Evening Star Newspaper, January 9, 1930, Page 8

(THE EVENING STA With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. @HURSDAY. ... .January 9, 1930 'HEODORE W. NOYES. ... Editor ¥he Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office: 11th 8. 'snd Pennevivanis Ave Nex Yo ice: 110 East 42nd Ghicaso : Lake Michigan Bull opean Office: Regent 8t.. ‘Londen: i Carrier Within the City. r. 45c Ler month | "60c per month w 65¢ per month | Tue Sundey St hiivi . .5C DeT COPI Collection made at the end of each month. Qiders mag be sent in by mal or felepnoce Ational 5000, Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia, ait> and Sunday.....] rr.. $10.00: 1 mo.. unday only . 1370 $4.00: 1 wo's £0¢ | All Other States and Canada. an and Sunday. ) yr. $1300: 1 mo.. $1.00 | ally only ~........1yr. $8.00 1mo. i8¢ unday only L1yrl 3500: 1 mo. Member of the Associated Press. pe: ulso_the Published herein Al rights of oublication o Bpecial dispatches herein are also reserved. Police and Firemen Pay. The Commissioners' report on the po- lice and firemen's pay bill concludes the formalities necessary before this legislation can be started on its trip through Congress, a journsy that fair- ness demands should be taken without fail during the present session. The Commissioners’ report is a formality only in the sense that it reflects a pub- lic opinion highly in favor of this legis- lation. Aside from that, the Commis- sioners’ report, with the report from the District Auditor, is more than a formal- dty. It raises the question of compara- tive rates of pay for the important of- | ficials at the District Building, shedding light on the need for readjustments in selaries pf officials outside the Police and Fire Departments. Recommending & cut, for instance, from $8,500 to $8,000 in the proposed new salaries of the Chief of Police and the Chief of the Fire Department, it is shown that the salary of $8,000 would be higher than the salary of the Peo- ple's Counsel and the Public Utilities Commissioners, the judges of the Mu- nicipal Court and Juvenile Court and fifteen hundred dollars higher than the Health Officer. The new salaries would equal the pay of the Municipal Archi- tect and the judges of the Police Court. They would be exceeded only by the salaries of the Commissioners, the Cor- poration Counsel and the Auditor. The comparisons cited above should | mot be used as any argument against the new rates of pay proposed for the Police and Fire Department heads. But they should lead to a readjustment up- ward of other salaries for responsible officials and heads of departments in the District Government. Eight thou- sand dollars is no exorbitant pay for 8 man who occupies the hazardous as well as responsible position of major and superintendent of police, nor for the chief of the Fire Department. If it equalizes their pay with the salaries of other officials heretofore rated as de- manding relatively higher remuneration, 1t means that the pay of these other officials is too low—not that the new rate of pay proposed for the fire and police heads is too high. The new rates for privates and the Jower ranking officers of the Police and Pire Departments are demanded by the comparable rates of pay for these men in other cities, if for no other reason. ‘The last rzadjustment of salaries for police and firemen was made in July, 1924. At that time Congress conducted 8 wide investigation of rates in other cities, which showed that pay of police and firsmen in Washington ranked twenty-fourth on a list of comparable cities. The readjustment of salaries at that time brought Washington to third place on the list. But in the five and & half years eince that time Washington's rate of pay has dropped from third to sixty- AAfth place on a list of cities of 25,000 2nd over tn population. Several glaring | inequalities have become apparent. Some of the cities now paying their privates more than Washington pays| officers below the rank of captain. And in 20 cities the maximum rate of pay 1s $2,500 for privates, a rate comparable to the pay of police and fire .captains here. The pay of ljeutenants in Wash- ington—82,350—1is exceeded by th maximum pay for privates in 31 cities. | As regards the Fire Department, an- eother inequality becomes apparent in the fact that many other cities pay ‘higher salaries to enginesrs and drivers. But in Washington privates are as- signed to these jobs, with no pay in-| crease, although the same skill and efficiency are demanded of them that | are required in other cities. The 12-/ hour shift for firemen, with night and day work alternating weekly, constitutes another argument for higher pay for these men. Congress might well make this salary | bill the vehiele for a general reorgan- ization of the two departments designed to increase not only the salaries, but the personnel and to augment civil service requirements by the establish- ment of adequate training schools for policemen, with higher standards re- quired for men who hope to survive | the probation period and ‘wear the | uniform, ———— A lobbyist who insists on becoming a Benator can at least be depended on to know all the tricks of any game that other lobbyists may seek to play on. him. ———ae— The Future Population. 4 stationary population of approxi- mately 150,000,000 for the United States in thirty o. forty years is predicted by Dr. Louis I. Dublin, noted statistician. This careful analysis of population trends differs radically from more op- timistic pictures which have been pre- sented in recent years and which have promised a nation of at least 200,000,000 souls by the year 2000. Both predictions have resulted from the application of statistical formulas to current birth and death reports. But Dr. Dublin has found one of those obscure but vital fallacies which are likely to enter the work of the most scrupulous statisti- cians. The American birth rate now seems to exceed the death rate by a healthy ‘margin, but it is an sbnormal and tem- porary birth rate due to the fact that an unusually large number of persons surate with the benefits derived by the gonment, of coaches. are in the reproductive ages of from 16 50c | age brackets is abnormal, statistics based immigration influx and most of the immigrants were young men and women. Now immigration has been re- duced notably, but the individuals who constituted the last great wave are still under 45 years of age. But they are growing older and there will be very few newcomers to take their places in this important age bracket. Their chil- dren will not have attained to age when they will head families of their own. ‘When the present generation were in- fants they benefited by the beginning of the remarkable progress of medical science which so materially has reduced infant mortality. Many more of them survived than had been the case with the previous generation. This is re- sponsible for another bulge in the im- portant age bracket. It cannot be as- serted that the sensational decline in child mortality will continue at any- thing like the same rate in the future. Since the population bulge in these upon the present birth rate carry an inherent fallacy, and the truth can be arrived at only by taking this into con- ideration. If it were not for this con- dition, says Dr. Dublin, the population of the United States would become sta- tionary next year instead of thirty years hence. 