Evening Star Newspaper, September 11, 1931, Page 8

from Monday, and Maj. Robb, the Assistant Eugineer Commissioner under —— | whose supervision comes the work of the Municipal Architect and school buflding contractors, has taken issue with the statement placed before the Board of Education which pointed out that seven school projects will not be completed in time. These projects should have been completed by Sep- tember 1. Onme of them should have been finished by Jure 15. It is to be presumed that Major Robb, in his assurances that all but one of the build- ings will be ready, understands that 4oc por montn | "DEINE Teady” mears ready for the " | reception of pupils, with all furniture o"0op" | and equipment installed. TtWone | Jere J. Crane, first mssistant superin- { tendent of schools in chaige of business affairs, told the Board of Education that | seven of the projects would mot be iready. As Mr. Crane is an architect 0¢ | himself, he ought to know what he is talking about. And Maj. Robb, familiar with the progress on the public works under his supervision, also ought to know. Within ten days the public will find out who is right. Maj. Robb explains. in the meantime, that the municipal architect’s office has { been flooded with extra work, which is true. The municipal architect’s office has not been cited for criticism. The | tmate agparently lies with the contractors, Re- | But have we no adequate means of dea g | Ing with contracto:s who fail to ful- publicans axtsenator David A REss oty e L0y S ol inave ok thia Pennevivania and Representative Tsaac{ . "0 4ing authorities might find Bacharach of. New Jersey that the! {it more worth while to emphasize such «e Federal taxes time has come to increase Fed | discrepancies than to defend the munici- in order 1o bala nce the budget and! wipe out the present deficit in the THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. FRIDAY September 11, 1831 THEODORE W. NOYES. ldhorl The Evening Star Newspaper Company | B Oomc: s ot Ofie 0 East 4ana 8. Nevko Offce: Lake Michigan Building. B Ofce 14 Pegent. M., London, Enxlan Rate by Carrler Within the City. Too Fyenine St 45¢ per month 5 Fiehing ana wnen ¢ Bunda Bunds¥ ®ar The Su) g'ANOllll 5000. hosy 8 ¢ a1 ke end of ench HO% et 1n by marl of 1o} Mall—Payable in Advance. g:i"' Sapy ™ Pamdns only . All Other States and Canada. v 12.00: 1 mo.. 3 00 iy ang, Sundev-..} 77 3H00: mo. ke nds anly $500: 1 mo., 80c 19, i Member of the Associated Press. Th published Al new 1 i0n of Special dispaches e seserved Taxes. Declarations by such stalwart {pal architect's office, which has not 'been blamed for the delay in the first Treasury were todav considered higaly significant. Iniimations has come fiom administration sources in recent weeks, that the President and Secretary Mellon of the Treasury were giving conzider- ation to the question of tax increl the coming ion of Congress. at Read is a memter of the Senate Finance ' Committee and Bacharach of the Houce Ways and Means Committee. which handle all revenue measures, and which gives added weight 1o the vicws ex- pressed by these gentlemen. The demand for & pay-as-vou-go plan of meeting the expenditures of the Gov- ernment of this country is increasing. despite the Inzistence of many membe: of Congress that it is unwise at this 1ime to raise the tax levies higher and that 1t ia possible for the United States ' Government to borrow all the money that it may need to meet its expendi- tures. The Precident is already on rec- ord In favor of cutting down govern- mentsl expenditures, which absolutely ahould be done unde: existing circum- stances. But auch cuts are not lkelv in fill this particular bill. There mus. be. eventually, increased revenue. hope has been that with a return of business, more revenue vould flow into the Treasury. Unfortunatels, however, such revival in business as has so far accurred has not been sufficient to In- crease revenues Reed and Bacharach, Inereased taxes ferent viewpoinis. The Pennsylvania Senator has come (nr'.\llr'd with a pro- poeal that a general sales tax of one- in advocating half of one per cent on all retail sales, | estimated to raise & total of $2.000.- 000.000 revenue, be levied. Mr. Bacha- rach, on the other hand. advocates in- creases in the taxes on the bigger in- comes and estates. He would sup- plement the estate tax with a gift tax, to prevent the evasion of the estate tax Dby the owners of huge estafes. Mr. Bacharach i« willing to Impose taxes on certain luxuries. but that i | as far #s he would go in the matter of A sales tax A general sales Al retail purchases would be not only unpopular ' but a poor remedy to meet & situation in this country which has been disg- nosed as psychological in part at least. Increased sales, it has been sald, will bring increased production, and in- creased production will necessitate in- creased empioyment. To levy a tax on sales under such circumstances seems the veriest follr. The proposal of a sales tax is not new. It has been tried out before in Congress and got nowhere. Probablv there is no tax which 15 not passed on to the ultimate consumer, and certainly the sales tex would prove no exception. Further- such a tax would undoubtedly tax on more, be multiplied in the passing and the | consumer would bear a greater burden than the tax itself. If Pederal taxes are increased there is | every prospect that the increase will be largely made through increasing the income tax rates. The income tax is the fairest tax that has vet been de- vised. It is to the income tax that the The ' have taken vastly dif- ! lace. John Bull Sees It Through. Necassity is the mother cf invention in the realm of treasury deficits as well an in fields of lessr difficulties. It was A very grim necessity that the Britis treasurr faced when the new national government 1ook office earlier in the month. Yesterday through the chan- cellor of tie exctequer, the jron-hearted ; Philip Snowden. tre ministry of ! emergency showed that it is not lacking | In courage when it comes to Inventing ! drastic remedies for John Bull's fiscal pilght The that confronts Premier cDonsld and his coalition associates % o balance a budget that reveals a ! debit of $400.000,000. They had pom- | ised the country that the ciisis would | be met by a policy of sacrifice which | would apply to all classes of the pop- ulation rich and poor alike. The Snow- | den proposals to that end answer that description. By tacking enother six- pance onto the