Evening Star Newspaper, December 27, 1930, Page 6

» A6 ® THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 27, 1930. THE EVENING STAR |previous efforts. Rome designed it, no| the “Abe Martin” feature when it was With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C SATURDAY...December 27, 1830 THEODORE W. NOYES....Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company. Business Office: 11th St. and Pennsylvania New York Office: 110 42nd Bt Chicago Office’ Lake Michigan Building. European Office; 14 Regent St., London, Ensland, Ave. Rate by Carrier Within the City.. < -45¢ per month 3 60c per month 65¢ per month .5c per copy each month. r telephone (when 5 Sundays) . The Sunday Star ... Collection made at 1i Orders may be sent in by mail ol NAtional 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance, Maryland and Virginia, Daily and Sunday.....1yr. $10.00: 1 mo., 85¢ | Daily only 3 £6:00; 1 mo.. 50c | Bunday only 3400, 1 All Other Daily onlv . Sunday only 4 1y, mo., 40c States and Canada. s 8.00: 1 mo.+ 1yr. 8 1y, $5.00; 1 mo. Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively entitled 1o the use for republication of all news dis- | Patches credited to it or not otherwiss crec- ited in this paper and aiso the new Fublished herein. All rights of public special dispatches herein are also reserved. — Investigating Bank Failures. Announcement that a special sub- committee of the Senate Committee on Banking and Currency, under the chairmanship of Senator Glass of Vir- ginia, will proceed to an investigation of bank failures and suspensions will not evoke much enthusiasm from those who believe that only harm can result from rocking a boat that is already re- ceiving enough buffeting from the nat- ural storm of depression. But many others will take the view that the worst can be no worse; that with the suspension of 981 banks be- tween January 1 and December 1 of this year, among them 111 National banks and eighteen State institutions affiliated with the Federal Reserve Sys- tem, only good can come from a de- ! termined effort to place a finger on the trouble and seek a remedy. The isolation of contributing causes may not be difficult, although there ob- viously would be many. In widely sep- arate communities some of the bank failures have been attributed to such natural conditions as excessive ipfla- tion of real estate. In others the dfought and failure of farm crops have produced simple explanations. In others poor management and the nat- ural tendency in times of prosperity to take a chance on. paper that has de- preciated with hard times can be blamed. Whether these and other causative factors lend themselves to legislative corrections remains to be seen. Such proposals as the further broadening of the provisions of the McFadden banking act will, of course, receive consideration. The popular question in connection with the rising tide of bank suspensions, however, relates to_the adequacy of the systems of bank examinations, and how banking institutions, subjected to a sup- posedly rigid supervision at all times, find themselves going down under the unusual stresses and strains of a period of depression such'as now exists. The purpose of bank examinations, of course, is theoretically to prevent that very thing. Without speculation as to wheth- er any laxity has developed in this con- nection, the Senate subcommittee will naturally make it one of it first tasks to find out. ‘The bank suspensions during the fiscal year 1931, which ends next July, promise to exceed the high mark set in the fiscal year 1924, when 915 banks went under. The next highest mark was reached in the fiscal year 1927, with 831. The presen® condition, of course, is relatively sevious. But there has been a rather steady increase of failures since the fiscal year 1921, with the number of suspensions gradually rising through & series of ups and downs. The number dropped, for instance, from 831 in 1927 to 484 in 1928, rose to 551 in 1929, and while the figure for 1930 is not available, the failure of 82 National banks in that period will probably bring the total of State and private institu- tions slightly above the number for 1029, Mr. Glass’ subcommittee has been given plenty of range. The resolution authorizing the inquiry provides for .an investigation of the Federal Re- serve System “and all related mattes The majority of bank failures, of course, have been among State insti- tutions, operating under State charters and subject only to State supervision. Some of them, however, are members of the Federal Reserve System, and National banks are among those that have ome insolvent. A constructive appreach to the problem should bring valuable suggestions to the committee of inquiry which may find practical application, ———r————————— A Pennsylvania man poured gasoline on the kitchen fire and wrecked his house. Explosive material should be confined to language in political affairs and not permitted to intrude into house- hold duties. S Mussolini's Air Armada. Replete with dramatic attempts and achievements as the conquest of the * air has been, nothing more spectacular ever challenged the world’s attention than the plan of the Italian aviation force to cross the Atlantic with a . squadron of twelve seaplames. It is Mussolini's supreme bid for fiying glory. Gen. Italo Balbo, his air minister, has arrived at Bolama, Portuguese Guiana, on the southwesternmost bulge of the African continent, with his ships, after a successful flight which began . at Ortobello, Italy, on December 17. After tuning-up preparations at Bolama, " the squadron will hop off for Port Natal, Brazil, some time next week. Fifty-six officers and men comprise , the persorinel of this daring exp:dition. * TTheir final objective is Rio de Janeiro, 1f they reach it, with crews and planes intact, they will have set & new and ' amazing mark in the romantic realm of the air. Mussolini has at the back ! of nis brilliant head much more than a triumphant feat of aviation, however much luster it might shed on Fascist efficiency. Italy, Spain and France are keen rivals for the good will and trade of their sister Latin countries to the south of the United States. More than one airplane flight to Brazil from Europe | has hgen undertaken with & «': the | advertising this or that country”of | erigin. Ttaly's aerial descent upon it AR & inow to be essayed. doubt, for that impressive purpose. The magnitude and audacity of the project entitle it to success. Conscious of the prestige that will attach to Italian aviation if the flight comes off, no technical arrangements designed to Insure its accomplishment have been overlooked. Gen. Balbo's squadron of a dozen ships is supple- mented by a reserve of two. All are of the powerful “ocean-going” type of seaplanes which can come down on the water in an emergency relatively with- | out risk. On the squadron’s first leg from Italy | last week it encountered adverse winds | and bad weather scattered it. Eight of the planes landed at Cartagena, Spain, and the other six on an island in the.