Evening Star Newspaper, July 29, 1931, Page 8

THE- EVENING STAR ‘With Sunday Morning Edition. PN s latrmmscnnl Al dnsim Mo WASHINGTON, D. C. WEPNESDAY.....July 209, 1031 THEODORE W. NOYES....Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office: Pennsylvania Ave. u.'J‘E 1) ofl'"‘:e:"x'm'tm unalsc. icago Office: Lake Michigan Bullding. ropean Office: 14, Rege N Rate by Carrier Within the City. The Evenine Biary ..o og. 45 per month Thehen s Bundays) "60c per month i Thon s ‘¢5c per month o nday Star . . .. .9C_Per copy llection made at the f ‘ench month. Orders may be sent in by mail or telephone NAtional 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia, Daily and Sunda; Daily only, Sunday onl. All Other States and Canada. H’ and BSu yr., $12.00: 1 me By i 00: 1 "zfi ol yrn §900; 1 m only’ yri $8.00i 1 m Member of the Assoclated Press. ces pblished hetel n. E‘DXeel:l‘Edhplt:hn herein are also reserved. - The Taxicab Mess. With costly rights of way and estab- lished wage scales to maintain, com- pelled by law to assume financial re- sponsibility and to operate on approved schedules, the position of the street car companies in relation to the unregu- lated taxicabs is emphasized by the rate- cutting war from which the public is temporarily enjoying the profits. Thelr appeal to the Public Utilities Commis- slon deserves better treatment than a vague promise of further informal dis- cussion of a subject that has become one of the really serious problems con- fronting the municipality. It is not the mere difference in rates between the street cars and the com- peting cabs, the favored position of the cabs in picking up passengers ‘or the fact that the companies are losing rev- enue at the rate of about a thousand dollars & day that call for sympathetic study of the street car corporations’ predicament. If the street cars were competing with the taxicabs on an even footing one might agree that the Public Utllities Commission’s do-nothing policy 1s the only logical policy to pursue. But they are not competing on an even basis. The street cars are regulated in every step. They can make no move without the approval of the Public Utllitles Commission. The taxicabs are utterly unregulated. Public Utilities Commission orders, designed to regulate them, are flouted by the taxicab oper- ators and no effort is made to enforce them. Even such innocuous reguiations es those requiring taxicabs to paint their identifying names in standard let- tering are cast to the winds when one company pleads that its lettering has already been done in a manner that does not comply. Regulations requiring that earnings, tariffs, etc., be filed with the commission are not obeyed. The only requirements for going into the taxicab business are an ability to oper- ate an automobile and a cab that has strong enough brakes to pass routine police inspection. The absence of any requirements for assumption of finan- clal Mability is well known. ‘The present rate war is a cut-throat proposition, “ruggedly individualistic,” it is true, and temporarily of benefit to the public, but aggravating traffic dangers and congestion and reducing an already low-wage scale for taxi drivers, who count on the viclous tip system to pull them through. It has all the characteristics of any dog fight, and will end the same way, with the conflicting parties worn out and bruised and worse off than they were before, Mr. Keech's intervention has come at & time when the embattled parties are growing weary of their foolish tactics. He has brought together some fifty independent operators of from 1 to 275 cabs and made them agree to file a schedule of rates with the commission on August 1, the theory being that, once filed, the schedules cannot be changed without the Public Utilitles Commission’s approval. In view of the history to date of the commission’s half-hearted attempts to regulate taxi- cabs, the present agreement is nothing to grow optimistic about. In addition, it falls to include, as parties to the agreement, two of the largest of the taxicab companies. Mr. Keech, however, is to be com- mended for at least trying to do some- thing about a ridiculous situation, which 1s more than the Public Utilitles Commission has done. But no lasting order will be brought out of the chaos until the Public Utilitles Commission goes after the taxicab problem with both fists and demonstrates its ability really to regulate public carriers in the Dis- trict of Columbia, with & view to assur- ing both fair competition and the safety end welfare of the public. P 1t is intimated that while the parts undertaken by statesmen abroad were well acted, the manner in which promi- nence was distributed did not leave the stage management beyond reproach. oo Adventure in the Sky. Wwith Russell Boardman and John Polando off for Turkey by a’r, Clyde E. Pangborn and Hugh Herndon, jr., wing- ing their ivay around the workl, Ccl. Charles Lindbergh and his wife pcised for their sky trip to Japan ani China, th: Graf Zoppelin on its way to the North Pole and Amy Johnson, noted English woman pilot, successful in her flight from London to Moscow, the month of July, 1931, will surely go down in history as the starting time of many adventurous souls who seek to make more certain the human conquest of the <lements. All of these ambitious flights may not succeed, but if-they do it will mark one step further in man's struggle to pro- mots larger use of the limitless air trails. Happily, in the twelfth year of transatlantic flying th:re have besn no casualties, a record of success that no previous year can approach. Thiee teams in the past few weeks have set out to cross the dengerous Atlantic anc all of th:m have made it. One flew from New York to Budspest, anothe: from New York to Copenhagen, and the third, scorning such trivial efforts— accomplishments that a few years ago would have been hailed by an astounded world—circled the globe in g little more than eight days. 1 832 | the sky history of 1931, 0 attributed to theee factors—increased knowledge of the air, better motors and better planes, Pilots who several years ago were just “learning the business” now have thousands of hours to their ieredit, experience that can be gained in no other way than flying under all sorts of