Evening Star Newspaper, September 3, 1930, Page 8

THE EVENING STAR thus brought on the carpet three ques- tions: “What is your business?” THE KEVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1930. the pioneer, flew from Detroit to the Eastern metropolis to be the first to — | “What are you doing in Brooklyn?" |greet the courageous French fiyzrs who WASHINGTON, D. C ‘WEDNESDAY. .September 3, 1930 THEODORE W. NOYES. .. .Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office: 11th St and Pennsyivinia Ave. York Office- 110 East 42nd &t. Ghicaso Office: Lake A ice- ichiwan Building. European Office; gent St.. London, Rate by Carrier Within the City. per mor.th 60c per month 65¢ per month Star 5c per copy Collection made at the end of cach menth. Orders mav be sent in by mail or \elephone NAtional 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia, Daily and Sunday .. 1yr.510.00;1 n. Daily only ~..... 1¥r. 36.00: 1 m Bunday only ..1...101¥5, (4.00; 1 mo. 40c 0. 85c 0. 50c All Other States and Canada. Daily and Sunday. 1y1.,512.06: 1 mo.. $1.00 Daily only Al $8.00° 1 mo.. isc E i unday only $5.00-1mo., 50c Member of the Associated Press. ‘The Associated Press is exclusively entitied to the use for republication of all news dis- patches crodited 10 3t or not otherwise cied- ed in this paber and also the lacal news Published herein. " All_rights of publication of special dispatches berein are also ‘eserved. Lower Gas Rates. The policy of the new gas company ownership. as announced some time ago, was to encourage the use of gas by lowering the rates and the amended schedule of reductions filed with the Public Utilities Commission is of course based on that policy. The gas com- pany states that if, under the new rates, | no more gas were consumed than under the present rates, the company’s revenue would decline by some $400,- 000. That is good proof that the com- pany expects a greatly increased volume of gas consumption. The company is not contemplating any decrease of its revenues, and its proposed reductions are founded on good business prin- ciples rather than upon any sentimental generosity to the gas consuming public. The average domestic consumer of gas in the District uses about 3,400 cubic feet of gas a month. The pro- posed rate schedule benefits the con- sumers of gas who use more than 2,200 cubic feet of gas a month. Those who use under 2,200 cubic feet of gas a month will have to pay slightly more for gas than at present, by reason of & minimum charge. Those who use exactly 2,200 cubic feet a month will pay the same rate now in effect, but for those using more than that amount the rate will be reduced. This will| benefit the average domestic consumer, | and the average gas bill will show a reduction. The amended rate is an | improvement over the first proposal ad- | vanced by the gas company, under | which only those consumers using more | than 3,400 cubic feet a month—or more | than the average—would have received | & reduction In rates. ‘There are other rates affecting con- sumers who use gas for heating pur- poses and affecting the wholesale con- | sumers of gas. The Public Utilities | Commission has fixed September 17 for | public hearings, and during these hear- | Ing it is presumed that the rate sched- | ule will be carefully examined, espe- cially in connection with the quality of the gas to be furnished under the new rate. No new rats can be based, for comparison, on the old rate, unless the same quality of gas figures in both. The history of the proposed gas- Tate reduction has run an interesting course so far. i i The reductions were | first held out as a public benefit 1o | accompany the merger of the two gas | companies, to g0 into effect when the | merger was authorized by Congress. ‘When there was evidence of delay in Congress in accepting the merger pro- posal, agreed to by the Public Utilities Commission, the gas company pro- posed a schedule of rate reductions which was disappointing, as it prom- ised little to the average domestic con- sumer. Congress adjourned without acting on the merger proposal, and' now | the gas company has proposed a more attractive reduction in rates and has made it known that this reduction is not o be tied up in any way with the | merger proposal. ing to put the new rates into effect as soon as the Public Utilities Commission approves them. This 1s certainly the best procedure from the standpoint of the gas com- pany and from that of the public as well. The new company can best show its good intentions by putting them down on paper. B ) 4 A prize fighter is an illustration of the fact that a stream cannot rise| higher than its source. A prize fighter is never greater than his manager. R A Brooklyn Housecleaning. Recently signs of what has come to be known as racketeering have been | evident in Brooklyn. Gang killings have occurred with frequency. Men | the The company is will- | { “What do you intend to do in Brook- Iyn?" This quiz will probably yield some interesting answers, if the sus- pects deign to reply at all. Some will perhaps respond with the counter- question, “What business is it of yours what I do or what I intend to do2” Some will give camoufiaged replies. Few, if any, will confess that their business field lies beyond the law. |Some, indeed, have what passes for | legitimate business connections, behind | which they work their games. This will be found to be a difficult {problem to solve. In Chicago, it has | ot been solved after several years of | possibly honest effort on the part of the | authorities. In Manhattan—which, by the way, is supposed to be waiting with ! open arms and arrest warrants for any | crooks that flee out of Brooklyn under | the pressure of the Queens prosecutor— 11t has not been solved, although a num- |ber of gangsters have been sent to |prison and some have been executed. | The trouble seems to be that it is dif- | leult to get convicting evidence against | the gang leaders and aides, They know that they have a good chance to escape punishment because of the.terror which | they spread among their victims. Fur- thermore, they rely largely upon the fact that prosecutors are often handi- 1capped by political influences, and they | are by no means deficient in such fac- | tors of self-help. | In view of the publicity given to the proclamation of the district attorney { of Kings County to his eviction notice | to the gangs it is to be hoped that the results, if any, will be proclaimed, so that the country may know with what degree of success this purging effort is meeting. ] Sleuthing the Senate Sleuthers. The disputation between Mrs. Ruth Hanna McCormick, candidate for