already heavy tax on incomes that impost is to take from | every Briton liable for income tax & total of 25 per cent of his annual rev- !enue. American income tazpave:s who { contiibute to Mr. Mellon's strong box | an infinitesimally smaller siipend will appreciate what it would mean if Uncle Sam were suddenly to demand from them one-guarter of every doliar they { have coming in. On larger incomes Britons subject to surtax will-pay ten per cent mo:e. Mr. Snowden does not stop with that. He proposes increased taxes on beer, tobacco and gasoine. He projects substantial decreases in the salaries of virtually all classes of gov- | ernment officials, beginning with the prime minister and members of the cabinet. Public servants, even in the ranks of policemen, letter carriers and school teachers must submit to cuts in their wages. And finally, in pursuance of the government's program of mak- | ing even the lowliest in the Jand share | in enforced natjonal sacrifice, the un- cmployment benefit. the celebrated dole. | is slashed ten per cent. That Britain | will “muddle through” the graves:| financial c:isis in her modern history 1s beyond all doubt. The courageous methods to which her government is resorting in order that the end may be accomplished as speedily and effec- tively as possible wiil excort the ad-| miration of the whole world. They are & shining example of what & great na- tion, proud of its credit, is prepared to | do when that fabric is in jeopa:dy. issne | | be said in passing, is not without its | |lesson for Washington. The United | States, though it, too, is confronted by !a Treasury deficit problem of serious magnitude, is not reduced to the atraits which are compelling these far-reaching | fiscal steps in' Great Britain. But the cautes which brought about existing conditions there are at work here Mounting Government expenditure, growing demands from group intarests iof ail kinds for fresh Federal sup- I port and the jmminence of a dole| ‘What is happening in London, let it British government has just gone 10 drive on Congress this Winter, all these raise greater revenue to meet the pres- | things should make the American peo- ent erisis existing in Great Britain. In ple ponder carefully over events in addition, the Briysh government has Jevied higher taxes on certain non- essentials, like beer and tobacco. and upon amusements of all kinds. Should the United States launch upon tax re- vision at the coming session of Con- gress to help balance its budget, it, too, might with wisdom fmpese taxes upon ! the asles of luxuries and non-essen- | tials. Such taxes have been levied in' the past to meet emergencies, particu- Jarly during war. Secretary Mellon not many weeks ago declated that the tax ayatem of the ! TUnited States needed repair: that it xas designed to meet the Government's needs in boom times, but that it did not oper- ate 0 well in a depression. He iIndicated then that a tax system that relied on!y upon & levr on incomes was bound to fail when incomes were materially re- duced. A great difficulty with the sttua- tion in this country has been the fact that so many securities issued by the various governmental agencies have been declared to be tax exempt. If the next Congress is to be & field for tax revision, tte administration may well hold its breath and utter a pr that the bill which !« drafted may be such & measure as the President can approve and not one that is dictated solely by politics. .- { | ‘Meny of the Nautilus' crew undertook the journey in quest of adventure. So | far as this feature is concerned, the trip has been unquestionabiy & success. | ——e—- ‘Who Is to Blame? Tt & anything but encouraging to mote the renewal of the gent'e game of passing the buck cver failure, on somebody’s part, to have new school buildings resdy for occupancy at the beginning of the school year. The achool year does not begin until a week Great Britain and induce them to learn "from them and go forward with cor- responding caution. —— Youth plays a dominant part in regu- Jating the ways of the world. Families i have returned to their homes, nst so much because the older members have wearied of a vacation s because it is time for the boys and girls to return to school. A Sporting Proposal. The Britich government has a splen- did opportunity, in connection with tomorrow’s scheduled Schneider Trophy competiti world premier aviation racing event, to demonstrate that spirit «of gallant sportsmanship upon which Britons pride themselves. Great Britain holds two legs on the famhous trophy. Winning of the third leg will mean permanent possession and retirement of the trophy for all time if the British 30 choose. It now appears ihat the British have only to fly the speed course at Calshot tomorrow to win the trophy for all time, as & result of repeaied and ciushing disappoint- ments suffered by the French and Italian tezms. It is, of course, the privilege of the British to fly the course, without com- | petition, ard retire the cup for all time. It also is the privilege of the British to delay the run until France and Italy can overcome their trcubles and so save the coveted trophy until real competi~ tion can be had. This, obviously, would be the gallant and sporting thing to do. Tte British would have ample prece- dent for refusing to capture the final leg on the trophy h:nds down. The Schreider Trophy now would have been the permanent possession of the United Statew but for a spcrting ges- ture by this ecpuntry In 1924, In THE EVENING that year, at Baltimore, the United States having won its first leg on the trophy the year before, Grest Britain suffered the misfortunes which have overtaken France and Italy this year. ‘The British were unable to compete and the Americen team had only to fiy the course to annex the second leg. The Navy had two planes ready to go, but gallantly withdrew from competition for the trophy. The two Navy pilots, Lieut. Ralph 8. Ofstie, now chief of the flight test section at the Anacostia Naval Air Station, and the late Lieut. George Cuddihy, who was killed at the local station last year, raced against each other snd the trophy was re- served for competition in the following year. In 1925 Lieut. James H. “Jimmy" | Deolittle, who lsst week cstablished a mew tranzcontirental speed record, won | the Schneider Trophy, giving the United States its second leg. But for the sportsmanship of the Navy in 1924, this would have been the third leg and would have given this country perma- nent