conditions. These are the men who have been making the siccessful flights, Engines have been vastly im- proved and now are almost as reliable as the engines in motor cars. Plane structure has lkewise shown improve- ment and the art of stream!lining to cut down air resistance and to increase speed has been highly perfected. Some day it may, and probably will, be commonplace to fly across the At- lantie or around the world, but it is not today. Neither man nor plane has yet reached that siage. And zo all the ‘more credit must be given,to those who, by their ploneering efforts, are writing They are the forerunners of countless others who will follow in their paths. More power to them! ————————— Steel’s Readjustment. United States Steel has cut its divi- not reduced the wages of labor. In ex- planation of its reduced dividend pay- ments and cuts in salaries, the corpo- ration calls attention to its materially reduced earnings. The action of the itself, is doubly of moment as & pos- sible forerunner of cuts in pay of employes in other big industries. In some quarters there has for months been & demand that there be a read- justment of wages to meet the lower prices of commodities and the inability of industrial concerns to earn as much as they have in the past. Such a demand has been resisted not only by many business men who have hoped for an uptorn in industry, but also by the President of the United States and his administration. Soon after the stock market crash in 1929 President Hoover called to the White House leaders of industries, labor and agriculture and urged upon them the need of upholding wage scales and of avalding strikes and demands for higher wages. The upshot of the conferences was a declaration that in- dustry and labor would stand by the administration in its_efforts to main- tain wages and industrial peace. In the main the pledge has been carried out, luckily for the country at large. The action of the United States Steel Corporation yestenday still conserves in large measure the pledge not to reduce wages. Labor, it is understood, is to continue to work for the corporation at its old scale of pay. On the other hand, the corporation is making capital bear the burden of reduced dividends and is reducing the salaries of the better paid employes. It is difficult to quarrel with the action of the corpora- tion in these circumstances. Obviously, if the corporation earnings are falling off, it would niot be possible to continue to pay the same rate of dividend, $7.00 s share, now cut to $4, without a drastic cut in operating costs, if then. The directorate of the corporation has undertaken to make capital bear its share of the burden of the depression. 1t it had gone ahead and reduced sal- aries and wages and at the same time had sought to maintain the old divi- dend scale for stockholders, there would have been ground, indeed, for severe criticism. Any effort on the part of capital to make labor bear the whole 1burden of the depression or even the greater part of it would be & blow to the capitalistic system. In times of great activity and prosperity, capital reaps as a rule the greater reward, al- though more and more the workers have come to share in the earnings which they make possible by their labor. In hard times it is but just that capital shall share the burden in an even greater degree than labor. For nearly two years this country has wallowed in a business slump, the result of overexpansion and over- production, with the rest of the world steadily losing buying power. The de- pression which resulted in 1929 was inevitable. Economic laws are inex- orable. America and the world will win a way out of the present slump. That there will have to be readjust- ments is beyond & doubt. Already these readjustments have, in many cases, been made. Uffortunately they have led to a halt in many industries, with many employes cut of work or on part time. Confidence, lower prices and in- creased buying, the exhaustion of stocks of goods of all kinds, making necessary further production, will all play their part in the revival when it comes. The action of the Stecl Cor- poration is regarded by the directorate itself as a temporary measure. Other and wages, too, giving the action of the Steel Corporation as an excuse for so doing, when the same sound reasons do not exist for & readjustment, will be doing themselves and the country a disservice. And those concerns which seek to reduce wages while maintaining the payment of dividends or earnings in whatever form at the old rate should be censured. [ Tourists ere welcome in Berlin, They are free to come and go. But the funds they leave in the course of a sojourn are accounted for to the authoritics and are not expected to travel. ————————— New York’s Centenarian, On Monday John R. Voorhis, New York's cldest inhabitant, celebrated his one hundred and second birthd:y anni- versary. He did this by going to his office—he Is president of the board of elections of Manhattan—presiding over a meeting of the board, cutting & birth- day cake bearing the sppropriate num- ber of candles, listening to the con- gratulations of friends end then ad- journing the meeting and going home. Some one with a mathematical ten- dency figured out that Mr. Voorhis has spent no less than three months, one wezk and four days in hdays alone in the course of his life. When this fact was communicated to him the grand sackem of Temmeny apnered to be unmoved, remarking that a birthday wes just another day, and that cela- Lr:tions did not take any timz off from This man was born in 1829. Andrew Jackson had just become President of the United States. Abraham Lincoln was a youngster of twenty. Andrew Johnson was only nineteen, Grant was seven and so was Hayes. Steel Corporation, while interesting ln; concerns which seck to reduce salaries | None of the Unquesticnably, this nmz‘ can be others who later filled the presidential cheir had then been born. The steam locomotive was still two years from in- vention, ang the world was traveling on land by horse power, though it was doing a bit of navigation by steam. There was mno telegraph, Nobody dreamed of the telephone and as for such very modern marvels as the phono- graph, the radio and the “fiying ma- chine,” they were