Evening Star Newspaper, September 20, 1929, Page 8

THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C., FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 1929. L—w————___———-———_'——__————_'—:————_—*—-——_—’—_——_——m ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D.C. FRIDAY......September 20, 1920 | THEODORE W. NOYFE....Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company 11t e AR Fenoivanta Ave New York Office: 110 East 42nd ‘St. Chicago Office: Lake Michigan Buildins. European Office; 14 Refent St.. London. and. Rate by Carrier Within the City. t 45¢ per month 60c per month 65¢ per month ..5¢ per copy of o Orders may be sent in by mail o} NAtional 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. Datls and Sunday....1 yr. 31000 1 m Daily onty - 6.00; 1 mi unday only 4.00; 1 m All Other States and Canada. iy and Sunday. $12.00: 1 §nu only . 1 1 ay only Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Preas is exclusively ent to the use for republication of all T e The Bus Speed Menace. Motor bus service has developed in this country to a great extent during the past decade. Thousanus of these vehicles are operating on scheduled lines daily, usually over long distances. In some cases these busses are direct competitors of the railroads, in others they are supplementary. In the main, however, they are the rivals of the ralls for public patronage. In order to gain and hold patronage they must maintain rapid schedules, and thus they | have become a serious menace on the highways. Numerous accidents have oc- curred, collisions between busses and other vehicles and mishaps to the busses themselves, due to excessive speed. In some of the States strict regula- tions have been adopted and are en- forced to keep the busses within rea- sonable ranges of performance, for the public safety. In others, Pennsylvania for example, on certain highways con- stituting sections of established inter- urban routes, no effort is made to check the speed of these heavy cars, and shocking accidents are frequent. In! Maryland busses are being held under rigid restraint in respect to speed on the roads and items of equipment and no discrimination is shown. For that ‘Washingtonians are grateful, for the unrestricted bus is a deadly menace to all road users. ‘These heavy vehicles cannot be han- dled with the certainty and efficiency of the smaller cars. They are tnvlhlel of high speeds, and at such speeds are | uncertain of performance. They do not | always respond to the wheel, as in the case of a bus which left the road yes- | routes, in developing the manufacture of aircraft and in blazing the way for & great means of communication and a great industry. At the same time the air matl is a distinct advance in mail trans- portation for the business of the coun- try. The air mail cannot, at this time, begin to make its operating revenue equal its operating expenses. It does not seem fair, however, to lay against the postal service the deficit caused by the extension of the air mail. Senator McKellar correctly pointed out that the policy of the United States ever since the establishment of the poste! service has been to provide service for the people, even at the ultimate ex- pense of the Government and the tax- payers as a whole. In the whole one hundred and forty years of the history of the service, he said, only in fifteen years had there been shown a balance at the end of the fiscal year. The other one hundred and twenty-five years had produced their deficits. Had the policy of the Government been to make the postal service pay for itself, where would the service be teday, and how much further behind would the country be in its development? Those are questions which the critic of the Post Office De- partment and of Congress, which has provided for the constant extension of the postal service, may well consider. It is obvious that in its efforts to curtail expenditures and make its bud- get balance the administration must consider seriously in what manner the excess of expenditures over receipts in the postal service may be reduced. But it is equally certain that the American people as & whole are benefited enor- mously by the services rendered through the post office, and that they may well afford, if necessary, to meet the “defi- cits” which grow out of the maintain- ing of this service in efficient manner. As Senator McKellar said, the postal service has grown to be indispensable to the people. A single day of complete paralysis would cost the country dear. A shut-down for a week would throw the whole structure of business out of gear. It is quite clear, therefore, that whatever is done about the deficit must be done with caution. —_——————————— Cutting the Budget. By eliminating Municipal Center items from the District budget estimates the Commissioners have cut the total to the amount set by the Budget Bu- reau. but have done this without affect- ing the number or amount of the items submitted by the District's departmental heads and approved by the Commis- sioners, At the same time, the Mu- nicipal Center items, amounting to $2,123.312 and providing for the pur- chase of the remaining sites needed for the District's new home, are covered in supplemental items sent along to the bureau and will probably be forwarded, as such, to Congress. Thus the Commissioners, for the first time in several years, will be able to terday at Waterloo, Md., turning over | into the ditch at a curve. Their speeds | cannot be quickly checked, owing to; their momentum due to their great| weight. Thus a speed limit that is safe | for the small car is too high for| the bus. The schedules which it is sought by the bus operatives to maintain in inter- urban services require immediate re- vision for the sake of public security. The average highway is not broad enough to permit its use by heavy vehicles operated at railroad speed to- gether with the smaller, more easily controlled cars of private ownership and operation. The day may come when speciai roads are set apart for bus services, with curves carefully laid down - suit the larger machines, and with no cther trafic to impede the speedy progress of these single-unit common carriers. Until that day comes, however, the public highway should be regulated for the small unit vehicle, the individual motor car, with the public bus conforming to all rules de- signed for safety. It is in fact a bad business policy on the part of the bus companies thus to race their machines over the roads, for patrons are discouraged from re- peating their use of such dangerously operated cars. There can be no guar- | antee against