possession of the cup. 80 there appears to be ample prece- dent for the British to refuse to cap- ture the trophy without competition this year, The United States Navy, which re- linquished its clalm 2o freely seven vears ago, now would be interested in having England do the same thing this vear. Tke Navy has just resumed its program of high-speed development, Virtually abandoned in 1926, and con- ceivably may be in a position within two or three jears to ergage once more in Schneider competition. The exist. ence of the trophy would be a big spur 1> the program. It must be admitted, however, that conditions facing the British this year are not the same as those facing our racing pilots in 1924. The Navy in that vear had built no nsw planes for the race. Ofstie and Cuddihy fiving planes used in the previous year. Great Britain, on the other hand, has spent A large amount of money in prepara- tion for tomorrow's race. While it might be a hard thing for Great Britain to forego the victory which now seems certaip, and for which its racing team has prepared at such heavy cost, it certalnly would be a sporting gesture which would prolong | the life of the world's fastest race, and which would reflect undsing credit upon British aviation and the British reputa- tion for fair pl - ———— Great sx 15 his prominence 35 a world benefactor, Edison has been a msn detoted to his work and evadirg as far as possible demcnstrations of useleas notforiety. It is one of the penalties of fame to have the privacy st of what might be feelitgs In the matter, the patient's = - Fivers returning from Japan bring home many interesting memen- toes, but no photographs of spots for- bidden by the authorities to cameramen. The airplave has put the worid on near neighborly terms. but nations sti'l have liltle aecrets of their own which | must be respected. . —oee Manufacturers of fircarms are to merge. A ccncentration of interests may make it possible to provide records tiona that will assist in keeping guns out of the hands of gangmen. TR Following out his own ideas with a minimum of theoretical comment ax vsual, Henry Ford contributes his sug- gestion as to unemplovment by putting thonsands of men to work with as little delay as possi . —oee What may cause Uncle Sam uneasi- ness in contemplating crop purchases may be the fear thai he will ccme to be regarced as a special mark for the high-power salesman. SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Another Story. At luncheon she is like a queen; At dinner like an empress fair, At night 50 smiling and serene She seems an sngel seated there— A creature whom some bard of old Would choose to praise in choicest rhyme. Alas! O youth, could you behold For smiles cannot endure for aye, And e'en complexions sometimes fade, And wavy tresses will not stay in place without some proper ad. The dancing lights a wondrous spell May weave at midnight's myatic chime, Tusions vanish. truth to tell. Most ruthlessly at breakfast time. Morbidly Suspicious. “If you want to fight, I'll hold your cont” amid the bystander to the quar- relsome man. “Great Scott! Can't & man even stand in the street without having a check bor try to work a tip out of him?” The Practical Paren “I understand that Count Marigold is paying his attentions to your dauj ter. “Yes.” replied Mr. Cumrox. “And if Gladys Ann is smart she’ll make it a long engagement, ‘cause there's nothin’ keeps & man payin’ attentton like bein’ broke."” Comparison. Once again is youth commanded To the college to repair. “£rt 18 long,” but, to be candid, Not as long as foot ball hair. As He Saw If. “So they insisted on a jury trial for that automobile thief?” said the tourist. “Yes,” answered Three-finger Sam. "I don’t wonder some people are complain- In'. The trouble with this government 18 too much red tape.” His Suggestion. “What wor that I saw ver boy Mike CArTYIN' vesterday?” asked Mr. Dolan. ‘That,” answered Mr. Rafferty, “wor his golf outfit. What do yez think iv 2 “Well, it struck me at the time that all it wanted was a pick an’ shovel to be a fine kit o' tools. “I don't mind meetin' & man dat thinks well of hisse'f,” said Uncle Eben. “What I don't like is to meet one dat tries to make me think he's & picture eard when he knows as well as anybody dat he's only & deuce.” i3 of a sick room thrown open to the pub- | lic by the phrsician’s bulletins, regard- | will | of all seles and a system of identifica- | This self-same girl at breakfast time! ' STAR. WASHINGTON, D. FRIDAY. Skt ' isMBER 11, 1931 THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. 8till one of the best things about a 1;-1:3 receiving set is that you can turn it Not even an electric light goes out i more completely than a radio when you {snap the switch. “Ladies and gentlemsn." roars the speaker, “the destinies of this great re- pub—— Click! | ‘The “lic’ never gets out. The click | of the switch takes its place, at least 1t does in our home, and no doubt in thousands of others. | divided into two great classifications, ' those who prefer music, and those who Iike talking best. The extremists never listen to any- thing except their favorite sort. I Some listeners turn from station to staticn, to find the speeches, plays, | skits, and 20 on. | Others deliberately turn off even the | announcers, and roam the air sesking | music, pure music, the more pure the | better. | * % % | Now. there is_no reconciling these two extremes. The music devotees do not. understand the gab fans. and the latter say they get tired of music. | Just. why those sddicied to plays and the like do mot now and then turn to | music is & mystery to those who like nothing better than a good orchestra. Tt has been noticed by many of the Iatter that some of the adherents of the opposite camp will endure singing. | which is merely the human voice in action. | Devctees of music are willing to ad- | mit that their opponents have been growiazg in numbers during rocent{ years. The broadcas g stations. at least, seem to think they are, for they have increased the tis ot speeches end! plays on the air, and have “pepped up” numerous straight musical offery with voice solos and the like. oo We talked to cne of these dved-in- { the-wcol opponents of the human voice on radio the other day. and this is what he had 1o s'v ahout the matter, | Whether he was right or not we do not know. “I think.” he sald. “that the Teal reason why s0 mapy people search all over the dial for talk is that they | understand talk better than