beyond the realm of the imagination. Ballooning had been carried merely to the point of some daring ventures in uncontrolled flights for short distances. The harvesting ma- chine was sixteen years ahead and the sewing machine scventeen. The youth of this centenarian was spent In simpls circumsiances. New York, to which he was taken as an infant of one year, was what would now be called a small town. Where now stands the Grand Central Siation was 8 dairy farm, the owner of which, de- spairing of the city ever growing out that far, sold for a then large sum but now a mere pittance in proportion, and went West to Buffalo for a wider op- portunity. The site of the Empire State Building was likewise & cow pasture. The real town was away down around the Battery and about a mile north- {ward from that point. Tammany, of which this hale birth- day celebrant is now grand sachem, was then forty years old, counting from its | organization as the Columbian Order, a secret soclety. It hed become the Tam- many Soclety in 1805, and by the time the Voorhls family was gladdened by the arrjval of little John it had grown strong as & politigal institution. Nu- merous leaders and sachems were to rise to eminence and power and afflu- ent influence before that infant in time became the supreme chieftain of the order. Many scandals were to be re- vealed before his time of office holding. He did not, indeed, become identified with city administration until he was forty-four years old, when he was made an excise commissioner. Probably no- body conceived the possibility that this newcomer in the ranks of the place- men of the metropolis would survive for fifty-eight years. If ever there was a mine of recollec- tion, 1t is memory of John R. Voorhis. But he has discre=tly guarded his tongue on occasions such as the present, when he has marked another year and when most men, at an advanced stage of life. would be inclined toward remimiscence What tales he could tell about the do- ings of Tammany! RS Tesla says he has discoveries in mind that will revolutionize the world. Phil- osopher as well as inventor, he sits meanwhile in austere serenity - and Iwatchel the world go round on its own customary terms. R Stocks gq up & few points and then drop back again, The great slump was serious enough to develop a little conservatism even in the Wall Street speculator. —or—e. Consolidations Thay go on, but com- petition is never stified. The biggest trust becomes aware of preparations for a fight by a trust still bigger. oo Trying to keep bears of any species well tamed is no easy matter, whether attempted in Wall Street or a highway in East Falls Church. ——om—s SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. A Trifiin’ Day. Only jes’ a trifiin’ day, ‘When the birds is singin' gay To the sky so mild and blue— River is a-singin,’ too. Whisperin® breezes softly blow Through the branches bendin’ low. ‘Nothin’ much to do nor say— Only jes’ a trifiin’ day. Far across the distant hill Sounds the engine whistle shrill, Tellin® "bout the busy life, With its bustle an’ its strife. Some folks say the toll zn’ pain Aren’t worth the joys we gain. I don’t ask no better pay— Only jes’ a trifiin’ day. A Critical Juncture. “Bliggins is a great friend of yours.” “He has been, heretofore.” “Don’t you expect him to remain so?” “Can't tell. I have just indorsed his note.” A Cheerless Person. “Aren’t you going to the scashore?” “No,” answered the busy mar. “I hire three hand organ grinders and & pop- corn men to assemble, under my win- dow exch evening and I find that the impression is much the same.” An Impractical Regret. I took life insurance. They said would be A sefe and productive investment for me. But in seeing the profits my premiums earn I wish I'd bought stock in the blooming concern. i Saturnine, “No malaria around here?” said the msen with a tourist's cep. “Nope,” answered Farmer Corntossel. “Nor mosquitoeq?” “Nope.” “You must have some of the annoy- ances of country life.” “Yep.” “What are they?"” “Summer boarders. Fub up with ’em.” An Indication. “It is easy to tell a pessimist,” sald the man who gstumes profound knowl- edge. “How?” “Ag soon as he picks up the paper he looks for the weather news.” Compensation. Nay, do not despalr, though the rose has a thorn, And disdain all its blossoming fair. Nor turn from life's pleasures with doubting and scorn Beczuse of regrets hidden there. Tke smart is forgotten and past in & day 'Mid the joy that the flowers disclose. Too oft must we suffer with naught to repay. It is well when the thorn has a rose. “Take keer o' de pennie: Eben, “an’ de dollars will take keer o’ de folks dat you done handed de pennies to, to save foh Fou.” But we have to | through a THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. matter of musical tone ing to the gentleman in ‘Templeton Jones and the n met in front of a radio store, where they both were gawking at the sets in the window. Then, as is 80 often the case with addicts, they fell into conversation. Next to a base ball game, nothing makes the average man so b‘:lclmu as the sight of a radio receiving set. “How do you like two?” asked Jones, in his best expert tone. One was a midget set, priced, com plete with tubes, at about what good loud speaker cost several years “EThe other was & so-called standard set, priced but $2 higher than the|)ow miniature affair. - “Take your choice,” continued Jones. “Not much differcnce,” replied the E tranger. “There must be in the tone,” re- torted Jones, judicially. * k% X ‘The stranger gazed critically. is bound to a n't. I was juel in listening to it, and it's quality poor.” suspected as much.” “Yes,” continusd the gentleman in the panama hat, “but nobody cares. ‘The people don't know the difference. ‘Too bad,” lamented Templeton, with the wiseacre air of a connoisseur in tone, which he is. “Instead of people being educated in tone quality, they have become in- ;flflerell:t. 1t nenu“m me.”"'lllel:: on stranger. “They are to akept anytning” ) “Just 50 long as it makes plenty of noise,” replied Jones, with his near- est approach to a sneer. * xox % After the two of them had gone thelr respective ways Templeton Jones fell to wondering if their collective judgment on the great radio public had been correct. It would