Evening Star Newspaper, March 16, 1932, Page 8

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. ‘WEDNESDAY....March 16, 1932 THEODORE W. NOYES. ...Editor The Evening Star Newspape. Company Business Office 11ty 8t and Pennsylvania Ave, ¥ Yok Offce. 110 East <and 8t Office: Lake Michigan Butlding. an Offce 14 Regent M. London, England. Rate by Carrier Within the City. vening Star_........_..45cper month vening and Sunday Star undasy) 60¢ per month and Sunday ‘Star uidays) .. “esc per month The Sunday star . 8¢ rer copy Collection made at the end of ‘each month Orders mav be sent in by mall or telephone National 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. /v, $10.00: 1 mo. g5 g::' a0, Sundar.....1 3 11008 | me: Boe indas’ only | 155 34.00: 1 mo. 40 ANl Other States and Canada. {ly and Sunday. $12.00° 1 mo.. $1.00 1300 1 mo- 91,09 B A 808 1mer 8¢ followed by the other powers is not to be forecast, but it is to be expected that no definite acceptance of this or- ganization will be given, certainly not for a considerable period. Events in Manchuria may develop that will de- termine the status of the so-called puppet government st Mukden more definitely than any diplomatic ex- changes. Meanwhile all is not well within China proper, as regards stability of govern- ment. Just what faction is in nominal control at Nanking is a matter of dcubt. Chiang Kal Shek, who is sup- posedly commander of the military forces, appears to have no civil au- thority, although his Influence is doubtless for the present dominant. The Communists of the southeastern prov- inces are becoming active and serious military movements directed against the Nanking authority are threatened. A turmoil of domestic politics has been raging since the first few days of the Japanese invasion at Shanghal, the “defeatist” policies of the Chiang Kal Member cf the Associated Press. The Associaicd Press is exclusively eutitled use for 1epublication of wll news dis- se cred- fted in this published herein. special dispatches herein are also reserved. = Reports on the Tax Bills. Whatever else may be said at this time about the report sent to the Sen- ate District Committee today by the Bureau of Efficiency, Tecommending an increased gasoline tax and a modified automobile weight tax, it becomes most apparent that “the plot thickens.” It is to be recalled that the Bureau of Efficlency was asked to report on five bills. It now has reported on three— the estate tax bill, the gasoline tax bill and the automobile weight tax bill. Its reports on the income tax bill and the bill to abolish the fixed ratio provisions of the amended organic act are yet to come. In the case of the three meas- ures already reported on, the bureau has favored an increase in the local tax burden, It remains to be seen what the bureau will have to say regarding the fundamental issue of the whole business—which is the form and the smount of the Federal contribution. None of these various bills can be con- sidered alone. Each is a component part of a proposal regarding redistribu- tion of the tax burden in Washington and a recasting of the fiscal responsi- bilities between Nation and Capital in development of Washington. The bureau is still to report on the pro- gram as a whole. But without going into the merits, at this time, of the separate tax proposals or the bureau’s views regarding them, 1t is obvious that the principle outlined by the bureau in its report today on the gasoline and weight tax bills is unac- ceptable, from the viewpoint of equi- table fiscal relationship, to the local community. That principle is that the support of the highways and half the cost of bridges and the cost of traffic regulation of Washington—outside of the public parks—should be borne by the owners of automobiles. The prin- ciple of putting such a burden wholly on the owners of automobiles is open to question under any condition. In Washington it is totally wrong, for it means that the street-owning and street- planning Federal Government escapes all financial responsibility in upkeep and development of what is, relatively, the largest street srea in great cities in the TUnited States, possibly the world. The Federal Government pays no gasoline tax, and, obviously, the Federal Govern- ment will not tax itself on the weight of its trucks. To place all the burden of highway maintenance and develop- ment, a large part of bridge develop- ment and all the cost of traffic law administration on a portion of the population and at the same time to withdraw all Federal support is on its face grossly inequitable, To consider such & program without even the partially compensatory elements of relief to the taxpayers in the form of abolition of other taxes, such as the Borland assess- ment tax and the personal property tax on automobiles, is obviously un- reasonable. e Taxpayers will surely be patient when they remember what a good time Uncle Sam had spending his money abroad while it lasted. Peace Prospect at Shanghai. ‘What appears