Evening Star Newspaper, June 12, 1931, Page 8

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition, WASHINGTON, D. C. FRIDAY..........June 12, 1831 THEODORE W. NOYES. ...Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company B T lvants Ave gmfi;’f-n Olcfl't!: 14 Fuxent #., London, Eagland. Rate by Carrier Within the City. TThe Evening Ster.. 45¢ per month and Su 60c per month 5 q Sunday S > 5c_per copy o S . de at the end 4 Oraremay Be et in by mail or telephone NAtional 5000, Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia, Daily and Sunday. ] Daily only, Bunday only All Other States and Canada. aily and Sunday...1yr., $12.00: 1 mo., $1.00 1y 1w Y e %3800 1mo.. * 78e hdas oty JE $8.00: 1mos oc Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively eu to the use for republication of all new ted in_ this published herein. special dispatches her = R S The Verdict. The injustice and the impropriety of the Mapes Committee’s formula for the solution of the fiscal relations problem are so obvicus that ex- tensive elaboration 1is unnecessary. Suffice it to say that the very nature of the final verdict, and the max which it was reached, become safe- guards for the unrepresented taxpayers of this community who are victims. ‘The verdict becomes an appeal in itself. There are intelligent and fair-minded men in Congress who, on the strength of this verdict alone, will kszome tae District’s champions, Consider, for a moment, (h2 brief his- tory of this latest “fact finding” investi- gation of fiscal relations. It came about when the House and Senate were un- able to agree on the amount that the Federal Government should appropriate for support of the Capital. The House, ‘without rhyme or reason, and contrary to the spirit as well as the letter of existing law, held out for $9,000,000. The Senate, seeking to apply just rea- soning, as well as the spirit, if pot the Jetter, of the law, held out for $12,000,- 000. A compromise at $9,500,000 was reached, coupled with the passage of a resolution in the House directing a spe- cial committee to investigate the “va- rious elements, factors and conditions” bearing upon the question of fiscal rela- tions and to “recommend to the House what amount, in their judgment, the United States should contribute annual- ly toward the development and main- tenance of the municipality,” and also to investigate the various forms and sources of local revenue and to recom- mend new or changed forms of taxation. The committee of seven was pre- dominantly antagonistic to that point of view, not necessarily the mere local peint of view, that the Federal Govern- ment was legally and morally bound to generous and adequate support of its Capital. Its long session of hearings developed and amplified this very point of view. The expert testimony on relative burdens of taxations, submit- ted by the Federal Bureau of Efficiency, showed first that the local tax burden was adequate in comparison with that of other cities, and, with certain allow- ances which in equity should be made, was relatively heavy. It showed, more- over, that the Federal Government was shirking its financial liabilities in con- nection with the support of the Federal City and that the Federal appro- are also r priations were inadequate. This testi- | mony-by the Bureau of Efficiency was later repudiated, on the floor of the ‘House, by spokesmen for the committee. fThey appealed for additional funds for the hire of another expert investigator on the ground that the Bureau of Efficiency report was “embarrassing.” The expert was engaged and has ap- parently put in many weeks of hard Jabor compiling comparative tax data. He has made known his own very sane and sensible views regarding an adjust- ment of the local tax burden by meth- ods which might more evenly distribute the burden without necessarily increas- ing it. His formal report to the com- mittee has been delivercd and received in secret. Nobody knows what is in 4t except the members of the committce. And after three short executive ses- sions the committee has announced that its formula for solving the prob- Jem of fiscal relations is the imposition of a local inheritance tax, which takes the form of an additional and not a substitute form of taxation; the dou- bling of the gasoline tax and the im- position of a higher registration tax, Which take the form of additional taxes, and not the substitute form of taxation recommended in lieu of the personal tax on automobiles, in a proposed study of a local income tax, as a substitute Jor the present tax on intangibles, and in the imposition of new taxes on pub- Qe utilities. The matter of chief importance, Which is the division of expenses be- tween the local and the Federal gov- ernments and the amount to be ap- propriated by the latter, is relegated to & position of secondary importance. It ds even intimated that this subject can- ot receive adequate attention until the xesults of new local taxation have been studied. In November or December the com- mittee will meet again and make its formal report. The contents of this re- port have been pretty well forecast al- ready. The evidence upon which the zeport will b2 based rema’ns & mystery. ‘What Mr. George Lerd told the com- mittee remains a secret. A one-sided case against the District is being built on foundations.that are so wobbiy that 4t may topple of its own weight. — e ——— A ten-thousand-foot oil well in Cali- fornia is announced as the world’s deep- est. However, many own stock in wells that appear to be a good deal deeper than that. ————r—e— - Hotel Taxi Stands. = ‘The Commissioners are to be com- mended for their decision to take up again the vexing problem of regulation of hotel hack stands. The Commis- sioners and the public believe that there should be no arbitrary arrangement be- tween hotels and taxicab companies which permits the use of public street space for private enterprise. This belief hos resulted in scveral test cases in coust, but the sccre is cll in favor of 85¢ per month | ..5¢_per of ‘each month. | | District