Evening Star Newspaper, December 22, 1929, Page 39

"HOOVER’S BORDER PATROL PLANS TO END SMUGGLING Proposed Change May Bring Into Being Organization as Picturesque as Marine ONGRESS has before it a bill embodying the recommenda- tions of President Hoover that the various Federal services engaged in the prevention of smuggling over our frontiers be reor- Ranized into a single border patrol un- der the Coast Guard. Few elements in the reorganization program of the ad- ministration have a wider interest than this, for the proposed change will bring into being an organization that may prove as picturesque as the Marine Corps. Smuggling today takes many forms— customs contraband, liquor, allens, criminsls and plants and animals for- bidden entry. The new force, operat- ing under the Coast Guard, will have lenty to do, and if experience can be en as a guide, the life of the patrol- man will have an abundance of thrills and adventure, as well as a touch of danger. The United States already has a bor-. der patrol, part of the Immigration Service, but its work is confined largely to the prevention of the smuggling of aliens along the coast and Mexican and Canadian frontiers. In 1925 Congress appropriated $1,000,000 to establish an tion border patrol. This fol- lowed logically the enactment of the quota immigration act. Thousands Enter Illegally. This restriction brought about a sit- uation in which the “bootlegging” of aliens constituted a major problem for law-enforcing agencies. Thousands of aliens were smuggled into the United States, and the movement attained such proportions at one time that it threat- ened to defeat the very purposes of the immigration restriction act. The need for a border patrol was urgent, and Congress was not slow in recognizing that need. ‘The Department of Labor made a survey and its officials came to the conclusion that a force of at least 500 men would be needed as a nucleus. ‘There was at the time no civil service register of eligibles for the position of patrol inspector, so another problem ‘was presented, namely, how to recruit this force. The Civil Service Commission agreed that until an examination could be held the men for the new force could be drawn from the railway postal clerks and immigration inspector registers. Yet difficulties soon arose, for it was found, through the large turnover, that the men on the registers were not qual- ified for the arduous dutles of the bor- der patrol. ‘War Veterans in Service. H.:;lli’nfl;e Sgreury of Labor suc- ‘ceeds forming a patrol inspector Tegister, and eligibles were selected for a place on this only after a careful ex- amination to determine their fitness. Many of the men selected were veterans of the World War or with other military experience. The land border, some 6,000 miles in extent, has been divided into districts, and an immigration officer of wide ex- perlence is in charge of each district. Under the law t inspectors alone are authorized to pass upon the admissibility of aliens, and by having in each’district an immigration inspec- tor as officer in charge quicker disposi- tion of the cases of alleged smugglers has been possible. Each case can be bandled on the spot. ‘Though the primary duty of the force is to prevent the uniawful entry of aliens, the nature of the work brings the patrol into contagt with lawless ele- ments along the border, and the offi- cers are called upon from time to time to enforce other laws. Inspectors Often in Danger. ‘The occupation of the patrol inspec- tors has been anythling but peaceful, for they are up against a lawless ele- ment that has as little compunction in taking human life as' the gunmen of the big cities. It is not an uncommon thing for a patrol inspector to be shot from aml , and some of the patrol- men have been killed in line of duty. The force has never been really ade- quate to the job that faces it, but apart from this it has suffered from another handicap. It has lacked, particularly in the early days, sufficient motor equip- ment and horses to give the force needed mobility. There have been pa- \ trol districts where 10 men have had to cover a stretch of 300 miles, with several highways crossing the in tional boundary. In the beginning forces operated only on the land boundaries of the United Btates. It soon became evident, how- ever, that to control the situation offi- cers must be stationed in Florida and in other places along the Gulf and ocean coasts. Cuba was long a happy hunting ground of aliens who hoped to gain a surreptitious entry into the United States, and most of those who made the jump from Cuba tried to land either in Florida or at the Gulf ports. Patrol Praised in Report. In his third annual report Ha: E. Hull, commissioner of mmfim mhlgh tribute to the work of the T patrol during the first three Yel_r;ho(bigrldexlsbenc& ““The ler patrol is a young man's organization. It appeals strongly to the lover of the big outdoors—the primeval forests, the sun-parched deserts, the mountains n‘x;ndhthe plains. The busi- ness upon which it is engaged calls for manhood, stamina, versatility and re- sourcefulness in the highest degree,” Mr. Hull said. “Honor first is its watch- word. Privation and danger serve but @s a challenge which none refuses. Un- failing curtesy to all and helpfulness to the helpless in distress are empha- » 8ized above every other requisite. ‘These young men are proud of their Jobs—proud of their organization— Wwith a code of ethics unsurpassed by any similar organization of this or any other day. In the three short years of its existence it has created a price- less store of traditions.” The year just ended has been marked by great activity on the part of the border patrol. Miles patrolled aggre- gated 6,801,012, this being covered by motor, horse, train, boat or foot. The number of conveyances examined, in- cluding trains and busses, was 791,278, and in addition more than 380,000 pedestrians’ were interrogated. Smug- gled aliens captured totaled 29,568 and 477 aliens