1s there any reason to fear a station- ary population? Superficially it might seem a good thing. We may hope, at least, that a nation’s need of man power for war is & thing of the past. A bal- ance can be arrived at between produc- tion and consumption, which will be & good thing. But this view does not take into con- sideration that American industry and agriculture are established on the basis of a growing population and that re- adjustment will be a difficult and pain- ful process which is likely to involve much unemployment and suffering. It R |to 45. Before the war there was an|mean to have, if they can. And that enormous is what the contest in the Senate today means, with fourteen or fifteen Repub- licans lining up with the Democrats of the Senate in a coalition on the tariff. Senator La Follette has never indi- cated that he was opposed to the pro- tective tariff theory. Like his father, who also was & member of the Senate committee on finance, his effort has been rather to bring the benefits of pro- tection to the people of the West and to see to it that duties on manufactured goods were raised to a point where ex- orbitant prices would not be charged to the consumers. The Republican “Old Guard” of the Senate so called, has received & series I of severe jolts during the past year. Its membership has been depleted by death and resignation. But more particularly there is a younger group of Republican Senators, men who have come into the Upper House within a few years, who have not been as amenable to the con- trol of the Old Guardsmen as has been the case in the past. These younger Senators hail not only from the West, but from Eastern States also. They have not been content to follow the “Old Guard” to the extent of forcing a fight between the Republicans of the West and the East which might become com- parable to the old Bull Moose split in the party. The strong opposition made by “Old Guard” members of the committee on committees to the assignment of La Follette to the finance committee and the fallure of that opposition is in- dicative of the change which is coming in the Republican control of the Sen- ate. Prom a political standpoint the Republicans would be foolish to alienate the States of the West from the G. O. the States of the East, like Massachu- setts and Rhode Island, are threatening to become Democratic. e is well to know in time what is in store for us, 80 that the necessary readjust- ment can be made gradually and with scientific sanity. R Carbon Monoxide Gas. Prequent fatalities from carbon monoxide gas during the past few years have served to warn the public against this deadly and treacherous constituent of the automobile exhaust. ‘Widespread publicity on the dangers of the closed car and the closed garage probably has served to lessen the num- ber of fatal accidents, but it never could be expected to eliminate them alto- gether. Bo long as the gas continues to permeate the atmosphere it will claim occasional careless victims. So the announcement by a Johns Hopkins chemist of a means of elimi- nating this waste product which can be incorporated in the structure of the machine itself is of considerable impor- tance. The discovery is a catalyst over which the gas passes on its way from the motor and which automatically transforms it into the comparatively harmless carbon dioxide. Simplification of the device to the point where it will be a required accessory to all cars may be expected to follow. But the discovery may do much more than eliminate the possibility of occa- sional carbon monoxide fatalities. Into the atmosphere above city streets there js & constant outpouring of this gas from multitudes of automobiles. It mixes with the atmosphere which every one is forced to breathe. The effects of this are debatable. Certainly there is not enough of it in the air to cause any sudden deaths or any effects immedi- ately noticeable. This sometimes has led to the statement that it is harmless. Theres is no certainty, however, that the effect of long-continued breathing of minute quantities of carbon monoxide may not be very harmful. It is difficult to measure. It may manifest itself in ailments which cannot easily be traced to their original source. The human organism is delicately adjusted to the atmosphere in which it lves. - Any up- setting of the balance of elements in this atmosphere may have far-reaching results. Without this discovery the rapid in- crease in the number of motor vehicles and their concentration on certain busy streets, hemmed in by tall bulldings, might have brought about a progressive lessitude and nervous degeneration among great numbers of people which would have been difficult to explain. Advances in civilization seldom are unmixed blessings. New. good is at- tended by new evil, and sometimes the two are in even balance. This discov- ery may constitute a very considerable factor in weighting the balance in favor of the automobile. st T R AR One advantage is enjoyed by the Byrd expedition which may help to offset physical hardship: Its men are not expected to engage in public dis- cussion at a time when political affairs are most complicated. —— e The West Scores. Rebert M. La Follette, jr., of Wiscon- 3in is to become a member of the Senate finance committee, which handles tariff and revenue legislation. His assignment by the Republican committee on com- mittees to that post is not likely to give the country cause for alarm, despite the desperate efforts which some of the Republican “Old Guard” of the Senate made to keep Mr. La Follette off that committee. Furthermore, the decision of the committee to place Senator ‘Thomas of Idaho on the