| Balearic group. Later the squadron re- formed at Cartagena, took off for French Mcrocco and thence to Portu- guese Guiana. The long hop across the Atlantic—1,875 miles to Brazil—is Gen. Balbo's itin- erary, after arrival in this hemisphere, calls for a flight along the Brazillan coast from Port Natal by way of Bahia to Rio, a total distance of 1,469 miles. ‘When all these laps are reeled off by Mussolini’s air armada it will have covered some 4,500 miles. In sheer distance that is no longer a sensational achievement. But if the Italians have behind. them a record of transatlantic flight in a squadron formation they will hang up a target which will be worth shooting at and .one on which the world will not hesitate to shower them with congratulations. Removing Eyesores. Two of the encouraging features of the present campaign against billboards are the unity of action and thought among the various influential civic and governmental organizations behind it and the definite goal that lies in their determination to “clean up” the en- trances to the Capital—and the Cap- ital itself—before the bicentennial in 1932. Organized campaigns against ob- noxious road signs are, of course, not new. Many of them have been launched before, some of them result- igng in partial success and others losing momentum and force when they come up against the lawful right of the bill- board companies to erect their gaudy markers wherever they please, The purpose of the present campaign is to build up a public sentiment strong enough to secure the passage of ade- quate laws against the indiscriminate erection of billboards and to seek the helpful co-operation of billboard ad- vertisers themselves on the very sen- sible ground that their best interests lie in destroying the eyesores that tend to create resentment in the minds of the buying public. Virginia, Maryland and the District have in recent years taken legislative steps to cut down the number of billboards. One of the criticisms of such legislation is that it is not retroactive, and billboards are obviously constructed of such lasting | material that many years will pass be- fore they will rot away. Amendatory legislation is now being sought in Con- gress and in the Legislatures of the ad- joining States to put more teeth in the existing statutes an” hasten the aban- donment of a beauty-destroying form of advertising that is losing caste every- where and the value of which has been overrated. Articles in The Star have developed some interesting features in this con- nection, A survey of some fourteen lines of business and more than two thousand firms in Washington recently disclosed that a negligible number of them patronized billboard advertising or believed in its effectiveness. Washing- ton’s larger hotels have for the most part dropped billboard advertising, their decision being based not only on recog- nition that such advertising failed to bring commensurate returns, but on a desire to co-operate in any movement tending to improve the attractiveness of the Capital City. The objectionable appearance of bill- board-cluttered roads is recognized everywhere, and Virginia, especially, has taken steps to remove those that ex- isted as menaces to traffic. With Mary- land, Virginia and the District plan- ning to spend millions in improving the appearance of the Capital and its en- virons, it is ridiculous to assume that such work is to be in large measure nullified by flamboyant signs and bill- | boards. | ————— - In days gone by the greatest fear of | Christmas accidents was that the fleecy | whiskers of Santa’s disguise would take | fire and start a small conflagration. | Statistics now show that the greatest holiday dgngers arise from bootleg liquor resulting in motor crashes. The | old-fashioned Christmas still exists, but | it has to be cultivated by the family | circle without & great deal of encour- agement from the general public. ———— The Passing of “Abe Martin.” Announcement of the death in In- dianapolis yesterday of Frank Mec- Kinley Hubbard meant little to readers of The Star until the additional in- formation was given that this meant the passing of “Abe Martin,” whose homely philosophy in the form of aphorisms on man and life has been appearing in these columns for many | years. To a great multitude of news- paper readers throughout the country “Abe Martin” has become a dear friend, while his creator, “Kin” Hubbard, has remained for the greater percentage of people unknown. ‘This character of the droll, witty and shrewd observer of rural and small-town life was a chance creation, in the course of the work of a gifted newspaper man, a member of the staff of the Indianapolis News. He was both artist and writer, capable of cleverly illustrating his own stories, which were themselves always of a quality to hold attention. “Abe Martin” became a household word throughout the field in which eventually this daily “feature” “was spread by the syndi- cate process. He was quoted dally at countless dinner tables. He was drawn upon for material for vaudeville “pat- | made generally available through syn- dication. It has printed it as regularly day by day as space conditions have permitted, and it has always regarded it as one of its most valuable daily offerings. Now, when the advance sup- ply in hand, here and at Indianapolis, is exhausted, “Abe Martin” must pass out of sight, and he will be sincerely regretted. For the passing of his cre- ator, “Kin" Hubbard, though in his modesty he refrained from personal appearance in connection with his na- tionally known work, sorrow will be felt throughout the land. ——— v Fighting the Wolves of Fraud. Evidence of valuable activity in be- half of the public welfare