were turned back. The av- erage strength of the patrol’ force last year was 532, Liquor Smugglers Watched. ‘The Customs and Prohibition Bu- reaus both keep a watch along the Ca- nadian and Mexican borders, the one Frlmlrfly for infractions of the tariff aw, and the other for attempts to smuggle contraband liquor into the United States. Agents of these two bureaus may be found at the principal g:;n(.s of entry, with men stationed e and there between these two points. Both agencies report to Secretary Melion. Smugglers have carried on their operations since the founding of the Republic, and the existence of smug- gling was one reason why the Coast Guard was established. Contraband b! is a comparatively new problem, as is the smuggling of aliens into the country. All enforcement officers, no matter what branch of the Federal Govern- ment they belong to, co-operate with their fellows in other branches, and ¢ often an immigration officer in search of aliens trying to cross the line will lay his hands upon a big stock of liquor. Customs officers are also in- terested in narcotics, and the border presents no more difficult problem than that of frustrating the efforts of the ' smuggier of drugs. The Department of Agriculture is an- Corps. other agency that maintains a vigilant watch on our frontiers. Its agents are on the look-out for plant pests and diseaces and diseased animals. The Burcau of Plant Quarantine handles the first phase of the activity and the Bureau of Animal Husbandry the second. The Bureau of Plant Quarantine has inspectors stationed at the principal ports of entry and along the Mexican border. Its inspectors examine ships and passengers’ baggage, if they con- tain plants or plant products under restriction. The establishment of foreign air transportation lines during the last year has measurably increased the amount of baggage inspection neces- sary. During the year more than 2,000 airplanes arrived from foreign coun- tries at landing fields at Brownsville, Miami, San Diego and San Juan, Porto Rico. Contraband plants and plant products were intercepted 134 times. The inspectors also assisted in the examination of the baggage Olhra.sle - gers on the Graf Zeppelin, which rived here in October, 1928. Though no contraband plants or plant products were found in the c or in the bag- gage, bouquets of flowers used for decorative purposes in the passengers’ quarters were found to be infected. All told, sevén species of insects were found and two plant 3 Guard Ten Ports of Entry. The bureau’s inspectors are stationed at ten ports of entry along the Mexican border. These points all have rail con- nection with Mexico and during the year a total of 36,941 cars were inspect- ed in Mexican railway yards. About half of these were fumigated before they were permitted to enter the Unite States. More than 2,000 were found > be contaminated. In addition to inspecting and fumi- gating railway cars, the inspectars of the bureau examine baggage and ex- press packages coming from Mexico. Last year about 61,000 pieces of bag- gage and 4,000 parcel post pack were examined. Many prohibited plants and plant products were intercepted, some of which were found jo be in- fected with the Mexican fruit work, pink bollworm or other pests. Ship inspection supplements the work on the border. The bureau maintains inspectors at all of the important ports of entry. fumigated. thus treated during the year is large. For example, cotton fumigated totaled 328,000 bales. Crops Also Inspected. Plants imported under special per- mits must likewise be examined. But the work does not stop here. By rea- son of the impossibility of recognizing plant disease in certain stages and of detecting the presence of all insects, plants imported under special peimit are inspected again in the field during two or more growing seasons. ‘This is done to discover if any pests escaped attention in the initial exami- nation. Last year more than 40,000,000 plants, distributed in 774 towns in 40 States, were examined in this way. The bureau’s work of inspection covers Porto Rico as well as Hawail. Agents of the bureau intercepted more than 500 plant pests last year. These included the West Indian fruit fly, the pink bollworm, the sorrel cut- worm and the bull eelworm. A total of 19934 interceptions of prohibited plants and plant products were made during the year. The Bureau of Animal Husbandry carries on its work along much the same lines. Our animals always face the danger of disease from foreign sources. Animals Closely Examined. A close inspection was made of all animals imported during the year. The bureau has likewise, as part of its du- ties, examined all live stock intended for export. This has been done in order that they may meet the require- ments of foreign countries. Other Federal agencies are interested in the watch along our frontiers. The Public Health Service, for example, must keep disease out of the country, and in performing this mission it has devised & comprehensive and scientific plan of . _Its quarantine offi- cers are found at all ports. ‘The Public Health Service also has an intelligence service second in ef- clency to that of no other health or- ganization in the world. Surg. Gen. e e s e S on conditions rts of the world. s In the case of one South American country some time ago reports from its government showed no epidemic. The Public Health Service received word that a serious epidenmic was actu- ally then in progress in that country. though the officials were saying nothing about it. Mr. Cumming warned his inspectors’ who detected the disease passengers and crew of a ship that had Teached the United States from a port in the infected country. fumigated, the passengers and crew quarantined and the prompt action probably saved several American cities from an outbreak of the disease. The Public Health Service has re- cently extended its operations overseas. It now examines abroad the applicants for admission into the United States under the immigration