accidents, causing dis- ablements and even death, so long as the machines are run as they now are rushed across country. The wise bus management will assure its patrons safety as well as comfort and reason- ably speedy and assured certainty of service. The unwise management will continue to put premiums upon speed, taking chances with reckless oper- ators and trusting to good luck to make each trip without misfortune. —————————— - In circles of theatric art there is a temptation to follow marriage with speedy divorce, thereby securing two press stories instead of only one, The Postal Service. Senator Kenneth D. McKellar of Ten- nessee, discussing the postal service and the $95,000,000 deficit for the year, in his radio address last night, pointed to the injustice of charging many items of expense to the Post Office Depart- ment, when as a matter of fact the services rerdered are for other branchzs of the Government. Those other branches of the Government pay noth- ing for the service they obtain. In fairness to the postal service, however, the bookkeeping of Uncle Sam should be amended. While such a course might not put more dollars into Uncle Sam’s pocket, it would at least give a more accurate picture of the Govern- ment expenditures. For example, mail, which if paid for would bring in millions of dollars an- nually, is carried through the postal service free of charge. This is the mail of the executive departments of the Government and of Congress. Take an- other example: The postal service, un- der the merchant marine act, has awarded to American steamship lines eontracts for carrying mail to foreign countries, and the payments to these lines amount to Government subsidies. Americans believe in a me: rine, flying the American flag. right and proper that the merchant marine should be encouraged. But to grant a subsidy to the overseas mer- chant fleets and then charge that sub- sidy to the postal service does not give an accurate picture of the situation at sll This Government also is doing all it can to ald in the development of com- present to Congress a full list of the municipality’s needs that can be paid for by revenue known in advance to be available, provided, of course, that the Budget Bureau approves. The Budget Bureau should approve. The District has the money; those re- sponsible for recommending the best way to spend it have made known their views and are prepared to defend them before the congressional appropria- tions committee. If further reductions are ordered by the Budget Bureau they will be Based on a difference of opinion as how best to spend available revenue. They will not be made with the hope of reducing the District’s revenue-pro- ducing burden. The Commissioners have taken the best way out of their difficulties with- out endangering any of the city’s press- ing and important projects. ————rate Great Britain has had the matter of social precedence pretty well adjusted. Her experienced statesmen might well pause, amid the cares of formulating economic relationships, to give our hosts and hostesses valuable advice on the subject. s Both the Col. and Mrs. Lindbergh are fiyers, This is & new era when young married couples are not content to dwell in a cozy fiftt and devote long hours to contemplating “God Bless Our Home” among the mottoes that are framed upon the wall. ot King George has fully recovered. His illness has served to assure him that a popular young chap, known as “the Prince of Wales,” is tactful and com- petent, yet never remiss in filial loyalty. et ———— Turmoil at Geneva. ‘The “family of nations” at Geneva is anything but & happy household at the moment. The annual Assembly of the League, which opened three weeks ago in a feast of brotherly love, is wind- ing up in a clash of rival groups, bitter- ly arrayed against one another on cardinal issues. The differences that plague them comprehend both sides of the globe. Great Britain and France are quar- reling over land armaments, and China has made Geneva the arena of her stubborn fight for abolition of “unequal treaties.” India's identification with China's plea is a development not de- void of significance. Lord Cecil, chief British spokesman in the Assembly, has revived the con- troversy over inclusion of trained re- serves in any scheme of military dis- armament. Speaking on behalf of the MacDonald Labor government, which promised British voters that it would voice such a demand, Lord Cecil argues that without reducing the number of an army’s potentia} troops, or former soldiers now in the reserves who could bbe called to the colors, practically. dis- armament of land forces is not accom- plished. Without land disarmament, Lord Cecil asserts, naval disarmament “would be useless.” He calls for reduc- tion of air armament, as well. The French, with ag immense res- ervoir of trained men, br.terly, oppose the British proposal. So do the Itel- jans, who also possess a large furce of reserve troops. Poland, Jugoslavia snd Rumania, with which countries the PFrench maintain certain politico-mili- tary “understandings,” ‘are also ac- counted supporters of France's pusi- tion. As far as other governments have made their attitudes known at Geneva, only Germany stands with Great Britain, Being themselves de- nied the right, under the treaty of mercial transportation by air. It is spending millions of dollars on air mail contracts, and by so doing is assisting materially 1n the establishment of air il Versailles, of maintaining a substantial army or a system of long-time enlist- mu,mwummm favor upon action designed to clip the wings of their conquerars, especially the Prench, ‘When this trained-reserves incident cropped up at Geneva last Spring, President Hoover seized an early occs- sion to explain that it is an issue in which the United States is not inter- ested. He reminded all concerned that the American Army is already skele- tonized to the limit. Even now, at the Président’s” initiative, efforts are in progress to scale it down still more, Imau.h purely by means of internal economies designed to make it a more | efficient, and not less effective, in- strument, ‘The reserves imbroglio at Geneva has one useful angle for the American peo- ple. It is calculated to impress them afresh with the unalloyed desirability and advantage of our detachment from European squabbles which revolve ex- clusively around European affairs. It is another argument in favor of our benevolent abstention from League membership. oo North Carolina a Battlefield. The troubles in Gaston County. N. C. growing out of the activities of Commun- ists who have sought to dominate and