Sen- ator in Illinois, and the Senatoria) Cam- paign Expense Fund Investigating Com- mittee is considerably more than ® tempest in a teapot, although the state- ments emanating from both sides are rather undignified. The committee charges that Mrs. McCormick has been “sleuthing” it, particularly its chair- man, and Mrs. McCormick in effect | charges that the committee has been engaged in the ransacking of her per- sonal premises in search of “incriminat- ing” matter. Mrs. McCormick is frank in her acknowledgment of having en- gaged “investigators” to look into the |record of the chairman of the Senate Committee. The committeg, on the other hand, denies having done any burglarious sleuthing in search of in- criminating matter scoring against Mrs. M¢cCormick. - As far as the espionage allegations are concerned Mrs. McCor- mick has the better of the committee in point of avowal. ‘The spectacle is rather unpleasant, from any point of view. The investiga- tion iato the campaign expenses of the candidate is in itself hardly justified | by any consideration of senatorial self- defense. It can only be excused on | the ground that the Senate fears that i the candidate is trying to buy her way {into that great body of statesmanship. Mrs. McCormick has made a frank and | presumably complete accounung of her | pre-nomination campaign expenses, cit- ing the amount of her own personal contribution to the campaign. It is a large sum of money. But there is no law . which specifies a fotal, or a scale of expenditure for the senatorial office. Mrs. McCormick's expenditures might be twicé as ‘great as they have been reported and be still within the law, as the law is written, | In carrying on the inquiry in the manner adopted the Senate Committee has impugned the good faith of the can- didate, has picked her out of all others | for an inquiry that is obviously inspired by suspicion of her honesty in reporting | and her honesty of purpose in expend- ing the fund.. It has invited the reprisal of a counter-sleuthing which candidate now rather gleefully acknowledges. That her home was| entered by seekers after her personal accounts and records appears tc be fully substantiated. Whether her sus- picion of the committee as principal in this lawless enterprise is correct or not, | {she has some justification in enter- | | taining it. ‘; But the hiring of sleuths to Ahldow‘ ! the Senatorisl Committee’s chairman, | to dig into his record at home, to try | to “get something” on him, is hardly in iteelf warramtable enterprise. It is beside the mark of the contest. It does not matter in the least whether there | { is unsavory, or whether he couls be embarrassed personally or politically by revelations thus effected. This phase of the contest between the committec and the candidate is strongly suggestive of an aroused temperament. When the committee has concluded have been taken for “rides” in circum- stances to indicate that the Chicago method of “discipline” has been adopted by and illicit business promoters. The other day a veritable arsenal of deadly weapons and munitions was”discovered in an apartment, obviously the cache of one of the gangs, and supposedly as- sembled for the purpose of a raid. The prosecuting attorney of Kings County which includes Brooklyn, determined to clean house and, if possible, rid the city of the deadly nuisance. So the other day he broadcast a staiement to the effect that he was giving all underworld figures in the jurisdiction two days to leave Brooklyn, or be subject to a com- prehensive round-up and possible con- frontation with the grand jury. No specifications were given as to where of how far the gangsters would have to g0. Al the district attorney wanted was that they get out of Brooklyn. Asked 1f he would be satisfied if they crossed one of the bridges into Man- did not care where they went so long as they went hattan he said that he away. The two days ex) d yesierday. appreciable diminution of population If there has boen an exodus of the un- derworld 1t has not been cbservable. So great is the daily movement out and in across the bridges and by the ferries, that a check-up of the grafters would organized groups of blackmailers | o far as known Brooklyn has suffered no its inquiry—if it ever does—it will have nothing in all probability that will affect the disposition of the voters in Tilinois | for or against Mrs. McCormick. It may ! have something that will figure in the | consideration of her credentials if, as | and when she presents herself in the Senate Chamber as the Senator-elect | | from Tllinois. The Senate has gone i rather dangerously far in the matter of | rating the eligibility of the bearers of | proper credentials for seats in that body on the score of the amounts of money ' that have heen expended in their be- | half in campaigns. It may go further, in the present political temper prevail- ing at the north end of the Federal | Capitol, and hold that a person who, | as candidate, defles its inquisitors into | the campaign fund matter is unfit for senatorial essoclation. Mrs. McCormick has yet to be elected, but if elected she may figure as principal in one of the most preposterous contests yet waged against the holder of a certificate of clection to the Upper House of Congress. i | The drought has placed the question of farm reliefl far beyond the range of mere political oratory. RE— America Salutes. ‘The air trail between N:w York and Paris has been blazed again and, quite appropriately, this time by Frenchmen. Three years ago Col. Lindbergh made is anything in the chairman’s past that | be impossible. The cnly practical test | the first perfect flight from W:st to can come when the police, acting in | East beiween the two cities. Yesterday, co-ordination with the district attor-|Capt. Dicudonne Cost> and Maurice ney’s mendate, prozced to round up the | Bellonte completed the more difficult cuestisnable charasters and b nem o Txst to Wist journsy In just as p intn heedquarters for ¢ a menacr. And with that graciousne & is¢proposed to ask each Person for which be is known, Col. Lindbergh, had paralleled his feat. Coste and Bellonte succeeded where so many others have failed. Ten lives have been lost on attempted East to West crossings. Nungesser and Coli, the great French war aces, were the first to fly intg eternity in an effort to bring honor to their country. Aviators of many nations have been defeated by the eclements which these two con- | quered on their thirty-seven-hour air flight. But Coste and B:llonte were un- daunted. They had tried once before !and failed and in that trial was shown {‘the matchless courage that was later to bring them