acts. Coast Guard Long Active. ‘The long experience of the Coast Guard admirably fits that organization to take over the border patrol, in line with the recommendations contained in President Hoover's mesage to Con- gress. Admiral Billard and his men already have on their hands the en- forcement of the customs laws by sea and especially the prevention n{ the smuggling of liquor by sea. A coast line of 10,000 miles must be guarded and Admiral Billard readily admits that the Coast Guard has not yet succeeded in preventing all liquor smuggling. With greater forces under his command he believes that it will be possible to stop smuggling altogether. “It is perfectly evident,” he says, “that the smuggler has no intention of voluntarily abandoning his unlawful pursuit. In other words, there is noth- ing to be done but to put him out of business. This can be done, and the Coast Guard will do it if the necessary means to accomplish that end are placed at its disposal.” ‘The Coast Guard has today about 400 officers and more than 10,000 en- listed men, besides warrant and other non-commissioned officers. Its floating equipment includes 21 cruising cutters of the first class and 15 of the second class, 24 destroyers, aside from several hundred smaller craft. Great Lakes Well Guarded. Officers and men are so trained that they probably could take over tomorrow the sea duties of the new patrol. The Coast Guard has a st detachment in the Great Lakes and this would fit in well as a link in the patrol along the Canadian border from Maine to_Washington. The guard has a small air force, which could be expanded to take care of the needs of a future aerial patrol along the border. It now operates a coastal communi- cation system consisting of a telephone system of approximately 2,650 miles, including about 400 miles of submarine cables. These lines would afford the foundation for a comunication gystem for & border mol covering and sea frontl among the | g THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGT D C., DECEMBER 22 1929—PART TWO. One Never Knows in China Question of Safety, Not Extraterritoriality, Chief Issue Among Foreigners at Present Time The “Water Gate” through the Tartar City wall, Peiping, under which re- lieving troops entered to raise the Boxer siege in 1900. BY GIDEON A. LYON. S REPORTS from China regard- ing the state of the National government, seated at Nanking, indicate that its authority has lately been seriously weakened, although the latest turn of events strengthens it somewhat, apprehension is felt that disor/lers may occur in the treaty ports and other centers of popu- lation where layge numbers of Ameri- cans and other non-Chinese are resid- ing. This apprehension is somewhat increased by the fact that the Nanking government has during recent months been declaring that unless the powers that have extraterritorial rights on Chinese soil agree to the abolition of A8ES | those rights by treaty by the first of January, they will be summarily abol- ished by Chinese action on or soon after that date. This threat of the Nanking govern- ment is not regarded as a particularly serious menace, however, for it has not been believed that China would, in view of its dangerously divided condition, go 80 far as to challenge the governments that are now holding these rights of ex- traterritoriality—a term which for the sake of brevity is now generally ex- pressed in China as “extrality”—by their arbitrary abolition. Indeed, there is in fact a decided difference of opin- jon among the Chinese themselves rding this matter of extraterritorial- ft‘y‘ Many of the more influential and especially of the affuent, particularly those residing and having business in the “treaty ports,” are at heart advo- cates of the continuation of these rights for the sake of the greater security they enjoy under the international court. Question of Preserving Order. But it is not immediately & question of extraterritoriality that concerns the American and other foreign interests in the cities of Shanghai, Canton, Hong- kong, Tientsin, Hankow, Peiping and other centers of population. It is whether it will be fislhle in the event of the collapse of the Nanking govern- ment, through the -defeat or defec- tion of its troops in the several flelds of military action, to preserve order in those places. qulhp recently foreigners have been Upper: ower: moved from the more dangerously ex- posed points in the valley of the Yang- tse River to Shanghai. The other day several score of Americans and other nationals were taken from Nan- king, which, in the event of the fall of the government of Chiang Kai-shek. would be quite likely to be an arena of trouble. There has been a considerable athering of refugees into Shanghai, which is perhaps the best prepared of the coast cities for the quelling of dis- orders, or at least for the safeguarding of foreigners within a delimited zone of foreign influence. Visitors to Shanghal last Summer were impressed with the retention of measures against disaster that were pro- vided a year or so ago when conflicts developed between factions of the Chi nese and the lives of all foreigners were in danger. There were strongholds, or mll boxes, as they were styled during e Great War, at commanding points on the outskirts of the Foreign Settle- ment and the French Concession—these two areas being distinct and under sep- arate jurisdictions. There were barbed wire entanglements, some of them in the very heart of the city, near the rail- road station, where some sharp fighting occurred on the former occasion. There were, on the outskirts, movable street Characteristic street scene in the native section of Shanghai. American Marines keeping in form with gun exercises, Pei barriers of wire, veritable chevaux de frise, placed on the sides of the roads ready to be rolled into place on occa- sion. There were also stout steel gates at strategic points at the settlement and concession limits. Indeed, work was under way in July upon the erection