. . ‘The Public Utilities Commission oc- cuples a quasi-judicial role. It must determine as between the merits of the corporations’ claims and the rights of the public. Its questions from the bench are right and proper and if at| times they have assumed the char- acteristics of the public prosecutor's cross-examination, the purpose and ef- | fect are desirable. The corporations will gain nothing by their occasional show of resentment over the nature of the questions, and the continued search on the part of the commission for facts that are not clear. The commission, and not the corporations, is the judge of whether these questions are trivial and unimportant, Nothing that has even remote bearing on higher street car fares is to be considered as un- worthy of consideration. —————— One of the greatest of word painters, is the author of the steamship ecircular who tries to tell the public how jolly . and congenial it is to bring along the ukulele and travel “third class.” ———————— ‘The awerage consumer sees with satis- faction that refueling problems are all neatly solved so far as airplanes are concerned. R Flying High. Representative Fiorello Henry La Guardia, the flying Congressman, who,| served a5 & major in the Air Corps dur- ing the World War, is about to hop off in an endeavor to smash a record. He seeks to bring to an end the long con- tinuance of domination by the Demo- crats and Tammany in New York's city hall. Mr. La Guardia was the choice last night of the Republicans of New York City, meeting in unofficial con- vention, for the mayoralty nomination. His nomination must be confirmed at the city primary later. There seems no doubt whatever that he will be the of- ficial nominee of the G. O. P. It is the hope of Mr. La Guardia-and his supporters that he will also be consid- ered the “fusion candidate” to carry the campaign against Mayor “Jimmie” ‘Walker and Tammany in the coming mayoralty scrap. Tammany’s strength in’ New York is proverbial. When the Tammany forces act together they can usually be count- ed upon for victory. Upsets have come in the past when public opinion has been strongly aroused against Tam- many. While there have been criticisms of the eity administration during the Walker-Tammany regime of the last three years, there is still lacking evi- dences of & great uprising such as has after Mayor Walker in hammer-and- tongs fashion. Despite the fact that La Guardia has made himself the party nominee against the desires of some of the Republicans of the greater city, he is likely to receive the united sup- port of the party on election day. He is likely, too, to receive the support of many of the independent voters—he was elected to Congress in 1924 as & So- cialist, but swung back to his allegiance to the Republican party in 1826. He was president of the board of aldermen in New York City in 1920 and 1921. ° La Guardia hes had a picturesque career., He was born in New York City 47 years ago. His father, a soldier, took him to Arizona, where he went through the grade and high schools. He returned to New York and studied law. Later he entered the consular service, became an interpreter in the immigration service at Ellis Island and still later was deputy attorney general of the State of New York. He entered Congress in 1917 and then went to war. He became commander eventually of the United States air forces on the Italian-Austrian front. 1t has been the ambition of the flying Congressman for a long time to make the race for mayor of his city. It is a great executive office in this coun- try as well as in New York City, The contest which Mr. La Guardia wages with Tammany—and Mayor Walker— will be followed with interest in all parts of the Nation. ———— The St. Lawrence Project. So little has been said in opposition and so much in support of the pro- posed Great Lakes-St. Lawrence deep waterway that the report of the Insti- tute of Economics of the Brookings Institution, attacking the project as un- feasible and economically unsound, is sure to cause many an echo in the next fow years. For both of the principals, taking the opposite sides in what now seems to be a debate, sp2ak with author- ity. On the one side is the Brookings Institution, endowed by Robert B. Brookings, the Carnegie and Rocke- feller Foundations and devoted to what | may be taken for granted as strictly | impartial economic research in Govern- On the other side is President ars has har- bored the Great -St. Lawrence project as a pet scheme, and the Army engineers and members of the Presi- dent's Commission upon the St. Law- rence Waterway, who have endorsed | and recommended it. The Brookings Institution, in a lengthy book of 700 pages written by Harold G. Moulton, its president, reaches the conclusion that “the proj- ect, viewed from all angles and from 1k standpoint of the shipper, the ship- owner, the taxpayer and the public, is not economically desirable or feasible.” Such a conclusion is in marked con- trast to the findings of the President's Commission upon the St. Lawrence Waterway, of which Herbert Hoover served as president. In discussing those findings, Mr. Hoover declared in 1927 that “in accord with the compelling | interpretation of the facts, our Ameri- can commission has recommended that its construction be undertaken. It would remove a great barrier to world transportation. It is urgent to the, prosperity of the Midwest, It will con- tribute to relief of many of its post- war difficulties, It will contribute 8 wealth of hydroelectric power. It is ® task worthy of the strength and pur- pose of the two sister nations who have in two centuries already overcome countless obstacles in implanting the| most hopeful civilization of history.” | The Brookings Institution report finds the cost of the project would reach about one billion dollars, but as Secretary of Commerce Mr. Hoover cal- culated that the divided cost, between the United States and Canada, would be between one and two hundred mil- lions, after deductions for portions of the work taken over by power develop- ment, ‘and that in time the money in- volved in the original investment might be recovered through sale of electric power; the Brookings Institution finds that electric power could not be sold at a price that would make its generation profitable, and that exploitation of the St. Lawrence for pQwer purposes 8§ planned is premature. But Mr. Hoover sald that sale of this power would pay for more than half the cost of the waterwny. The Brookings Institution declares the waterway would be used, “if at all,” only by tramp and coastwise vessgls and possibly by vessels engaged in second-class liner service to Europe. But Mr. Hoover believed the plan would admit to the Lakes 88 per cent of all | Helen Wwills. THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. O, FRIDAY, AUGUST 2, 1929.