success. Few flyers would have done what they did on that | memorable occasion. It would have been difficult to explain afterward. But by doing it they lived to try again They had flown all the way to the Azores. A stiff head wind sprang up which was holding them almost sta- tionary in the air. So they simply turned around and made use of the wind to get saf:ly back to France. It was a magnificent example of courage. It was this quality, combin:d with attention to detail and the kind of caution that takes due note of risks involved but prepares to meet (hem, taat brought the fyers saicly to their mile air route. Preparations were com- plete. The motor of six hundred and fifty horscpower was the best obtainable. the emergencies that could be calculated beforehand. As an evidence of this a supply of gasoline for three hours was left in the tanks when the giant Ques- tion Mark settled on American soil. Every conceivable instrument to insure its safety in flight was on the panel in front of the pilot. These things and superb airmanship were the f~ctors in a glorious achievement. America salutes these fiyers of France. . The erudite Dr. Einstein appears to be a modest gentleman with no desire to embarrass his fellow men by a dis- play of superior wisdom. If he chose he could no doubt put out a question- naire more bafing than anything pro- posed by Henry Ford or Thontas Edison. ———— A gold mine or an oil gusher appeals to imagination as representing wealth. Standards have become less spectacular. A man with a reliable spring or a deep- flowing well accounts himself fortunate in the face of this historic year, 1930. —————————— Much “shadowing” is reported as na- tional politics become apparently more or less tinged with methods of the underworld.. Some of the “shadows"” may have to do with “coming events" as disclosed by the next election. S TR Air triumphs follow one another with bewildering brilliancy. Nevertheless it will be a long time before plain earth worms, as well as parachute caterpillars forget that it was one Charlie Lind- bergh who really set the pace. ———— In some parts of the country it is ‘beginning to be feared that “wet” and “dry” have become only technical terms involving no more permanent responsi- bility than “Democrat” or “Republican.” — v Even the hero-aviator must defer to popular custom and yield his place ‘in public attention temporarily to a fa- vorite radio announcer. = st Russia has drifted into the curious state that results in politics as well as in less important affairs, from a will- ingness “to try anything once. —— -t ‘When a professional philosopher gets married he admits to the world that he has met somebody smarter than himself. ———— gt ——— SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Bad Music. O Katydid! O Katydid! Your promises deceive. You say of Summer we are rid; We foolishly believe. The howling locust still resounds His flercely strident tune, And lingering sultriness abounds Till midnight seems like noon. Although musicians oft we find Men whom we truly like, ‘We wish that your especial kind ‘Would all go out on strike. Particularity. “Do you think a wet stands a chance in your particular community?” “A wet stands a first-rate chance,” answered Senator Sorghum, “but that very fact prevents me from agreeing that the communit, deserves to be rated as particularly particular.” Jud Tunkins says farmers are bigger than financiers. Financlers get scared in a bad market, but farmers never quit. Exceptional Day. Behold the day That seems a sorry joke When, in som: way, A record is not broke! No Six Per Cent Performer. “Do you racketeers take an interest in politics?” destination over the forty-one-hundred- | Sufficient fuel was carried to meet ail | THIS AND THAT A small, friendly althea bush was growing by the front window, where it had no right to be. No one had planted it there. It had planted itself, and now it was thriving luxuriantly, with three orchid- colored blossoms just at the height of 1 the sill Cut it down? Never. The reward for its bravery and inde- pendence shall be protection. Both plants and human beings require it for their best efforts. away. house from a row of them 150 feet in the rear. * ok k% There 1s no such thing as worry in Nature. ‘That is a good thing to remember. Nature takes her seeds and literally casts them to the winds. She does not care where they fall, or even if they fall at all. If a seed comes down on concrete, it makes no difference in the eternal plans. If it alights on soil, Nature blows no trumpets. One dies, the other lives, but Nature doesn't give a whoop one way or the other. - e e So there is a charming small althea bush by the window, where it blooms stucco overhang and a tremendous spirea bush. Too close to the house, the althea will be forced to grow for- ward, which it would do anyway, in torder to lean -toward the light. plants lean toward the sun. Some even twist themselves around to catch the light of day. In another year the althea will be too tall for its situation. Perhaps it will be transplanted at that time. The althea, or rose of Sharon, is one of the hardiest of our common shrubs and, all things taken into consideration, one of the most satisfactory. It may be moved time and time again with no particular harm. Despite its commonness, it is ore of the prettiest of bushes. Its only fault is that it drops its leaves a trifie too soon in the Autumn. It also is one of the latest to take them on in the Spring. But the quiet appeal of its simple flowers, beloved alike by man and bumblebee, more than makes up for its few faults. T Most plants are self-seeders, or “vol- unteers,” in garden language, if given the chance, but some seem to do a bet- ter job of it than others. The petunia bears off the prize. If| the earth in which this Summer’s plants are growing is left undisturbed next Spring, new plants will come up, with- out fail. A curious fact about the pe- tunia is that the georgeous double and ruffied varieties tend to revert to the old single and plain-edged kinds. Thus, if one purchased a special va- riety—say, deep purple—for a window box this year, he need not expect to get the same flowers next year from the “volunteers” which will come up at that time. The flowers, in all proba- bility, will be small and mostly pink or_white. If he plants the old reliable Rosy Morn, however, he is pretty sure to The althea seed had fallen close by | the wall, not more than four inches drops it on the ground. Such covering | No doubt it had blown over the | as it gets it secures for itself by mel‘c‘ under the protection of a brick wall, a | Al | BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. get