of additional gates. Shanghal may be regarded as a type of the Chinese city in which the ex- traterritoriality problem presents itself and in which there is danger of conflict between the mob and the authorities and between the organized Chinese forces and the foreign soldlery. It is, however, not fully typical of many such places inasmuch as it is a seaport and the ships of foreign navies can reach its roadstead and the danger of com- plete surprise and besiegement is negli- gible. lere are, moreover, always suf- ficient foreign troops actually at hand there to keep order save on an occasion of absolute surprise and a native up- rising in a great mass. Situation at Shanghal. ‘There has been a “foreign settle- ment” in Shanghai, an area over which the Chinese government had no control, the terms of the Treaty of Nanking, signed the year preceding, the pr‘&lpfe since 1843, when, in accordance with |81 A direct souvenir of the Boxer siege, bullet-marked wall of British Lega- tion, Peiping. of such a zone of refuge and safety was established. It was not until 1845, how- ever, that the boundaries were laid down, delimiting an area of about 150 acres, extending from the shore of the 'hangpoo to the west. Those limits have since been greatly extended. At first the settlement was occupied chiefly by British merchants and officials and their forces. Later other nations de- manded and secured similar rights. In 1862 the French government, which had not formally ratified the original land regulations of the settlement, demanded @ separate concession, governed by a distinct council. That was the begin: ning of the Concession of today. From the beginning there has been a considerable Chinese residence within the settlement and concession, though at first the inclusion of natives as resi- dents was permitted only as a matter of necessity. According to a census taken in 1928 the population of the settlement then comprised 810,279 Chi- nese, 13,804 Japanese, 5,879 British, 1,942 Americans and 8,322 of other na- tionalities. No figures are available to indicate the population or classes in the French Concession. Get Better Protection. Today Chinese are most eager to re- side in the settlement or the concession, for there they have a far higher degree of protection than in the native city areas. An international police force keeps order as well as is possible, far better than under a wholly Chinese ad- ministration. The mainstay of the Prench police are Annamese troops and French marines. In the settlement the black-bearded Sikhs of the British forces are most conspicuous and most highly efficient. Both the Sikhs and the Annamese are distinctly hostile to the Chinese and rule by terroristic methods. The former are exceptionally mild mannered and gracious when unruffied, but flerce and efficiently belligerent when aroused. The sight of the turbaned head of a Sikh liceman tower: above the “sky-line” of & multitude in a Shanghai street is always a reassurance to the foreigner. If a rk:nl;lw “c:o)le starts argument with a foref passeng over the rate of fare a Sikh—by the (Continued on Sixth Page.) The Story the Week Has Told BY HENRY W. BUNN. The following is a brief summary of the most important news of the world for the seven days ended Decem- ber 21: b GREAT BRITAIN.—On December 20 the Prince of Wales, on behalf of King George, received the credentials of M. Sokolnikov, the new Russian Am- bassador to Great Britain. Immediately thereafter pledges on_the subject of Pproj were exchanged between M. Sol }n&m :m Henderson, the tish fore! 5 BIz)fl Decemberdl:( ttexe bnymv,‘t.lh govern- ment escaped _defea e narrow margin of eight in the vote in the Commons on the sccond reading of its coal-mining industry bill. According to my information, the main features of the bill are as follows: Reduction of the working day in the mines from eight to seven and one-half hours; establish- ment of a national wages board for the industry; establishment of a compul- sory marketing system for the entire industry; gradual acquisition of mining royalties by the state, and a levy on coal toward promotion of coal ex- port. The bill is only the first install- ment of the government’s program of legislation for the coal industry. Gen. Sir Charles Monro is dead. He will be remembered for one great achievement. Succeeding Gen. Sir Ian Hamilton in command at Gallipoli in October, 1915, he found matters as de- scribed in the following passage of his official report: “The position of the allied forces presented & military situa- tion unique in history. The forces held & line possessing every possible military defect. Complete evacuation was the only wise course, as an advance could not be regarded as a reasonable tary operation.” He acted accordingly and effected the evacuation and transfer to Saloniki with very extraordinary skill. Borestone Field, near the village of Bannockburn (two miles from Sterling, Scotland), is to be made a national park. In the battle of Bannockburn, on June 24, 1314, some forty thousand Scotch under Robert Bruce defeated about sixty thousand English under Edward II, with a loss to the latter of about eleven thousand—perhaps the most glorious episode in Scottish his- tory. “Bannock” means “white, shin- ing stream.” The bore stone is the stone in which Bruce planted his standard. It u‘pr‘ue‘rve‘d. FRANCE —Emile Loubet, who was President of France, 1899-1906, is dead at 90. Prior to becoming President he had been premier under President Carnot and president of the Senate. During his presidency the Franco- British Dreyfus affair was ended. He cordially uup&ofled Delcasse's efforts for the en- tente, and he suggested the ma~hinery for settlement of the vexed Dreyfus af- fair. He was the son of & peasant pro- prietor. He left an honored name. Capt. Dieudonne and Paul Codos of France have established a new record, flying in Coste's Briguet bi- plane Intes Point, 5,015 miles Rithout stop and without. refusling, | g about two hundred miles the record established by the Italians Ferrarin and Del Prete. The flight was over a triangular course embracing Marseille, Avignon and Narbonne; time, about 52, hours, conditions of the last 18 hwrs‘b‘.'inz.