they do music. “They sre used to speech. It is something they use themselves every day. and they know little or nothing about music. “A large section of the human family | {1s under the curious impression that music s & matier of vast knowlecge, | ratiner than of great enjoyment “They have imbibed the hocus-pocus ,of man pleyers. who. in order to im- | press their fellow humans. have gone to s7me pains to play up the study snd | mental concentration of the artist “All that is very good, but only the players are interested in their struggles What the listsner wants is music. and, if he geis it, he is not much concerned | whether those who give it to him had a hard time or not. o | “I always have had an impression that those who cannot get enough of the talking voice over radio are good honest folx who have nct been arcund much, and who have yet to get their fill of playa and the like “No human being, it seems to me. who has been surfeited with banquets, for nstance. until he hates the verv sight of a toastmaster, would be willing to sit at home and listen to after-dinner speeches over Tadio. “But it takes all sorts of human be- ings to make up the world. of course. snd he who has not stiended many banquets may get & great thrill out of being there over the air. “And. of course. the switch on your t works both wars | se! |"""1f you love speeches and radio pi Gov. Roosevelt is certainly comport- ing himself as if his presidential con- test with Herbert Hoover were all ove ut ihe nomination. Hardly a dav passes without the New York Siate executive thrusting out in some direc- tion that reveals a distinct line of cleav- sge between himself and the present occupant of the White Houce. Events at Wednesdsy's Red Cro-s jubilee 'n Densville. N. Y. gave Gov. Roosevelt | his latest opportunity. With the Na- tion listening in by radio, Hoover re- afirmed sllegiance to the doctrine of individual and local initiative in dis- tress relief. Broadcasting to the same wide audience. Roosevelt insisted upon the responsibilitv of the State and the Federal Government to rescue need: Americans from want. If unemploy- | ment and means for coping With it a'c paramount issues in 1932, the Presi- dent and the Governor will have a bone | of contention easv for voters to under- stand and divide on—provided it reall is to be Roosevelt vs. Hoover crime control, prohibition and tariff are other issues on which the New Yorke: hax disclosed attitudes at vivid varfance with the President’s views. * ok ox % Recent callers at the White House included = distinguished member of Congress famed for his wisecracking propensities. “——." said the Presi- dent. “what are vou doing down here in the midst of the recess?” The gen- tleman _from assumed a serious mien ahd replied: “I've come to col- lect the royalties on those two snony- | mous books of mine about Washing- ton!” The season for nafional pol | eel “revelations” is apparently not o A New York announcement fore- shadows the publication in October of “The Career of President Hoover, or A Rise from Promoter to President.” The author, according to printed notices, is | Walter W. Liggett, former editor of | Plain Talk. | | * ok ok ¥ | | Newton D. Baker has just confessed ' to the fact that now and then cir- cumstances compel him to appear in borrowed raiment. The Ohioan, whom, despite the Roosevelt boom. many rank , as the Democrats’ No. 1 White Hope | for 1932, arrived in Boston last June | to receive an honorary LL. D. from Har- ,vard. He brought with him from | Cleveland, he thought, every possible | kind of garment the occasion called for, |only to find out that he lacked just | what. was required—a morning coat and striped trousers. It was too late to tap his own wardrobe or to be meas- ured for a suit in Boston, so he ac- cepted with alacrity the offer of his host to lend him the necessary outfit. As Bakeér and the Bostonian are of the same type of architecture, the emer. gency was satisfactorily met. * % % Another member of the Washingt.n newspaper corps is about to tak: to the air—Herr Kurt Sell, American cor- Mcial German Wolf | He will | | | E | | They Are Talking About in America. Herr Sell, who has been on duty in| Washington four or five vears and knows A. thoroughly, wiil go to the microphone at 3:15 pm our time, 50 as to be heard in Germary | at 9:15 p.m.. her time. His broadeasts | will mark e first regular series of | West-to-Fast radio transmissions across the Atlantic. i * Politicians and lesser mortals who have had an advance peep at “Alex- ander ton,” the latest movie play featuring George Arliss as star, de- clare that it's about the finest and most subt'e plece of Republican propa- ganda yel screened. Though the p Yture adheres pretty faithfully to h tory. there runs through it all the theory that Hamilton. patentes of the protective tarlff, was not only the Radio listeners, in general. may be . | | dave. i Power. | and happen to turn on your set when & stringed quartet is playing a Bee- thoven number, you can put an end to 1t quicker with the little trigger than any old master ever could have done with his baton. - “There would be something lingering in the air, chords dwindling away to nothingness, if the leader of the quar- tet suddenly signaled his men to cease playing ““When the electricity goes out of vour tubes, however, there s nothing lingering about, it. is finality, without ecriticiem, protes *ox ok ox ‘That is exactly it. ‘There is nothing more final, in the world, than the end of a broadeast, homemade. ‘Thousands of dollars may have been spent upon it. A score of bright boys [may be out there, sitting on A s with thelr musical fnstruments in their hands. trying to entertain you. If you do not want to be entertained, however that settles it. as far as you are concerned. Now this very finality, in which every listener is both" judge and jury, is one of the very finest quali- ties of the radlo. If you read a book. and do not like it vou may put it down, but the chances are that if it has good qualities in it. despite vour dislike, they will occur to you. from time to time, if you are at_all fair in mind. With the radio, everything is differ- ent. It s & case of out of sight. out of mind, or rather out of ear, completely gone Nobody knows. and nobody cares. The timid souls offend no one by turning off their radiox when something or other does not. svit them. It is done a million times a night. * % % % Readers of this column for the pas 8 vears krow which way our senttmen