coming time on technical points of the law. This problem merely serves to em- | phasize the urgent necessity for author- ity for the Public Utilities Commission adequately to regulate all classes of public utilities. Congress, however, has consistently refused to give the com- mission the necessary power and taxi- cab and bus companies have literally run roughshod over attempts at reason- able regulation by the District author- ities, ‘The present case is no effort to de- prive hotel patrons of taxicabs. If suc- cessful, the District will simply break up the arrangement for “L” cabs be- tween hotels and companies and throw designated hack stands open to all taxi- cabs. It is obvious that this cannot be done at Union Station, which is on privately owned land, but it is cer- tainly not unreasonable to suppose that an equitable arrangement should ob- tain on the public streets. It is ear- nestly hoped that success will follow the Commissioners' efforts. I T R Dr. Wu’s Resignation. Few forelgn envoys accredited to 'QWashmgtan ever came here with the background enjcyed by Dr. Chao-Chu Wu, the Chinese Minister who has just tendered is resignation' and withdrawn 2s the Nanking government’s ropre- sentative in te United States. Son of Wu Ting Fang, China’s most famous spokesman in this country, and himself a product of the American public school system, Dr. Wu lived to b2come one of his distinguished father's successors at Weshington and himself to earn an enviable diplomatic reputation at this Capital. Called upon to serve Nation- alist China in the most critical hours of its’budding career, Dr. Wu acquittzd (himeelf with a dignity and effectiveness ithat commanded universal respect | among those with whom official duty brought him into contact. | The circumstances which accompany the Minister's retirement are extraordi- nary, but of a charactsr which casts no glimmer of discredit upon the manner jof his going. Dr. Wu is a Cantonese. Canton has once again flared up as the head and centcr of a revolution against the central government at Nanking, itself the child of a revolu- tion born and fomented in Canton and | the South. President Chiang Kai-shek, accused of inefficiency and a would-be dictatorship, finds himself faced by | political enemies and military rivals in all directions. Another civil war is Just over the horizon, if not actually alrcady in progress. Waat Dr. Wu calls “the last straw” which broke the back of his loyalty to Nanking is directly connected with the imminence of strife in China. He had been ordered by the Chiang Kai-shek government to apply to the United States for permission to purchase arms and ammunition here. “As I am a Cantonese,” he says, “any one can appreciate my feelings not to* want to do anything to facilitate an army for such warfare.” The “straws” preceding “the last” one, Dr. Wu permits to be inferred, were his accumulating dissatis- faction and discontent with both domestic and foreign policles of the Nanking government. Holding them to be inimical to the best interests of China as a whole, Dr. Wu has left the ship on which he could no longer serve with required conscientiousness. Republican China will soon be twenty years old. It has weathered innumer- able vicissitudes, but “the new China” still lives. Internecine warfare, ban- ditry, famine, economic depression, in- ternational complications and a sea of other troubles have intermittently threatened to wreck the bark which Sun Yat Sen launched. Two definite attempts to restore monarchial govern- ment were baffled—the imperial designs of Yuan Shi Kal and the later effort to re-establish the throne of the Man- chus at Mukden. The form of China’s government, that of a republic, emerged as well intrenched. Then ensued a long contest for the inculcation of equally firmly founded principles. These, | too, have taken deep, if not yet in- eradicable, root. Now, apparently, the contest is over the personnel, rather than over the form or the principles, of Chinese gov- ernment. Chiang Kai-shek’s adminis- tration has been steadily crumbling in disfavor. The defection of Sun Fo, the son of revered Sun Yat Sen, until recently his minister of railways, was one of the most serious signs of the government's tottering fortunes. Dr. Wu has now thrown in his lot with the Tang Shao-yi government of South China at @anton. That he will eventu- ate as one of China's leaders, in the | event that history repeats itself and South again subdues North, is a fairly certain probability. ‘Whatever betides him and his strife- racked people, Dr. Wu leaves behind him in the United States a host of friends, whose hopes for the welfare of China will abide. B — The Bureau of Standards has a “walking machine” which in twenty- four hours gives a pair of new shoes i the equivalont of many weeks of ordi- nary wear. Many American families possess similar apparatus. Its name is apt to be Willle, or some other diminutive. —————— American dollars invested in certain Latin American republics seem some- times to be permanently interred there. —_— e London has opened a nursing home “for tired animals.” The Democratic Donkey must read this news wistfully. | Children’s Dangerous Toys. The direcior of the Noise Abatement Commission in New York City calis for the enactment of a law prohibiting the use of toy pistols. This is not oniy be- cause of complaints regarding noise, but is the result of a belief that the chil- dren now engaging in a game of “cop and gangster,” which is befng played all over the big town, who find no difficulty in securing “arms” for this pastime, are subjected to a most pernicious in- fluence that may lead them into future criminal careers. “Every day hundreds of make-believe policemen are shot with cap pistol by hundreds of make-believe robbers,” says Director Brown. Cap pistols, he suggests, are very effective in training future gangsters not to let their hands shake when pointing a gun, and not to close thelr eyes when pulling a trigger. For this reason, as well as because of the noise hazard, he de- clares, such pistols should