be a difficult matter, he thought, to prove that the taste of the people at large had got any bet- ter as the result of the universal spread of radlo. Perhaps, he resasoned to himself, thousands of men and women who had never heard a symphony had lis- tened to one over radio, and to that extent, at least, had been elevated by the broadcasting of good music. And it surely was the mass of the people who had so persistently patron- ized the bigger and better sets, year by year, patlently J good outfits, mostly in an effort to get better tone. Or was it more distance, after all? Jones didn't know, and he wondered if any one did. It was easy enough to talk about millions of people listening In, as the expression persists, but who could prove how many really listened to any one feature? The switch is still a very much used knob. * ok ok ‘Tone quality—so Jones reasoned with himself—is a veritable will-o'-the-wisp, which many run after, but which few catch, Thousands of owners, economically zlexmnx along with sets four, five, maybe s that they have reached the ultimate of tone perfection. It is scarcely possible to get into a group discussion of the gentle art of redio without meeting the loud-mouthed man who heatedly insists that his old- fashioned set and speaker are just as good as any of ‘em. or seven years old, are convinced |ing t orked Hits Jury’s Report On Crossing Tragedy To the Editor of The Another “tragedy of errors” has been enacted as the result of a fatal grade enough, but to it must be added the amazing report of the local coroner’s In view of all the ed re- ortunate engineers of voluntary sui- cide. Until we have a full report from official sources, including the testimony dol- | 5¢ the fireman, it will be im L ‘Tone quality, so our hero continued to resson with himself, is at once the MMI:: elusive and tantalizing quality in It was in the beginning, and it re- mains so. There 1; mu fmk about and high frequencies, about muffied tones and tones 2?1 a bar- rel, and clear, loud, brilliant and deep, but in the last every ear in- sists—or its owner insists for it—that ** Faste ia tone, with the e, W 't majority, and personal taste is mflh‘;‘_w njxm,l and vanquish—sclence and money any day or evening in the week. The trouble comes in the lack of comparisons. If the owners of old-style sets were to have them going alongside 8 new set, of the better type. they would wonder how in the world they ever thought them good. As long as they do no’ make this test, however, they are reasonably sure of prefe their own outfits. If at gxy “m:l l{.hey"h’l’ve & suspicion of the ne quality, easy enough to put the blame on the tubes. " * x x ® Jones laughed quietly to himself at two aspects of radio-as-it-is. One of these was the intense oratory of the announcers. Several years ago several famous persons announced over the air that & new eype of oratory was coming in as a result of radio. There were to be no more high-powered perorations, no wild wavings of the flag, no scream- ing, but all was to be conducted on a level plane of appeal to the intelli- gence. “A pretty dream, sir,” the wise man might have replied, “but you have for- gotten the announcers.” Today the sobbiest sob stuff in all the history of public talking goes out dally in the in- terest of things manufactured. An ordi- narily good announcer can put more pathos in his tone telling us about a tooth paste or breakfast food Cicero did when he ran Cataline out of the Roman Senate. ‘Whether the thing is reduced to the point of absurdity in the average mind or not, it surely is in such a mind as that of Templeton Jones. The very thought of it makes him turn off his set in dismay. * %k ‘The second aspect Jones put as a question at large: ‘Why won't the stations permit the orchestras to finish their signatures? _Nine out of ten of them, Jones ciaimed, the announcers cut the or- cf off with one note to complete, the final note, which leaves the hearer mentally satisfled. This incompleteness is all the more discourteous, both to players and lis- teners, since the men who are respon- sible for it are in charge of musical matters and ought to realize that noth- is more painful to a musically sen- sitive person. If there must be a “fadeout,” it should be far enough ahead of the end to pre- vent this sickening feeling which comes when the orchestra gets right to the final note, and Jones says, “Walt—they will cut ‘em off now." And, sure enough, they do. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. Condemnaticn of the American prison sytem by the Wickersham Commission recalls to this observer his experience in conducting John Galsworthy through Old Moabit, famous long-term convict penitentiary in Berlin. It was a year or two*before the war, when the writer ‘was on duty in Germany as correspond- ent of the London Dally Mail. Gals- worthy had written “Strife” and “Jus- tice,” both plays ‘dealing with prison life in Great Britain, and was enxious to inspect penal conditions on the Contnent. Lord Ncrthcliffe asked his Berlin correspondent to arrangs for himself and Galsworthy to visit Moabit, which was bullt in mid-Victorian times cn the same architectural lines as Pen- tonville priscn in England as the result of a Prussian Iing's visit to Windsor. The correspondent, in addition to se- curing necessary permits from the Ger- man foreign office, was directed to hcld himself in readiness t> act as inter- preter when Nofthcliffe and Galsworthy toured the “big house” in Berlin. * %ok X Inhuman as the British novelist ad- mitted that English prison customs were—he wrote bocks and plays in the hope of improving them—Galswcrthy was horrified by some of the practices in vogue in Moabiter Zuchthaus. Every inmate lived in solitary confinement. The silence system was enforced. Com- ruhoty and perpetual labdr was the ot of every prisoner. Whenever a man left his cell, for exercise, for Sunday worship or for any other purpose, he was required to wear a mask over his eyes, iscners, in the presence of guards or other officiass, were not al- lowed to speak unless spoken to or to raise their eyes from the floor with- cut special permission. On the wall of each man's work cell hung a slate, bear- ing his name, his number, the nature of { his crime and the duration