leans. We have consistently believed that the genius of radio broadcasting lies in the direction of music. ‘This does not mean that we woull exclude talk. as such. As long as hu- man beings are human beings they will want 0 talk. and 1o listen to talx. ‘The question of music versus falk. via radio, is not to be solved bv giving more of one or less of the other. but rather by a different grouping of the two. i Perhaj his might be accomplished me complete days “talk days, and others “music free” by maki We believe. anyway. that no human being was meant to liten to radio for hours at a time. everv day, any more than he was made for reading ever single day of his life, or for fishing. or any other sport. entertainment, duty, ocation, or what you will, - w o & Sunday entirely - One station slres morning which is alm: sical. and we have noticed that the speech ns* seldom turn on their sets then, whereas those who prefer mu- sic_ceem to look forward to it. similarly. & feast day for “talkie fans” might be arranged. during which there could be everything from the broadcast of a banquet, with a compiste set of flippancies by the tomstmaster. through & nice long playlet, on the future of the United States, some advice to the lovelorn, and an ad- dress on the best way to feed house- cats In all seriousness. idea to the broadrasters, Dblessing. 1o tell them how to run their business It 15 our experience that when some one attempts to tell you how to run your own business. he usually is quite wrong about. it. But helpful interest ix another thing. without a doubt. Broadcasting has al- ways had the help of its interes friends, and no doubt will keep on hi ing it. we commend this with our WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. creator of American prosperity. but. as long as he and his theories prevailed the gua tor of it. “Alexander Hamil- ton” a8 scheduled for general releas~ within the next couple of weeks—m | time, cynical Democrats say, to silr the country's enthusiasms for the glory ana benefit of the G. O. P. oo Why doesn't _somebody Secretary of the Navy Jahncke or As- sistant Secretary of War Payne. or some other live wite—tackle the idea of re- Assistant suming the Army-Navy fooi ball game this vear for Mr. Gifford’s unemploy- ment fund? When the Giants and the Yankees plaved base ball in New York this week for the same cause, $59.642 clicked through the turastiles. The Cadets and the Midshipmcs 1930 to a giganiic gate. TE between them next Novem clash is a certainty. * % % * When both of them were private citi- zens of Northampton. Mass—Calvin Coolidge. a young attorney, and the late Dr. Alfred Pearce Dennis. & professor at | Smith College—they ran against each other for the Board of Aldermen. Cool- idge won, after a close race. In 1924, when “Cal” was a nominee for Presi- dent, his old Northampton crony let him know that he'd like to vote for Coolidge. even though Dennis was & Democrat Calvin remonstrated. sayin| 0, you'd better stav_regular. I may need vou later on." Dennis thereupon supported John W. Davis. In 1925, when Presi- dent Coolidge had to fill A Democratic vacency on the United States Tariff Commission, he appointed Dennis, B “Ted" Joslin of the presidential secretariat is spending & fortnight's holiday in native haunts on the North Shore of Massachusetts. The Joslins hark back to the town of Leominster, not far from Swampscott, where the first tribe set foot in 1630. Near the little place is a spot still called “Joslin's Corner,” which Mr. Hoover's journal- istic adjutant visits ever and anon in & spirit of ancestral piety. Successfully detaching himself from newspapers. telegrams, telephones and poiitics, “Ted" tells friends who run across him that for the first time in a busy career he's living the life cf a lounge lizard. Joslin has rot previously been back to Mass chusetts since White House honors scended upon his particularly broad shoulders. (Copyrisht. 1931.) Improved Advertising Held Slump Relief To the Editor of Th: Star: If manufacturers and merchants who are given to misleading or exaggerated advertising would only rezlize how detri- mental such methods are to good busi- ness, undoubtedly most of them would be more conservative. Such advertising but adds to the present depression. Unquestionably, the public has be- come more cynical and takes everything it sees and hears with a grain of salt. Lacking complete confidence in the producer and the seller, it looks farther and holds to its money longer before buying. ‘The consequences are like boomerangs and affect all concerned. m‘l‘n- remur'nuflmulnm drops mr:rflo:n“ e producer suffers Ic- tion, making the buyer's position less secure. The result is a more serious Unjust salary reductions will do more harm than good, but lower prices and honest advertising cannot help improv- ing business eventually. Restore the confidence of those who have the means to buy and the money v put back into circulation will atart R o gy e e oe ‘The tone ceases. It/ without | We ‘do not mean to attemot | d | turning to town. ed in| or De- | cember would prove equally profitable | | Writer Hits Undue Use I Of “‘Sesquicentennial” To the Editor of The 8t One hopes for permission to express sood-hunofld satisfaction at President oover's act. in preparing his Yorktown proclamation, when, in its opening sentence, he speaks of the coming event | as the “one hundred and fiftieth” an- ! when making allusion to ir, there has been a de- it seems to me, most ) ludicrous—surfeit of the Latinized word, | “sesquicentennial,” by writers all over the country. To those of us who, like myself, | fortunately yet preserve a remnant, left | over from schooldays, of “little Latin and less Greek,” there is still the ability to translate “sesquicentennial.” and ar- rive at a correct’ understanding of its meaning: but why deliberately use a foreign language—and & dead language, at that—to express something which is perfectly availsble for our use in the {good old plain English words, easily understood by everybody. and used bv our President—'one hundred and | fiftieth”? ‘The fact is that there is a distinct obligaticn upon us all, right now, to emphasize the noteworthy need, on the part of writers everywhere, of t of clear, brief, accurate English —today 2nd every day. Too many of tkcse who “take their pens in hand"— or their typewriters—seem to have the idea that ths employment, on their part, of “words of learned length and thundering sound.” lends #n air of im- portance