be completely benned. in & bad second each]the mearby suburbs, as well as New THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C., FRIDAY, THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. York. Owing to the lack of effective laws or regulations in adjacent Mary- land and Virginia, the children of the District are able to “arm” themselves ‘with miniature pistols and with danger- ous firecrackers with no more difficulty than trips just across the boundary. ‘The game of “cop and gangster” is played hefe as well as in New York. It can be seen on almost any public play- ground or vacant lot. Children are be- ing burned and wounded almost daily by ths explosions of ammunition and fireworks. The other day in one of the suburbs a child was desperately wound- ed by the explosion of a “glant” fire- cracker in a gas-pipe cannon, The; cracker was obtained in one of the shops in Maryland. Against this menace to the lives and limbs of the children of the District there can Be no full protection short of the enactment of laws in the two adja- cent States which prohipit the sale of dangerous fireworks or explosives or of toy pistols such as breed crime as well as inflict dangerous injuries. The par- ents of children can do much, however, by preventing their children from sup- plying themgelves from such sources. o ———— Leonard Wood’s Memorial. Gen. Leonard Wood's great service in the Philippines, it is now certain, is to be immortalized by a magnificent work of mercy. It has just been announced | that the $2,000,000 fund planned by' the soldier - statesman - humanitarian’s friends for leprosy rellef has been raised. The foundation will bear Wood's name, in tribute to the campaign he started in 1927 for the purpose of help- ing the Manila government to fight mankind’s most dreaded disease. Gen. Leonard Wood would have wished for no finer memorial. It will insure him a niche in the history of the Philippines, in whose service he literally worked himself to death, more imperishable than any monument of marble or bronze which the subscrip- tions of his admirers could have made possible. Only a quarter of the money has been spent upon construction of a splendid set of buildings on the Island of Cebu, some four hundred miles south of Manila. The balance of $1,500,000 will be devoted to maintenance and re- search—especlally research—during the next fifteen vears. Medical science is hopeful that through sleepless investi- gation and care leprosy may be brought under control, even if it cannot be en- tirely obliterated. The Cebu institution consists of a modern leprosarium, com- | prising fifty-five buildings with a ca- pacity of seven hundred and eighty inmates. At Culion, the old center of the fight on leprosy in the Philippines, a laboratory has been established which will enable research on the best lines known to present-day science: While it is chiefly leprosy in the ar-| chipelago that the Leonard Wood Me- morial aims to combat, the foundation has already attracted the attention of the world’s leading leprologists. Re- cently a group of them visited Manila to discuss their common problems and t acquaint themselves with the trail- blazing work which Americans proud to honor the name and fame of Leonard Wood have now made possible. It is thus a munificence of illimitable and world-wide good that has been created | to commemorate the deeds of a great human benefactor. e Since the abolition of the traditional “holystone” by our Navy the Nation's press has reverberated with references to the saving not only of expensive teak- wood decks, but also of the knees of poor sailors. As a matter of fact, a sailor down on his knees holystoning was always an extremely rare sight. Holystones are either pulled back and forth by two men with two ropes or are pushed around by means of a long handle, Just another case of mis-shed tears. ——— et Clara Bow, permitted to cancel her current studio contract, is described as “lacking plans for her career,” It would seem that a girl like Clara does not need any plans. ———r———————— SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. A Fair Question. Shall we not be merry, friend, Even though no strains ascend As in anclent days of cheer, ‘When the troubadours drew near? Even though no bard is led ‘Where baronial feasts are spread, Love endures, and so does Wit, For the choicer spirits fit. There are still adventures bold Worthy to be finely told. As time's stream flows on its way, Still the sunlit ripples play And the blossoms fragrance yield, In our thoughts as in the field. ‘Though expression lack the grace Of remembered time and place, Shall a world that smiles so fair Only bring regrets and care? Grief, like joy, must have an end. Shall we not be merry, friend? Not an Outer. “You must be famillar with the ins and outs of politics?” “No,” replied Senator Sorghum; “so far I have been lucky. I have managed to identify myself strictly with the fel- lows that get in.” Jud Tunkins says a lazy man has to do one of two things—get rich or de- pend on charity. Human Wishing. A pirate or a circus clown I pictured in my boyhood days As offering the best renown That could reward maturer ways. How often are life’s later years With gratitude sincerely thrilled That stifles our regrets and fears For the ambitions unfulfilled! Disappointed Hopes. “Hiram,” sald Mrs. Corntossel, “our boy Josh has learned to play a regular tune on his new violin.” . “That boy won’t do nothin’ but waste Recently we wrote here of an outdoor Sunday spent in a mild walking trip. So rainy have been the Sabbaths of the past few months that such jour- neys are not so pleasant. It is possible, then, to spend the day in the miniature cosmos known as the back yard, between showers. ‘This, too, is outdoors. ’ This is the bit of outdoors which millions of home-loving persons know the best. ‘What, after all, does the motorist see? He is 50 busy rushing along the road, if one may judge from his ordinary actions, that he has time for nothing except the steering wheel. Now, a steering wheel is a mighty necessary