di- rect the textile unions in that region con- tinue despite court actions. A number of men are on trial and the trial is interrupted by disorders, and finally is suspended because one of the jurors, | succumbing to the intense strain of the {situation, has become insane. Mobs have marched and beaten Communist workers, organizers and agitators. In one melee & woman was killed by a stray shot fired by a member of & squad of anti-Communists. The calendar of the local court is choked with cases growing out of these troubles. The pre- siding judge has publicly denounced the agitators, on both sides, as lawless enemies of saclety. And every day a fresh outbreak of some kind occurs. Eventually the State must intervene and, perhaps with declaration of “mar- tial law," supersede the ordinary proc- esses of the law to the end of restor- ing order. Such situations have arisen in other States, with just the same se- quence of happenings, ending finally in the supplanting of the local authority with that of the commonwealth and the restoration of order. ‘The original cause of these troubles lies in the effort of the radicals to con- trol the textile workers' unions. The native population is mot radical. It is a conservative element, and it resents the invasion of its field by alien forces seeking to implant communistic doc- trines. Despite this hostility the radi- 2al agents have persisted in their efforts | to dominate the local organizations and | to raise issues with the employers. This is a situation which calls for intervention by the national labor or- ganizations to prevent a further spread of communistic spirit and doctrines. | want radicalism. They should be pro- tected from that pernicious influence. sisted, to the point-of rioting and mob punishments and even death by tragic chance. But they should not be left to | their own resources alone. | American labor is not communistic {and the efforts of the seditious radical factors to gain control of the organiza- tions must be fought, lest this influence becomes a force of evil dominating the ranks of the workers of this country. e sate. Lindbergh permits his wife to fly. He is a brave aviator, but not courageous enough to attempt to prevent a woman { from following the manner of the time. ————————— — So much power has gravitated to Mussolini that he might find it & relief to get rid of a little of it. —.——————— Many interesting discoveries are being made in Rome, both in archeology and modern economics. B Trafc cops who learn to fly find easier work in the air ways on the street crossings. e Smedley Butler is inclined to teach the Marines to give “Rum Is My Foe” the status of a battle hymn. B Monte Carlo retains some promi- nence, but the really big game that attracts diplomacy is played at Geneva. PSSR, SHOOTING STARS. may than BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Christmas Is Coming. Good news and bad news Always, day by day; Gay news and sad news Swiftly on their way— ‘We are hopeful still because We can wait for Santa Claus. Daytimes and nighttimes As we hold the pace— Left times and right times For the human race— In perplexity we pause And just wait for Santa Claus. Biology and Politics. “Much time is wasted on small po- litical details.” “Yes,” answered Senator Sorghum. “Even so practical a statesman as my- self has devoted long hours to the ques- tion of whether the so-called Siamese twins ought to be entitled to two votes or only one.” Jud Tunkins- says one queer idea of good business is to buy a “gold brick” and then sell it again at & profit. Supreme Question. The social game is hard to play. When forks and knives are on display The chair where you are called to sit ‘Will designate i you are “It.” Though fine the music that is sent To speed the phrase of compliment, ‘We care not what you had to eat; We ask. “Where did you take your seat?” Home, Sweet Home. “Does your husband keep late hours?” “Yes. He refuses to play cards. He wants to stay home all night and listen to the radio.” “Qur ancestors,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown,, “like their posterity, spoke wise ‘words and did foolish things.” Swaying the Masses. An orator grows too intense And in regret may sob If “an admiring audience” Turns out to be “a mob.” “Disappearance of my chickens,” said Uncle Eben, “shows a lack of religion dat makes me afraid lpst camp meetin’ was held 1o vain. S | or maybe half & dozen or more. { who pays attention only to keep from | thing boils itself down to this: These North Carolina workers do not | It is true that they have themselves re- i { Tyler Page, clerk of the House, has THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. ‘There is one group of people which com| s those who make others feel that they are beh‘kmd to them mere- ly in order not to hurt their feelings. The recipients of this forced will had rather be ignored' completely than be made feel that only a sort of “kind- ness-to-animals” attitude spurred their friends on. ‘Those who make the mistake of con- descension in their attitude suffer from it, not only in the minds of others, but even more in themselves, since they fail to secure the joys of the real good will which they imitate, Counterfeit good will! ‘The Government has many and stringent laws against ecounterfeiting coin and currency, but any man may set himself up as a faker of pleasant human relations without so much as a single constable batting an eyelid. Such matters are outside govern- ment, as organized; they concern them- selves with the purely personal govern- ments which two persons set up for themselves, or three persons, or four, In these little governments certain rules of conduct pre according to the education, social status and inner minds and hearts of those concerned. Pleasant conduct is the aim of so- clety, either large or small. The elimi- nation of friction is desired by all con- cerned. The groundwork is called eti- quette, but upon it is built the real structure of human conduct. * % X % No doubt those who force a tolera- tion of others are to be preferred to those grouches who will have nothing at_all to do with their fellow men. Yet even the most tolerant person secretly resents being made the subject of such overtures, coming merely from a desire on the part of the other to be on terms with one. ‘There is a wish with most people to be liked for themselves, not for what they may be able to do for another, or :e?;uu of some position which they old. The “teacher’s pet” of school days represented an observing young person who for some reason or other liked teacher, It will not do to inquire too deeply. And