of his sen- tence. Food was handed in to him artially opened dcor, s he held out dish, plate or cup when the serving squad Teached his cell. On Sundays, when the prisoners went to chapzl, they not only wore their masks, but occupied seats in individual upright cabinets like coffins stood cn end. * ok K K / ‘The Galsworthy-Northcliffe party was accompanied through the prison by the herr direktor, who donned full eve- ning dress in honor of the distin- guished Englander. He gave us per- mission to enter as many cells as we pleased and to converse freely with prisoners. Some of them had not had such opportunities for conversation in years and utilized them with pathetic eagerness. The director explained that the mask system was adopted in order to protect prisoners from blackmail by one-time fellow prisoners in after life when & man might be making an hon- est effort to live down his past in a good job only to run across « Moabit “pal” who threatened to expose him except for hush money. * ok ok % ‘What struck Galsworthy and North- cliffe as_the most terrible feature ai Moabit Prison was the e of incar- cerating “lifers” until their sentences actually expired—by death. In land, the visi tence, if the he was given his freedom. Moabit was full of murderers who been there more than 25 or 30 years, and one or two longer than that. The herr di- rektor took the two Englishmen into the cell of an old man named Heinrich Gabel, a “lifer,” who had done 34 con- eacutive s of time. Gabel was an armed rol who had killed & farmer and his wife at the dead of night while rifling I their house. Emperor Willlam was on the throne when the crime was committed. Years afterward a pardon for Gabel was sought from him snd re- fused. Emperor Willlam II, the last Kaiser, also dn;elz;e&u; “Herr direktor,” said Northcliffe, after the vislt in Gabel's cell, “would mind if T used my influence in n to get that old man out of here?” umlwmcll;'nl“mgnlo‘&mm now approac] o con- trary,” replied the prison chief, “I have repeatedly recommended him for & par- don. He is our model proner and the institution’s pet.” Many weeks later— several months, in fact—the Berlin gflp!rl broke cut in headlines: Gabel, Moabit's Oldest Pris- oner, Pardcned.” The sscret never be- came public, but a wond spoken by Lord Northcliffe in certain powerful quarters had evidently dcne the trick. The Napoleon of Fleet strect telegraphed his Berlin correspondent: “Congratu- late my friend Gabel on his release and give him £100 with my compliments, to start life all over again.” The equiva- lent, 2,000 marks, were sent to Moabit, and then a strange thing happened. * ok ok X “Thank your chief fcr his munifi- cence,” ran a letter of acknowledgment from the herr direktor, “but I wish you would run over and see,me one day this week. I have something to tell you.” It appeared that Heinrich Gabcl didn't want to leave prison. Life out- side terrified him. The ciangs of trc ley cars and fire engines, the hooting sutomobile horns, the speed and bustle of things in the streets—all these were strange and nerve-racking to a man who'd lived behind high stone walls for more than a third of a century. Gabel came back. He told the warden he pre- ferred to stay at Moabit. It was quieter, more natural, there. So the herr di- rektor wanted Northcli~e notified that the money would be pu: In & savings bank for Gabel, who'd been given an outside job on the prison grounds, though no Iknger a convict. x % x % One day a couple of months after- ward the Daily Mail's Berlin office telephone rang. Moabii was on the line. The herr direktor was speaking. “I have some news for you.” he ejacu- lated. “Heinrich Gabel left us last week to get married. He has met up with cne of the flames of his youth, they've decided to go to housekeeping Lord Northcliffe’s money will t come in very handy to them help feather their nest.” Reckless Driving at the Berwyn Grade Crossing To_the Editor of The Star: I have read with a great deal of in- terest and full approval your editorials of July 22 ard 23. Friday morning, July 17, I was in the station waiting for the 7:45 train to Washington, the gate man had lowered the west gate and the east gate was being lowered when a machine ran underneath it, and, of course, When crossed the track he could go no furtier until the gat: man raised the gatz, which he did as quickly as possible, but in the mean time the party had stalled his car and two men, who were waiting for the train, ran to his aid and pushed him off the tracks. Those gates have been broken down several times by boys here on the Helghts running so fast that they just keep going even though the gates .w:re down. Since we have the new Edmon- son road it is not safe for any one to try to walk over to Berwyn as th> machines run % fast and some of them zigzag 80 much. The Baltimore & Ohio are not the only ones who have automobiles run ti their gates. We have had our larg: driveway gates and also one fence length of - hedge torn down by neorle coming so fast down the bill they d not make the turn when they came to the foot of the hill and so con- tinued right through our closed gates, tearing the post out that held them and & great stretch of hedge thet has been there for 30 years, so that it was as|ice strong as the gates. Sometimes they lum?n “cfl o h“t‘h around on '3 corner the; two whéels. The mnyy .