( unfavorable. * % * beating b: entente was effected and the|jn Kingdom of Italy (the first time a Pope had done so since 1870), crossing a part of Rome in order to visit thc Basllica of St. John Lateran, where 50 years before to the day he had been ordained priest. It is said that his holiness showed some excitement as he passed storied sites or reliques of old familiar to him, such as the Templ= of Vesta, the Circus Maximus, the Colosseum. * ok ok ok CHINA—On_ December 18 Chang Kai-Shek, as head of the Nationalist government, issued a statement to the effect that the government considered the crisis caused by the recent rebellions and mutinies to be over. ‘The commission of 17 American ex- perts, headed by Prof. Edward W. Kemmerer of Princeton, under contract with the Nanking government to make a year's study of economic (especially fiscal and financial) conditions in China, report and recommend, has completed its work. Six members of the commission have contracted with the Nanking government to remain in China as .advisers, especially with a view to applying the recommendations of the commission. 1t is rumored that the Nanking gov- ernment proposes to confiscate the properties held by the direct descend- ants of Confucius; including the Con- fuclan forest in Shantung, the Con- fuclan library and sundry agricultural and other holdings (about 16,000 acres). Kung Teh-Cheng, head of the family (directly descended through 76 ancestors from ‘the great sage), protests. One cannot help sympathizing with the protest. 4 EE JAPAN.—Japanese industry has some peculiarly interesting aspects. Having practically no iron and only coal of in- ferfor quality, by importing great quantities of iron ore and good coking coal Japan is building up an iron and steel industry which should within a few years fully supply her own require- ments in respect of pig iron and steel and may in time make her a com- petitor in the world markets in respect of those commodities. And the same as to cotton and woolen textiles, flour and sundry other manufactured goods, the raw materials of which must mostly be imported. Whereas formerly Japanese imports consisted almost entirely of manufactured goods, they now consist mostly of raw materials, semi-manufac- tured goods coming second, and manu- factured goods trailing with only 14 per cent. We hear much of Japanese economic difficulties, but note that, despite the post-war slump of 1920, the earthquake of 1923, the financial panic 0f 1927, and the anti-Japanese boycotts China, production in all the chief industries in Japan has greatly in- creased since the war, and further in- crease is indicated. The silk industry furnishes a curious| Fre; It is the only on It contrast to the above. first-rate industry in Japen based raw material produced in Japan. leads in Japanese export, but, curiously enough, the export is mostly of raw silk, ‘manufacture of silk textiles lag- ng. It may not be doubted, however, that such manufacture will in time achieve a great development. Silk ex- port has increased by about 450 per cent since 1914, and the number of employes in the industry increased six- fold in that period. Hydro-electric development has made great strides and ITALY.—On December 16 the Pope created six new cardinals, three of them Italians, one an Irishman, one a Fren and a tuguese. These tments_ bring the total membership of the Sacred College up to 63, including 30 Italians. - On December 20 the P surprise by entering ' created 8 trialization . of the perate population she must rely on development of indus- for the solution of her des- problem, Between v 1873 and 1925 the population increased from 33,000,000 to 60,000,000 and the present annual rate of increase is about 1,000,000. Korea and Manchuria have absorbed only about 700,000 Japanese immigrants, the superabundance of cheap Korean and Chinese labor pre- senting an absolute bar to extensive Japanese emigration to those countries. Japanese merchant marine is now the third largest in the world. * ok ¥k UNITED STATES OF AMERICA—It will be remembered how, on December 4, over 400 men of big business assembl in conference at Washington with the object of co-operating toward realiza- tion of President Hoover's program aimed at stabilization of the coyntry’s egonomy. Each of the 32 important trade groups presented a report cover- ing conditions in its field; the 32 groups embracing 250 organizations each of which had a delegate at the conference. The conference authorized appointment of two committees, one an executive committee of 20 men of the first rank in the Nation's economy, the other a larger advisory committee. Both com- mittees have been appointed by Julius H. Barnes, chairman of the Chamber of Commerce of the United States, the advisory committee numbering 140. Some are expecting these committees to acquire a permanent character looking to co-ordination of the economic activi- ties of the Nation in close liaison with the Department of Commerce, the ex- ecutive committee confining itself to shaping and direction of major policies. “Nothing,” says Mr. Barnes, “of an emergency character exists in the pres- ;nv,:ual.neu situation to require undue Some of us were pleased and others not so much so by the following char- acteristic statement in the President's message to Congress: “In a broad sense Federal activity in respect of constructive social service, covering education, home bullding, pro- tection to women and children, employ~ ment, public health, recreation and al- lied matters has been confined to re- search and dissemination of informa- tion and experience, and at most to temporary subsidies to the States in order to secure uniform advancement in practice and methods. Any other attitude by the Federal Government would undermine one of the most precious possessions