teacher, being & human being as well as & jogue, reciprocated by permitting the “pet” to run errands, and 80 on. ‘The other scholars, seeing the ad- vantageous position secured by their mate with so little effort, never lost a chance to vell, “Teacher’s pet!"” The truth was that friendship had spanned the years, creating the dis- trust which al s arises in the human mind when something happens which is not_plain upon the surface. The teacher's reaction to the “pet” was that of a human being who liked to be cared for and made something of; she probably had the good sense, in most cases, to see that the child w liked her without concealment did so without any other motive. * ook ok Between the person who pays no at- tention to you and this other person hurting your feelings there may at| times be little choice. Analyzed more closely, hflw’v"fihz a you know exactly where you stand with the first, but are always in doubt con- cerning the second. The “old grouch” of everyday life (usually there is one or more of these in every establishment) at least leaves no one ‘uncertain of his position. He prefers himself to any one else in the -zrld. and makes no pretense other- wise. The man who condescends to speak pleasantly upon occasion, while taking no particular pains to conceal the fact that you rather bore him, varies all the way from a hypocrite, who may or may not be harmless, to the insufferable snob nobody likes. It must admitted that it is not always easy to tell just which one of these persons the individual specimen may be, or how blamable he may be in inflicting himself upon others. Just as there are some “teacher's pets” who play the game for what there is in it for them, so there are some men and women who are polite to others with a wary eye out for ad- vantage, and there are some who do it out of kindness of heart. Here again it is difcult to choose. Once seen through, the former proves an interesting acquaintance, whom one may study at leisure with all the de- light of the sclentist peering through the tube of his microscope at a par- ticularly lively bug. The man who tolerates another out of kindness of heart perhaps deserves more praise, for he does what he does at the promptings of human decency, despite the fact that the other bores him considerably. It is a case of ennul facing ennui—no doubt each deserves some pralse. * K K % ‘Two sure signs of the person who does not really like one ‘but only makes out that he does are: 1. Too much effusion. 2. Too easily distracted. He is forever clapping you on the back, and asking, “How are you?" as if your state of health were a question upon his mind at all hours of the day and night. To listen to him go on one might suspect that he wished you might dle, in order to relieve him once and forever of the pressing necessity which compelled him to inquire about the health of any one so persistently. Real friendship does not go into such ecstasies over nclhlnr It s well known that the more loving man and wife prove in public, the surer they are to fight like cats and dogs in pri- vate. Wives who hold their husbands’ hands at the theater and who insist on calling them “love” and “dearie” every other sentence are “putting it on.” Those who love each other the most hide it under love's mantle of reserve. 8o it is with these fourflushers who cannot like another normally but must | overdo the thing by much clapping on the back and loud and vehement in- quiries as to one's health. The surest sign, however, is the sec- ond. This is the one sure test of an insincere person, and, like all good tests. the one he least suspects. You can always tell him by the ease |with which he is distracted from his conversation with you. No matter how animated he is, or pretends to be, the moment any one else says anything, he will drop his sentence in the mlddfe to listen, or to chime in. What does it matter that he comes back again, in a few moments, with the loudest apologies? His actions gave him awa; e was forcing himself to listen to you. He was so bored that it only required a chance sentence to lure him away. Well, let him go. The joke of it is that he will not go: he will be back again, going through the old back-slapping stunt. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. Speaker Longworth flitted through Washington this week, en route from New England to Ohio, just to confirm a sneaking suspicion. “Nick” felt pretty | sure that the Senate would still be dilly- ing and dallying over the tariff so end- lessly that the House wouldn't need to be ready for business on September 23, | as it planned to be, when it recessed on June 19. The lower branch will be for- mally called to 6rder next Monday, but the session will be purely perfunctory and be adjourned almost as soon as it begins. The recess resolution antici- pated the state of affairs on the Senate side of the Capitol by providing for pseudo sessions of the House Mondays and Thursdays until October 14. If by that time the tariff bill has not been sent over from the upper branch, the House is likely to keep on with semi-weekly adjournments. At any rate. Willilam notified all members that there is no | necessity for their return to Washington earlier than October 14. * ok ok K Now that an attack of shingles has overtaken the Senate Republicans. in addition to the sugar complaint which has already undermined their system, no one dares predict when the Hawley bill will become the Hawley-Smoot bill and be in shape for conference between the two houses. As defection follows de- fection in the G. O. P. ranks, led by Senator “Jim" Watson, hope that the special session will enact the new law grows more and more slender. President Hoover—at least publicly and officially— has kept hands off the tariff mess in Congress. But it is a significant coin- cidence that Senator Watson's caucus |t to determine the exact number of Re- publican “regulars,” on which he can count, was called the same night the Senate leader dined at the White House. There’s a distinct suggestion in all this that Hoover may be steeling himself for a showdown. blast, such as he sounded at a critical moment in the farm debenture struggle, is destined, some insiders think, to be the next big noise in the tariff din. PR Apropos the reassuring announcement that the cellar of the British embassy is still equal to any demands likely to be made upon it by the MacDonald visit, word comes that the drive to dry up American society is still on. Mrs. George H. Strawbridge, the Philadelphia hostess, who has essayed the task of persuading the country's social leaders to set law-observance examples, has just been in Washington.