thing, but to some it is not half so interesting an object as a strange shrub in blcom, PR ‘There is a bellef in some minds that it is better to know one's own garden intimately than to be able to speak superficially about other folks' gardens. Fountains and such things are all very well for those who have them, but it one does not own ’em—well, doesn't it make one just a little envious? A visit to a grand garden is some- thing like reading one of these success magazines which recount the life ad- ventures -of exceedingly astute gentle- men who rose from nothing to a million a year. When the reader stops to consider his own case he is not heartened, but sad- dened rather, by the contrast which his own career presents. Up_ until reading this pesky article, he tells himself, he was reasonably well satisfied with his own career, but the contrast is too much. Indeed, eontrast is often far too much, despite the smirks and smiles of approval which people put on to hide their own chagrin. * A Sunday afternoon in one’s own back yard possesses none of this un- pleasantness, Here one is not bowed down by the weight of other people’s successes. “A poor thing but mine own,” said ‘Touchstone, a phrase which every one may well adopt for his home garden, One has the double-barreled felicity of being modest and at the same time realizing full well that one’s own is not at all poor. Trees are never poor things, nor is grass, nor are such flowers &s one may possess. Even weeds are beautiful in their season. There is many a vacant lot vhich is the prettiest oasis of green in a vicinity. * ok ok % Over there stands a clump of great soaring weeds of the firmest, darkest green. Yes, some colors are firm, and this is one of the firmest. ‘There is something substantial about the color of these weeds, & quality which more civilized plants might well envy. Take a good look at these small chick- weeds which have been lying here in the open air with their roots exposed farA:\z:wnr six days. same time a few petunia plants wg‘e left in a similar unhappy glv.ua- The petunias are withered, of course. But the chickweeds are as fresh and green-looking as you please, and no doubt if they were put into the ground would begin to grow again as if they had never been out of it. * Ok K K We commend the weeds to every ama- teur gardener. They say that earthworms at the touch of a spade will come to the light of day and writhe away, not from man- kind, but tket they think it is a mole. In their blind, groping fashion the angleworms have come to fear and watch out for the mole, and anything which disturbs them is to them a mole. We were ?dlnz about moles the other day, and we pass the following bit of information on: Moles were said to be in such dire need of incessant food that if they cannot get worms or grubs they will die in 8 to 10 hours. If two moles are put in a box iflhfl without food, one of them will ill and eat the other. It was said that moles will die rather than eat vegetables or .other matter. * ok ok K Happy is the garden which has no moles, for their tunnels, just beneath the top of the turf, are disconcerting to the gardener. Here, again, one sces the balance of Nature. The mole eats many noxious insects as well as hundreds of earth- worms. The latter are necessary to the best soil condition, but authorities be- lleve that there are enough of them to furnish the mole with constant food without loss to the garden. ‘We never will forget a river of worms, as we called it, which we saw once—on a Sunday—in the garden. There were literally thousands upon thousands of them, of a light gray color and about an inch and a half long, forming a moving mass about a foot in lcnm}:l by perh?pstfour inches wide, en seen in the sunlight at some little distance the moving mass resem- bled flowing water. It was an unbe- levable and ghastly sight, if one dis- likes serpents and all creeping things. We have noticed some propaganda in various publications during recent months designed to convert mankind to | love of snakes. Snakes are charming | things, after all, readers are told. There is nothing natural about mankind's fear [ of them. cy are recommended as pets and the lke. Everybody would lochl.hem it the little Tfellows—and the big uns— were given a fair chance, we are told. Well, the majority of mankind 1 continue to fear snakes and centipedes ;:rllg :‘:le cl:‘eiplng. c‘rtawlmg things. Nor sald majority need to cal] the authority of the Bible., i A Happily, the average garden contains no snakes, aithough occasionally if you visit a friend he will try to scare you by telling you about th= serpents which once upon a time inhabited it. | He may show you with due solemnity several holes, which, he avers, once | harbored serpents, and he may assert | with even greater solemnity that the | serpents were of a poisonous variety. Laugh mildly at his joke and turn the conversation to such pleasant things | as grass growing and what to do with | an old lawn to make it look like a new {one. There is a perennial problem for the garden lover! The thing to do—no doubt of it—is to take a steel rake to the lawn in March, rake it up good, sow pounds and pounds and pounds of grass seed—and then more pounds of it—then give all a good dressing of bone meal and humus and wait for the Spring rains. to- WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. If anybody wants to know what Old Man Depression has dons to globe- trotting as a favorite American outdoor sport, let him scan the passport figures available at the Department of State. Beginning with the fiscal year 1923, when there were 124,844 passports for foreign travel, a steady annual increase reached its peak in the year ending June 30, 1930—the fiscal twelvemonth in which the economic crisis began. Dur- ing that year 209,211 passports were issued. For the Government period ending June 30, 1931, the Passport Division estimates that the total will reach 156,362. That represents a de- crease of about 25 per cent during the past year. A few monthly figures tell the story graphically. In