a majority of that splendid variety next year. s B e Most amateur gardeners are in too |big a hurry to dig in the Spring. Es- pecially should they bsware pawing up the earth in those places where they | want volunteer plants to come up. ‘The petunia seed is one of the small- est and should be planted barely be- neath the soil. All seedsmen’s packets | give directions to this effect. Children, | in particular, want to put flower seeds | too deep. When Nature plants a seed, she just | pressure on the ground and the blow- ing_of small particles of soil over it. | The wind-borne seed, therefore, is placed by Nature slightly beneath the surface of the soll, where it will get |an amount of covering just sufficient | to keep it from blowing away again. ‘This is the natural method of seed- planting and should be held in mind by the amateur gardener when he goes out with a brilliantly colored packet of seed and a desire to do semething big in the flower line. x % K ok |, Other prime nlt-seedmi flowers are | the morning glory, the kochia, the lark- | spur, the snapdragon, the calliopsis, the portulaca, and ageratum. There are many more, of course, but | these flowers seem exceptional in their ability to propagate themselves if left to_themselves. Some gardeners call them nuisances. The pretty kochia bush, which at this time of year begins to turn red, after a season of feathery light green, will throw down a few thousand seed for next year. 2 The tendency of the kothia row (in which formation they are usually planted) is to move forward, as the seeds are dropped to the front. Thus ordinarily they will usurp a place for themselves in the lawn. The home gardener, however, need not call them harsh names, They are very easily exterminated. At the first regular mowing of the grass the seed- ling kochia bushes may be cut like grass, and shortly will disappear. The sturdy morning glory is often called a pest by the earnesi gardener. Here is a plant that will grow despite anything. Yet there is a great deal to be said for the morning glory. Surely any fence is better for it. Its leaves are a good color—better than many more pretentious vines—and its flowers are beautiful, despite their commonness. It is a friendly flower, liking best to live near human habitations. * Among the trees the maples and the locusts sced most easlly, The latter | will grow surprisingly during its first few months after sprouting. There are many to sneer at the locust, but it is a good tree, after all. For some strange reason the zinnia and marigolds, old favorites, are not much given to sending up volunteer plants. Perhaps this could be explained ay some seed characteristic or forma- ion. A garden once planted to the annuals would never be without some flowers, if the owner would let well enough alone in early Spring, and permit the flowers to take care of themselves. Given half a chance, they will do this with amaz- ing regularity, WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS. Most American newspapers spell it “Coste” but at least one metropolitan journal in the United States, the New York Herald-Tribune, insists on “Costes,’ which is sald to be the preferred | Parisian spelling. The fiyer, himself, is quoted as saying he does not know whether the final “s” should be there or not and that to avold being in error he “just makes a wiggle at the end.” Dispatches from France say the name | is variously spelled by persons who | bear it. | L e | Political cannonading on three fronts | may soon be expected now that the Re- | publicans have established eampaign headquarters in New York and Chicago. Representative John Q. Tilson, majority leader of the House, has charge in the East of the battle to keep that body safe from the Democrats, while Repre- sentative Will R. Wood, Indiana, chair- man of the Republican Congressional Committee, commands the Western forces. The Democrats have established their base in the party’s national head- quarters in Washington. “Old Hickory" Wood, as friends of the Republican chairman endearingly term him, has a 100 per cent victory record for the three House campaigns he has conducted. | ‘This year's job he regards as the hard- ! est of ail in view of the unusual efforts | being put forth by the Democrats to | gain control. * ok o* If the Anti-Saloon League of the | State makes good its threat and places a third candidate in the United States | Senate race, Illinois is lfinw ‘monopolize the political spotlight ti Fall. Lottie Holman O'Neill, the State’s first woman | legislator, is regarded as the logical choice of the dry organization. Her career is comparable in color and achievements to that of Representative | Ruth Hannah McCormick, the Repub- | lican nominee. Mrs. McCormick paved | the way for an opponent in her own | party when she announced she would | abide by the outcome of the State-wide liquor referendum. This aroused the drys, who instantly focused their eyes on Mrs. O'Nelll, a militant W. C. T. U worker, who was elected to the Illinois Legislature at the same time Mrs. Mc- Cormick won her seat in the National House, Former Senator J. Ham Lewis, Democrat, whose elegance and whiskers have inspired critics to refer to him as “the bearded lady,” may be compelled to oppose two woman candidates instead of only one. * % x Next step in the administration’s drought relief program will be con- | ference in Washington of the chairmen of the 10 or 12 State committees formed in the stricken area following the White House conference of Governors. It is significant that the banking members of these committees were summoned in | conference ahead of their chairmen. This again stressed the administration’s view of the importance of credits i the rebabilitation plans, a view which | “We take more than a mere inter- est,” answered Bill the Burg. “We take a liberal percentage of the gross re- ceipts.” “A trickster,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “is often so desirous of ap- pearing clever that he defeats himself by exposing his own tricks.” The Aviators. Mythologies once more arise in state As rivalries are shown in contest great. New heroes call for-plaudits vast and proud As demigods come dropping from a cloud. “Never talk back to a policeman,” sald Uncle Eben. “You ain’ got a chance in de world of shovin’ any new ideas at him. He has heard every- | ing Parents, From the New Castle News. Children seldom get too wild to ad- mire the charming innocence of their parents. | - oo Another at Gerard. Prom the Omaha World-Herald. At any rate, 14r. Gerard might have saved himself rome troul by adding an mention” first was emphasized when President