is presented in the annual report of the Better Busi- ness Bureau of Washington, which has just been submitted by Director Roth- schild. In'one particular respect the bu- reau justified its exist:nce, that being the successful onset against bucket shops and other fraudulent concerns, which have in the past taken large sums from inexperienced persons seeking safe and profitable investments for their sav- ings. The bureau has afforded an ef- fective medium of action against the crooks who take the dollars of the in- nocent and give worthless paper in token of security. It has spread widely through the community the slogan “Be- fore you invest investigate,” and has glven significance to the warning against undue haste in accepting chances to make large profits by “get rich quick” methods. Several successful proseci- tions have been conducted through the initiative of the bureau, which has thus served as an aid to justice. In this campaign for honesty the Better Business Bureau has co-operated with the banks, enlisting their services as a means of keeping investors out of the hands of the crooks. Its advice to investigate in advance of investment has been coupled with the warning to carry on through the financial insti- tutions, where reliable information is always to be obtained regarding the soundness of corporations. Closer rela- tions between the people and the banks are desirable, and the Better Business Bureau, which acts as a clearing house as well as an Investigating body, is serv- ing to effect such contacts and to es- tablish such confidence as will keep the wolves of fraud at bay. ety — American voters do not insist on long hours for those who represent the Na- tion. The situation filled by a states- man is a comparatively easy one if he can refrain from overwork and always manage to say just the right thing. —_— e Mayor Jimmie Walker thinks that censorship will reform the theater. No doubt many managers whose plays are now languishing hope there will be a vigorous censorship with all its ineci< dental publicity. ————— ‘There will not be much encourage- ment in Russia for a Ponzi. There is great opportunity for the man with an original financial scheme, but vengeance is summary in case his theories work out wrong. Al Smith’s interests are rapidly and voluminously increasing. Instead of being referred to as “the happy war- rior,” he may become known as a tired business man. ——r———— A Chicago date line has become so long associated with startling narrative that it has come to figure by itself as sensational feature of the news. ———————— SHOOTING STARS. BY PHITANDER JOHNSON. Myth and Mortal. The gangman makes his stealthy way Into the houest home. ‘We looked for Santa and his sleigh 8o generously to roam. And childhood’s happy years we find ‘Were very swift and small. “There is,” we sald with cultured mind, “No Santa Claus at all!” The gangman found his time to come And rob the house with glee. He even took the presents from The family Christmas tree. ‘The facts we have to reckon with Cause mortals to repine. Dear Santa Claus is but a myth; The gangman's genuine. No Diversion. “You took your small son to the 200.” “Yes,” answered Senator Sorghum. “By way of recreation?” “It didn't seem like that. Before they got through asking questions I felt as if 1 had landed somehow as the principal witness before an Investigat- ing Committee.” Jud Tunkins says times don't change. You can't believe a man in a flivver trade any more than you used to could |- in a hoss trade. Rain. ‘When moisture flows from yonder cloud Drought-weary souls grow bold and proud And men so much in need of rain View an umbrella with disdain. Hopeful Opinion. “I told you that I loved you.” “I found,” said Miss Cayenne, “that you had copled your eloquent words from a magazine.” “I suppdse you are offended.” “Not at all. The incident gave me 2 rather hopeful opinion of you. It showed at least that we both read the same literature.” “When we say that words fail us” sald Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “we may take consolation in the fact that some of the poets and philosophers have found that words did not convey their meaning.” Reeling Along. Unto a theater I chanced to stray. “Three reels” described the great pic- torial play. As T departed trembling through the door, ter” and for stage shows. His friends, whom he often cited, acquired distinct character forms in the public mind. The foibles of men and women, the follles of fashions and fads, the absurd- ities of petty politics, these and in- numerable other themes were treated ‘deily in the course of the two brief unrelated sentences which appeared th the awkward figure of the philos- opher which was the changing and yet tandard trade mark of this Hoosier rtist-writer. The Star was one of the ] to acquire and print I got'three reels and maybe several more. “I never shoots crap on New Year,” sald Uncle Eben. “I can't see de sense of wishin’ a friend ‘Happy New Year' an’ den tryin’ to take his wages away fum “im.” Sad and Difficult Job. From the Rutland Herald. Our idea of a sad and It job Js being the head of a lal government, pledged wfim uunylaynnn&, with Pigeons are fat but clever birds. They seem to have adapted them- selves to modern city traffic probably just a little better than most human beings have. One seldom, run over. We have seen dogs and cats {lying in gufters, but never a pigeon. And yet our downtown parks are full jof these interesting creatures. The other day we saw three of them on F street at Thirteenth in the height of the morning peak traffic. They were interested in some food- if ever, sees a pigeon about 5 feet from the curb. Between cars they would saunter out —that is the best word for it—and par- take a bit of the providential fare. Whenever & cag would come along |the trio would leisurely hop out of harm’s way. As far_as we could discover those igeons were in no more danger Of | Pefg Tun over than if they had been in i the exact center of one of the parks. * kX Ok Often they wil fiy clumsily out of the th of approaching cars,.as | ve Taving peculiar difficulty with the escape; but the truth seems to be that they are easily the winner. These who drive cars know that pigecns will fltter up out of the street only a few feet ahead of the oncoming wheels. ir fiight is deceptive, however. These pirds are all good fAyers, includ- ing their