° “THIS AND THAT . wete planted there and now were being torn from the soil. An experienced 200 keeper never would have made the same mistake, for the prison psychology of the animal and the human differs very little. When a luxurious new birdhouse recently was opened at the Washington Zoo with large, light, airy cages to replace the dark, dingy quarters the birds had lived in before, some of the oldest of them were not moved. In the more desirable but unfamiliar surroundings it was like- 1y that they would die of something akin to homesickness. They were too old to reagdjust.: ‘The experience is not uncommon of having an animal thrive for years in a small, cramped cage and die in a few days after being moved to a roomy, sanitary cage. Nothing is more com- fortable for them which requires them to readjust. Something like this is the case with the white-haired Massachusetts con- vict. He is too old to rebuild his life in new quarters. Even if given com- plete liberty he probably would suffer from homesickness for the old, familiar cell where s0 ‘much of his life was passed. Age has no yearning for new scenes, new faces and new conditions— howsoever uninviting are those with which it is familifir. B “The Cat Came Back.” One of the graceful habits of the house cat is that it will come back. The latest instance is that of a tom- cat in a nearby Maryland town, which returned a distance of twenty miles to its owners. The fact that the family decided to keep the cat, and to take pains to prevent it from killing chickens, and thereby bringing down on its head fur- ther penalty of banishment, strikes true to human nature. Even though one is aware of the fact that “the cat comes back” because it is a cat, and not because it loves its owners, the equal fact remains that human beings always are struck by such instances of devotion. It will not do to question too closely the motives of cats or human beings. If they show devotion, they should be given credit for devotion. ‘The man—or cat—who appears grateful, in a world where there is so much evident ungratefulness, must and will receive the reward due him. Too close inspection of the human or fe- line heart will not do. It is the wrong way to bring out the best in either, —— . ‘With every warship faced by another | warship of equal caliber it will not seem unreasonable to hope that the game will be declared a draw and that peace will be permitted to go on and on and on. B iy ] An endurance air flight is a placid demonstration compared to the earth- bound competitions of high-power mo- tor wagons. = e — Aviation has contributed so much new excitement that many citizens have for- gotten to telephone to inquire about the base ball scores. - R ‘There is no doubt as to the future of ‘When she gets tired of tennis she can face the camera any day and command a beauty prize, ————— Heat records will prevent archeologists from including in kindly remembrance the kiosk on Pennsylvania avenue, o An endurance plane flight may be- come a question of financial endurance on the part of the backers. ————— SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Years Later. Old Mr. Trouble came a-knocking at the door. Says I, “No one invited you to visit me some more."” Old Mr. Trouble had a twinkle in his eye. Says he, “I like to bring & smile where once I caused a sigh.” ©Old Mr. Trouble didn't seem the same at all, He didn't look 50 ugly and his size was rather small. S0 I took a seat beside him without malice or regret, And we talked and laughed together of the days when first we met, August. ‘The “Silly Season” with its cha To contrast doth aspire, Sometimes it makes you want to laugh, ocean-going vessels which touch North American por's and “great cities like, Fort William, Duluth, Chicago, Detrolt, Cleveland, Buffalo and Toronto may take their place and part as the sea- board of the world.” There are many other differences of opinion. ‘The source of the dissent makes it important. So marked is it that advocates of the Great Lakes to the Sea pyoject, and they can be count- ed by the millions, should take notice of it and reply. The Brookings Institution has directly challenged & project that has been called greater in scope and po- tentialities than the Panama Canal and such a direct challenge should not go unanswered or unexplained. — e A hero is at advantage as he shares common experience. Every man who rolls the roadway will have sympathy with Charles Augustus Lindbergh when he is compelled to announce a delay due to a “busted” tire. — e, Jesse Pomeroy. Jesse Pomeroy's lawyer made a serious mistake. For fifty-four years his client has been in prison—forty-one of those been necessary in the past to bring about an upset in the control of gov- ernmental affairs in the greater city. Tammany in the last few years, how= ever, has been facing & new problem. The great increases in population In Brooklyn and the counties which go to make up the greater city have left New York County, the home of Tam- many in a minority position. This change in the population may have its effect on the coming mayoralty election, Mayor Walker has achieved a repu- tation as a jester, a “wise-cracker.” He may defeat Mr. La Guardia in the coming election—indeed, Walker's vic~ tory has