‘c?cldenu they S A e S i e S e D a adly, only for the for the pet- ting parties that think we country peo- ple can work be kept awake almost in lour sing all kinds m:g’rgun with the wo‘u;; N | preme Court decisions. go fast that in|We say that the engineers did not do all within their power to stop the train be- fore they had leaped. One passenger on the train re| that his car was “enveloped in fire.” If it was that bad bzhind the locomotive, the engine itself must have been an inferno on wheels. Under such conditions it is entirely pos- sible that physical suffering will ex- tinguish mental efficiency. Furthermore, did not the jury err in going so far as to Miss Thomas of all blame? It does not ap- pear that she stopped before she went on to the crosting, as law and require :l:l tm‘l:vex‘l to do. It does nfi appear that her car was operating r to prevent it from -mu. 1t 5:: not appear that she used proper caution when she attempted to cross when one gate was down, even though the other was up. Any obstruction to her passage was a sign of er, which she should have heeded. ese pre- cautions are xegu\red by law, as stated in a decision of the United States Su- preme Court through Mr. Justice Holmes, in the case of the Baltimore & Ohio Rallroad vs. Dora Goodman. Quoting from the opinion: *“When a man goes upon a railroad track, he knows that goes to a ‘where he will be killed if a train comes upon him_ before he is clear of the track. He knows that he must fum for the train, not the train stop Yor him. I such circumstances it scems to us that if a driver cannot be sure otherwise whether & train is dangerously near, he must stop and get out of the ve- hicle, although he will not a{},&n be required to do more than to stop and look. It seems to us that if he relies upon not hearing the train or any sig- nal and takes no further precaution, he does so at his own risk.” In the present case the last sentence is a most important one, for this is the law of the land and just as binding as any other. Therefore, instead of the railroad being at fault, it certainly ap- pears that responsibility lies on the very parties who disclaim it. But pos- sibly coroner’s juries have not read Su- It seems to be another case of “rallroad baiting,” gregt many communities de- ‘Two cases in a nearby suburb emphasize this point. A college profes- sor was killed while standing on the track, and the railroad was blamed for not having a fence between the tracks to prevent people from crossing. The next accident at this point was caused because the fence was there. A little boy was watching a track gang and didn't see the train until it was too late to jump down off of the fence and clear the track. A foreman couldn't drag the boy to safety because the fence cut his reach short. Again the railroad was blamed, presumably for having the fence there. Surely the railroads are doing all they can to prevent accidents, and sometimes mechanical protection de- vices fail. But that doesn’t excuse any of us from using extreme caution at rallroad _crossings. heavy Pullman train traveling at a 60-mile rate will hit a car with a force of 3,000,000,000 pounds! Who wants to take & chance? But people do; crossing gates are smashed every day, and a fourth of %ll grade crossing accidents are caused y people running into the sides of trains anywhere from the locomotive to the last car! which & light in. Railroads are rightly pro- | testing against this sort of thing and are protecting themselves in the courts. L. I. McDOUGLE, Jr. ] Taxi War Points to Need Of Street Car Merger To the Editor of The Star: ‘With cut-rate taxi fares in vogue in| Washington, the street car companies {are in for a terrific fall. The difference in the quality of service given will just |about ruin them, and we already see the railways sobbing loudly on the shoulder of the Public Utllities Commis- sion about the unfair competition of “those naughty taxicabs—and, please, :;n‘z’thzy be spanked and made to be- ve?” Such situations are ridiculous. No other city in the world would tolerate for a minute such conditions as are now plit up with in the District. Washing- ton has grown up—it is time the city | donned its long pants and put an end to this transportation nonsense. In my opinion, not only are the policies now pursued by the two car companies do- ing irreparable harm to the only sys- tem of transportation suitable for large cities, but they are also hindering and warping® the development of this city to no small degree. ‘The dependence of urban growth upon transportation is an obvious fact. Computations made in New York have revealed that 91 per cent of its bor- ough population is concentrated in the 40 per cent area within a half mile on either side of the rapid transit lines. Now, a city must grow, and, clearly, it can_grow in but two directions—ver- tically and horizontally. If the transit facilities are swift and widespread, the city will extend outward; if otherwise, a distinct tendency toward skyscraping will be shown. Investigation has also revealed that the transit policy of a city determines the strength of its apartment house movement—there is a direct ratio be- tween the two. It is unnecessary, in this connection, to point out how heav- ily populated the downtown sections of ‘Washington now are in compariscn with e sul or what numbers of muiti- family dwellings have been erected here within the last five years. Haven't you yourself noticed how many high build- ings—that tend to hide the artistic beauty of Washington—are being con- structed? Studies recently conducted by the Natlonal Capital Park and Planning 'commmmt:e : ve indlel‘ud t‘l’ut. Ml { merging wo companies and la; 6 miles of new track, 16 miles o(,‘ol;g‘ track could be scrapped and 180 right and left hand turns could be elim- inated. There is a sad lack of co-ordi- nation between the local street railways, the bus lines, the taxicab corporations and the Traffic Bureau whith should be remedied. An example, you say? Kan- he | sas City is a good one. Municipal ownership lies under the shadow of numerous feilures. It has seldom proved successful and its adop- tion should be advocated with sensible caution. Nevertheless, it may well be noted that, despite an increase in fare, the revenues of our two street railways are constantly shrinking and that the slight gains in fits their statements have occasionally shown have been caused, not by larger gross revenues, but by & decrease in ope: expenses. And we all know that there is a mini- mum in the reduction of: expenses be- yond which it is unwise to go. It has been sald in reference to’the methods followed by the Capital Trac- tion Co. and the Wreco, “Give them plenty of rope and they'll hang them- selves.” True enough, but surely this is just what we wish to avold. These car | lines are public ?mperty. ‘whether or not their investment represents private cap- ital, and their failure would damage this city in a very real, substantial way. | delegate: L it o s 3 P A proper correctives. Isn't it about time did so? DOYLE JOHNSON.' Providence Punishes. From the Reekford m-w.r‘;mm ml:(.