cousins, the doves of all de- scriptions. = Consider the homer and passenger pigeons, the carriers, the fan- tails, the pouters, wood pigeons, turtle- doves. Théy all can fly, and fly well, al- though their bodily construction is ro- tund to a degree, and their “take-off’ Irather deceptive. We do not know what particular sort of pigeon the popular street pigeon is, but, after all, it makes no difference. “Pigeon” is enough. The word will do. The bird himseif and herself is interesting, picturesque, and offers a 1d of amusement to park sitters. "W up here a discussion of We pass pigeons in the home yard as fiyers and levote ourself solely to the downtown pigeon. This is the type made famous in paintings of Venice, The pigeons of St. Mark’s are known the world around. PR ‘The ks of the National Capital have be‘;:r noted for their pigeons for many years. The Mall has offered a sort of natural refuge for them, and from it they have invaded the nearby market areas. ‘We have never watched the habits of these birds closely enough to know whether they live in one park at & time for any certain length of time or whether they fly around from one to lanother, making the entire District of Columbia their province. 1t is likely that the abandonment of the Center Market and its contiguous areas for marketing purposes will cause the pigeons to seek other fields to conquer. A?wl)’l there will be hundreds of friends of the pigeons in the city who will continue to see to it that the birds are fed. A pigeon, like & cow, is & rather fear- some thing to the unh’llmmd.’ {fim‘;}; city-bred persons are more afral cm{: than they would be of lions. It is true that Bossy is rather large. The L UNIVERSAL, Mexico, D. F.— | American _railways connecting 1 at the border with Mexican lines are planning to bring monthly excursions of visitors to Mexican citles during the Winter months. Most of this trafic will pass through Nuevo | Laredo and Cludad Juarez, though some excursionists_ will also come into_the country via Matamoros. Both the rail- ways and the newspapers, particularly in the State of Texas, are promoting these opportunities for more Americans to become acquainted with Mexico, and very reduced rates of travel are to be ‘offered. Mcst of the trips will be to Chihuahua, Monterey, Saltillo and Tam- pico, as these cities are accessible for northern tourists, and yet interesting and typical of the country. * x % K Use of Electricity in U. 8. Amazes Austria. il 4 eues Wiener Tagblatt, Vienna.— isll‘.mnzm‘ that in the United States of America, where it is axiomatic that everybody 15 for time, they are able to compile such detalled and complete statistics of everything trans- piring in the country. ‘We have lately had the opportunity to glance over figures relative to the use of electrical devices in the Ameri- can home. According to these data, housekeeping in the U. S. A. is almost entirely automatic. The sweeping, the lighting, the cooking, the heating, the refrigerating, the entertaining, the washing, and even the opening and shutting of doors and the passing from one floor to another, is accomplished by electric current. Needless to say, this employment of the mysterious element has greatly in- creased electric bills of late years, but not to a degree that as yet appears to cause any noticeable depletion in the average American domestic exchequer. Of 27,000,000 homes in the United States, 66 per cent have practically all the convenlences enumerated above. Even families with an annual income of from $1,000 to $2,000 have vacuum sweepers, and from $2,000 to $4,000 an- nual incomes enjoy electric ranges in the kitchen and ‘electric central heating systems. y'l'he average American houehnlq spends in a year for its telephone, $30; for its radio, $28, and for current to op- erate it another $28; for the operation of other electrical apparatus the Ameri- can family spends still another $28 yearly. Coincident with these luxuries, they are not appalled at further ex- penditures of $100 a year for candy (konfekt) and ice cream (gefrornes), $68 a year for benzin (gasoline), $100 for tobacco and an average of $420 annually for automobiles. These outlays vary a little from year to year, sometimes more, sometimes less. Americans are very imitative. If one family gets something new, the families next door, across the street and around the corner must all get similar equipment, regardless of cost. * koK K Law Enforcement Spur Seen in Robbery. Berliner Tageblatt.—As 1f to demon- strate that there is no understanding or adhersion between the local city gov- ernment of Chicago and the outlaws of that somewhat unenviable celebrated three miscreants robbed Frau ompson, the wife of the mayor, of valuable jewelry she was wearing while seated in an automobile near her home. Among the articles taken from this lady was a_diamond ring worth some $10.- 000. Frau Thompson and her chauf- feur were held in check by revolvers exhibited by the three men. It is be- lieved that the war against crime in Chicago will now be pursued with a new aggressiveness. * ok K X By~ Evening Times, Glasgow (Letter to Editor ‘our correspondent, Mr. H. P. Dunn, asks if he received fair treal ‘ment from the car conductor whose ill-nature and vulgarity led to his pro- test through r paper. He was, of course, shamefully treated by the man, and, as he points out, the attitude of the conductor’s superiors was even more outrageous. But Mr. Dunn, after all, much reason to be surprised? I have lived in Scotland since 1916, and the rudeness of the le still makes me gasp. Traveling in the train quite recently with a gentleman o e o city, “Th {stuff that had been spilled accidentally | [ | | persons take every day. | tion used by his tribe millions of years THIS AND THAT BY GHARLES E. TRACEWELL. pigeon similarly is a large creature, to which one must become accustomed be- fore enjoying its innocent peramfbula- tions around one’s hat brim. As for us, we admit that we had much rather see a pigeon perching on some one else’s shoulder than our own. The happy thing is that the dyed-in-the- wool pigeon fancier much prefers it that way himself, so every one is satisfied. To those who love dogs and cats the pigeon seems cold and even heartless with his little round eyes and his greedy way of pecking at bits of food. The pigeon knows what he wants, however, and goes right at it without| any