been predicted many times, no matter who should carry the Re- publican banner—but it is not likely he will be able to laugh off Mr. La years in solitary confinement. ‘The lawyer grasped what he thought was an opportunity to ameliorate the old man’s lot—by having him transferred to & State hospital for the insane where he would enjoy better care and more freedom. The move succeeded. The elderly convict was pronounced insane and his transfer ordered. But the attorney had not reckoned on his client. When Pomeroy heard of it he protested, and demanded that he be al- lowed to remain in jail. He was trans- ferred by force—and the transfer brought him his first glimpse of the out- side world which has. changed so mar- velously since the prison gates closed be- hind him. 3 Sometimes it stirs your ire. Anything for a Change, Old world keeps a-whirlin’, Bringin' night an’ day. Don't see why it shouldn't try. To turn the other way. Don't see any reason Why it should be best For a day to rise in eastern skies And vanish in the west. Just an ancient habit Earth’s tryin’ to pursue, It ought to learn to take a turn An’ give us somethin’ new. The laws of gravitation Are in a time-worn state, So let's amend till in the end We bring 'em up to date. Unrest. I cannot see how it will pay Or keep me in temper serene If I work only eight hours a day And worry the other sixteen. Ananias Descendants Write. From the Hamilton Spectator. What a wh g big convention we could have of those who discovered that Summer resort literature is still being composed by descendants of Ananias! Air-Minded Qualification. From the Oakland Tribune, A man may be air-minded, it is to be hoped, without knowing the names of all the endurance record holders. — e Something to Whisper About. From the New Castle News. Fable: Once upon a time two cars col- lided on & highway and the drivers con- erred thereafter in whispers. Windy Stock Transactions. From the St. Louls Daily Globe-Democrat. Some of those securities on the stock exchange must also be re- But what did he care now? He had adjusted himself to prison life. The fueled in air. AT WS A Invention of the Nighthawk. Guardia’s candidacy. . Mr. La Guardia | Charlestown Jail was home, and he Was | pyom the Cincinnati Times-Btar, is a fighter, and before the campaign beifig torn away from everything near A BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL, A friend pokes a slip of paper under your nose. “Here, quick,” he orders, “give me a synonym for the word ‘ice.’” “What is this—a trick?” you counter. no trick; it's a sclentific test.” of what?” Tt's a test of you.” “Not of me; I refuse to be tested. “Oh, go on; it won’t hurt you. Give me a word, quick.” “My brain won't work that fast. You've got to give me time.” ‘m:rn the To see how fast worl 'm afraid you are going to be dis- appointed, then. My trusty old brain gets in a fuddle when somebody pokes & paper at it and demands an instant Teply.” en you wil industry, or—' “Or an endurance flyer, or a great composer, or an explorer of the African jungles, or a bridge shark, or a_ cross- ‘word puzzle fa1. You are right, I never will.” * K kK The guy who pokes a paper under your nose and demands jubilantly that you answer something which he is pretty sure you will not be able to an- swer is one of the most aggravating specimens before the American public. As often as not he is a good friend. ‘That is why it is so pe}clullmy discon- certing. If you hated the sight of the fellow, things might be different. If he were an enemy of yours, bent on putting you in a bad light whenever he could, you could refuse, either po- litely or impolitely, as best suited the mood of the moment, the brain-teaser which he proffers. The trouble is that you are but human. You have a hope. away down deep, that somehow or other you will be able to answer his question in & most nonchalant manner, “right oft the bat,” as it were, thus putting him to flight and utter confusion. These trick questions which float on the popular wave are to the average human being as sticky fly paper to & fly. We suppose a fly thinks it can walk on the paper, abstract the sweet- ness thereof and walk away without getting caught. Some of them do. 1l never be a captain of No doubt the rest think they can,| and the stolen sweets take on added sweetness through the very danger in- volved. LB b o The best way to answer a friend who greets vou with a list of words and asks you to do something or other with them——ui':s]tanuy——would be to wave him ly away. If you rel;ouu even to look at his pa- per, he cannot say to others, and cer- tainly not to himself, that you have failed miserably in a dainty little task. There will always be the doubt in your favor in his mind. If you had but tackled the thing, you might have got away with it in fine style. Even he can- not say you failed when you wouldn't even exert yourself to the point of look- ing at his list. Human weakness, however, is too strong in the average human being to resist just looking at the words, or ques- tions, or whatever the trick may be. Mankind still believes in magic. 1t still thinks that by reading a book it may become versed in politeness, or be able to make speeches, or hold & board of directors spellbound, or learn the difficult French language over- night, or suddenly become healthy, wealthy or wise, It still believes that innate knowledge may triumph over cleverness, especially when that cleverness is of the sort in- volved in conning over a great dic- tionary until one has dragged out e few of the differences and peculiarities in- herent in words and their meanings and constructions. ‘The hope springs eternal in the human breast of every person ap- proached by another bearing a “psy- chological test” of some sort or other that he will be able to see the “point” at once and by an instant response flatten the pretensions of the other as wafer-thin as the proverbial pancake. * ok k% He has no chance, however, Not only are all such “tests” of the true trick variety, but they are above all puzzles, in