finance com- mittee, along with Senator La Follette, helps to give to the great West and Northwest additional representation on this important committee which it de- serves. Senator Thomas is one of the new Senators on the Republican side of the chamber. He represents, in a measure, the group which has been dubbed the “Young Guard,” formed at the last session of Congress to expedite passage of the tariff bill. The West has for years been endeav- oring to get its fair share of the bene- fits which accrue to the country from the protective tariff. The present fight in the Benate itself over the pending tarift bill is another evidence of the differences which have existed between the West and the East on this important question. It recalls the fight made by ‘Western Benators in 1909, led by the late Senator Dolliver of Iowa, when another tariff bill was before the Sen- ate. The Republicans of the West are not opposed to the theory of the protec- tive tariff. They are anxious to have Vermont finds it difficuit to enforce a law calling on an intoxicated man to tell where he ‘obtained the liquor. An intoxicated man is likely to express himself with difficulty and is not reliable in the matter of veracity. e After protesting against profanity in current literature Cole Bleasg quotes it in s spesch, apparently on the theory that properly reared young people do not read the Congressional Record. —_————————— There is hope that the question of naval supremacy may be managed by prolonged debate in a way that will forever prevent it from being put to the test in actual conflict. e ‘Washington, D. C. is expected to set an example to the world in every branch of morality excepting that of exercising the duty of & citizen to cast a careful and conscientious ballot. ——r——————— ‘Thanks are due to the comparatively small speculator who takes his losses in silence and does not impose new tasks on some already overworked grand jury. e A royal wedding proceeds on lines of splendor which suggests a lavishness which Mussolini could scarcely approve of as a popular example. The energetic career of young Mr. La Follette gives encouragement to the sclentists who attach great importance to the influence of heredity. ——— e —————— A bomb explosion dealing general de- struction reveals one form of homicide that leaves no room for the theory of suicide. ——rte SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. January Promise. It's not so very long to wait For blosscming so fair And birds that gayly congregate ‘Where perfumes fill the air. Although the snow with sparkling chill May hide the leaf and flow'r, We soon shall know the genial thrill That marks the Mayday hour. The sunrise with its coloring soft, The twilight's radiant flare, Still hold their promises aloft Of splendor rich and rare. When April rainbows find the spot Where clouds have lingered late— ‘The skies remind us it is not Bo very long to wait. ‘Temporary Improvemept. “Do you think the world is growing better?” “1 don't doubt it,” answered S=nator Sorghum. “Just now it is at its very best. At the close of January the New Year resolutions begin to weaken.” Jud Tunkins says you can't tell how much was lost when the stock market dropped. It is at least the privilege of a loser to draw on his imagination for big figures. Serious Side of Thrift. For thrift the prudent person begs In language loud and wise. T'll learn to like cold storage eggs And thus economize. Herolc Effort for Novelty. “This jazz tune doesn’'t sound like anything I ever heard before!” sald the musical connoisseur. “That's why I like it,” answered Miss Cayenne. classics till we know them by heart. It is absolutely necessary to try for some- thing that isn’t easy to remember.” “Too much display of wealth,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “is a signal, telling dishonesty where to search.” Loquacity. Some argument is always hot. ‘We're told with great suspicion That liquor makes men talk a lot— And so does prohibition! “I has a heap o' respeck foh a wheel- barrow,” sald Uncle Eben. “It brings in money, stid o' keepin’ you busy buyin’ gas an’ payin' fines.” s —utace But They Will, From the San Antonto Express. President Hoover will like his new of- fices all the better if visiting delegations cannot find him. pl e Or at Visiting Writers? From the Dayton Daily News. An English writer says Americans lack self-control, but how many of us ever take a punch at a traffic cop? Case of Sour Grapes. their people receive, however, benefits from the tariff which may be commen- industrial -East. That is what they From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. A college president urges the aban- itution ‘has no team. P., particularly at a time when some of P “Radio has played the old | ate receipts and paid It fnnl whether a prolongation of pain or in- | took “Keeping up with the Joneses” is & phrase in universal use to describe & well known set of actions and re- actions. The set of circumstances and condi- tions included in the meaning are re- garded usually as rather inimical to the peace of mind and well-being of those concerned. The “keeping up” is mostly, accord- ing to popular conception, s thing of money expenditure, and, unfortuna 1y, money spent unwisely, as all money i8 which does not pay for a genuine need of the purchaser. Purchases made through imitation, envy of others, a desire to outshine an- other, may be called unwise, since they violate the fundamental precept of modern salesmanship, that the pur- chaser must have a real need for what he_pure] 3 There is one way of keeping up with the Joneses which costs little money, yet which adds to the sum total of wealth, not only of gne's own, but of the community, city, Nation at large. If more people would strive to “keep up with the Joneses” in keeping prop- erty, including house and grounds, in tip-top shape, there is not a town or city in the United States which would not be better off. gedness, a distinctly American vice, is 4 feature of our landscape. A hovel appears alongside & palace, an unkempt lawn adjoins one neatly trim- med, a muddy terrace used by thought- less children as a slide lies next to & flawless grassy slope. R Here the Jones family is being blamed around the world for pushing every one else into vexatious expense, when one of . their great merits has hitherto escaped mention. Yur‘t the Joneses do keep up their erty. ‘hey take lJ.mde in the appearance of their grounds. The Jones kids, as healthy, normal youngsters as ever lived, have been taught to respect prop- end_, their own as well as that of others. e phrase it that way around, for no chudnx: ’cmdb‘t expected tg hhnve any respect for the property of their hbors uniess they firsf t of all have & decent, led, wise respect for that of their own father. Let the world give Mr. and Mrs. Jones credit. The two Jones boys could wreck the community overnight, it they wanted to. Those muscular little legs, like steel springs, could bound down every terrace, 1oll across every lawn on skates, un- doing in a few hours, or days at most, what careful and prudent householders h’.