Hoover named four representatives of finance as members of the National 1+ Committee of Eight as against two rep- resentatives ot agriculture. The pro- gram puts on each State the responsi- bility for solution of its own eredit problems, and under it the country banker becomes the principal factor in the relief situation, for on his decisions will depend the application of relief measures. L The State Committee chairmen, when they confer with Secretary Hyde, who is national relief chairman, no doubt will approve the program formulated by the bankers and sanctioned by Mr, Hoover, notwithstanding their earlier hope, which was shared by some of the Governors, that the Government could offer some direct aid in the emergency. Enthusiasm for the plan may be lack- ing, but the country has come to believe that administration spokesmen are on safe ground when they declare that none of the various laws touching the situation permits the use of Federal money except on a sound credit basis. It is more than a coincidence that the principles of the drought relief program are the same as those which the Con- , on the insistence of Mr. Hoover, wrote into_the agricultural marketing and FParm Board act—organization, co- operation and self-help. * ok X ‘Three costly fires in eight months, upsetting budgets and requiring unfore~ seen expenditures, are too many, eccord- ing to administration pledge to |ghe Capitol economy. Regodeling of the executive offices after the White House fire took considerable money. Then followed the not inexpensive blaze in the dome of Now the building in which e Federal Trade Commission was housed has been destroyed. It was one of the many war-time-built structures designed for temporary use which sprang up in Washington almost over- night, when sudden expansion of the Goveinment's business required an im- mediate multiplication of office space. As was to be expected, last Saturday’s fire brought an instant demand that similar shacks or sheds still in use be abandoned and supplanted by fireproof buildings safe not only for the valuable records they h(‘?d ‘but‘ for occupants. * Selection by President Hoover of Thomas Walker Page to be a member of the United States Tariff Commission recalls a comment of the late Tom Marshall at the time President Wilson was_honoring other Virginia Pages by sending Walter Hines Page to the Court of St. James and Thomas Nelson Page to the American embassy in Rome. “The President,” dryly remarked the former Vice President, “seems to be enlisting the services of America’s literati, Page by Page.” (Copyright, 1930.) — o Irrigation the Urgent "Need of the Country To the Editor of The Star: It's gratifying, indeed, to have such an 2ble and sympathetic administra- tion in this, one of the most trying times in the history of our Republic. President Hoover's plan of road build- ing to tide the needy farmers and labor over such depressions is sound and seemingly about the only logical way of avoiding suffering brought on by causes beyond human control. How- ever, logical as I think his road plans are to get us by, yet I believe there are otner things that might well go along for the same purpose. One thing espe- cially I'll point out is irrigation. Here in the East we have so much water (gen- erally) that irrigation only gets the ha, ha! TI've put in quite a number of Summers growing truck for the Wash- ington market and remember very few without several weeks of aggravating dry weather, which convinces me irri- gation along the Atlantic seaboard is a very serious problem confronting us and should be. met at once. Although most of our small streams have dried up during this drought, still T believe it is practical to fit them up for irrigating purposes. No one can laugh me out of the belief that much of the hard earned coin spent in fertilizer had better have been spent in irriga- tion tax. We should dam our small streams from their source and well along their route in order to have water in reserve as long as possible dur- ing the dry spells. Properly arranged with hydraulic ram power, water might be piped wherever needed at a figure reasonable enough for farm purposes. With water at our command then we might well afford to invest in fire-fight- ing equipment. Without water it looks like a waste of money. I believe if the Government . would take hold and launch an irrigation campaign along our 'streams, then private enterprise would come to the aid of our streams. ‘There are innumerable acres of farm land unfit for farm purposes that might very profitably be turned into artificial lakes and ponds for fish raising. Such lakes and ponds should have steady running streams, tnerefore the need for artesian wells, which, of course, would tend through overflow to keep the main streams alive. Uncle Sam might very well start this work with the savings from the old useless bat- tleships. PERRY F. SKINNER. ——— Residents Should Water the City’s Shade Trees ‘To the Editor of The Star: During the season when the beautiful dogwood bloom is at its height it is your gustom to insert notices throughout your ‘newspaper asking that the dog- |Sun Cycle a Factor in Present Severe Drought To the Editor of The Star: Your recent publication of the Asso- clated’ Press dispatch concerning my forecasts based on a 56-year cycle should have a clearer presentation. 1. The moon journeys around the ecliptic in a cycle of 18.6 years, dur- ing which its northern declinations move from approximately 28 degrees 50 minutes to 18 degrees 10 minutes and back. Dr. George Howard Darwin, for over 30 years professor of astronomy at Cambridge University, stated in his authoritative “Tides” that the moon ereates a westward drift in the oceans. I have for the past six years been de- veloping Dr. Darwin’s uncontroverted statement. The moon's westward tidal drift is most pronounced in a latitude zone some 20 degrees in width over which the mcon’s monthly movement is centered. ‘The moon is now during its extreme northern declinations in zenith over about 28 degrees north latitude. This results in pulling the Azorean cold water area strongly toward the Eastern coast of the United States. This cold water area creates high-pressure move- ment of the air with a right-hand rota- tion. For this reason, during the past two months the principal air movement into the United States has been from the warm Caribbean*and Gulf of Mex- {ico on the westerly quadrant of this high-pressure area. Normally but little rain, and that in showers, can be ex- pected in a high-pressure area. So that is the first element of causation of the high temperatures and drought of the past six weeks. 