subterfuge. Its descent around the bench occupled by one of, its friends is a pretty sight, especially if viewed from some distance. * e x % Distance lencs enchantment to t.he! pigeon. | Close up he is likely to strike one as a noisy and demonstrative bird, buti from afar he takes on aspects of & wood cut. If one of us pigeon heathens comes along, the pigeons will recognize our preference for cats and dogs and will fly up immediately, fluttering their wings under our noses. | At the same time they take good care to let us know that they are not a bit afraid of us and our dogs and cats. No sooner have we got past than they flutter right down again, lest they miss a crumb. * ok K % The pigeon’s greatest achievement, it seems to us, is in escaping the auto- mobile. The fact that he has made himself at home in our cities is no great thing for such & domestic bird. His cousin, the turtledove, showed him the way. But the modern motor car is some- thing utterly outside the instincts of the race. It is a question whether mankind has adapted itself to it very well, but surely it is a great feat for & igeon. pgI'he pigeon can give pointers to his two-legged friends in the best wap to avold the onrushing motor car. ‘He kecps his eye on it. You may not suppose he does—he is so busy looking out for food—but all the time his little exposed eyes are looking in all directions. Perhaps he also has a certain sense of danger which mankind does not pos- sess, and therefore deserves no credit for using it; but this sense, if it exists, in no way imm uv‘l:y from the pigeon's traffic achievements. Mankind, too, is supposed to have self-preservation as his first law, but daily thousands of persons throughout our broad land are crippled and maimed by automobiles. yOne has bu};m wnttch}ztortdkxlnary;;:.fl;i e the chances ousal e They dash in, where angels might fear to tread; they fail to watch the lines of cars; they trust too much in the belief that no one will run over them. The pigeon, with one eye on his food and the other on the street, takes no chances whatever with the huge, noisy monsters which hurl themselves at him. 1 ' ] € \ | indeed, Dettly enough for his purposes he makes | gi use of the “latest”. principles of avia- ago, and thereby achieves for himself Highlights on the Wide World Excerpts From Newspapers of Other Lands another dinner. ject formed the theme of our conversa- tion, and I challenged him to say if he could call to mind & single example of grace he had ever encountered in the whole of his experience with his people, one graceful compliment, one graceful action. He was silent. Yet, entirely regardless of the feel- ings of others, the Scot is absurdly sensitive to_what he considers an of- fense or slight when no offense or slight is intended. Notwithstanding some excellent qualities of both head and heart, the Scots are absolutely destitute of delicacy or fineness, and to seek these desirable attributes, so no- ticeable in England and Ireland and in| many parts of the continent, is to seek | in vain. Whatever their possessions, their learning, or their contacts, Sandy and Jean, his wife—and particularly the wife—are still barbarians. I am, sir, ete. EXILE. * K ok ok Priest Gets Damages For Injury to Coat. Irish Independent, Dublin—A decree for £5 was granted at Newry to Rev. Jas. Fitzpatrick, Newry, against ‘Jas. Thompson, contractor, Sugar Island, for damage caused to Fr. Fitzpatrick's hat and coat by defendant's work- men, who allowed liquid cement to drop on him while he was passing a house at which they were working. Fr. Fitz- patrick stated that he accused the men of throwing the cement on him, but they denied it. The judge held that they had been guilty of grave negli- gence. e Thinks “Indirigible” Is Better Name. Le Matin, Paris—After the tragedy at Beauvais, it seems that “dirigible” is a very ironical epithet to bestow upon an airship like the R-101. “Indirigible” would be far more appropriate, if we may be permitted to coin a word. These great airships are “dirigible” only when there is no tempest to disturb the har- mony of their progress, though some one told us the other day that the max- imum weight of the water which could be retained in any storm by the shell of the R-101 had been carefully cal- culated, and the struts and engines de- vised accordingly. It appears now, how- ever, that the craft was wéighed down with 10 times more of additional incu- bus than was ever anticipated. That was the reason for the frightful colli- slon with the little eminence of Beau- vals. Thus airmen are always at the mercy of unforeseen meteorological con- ditlons. These vessels may at present be able to withstand the rigors of a tempest, but a cyclone or tornado, trav- eling many times more swiftly than even telegraphic messages—these are yet indomitable and fatal jeopardies. %K Difference of 102,745,283 In China's Population. ‘The Transpacific, Tokio.— China's population provided the first sharp con- flict of ideas to which the session of the International Institute of Statistics, recently held in Toklo, has so far given birth. The chief American delegate, Prof. W. F. Wilcox of Cornell, figured the Chinese population as 342,641,328. The Chinese delegates presented their own figures, 445,386,611. Only a slight variation of some 102,745,283 souls— almost as many as there are in the whale United States! Inasmuch as all the considerations of the institute de- pend more or less upon the population figures of China, it can be readily seen that the results of the conference may not be all that were expected. — . Take Your Choice. From the Akron Beacon Journal. A scientist says there is no such thing as a perfect climate. Californians will retort that thecre is no such thing as a perfect scientist. et T How Not to Work. From the Boston Evenlng Transcript. Some men are born unemployed, some achieve unemployment, and only the willing workers have unemployment thrust upon them. e Nor With a Road Hog. Prom the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Present-day Amerigans have no time for hating, says an author, who may have had recent experience with & THE LIBRARY TABLE By the Booklover A mixture of acute sympathy and hard-headed reasoning characterizes Hallett Abend’'s new k, “Tortured China.” He says: “Mere humanita- rianism, it would seem, would prompt the rest of the world, after 19 years of watching and