* She radiates a sunny optimism. “Sixteen hundred women from 130 towns and cities in 17 different States have replied to my | appeal,” she told this observer. “Omy some 250 refused me support. The others agree that nothing but the power of example in high soclety, as it is called, will ever make prohibition fash- jonable.” Mrs. Strawbridge plans dur- ing the Fall and Winter to widen her campaign until it has embraced the whole wuntry.‘ * ok Ok M. Pierre Lyautey, nephew of the dis- tinguished French soldier, Marshal Lyautey, the hero of Morocco, is a visi- | tor in Washington. He is a leading, young economist and publicist in Paris and is touring the United States and Canada to acquaint himself with North American political and commercial con- | ditions, While here M. Lyautey has conferred with Senator Edge, Ambassa- dor-designate to France; Secretary of Commerce Lamont; Assistant Secretary Klein, Vice Chairman Dennis of the' United States Tariff Commission, and others. The French in 1931 will hold ! a great colonial exhibition on the out- | skirts of Paris. They desire to make it international, and one of Lyautey’s mis- sions to the United States is to interest our Government in taking part. He thinks what Uncle Sam has done in the Philippines, Porto Rico, Hawaii and our other overseas dominions would make a | rich contribution to the exhibition. * * % ¥ | When this broadcaster watched President Hoover at the microphone in his White House study the other eve- ning. addressing the whole Nation on the naval nemum, all the great hi that’ made in that room arelig (5% ofner Fresients, Sonroe abd e other 0 m worked. It 3-.-: the ! ing the World War. imagination to reflect what might have oeen if radio had existed in 1823, and the Monroe Doctrine could have been broadcast across the seas. Or how the shattered Union would have been elec- trified 1f Lincoln could have read to it the Emancipation Proclamation! Mr. Hoover has become an experienced, cool broadcaster. He indulges in no oratorical tricks of voice or manner; sits at his work-desk, with manuseript in hand, and reads it as unconcernedly as if it were a letter for the ears of the family circle. The Presicent has acquired one little weakness of the professional broadcaster: He blue-pencils and other- wise edits his stuff up to the last sec- ond before he's on the air. 2 %% Mme. Mabel 8. Grouitch, the pleas- antly remembered wife of the war- time Serblan Minister to the United States, is now making an appeal for the American, Home for Yugoslav Chil- dren at Selce, Croatia. The home is dedicated to the memory of the Ameri- cans who lost their lives in Serbia dur- ‘The home receives 50 poor children at a time for one month each during the Summer season, which lasts from June to November. The Stars and Stripes fly over the institu- tion. Mme. Grouitch has undertaken to raise $5,000 in this country to defray the cost of one or two small buildings now urgently required. She has or- iln!ud a committee of prominent Amer- cans for the purpose, headed by Gen. Tasker H. Bliss as chairman. b Former Gov. and Mrs. Gifford Pinchot, who are now in the South Seas aboard he S. 8. Mary Pinchot, their ocean- mf exploration schooner, are using a novel method of keeping their Wash- ington neighbors posted on the romanti~ expedition. At regular intervals Mrs. Pinchot, the official logkeeper of the arty, dashes off 10,000 words, more or less, in the form of a news letter, which is printed in this country and then cir- culated to friends interested in the Mary Pinchot’s adventures. Delayed a month in the Panama Canal, awaiting engine repairs, which necessitated the order- ing of spare parts from the United States, the Pinchots have had a busy and fruitful Summer. They are as- sembling a considerable menagerie of rare animals for presentation to the Natfonal Zoo in Washington and the Zoo at Philadelphia. (Coyrisht. 1929.) e State Buildings for Washington Centennial To the Editor of The Star: ‘The letter of J. W. ipson your issue of the 13th instant concern~ ‘Thom in ing the bicentennial celebra- proposed i tion of the birth of George Washington offered ideas worthy of consideration. An affair which cannot be repeated within less than a century should be worthy of the occasion, especially when it concerns the greatest personage in our national history. The progress of the country itself should be portrayed as well as may be in this celebration, and while perhaps the money will not be forthcoming for the jposed United States fair, provision should be made for something even more impressive and lasting, which will tell the story of our birth and growth for the centuries to me. The series of permanent State buildi S0 ably l:hlmp;umed b{ the late Louis P. Shoemaker and by Col. Robert N. Harper and others, appears to offer the real basis for a memorial to George Washington that will last through the centuries and form a me- morial to the Founder of the Republic that he himself would be proud of. In no other manner can one see at a glance or learn upon closer inspection Jjust what this great Nation has grown to be and what its future may show. America does not really know herself; that will tell the story. There is time between now and Feb- Valuation Richness Makes Railways Dividend Poor To the Editor of The Star: It 1s decidedly in the public interest that attention be directed to the Vl]ru.l- tion which the street raflway, now petitioning for higher car fares before the Public Utilities Commission of the Distriet of Columbil, has repeatedly ;flg upon as the sheet anchor of its ‘This. valuation for rate-making pur- poses was procured under the stress of war-time conditions. It was obtained under a construction which, to a large extent, set up the reproduction-cost theory as & base, and under the opera- tion of that basis the aged and aging property of the rallway, together with all other of a more recent vintage, seems to have been dipped into a judicial fountain of youth and to have come forth rejuvenated to its original value and at least 77 per cent more, compared with its worth in normal times. By the laws of nature and of nature’s God, this rallway property was inescapably subject to deprecia- tion, deterioration and decay, but by the alchemy of judicial pronouncement it will be seen that every invested dollar of the rail lines expanded to $1.77, or more, at a time when the people’s buying dollar had shriveled to 50 cents, or less, and the measure of the exactions which the railway might demand from the public became a $2.27 advantage over the dwindled dollar which the people had left to spend. Before becoming established these re- production-cost valuations in the Dis. trict of Columbia went from court to court, to court and back again. They had been considered and reconsidered and redetermined because something had been done that one court sald should not have been done, or some- thing had not been done that another court said should have been done. More than five years had elapsed before a final conclusion was reached. The cause then moved on to the ‘bar of public opinion, and public scrutiny developed some interesting information. 