May, 1930, 43,227 of Uncle Sam’s credentials were given to touring taxpayers. In May, 1931, only some 24,000 were applied for, a drop of nearly 50 per cent. Secretary Stimson's passport officer is one of the most accomplished women in the Pederal service, Ruth Bielaski Shipley, a daughter of Montgomery County, Md., who began as a clerk in the United States Patent Office in 1903. e b Senator Borah is going to Idaho in- stead of overseas for his Summer vaca- tion, but his able secretary, Miss Cora Rubin, is about to embark on the grand tour of Europe. She will sail on June 25, land at Marseille, then proceed, via | I Paris and Berlin, to Moscow. Befare returning in the Fall, Miss Rubin plans to cross the Mediterranean and visit Egypt. She has been clerk of the Sen- ate Committee on Foreign Relations ever since Mr. Borah took its helm in 1924. Probably no woman in the United States has so keen an insight into those matters beyond our shores, in all parts of the world, which ever and anon require the scrutiny of the august body which “advises and con- sents.” In Russia Miss Rubin hopes to quench her thirst for first-hand knowl- :gge gl the nobl;;xper\menc known as ve-year' an sovxeum.y' Pl d other things * Kk ok % ‘Washingtoniana: The president of the Soroptimists, business women’s or- ganization, is named Goodpasture, and she runs a cafeteria. . . . An F strect drug store, or rather a midday restau- rant that passes for such, now has an crchestra as an added attraction for the sandwich-and-milk trade. . . . Col. Charles R. Forbes, cne-time director of the Veterans’ Bureau, is ‘Washington. General of the United States, who prosecuted Forbes, Judge John W. H. Crim, is now practicing law in the Cap- ital, having formerly been at the New York bar. . . . A certaln Latin American diplomat, accredited to the District of Columbia tropics, takes his Summer vacation in his own country, not far from the Equator, to escape Washing- ton heat. * ok ok % Weird proceedings involving the name of William R. Castle, jr., Undersecretary of State, will shortly fake place in the law courts cf Tokio. They concern the publication in an obscure Japanese Sunday paper of gossip current in Tokio in 1930 to the effect that Mr. paid the editors of three leading Tokio dailies $750,000 for printing misleading stories about the London Naval Confe:- ence. lcmu was th‘; gnlbed States special ambassador apan durln% the conference. In a public speech & Tokio, Mr. Castle dismissed the yarn as the product of somebody’s feverad imagination. Suit has the managing editors t.h:t time. What does he want with a reg- | published ular tune? I was educatin’ him for a leader of a jazz orchestra.” Daylight Saving. Time. ‘This life becomes a dark array Of doubt and discontent. ‘You merely ask the time of day ‘And start an argument! “De man dat trusts to Luck,” said Uncle Eben, “is always so ungrateful es to give his own smartness all de lersecretary Mrmp-nies and the hotels»With the And that goes for wmmmlwm'mww _Bhe closing months of the been brought by.| the | ministration and now a law partner of John W. Davis in Manhattan. He |is said to be a lineal descendant of President James K. Polk, who was in the White House from 1845 to 1849. Pclk is a New Yorker born and bred and proudly records that he is a grand- son of Leonidas Polk, “the fighting 3ishop.” * K X x “Bill” Schilling of Minnesota, who keeps the Federal Farm Board safe for dairymen, recently found himself under heavy fire in his home State for al- legedly having given Alexander Legge “a _swell farewell banquet at a fashion- able Washington hotel, the affair no doubt costing thousands of dollars.” Schilling has just set forth the facts in a Minnesota country paper. “That swell banquet,” he writes, “cost exactly $14.80. My son Joel, who goes to Georgetown University and lives with me, helped me give it. Our 16 guests were folks who've been very kind to Joel and. me and repeatedly had us at their own homes for meals. I cooked the dinner, and it was a good one; the guests all said so, too. I served it in our little apartment. I hired two col- ored domestics to wait on the table so I could eat with the guests. I bor- rowed some chairs from the neighbors, and we had flowers on each table, too. The heaviest item of expense was an 11-pound turkey that cost $4.95, and the waitresses set us back $2. That isn't half the story, because Joel and had turkey, pork, sauerkraut and baked beans for three days afterward, while the flat smelled of sauerkraut for two weeks.” * ok ok *x kS Stephen T. Early, top-notch Wash- ington newspaper man before he went into_the pictures as local manager for the Paramount Sound News, is the proud father of a bouncing boy, who, accord- ing to Steve, produces plenty of sound himself. ~Somebody asked the new daddy what he is going to mame his offspring. “It's been suggested,” was the reply, “that I call him Depression Junior.” * ok ok % _Henry Cabot Lodge, formerly of the Washington press gallery and now an editorial writer on the New York Her- ald Tribune, was in the Capital this week to receive a decoration from the Polish Ambassador. The Order of Po- lonia Restituta was conferred on the grandson of the late Senator from Mas- sachusetts in recognition of Lodge, jr.’s, promotion of Polish-American friend- ship. (Copyright, 1931.) ——— Gunner of Monitor Is Poor House Inmate To the Editor of The Star: The Star, May 31, 1931, in' its sup- plement, prints an historically informa- tive and interesting article, with pic- ture illustrations, entitled “Last Sur- vivor of an Epic Battle” of the Monitor and Merrimac by T. R. Porter. In his article Mr. Porter tells the story of James McKenzie, one of the B e s . e vty e Te g of the deci‘-lglwlsh “cheese box” Moni~ tor that was the victor over the gigan- tic, ironclad Merrimac. This same James McKenzie fought the Sioux and Blackfeet Indians in Montana when the Indians were massacring the white set- tlers. But to me here is the real tragedy in the eventful tragic life of James Mc- Kenzie. He is living. He is in passing good