of the American people; that is, local and individual re- sponsibility.” . Nevertheless, the President went on to reveal an astonishing degree of Fed- eral activity within the limits set. On December 14, the Senate, 63 to 14, passed the bill providing for tax reductions. On the 16th the President signed it. It applies only to 1929 taxes. On December 16, the Senate, 53 to 21, ratified the Mellon-Berenger agree- ment for funding the debt for the nch to our Government, already ratified by the French Parliament and by our House, and on the 18th, by appendlne' his signature thereto, the President’ ended an unhappy episode. A merger is announced of steel inter- ests in the Middle West, by which a $350,000,000 corporation is created, to be known as the Republic Steel Cor- poration. It is built around the Re- public Iron & Steel Co. and includes the Central Alloy Steel Corporation, Donner Steel, Inc.; the Bourne-Puller Co. and the subsidiaries of this group: it is third in importance of the steel enterprises of the country, and it is hinted that certain accessions are ex- pected to be put in second place, i. e., ahead of the Bethlehem Steel Corpora- tion and next to the United States s Steel Corporation. Our Department of Commerce re- cently published national statistics of marriage and divorce for the year 1928. ‘The number of marriages in 1928, per 1,000 of population, was 9.35, as against 10.12 for 1927; the number of divorces in 1928, per 1,000 of population, was 1.63, as against 1.62 for 1927. * K kK ‘THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS.—Note that 34 states, or almost two-thirds of all the states belonflnf to the League of Natians, and including all the great powers except Japan, have accepted or will oguoml statutes involving compulsory Ji led | diction GLf the Court for all justiciable disputes. Nine states have acceded, or their governments have announced the in- tention of immediately moving for ac- cession, to the League of Nations' “treaty for conciliation, compulsory Jurisdiction of the World Court and all—in arbitration, known as the gen- eral act,” framed and udo&tzd by_the 1928 Assembly. Those states are Bel- glum, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Fin- nd, France, Greece, the Irish Free State, Norway and Sweden, * ok ok X NOTES.—Viscount Cecil heads a committee which is raising a fund to be used for fimnem preservation of the Fram, which, by reason of its Arctic and Antarctic achlevements, ranks among ships as Amundsen and Byrd among explorers. It was the Fram that in 1911 carried Amundsen to the Bay of Whales, whence he proceeded by dog sled to the South Pole. Amundsen left the Fram's pennant flying at the Pole. The sum requlred 1s $20,000; too ;l;(‘:'llid for gallant but poor Norway to e. News is always welcome of Arabia proper, most romantic of lands, and of its sovereign, Inn Saud, Sultan of Nejd and King of the Hedjaz, most romantic of potentates. He is said to be having success against that inveterate rebel, Feisal el Dawish, but can't finish him off because he finds asylum and base of supply in the territories of the nhege az Ko!;;l:, ;‘hodu under British pro n. ud protests to the British government. v Committee in Deadlock Over Best Italian Book It may have been because the lions and the tigers in the Rome Zoo were in bad humor that day, or it may be that no really good novels were written in Italy in 1928. Anyway, an Italian “Fulltzer prize committee” finds it necessary to have another meeting to select “the most original, audacious, significant and revealing novel volcing the new spirit and the new art” foz the honor of the “2000” magazine prize, This review is published by a group of l‘l"'eer;{z' innovators mostly An' hlr . The , pursuant to in- structions, held igrl,eu&n in the Rome Zoo in front of the cages of the lions and tigers. The five novels under con- s tion were submitted to the ani- mals, but such a chorus of howls emanated from the cages that the jury was compelled to d d without a verdict being reached. Inasmuch as one of the five novels under consider- ation was written by one of the three proprietors of the magazine, and in view of the fact that the two partners of the author are on the jary, there 1s a strong suspicion that the animals Wwill finally select the novel of the editor. In that way the prize money would be nfimln the family and considerable Tours o1 the JelectEd acaoes’ Wil Te, auf EhE Ly E B B e use of no to stir up talk and e . [VETERANS NOW SHARE IN INSURANCE PROFITS More Than $28,000,000 Paid by Bureau in Dividends—About 650,000 Policies in Force. the United States still conducts one of the biggest insurance businesses in the world. Not only is it one of the largest, but one of the most successful as well, for the Government has dis- tributed through the Veterans' Bureau more than $28,000,000 as dividends to the ex-service men and women who have converted their war-time insurance policles and who now share in the profits of the enterprise. Under the farseeing directorship of Gen. Hines, the Veterans' Bureau has given World War veterans as cheap in- surance as they could get anywhere, and as a result of the successful steward- ship holders of policies may look con- ggmuy to the future for larger divi- I ds. On October 31 the number of policies outstanding was 649,417." The potent! value of these policies was $3,056,137,863. All told, the Government has received in premiums a little over $427,174,009. At the present time the Veterans' Bu- reau is glyin! on 163,606 claims, in- cluding those arising from deaths in the war. Of the claims handled, about 26,000 provided for lump payments. The others were payable over a period of years, under the options granted to those who took out the insurance. Beginning of Project. 