o their own mcre or less feeb'e ideas: and hence we have a little flood of such words as rient>d" the supposed meaning of which I, for one, never succeeded in finding cut— “meticulous.” luate,” “motivate” and “eventuate.” One wio reads Lincoln's Gettysburg address or Macaulay’s tribute to the in- fluence of anclent Greece, or—to come down to later times—the editorlals of my friend Frank Cobb, in the New York World of but a few years ago. +ees nothis them of “oriented” “‘meticulous, ‘evaluate,” “motivate,” “eventuate” and their kind. Far frcm it. He finds. insterd, only high, clear thought, expressed = with wonderful | thus necessarily eventuates in motivat- ing my atated orientation. And 2o let us have, I beg. & fitting | observance of the “one hundred and fiftieth” anniversary of Lord Cornwallis’ surrender at Ycrktown. But a “ssquicentennial”—no! ARTHUR ELLIOT SPROUL. - Plea Against Pels’ Abandonment Made | To the Editor of The Star When will supposedly intelligent and ! professing Christian human beings quit | the brutal and wholly inexcusable prac- tice of dropping along country roadsides | cats and dogs they do not want? How especially hrpocritical, also, if these parsons claim to be too tender-hearted 10 put any creature to death, trying to ) still their consciences with the claim | that kind “somebodies” would befriend the little deserted things. I spend my Summers at Garrett Park Md.. and every vear I learn, and some- times get hold of, animals dropped (his way. The Animal Rescue League started in 1914 and surely Washington City knows of its existence by now, and suburbanites by a few inquiries can soon learn of it. They travel back end forth { in their cars. and any one can impro- | vise a slatted box for cats and a leash for a dog. Also many know I am also ad to help. There will be siill less xcuse in future years. as shelters are estaclished in the large burbs Also many folk enjoy the friendship cf a cunning pet at their beach cot- tages, which they abandon when re- How do they suppose these stranded creatures are to live through ihe Winter? They either starve and freeze outright or reach the door of a real tender-hearied person already saddled with other waifs. In the name of all decency to both animals and hu. man beings. humanely dispcse of your | unwanted anials. or fear the punish- | ment of a just God, who notes every | sparrow’s fall. Now something for the horses. Al- though this year I am unable to recom- mend a vacation farm near enough the | city where they may enjoy a well earned | change from hard, sizzling city sireets 1o s2ft, green grass. yet something may | still be done for them. The plenteous | rains this year have made frequent grass cuttings necessary. especially of the wild grass in unused garden lots. | This might be well dried, put in burlap | bags. stipped in the auto and delivered to the horse’s owner with the sugges- tion that it be used judiciously as an extra treat each day as long #s it lasts. A bsg of apples for man and beast| would add much to the treat. The bit of trouble expended is more than re- pald by the gratitude of the recipients panying kind deeds to earth’s faithful | toilers. My own “guest” this Summer is a little blind mare. with a kind but | very poor master. Their gratitude is great. I hope next year to have a place where the little m and some of her toiling mates may take turns in a Sum- mer rest VIRGINIA W. SARGENT, President, Church Humane Education League. o e Holds Average Person Has Small Vocabulary To the Editor of The Star: In Mr. Haskin's ever-interesting and | highly educative department of The Star Jast night. a questioner s told thet “the average well educated Ameri- can of tcday is sald to have between 50,000 and 60,000 words in his vocabu-o ar This is greatly at varlance with all| authorities on the subject and a sube | stantial overestimate of the well edu- cited man's word power. Probably not 50 men in America command the use of 50000 words. According to & recent exhaustive study, cited by Dr. Paul Hugon, “a lirge numb:r of intelligence tests made of people of all ages in all parts of the country reveal that the average child of 10 hes a vocabulary of 5,400 words: the average child of 14 his a vocabulary of 9.000 wirds; the average' adult has a vocabulary of 11,000 words, | tellig: ‘words. And even these figures, small as they are in contrast with Mr. Haskin's, re- | ce has & vocabulary of 13,000 person can understand when he sees | them in print cr hears them spoken. ! do not indicate one’s “working” | voczbulary, which is is & vast difference between having & knowledge of words and ac- tually having them in your vocabulary. When you are making a talk, or dictai- | ing a letter, and you need a particular | word to express a particular thought, is | it there. right on the top of your mind and the p of your tongue, ready for instant use? If not, it s not in your working vocabulary. That's the test. According to this test, Dr. Bertrand Lyon estimates the vocabulary of the average educated man to be less than 1,000 words, and other authorities esti- mate the vocabulary of the aveiage business man, the average college grad- uate, and the average office worker to range from 600 to 700 words Strange as it may seem, nearly all the best authorities hold that the enor- of women have even than men, al- though girls from Vassar College, Smith College. Immaculata Seminary and other_institutions, where excellence of speech Is stressed, attain a vocabulary and a general command of language :ug:flar to the average university man. eagerness of vocabulary is respon- sible for the mediocrity of most busi- ness letters and of the radio speeches delivered by men I})fl{h in public life, FRANCIS RYAN. | the 110 '80 per and the good feeling always accom- ' © considerably | ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERI Few Americans realize how much their Government does for them. Read- ers of The Evening Star can draw on all Government activities through our|G. free information service. The world's greatest libravies, laboratorjes and ex- perimental siations are at their com- mand. Ask any question of fact, and it will be ancwered, free, by mail, di- rect to you. Inclose 2-cent stamp for reply postage and address The Evening Star Information Bureau. Frederic J.| Haskin, Director, Washington, D. C. Q. Tn there a league composed of girls’ base ball teams.—J. R. A. There is no league. Q. Is Panama considered in South America or Central America?