2. The sunspot cycle of approximate- ly 1116 years passed its broad crest maximum in December, 1929, with a monthly mean of 105. By June the mean had dropped to 29. This so freed the solar disk from the blanketing ef- fects of the sunspots as to permit un- { usually high solar radiation to reach the earth. The solar constant has dur- ing July frequently passed 1,950, 10 points above its normal, and the high- est mean level in several years. This effect then is added to that of warm air currents from the south, so inten- sifying the atmospheric. heat as to break all records, even those of 1874, and still further preventing condensa- tien in rain. 3. The lunar perigee, the moon's nearest approach to the earth, com- pletes its cycle in 8.85 years. The perigee effect on tides is 30 per cent greater than the apogee effect. The perigee positions are at present well up with the lunar northern declinations, s0 an added influence is thus given to creating and maintaining the blanket- ing high-pressure area in the United States from southerly winds. 4. Three of the 18.6-year lunar cycles coincide closely with five 11.16-year sunspot cycles, and are not far out of line with six perigee cycles of 8.85 years. They join practically in 55 or 56 years. Other minor influences may cause variations. But we find that 1930 is even more intense in its heat and drought than was 1874, its 56-year predecessor, to which reference is made for a prior 'vear of comparison. I have also referred to the fact that 1818, as a result of several years of low rainfall, recorded the lowest level in the Great Lakes ever known. That was also 56 years back from 1874, I doubt if any meteorologist of stand- Ing will attempt to controvert a singte assertion in the above proposition. HERBERT JANVRIN BROWNE. - r————. Heartless Treatment Of Helpless Animals To the Editor of The Star: The other night about 10 o'clock I was sitting on my front porch, which is very near the corner of Twenty- fourth and Newton streets northeast, when a very nice-looking car drove slowly by and from it was dropped a half-grown kitten. I didn't realize what had happened until too late to get the driver's tag number or he surely would have heard from me. The poor thing stood there bewildered, looking up and down; came over on the side- walk and looked up and down and around some more, not knowing which way to turn; finally he ran for a hedge across the street and that was the last I saw of him. I have two full grown cats and had a sick kitten in the house, otherwise the poor kitty would have been brought in and taken to the Animal Rescue League the first thing in the morning. Don't you suppose the man who drop- ped that kitty knows about the Animal Rescue League? Don't you suppose he even thought for one instant that if the kitty was undesirable to him it would be undesirable to some one else? What do you supposs is wrong with people who do such things? Don't they know if the poor animals had their way about it they would much rather be human beings than what they are? If we were animals wouldn't we appreciate some one being kind to us? I know some animals that would have made much better humans than some human beings I know. I have lived hgre in this particular house going on “Tour years and every once in a while some one does the same trick. Isn’t there some way to reach these people? So many people will b> kind to dogs—I love them, too—but hate cats. It seems too bad something can’t be done, something to impress people with the helplessness of the poor creatures and do what they can to help them and not make life harder for them. M. EVELYN CHAUNCEY, N Only Wealthy Men Can Be Ambassadors From the New York Times. There can be little surprise at. the re- port ‘that our foreign representatives may not pay for their non-prohibition drinks out of the entertainment fund | made avaflable for various Ambassa- dors, Ministers and consuls. The real marvel is that the Government has at :ast come around to allowing any sort of expenses for such official functions. The lack of adequate funds has been one of the chief factors preventing any but men of wealth from accepting im- portant offices in the Foreign Service. The present allowance is scarcely munificent. It consists of a sum total ot $94,000, to be divided among 95 dif- ferent posts. Furthermore, the sums allotted are tightly restricted by the usual red tape. They may not be used for motor hire, and all sums above $100 can be disbursed only after competitive bids have heen asked. But it is at least provided that they may be used for re- ceptions on American. official holidays and for functions in honor of distin- guished visitors, as well as. for_the pur- chase of wreaths and flowers for cere- monial occasions and for paying tips when required by the custom of the country. This is good as a beginning, But the allowance is pitifully small. Great Britain, for example, pays its Ambas- sador in Washington over and above his salary a sum of $65,698 per year for expenses, and furnishes him with his house and its upkeep free of charge. Thus that country spends about as much on the extra expenses of the Ambassador to the United States alone as we do for the entire world. | In Government business, however, it is necessary to proceed step .by step. The new allowances are helpful. They establish precedents for larger appro- priations in the future. In time we may pay our foreign representatives a living wage. The new legislation in- cludes expenses for some of the con- sulates which in the past have suffered from totally inadequate allowances. In places like Batavia, Java, the American consul general has the social standing of a minister and the corresponding social obligations. And yet he has to struggle along as best he may, using up his own patrimony so that his Gov- ernment may not be branded as “close.” Another year, perhaps, when Secre- i ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS . BY FREDERIC ). HASKIN. ‘Thousands of Government experts) even at the present time an infirm or are working constantly for th> benefit | eiling eagle is hardly xnown. The an- 1of all citizens of the United States.