health, He is He has his senses. ity Nebr. In the Veterans’ Bureau there are, say our newspapers, World War crossed the sea to fight, or smelled powder in battle, who are salaried at $9,000 and $10,000 per also pensioned at $189 didn’ country, tial | of liberty.” Land of the free, land of the brave. Then land of the brave come to the rescue of the sailor-soldier, 90 s old, r house inmate, Jamss &?xmm. ogm in th~ future neither ask nor ecneziint routa to fight your battles on sea of Jand, @ W, E. RYAN, gains yocu mariet, there - Spain's !Naufilus Trip to Arctic Held of Scientific Value To the Editor of The Star: Your editorial, “Sir Hubert and the Nautilus” in The Star of Monday, June 8, is to be regretted. It is not true that there is “almost universal condemnation because of the dangers of its mission and the uselessness of scientific data which can be obtained if success crowns its efforts.” Financial support and sclentific indorsement of the projects of the expedition have been extended by the Carnegie Institution of | Washington, the American 1 Soclety of New York and the IBlfllog al Laboratory at Woods Hole, Mass. No higher authorities can be named than those of these three insti- The two outstanding scientific Arctic explorers, in a fleld in which | there are many others of high repute, are Vilhjalmur Stefanswon and Dr. H. U. Sverdrup, both of whom have given the project tae highest indorsement both frcm the standpoint of practi- cability and sclentific value. Moreover, Dr. Sverdrup is to accompany the party. 1 have seen the names of several of those who have condemned both the practicability of the voyage and the isclgnmc results to be attained. Not one of them can qualify as an e: | in Arctic conditions nor in the particu- lar lines of scientific investigation which will be the principal objects of the expedition. I do not recognize one ! of them as having come out in opposi- tion to the unwise project of sending the Shenandozh into the Aretic, f which that ill-fated craft was as little | fitted as a racing shell would be to be| rowed across the Atlantic, nor who sounded a note of warning against the Shenandoah’s fatal final voyage into a | storm center, the coming of which had | been forecasted three days before the voyage was undertaken. Please bear in mind that the Navy Department certainly gave the expe- dition its quasi-indorsement by cutting the red tape which permitted the use of a Navy submarine fir the expedition. 1 It is also well to remember that, while 8ir Hubert Wilkins is an Australian and a British subject and several nationali- tles are represented in the scientific staff, the submarine files the American ag. HERBERT JANVRIN BROWNE. ———— e Arabic “Tarif” Held Derivation of “Tariff” To the Editor of The Star: The theory, advanced in The Star Wednesday, that the word “tariff” is de- rived from the town of Tarifa in Spain is very interesting, but it does not seem t> be borne out by etymological evi: dence Dictionaries assert that word is from the Arabic “tarif,” m: ing a schedule. The following illu: nating passage on this subject is taken from George W. Stimpson's “Nuggets of Knowledge.” putlished in 1928 by George Sully & Co. of New York: “Popular etymology regards ‘tariff’ as a survival of the pirate's craft and derives it frcm Tarifa, a Spanish sea- port about 20 miles from the Pillars of Hercules, which, in the olden days, was the stronghold of the Moorish piratcs Strait of Gibraltar waiting to_plunder merchant vessels entering the Medite:- ranean Sea. Tarifa received its namo from Tarif, whom Tariq sent to Spain early in the eighth century as com- mander of the advance guard of the Moorish invaders. In time, according to the myth, the pirates became more businesslike and ceased to plunder vcs- sels, but instead exacted a certain per- centage of the cargo for the prm of passing without further harm. - 1y, the story says, the tribute was levied in accordance with a systematic scale. Thus when European nations began to impose duties cn exports and imports they called the system tariff after the Tarifa pirates. This picturesque deriva- tion is plausible and it has been fre- quently used by popular orators and writers to indicate the questionable origin of all tariff systems. But the I story is discredited by philologists. The | best etymologists derive tariff from ths | Arabic ‘tarif, meaning knowledge, in: formation, or an inventory. He: a schedule of duties is called a tariff.” JOHN L. LEE. c—e— |Praise of Cornwallis For French Is Told| To the Editor of The Sta: Your article, or, rather, the article in ‘Wednesday's issue by Thomes R. Henry, on the “Surrender at Yorktown,” ends with the financial plight of the British commander after his military chest had been turned over to Washington. It might interest your readers to know that it was the French General Ro- chambeau who supplied Cornwallis with money to meet his immediate needs. In the final report of the British general, prmmd after he reached England, it is said: “The kindness and attention that has been shown us by the French offi cers * * * their delicate sensibility of our situation, their generous offers of money, both public and private, to any amount, has really gone beyond what I can possibly describe, and will, I hope, make an impression on the breast of every British officer whenever the for- tunes of war should put any of them in our power.” ELIZABETH 8. KITE. - oo Communism and Obligation From the Wall Street Journal. Sir George Paish, an economist who knows how to be liberal without getting excited about it, tells the Montreal Star that the success of the five-year plan will mean the end of Communism in Russia. He adds: “Oddly enough, the best thing for Canada to do is to help Russia as much as she can to make the five-year plan succeed. * * * What Russia needs is long-term credits. If Russia had long- term credits she would cease to dispose of her foodstuffs.” Sir George's premise concerning the success of the five-year plan accords with the belief of many with no more radical leaning than hé