1t was learned that still another theory invests a public utility with a quasi- public relationship, a sort of family connection, more or less distantly re- moved. And while this railway branch of the tribe was given, through abnor- mal conditions, a dollar measure of 177 cents at a time when the real members of the public family could obtain for their dollar a rating of only 50 cents, or less, the railway distant relation ‘had been abundantly ‘compensated for any privations due to war-tme stress. This raillway distant relative was actually using the highway land pos- | sessions -of the public family to carry on its business operations, without which valuable privilege it could not acquire a token or receive & cash fare. Activities of our governments. national and municipal. and of private enter- prise had added. between 1914 and 1925, as & richer field for rallway profit. various and numerous feeder streets and thoroughfares and had populated the working or living places thereon with s greatly increased number of actual car riders—so large an increase. indeed. that the number of passengers carried annually increased fully 70 per cent and the revenues therefrom rose more than 100 per cent. compared with normal times. Profiting by the riches poured into its lap by a generous and Joyal public patronage, the petitioning company is reported to have admitted in 1922 that its rate of return was 01, per cent. 101t has ‘always been understood that the public shall reap a compensating advantage when the rail lines are per- mitted by Congress to use the public highways of the National Capital for private profit, but it is plainly to be seen that all the compensation advan- tage flowed enrichingly into the money bags of the railway in & steadlly aug- mented stream. Sizing up the situation, the public proceeded to seek its own measure of relief. This was found by turning to the automobile, and thus it adopted & most effective means of deliverance from the constant menace of ever- increasing fares. Instead of wasting time in seeking a change in basis of valuation, the purpose was accomplished by & change of mode of locomotion. Right here was injected into valua- tion a new element that had not been taken into account by the valuation desirers, the valuation upholders or the valuation prescribers. of rail lines became less and less, it was clearly demonstrated that valua- tion is of no practical value unless it is capable of producing _something or earning _something. _ Where _serious losses of passengers have aggravated an undesirable non-productive condi- tion of rail lines, the roads affected have gone into receiverships. have been sold at auction or have become worth- | less properties for profit-producing pur- | poses, thereby yielding supremacy in the human transportation field to the automobile and the motor bus. Through the wealth ungrudgingly bestowed by a liberal public patronage for the poor service furnished during war times, the railway petitioning for higher car fares in the District of Co- Jumbia achieved an enviable financial status. But now comes this rail line ing dividend poverty, and pleads for more money—for pennies even—to keep its stockholders from investment starva- tion. So it appears quite evident that the inflation of the rail line's valuation has made this company so wealthy in prgperty rating that the holders of its stogks are represented to be slowly tending toward emaciation for want of enough dividends to maintain a healthy financial existence. Thus the reproduction-cost theory of valuation has become the means of corporation undoing. The theory has become unworkable, unreasonable and impractical. It is proving to be un- | profitable and non-dividend producing: for no decree has gone forth to com- pel the people to ride on street cars, the rail line is prone to admit that fares are almost as high as thev can go, and each successive request for higher fares serves but to reduce its patronage, further to injure its good will and generally to scuéeze smaller the dividends it finds itself able to pay. ‘The worst thing that happened to acquisition of a reproduction-cost basis of valuation. The best thing that has come to the people since that time is the changing mode of transportation, which releases them more and more from dependence unon_trave] by rail. JOSEPH W. CHEYNEY. oo Expensive Figures. | rom the Florence (Alw.) Herald. ‘The high cost of living is &erhnu due to the cost of compiling CRoaE At piling statistics Something Left to Improve. From the Rochester Times-Union. ‘Wonderful man! Year after vear he \n;\rmwu almost everything except him- Soviet Color Line. From the Loulsville Courfer-Journal. “Red” Russia complains that White Russians are guilty of atrocities on th Meanchurian border. They certainly do draw the color line sharply in that country. merit if enough land can be found in that section for the expansion of the future, which may be n to doubt. But we may not worry about the loca- tion if the people at large get the grand idea in their heads and realize that it is no real estate scheme nor local project, but is their affair as well as that of the District in which it is to be located. At least some of the buildings should be well under way by the time the celebration is to be opened. Let the people of the United States fix upon a memorial for all time and one that will best show them the whole world what Washington As the patronage | before the bar of public opinion. alleg- | Pose the rail lines in war time was the| BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. cial department devoted solely to the handling of queries. This paper ts at your disposal the serv- ices 01’“ an extensive organization in Washington to serve you in any ca- pacity that relates to information. This service is free. Failure to make use of it deprives you of benefits to which you are entitled. Your obligation is only 2 cents in coin or stamps in- closed with your inquiry for direct re- ply. Address The Evening Star Infor- Tation Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, di- rector, Washington, D. C. . ‘Did King Vidor, the moving pic- mre director, e‘wr g0 to school in Mary- and?