waiting, to decide that if China cannot help herself, the time has arrived when she must be helped.” But the form which this help shculd take is subject to debate. Te are, he says, “two main schools of thought about modern China.” One schoc! may be called the optimist school and be- lieves that China will work out her own salvation and should be left to her- self. Perhaps a branch of this school, because its conclusion is the same, con- sists o those who think that China should not be helped or interfered with because, on account of her almost limit- less increase in population, a well ordered China “would Yl’els too hard upon the rest of the world.” school combines in its thought mism, humanitarianism and selfish- ness. It holds that “the Chinese are racially incapable of ever .evolving modern government”’ and that, there- fore, China should have the assistance of the other nations in workiug out a wholesome and stable national exist- ence, if for no other reason than to save Asla from Communism. * ok ok X Mr. Abend, before suggesting his own solution, tells of the various sufferings of China's multitudes as he has known them during four years of residence in China as a newspaper correspondent. “The work of these years necessitated many trips, ranging from the Manchu- rian-Siberian border in the far north to the Hongkong-Canton ares in the far south, journeys up the Yangtze River and tours of investigation in Shantung and into other provinces in the interfor. Political crises, famines, civil wars, Communist uprisings, the activi- ties of missionaries and of foreign and Chinese educators, medical men, states- men, diplomats, bankers, merchants—all of these things were grist for the repor- torial mill.” Few, if any, of the tangled problems of China remain undiscussed M this book. The possibility of China's “going Red,” endemic and epidemic ‘amines and their causes in nature and in the rapacities of the war lords, the past and the future of the missionaries, the growth of the poppy and the re- sponsibility for the opium trade, German advisers, foreign business men in China and their relations with the Nationalist government and other parties, “propa- ganda and press,” “finances, armies and railways”; “treaty tangles” and “clash- ing cultures” are analyzed from various points of view—the Chinese Nationalist, the international and that of the Chinese masses. * ok ok The solution which Mr. Abend offers appears a possible one, but at present seems to have little support among the nations of the world. He advocates a conference of the powers which signed the Washington Conference agreements or of the signatories to the Kellogg- Briand treaties to consider the future of China. “It is possible that the mere calling of such a conference would so shock and alarm the Chinese leaders that they might of their own accord reach some agreement which would ive the people of China at least a breathing spell. Failing such a happy and, alas, not altogether probable ef- fect, the powers would then be justified in warning China that if peace were not arranged within a given time and some beginnings made for the rehabili- tation of the country, a benevolent in- tervention would begun. warning, of course, would have to make clear that no permanent impairment of China’s sovereignty was intended, and that there would be no permanent oc- cupation of Chinese territory and no allenation of & single foot of Chinese land. * * * But if China resisted? There would be war, of course. But it would be a short war, and not costly in either lives or money.” - He goes on to explain that seizure of the ports would be simple, that foreign military control of the railways and of the Yangtze River would easily follow, and that soon “the Chinese armies would be power- less, and the Chinese people would awaken from & 19-year nightmare of civil war, insecurity, and extortion to a period of peace, honest administration and reconstruction.” * ok ok X In “The Good Companions” J. B. Priestley showed his knowledge of the life of the English working classes and of strolling theatrical companies; in “‘Angel Pavement” he is equally under- standing of the social struggles of the middle class. In one of his chapters Mr. and Mrs. Dersingham entertain at dinner in their “lower maisonette” at 34a Barkfield Gardens, S. W. 5. “They did not like their maisonette, all the rooms of which seemed higher than they were long or broad and were singularly cheerless * * * but as she had never really decided what it was she wanted, and her husband never suc- ceeded in knowing where he stood financially, they remained at 34a, in the rooms that made them seem like insects at the bottom of a test tube.” Mrs. Dersingham in her bed room, powdering between her shoulder blades, is anxious. “Cook been rather cross all day and might spoil every- thing, and even when she tried she was apt to make the soup greasy and forget the salt in the vegetables. And Agnes, the new maid, had pretended to under- stand all about serving, but she was so stupid that she might easily go stick- ing vegetable dishes under people's noses anyhow, and there was bound to be some awful confusion when it came to clearing the table for dessert. You cotld laugh it off, of course, but you got 50 tired of laughing it off. * * * How ‘terribly tiresome it was! And then, too, all the time you were so worrled and anxious about the food and the serving, you were expected to be keep- ing the conversation going, terribly bright and hostessy.” Mrs. Dersingham seeks compensation in imagination and the “silly girl” in her wishes that she bly successful actress,” liv- ing in a “marvelous little flat,” with a_ devoted maid and a huge car in which she would drive off after the play, clothed in a Russian sable coat and diamonds, to a perfect little sup- per where every one would stare at her; or that she were a “terribly suc- cessful woman writer” with a villa on the Riviera, where distinguished people would continually come to call; or that she were “terribly rich,” with a house- keeper and 15 servants and a town house and a country house, and a “dark young man, very aristocratic and a racing motorist or yachtsman or something like that,” terribly in love with her. But fancies of this sort do not take her through the ordeal of the dinner. Her guests arrive—very ordi- nary guests, without elegance or refine- ment, but they