4 In 1917 and 1918, the United States called about 5,000, of its citizens to military service. e call was one that carried unusual risks. Commercia] com- panies would not meet the extra hazard of war without a large increase in pre- miums. For practical . purposes, the soldiers and sailors were uninsurable, the premiums being beyond the means of the enlisted men. So the Federal Government decided to provide insurance for the service men. Insurance was issued in amounts up to $10,000 at a few dollars a year per thousand. The insurance was not mandatory, but officers did everything in their power to induce the men un- der their command to take advantage of the protection, ‘The premiums were deducted from the pay of the officers and men. Regi. ments vied with regiments in the total insurance taken out and division with division. Every division had its r- ance officer, and armed with complete information about the Government in- surance policles, these officers “sold” their divisions, just as the agents of a private insurance company “sells” his clients. U. S. Shares Burden, Few soldiers and sailors refused to avail themselves of the protection thus given so cheaply. Government paid all the costs of administration, all the overhead; and the term insurance granted during the war to the and the Navy cost the Government more than $1,300,000,000 in excess of the amount it received in premiums. came the armistice, and the soldiers and sailors returned to civil The Government, however, de- cided to continue its insurance business for the benefit of the ex-service men, and the Veterans' Bureau worked out a scientific plan for the conversion of the war-time insurance. There was one difference, however, between its erations in peace and its operations war. In peace the insurance business was to be organized in such a way that it 8§ the time that has elapsed since the armistice moves forward to its twelfth year, er | Would pay for itself, with the exception that the Government paid the a -~ istrative costs. Otherwise, the business was put on & commercial basis. Pre- miums were to be sufficient to take care of the ‘expected mortality and reserves | © were to be built up to cover claims for death and disability. Act Was Amended. Congress amended the World War veterans' act in 1928, extend indefl- nitely the period in which applications could be filed for Government policies by those entitled to them. The privi- lege had expired on July 2, 1927, except for new entrants into the service—that is, men in the Regular Army and Navy and cadets at West Point and Annapo- lis. er.l:w'-\‘lnu I:wmznl;flmal.‘j:ltu:lmfl‘: exp! of e more than 250,000 ex-service men had filed applications. Under the law as amended by Con- gress in 1928, the insurance rights of the ex-service man are clearly de- fined. He can choose among seven forms & policies against death or per- manent total disability. He may take out a policy for $1,000 or $10,000, or for any multiple of $500 between those two sums. But to get insurance now, the ex-service man must supply satis- factory evidence of good health. He cannot take out a policy larger than $10,000. If hé already has a pol- icy from the Government of $4,000 he can apply for enough additional in- surance to bring the total to the $10,000 maximum. The final require- ment is that he must have served in the military or naval forces of the United States between April 16, 1917, and July 2, 1921, Procedure Is Stated. A standard form is provided by the Veterans' Bureau for applications. Nevertheless any statement in writing is held sufficient to identify the appli- cant, the amount and the plan of the insurance, if submitted with a report of a physical examination and a re- mittance to cover the first month's premium. Any regional office of the Veterans’ Bureau, or any of its hos- pitals, will give the necessary physical examination without charge. The Veterans' Bureau has just put into effect a decentralization of its ac- tivities. The decentralization has been completed for policyholders east of the Mississippi, covering approximately two- thirds of the insurance accounts, and will be complete west of the Mississippi by the first of the year. Hereafter a man may pay his premiums to the nearest district office, and in the case of death his beneficiary may file a claim in that office. Director Hines believes that this plan will not only make the administration of the insurance business easier, but will prove a boon to the more than 600,000 policyholders. Decentralization of its activities will enable the bureau to conduct its insurance business with a standard of service comparable to that of the leading insurance companies and will bring about a closer contact with policyholders. Better Use of Funds. Decentralization has a further ad- vantage. Premiums will be collected through the regional offices, instead of the central office of the bureau. And in this wnz the funds collected will be made much more rapidly available for investment. The interest return on the Government’s life insurance fund will be_correspondingly increased. The policies offered are similar to those offered by commercial companies. The forms are 20-payment life, ordi- nary life, 30-payment life, 20-year en- dowment, 30-year endowment, endow- ment at 62 and five-year convertible term insurance. Without any appro- priations that could be used for this purpose the <-overnment has never been able to conduct a selling campaign as a commercial company would carry it on. It has, however, undertaken to give full information about Government in- surance in a simple form. It publishes & booklet, “Information irding Gov- ernment Life Insurance,” setting forth all the necessary information in the different kinds of insurance and: the premium rates for all ages. in the. world. premiums are the lowest called for by Revson bespy theb the Goverrct po reason it taken ove: flwentlrewltolm ul:xln'h' the s{:hm, - & e premiums val companies for insurance ofb&awm- sponding type cover an amount to include not only the estimated sums needed to meet death claims and ma- tured policles, but also an extra amount %o oi;:ver the expense of conducting the usiness, Science Seeks Secret of Super-Race In Intensive