‘ Dynamite caps, em] ng & g,“"'“ mnp.n va ood, exploded, actors and & S| tor. We d, but is it not a just m;mnm turning out | fore this.’ Have we had the pleasure of serving through our Washington Informa- fl Bureau? Can’t we be of some Evenis - tion au, Frederic J. Haskin, Direc- tor, Washington, D. C. Inclose 2 cents in coin or ps for return postage. I Q. In 'rodeo compctition, may a rider hold on in any way he chooses?—B. L. A. The rules of rode> competition allow no rider to hold oh. He must kcep his seat without such tactics. Q. How many extras are on the rolls at Hollywood?—M. M. A. Photoplay says that there are about 17,500 extras listed at Hollywood's Central Casting Bureau. Only 833 of them average one day's work per week & year. Q. what i Ag?x"ev? Mellon's annual A.'As Becreiary of the Treasury he receives 315,00"')"1, year. Q/ What States have school ships where merchant marine officers are trained?—E. M. 8. A. There are three—Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and New York. It is nec- essary to be a resident of the State to be eligible for the training. ,QA.whm does it rain the most?— A. 8o far as kncwn at the present time, the heaviest precipitation occurs on the southern slopes of the Himalaya Mountains, in Northern India. Here during the monsoon period, usually from May to September, inclusive, the heaviest rainfall has been recorded. At Cherrapunii, in this region, the average annual precipitation is about 40 feet, or slightly less than 500 inches. - Q).‘ v:hzn did Lepine make watches?— "A. Lepine was an eminent Prench watchmaker who lived from 1720 to 1814. He made watches for Louls XV and XVI and Napoleon I. » gl Q. Is kiln dryl outdoor drying of wood?—E. A. Authorities say that kiln drying has all the featurcs of outdoor drying and without detriment to the wood. A mild heat is used first, with a very high relative humidity, often as high as 90 degrees. This regulated weather slows up the surface drying, but the heat brings the inside moisture to the surface of the lumber. In this manner the inside and surface shrink together, 50 no strains develop, and thersfore no checks, cracks or warping. Q. What are the “stars” made of in f.h:L tower chamber of Mammoth Cave? R. A. The Geological Survey says that they are crystals of white gypsum that sparkle when the chamber is lighted. Q. What was meant by usury in the Bible?—P. C. A. The word usury has come in mod- ern English to mean excessive interest uoon money loaned, illegal or oppres- sive. In the Scriptures, however, the word did not bear this sense, but meant simply interest of any kind upon money. The Jews were forbidden by the Law of Motes to iake interest from their brethren, but were permitted to take it from foreigners. The practice of mort- gaging land, sometimes at exorbitant interest, grew up among the Jews dur- tl]'lli ‘Lhe captivity, in direct violation of aw. | g as nusr'arcwry as | ‘Wh hlxnutbym"mntu Q. Bk o torn e apodied'to 3 2 Warwick- shire, the middle county of mfl;.k Q. How can I join an expedition to Africa or South America? I w w:n;ael.—x, = vould like . Members of scientific exploration expeditions are very care! ‘ple!emd from among those who have expe- rience in such work and who are ex- perts in some particular line of research connected with it. Q. Please give a biography of Mont- gomery Ward.—A. McN. A. A. Montgomery Ward was born in Chatham, N. J, in 1844. He was the great-gandson of Capt. Israel *dont- gomery Ward of sHevolutionary War fame. He was a self-educated and self made man. In 1872 he married Eliz: beth J. Cobb and founded the firm ¢ Montgomery Ward & Co. in the sam year. Q. Please tell something of the wor of th: Valley Forge Historical Soclet; A. It was organized June 19. 1918 for the preservation and publication o' documents relating to Valley Forge an for the development of the spirit o Valley Forge through education American history and_ in ideals and institutions. It maintains as part of its work the Valley Forge Mu- seum of American History and the | Weshington Memorial Library. The | president is Rev. W. Herbert Burk | D. D, Valley Forge, Pa. Q. What is the area of Egypt?—T.D. A. The area is about 350,000 square miles if the desert regions are included and 12,226 square miles if only the cultivated and settled areas of the Nile Valley and Delta are considered. Q. Was the Aaron Burr who fought the duel with Alexander Harmilton ever |president of Princeton University? | TA: Fe was not. He was the namesake | of his father, who was the second pres- |ident of Princeton. | @ What is the cost to the Federal | Government for maintenance of its prisons?—O. S. A. For the year ending June 30, 1020, | the ‘total cost was $4,086,243.36. Q. Where does the mocking bird go |in the Winter time?—F. W, A. The Biological Survey says that the mocking bird is practically non- migratory. Neither the males nor the females go South, but they are usually | solitary in the Winter. Q. How long does it take the Big Dipper to revolve around the North | Star?—E. J. | A. It revolves around the Pole Star once in 23 hours 56 minutes, moving in a counter clockwise direction. | Q. What are the most famous painte ings of the Madonna?--B. V. R. | A. Among the most famous Madonnas zre Raphael’s “Sistine Madonn: donna of the Goldfinch” and * of th: Chair,” Holbein's “Madonna of | Burgomeister Meyer,” Murillo’s “Ma- |donna,” Andrea del Sarto's “Madonna |of the Sack” and Leonardo da Vincl's | “Virgin of the Rocks.” | Q. What did Sinclair Lewis do with ’%u Nobel prize medal in literature?