—J. D. B. - A. It is stated that King Vidor at- tended the Tome School at Port De- posit, Md. Q. Where is the Lindbergh Bea- ?—G. C. G. w’A‘. The Lindbergh Beacon, of 2,000.- 000 candlepower, is being erected on top of the new Palmolive Bullding in Chi- cago. ., Who said “Harpers Ferry is a m:oetln( place of winds and waters, rocks and ranges”?—D. L. P. A._This descriptive line Sandburg's “Landscape Including Three States of the Union.” Q What is Rudy Vallee's real e?—L. C. M. "'f\'f It is stated that Hubert Prior is the real name of Rudy Vallee. Q. Is Burleigh Grimes’ good pitching due to the fact that he is a spit ball pllAyH?—S. V. This is & 8) Base ball authorities state that because of Grimes' muscular frame, will, he would be a great pitcher quite apart from the spit ball, of which he is the acknowledged master. The spit ball type of delivery is a rarity to op- posing batters, however, so that '-h!n feature is contributory to the pitcher's success. Q. How is intelligence distributed ac- cording to Galton's law of filial regres- sion?—M. H. A. A. The Galton law of filial regres- children of unusual parents is to ap- proximate more nearly to the common 1) '2'13; characteristics are derived as fol- lows: One-half from the parents, one- quarter from the grandparents, one- eighth from the great-grandparents, etc. Q. How long is the new Dornier { plane?—L. V. N. A. by Dr. Claude Dornier in Germany is wingspread of 157 feet. The Dornier is the largest airplane ever built and is designed to carry 100 passengers on short cruises, besides a crew of 16. Q. Who won the Pikes Peak Auto- mobile Derby this year, and what was his record?>—N. L. A. The Pikes Peak Automobile Derby |wu won for the third year in succes- sion by Glen Schultz of Colorado Springs. Schultz, driving a Studebaker. covered the 11.9 miles from Crystal 43.4 seconds. Q. How large is the pipe organ in the Cfin\'enflfln Hall at Atlantic City? —P. M. A, The pipe organ in the main audito- rium of the Convention Hall at Atlantic both in point of size and power. The organ is operated from two giant con- is from Carl | prodigious strength, and indomitable ; slon states that the tendency of the | of the family or stock. Heredi- The plane recently completed | 230 feet long, 33 feet high and has a| Croek to the summit in 21 minutes | City, is the largest one in the world, | soles, each possessing six manuals af- fording s total of approximately a thou- sand It is lifted and lowered from orchestra pit by specially de- signed electric power machinery. There are 32,000 pipes running as high as 64 feet in le , while the possible wind pressure in them is 100 inches. Q. What is the purpose of the Com- mission_on Motion Pictures appointed | !éy éhe Pederal Council of Churches?— A. The purpose of this commission of which, William C. Redfield i chairman, is declared to be: To further or provide for a survey of the relations of motion pictures to the public welfare. to assist the churches at home and | abroad to secure suitable motion pic- tures for their own programs, and to study the representation of the various geonlen through motion pictures at ome and abroad, seeking to eliminate | misrepresentations and furthering the | use of films which strengthen interna- tional understanding and good will. | Q. Where is the largest sundial it | the United States?—K. D. A. | "A. According to Popular Science. | sundial almost as high as a house sald to be the largest in the world, completed recently in a residential dis. trict of San Francisco, Calif. Its slop- ing style, which casts a shadow to in- dicate the time of day, is made of re- inforced concrete: and about it circles a curb of concrete to form the gial it- self, which is marked with hourly di- visions. Q. Is Maurice Maeterlinck still liv- ing?—J. K. A. Maurice Maeterlinck, the Berlin poet, lives at Medan, near Paris. Q. Is wrong food responsible for | criminal tendencies among young peo- ple?—N. O. E. A. To a certain extent poor nutrition is responsible for criminality as mani- fested in some young people. Last year more than 60 per cent of the delinquent girls cared for by the Balvation Army in Chicago were victims of mainutri- tion during childhpod, while 53 per cent of the men who received aid had | been similarly undernourished in youth. Q. Are the records of Joan of Arc's trial extant?—E. C. A. The notes of the trial are deposit- ed in the Library of the Chamber of Deputies in Paris. . What are the most important news potentialities in the world®>—A. J. A. Such a question is controversial, but the list might well include President Hoover, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Calvin Coolidge, the King of England Lindbergh, Mussolini, David Llovd George and Dr. Hugo Eckener. Every reader will modify the list to a certain extent. Q. What are some of the achieve- ments of Lieut. Lester J. Maitlang?— 8.G. H A. Briefly speaking. a few of Lieut. Maitland’s achievements are: The dis- tinction of being the first person to | travel in the air at a rate of speed in | excess of 200 miles an hour: that of be- ing second in the Pulitzer Trophy race. and the fact that he was pilot of the first_airplane to make a fiight from the Pacific Coast to Hawail. In addi- tion to these attainments, he is the author of “Knights of the Air,” a his- | tory of the progress of flight. Q. What is a geoduck?—M. L. C. uck is a bivalve related to | the soft-shell claim. Its scientific name | 1s Glytimeris generoso. Post Office Department is an insuffi- cient reason for raising rates on first- class mail in the opinion of most of the commentators on the subject. Much of the debate on the subject stresses the need of the present service at present low rates, regardless of the fact that there has been a deficit in the fiscal year. “It appears that the business of con- veying letters and packages and papers about the country i§ an extremely costly one, and that the revenue fails to meet the operating expense,” comments the Atlanta Journal. “Just why this should be true is a matter for debate. It mav be because the rate is too low, or it may be because of inefficient management. Naturally, the people will want that question validly answered before addi- tional postage costs are imposed. If an increase becomes imperative, its form still remains to some extent a roblem. Several suggestions already ave been made. One is that a 2! cent rate would serve the doub! of increasing postal revenue and of creating the convenience of a two- for-a-nickel purchase.” The