Study of Religious Codes Science must look to religion for the secret of a super-race. Human devel- opment depends, in the final analysis, on a “glorified form of mental hygiene” amounting in effect to religious disci- pline. These are the cpinions of Dr. John Munroe of Long Island University, who has expressed the belief that human intelligence is as much affected by en- vironment as by heredll{, and who views religion as one of the most im- portant and necessary environmental elements. “Food, sunlight, good homes and fa- vorable economic conditions, plus the spiritual quality supplied by religion, make or remold human life,” Dr. Mun- roe has declared in recent addresses. “Science must realize that religion is the core of human existence. Religion, on the other hand, must not separate the splistual from the real, but must apply spirituality to every-day affairs. In other words, human development is within human control.” In making the assertion that the race can be improved by manipulation of en- vironmental elements, including religi- ous training, Dr. Munroe explained his in tation of the terms heredity and environment. “The whole quarrel between heredity and environment,” he said, “is due to the varlety of interpretations of the two words. A distinction should be made between germ plasm inheritance, which is thousands of years old, and modifications or conditioning of the germ plasm in the body of the host. “Germ plasm really means cvarlasting life, while environment includes all out~ side influences on the germ plasm. All physical inheritance is too often re- garded as germ plasm inheritance. Very little attempt has been made to point out the changes that may take place before birth, and still not be due to the rm plasm. "“Llfg is tremendously old in terms of germ plasm inheritance. No one knows Jjust how long it has taken the whale to transfer four legs to flippets, or the fish in Mammoth Cave to lose the powers of vision. Human nafure changes still more slowly. Man is mongrel, general, variable, There are no pure racial types. In fact there is no sequence of racial selection anywhere in the world today old enough to justify an aristoc- racy of brains. Germ plasm inherit- ance, in the racial scheme, seems to be merely a common denominator. “There are no breaks or sharp lines of distinction in the stretam of life. Matter, energy and life are one and the same . Form and behavior cannot be separated. One does not precede the other in the development process. Heredity and environment are inter- related and intermingled. It is not a case of one being essential to the other, but of both being the same thing. “The existence of life or matter due to chemical and physical relation- ships. In the lower forms the hydrogen atom has only one possible relationship or one tentacle; oxygen has two, highcr metals 250 or more, the albumen of an ef 3,000 and the family of proto- lasms in animal life thousands each. t is clear that any modification of the chemical structure would thus find its expression in a thousand and one dif- ferent ways. If chemical pre-natal en- does, through the ages, the -chemical condition of the body of the host or rlrent is one of the most important actors in physical inherit " Dr. Munroe illustrated this point by citing the cretin types produced by in- correct chemical relationship in the thyroid gland, the one faulty relation- ship expressing itself in a dwarfed stat- u?. a tendency to idiocy, a strident volce, low resistance to disease and high nervous tension. One defect in body of the host thus reaches into many chemicsl processes and produces & variety of results. Similar illustra- tlons were drawn by Dr. Munroe from the Mongolian and moron types and the border-line cases common .to any school system. “While it is true,” Dr. Munroe said, “that the fundamental conditioning processes may be back in the early astages of development, it also to appear that the flnex'd Qualities, the in- a highly intelligent dividual traits that der-line case from human being, the differences of taste, Judgment and conformity to social laws may be due to something occurring later, such as the amount of sunlight, foods and the prevalence of toxins due to poor hygienic habits acquired after birth. It is probably true that the forms of inattention characteristic of border-line cases are produced by low mental energy resulting from low met- abolism caused by exceedingly vicious mainutrition, and that scattered atten- tion - eventually becomes so habitual that it is almost impossible to correct, even after the conditions of malnutrie flonn!xl:;e bn;l ;lemoved. " prejudices also becom: thoroughly habitual as to resist all ate tempts to break them down. These two qualities, inattention and prejudice, are quite common among {freshmen, yet any one in school work knows that when the malelements surrounding the fresh. men are broken down the response is astounding. Often it is nothing more than the spiritual element that is neces- sary to transform a student from a lower to a higher type. ‘We should be cautious about jump- Ing at conclusions. We should remem- ber the tremendous influence of physi- cal inheritance. But it now seems ex- tremely hopeful tha be brought t development can within human ) is becoming the basis ofmt;:emml T;l.k. search, the new philosophy and the new Canadian Wheat Grades Better Than Last Year Milling, baking and protein tests made of this year's crop of the Canadian wheat pool indicate that the Pprincipal grades of the 1929 wheat harvest are of excellent quality. The tests include a comparative study by grades of the ine spection standards, the averages of in- spections at the various inspection ints, the aver?e of the terminal md samples and the analyses of some un- 1,200 samples re%uenuuv: of crop disf in Western mu:“'g:‘: average protein content of the vironment is active, as it is, and if the development process reproduces, as it based upon analyses made to date, ' is mr;x‘h:auly 1.5 per cent ereater than,