“dhuken months and years to accom- P! The Jones boys, however, have been taught better, as the old-fashioned phrase had it. The Jones boys may forget, now and then, but on the whole they conduct themselves in keeping with the old American attitude of pride in property. e Let the sneerers decry this attitude as bourgeois. The latter is one of those good French words for which there is no real translation. The best one can do is to say that “bourg” means town, and that “bourgeois” means towns- people, and thus refers to actions, thoughts, dreams, ideals, aspirations of town dwellers, We may pass up the distinctly French meaning of a member of the shopkeeping middle class. Pride in property is strictly bourgeois, | wherever it may be found. It is based solidly on an instinct in human beings, veritably as old as the hills, to admire and envy those persons who are above them in regard to class and worldly but glamorous race, in whom greed combines with dreams, often to their ay workers of Argentina e been attracting considerable attention to themselves and to their cause by stopping work at certain time on certain days, the A NACION, Buenos Aires.—The | T a last instance being for half an hour at noon recently at different points. Both steam and electric railway workers are involved. They threaten to increase *this stoppage by 15 minutes on future occa- sions unless some attention is made to their demands for more pay and better working conditions. The National Ar- gentine Railway and the Union Fer- roviaria in Buenos Aires and all the subsidiary lines of the former company are affected. The officials of these com- anies claim that they cannot bring about any improvements due to the fact that they would have to increase both passenger and {reight rates, if they were to grant increased wages or holi- days with pay, and that the public is y complaining about the rates. More than that, recent revenues of the company have been falling off due to the great reduction in n&fn and other shipment owing to the poor crop. * ok ok Palestine Ponders Disturbances. Falastin, Jaffa.—The present week end is being spent by the commission of in- quiry into the Palestine disturbances and the "Palestine mandate in visiting the places where trouble between the Jews and the Arabs hasoccurred. Investigation on the spot ought to leave the members of the commission in no doubt as to the true position in Palestine, which has been carefully hidden from the British public, and pretty much the rest of the world, by British officialdom. ‘The first point which will strike the commission is that everywhere there is acute friction between the Arabs and the Zionists. The Arabs, who number five-sixths of the population, have never understood klg' their interests should be subordi: to those of a compara- tively small Zionist minority. A re- sult, peace is only maintained with difficulty by British aircraft and bayonets, Now the number of British bayonets is once more being danger- ously reduced, with the withdrawal of one of the three battalions hurried to the country during the disturbances. In fact, hostility between the Jews and the Arabs is growing, and all the hope once entertained of perfect har- mony after a period of British control must now be abandoned. There will, of course, be a heavy bill to pay for the recent troubles, and for the dispatch of troops and ships to deal with them, but the money will have to be found by the British taxpayer, for Palestine itself is insolvent, and is not likely to be solvent at any early date with its present ex- pensive system of administration. & it New Paving in Montevideo Streets. Imparcial, Montevideo—A number of streets in Montevideo are to be newly paved with blocks 15 centimeters (8 inches) in thickness. Sectors will be paved both with wood and paving brick, > which gives the better results While pavements of e phaltum are better in some respects, still they have disad- vantages, both from the standpoint of expense and other particulars which will result in these expsriments being watch- ed with great interest by municipal au- thorities. The cost is from $4.07 to $5.09 (Uruguayan and U. 8.) per square meter. * ok ok Brazil Talks of Mercy Kilings. A Noite, Rio de Janeiro.—The cam- paign in favor of “euthanasia,” if we may €0 denominate the “mercy killing.” for which a son was recently acquitted in France, does not appeal to our best emotions or intelligence. There is too much fallibilitv in human judgments. is impossible for us to determine ! goods. The Prench people are a direct | Je THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. utter confusion, but oftener to their glory. The peasant envied the man of fixed income, and when he got there himself held fast to his own. An in- dependent living was the practical ideal of these practical idealists. French literature 18 at one in a portrayal of peasant character. History and literature alike prove that mankind, in fundamentals, is amazingly alike the world over. The French peasant and the PFrench shopkeeper may be a bit more distinct, in their characteristics, but their likes may be found in every land under the sun. And one of them everywhere is the re- spect for property, and the care of it, not only as a matter of personal satis- faction, but as one of the best ways to keep up values. * ok ok ok Are Americans less shrewd than peoples of other races, or are they more prodigal, greater seekers after the easlest ways of living? To bring it down to the item under discussion: Why are some Americans unwilling to keep up with the Joneses in regard to lawns, terraces, gardens, house painting, roof upkeep, while only too ling to enter into competition with them in regard to automobiles, clothes, Summer trips, bridge, cigarettes, servants? It is not because grounds and houses are not visible that some Americans seem to have so little regard for them. Every one who passes on the street sees at a glance that