|cients wer> superstitious mn their vene- They will work dircctly for you if you | ration of this bird and endowed it with will call for ths fruits of their labors | many supernatural powers which do not wood be spared. These notices, I feel, stary Stimson has more time to devote have done a great deal of good. May I|to routine matters of administration, suggest that in the interest of saving|he may see his way to obtaining larger our thousands of handsome shade trees, allowances. So long as the expenses of within Wash.ngton similar appeal be a foreign position are far greater than made to residents to water the trees in its salary, it will be impossible for the front of their hom: Government to use men who do not RA J. BOWEN, possess independent means, through our Washington bureca State your inquiry briefly, write clearly, and, inclosing 2-cent stamp for a personal letter in reply, address The Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, director, Washington, D. C. Q. How is Le Bourget pronounced? Why is the flying A. Le Bourget field so called?—L. L. is pronounced Luh Boor-zhay. We are informed by the French embassy t] the term has no particular meaning and is simply nam=d after the town in which it is located. Q. Is Alaska included in the conti- nental United States?—C. J. A. The term ‘“continental United States” is merely one of convenience and does not include the non-contiguous Territory of Alaska. Q. Were any anithals used for trans- portation in the World War, other than horses and mules?—F. R. A. About 40,000 camels wer> used in the Palestine campaign, and the Italians used about 100,000 donkeys in their campaigns. Q. trade mark originate—M. W. W. A. This trade mark was adopted about 75 years ago by th: Vulean Mills. 1t was an appropriate emblem to choose, as Vulcan was the god of smithy. Q. What is the life of cartridges?— J. G. R, A. The maximum life of cartridges kept in a dry, cool place would be from 10 to 12 years. Sometimes they keep as long as from 30 to 40 years, dep>nding primer sometimes deteriorates. Q. What is an absence flag?—E. P. A It is a small blue flag on the star- board side of the spreader of a yacht to indicate the abscrce of the owner. Q Why are Buda and Pest some- times written scparately and sometimes hyphenated”—L. 8. A. These two cities are on opposite sides of the river. Sometimes one is speaking of one city particularly, and sometimes of the hyphenated entircty. Q. Where is London’s Chinatown, known as Limehouse?—W. K. W. A. Limehouse is a section of East London on the north bank of the Thames, about 3 miles east of the St. Paul Cathedral. It covers an area of 244 acres. The name is derived from the lime houses or lim: kilns which ex- isted there from about 1417. Q. Why is horseback riding considered beneficial?—F. L. A. Riding on horseback is a good {' rm of exercise and is especially beneficial in stimulating the function of the gastro- intestinal tract. The rhythmic vibra- tion which the gait of the horse imparts to the rider’s body seems to be of benefit to the muscles and to the internal or- gans. Q. What is the probable reason for King David making reference to rensw- ing “thy youth like the eagle's”?—P. C. A. International Criticgl Com- mentary of the Bible says witH respect to the verse you cite that the metaphor undoubbedl; originated in the known longevity of the eagle and the fact that How did the Arm and Hammer | on how the primer holds up, as % - | exist in actual fact. Q. Are any members of President Mc= Kinley's cabinet still Iiving?—T. 'he last surviving member, Lyman | J. Gage, dled in January, 1927. |, What dess pizzicato m A. It indicates the playing of instruments by pluckint the h the finger instead of uring bow. Q@ Why is 1ation for hun<-edwe! A. The “c” is the Roman symos 1100 and “w shortened o~ weight. Q. Is it an offensz o adve | article as patznted which has no | —J. E. B. | A It is illegal for any on> to | vertise an article as patented has not been granted patent | through the m>dium of the | States Patent Office. Any onc found | manufacturing articles so advertised is | liable to severe presecution by the lav. Q. What is galvanizing?—F. R. | A. Galvanizing is a process by which | metal sheets and cther parts passed | through a pot of molten zinc take on & | protective coating of that metal. The | coating must be thin enough to permit forming into spouting, cornices, gutters, ete., without cracking, and so permitting corrosion to take place at ths exposed portion, and thick enough to provide satisfactory durability against the ef< fect - of atmospheric ~gases, moisture, -ete. rizil Uniied . How many Salvation Army dren’s homes are there?—-M. B. T. A. There are 100 such homes, accome modating 5,080 children. . How is the name of the town Strathaven in Scotland pronounced?— M. chile R A. Locally it is pronounced “Strevn,” Tt e Q. Pleace give me some recent sta- tistics on the Panama Canal?—G. M. H. A. The number of transits of com: mercial vessels during 1929 totaled 6.430 —exceeding by 106 the récord figure of 1928, and raising the daily average to | 17.62 transits. The amount of tolls col= lected during 1929 was $27,592,150, or $1,280,000 more than the record rgure of 1928. The daily average was. thus raised to $75,596. Q. Is ice cream increasing in popu= larity?—C. R. A. On the basis of estimates for the past several years, per capita consump- tion of ice cream has approximately trebled since 1910. ¢ . What was the amount of the en- dowment provided by Mrs. Russell Sage ;‘l]rBthSe Russell Sage Foundation?— A. The initial endowment was $10,« 000,000, to which $5,000,000 was added by her will. |_g whatis meant by genre painting? A. Pictures dealing with everyday life are known as genre, as distinguished g,om historic, heroic, romantic or ideal emes. Lon Chaney Lea\;ele, i;np;'ess On Permanent Art of Films Lon Chaney's ability to present roles which had no appeal except as fine ex- nmfl:@ of the art of the screen is praised by the couniry as death cuts short a career which gave promise of a growing following among the theater- going public. His modesty is a subject for comment, while a combination of artistic conception and capacity for hard work is declared to have given him & permanent place in the history of the screen. “As a character actor he was without equal in moviedom,” says the Lynch- burg Advance, “and his fame as an artist will outlive the glory of other stars whose appeal to the public was surrounded by a more pleasant atmos- phere.” The Rock Island Argus calls him “the king of mystery,” declaring that “in this field he had no peer,” and adding: “He carved out a place for him- seif that it will be aimost impossible fil. He was unique and—in his own domain—supreme.” The Anniston Star describes him as “past master in dramatic art and premier villain of the screen.” g “It may offend the old school of critics, who find no good in the modern movies and talkies,” states the Little Rock Arkansas Democrat, “to refer to him as the Mansfield of the films, but we can think of no more apt compatison. ‘While ‘the man of a thousand faces’ may not have bzen as versatile as the star who could appear as Monsieur Beaucaire