to be an effective truce has been finally arranged at Shang- hal. As a result of a conference be- tween representatives of Japan and China and of the United States, Great Britain, France and Italy, an agree- ment for a complete cessation of hos- tilities, based upon concessions by both sides, has been reached. The Chinese have agreed not to attempt to advance their troops beyond the lines now held west of Shanghal, and the Japanese have agreed on their part to send home & division and a mixed brigade, main- taining a greatly reduced guard over the area evacuated by the Chinese un- #il plans are agreed upon for a defi- nite “lasting” patrol. A commission with neutral members will supervise the Japanese retirement and when it s completed general negotiations over the entire Shanghai incident will be- gin. China abandons the demand that the status of Manchuria must be con- sidered simultaneously with the Shang- hai problem, while Japan abandons the point that the status of Shanghal must be fixed prior to her withdrawal. Seven weeks have elapsed since the Japanese made their first moves at Shanghal. In that period enormous damage has been done and many lives have been lost. knows just what the total destruction of life and property has been. Any *bill of damages” as the basis of pos- sible reparations against Japan will mount into high figures, That Japan will Tesist a settlement on such & Nobody at this time | tion as American nonsense; again mak- Shek group being bitterly denounced by his enemies. It would not be surprising to find China in the throes of another civil war as soon as the menace of Japanese attack is removed by the definite establishment of peace at! Shanghai. ———— Geneva. On March 19 the Disarmament Con- ference will go into adjournment for a period of fifteen days over the Easter holidays. Its work for the past three weeks has becn confined to the com- mittee phase, with technical detail ab- sorbing the bulk of the delegates’ thought and energy. Five key branches of Geneva's problem are under consid- eration in committees whose names designate their respective tasks—politi- cal, military, naval, aviation and bud- getary. To subcommittees in each case have been transferred those multifarious de- tails, mostly technical in character, with which the disarmament problem bristles. 1In these subordinate bodies the experts are having their innings— the soldiers, the sallors and the aviators whecse highly specialized knowledge justifies their presence and their need at Geneva. “No doubt objections can be made by technical experts,” said Viscount Cecil at Geneva the other day, adcing: “If a technical expert cannot make ob- jections, he can make nothing.” ‘That is the view of the disarmament idealist. But experts, who probably do not object to being called practical idealisis, are vital in these incalculable days. Any scheme of disarmament negotiated with- out expert military and naval advice would be the last thing this country would or could afford to accept. It is too early to predict what the ultimate outcome of the Geneva con- ference is going to be. Its final findings are not expected before the beginning of Summer. But there is already a con- currence of view in virtually all con- ference quarters that the result will be positive and not negative, that from the months of deliberation & convention of some kind will result. Perhaps—indeed, almost certainly— it will be & convention that falls short of the far-reaching hopes of men and women who would have a Rome bullt in a day, the millennium by special de- livery. If there emerges from Geneva an agreement to ban chemical and bac- teriological warfare, the proposal upon which there has been a maximum of agreement, a concrete and constructive step will have been achleved. It will be a step possibly of even greater psycho- logical value than of practical utility, for it will register advance, not retreat, in the tedious march upon which the nations have embarked. Realists have always been conscious that disarma- ment progress would be a process marked by slow stages and by more than one conference. One will not be wide of the mark in concluding that the Geneva Political Committee is the one in which the largest share of accomplishment will have to be recorded if achievement in purely military and naval directions is to be attained. “Security Committee” would have been a more graphic name for the body, upon the creation of which the French mainly insisted The French thesis is that unless through the League of Nations or otherwise France and other countries can be guaranteed se- curity against aggression they will con- tinue to rely on their arms. The con- tention is fundamental to any solution of Geneva's problems unless the French recede from it, of which there is little probability. An essential to a solution, too, is Germany's demand for equality in the right to arm. The Reich is standing ~__ ¢ . THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. €. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 1932. THIS AND THAT bettered the best time ever made by train by more than an hour. ‘The Firestone invention is particu- larly interesting because so far, at any rate, it applies only to small automo- biles and does not include, as the Euro- pean inventions do, any plan for mass transportation. Some of the big stream- lined cars on the German rallways carry as many as sixty passengers, but the American idea seems to be to equip the individual motorist with facilities for traveling on raflway lines. Just how it could be worked out with the raflroad remains to be seen, but in any event, it has interesting possibil- ities. vt The First Box Score. It was only an exhibition game, the first of the season, but to the dyed-in- the-wool Washington fans the old fa- miliar box score in today’s papers is probably more interesting than most of the other news. Joe Cronin, a single, a double and a triple. It bodes ill for American League pitchers in the reg-|in ular season if Joe can regain his bat- ting pace of 1930, and three hits the first day out is a good start. Sam West, two singles and a double. To the always optimistic fan it means that Sam, who led the team in batting last year, is beginning again where he left off. Osste Bluege, cutting off hits down the third-base line as if it were mid- season, and lastly forty-year-old Sam Rice, sprinting across the outfield like a deer to save the game with a one- handed catch of a liner that was ticketed for three bases. All sorts of news is interesting, but none more so to the old-time rooter than the news of his favorites as they prepare for the long grind ahead. What the year will bring forth for the Washington team cannot be prophesied, but at least the optimistic feeling regarding its chances can harm no one and it does take the mind off some of the harrowing worrles of the times. ———— Agitators who advocate a boycott of United States products unless Philippine independence is conceded are, of course, playing upon the word “independence,” which is dear to the heart of every hu- man being. In this case what is termed “independence” would be only & with- | drawal by a large and powerful country of support needed by a smaller and less resourceful one. e e ——— New York finds herself with two con- testants for the proud title “favorite son.”" In the meantime campaign prep- arations wiil be going on briskly through the country with a few States taking sides in what might have been regarded as & local controversy. ———— No one wants the open saloon. In fact, saloons were reputed to close at midnight. There is now a demand for restrictions on the speakeasies that re- main open all night. = ——— It may be necessary to give up war entirely. It seems impossible to get up a prospectus that will be sufficiently convincing to finance it for the large amounts and liberal terms now required, —_—at——— SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Great Day. The air is chill, the ground is white, Our heads have low been bowed, To estimate the taxes right Due to our land so proud. But presently Spring’s gentle call ‘Will animate the scene And find us gayly, one and all, A-wearing of the green. The weariness must soon pass by In just a little while. We've had the frown upon the sky And now we'll have the smile. Bo round the corner let us glance ‘Where waits March Seventeen ‘Whose sunbeams call the world to dance While wearing of the green. ‘When Biography Was a Polite Art. “Do you believe all the personal anecdotes sbout George Washington?” inquired the lady with a notebook. “Not implicitly,” answered Senator Sorghum. “Washington was particularly fortunate in being written up at & time when biographers were supposed to be effusively complimentary instead of scandalous.” Jud Tunkins says nature surpasses art; otherwise it would be sufficient to look at the pr- .y picture on a package of garden seeds without taking the trouble to plant them. Over-Parking Paramount Offense. Be kind to the policeman firm for the pledge which, the Germans insist, was given them when they con- sented in the treaty of Versailles to disarmament of their country. Ger- many is not asking today for authority to arm to the extent that Prance and other European neighbors are armed. If for no other reason, the Reich's finances would make such a thought ludicrous. But the Germans insist they will be satisfled with nothing less than a con- vention which declares, in theory at least, that she stands as an equal among equals in respect of the privilege to maintain & national defense of her own ordering within the framework of internationally agreed limitation. Many ripples will dimple the waters of Lake Geneva before the Prench and German political theses are reconciled or disposed of. e e ——— Foreign comment refers to prohibi- ing it plain that United States politics is hard for Europe to understand. vt A Railway Automobile. With duties so complex. He is our leading peace man ‘Whom we should never vex. However