terrace, those mud holes in the lawn, those shiny spots on the gutters and downspouts where the paint has worn off. The litter of paper in the back yard, blown in by every wind, but never picked up by any hand, shouts to high Heaven for observance. In the old days it would have been the duty of some member of the family to have gone around at least once a day in search for just such offenders. In the old days (are they gone beyond recall?), no hostess would have thought of permitting dinner guests to walk up to the front door through a litter of Autumn leaves. If she could have found no one to sweep the walk clean, she would have done it herself. Nor would she have thought it fous on her part to have permitted same guests to have stumbled over bicycies, kiddie cars and roller skates in the hall. e * * Today many do not seem to care. Perhaps the indifferent would reply that all those concerns were foolish, even in their day and age, and that now no one has time to bother about them, there is so much to see and do in_the world. Every generation believes that it is somehow tremendously different from the humanity of the past. It i5 an exceptional person who is able to see clearly that Julius Caesar was just as much ive as Mussolini, that the “modernity” of the Renaissance was ilu! “modern” as the palpitatin, t the present generation tene to deify. The age of Columbus in discovery, Shakespeare in letters, Leonardo in art, was as scintillating as this of Byrd, Kipling, Whistler. In the matter of hospitality there has been a slackening, it would seem, until suspicton has ousted some of the finer points of llvl.nr Courtesy on the grand scale has glven way to hair-trigger criticism. In- ldnlnerenre "'“?'mmn'}”g into ll!'e0 ;m} anners, one of the first things to feel the effects was the home, Some people no longer look with ide on their houses. They are will- ing to confine their competition to au- tomobiles, clothes, wild parties. They are busy “keeping up with the Joneses” to notice that Mr. and Mrs. ones, in setting the , also keep e and grounds—including ter- races—in tip-top shape, Highlights on the Wide World Excerpts From Newspapers of Other Lands validism will not result in a complete restoration. To countenance such pro- cedure even in theroy is dangerous, fo. such nominel indorsement may easily instigate a series of errors—yes, and of crimes—in blindly or falsely authorizing such fatal Kl"lmte! upon the aficted that with the constant development of medicine and surgery may easily be con- sidered within the range of cure or cor- vection at almost any moment. * ok ok ok Z"al..:":‘.’..."""‘.c..m Solr, Brussels.—The last of the Belglan army of occupation has de- parted from Aix-la-Chapelle. The Ger- mans have been spending the day in rejoicing, and in posting up manifesta- tions beginning with “Aachsn ist frei!" —and ending with their battle-cry, “Deutschland Uber Alles! ‘To us this does not seem in very good taste. During the lenient dominion of fore troops in various sectors, dur- ing the fulfiliment of the reparations program, the Germans have consistentl; considered themselves very much abused. They have continuousiy uttered com- plaints, reproaches and threats of re- venge, and they havé magnified ex- cesdingly the merely nominal restric- tions under which they have been placed by the various armies of occupation. In deploring the petty annoyances to which ! they have been subjected, they forget emfl-ely the martyrdom which {hzyrfi- flicted uj ereign s Belgium, a neutral and sov- te, which was not allowed the nml e'\mlcy to be loyal to its own con- ence, While foreign troops have been sta- tioned in German territory, there have been loud lamentations upon the in- ustice of such treatment, but there have no expressions of regret for what lum had to endure. Ah, ves, it Belgit does still make a difference whoss ox | is gored. !elfllm—y:u are warned! BRI Noise Is a Factor In Life of Vienna. Neues Wiener Tageblat, Vienna.— The Greblergaese (Grebler street) presented an unusual appearance to- day. The pavement was strewn thickly with straw, and at the intersec- tion stood a liceman, who was charged with allel columns. A Sabbath stillness reigned, which the doctors had pre- scribed for the sick patients in the adja- cent hospitals. However, this precau- tion did not prevent smoke from the motor-car exhausts from wandering in at the open windows and causing ane other annoyance to the sick people. This, and smoke from other sources, is another menace that will have to be guarded against when the matter of Tnoise is finally disposed of. However, there isalways something forgotten, and, though horns and sirens were mute, precisely at 7 o'clock, there came Acrtlmln’ shriek from the whistle of nearby factory, summoning the em. ployes to work. Beginning at high C, three octaves above the scale, it de- scended to C of the low bass, and was sufficient in itself to terminate the ex- istence of almost any suffering invalid. The commission appointed for the pre- vention of street noises will have to extend its scope if any real reformation 110? ?ten::.l.;e' as ka muc!g:y w‘lals&l: can- Speaking, be’ sa! “street nolu."pe . Tere ——r———— Post-Christmas Bills. rrg the Lynchburg News. ngress put the department appro- piration bills off until after Christmas, and that is what a lot of us did, though “after Christmas” is even more in- definite than with Congress. e Early Loot. From the Indianapolis Star. ‘The umbrella is sald to be 179 years old, leading us to wonder what people before thgt. pol keeping the traffic in par- | §a Charge of Selfishness on Retirement Bill Unjust To the Bditor of The Star: The article in your paper written by Mr. J. Erwin Latimer has been read with much interest, but I must take issue with him in the statement that Mr. Alcorn “is somewhat selfish in his desire to have all organizations support the Dale-Lehlbach bill.” Nobody who knows Mr. Alcorn and his devotion to selfish motive. Mr., Alcorn is one of the best friends of which Government employes can boast on retirement matters, and if he is _advocating support of the Dale- Lehlbach bill it must be because he belleves that there is no o{:ponunaty for any other bill to pass at this ses- sion. You must remember that it was Mr. Alcorn who obtained sufficient sigs natures of Congressmen to bring the retirement bill out of the rules com- mittee where Chairman Snell had re- tained it for so long. I know that Mr. Alcorn is just as anxious for the passage of the bill which the League of American