the best sense of the meaning of that word. A puzzie is & puzzle—& problem con- trived to exercise ingenuity and pa- tience. Declaring suchi to be a “psy- chological test” does not change the basic aspects of the matter. Especially in regard to word study is this true, Where the so-called psy- chological test of the amateur falls down is that it fails to take into ac- count the psychology of the human being, depending for its effectiveness on a stampeding of the faculty of thinking. It is undoubtedly true that many persons who know the most are the most easily “rattled” when called upon f%ra an instant release of their knowl- edge. To make such a demand upon the average human being is to defeat at once the purposes for which legitimate “psychological tests” were devised. The popular “teasers” show nothing except that one can or cannot answer such questions quickly. They are not tests either of knowledge or of mental as- tuteness, but simply of whether the vic- tim is able to think his best under the circumstances of a sudden demand. The man who for his life cannot suddenly think of something upon de- mand may have no difficulty at all in thinking of it when he needs it in his work or play. If he needs it, and cannot think of it, he knows where he can go to find it. He may be able Lo place his hands upon the word at any time he wants it, but be totally unable to answer some “trick” question put to_him out of thin air. It is a notorious fact that the best solvers of cross-word puzzles are not the brightest, persons, the most learned persons, or the most intelligent persons, but young men and women who spend a great deal of time at such puzzles and are gifted with a certain cleverness along that particular line, the line of the cross-word puzzle. ‘Those who really understand and ap- preciate words, as such. and in their combinations, never make good cross- word puzzle “fans.” Addicts are per- Eetullly coming to one with true word nowledge for help, only to go away disappointed be« his “mind does not run that wa ‘The abllity to solve cross-word puz- zles does not brand one a master of English. It simply shows that one can work cross-word puzzles. The mastery of bridge or chess shows only a master of bridge or chess. The power to cor- rectly answer rapid-fire “psychological tests” shows nothing much, one way or other, when served up outside the sci- entific laboratory. by WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS President Hoover's position with re- speect, to tariff revision is slowly dawn- ing on congressional leaders. The Pres- ident is not going to battle for or against any particular schedule or any indi- vidual rate. He is counseling caution as to all rate boosts. objective is the revamping of the Tariff Commission and the “elastic provision” which permits tarif changes up and down by Executive decree, He holds to the view that if the so-called “admin- istrative” provisions in the House bill can be written into law, then particular sate revisions at the present juncture are of relatively minor consequence. Of minor consequence so long as they are not of a character to arouse public in- dignation. It is being pointed out in whispers in administration circles that if a new Tariff Commission with enlarged powers is created, rate changes can be taken care of one by one in years to come by Executive order. It follows, therefore, that the biggest battle on the tariff is coming not on changes in rates, but on changes in the Tariff Commis- sion and in the provisions for rate mak- ing by presidential authority. On this phase of the tariff bill the Democrats present a un!lued front. They are against the proposition. 5 * * kX Col. Theodore Roosevelt is due in ‘Washington before the month is out, laden with specimens of the golden snub-nosed monkey and other_animal rarities from far-away Tibet. Presum- bly he is to proceed then to Porto Rico to take up the post of gover- nor general, for which he has been designated by the President, though not yet formally appointed. The idea s abroad that his stay in Porto Rico will be of comparatively short duration. It is hinted that he is being groomed to make the gubernatorial race again in New York State next year. pitted against his namesake, Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt. There is no doubt that Republican strategy contemplates the defeat of the Democratic Roosevelt in New York State next year, with a view to “eliminating” him from the 1032 picture. Young Teddy is being counted on in some quarters to turn this trick. A battle between what the Republicans will call the “real” Roose- velt and the ‘“bogus” Roosevelt can only have one outcome according to the Republican dopesters, * kX X It costs member of Congress & minimum of $15,000 per year to suitably ‘maintain his official and social position in Washington, which is $5,000 more than his salary, according to an article in the current issue of the North Amer- ican Review from the pen of Oliver McKee, jr, Washington newspaper cor- respondent, who sets out to demon- strate that a political career without independent financial means is virtu- ally impossible. He concludes that the presidency is the only elective or lg’: pointive post of any consequence the Federal establishment which is “gelf-supporting” financially. Twenty members of the present Senate are millionaires and most of the others are comfortably fixed. * ok ok k Pive-cent chocolate candy bars will smaller if the sugar tariff is ted. Five-ecent cigar smokers in- sist that their “smokes” has a Suma- Amy coffee flavored with chicory. has a monopoly on comic valentines which sell for a penny aplece. Lace curtains are fast going entirely out of fashion. These are some of human interest touches sprinkled ti thousands of printed pages of tari testimony given before the Senate fi- nance eommm:e.. * * “Col. Lindbe: the youngs ‘Thomas A. !d'l!;ln the grizzled veteran share honors as the only two Ameri- mm»'wnmllrplmelndnuldm ' an bulb. on the Post Office His principal tariff | that a commemorative