Censure chatters ‘When “crimes” his effort balk, He still minds serious matters, ‘With parking cars to chalk. The Two Travelers. Two men were running for Charon's boat across the Styx. able ferryman. booked by Fate for a long time hence. Yet you demand a special trip. What prompts your impetuous wish to leave this world at a season when life should be most beautiful?” “I was weary of the world,” said one voyager. ‘“Accustomed to wealth, I found that sudden reverses of fortune had left me penniless. T could not buy happiness. So why remain?” “I, too, was weary,” said the other. “I had wealth beyond my power to compute. Yet no generosity could win the sympathy that I craved. I too could not buy happiness.” “Here,” sald Charon, “you have each found companionship and understand- The United States evidently does not intend to let Germany and other na- tions run away with all the laurels in basls appears now to be a foregone eonclusion. Yet the position of that government, in the face of an undi- wvided international sentiment adverse 10 its deflance of treaties, will be in that event one of undoubted peril. Omission of Manchuria from the the development of automobile trains that run on rails. Notably in Germany the idea of the substitution of gasoline for steam or electricity for propelling vehicles over rails has gathered much support, and many successful experi g Smiling on them gently, he sped them swiftly and silently into the dark- ness. “War is the more terrible” said Hi|P8r Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “because it compels strangers to kill one another without even the excuse of honest yeckoning in the settlement of the im- | ments have been conducted. In Florida | hatred.” mediate problem of the Shanghai ad- the other day, however, Harvey S. Pire- Abnormalcy. venture does not necessarily mean that | stone, jr., put his new pneumatic-tired | convivial pleasures are ended 1t 1s not later to be considered by the united powers. A somewhat informal application of the newly-formed Man- churian government for recognition by automobile invention on the Seaboard Railway tracks at Miami. It is four hundred and six miles from that point to Jacksonville. The distance was cov- $he United States has been ignored. A |ered in three hundred and seventy-eight minutes at the rate of d life seems to threaten the worst ‘Whex drinks are with politics blended & have no connection with thirst. “7 likis plain total sbstinence better den prohibition,” said Fben, “fon de reason dat you doesn’ 1o waste 0 mueh time talkin’ homt %° Y “Why this haste?” asked the vener- | “Your passage Was | “There are so many books to read, how does one make a selection?” So writes a correspondent, and we hasten to sympathize with him, How does one, indeed? “I jilt twenty books whenever I fix on one,” wrote a wise man. There is no other way to do it. Only the conceited person can feel that he has made an infallible selection of the “world’s best,” that he has read everything he ought to read, and left nothing good unread ‘The best readers of books know that there is many a good fish left un- caught in their sea; they realize that it is impossible for any human being to read all the worthwhile things printed. Since this is true, and no one with common sense would dispute it, even for the sake of argument, it remains equally a fact that a wise selection is necessary, if one desires to get even a t;fitk‘of the good things stored away * X % % The basis of this wise selectio) be the individual self. Sl Here 1s where “rugged individualism’ comes into its own. The reader must have enough force of character to know what he likes, and enough disregard for mass opinion to_be sure of his own. If he listens to every windy opinion which comes his way, offering him free advice as to which books, old and new, he must read, he will be lost in a sea deeper than McGinty ever knew. Self-rellance is the only which gives practical results. By this one would not imply that no advice is to be taken at all. Far from it. One must simply make sure that the advice is given by a like mind and tempera- ment. There is nothing surer in this world than that like attracts like—un- less it is that unlike attracts like. In the matter of reading, however, one is more likely to come out of the woods at the right place if he listens to those fellow human beings, critics, friends, enemies, whose life-likes are su-r"l'l}l‘lr 'Al:lflhllslkown. ese life-likes, as we call all the thousand and ‘one simieie which have been worked out by human beings over the centuries. They include the great basic likes revolving around habits of living, matters of art, of activities, of spiritual sympathies. Xk * % ul;l;ehs“ :ho see eye-to-eye with us, vhoever we are, are our rea in this world. Vibeostiies Because people know this, they flock together in congregations, in clubs, in gatherings of all sorts where life-likes work themselves out, Even these mutually sympathetic groups sometimes find it expedient to