— ‘A. It has been deposited with the Vermont Historical Soclety as a perma- nent loan. As Favorit Comment a year ahead of the Dem- ocratic convention seems to indicate that Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt of New York has the lead in the race for the presidential nomination in that party. by the press, has been crystallized by statements from_ political leaders in New York and Pennsylvania, showing that large blocks of votes are likely to be placed in the Roosevelt column. “For the time being,” thinks the Oklahcoma City Oklahoman, “much strength is added to the presidential aspirations of Gcv. Roosevelt by Mr. Baker's announcement that he will not be a candidatz for the Democratic nomination so long as Roosevelt is in the fleld. * * * His commitment to the Roosevelt cause will help the gov- ernor considerably for the time being. Ultimately it may help_Baker himself and tremendously. For it is by no means certain that Roosevelt can com- mand the necessary two-thirds vote.” “The Democracy,” declares the Newark Evening News, “yearns for a winner, it craves the patronage that goes® with the presidency —as who wouldn't? ‘The belief that Roosevelt can carry New York, Pénnsylvania and New Jersey in the East, resolidify the South, perhaps carry Ohio and Indiana and more than hold his own with Hoover in the border States, makes ef- fective campaign talk. The wise boys in Washington say ‘it begins to look like a landslide’ Note the cushions thgcseut under the prophecy. Still and ho T, "t.hey have guessed right be- L | “It is apparent that Gov. Roosevelt is not only the outstanding leader of his party, but he is also one of the| most able and couragcous exccutives | and statesmen in public life today,” | declares the Davenport Democrat, with | the tribute that “Rooseveit has been | tried and proved in the fires of an | executive responsibility second only to | the Chief Magistracy of the Nation.” and that “he faces squarely, honestly 1 prob- lems of today and tomorrow | “The tide of Rooseveltian sentiment runs strong in the East, strong in the | ‘West, incomparably strong in the | South, and apparently is destined to | become transcendent throughout the Nation,” in the opinion of the Atlanta Journal, which guotu Joseph F. Guffey, Democratic leader in Pennsylvania, as stating that he “would risk his repu- tation ‘as a political prorhet‘ on_ the forecast that Gov. Roosevelt would have the unswerving support of at least 66 of lvania's 72 delegates to the Democratic National Convention.” The Scranton Times holds that Mr. Guffey “is in close touch and co-operation with the present Democratic organization | in his State” and that “he bases his | belief on sentiment expressed by party 1;‘??:".' and others throughout the ‘The fact that “Mr. Guffey’s predic- | tlons in 1920, 1924 and 1928 came true” is emph: by the Providence | Journal, with the further comment that “ag time on it becomes more | evident ‘that the New York éxecutive is-far in the lead for the Democratic nomination.” The Springfield (Mass.) Republican links Chairman Farley of the New York Democratic State = mittee with the Pennsylvania leader and quotes the former's announcement | polici after a ji to the Pacific Coast that Roosevelt “will be nominated on first’ ballot.” The Republican adds * kxR b the m:ment, the impetus given e ‘Rocsevelt boom has the overshad- hmd the activities of oihers for the Democratic 'Roosevelt h—]-)eclared Leading e of Democrats | tion and will be named on the first bal- | Iot. Whether or not his candidacy jus- tifles the strength it has developed, it has ccrtainly grown almost w.thout a single setback into very impressive roportions.” Opinion on the subject, it is Lnd!cnte{i e | It has been clear,” says the New | York Times, “that Mr. Roosevelt's name | his personal charm, his record as ad- | ministrator and as vote-getter in New York and his steady association with the South through Warm Springs, Ga., | have helped to put him in the forefr:nt | in that section. It has also been realized that his connection with Weadrow Wil- son has been of great value to him in | the South.” “At the present time,” ace-rding the San Jose Mercury Herald, “Gov. Roosevelt is the leading candidate for | the Democratic nomination.” That pa- per, however, asks: “Should hc become the standard bearer of the p2 will be squarely face the important nomic problems and seek to inform the people on them, or play politics?” The San Jose paper concludes: “Before Franklin | Roosovelt made his entry into politics | he sppeared to have the statesman’s at- | titvde toward problems of government, | end much was expected of him. But he szems to have succumbed to the temp- i tations of the politician. It is quite ob- | vious that the main purpose of his in- terest in cheaper electric rates for farms is to capitalizs for political purposes the power trust issue and not to help the farmers work out their real prob- lems.” —_— e | Capital Offers Camel ! Riding Advantages To the Editor of The Star: I can't understand why any Wash- ingtonian should go to Turkey to ride & camel when he can ride a Sixteenth street bus. One of those busses can do anything & camel can do except kneel down. Sitting on the top deck, one feels himself rolling like & barrel in a tidal wave. The old hack groans and creaks with every plunge, while a sudden ap- plication of the brakes gives the im- pression that the thing is about to turn a flipflop. There hss been nothing like them since the days of the old bicycle—the kind with the tall ‘wheel and the little wheel. When the front wheel cf one of those things hit & rock the rider left for parts unknown. I'm always afraid that the same thing will happen on a bus. The one advantage that a camel has, as far as I can see, i3 that its gears don't grind quite as much as do the gears of our own horseless shayvs. Na- ture oils a camel, but nokody seems to_cil a bus. I believe I have guessed the reason why these things survive. After a passenger has ridden two blocks on the open-air roof he is in a nearly coma- tose condition from the carbon monox- ide that is wafted t> him from the many autos down below. He emerges from the trip with his brain so numbed that he forgets to complain, The life insurance companies are oyerlooking a big bet here. 'y ought to make a two-hour trip on one of these busses a part of the amination to which mm:n before they will es. air in a bus is destined to die of old ;fi' mglno ordinary wear and tear wiil ‘The sightseeing possibilities are worth millicns, too. If some one would vent a device for shooti: air, a ballyhoo man d the passengers that they were al a camel in the desert and they would never know the difference, provided, of course, the noise of the gears could I em not knocking the busses, you understand. It isn't every city that has Eahara possibility along its own public who have | be_hushed. highways. But we ought to have a o on the job, so that with Iows, feel that been where after we had given them a trip in one of the busses. PAUL D. GABLE. American "~ -