stamp is asked for. Besides that, the department is deluged with crank suggestions from persons who urge black bordered stamps to match black bordered mourning stationery, and lavender colored stamps depicting a love knot, for missives an- nouncing engagements and weddings. Five special stamps are on this year's | schedule. Three have already been ! issued and two more will bé announced soon, * Xk Installation of the air conditioning and cooling system for the Senate | chamber is now completed, in ample season for the resumption of Senate session in mid-August. Mechanical re- frigeration equivalent to the melting of 350,000 pounds of ice dally will be em- ployed to keep the Senators comfort- able, This is the equivalent of 3,500 pounds per Senator. The Senate system furnishes 60,000 cubic feet of air per minute passed through oil filters to re- move dust and dirt, then through water sprays to cool it. Senatorial tempers should be improved. * %k k% ‘Washington newspaper correspondents have a new incentive—in theory at least—for bestirring themselves. A $1,000 cash prize now dangles before their eyes, to be awarded by the Na- tional Press Club “for the most meri- torious work” by s Washington corre- spondent in 1929. The award is ac- tually from Chester D. Pugsley, New York banker and philanthropist, who has donated the cash. The Press Club merely sets up the machinery for the determination of the prize winner. ‘The club is working on tentative plans for a jury of five, none of whom shall be active members of the club and at least three of whom shall not be resi- dents of Washington. It is fully realiz- ed that the decision will not be an easy one to make and that. in the fleld of three or four hundred eligibles, “each man is apt to think his own best.” (Copyright, 1929.) o Cleveland Contempt Case Is Criticized From the Kansas City Star. A Cleveland judge has just heard his own case against two executives of & local newspaper and dismissed charges of contempt of court which he had bmuxl:lb, bue’ [g on odlw& comm}::lj &) ng in the paper. per c?ll:l.:md'thz Jjudge’s actlon &‘ connee- tion with the issuance of injunction. The dismissal left similar charges of contempt still pending against two other executives of the paper. Irrespective of the merits of this par- ticular case, it is an extraordinaty con- cept of justice that permits a judge to hear a case which he himself has brought when it concerns criticism made outside his courtroom. Obviously, & judge must have broad powers to en- force order in his court, but the theory which makes him judge and prosecutor of a case like this requires of him an almost superhuman sense of fair play ;ncé‘ violates the American tradition of ustice. If a judge feels that he has been per. sonally libeled or that the influence of his court, has been impaired.by eriti- cism, he should be able to bring action before another court. But no law should permit or compel him to hear his own charges. j Widened Ohio River N heoie Will Spur Shipping Prom the Plttsburgh Post-Gazette. ' Rivermen and shippers will not be the only persons to feel gratification over the announcement t United States engineers have plans for an extensive of the Ohio River. ‘The widening and deepening of normal channels is to be com] a sort of touch to_ the pletion of the final lock and dam in the canalization project. ‘This , Pltbbu?h‘ with othes Ohio -River towns and cities, will fit- letion of the big job. marine le leaves the local harbor on Octol 12 uvlllmvem'g:uter ease and safety as a result of dredging. _ All other vigation will likewise I;egislntion Favored To Curb Loud Speaker To the Editor of The Star: I noted with considerable interest the recent letter on your editorial page signed by A. M. Gardner. In this letter it was pointed out that the numerous radios in the neighborhood have had a tendency to become very annoying of late. I am heartily in agreement with this person’s views. The situation is becoming almost unbearable in some of the residential sections of Washington. Usually one or the other neighbor's radios are going all day long. Not only | that, but the people run their sets so late at night that it is in many cases impossible to get to sleep until after the local stations have signed off, which is usually at midnight. Why can't there be legislation in this respect? Ama- teurs are not allowed to operate spark sets on the broadcast wave lengths, and |even low-powered regenerative sets are on the taboo, but nothing is said or done about loud speakers, which keep a whole neighborhood awake at night, not to speak about continuous annoy- ance during the daytime. It has even been asked that the Government fur- ther limit the time allowance of the amateur. And amateurs are not even on the broadcast wave lengths! If there is any move in this line, a bill ought to also be put before Congress ‘o 1imit the loud speakers. It wouldn't be £0 bad if they weren't run late at night. It seems to me that a sure way to stop the night owls is to stop the broadcast- ing stations in each time belt at, say. 9:30 p.m. If no other legislation could be accomplished, it is fairly certain that regulation of broadcasting time would help were no broadeasting stations going, there could be no loud speaker annoy- ance. Certainly midnight is a crazy late hour to sign a broadcasting station off. Even 10 or 10:30 p.m. is late st night. G. B. CHASE. Plea for Straphangers On Street Car Line To the Editor of The Star: Since Frederic Willlam Wile's letter to The Evening Star in re everyday, morning and evening straphangers, pa- trons of the Mount Pleasant, should be Mount Unpleasant, street-car line, have waitea to see if more cars would be put on in the morning and evening hours. Well, there have not been. The conditions Mr. Wile daily experienced for the past year still obtain. There are four members of my family who use the Mount Unpleasant, straphang- ing cars daily—two trips each, each day —three for morning and evening trips. Personally, I can—as a rule—get a seat going south