that an evo- lution of Russian political institutions toward sanity and a genuine freedom of the spirit is inevitable. Stated in crudely practical terms, his proposal ix that the western world promote that evolution and, as a more immediately important matter, avert the menace of Russian “dumping” of foodstuffs and raw materials by extending the Soviet government long-term capital loans. Canada’s visitor is a man of much experience in the direction of invest- meft funds. If he were asked by a group of bankers for rt advice eon- cerning the purchase of Russian bonds to be distributed to the investing pub- lic, or to be held for a term of years by banking and fiduciary institutions, could he unhesitatingly reply that the loan should be made? In view of the gollflul theory so_ardently proclaimed y the leaders of Russian Communism, ‘which holds the individual ownership of anything beyond the merest personal belongings to be the vilest of social evils, could he sgy that those who lent to Russia the means of financing her in- consider them: himself to the sacred cause of revo- lution. xtnmuwafl-mmcamaa or elsewhere, let of mending it to_ investors Paish. by Sir George Lower in Spain. | From the Boston T: | 1¢ you are not sa can gt in the home siock ere stll botter ones iv who hovered in the vicinity of the! in - ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. There is no other agency in the world that can answer as many legitimate questions as our free Information Bureau in Wi , D. C. mnmm. uj D nal direction of ing in con- us and other educational enterprises it is in a g;mnon to pass on to you authoritative formation of the hi order. Sub- mit your queries to the staff of whose services are put at your free dis- posal. There is no charge except 2 cents in coin or stamps for return post- age. Address The Evening Star Infor- mation Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, die rector, Washington, D. C. Q. What are the objections to the new golf ball we are hearing so much about?—F, McL. A. The principal criticisms of the new golf ball are that the player cannot get as much distance with it as he with the old standard ball; that it is ot so for play when a heavy wind is blowing, and that, being larger and lighter, it is not so good for putting. Some players are said to like the new ball, primarily because they get better lies with it and brassie and iron shots are easier to play. Q. Who invented the machine now used by stenotype operators?—B. H. A. It is the invention of Ward Stone A n-el-nr;g. The patent was issued April 1,1 Q. What is the salute fired on the Fourth of July?—H. McC. A. The salute to the Union, one gun for each State, is fired on the Fourth of July at noon. Q. Is it possible to travel across the country by motor boat without many portages?—O. A. S. A. The editor of Rudder says that several years ago a small outboard boat made the trip from ccast to coast by wlxx of the Columbia River, thence by a short portage across the mountains to the headwaters of the Missouri, down Q. What kinds of wood are usually used !gr ;ot:‘d‘ novelties? For carving A. Birch, beech and maple are most generally used in the manufacture of wood novelties. The woods best suited for carving are mahogany, walnut, oak and white pine. Q. What was the most expensive A. m wm?‘("c‘i&a Aesopus, , son of us dissolved in vinegar a pear! valued.at $40,000 in order to have the satisfaction gt consuming the most expensive drink ver know=a. Q. When does the Privy Council meet in England?—N. C. L. A. This council was originally chosen by the English sovereign to adminster public affairs, but is now never sum- moned to assemble as a whole except to proclaim the successor to the crown could | ypon the death of the sovereign. The business of the Privy Council is now performed by committees, of which the cabinet is technically one. Q. Who piloted the airplane used in the Department of Agriculture sugar- 3n: expedition through New Guinea?— A. The airplane used on the sugar expedition was piloted by Richard K. Peck, who had previously been pilot for the Sterling expedition into New Guinea in 1925. It was stated that this was the first time an airplane had been utilized as the main vehicle of transport on a scientific collecting expedition, Q. What is the nature of a fish's circulatory system?—T. L. B. A. The circulation of fish is prac- tically the same as that of higher ani- mals except that the lungs are replaced b} . When water passes over the lflls the blood takes up the “T In mx:‘;m lnxldd}lwn to ere are rudimentary Jungs, a supplementary cir- 3 tary Q. What does “H. M. 8.” stand for? this river to the Ml.ulmplpl. through | —C. M. the Chicago Drainage Canal, the Great Lakes, New York State Barge Canal and Hudson River to New York. It is be- lieved that the portage involved is about 75 miles, which can be made by the aid of a motor truck, but one of the chief difficulties is that the tremendous amount of sand in the waters of the Missouri River has a tendency to wear out the underwater parts of an out- board motor with great rapidity. In fact, it was necessary to change these parts completely almost every day while in these waters. Q. How many people are cremated in the United States instead of interred?— | M. P. B. A. More than 20,000 deceased per- sons are created each year. There are 87 crematoria in this country. Q. In how many forms is carbon found?—S. W. A. The element carbon is found in three distinct forms—in a soft, amor- phous condition, resulting from the burn- of wood, coal or other vegetable substances, as in charcoal or lampblack; in the form of graphite or black lead, and in a crystallized form, as the dia- mond, which is the hardest substance own. Q. What is the origin of the Libert; Cap symbol?—S. G. 5! A. It is traced to the PI cap of .ncl;;lt ‘(‘ilrl:eeeunnd le:w which was worn aves when they ob- tained their !roidom. Qs. Is Key West a coral island?— A. It . It is about 3% miles from A. His or her majesty's service or ship, as H. M. S. Wellington. Q. How is liquid air made?