are of her circle and she has her pride to maintain before them. The dinner is even worse than she has anticipated and ends in hysterics for her and great discomfort for Mr. Der- singham, who can think of nothing to say but “There, there * * * there, there, there.” * K Kk K Those who have often wanted to write short stories may find out how to go about it from a new booklet, “Short Story Writing,” by Blanche Colton Wil- liams, who, since 1919, has compiled and edited the annual volume of O. Henry memorial award prize stories. How character, atmosphere, plot and other essentials may be created within the scope of a few thousand words is| $O explained by Miss Williams, who quotes well known masterpieces to illustrate her points. She shows not only how to write a story, but how to sell it, and, as her discussion is brief, she suggests other books and stories for further read- The course, which is one of the | ing. “Reading with a Purpose” series pub- lished by the American Library Asso- i reters, may e obtataed & punie ers, a Ilibraries. e They Hold High Rank. From the Miami Daily Ne ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. ‘The answers to questions printed here each day are specimens picked from the mass of inquiries handled by our great Information Bureau maintained in Washington, D. C. This valuable service is for the free use of the public. ‘Ask any question of fact you may want to know and you will get an te reply. Write plainly, inclose 2 cents in coin or stamps for return postage and address The Evening Star Information | Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, director, Washington, D. C. Q. Who is erecting a reproduction of Mount Vernon in Paris?—B. G. A. The Commission of the United States to the International Colonial and Overseas Exposition at Paris is erect- ing a full size replica of Mount Vernon on the Paris Exposition Grounds as the official exhibit. It is to be furnished and decorated as was Mount Vernon in the time of George Washington. Ehe“e;;posmun is supposed to be ready Q: Should women continue to wear their hair short, or should it be al- lowed to grow?—V., B. A. The present-day woman is en- couraged to weqr her hair as it be- comes her, or as it expresses her indi- viduality., The hair may be worn short or long, waved or straight, flat or fluffed. More and more women are learning the importance of line and proportion, and the coiffure is studied as a part of the ensemble effect, its relation to the shape of the head and as a frame for the face. Q. What are the total resources of Columbia University?—N. E. A. It has resources of over $100,000,~ 000. Of this sum about $67,000,000 is income-producing and only about $33,000,000 provides income whose use is non-restricted. The income for the present year, including students’ fees, amounts to more than $9,580,000. Q. When did the first Jews settle in this country?——C. 8. C. A. The first group of 23 reached New Amsterdam, now New York, in 1654. ‘They came from Brazil, having left that country when it passed from Dutch to Portuguese-control. Two Jews had preceded them a short time before. Q. How do the ton-miles of trans- portation compare for motor trucks, steam railrcads and boats in the United States?—L. B. A. Traffic by motor trucks, 10,276,~ 000,000 ton-miles; steam railroads, 477,244,000,000 ton-miles; water-borne, 96,514,270,000 ton-miles. Q. Why does & balloon that is at & certain height during the night bound | upward at sunrise?—A. P. When the sun comes up, the air is warmer, the gas in the balloon is lighter, and the balloon rises. Q. What is the National Probation Association?—G. P. A. Tt is an assoclation of earnest men and women who have as a purpose the development and assistance of juvenile courts and probation service through- out the United States. It is supported by memberships and contributions. Q. What is a legal preced b A A. One I authority sa; Anglo-American legal system’ a deci- sion by a court, made on a question of law arising in a case and necessary its determination, is an authority, or lent?—T. ys: “In binding nt, in the same court or in ‘other courts ‘of lower Fank. 14 subsequent cascs where the same ques- tion is again in controversy.” This is called the doctrine of precedent, or “stare decisis et non quieta movere," which means “to stand by the decisionis and riot disturb what is settled.” Q. How much money is raised for mllagmAm }yurposes in the United States? A. In 1926, the latest census figures of this kind, the total was $817,214,528, Q. Are more people killed and hurt Lnx)lnyln( bas> ball or foot ball>—B. B. . Foot ball, Q. How much land is there in Lafayette Square across from the ‘White House?—T. 8. F. A. This famous park contains about seven acres. The name is said to have been chosen by George Washington. Q. Why is hara-kiri so called?>—D. T. A. It is Japanese and combines hara, the belly, and kiri, to cut. It is a meth- od of suicide by disemboweling. The first recorded instance of hara-kiri, or hlPDy dispatch as it is sometimes called, is that of Tamstomo, brother of Sutoku, an ex-Emperor in the twelftn century, after a defeat in which most of his followers w slain. Q. Where is the U. 8. §. Den- ver?—N. P. A. It is at the present time fin Guantanamo Bay. It is to go to Phila- delphia to be decommissioned, but as yet no date has been set. Q. How many persons would it take to do the work done by machinery in the United States?—W. K. A. According to a survey by Joseph W. Roe, professor of industrial engi- neering at New York .University, it would require 12,000,000,000 servants to do the work that machinery performs each day in the United States. It is estimated that for every man, woman and child in this country there is gen- erated power equal to that of 100 slaves. Q. Is the smallest Gtate in area also the smallest in popylation?—H. R. A. Rhode Island -g the smallest in area, and Nevada has the fewest in- habitants. Q. Who are latitudinarians?—W, L. A. The term is applied to people who attach little importance to d to what are called orthodox . Latitudinarians were a Church of Eng- land party in the tithe of Charles II, cpposed both to the High Church party and to the Puritans. Q. What country was called the Sick Man of. the East?>—C. T. A. The Turkish Empire was so char- acterized by Nicholas of Russia in 1844. Q. How many Civil War Veterans were in the G. A. R. parade at the encampment at Columbus, Ohilo, in 1888?