at 10 or 10:30 a.m. But re- turning north, even at 2, 2:30 or 3 p.m., as a rule, I have to straphang until Eighteenth street is reached. Cannot the Public Utilities Commission order the Unpleasant street car line to in- crease the number of cars on its line and thus lessen the number of its 8-cent fare straphangers? W. E. RYAN. s ee Elephants Often ;); Own Wells in Desert BY E. E. FREE, PH. D. To match the many stories of how captive elephants have learned to pile teak logs intelligently in Asiatic ests or to pull wagons out of the mud for American circuses, a German nat- uralist, Dr. Ludwig Schuster, reports in another branch of engineering. In dry seasons these remarkable animals keep themselves provided with water, he says, by digging wells, Natives of all desert regions know that water &l- most always is obtainable at certain places in the bottoms of the dried-up water courses by digging relatively shal- Jow wells. For years the natives of Tanganyika Territory, in Southeast Africa, have maintained that the wild elephants knew this same secret and used it to get water when all moisture had vanished from the surface streams and ponds. In a recent journey across the dry plateau of this territory Dr. Schuster ~discovered many well-like holes a foot or two in diameter, and sometimes as much as 5 feet deep. Al- though the country was otherwise dry, some of these holes were found to con- tain a little water at their bottoms. Fresh elephant tracks proved that these animals were still in the country and came frequently to visit these shallow wells, which they undoubtedly had ex- cavated for themselves. Presumably the elephants had scraped out the sand and dirt with their trunks, a little at a time, as the level of the ground water sank gradually below the bottom of what was originally a shallow natural de- pression in the ground. P ] Michigan Lumber “Frontier’® Vanishes From the Sfoux City Tribune. ‘The tide of empire, according to the old proverb, has been pushing its way westward for a good many years. Here and there it has left a short stretch of frontier behind, surrounded by modern complexity. But these spots are fast vanishing. Year by year they grow fewer. New York and Detroit are alto- gether too much for them. ‘The last of the great white pine log drives is now being finished in the upper peninsula of Michigan. Nearly 2,500,000 feet of logs are coming down the Manistique River. When the drive is_finished, Jumbermen nir. Michigan will have seen the last of the really large-scale affairs of that kind. ‘Thus another lost bit of the old frontier, incongruously preserved in as up-to-date a State as Michigan, on. For the old-time lumber jaci his log drives were things of the fron- tier, beyond all argument, They started, as far as Michigan was concerned, when Michigan was one vast wilde ss, and \ e: they are coming to an end because that wilderness has vanished, giving way to farms, manufacturing towns, rallroads, paved roads and golf courses It was 'way back in 1832 that Michi- gan's logging days started. Some one built, & sawmill at Saginaw in that year and from that moment the axes of the lumberjacks were constantly Mflashing and ringing. Gangs of men worked month after month, heaping tremendous piles of odorous new logs by the river bank. Then in the Spring, ‘when melted snows gave the river added power, the logs were tumbled in and floated down to the mills—floated down with busy lumberjacks along to make the wild river behave itself, floated down to the tune of danger and hard- ahlxfllnd endurance and death. d Michigan's forests disappeared. By 1900 the lower peninsula was about cleared. Ten years later the bulk of the big operations in the upper penin- sula were finished. There are still log- camps there, to be sure, but the great days are ended. The Manistique River is floating down its last big drive. Alfler this the story will be just about closed. Dollar Buys More, . Government Holds From the Loulsville Times. The American dollar, once called “almighty,” and, since the World War, somewhat scoffed at because of its re- duced purchasing power, is looking ug. the Federal Government avers. It bought more in June than it did three years ago. It Mfl!ht a little less butter, cheese and meat last June than it commanded in June, 1926, but it bought almost twice as much rul in the form of auto- mobile tires. Nearly all Americans can do with a little less butter, cheese and meat in Jupe if need be. ‘We, the American people, can live upon the leafy vegetables in June if ly we can have which will not aflkwwmumnwwlonuq ters greatly, for if there | Bril or- | 1, the abilities of African wild elephants | tio ‘The answers to here ‘each® day ‘are spec f inquiries ha our great information bureau main- tal in We , D. C. This valu- able serivce is for the free use of the public. Ask any question of fact you may want to know and you will get an immediate reply. Write plainly, inclose 2 cents in coin or stamps for return tage and address The Evening Star nformation Bureau, Frederic J. Has- kin, director, Washington, D. C. Q. Why is it that a bass drum is not heard over the radio?—J. 8. F. A. Many loudspeakers do not repro- duce very low notes well. Q. Do racing autos have emergency brakes and hand oil pumps?—G. W. A. The rules of the contest board of the American Automobile Association provide that racing cars shall be equip- ped with a motor-driven reverse mech- anism and two independently operated sets of brakes. These rules have no provision about & hand ofl pump, but some drivers use them, and they are always placed in front so that they can be used readily. Q What kind of food is minestrone? A. It is an Italian dish which we would call vegetable soup. Q. What ship is the largest operatin; on the Great marl—'r.“g 'r.p * A. As far as we are able to ascer- tain, the largest ship operating on the Pickea by built in 1926 and operates under the tish flag. This vessel has a gross tonnage of 10,480. The largest Ameri- can ship on the Great Lakes is the Henry Ford II, which was built in 1924. This boat has a gross tonnage of 8,877 and is strictly an ore carrier, Q. Is a section of land always 640 acres in the United States?