Journal finds that the “specter of higher rates™ has become “the target of enough hos- tility to demolish any but a stubborn spirit.” “It is more than likely that Congress will have something to say in this mat- ter and political considerations will in- fluence the final decision,” declares the Santa Barbara Daily News, with the explanation that “in the past, under most administrations, the Post Office Department has not paid its way” and the conclusion that “in any event the ple will pay the postal bill, either rl:othe form of increased rates or by taxation.” g~ “People found the 3-cent war rats| burdensome, and England still does so.” remarks the New York Evening Post. “Somewhere behind the popular protest against increases in any tal rates is the general conviction that they are intended to pay for inefficiency and abuse of privilege at Washington. While the franking right is still allowed to verbose Congressmen, who glut the malls with tons of matter which few of their constituents trouble to read, the average citizen will show small enthusi- m fnr new denominations in postal correspondence.” “Desirable as it is to make receipts and disbursements more nearly bal- ance,” argues the Salt Lake Deseret News, “it will be unacceptable to effect this by making the people pay more for postage, or by any cheeseparing of the service, which at present is good, but none too good. Neither will there be favor anywhere for the suggestion that a saving should be effected by reducing employes’ salaries. One trouble with the fiscal showing of the Post Office De- partment is that it is burdened with the load of other departments, such as public printing, and especially with the t.remen’dmu use, or abuse, of the frank- in, rivilege.” Extp seems altogether unlikely,” asserts the Baltimore Sun, “that President Hoover entertains the idea, attributed to him by some, of trying to convert the postal service into a moneymaking in- stitution. And it is even more unlikely that he could succeed even if he har- bored the¢ notion. In dealing with & postal deficit, the major consideration s net its size, but what the public is get- ting for its money. At present that 1s not clear, because loose methods of presenting Federal accounts. When the accounts are ironed out, all subsidies Iabeled, and the operating efficiency of the post office clearly pictured, it will 2¢ time to decide on postal-rate change.” “Whether a Government should pay its own way or not,” as viewed by the Houston Chronicle, “is to be determined by the social value of that service. In’the case of the Post Office Department, it seems that the it performs far outweighs the necessity for its paying its own way. The same is true of the Departments of Commerce and Agriculture, the Coast Guard and the Army and Navy. & = * It would not be surprising to find that Mr. had something else than ts in mind wh:: he Desire to balance the books of the pur-, stamps on his personal and business m‘phiaa w to ha ‘High Postage_ Rate Opposed As Means of Meeting Deficit seeking a reduction in Federal taxes, and Mr. Hoover is opposed to this. Per- haps Mr. Hoover thinks that by point- ing to deficits and heavy expenditures {he can ward off the movement for tax | reduction.” | “It would seem to be more to the | point to reduce the free use of the mails, 1and to find out what mail services are | not producing returns proportionate to their use. and adjust their rates accord- | ingly,” advises the Columbus Ohio State | Journal, wtih the conclusion that “it | would be unfair to shift the burden of reducing the deficit entirely to the users of first-class service.” | _“The first reform.” in the judgment of {the Erie Dispatch-Herald. “should be | the tightening of restrictions on the immense amount of mail sent cut under congressional franks. Then there sre various unfair charges against the Post Office Department. It costs it $16,000.- | 000 a year to handle the mail for other | departments and Government agencies | The $20,000.000 paid to ship owners for carrying the mails is not all fairl- chargeable to service. A considerable portion is an indirect subsidy to Amer- ican shipping. The department is losing $6.000.000 a year on the air mail. This cannot at present be made self-support- Ing. A more accurate and equitable sys- tem of bookkeeping would quickly pare down that paper deficit.” “Postmaster General Brown might get rid of the franked congressioral speeches which cumber the mail, and he might curtail the volume of documents unlmd!vc’l on the public through the mail service,” says the Springfielc Illinols State Journal. “Having done these things, he will have reached his limit and he will have made only a dent in the deficit.” The Waterloo Tribune ?olntx out that the cost of posters for | ‘Public-welfare projects” is $115,000,- 000, and that “proper accounting, with the Government charged with welfare service, would have left a profit.” The Philadelphia Evening Bulletin agrees with the contention ‘hat “mail contracts should not be considered in the light of ordinary payments for pos- t;lu service,” and that future proceedings should be based “on the real service deflcit, unaffected by subsidies.” ) Extra Jurors in Capital Ca From the Asheville Times. North Carolina people, just flecting upon the monetary co:z:l lrl:d evils worse which have followed the mistrial in the striker's homicide case in Charlotte, should be in mood recep- tive to a resolution presented at the Saturdey meeting of the Buncombe co;n;y Bp“ éuskofllflnn. eb. F. Curtis propose Legislature be asked to lglhtx?i;é %g: selection of extra jurors in - capital Efi.fi“m‘l’%’ to prevent mistrials ness or other t lnéong]jmg‘ ‘mimbers. oAk urely this is nothing rev y to alarm the IlI’-mlk!!‘s‘ofel o;’#;?:;‘- tive State. It is a practice, already adopted in other States, that in an emergency keeps the machinery of a court running without unfortunate in- terruptions and unwelcome delays. The recent murder trial of Dr. Snook in Ohio was an fllustration of the value of N;rh"lhpr]cvis(on in the law. e lawyers of the State will sup- port this reform and if the general nug- lic will manifest a bemm?n. interest, even in moderate degree. in the im- provement of court procedure, the next Legislature will see the courts relieved (‘1;' o?: weakness which is a reproach to W, —————__ Gil Rushing In. Pr:,lrn the Evansville Courier. esident Gil wants to substitute foot ball for bullfighting in Mexico. Of course it's none of our business; but does he know what oS a rough game foot ———— Pad the Poles! Prom the Toledo Blade. It seems not to have occurred to tele- ve their polesi