—W. H. B A. The Pan-American Union savs that Panama was formerly & part of the Re- public of Colombia, which is clearly in the South American zone. None of fts afiliations has been with Central America, Q. Where is there a good collection of military buttons in this country?—K. 8. A. The Emilio collection of military buttons at the Essex Institute is very extensive. This is in Salem, Mass. Q. When was the conscience fund started>—K. C. K. A. The first contribution to the science fund was made in 1811. Money received for this fund 3s not carried on the books of the Treasury Department as such, but is listed as miscellaneous receipis. The amounts sent in range from 2 cents for a person vwho e 10 put a stamp on a letter when mailed 1o seversl thousand dollars from per- sons who smuggled goods into the United States without paying import duty. Usually the sums sent are small. No ‘special use is made of the mone; it simply goes into the general fun of the department. Q. Who was Karl Vogt?—C. W. 8. A. He was a naturalist and materialic- tle philosopher. He was born in Swit- 7erland in 1817, educated in that coun- try, in Germany and in England. He took up the study of medicine, but later devoted his principal time to author- ship and lecturing. He was one of foremost exponents of the Dar- an theory of evolution. He died in 1 1895, Q. In what condition is the in Arlington Cemetery?—J. 8. A. It has been restored to the condi- tion in which it was when a private residence. A great deal of the orig- inal furniture could not be secured, <ince it had come from Mount Vernon 2nd has been returned, but period fur- nituie has been used. It is a hand- some example of a plantation home be- fore the Civil War, Q. In speaking of the flight of capital from Germany, was this money owned by Germans or by outside interests?— W. M A. It is estimated that during th> first six montha of 1931 about $1.00 000,000 was withdrawn. cent of this foreign investors Q. Had Napoleon his second wife?—T. W A. Napoleon II wis the son of Napoleon I and his zecond wife, Arch- duchess Marle Louise of Austria. After the fall of the empire he lived in Aus- tria with his mother and was given tne title Duke of Reichstadt. He died at the age of 21. mansion children by A st »f a group of Indian mounds. EEffect of New ]éond Is;ues Differences of opinion are voiced by the country as to the effect on busi- ness conditions, present and future, of the recent bond issues by which the Federal Government obtains loans which represent more than a billion dollars. _Permitting the fat' years to pay for the lean years is put forward in arguments favoring the bonds, sup- porters pointing to ihe great reduction in the public debt that hes been ac- complished since the World War. A further contention for the desirability of this method of eliminating the deficit is that this will make a lighter burden for the Nation than would increased tax rates, with a possible consequent retardation of business recovery. Those who oppose the idea base their cbjec- tions on the withdrawal from business and industry of th> money used in ihe purchase of the bonds and the placirg upon the future the burden of relie ing the deficit. Many see evidences of plentiful money and confidence in the untry’'s soundne: in the oversub- on of the issues. e is no dearth of money.” says the Newark Evening News ~Banks are bursting with it. Announcement of the oversubscription coincides with a revelation that this country now has almost half the world's total supply of gold.” The Cleveland News sees a Government desire while interest rates are low, and drive a good bargain for the Treasury.” and adds that “there is a consistency in allowing the public debt to absorb the deficit, Just as it once profited by & sur- plus which was not directlv turned back into the pockets of the taxpavers.” ~It will be an easier burden for the Nation to carry.” thinks the Philadel- phia Evening Bulletin, “than such en increase in taxation as would make up the Treasury defict accumulated up to the first of the present fiscal year and nearly doubling in tihe current 12 months. The Government has been borrowing at the lowest rate of interest in its history. Secretary Mellon's pro- gram is recognized as sound financing, and it is based on the expectation, which even the confirmed pessimist confesses in his last analysis, that the United States is coming back. and that it has resources and generally is col petent to pay off lll‘]t; obligations.” x x scrip “Th “Taxes on business,” argues the South Bend Tribune, “will not alone eliminate the Federal deficit. It must be appreciated also that an increased tax burden might retard business re- | covery.” The large subscriptions are called by the Tribune “an impressive and the average adult of superior in- ' demonstration of confidence which may | convince the Hoover administration that further borrowing will be more practical than extensive Federal tax increases.” The Hartford Times holds fer to ths number of words which the | that “it is reasonable to make the fat | years feed the lean ones by borrowing in anticipation of the return of better times.” The Times is convinced that Mr. Mellon is probably pursuing the more popular course,” and that “one can xt least make out a plausible case for borrowing funds at & low rate of interest rather than extracting almost I.“bllllon dollars from increased tax- ation.” con- “to shop about C J. HASKIN. Q. Please give me the names of & few prominent people who were born durl_lll'l‘ the month of September— 3 P, A. ne Field, James Gordon Ben- nett, ce Ito, Cardiral Richelieu, Maiquis de Lafayette. Jane Addams, Queen Elizabeth, Willlam the Con- queror, Dr. Walter Reed, Gen. Pershing, James Fenimore Cooper, Willlam How- | ard Taft, Louis XIV, James J. Hill, Samuel Johnson, Savonarola, Chief | Justice Marshall, Zachary Taylor. Fran- ces Willard, Clemenceau. Admiral Nelson, Sheridan (dramstist), Suder- | mann and Lord Roberts (Bobs). | Q. Is garnet ever mistaken for jade? — | A, Whether it is mistaken for fack or not, there is a translucent Rreen | garnet ‘found in Africa which is mar- Lk!t'fl as Scuth African jade. [_Q Jwhat 1 the largest tnsect known? | A. In wing expanse alone the moth | Erebus agrippina, with a spread of 11 inches, is the l:rgest insect known to- day. If size is to be gauged by bulk combined with body length, the besile | Macrodontia cervicornis, which rangcs |up to six inches in length, is perhsps the largest known. Q. What is ignorance?’