—H. P. A. The rectangular system of sur- veys of the public domain of the United | States. A section is ordinarily one mile square and ‘contains 640 acres. Lands in the original 13 States never formed a part of the public domain. These may vary. Q. What is the ultra-violet ray?— B. F. S. A. Ultra-violet ray is described as that portion of the light spectrum be- yond the violet zone. Q. How mmymlre thege in the Florida Singing Tower?—L. R. C. A. There are 71 bells in the carillon. Q. Will gases and vapors conduct electricity?—B. J. M. A, The Bureau of Standards says under ordinary conditions neither gases nor vapors conduct electricity to any appreciable extent. However, all, or most all, gases and vapors conduct elec- tricity fairly well when highly ionized, and jonization may be brought about by heating to a high temperature, ex- posure to X-rays or the emanations from radium and by other means. Q. Is it possible for an insect to live inside of a lime?—W. E. C. A. 1t is quite possible. The Med- Iterranean fruit fly, which is causing so much damage in the citrous orchards, is just this type of insect. Q. In what States are junior high sch‘:?lxsylmmx highly developed?— A. The Bureau of Education says that Florida and Alabama are two out- standing States in this fleld of educa- n. Q. What is Amelie Rives’ married name?—M. A. J. A. Amelie Rives is in private life Princess Troubetzkoy. Her address is gutle Hill, Cobham, Albemarle County, a. Great Lakes is the Lemoyne, which was | States is applicable to all public land | Q. Please give a brief sketch of the celebrated race between the Robert E. Lee and the Natchez—E. C. L. A. The Robert E. Lee and the Natchez for a long time had been rivals on the Mississippi River. On June 30, 1870, the Robert E. Lee backed out of its wharf at New Orleans a few min- utes ahead of starting time. Immedi- ately the Natchez followed suit. Boih passengers and cargo were left behind, and the two boats tore up the river to St. Louis. The Robert E. Lee had made arrangements to have fast boats meet iv with coal, while the Natchez dragged barges of coal, which considerably re- duced its speed. The Robert E. Lee ar- rived at St. Louis on July 4, covering the 1,200 miles in 90 hours and 40 min- utes. The Natchez was over 6 hours later in arriving. Q. How many freight cars are there in the United States?—R. D. A. There dre about 2,500,000, Q. What is the most expensive chem- ical in use today?—M. S. A. Radium is probably the most ex- pensive chemical in use today. Q. At what temperature is steam said to be live steam?—D. B. W. A. Steam is said to be live steam at any temperature above 212 degrees Fahrenheit, Q. Is the Mississippi River Commis- sion composed entirely of Army engi- neers?>—R, E. 8. N A. The Mississippi River Commis- slon is a_committee of three Army en- gineers, three civil engineers and one member of the Geodetic Survey. Q. When will the Tomb of the Un- known Soldier be finished?>—W. G. B. A. Only the foundation of the Tomb |of the Unknown Soldier is laid. At this date the design of the tomb has not been selected and it is not known when the tomb will be finished. Q. How many Boy Scouts were there in 1919 and in 1928>—W. P. G. A. The number of Boy Scouts that was officially recorded as of January 1, 1919, was 360,069. As of December 1, 1928, there were 585,955 Troop Scouts and 14,361 Lone Scouts, making a total of 600,316 Scouts registered. Q. What hotel was the first to have a mechanical air-cooling sysiem?—J. F. A. We find no definite statement as to which hotel first installed a mechan- ical air-cooling system. Undoubtedly one of the earliest systems was that in- stalled for the Pompeian room and banquet hall in the Congress Hotel in Chicago in 1907. Q. How many saddle horses are there in the United States>—C. N. . It estimated that there are about 100,000 saddle horses, Q. Can Russian money be exchan, for United States coin?>—A. K. e A._Since Russia is not recognized by the United States, Russian money may not be exchanged for United States currency. Q. Why is the twilight longer the farther trom the Equator an observer . Twilight ends when the sun is 18 degrees below the horizon. In low latitudes, because of the quickness with which the sun traverses the 18 degrees below the horizon, and because of the transparency of the atmosphere, there is little twilight. However, the higher the latitude the smaller the angle at which the sun's path meets the horizon, and hence the longer it takes the sun to sink to the required distance. Q. Who was the first woman to hike up Pikes Peak?—M. A. B. A. The Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce says that Mrs. Holmes of Lawrence, Kans, was the first woman {0 accomplish the feat. She hiked up Plans that seem to foreshadow an at- tempt at cutting the Army's budget have brought forth widely varying com- ment. To some present-day armament is “a travesty on intelligence,” to others any program but “keeping our powder dry” is suicidal. ‘The statement upon which the con- troversy is explains that the President's commission is “to reconsider our whole Army program, to see what services and other outlays have become obsolete through advancement of sci- ence and war methods and what de- velopment programs can be well spread over longer periods in view of the gen- eral world outlook and at the same time maintain completely nde«x\ute pre- paredness, such an investigation to be constructive and not destructive.” Calling_attention to the President's military budget among. the nations, the New York World states that this fact “js enough in itself to back up the President powerfully, for by our - tion among the nations we are the least in actual need of such & budget. This is not the way to face toward enduring peace or lead the world toward endur- ing peace,” concludes the World. The ‘Waterbury Republican considers “Presi- dent Hoover cannot be