Civil Service is sponsoring, granting optional retirement a: 30 years' service at 60 years of age is Mr. Latimer, or any the rest of us. I know that Mr. Alcorn desires to see the minimum annuity raised from 9 cents a day to $365 per annum and the maximum to $1,500. He would like to see employes, who have retired for disability and who later recover, restored to a position in the Government instead of losing all an- nuity as well as their positions if they are unable to find a place in the Gov- ernment service within 60 days after he believed there was the least chance bach bill and pass Congress at this ses- sion I am sure he would be using all his influence ta that end. ‘The Dall hibach bill is ready for immediate passage. It reduces the age limit to 68 optional, but it grants $1,200 annuity. True, only about 3,000 employes will receive the maximum, but even the little bit extra which the other 12,000 will receive will be a life- saver in many cases. Can we, who are employed, stand in the way of those poor souls so badly in need, or shall we be unselfish and |he!p pass the Dale-Lehlbach bill at this session and go back to Congress next session with our plea for a la annuity and optional retirement er 30_years’ service? The retirement fund now in the United States Treasury has reached the enormous sum of $145,000,000, and by July 1, 1830, will be over $150,000,000. This sum draws 4 per cent compound interest. Ere long the interest alone will pay the annuities without touching the principal. Figure it out for your- selves, the actuaries to the contrary notwithstanding. employes, together with the interest, during the last fiscal year amounted to $32,920,045, and there was paid out in annuities, refunds and retirement for disability the sum of $16,072.472. These authentic figures show that employes contributed $16.856,573 more than was needed to pay all requirements. We have good reason for asking for a higher annuity ($1,500) and optional retirement and we believe we have shown the Congress the necessity for such legislation and that they are of & mind to pass such bill at the next session. They would pass it now only for the fact that the Dale-Lehlbach bill has twice h houses and the cause could ever accuse him of a b recovery from their disability, and if |1l for such bill to displace the Dale-Lehl- | sibl T | ever, was The sum contributed by Government | glgo ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS ‘The answers to questions printed here each day are picked from the mass of inql handled by our great Information u_ mainta! wnmn’um. D. C. This valuable serv. ice is for the free use of the public. Ask any question of fact you may want to know, and you will get an immediate ‘Write plainly, inclose 2 cents tage and ormati Bureau, Haskin, director, Washington, D. C. Q. Which country has the world dis- tance record in nlt&l:nuv—x. 8. A. The long-distance record for the world in avia 18 held by France, with 4,948,500 miles. Q. What is the Hawallan word for newcomer?—L. D. A. It is “malihini” Q. Where 18 the largest synagogue in the world?—E. M. B. A. The new Temple Emanu-El, over- looking Central Park in New York City, is the world. the largest e New York Oity has the largest Jewish population of any city in the world. Q. Do most of the drug addicts con- tract the habit through taking drugs while 111?—A. H. A. Actual statistics as to the number of drug addicts in the United States are but it is believed that not more han per cent of those who have the habit were introduced to drugs while 1l. Contact with other addicts and such bad associations are usually respon- e Q. P‘u_‘i, m!ma the principal islands . The principal islands are Hondo, S , Kius kaido or Yiso, Formoss or Taiwan, Kurile Island and Luchu Island. Q. What is & land grant college?— H. 8. G. A. A land grant college is an educa- tional instituf which derives at least a part of its income from sthe sales and rentals of lands granted to the various States for educational purposes. eove® The’ mest tmporiant one, how. ws. m one, how- passed about 1860. This law gave to each State 30,000 acres of land gerwumuun. In this way if & tate had 10 Representatives, it would have 300,000 acres of land, the income ot'mchwumbeu-dlnnrfimn( a free education institution for peo- ple of that State. Practi all_the State universities of today are land it colleges, and there may be other mmfim in the State such as tech- nical and industrial schools which are practically supported in this manner of Japan hu, Hok- Q. Did Columbus’ compass fail to work upon his first journey to this coun- try?—J. B. A. The compass did not fail Colum- o compats were oy cléatly under. of the compass were not clear! - stood at that known time. seas at that time the needle pointed not quite north, but a little west of north, fod o e 7 o e compass needle wo nearly hp:hc north. No one had heard of s place where it ted exactly north or even somewhat east of north. Q What is the t record in bot! :‘unr,x easily be rushed through at this i - MARGARET H. WORRELL, President League of the American Civil Service, ] Shivaree Proposed As a Starling Cure To the Editor of The Star: While down in the shopping district during December I was very much in- terested in watching the starlings that roosted on the sides and tops of build- ings and attracted so much attention from sers by. Since then I have read many articles about ynsuccessful attempts to rid the above-mentioned and other localities of the pests. My method may seem crude, but as crude and as comical as it appears, my- self, with the agsistance of other neigh- bors who were similarly annoyed, were quite successful in employing it to make Emlumnble conditions for these noisy rds. First, we noticed the time of their ar- rival each evening, and such flocks there were perchin, topmost branches of the tall trees. 