—S. B. A. Tt is prepared by subjecting air to great pressure and then cooling it by its own expansion to a temperature be- low the bolling point of its constituents. Q. Can a woman enlist in the United States Navy?—J. G. A. Women have never been eligible for enlistment in the Regular Navy. During the Great War women were en- rolled in the Naval Reserve. This en- rollment, however, was discontinued in November, 1918. Q. What is the term which expresses fear of cats?—J. Z. i A. Aeclurophobia. Q. Why is the design found on old gl!é]eé' shawls called palm leaf?— A. The palms of Persia and India, where the original Cashmere shawls were made, are of the type that is known as the royal palm, the drooping leaf of which can easily be conceived as form- ing the basis for the leaf so customarily used in the beautiful India shawls, of which the Paisley shawl is-a copy. Q. Does the same amount of undis- turbed sleep during the day give the same benefit as sleep at night>—D. M. A. Most medical authorities think so. They say that it does not make any difference when you sleep, so long as you get the required dmount and so arrange your program of living that you get sufficient outdoor exercise. Q. Is Prof. Einsten a musiclan?— east to west, 3 to 11 miles from north | R. D. to south and about 11 feet above sea level. N A. The great ph; 5 e e ol o Tariff Action by Canadians Arouses Conflicting Views Increases of Canadian tariff rates are believed by most Americans to be dam- eging to the export business of the United States. The charge that the Dominion is ref American tariffs is a matter of debate, the more favor- able attitude being that Canada is merely following the example of the United States in terpre tations of the motives involved is the suggestion that Canada may be estab- lishing the scientific basis for 1 ives need not be impugned, but the international, consequences of gov- zmmfinn; pouglu and Icuo‘l:‘l ulamst :e onsidered and frankly po out,” advises the Chicago Daily News, which holds that “certainly it does not lie in the mouths of the Smoots and other champions of high protection to corh- plain of Canada’s many notable in- creases of dutles or of the preference extended to the products of Great Brit- ain and other British dominions,” and that “any country is entitled to help itself to skyscraper ta: " As to the Canadian attitude the News remarks, 't{w've is per!:c't.ly dwbtl;‘nl:x duu Bennett Tnment is going up Canada industrially at the cost of producers in this country, so far as it can contrive op] on, demanded a ‘brick- for-brick’ tariff policy.” A difference in point of view is men- tioned by the Seattle Daily Times, which states that “it has been our purpose to impose tariff duties that would offset the cheaper labor in foreign countries,” but suggests that “just now our neigh- bors to the northward are greatly en- thused over the campaign to the produced-in-Canada movement.” The Times contends that “while Premier policy is in a measure retaliatory, we cannot criticize Canada for adopting a &‘lfn that has worked well in the United States,” and con- cludes that “since the new tariff sched- does not produce af home, there can be no pretense that the tariff is intended wholly to foster home AR e ‘The Toronto Daily Star, reviewing the legislation on this side of the bor- remarks that economists in this country “find that in locking imports out of the United States the exports 1 in” and offers the comment: at this time, with high tariffs falling into disrepute in the Unlfid States and everywhere in world, “In connection with the idea of - iprocity,” proposes the Buffalo r:venmm News, “there might be considered the fact that the United States has more capital invested in Canada than in any other foreign country. 1In industry across the border Americans have about zf,!}(:mw n:l; work. This money is es, oY s public utilities lnd‘ Behind this great investment there is a Tich fund of confid which statesmen - of bot Sood vl of both tries should be careful not to ©int whether h tariffs or other meas- ures. In the circumstances that have arisen leaders on both sides of the border may well give serious thflufin to a plan g:l 't‘r:de rfi::xproclty Ppromising mutual “The Dominion’s action.” in the judg- ment of the Hartford Daily News, “may well inspire economic heart searching on both sides of the border as to the soundness of policies which run coun- ter to all ons of reciprocity, universally considered but very faultily as the soul of successful bar- The Dayton Daily News paints the picture: ‘“We hit a good friend in the eye, blacking it. He hits us back in the eye, blacking it. Net results of two tariff walls—two black eyes, two enemies where once were two friends.” * ok x x “The tariff,” as analyzed by the Fort ‘Worth Star-Telegram, “is one of the inventions of trade that more nearly resemble the boomerang than any other primitive weapon.” More specifically, that paper comments: “The new sched- ule can be laid solely at the door of the Smoot-Hawley tariff bill that was pro- duced by the extra session of Congress in 1929. The 200 articles specified in the new Canadian tariff cannot be said not afford to remain unprotected against the competition of countries protected t | by high tariffs. The government needs revenue. The Canadians will pay it in the purchase of articles they can- not grow or manufacture. Oranges, corn, anthracite and bituminous coal, the Dominion will assume an extra bur- den for the purchase of American im- portgtions.” “Economists and business leaders,” declares the Atlanta Journal, “warned that the Hawley-Smoot act not only would reduce the buying capacity of our foreign markets but also would incite to retaliations. This wholesome advice was flouted.” The St. Louis Globe- Democrat finds u:.:nt “v;eu :w;i have a tariff war with the very of our cus- tomers,” and that paper asks, “Will it resul‘t?ln & more rational trade arrange- ment?” ‘Uncertainties in the situation are ob- statement: tariff wars, of depression that is world wide and the fight for markets abroad other solution for