praised too highly for his wise and courageous de- mand for an immediate reduction of the military and naval budgets,” but it also thinks “there will be howls lglenty before M'r. Hoover puts through his p 1 neffaceable experiences, from those of Washington in the great Revolution down to the Wilson mobilization.” the Atlanta Constitution replies to this argument, “warn thinking Americans to use the common prudence of keeping their powder dry and their guns in easy reach. Millions of veterans and more millions of taxpayers will combine to impress upbn Congress that they see more economy in preparedness for sure defense than in the mere saving of dol- lars by reducing the Army to absurd and perilous proportions.” “The President’s announcement, which was generally & surprise,” according to the Morgantown New Dominion, “pro- voked & wide variety of reactiol As was to be expected, the Army an officers protested that they are now cut to the bone. The cynical statesmen and editors characterized the announce- ment as a mere gesture, impossible of accomplishmgnt, especially in view of the unwillingness of Congress to stint the Army or Navy.” On the other hand, “the President looks on the curbing of military costs as one essen- tial in his general peace program, and in this he 'fi consistent,” declares the New Dominion. “The whole armament structure of the world is a travesty on intelligence and the popular demand for security and peace,” asserts the Appleton Post Crescent, adding: “It is plain that President Hoover is going to lead the revolt against the militarists and that t0 make armament reduc- the cardinal policies of his administration. The time to talk of larger armies and navies has As the Bay City Dally Times sees it, “the Army, as well as other branches of Government, is getting a taste of what it mesns to & business-or- izing mind in ‘White House. oover abhors waste and dislikes it ially when it is the result of in- mncy in nization.” The Asheville Times records the President’s “concern over the fact this Nation's gigantic war expenses,” but the Lynchburg Daily Advance thinks “no good for America is to be accom- plished by creating false impressions as to the relative degree of preparedness in this country and others. That is wAh:t the umdor‘l‘iled :uumg u;ln‘t ‘American expenditures for purely mili- exceed those of any na- &‘:Emwwwao- create,” eon- tal L LS A statement that we have the largest | | Views Vigorously Exp_ress;adM As to Inquiry on Army Expense natyrally will be that we are more ag- gressive than others in building up & war machine; that if we spend the most, we must have the biggest,” while, as a matter of fact, “our Army is tiny, very little more than a police force to prevent domestic disturbances.” As the Worcester Daily Telegram ex- presses it, “With our Regular Army scarcely more than a training body around which may be rallied the par- tially trained man power now in clvil- ian life, it does not appear that Mr. Hoover’s plan for an Army officer sur- vey can be fruitful in cost reduction without being dangerous in defense re- duction.” The Lansing State Journal also demands “a reasonable defense sys- And it is on this point that there is | & very general agreement—there must be no lessening of national defense, That is where there “comes the rub,” as the New Orleans Item puts it. The New York Sun declares reduction in expenses cannot come by “reducing the size of the Regular Army, nor by with- drawing support from the National | Guard, nor by reducing the pay of offi- | cers and enlisted men, nor by cutting the ration allowance in half, nor by inter- rupting the program of providing de- cent quarters at Army posts, nor by abandoning the Air Service, the Chemi- 1 Warfare Service, the Tank Corps or any other arm of the fervice, nor by closing up the Summer training camps for civilians, nor by abandoning me- chanical transport.” mpathy with this viewpoint also is ex%};essed by the New York Evening Post, and while it thinks the President “has a sledge-hammer argument in the fact that our war budget is the largest in the world,” it hopes “he won't use it to strike too hursh a blow.” The San Antonio Express stresses the fact that our “small Regular Army is maintained by voluntary enlistments and must ai fmct recruits through pay and allow- ances higher than are provided for military establishments whose service is compuisory. It must be ready for im | mediate duty in any emergency, par- i ticularly to guard vital areas and I strategic poln the Express points jout; it must “furnish garrisons for Y | home posts and stations and for Alaska, { Porto Rico, the Canel Zone, Hawaii | Territory and the Philippines,” and the “permanent establishment also is re- iquired to train the Army's auxiliary components.” believes “many of the Army practices are expensive and, in the light of pres- ent-day science, obsolete,” and call for the reduction 6f the military establish- ment “to sensible proportions.” The Philadelphis Evening Bulletin records the fact “that experts within the serv- ice have more than once in the past pointed out ways in which wasteful ex- penditure could be stopped, as in the elimination of Army posts no longer required.” On this point the Flint Daily Journal is skeptical, saying: “But did one ever see a Congressman consent to have an Army post in his district abandoned lnl the ‘i‘l‘urrdpl“ of economy or anything else? Hardly.” Confidence is expressed by the St. | Louis Globe-Democrat that since the investigation “is being conducted by Army officers, we need have no fear that it will weaken the Army.” The Springfield (Ohio) Sun praises Mr, ver's courtesy in naming “Army of- ficers to reduce military expenses,” but the New Bedford Standard queries as to whether it might not “be advisable to_include some civilians in the com- Court Machinery Patent Qut. Prom the Worcester Evening Gazette. The police possess just as modern r.l‘\:iorl ml%ym"ls\l:t’n:h:u?‘ as the gang- s _employ, u to a1t of tat mpe) However, the Wheeling Intelligencer * machin. nmfiA