8o, just about the same hours each evening, and just at the time when the flock arrived and was about to light, my nelghbors. and I, some from windows nearest the branches, would beat loudly upon old tin pans with heavy spoons or metal. T':I: we continued for about five min- utas. It was amusing as well as amazing to note the magic effect the noise 11!6 upon these settlers. This method we employed for about a week. Since then we have not been | annoyed by the birds. Of course, I am not ugecnn‘ such a seemingly ridiculous method to be em- ployed in the downtown district. But I was thinking that the effect of noise on the starling may aid your scientists or men emploved to make a studv of the bird in devising some glun to rid us of them. ‘W. H. COWAN. ————— Mather Testimonial Plan Is Commended | From the Columbus, Ohio, Evening Dispateh. Lovers of our national parks who { happen also to know something of their management during recent years will be i glad to know of the rapid progress of a movement to create a fitting testimonial to the work of Stephen Tynp Mather, director of the National Park Service since 1917 until his resignation, because of ill health, a little more than a year ago. It is a fine idea to provide this testi- monial while Mr. Mather is living. No one could appreciate more keenly than he this proof that his self-sacrificing devotion to the development of the na- tional park system had taken wide and deen hold upon the hearts of the Amer- | ican people. That hold was just what he was laboring to produce, for with the national park idea once solidly imbed- 'd in the hearts of the ple, there need be no fear for the future of these magnificent reservations. John Hays Hammond is at the head j of the committee, and contributions are | coming in from all parts of the country. Just what form the testimonial will take has not yet been definitely decided, but it will bs something entirely appropriate and directly connected with the national park system. Party Line-up Seen In Virginia Houses From the Roanoke World-News. According to a tabulation made by | the Richmond News-Leader, the anti- Smith faction, which contributed so much noise to the recent State election, failed to elect a single member to either branch of the Virginia Legislature. Its collapse was signal and complete. The movement and its leaders will not be heard of again. And there is much evidence that the Republican party in Virginia, weakened by the recent con- test, is h!ll'!ll{u.ofl'y that it allowed itself to enter into such an entangling alliance. ‘The News-Leader reports that the Legislature, which convenes in Rich- mond on January 8, will have a strictly rty line-up, that no member of either anch will appear as an “anti-Smith.” There are Democrats and Republicans, but no independents. It reports the Senate roll as 38 Democrats and 2 Republicans; the House of Delegates, 93 Democrats and 7 Republicans, a Re- publican gain of 2 over the 1928 ses- sion, when there were but 5 Republicans in the Lower House. | abandoned.” mileage for one automobile?—C. J. A. The highest of which we have knowledge is a touring car that has run up s mileage of 430,000. arts?—E. H. M. A. le heart. It also has in the tail a lymphatic ‘nus—that |1s. an inclosed open space nlled with |Chinese Stand Seen as Political Gesture Effort to create an impression at home is the explanation given for the | Chinese government’s recent abolition of foreign courts. It is recognized that, un e republic, it is logical to ex- ! pect the Chinese to control their own | affairs, “but Americans, as well as Europeans, frel that the native courts of China must be reformed and that a more stable government must be estab- lished before extraterritorial rights are relinquished. v : United Bllfi!l'-‘?ovflrr'n&len!’ v:;y properly recognized the of the Chinese as an independent people to throw off the shackles of extraterritori- ality when it address:d to the Chinese its note of last August, expressing the readiness of this Government to partic- ite in negotiations to find a method for gradual relinquishment of these rights by the nations which have them,” says the Charleston Evening Post, adding that “if the powers agree with the Chinese in principle, it is hard to s*e why they should do anything more than try to bring about the im- mediate enactment of laws in China those now existing.” ‘“‘America ought to take the leader- ship,” advises the Milwaukee Journal, “by informing the Chinese that we shall be glad to give them every aid in $:ttifig up the kinds of courts that will be satisfactory and that nobody will be more disappointed if, after a fair trial, it is found that China is not yet in condition to mete out even-handed justice.” The Manchester Union is con- vinced that “when China's courts can guarantee equitable justice to Ameri- cans, Washington will not hesitate to accede to the abolition of foreign rights on Chinese soil.” The Union states, as the rights on which Americans shpuld insist, “that they will not be subject- ed to military interference or exaction; that they will not be ssed of their property without just cause, and that they will not be subjected to un- Decossary embarrassment in Jjustice.” “The foreign minister of the Nanking government, Dr. Wang,” says the At- lanta Journal, “intimates that there will be no burry in enforcing the ne: order, and that there ne:d be ‘no ference of opinion and China regarding the principles in volved.” This avowal might better have preceded the forthright repudiation of an old and treaty-based custom. If there is to be no difference of opinion, then the nations concerned must be given an opportunity to sent their views. And until tha dons they probably will insist that the rights acecorded their nationals in Chins shall not be abridged.” The K 2 Gagette holds that “our country's it record as a friend of China lends strong support to a belief that Washington officialdom is sincere when it declares its willingness to help the Chinese revise their legal code in such a way that the special privileges now _exerci by foreigners can be * ok x % ‘The Chicago Daily News interprets the oflflnfl,‘:nmc proclamation ‘r‘:un- ly in a Pickwickian or Chinese senss,” and advises that “the powers cannot object to this face-savi expedient if it tends to ote Chinese stability and unification without imperiling any substantial foreign right.” The St. Louis Globe-Democrat is “inclined to think that this decree is designed mainly for psychological effect wn the Chinese, with no expectation that it can be ap- lied to the main " ‘The y the subject again for o 1bje gal possible modifl- cation. “If China ever is to enjoy the fruits of independent statehood,” t; the judg- ment of the Houston Chronicle, “she will have to see to the removal of foreign tribunals from her soll. step, if taken judiciously, should pave the way for a furthe; the BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. lymph. This sinus pulsates and is, therefore, sometimes called the caudal heart. The sinus, however, is g simple tructure and does not have the complex mechanism of a true heart. RQI; What is the eternal triangle?