in the afternoon and Ivan the Terrible in the evening, he entered into the spirit of his art with the same passionate sincerity, the same devotion which lifted Mansfield above the plane of the ordinary.” “This actor,” declares the Wheeling Intelligencer, “was something more than an adventurer into the realms of the horrible and the bizarre. He made one feel. He created a high degree of com- pelling interest. He commanded a sympathy, even in his makebelieve villainies. He was conceded to be the greatest master of make-up that the drama has known. He would uncon- sclously shock even his fellow players. He was chosen to write the chapter on make-up for the Encyclopaedia Bri- tannica. He might well also have written the chapter on acting. None of his contemporaries could surpass his depth or fineness of expression. None | could equal his variety.” * ok ok ok Pointing out that he was “wholly a student of many subjects,” the Man- chester Union thinks he was “too much of a man of mystery to lend himself easily to comment, enough still of a man, and so much of an artist, that his passing will be very distinctly mourned.” “His work was his life—and his death,” remarks the St. Louis Post-Dis- patch, commenting also on his char- acteristics: “He liked far-off places and made pictures about Mandalay and west of Zanzibar and Mr. Wu. He was fascinated by the distorted souls of the underworld who work while the city sleeps. Railroad men were thrilled by his old engineer in ‘Thunder.’ Marines found his hard-boiled sergeant life it- self. It was while riding in a locomo- tive cab with windows open in a snow- storm that he contracted the illness which resulted in pneumonia, anemia and the futile bl transfusions.” “In most of his roles,” says the New Orleans Tribune, “he devoted - great talent to revealing the pathos, suffer- ing and the surviving virtues of dis- torted characters. When Chaney had done his best with the aid of a com- petent author, the spectator got some- thing of she mysterious springs of emotion in complex lives.” The St. Paul Pioneer Press recalls that “he managed get ‘inside’ whatever part he happeried to be playing, and, with consummate skill, conveyed its partic- ular rhytbm and value, * * * A con- scientious craftsman, he knew at every moment what he was about and he was seldom guilty of a ‘false step or a jar- ring note.” “At & moment when the screen was devoted to immobile handsomeness and marble virtues,” avers the Baltimore Sun, “Chaney caught the public fancy by introducing a certain note of acro- batic ugliness and grotesquerie. He was a relief from placid and painfully good heroes, and the audience came to believe there was nothing he could not the way.of distortion of limb and Sun believes that ‘“he who so much the self-educated, was a great reader, and | public taste and imagination that, in all likelihood, he definiteiy left his mark upon them.” x * ok % . “He filled a good purpose in ths cinema,” as viewed by the Chafiancaga News. “He taught the people it ‘happy endings’ were not necessary to true art. He iaught them that tragedy may stimulate more potently than milk water comedy. He taught them things about sympathy and human love. * * As the Hunchback of Notye Dame and as the grim Phantom of the Opera, Chaney perhaps impressed hims=1f upon the mind of the masses of the people of ar;!el world as did no other actor of his “At all events,” concludes the Harris- burg Telegraph, “the screen has lost one of its most popular actors and there is none to take his place. He relied upon_his own ingenuity and originality for the effects he produced with such striking success, rather than upon either charm or personality or any of the polite mannerisms of the matinee idol type of movie hero, with whom he had little 1n common.” “In the land of flickering shadows, Lon Chaney stood alone; his successor will not soon be found,” in the judg- ment of the Newark Eveping News, which also comments: “A queer fellow, Chaney. He shunned pubdlicity even when he had arrived at fame. After his work at the studio he would go home and read. * * * He married his dancing partner of the struggling days and at the end she was at his side, as always.” The Omaha World-Herald adds that “his private life was his own; it was reserved, decent; the kind of a life that a man who is intelligent, With many interests, likes to lead.” “A man who could spend many years in Hollywood and maintain throughout a scorn for a part of its movie colon; is certainly deserving of a place screen immortals, if such personages really exist,” avers the ' Morgantown Dominion-News, and the Indianapolis Star declares: “In spite of distaste Tor publicity, Chaney was by no means & hermit. Athletic himself, he was fond of prize fighting, foot ball and fishing, and invariably attended ring battles or gridiron contests.” The Albany Evening News offers the appraisal: “He was one of the greatest interpreters of character that the film: have known. He might have don | greater work, for he was only 47 and had only recentiy completed his Hrst talking picture.” The Lancaster Ine telligencer Journal-finds an explana- | tion for his success in the fact that “he brought something different to the pies tures,” and that “he was not too lazy | to work.” | v | York County, S. C., siciis . and King’s Mountain | To the Editor of The Star: Replying to the letter you printed | trom the president of the York County (8. C.) Historical Society, in which he endeavors to prove by rcference to sun- dry publications that the battle of King's Mountain was fcught in that county, I can now understand how our South Carolina friends and neighbors justify themselves when they invade, as I am reliably informed, the sacred soil of North Carolina under cover of the night and carry across the boundary line into their own territory and there set up the tablets erected by the sov- ercign State of North Carolina com- | memorating the momentous and historic fight upon her soil. Regardless of the exact location of the battle, it was fought by the sons of the two States, and there is glory enough for both. While North Carolina will continue to claim the location of the fight and to restore the memorial tab- lets so persistently and industriously removed by her border State friends, we will not quarrel with them about the matter. ALEXANDER SIDNEY LANIER. Looks Vs. Noise, From the Worcester Daily Telegram. As a contribution to New York's anti-noise movement the traffic police- men will accomplish their signals with- out the use of whistles, But even on the tops of high buildings you can hear the dirty look the traffic cop gives the driver who makes the wrong turn.