—F. G. H A. Ignorance. in lcgic, is defined as that state of mind, which for want of | evidence is equally unable to affirm or | deny one thing or another. It is dis- | tinguished from doubt. which ca d | neither afirm nor deny because the evi- | dence seems equally strong for both. Q. Where were the Isles of the Blest _suppcsed to have been located? —D. W. A. Qreek mythology placed them in | the Wesiern Ocean. Medieval map- “mlkera sometimes named Madeira' and [the Canaries the Fortunate Islands, | which was another name for Isles of the Blest. Q. Was Hyndman. the founder of Socialism in England, poor man?— D. ‘A. Hyndmsn came of a wealthy family. Q. What are fairy rings?—S. F. A. Thev are rings observed in pac- distinguished from surrounding fon by being either barer or more luxuriant and attributed by the | peasantry of Western Europe to the | dancing of the fairies. They are now | known to be occasioned by the growth of certain kinds of fungi. which, pro- ceeding outward from a center, render the soil for a time unfitied for the nourishment of grass, but later fertilize it by their decay Q. Of what nationality is Dagover? Is she married?—T. M. C. A. Miss Dagover. who will star in First Natonal Pictures, was born in Java of & German father and a mother descen.>d from the French Huguenots Her husband is George Witt, a film director. Q. Where is Theodore O'Hara. whn wrote the “Bivouac of the Dead,” buried>—R. W. A. In the cemstery at Frankfort, Kr. Lil Q. What are the seven grave offenses reported most frequently to the United States police>—B. S. H A. Felonious homicide, including (a) murder, non-negligent manslaughter, (and (b) manslaughter by nezligence; rape, robbery, aggravated sssaul’. burg- ry—breaking or entering: larceny— theft. including (a) thefts of $50 and over and (b) thefts of under $30, and auto theft. no great addition ¢ the long-term in- debtedness of the Nation.” The Char- lotte News holds that “prospecis of & quick return in business would justify | & continued policy of borrowing.” al- though 1t concedes that “if business remains in a depressed condition for an indefinite period, an increase in Federal taxes is an obvious necessity ‘The Providence Journal believes that “from the standpoint of striking = better balance beiween ithe long-term and the short-term obligations of the Government, this offering of bonds must be regarded as distinctly con- structive.” and feels that “whether vieved from the angle of patriotism or practical finance. the current successful flotation must be intensely gratifving to American citizens.” Protest comes from the Akron Beacon Journal. which. observing that “Treas- ury officials are rejoicing because thers | was a large oversubscription,” states: “We doubt if the country's business and industry will share this jollifiea- tion. It simply means that o much money is being scooped up from invest- ment channels and might better be diverted t> productive uses.” The Yakima Daily Republic contends that “the taxpavers will have the oppor- tunity of digging up the interest each vear, and by the time Congress gets | through next Winter another increase in the burden will be brought about, unless an aroused public sentiment calls a halt.” “The Government can issue bonds.” according to the Houston Chronicle, “but it sells these bonds to investors. Under the present conditions the of- fering of a Government bond issue merely gives haven to funds which | otherwise would have to find invest ment. in private enterprise. Every dol- Jar the Government takes comes out of piivate business, thereby slowing activity there. ¢ * _Capital is seeking safe investment. If it must it will seek it in private enterprise, but. [ if it can it will seek it in Government | bonds. Thus when we are forced to | Issue bonds in such a time as this we simply draw that much money from the business enterprises which are giv- ing employment to our people.” | Criticism comes from the Louisville | Courier-Journal in the statement: “Is | the extravagance of the last Congress, | which broke all peace-time records for | expenditure and created a billion-dollar | deficit, to be passed on to future gener- ttions? Is the faflure of the Govern- | ment to meet its obligations to be | saddled on taxpayers yet unborn? Are economies or tax increases to be de- | ferred until after the presidential elec- tion? Is the Treasury Department :hylnx politics, not uman misery.’ but the expense of future nne;ltions‘ ?mmcl-nd and Ger- many are facing the consequence: this kind of finencin, e i | Ohioan Declares State | Central, Not Midwest To the®ditor of The Star: I wish to express myself in r columns as to why the average peyr::n “This is a healthy, businesslike way | living in the East says that the State to meet the Nation's fiscal situation, it | of Ohio is a “Middle Western State.” would seem,” concludes the Pasadena| Indiana has been considered for the Star-News, remarking that “when the | PAst two or three decades as the center country was in the midst of great pros- | of this United States, and if that be the perity Secretary Mellon wisely retired case. Ohlo, being the next State east, the ‘national debt very substantially | should be a Central State, the same as until the Treasury is seven years ahead When I went to school some 30-odd of schedule in debt payments.” The years ago. Lexington Leader points out that “the | The real Western States, or as they Government has reduced the national wish to call them, the Middle Western debt by about a billion dollars & year, | States, are Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and 50 that even a loan of one billion wili | Nebraska. be only a fractional addition to the! And farther West are the Rocky debt as it u-nga." :&mfih States and the Pacific Const Being & native-born Buckeye is tbe Teason of this letter. You know if person does not stand up for his own State nobody else will. FELIX A. URY. B Bilbo’s Plan Revealed. Prom the San Antonio Express. Is Gov. Bilbo's pick-a-row-skip-one cotton “relief” plan a bid for the hired- man vote? * x % “In such slack time as the present.” states the Charleston (S. C.) Evening Post, “it is reasonable enough that the Government should distribute its in- debtedness over the future rather than add to.the tax burden now., During the past 10 years the funded debt has been heavily reduced. We have paid off probably a third of the hi we invested in the World War. = e issues like this. no doubt, but the of them all may be