— "A."The term 1s used in_réference to an emotional situation of sex conse- fon | quence in which either two women and one iman or two men and one woman are involved. Q. Where does the United States get its supply of English walnuts?—L. E. B. A. Quantities are raised on the Pa- cific Coast, particularly in California and Oregon. They are also imported from Prance, England, Germany, Italy, ‘Turkey, Australia and Chile. Q. Please mention some bells which were made by Paul Revere.—A. J. 8. A. Paul Revere and his son, Joseph ‘W. Revere, made a great many bells. Among them may be mentioned the bell at St. Paul's Church, Newburyport, Mass., and the one in the First Church, Lancaster, Mass. Q. Where were “soldlers of fortune” first known?—R. B. T. A. During the frequent wars which | occurred in Italy before the military ofession became so generally pre ?;nc in Europe, it was usual for men of enterprise and reputation to offer their services to thgm Me;:ent -'dmm'e :m were engaged. They afterward exten their services and under the title, “sc] diers of fortune,” fought for employ- ment in any country or state that would pay them. Q. Who was the first woman in the United States to be appointed a census supervisor’—B. H. B. A. The first woman in the United States to be appointed to this position was Miss Julls R. Jenney of Syracuse, . Y. Ehe obtained her commission on August 13, 1919. Five days later Mrs. Roy E. 8mith of Hillsboro, Tex., received a similar appointment. Q. Who wi’oten"'l'he Girl I Left Be- hind Me"?—L. B. A. It is not known definitely who wrote “The Girl I Left Behind Me” or the year in which it first ng ared. It was sung so long ago as in 1760. Q. How often can the designs on our silver money be changed’—F. K. A. Congress has authorized = the changing of the design of United States coins once every 25 years. Q. Did the Indians know how to swim?—S. O. M. A. The Bureau of American Eth- nology says that the Indians were re- markable swimmers and some of the tribes were in the water as much as were the primitive Polynesians. They swam six or seven different ways, in- cluding treading water, and would dive to the bottom of deep water. A com- mon institution among the Indians was the sweat bath. They would sweat in a specially constructed sweat house which was closed up to keep the heat in, and, when they thought they had sweated enough, would suddenly run outdoors, giving _warwhoops, throw themselves into the cold water, and after a while re-enter the sweat house to dry off, since they had no towels. Q. Did Thomas Jefferson leave the ‘White House immediately after James Madison was inaugurated?—A. H. A. President Madison returned after his induction into the presidency to the house at 1333-35 F' street, which he had occupled as Secretary of State. Jefferson spent several days in the is | was it White House before he left for Monti- cello. on Courts Kansas City Journal-Post, however, contends that “logical as is the demand of China, it is impractical,” and the Salt Lake Deseret News argues that the step “means abrogation of certain clauses in treaties—a step Which, in view of their other troubles, Chinese statesmen ought to think twice before taking ‘The Asbury Park Press, con- ceding that action may be possible in,| the future, pcints out that “‘our pres- ent arrangement with China regarding extraterritorial courts still has about four years to run.” * k% % “The Natlonalist government,” the Portland Oregon Journal, continue to hold the power and even- tually stabilize Chin: In that event all is well in the matter of extrater- ritoriality. If the present govern. ment fails, howevzs, £=== cTe ifxely to be a good many national and inter- national problems in connection with Chinese affairs. It might have been better to leave the extraterritoriality which will be more in accord with | Th, western ideas of jurisprudence than | ‘“conditions in China, which is in state of civil war a transition, and which is certainly in no position to &ull‘lnue protection to foreigners and offer them justice, forbid this country to consent to the relinquishment of treaty rights of much importance to Americans in China. All the govern: ments_concerned, however, should act promptly {n meeting the reasonable wishes of China.” “Political and commercial chaos," contends the Indiapapolis Star, “would result in the t disordered state of affairs, if native courts attempted to apply their archaic practices to modern legal problems. The present system can only be eliminated by China’s success in instituting the neces- sary judicial reforms.” Foot Ball Once Held Punishable Offense From the Fort Worth Record-Telesram. As the curtain is in the act of de- scending upon the final act of the foot ball season it is fitting to be remindsd that there orfte was a time in the life of Anglo-Saxonism that a foot ball player held about the same rank with, the authorities as does the ublquitous bootlegger of this day and time. He was the object of parliamentary decree, g:lvlt sermonizing, mayoralty edict and, ally, kingly pronunciamento. That the reigns of Edward III and Henry V. The reason was a rather ele- mental one of the young men of that era who insisted on gathering on the commons and battling long and ex- haustingly as two great contending mobs instead of going orderly about the practice of archer;—the elemental pre- paredness of the years before gunpow- der became a war agency. Jail sentences were provided for those who chose to disregard the various edicts. The trouble then, as now, was * the v simple one of enforcement. When the large majority of the young* men of a village went out and set the law of the land at naught, the subse- quent arrest and incarceration of the malefactors became a problem of mum- bers and capacities. There were not enough bailiffs and constables to make the arrests and nowhere to incarcerate a good one-half of the men of the vil- t is easy to follow the human nature elements involved. Given a young ally effervescent and a ban that was not enforceable on the face of it, and the result was certain. It was a matter of some 300 yegrs be- p | fore the battle of Waterloo was “won on the pla; flelds of Eton.” Just how long the attempt was made to relegatp foot ball into “scofflawry” is not clear, but the fact that it survived a couple of centuries of it is a self-evident fact. Delivering edicts and then enforcing them appears to have had a beginnin far back down the line and has not i greatly during cf the forces which are wel i=tion igto one body politic.” . The | erad the somewhat "l;}; chain of operations and 3—