—M. A. A. The secretary of the Ohio head- quarters of the G. A. R. says that the number was not actually counted, but approximated 75,000 men. It took the parade about five hours to pass the re- viewing stand. col high seas?—W. A. McL. A. He is tried under the jurisdiction of the nation whose flag the ship files. mi| Aviation Experts Indorsed As They Seek Uniform Laws American aviation experts who met recently at Washington found that the country was disposed to their demands for greater uniformity in State laws as a means of contributing to safety in the air. Comments by the press on the aims of the confersnce give evidence of co-operation in the present campaign. 1t is pointed out by the St. Joseph Gazette that various States have “enacted contradictory measures” and that “lines of differentiation between Federal State jurisdictions are not clearly marked; six States have no laws at all governing aviation,” and that other conditions adverse to flying are found. Reviewing the complaints that were voiced at the conference by Sen- ator Hiram.Bingham of Connecticut, president of the Natlonal Aeronautical Association; A. G. Barber of the Ala- bama State Legislature and Chester W. Cuthell, former chairman of the Na- tional Bar Association’s Committee on Alr Law, that paper adds: “That some kind of workable order, more satisfac- tory than that which now exists, will result, can safely be ‘The penalt v Capt. M. the Detroit News as statin across a State or two much when air transportation gets its full stride”; that “in terms of air travel, the United States already has been reduced to the size of Delaware.” The Neys comments: * figure of conveys the tremen e of view coming with t’he pi of aviation. Delaware is one of the small- est States, yet the improvement in transportation brought in the de- velopment of air travel reduces the entire United States to the proportions of Delaware by comparison with the earlier methods of covering distance. Obviously, then, unless the wings of the fiyers are to be clipped, their passage from State to State must be facilitated by every ible means. Reason would dictate that State regulations should measure the newly enlarged vision and should vary as little as possfble from those enacted for the entire country. The time cannot be far distant when the air lines will be subject to public utility commissions and with full status of common carriers.” * K K % Col. Lindbergh's against diversified air transportation” presses the Mil- waukee Sentinel as confirming “the opinion of most people that uniformity in this direction is highly desirable and necessary.” The Sentinel continues: *. Col. Lindbergh says, the worth of air- craft will be measured entirely by their ability to do away with the barriers of time and distance. Already the air lines span the United States, and the colonel sees in the near future a 12-hour mail schedule between the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts. From that to regular international communication is but a step and one which will doubtless be accomplished in a relatively short time. Adoption of uniform rules all over the world will mean much when aerial transportation shall become a common- place of everyday life.” “The man in the air,” according to the New York World, “in a single day may fly over a dozen States and land in half a dozen. He may not always know—in some kinds of weather he cer- tainly will not always know—what State is beneath him. to know what State otherwise can may fly at 500 feet altitue or 1,000 feet, or at any hef Some States, like Connecticut, have carefully framed regulations for airmen. Most of them have not. The need of like uniformity of air codes as the number of aviators increases and the improvem: of planes and navigating instruments adds to the speed and multiplies the daily mileage of the shoals of machines along the great air highways. The mat- ter should receive prompt attention in States been ward in Some of ecided _ stand lations governing during 1931.” That em- the fact that “it ,I‘:w necessary for all commercial 131 were deaths of passengers, of which only 22 were on regularly scheduled flights. (In 1928 there were 109 pas- sengers killed in railroad accidents.) In all airplane accidents, fatal and non-: fatal, in 1930, 57 of every 100 were u; , 10 to landing diffi- culties and 2 to ‘miscellaneous causes.’ The increasing safety of flying, as a reg- ularly accepted means of transportation, has resulted not merely from the enor- it ‘The Birmingham News declares that “Inasmuch as flying has become widespread tha more practicable than Federal,” the con- ference emphasizes the possibility of the local enforcement of the Te- quirements. The Jackson Citizen triot sees hope of action in ‘i oach- ing sessions of State legislatures,” and advises that “to make enforcement as fair and effective as possible, uniformity ufi‘:‘fnul.flll"’w f metal weighin, ferr & plece of metal weighing 25 pounds which fell from an airplane and registered a direct hit on the roof of a New York house, the Manchester Union states: “The rule of reasonable care seems to be generally in force, though that circumstance should not in any wise lessen vigor of investigation in such cases. That accidents of the sort have been rare is no reason to lessen precautions designed to make them rarer still. The aviators and the folks on the ground are alike interested in such an outcome.” . Too Many Prison Gang Pictures. From the Toronto Daily Star. At the present time there appears to AS | be a greater poverty of invention st Hollywood than usual. Three popu- lar talkie houses in Toronto are showing pictures depicting criminal life —not real, but imaginary—and the heroes or central figures in two of the plictures are prisoners. In the third picture there is a gallant and lovable highwayman and a detestable and cor- rupt lot of police, Pictures like .these, no matter how clever the camera work nor how realistic the acting, can but be regarded as bad pictures, showing life from unwholesome angles gnd tending to fill silly minds with the suggestion that the prisons are tul:'ot Mbht .Y:’m' while the real crimi- nals are af e, Krfll’pflmlll societ; g:u. and lonlx’e of the worst of then’n essed as policemen or prison guards. All this, of course, is pure rot. It is onl: 't he wishes. | ing] s not ent | 59