split Into smaller groups. The historian, {looking into the cause, finds it to be a small one. But those who call “trivial” do not realize how much heat and human sympathy went into the matter. The real irreconcilables of this world are those who fight mentally, not physically. Often the opponents on a battlefield find time to joke and talk backward and forward between the lines. Between them there is a built- up, an artificial enmity. Between true mental enemies there is never any reconciliation, not even for a moment. This comes about because the mind of man recognizes the true greatness of itself, and knows that Whatever it regards as error must be— to it—the supreme enemy, with whom or_which there can be no temporizing. Thus it happens that the most bitter enmity of all is that of the intelligence. Upon this foundation have been erected the magnificent quarrels of history, The strangest thing is that the fight for truth goes on just as magnificently when the mind has made a mistake, gohltonz as it thinks it is right, it can ight. X E* ‘The scenes in the House chamber last Monday were of almost historic proportions. The first clear-cut wet and dry roll call since the passage of the Volstead act attracted a huge throng and the air was electric with excite- ment even though the outcome was a foregone conclusion. To some of the members their vote Monday was a mat- ter of political life and death. They krew it. The spectators knew it. The public galleries were packed for hours before the proceedings were scheduled to start. The private galleries were corridors outside were jammed. More than four hundred of the 435 members of the House were in their seats, an attendance almost unprecedented. The speechmaking was brief, the calling of e roll rapid and the result—187 for the motion to bring out of committee the resolution for resubmission of the eighteenth amendment, to 227 against the motion—was announced exactly on the stroke of 1. Total elapsed time cne hour. The opponents of prohibition were jubllant first because of what they regarded as the strong showing made by the wets, second because every mem- ber of the House at last had been obliged to show his and her real colors on the prohibition issue. Fron now on every member is tagged and in the campaign this Fall will have to face the music. It is noteworthy that a switch of 21 votes in the line-up in the House would have spelled victory for the wets in the Monday roll call. * x % x “Barney” Baruch, New York Demo- cratic financier, was one of the notable onlookers in the House galleries on Monday. By his side was Mrs. Bertha Bauer of Chicago, Republican National Committeewoman of Illinols, who was defeated In a race for a seat in the House on a platform promising real beer. Alice Longworth, with lorgnette as of old, was another spectator. Sen- ator Hiram Bingham of Connecticut, who regards himself as the leader of the wet bloc in the Senate, was moving about on the floor of the House during the wet and dry showdown. Bingham is coming up for re-election this year and faces a stiff battle. Representative | Snell of New York Republican minority permanent chairman of the Chicago Convention next June, voted “No" on the roll call, thus standing fast to the dry position. Some commentators pro- fessed to see significance in Snell’s dry position and his place of honor at the convention. They thought it was fur- ther evidence that Mr. Hoover intends of Ivar Kreuger, king of international finance, was not chronicled in the press, though he contacted with many of the important officials in our Government |and won their admiration and respect. The news of his suicide came as a per- sonal shock. The Swedish capitalist conferred at length with Mr. Hoover, |though that fact was successfully sup- pressed at the White House, Mr, Krueger was quoted by an associate in this country as having told the Presi- dent that his judgment the United States Government ought to see to it that its own bonds were maintained at or better in the open market; that United States bonds were the premier security of the world and that it was futile to expect other and inferior se- curities to rise in price so long as United States bonds were sellinng at a discount, The foreign visitor was also reported to have said rather pointedly that he came to this country to find out the secret magic by which a government was able to go on spendinng twice its income and still stay solvent, and still maintain its dollar at par, contrary to the experience of every other govern- ment from the beginning of the world to date, -k x method | 1t | filled when the gavel fell at noon. The | leader of the House, who is slated to be | no mpmml.u*on the prohibition issue. | £ xk * * ‘The visit to Washington in January | BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. lection of books, since there are ?\::hux vast number in the world al- ready, and more than 10,000 new ones | are being added uxznulu]{] l;y the pub- his country alone. s e e k. whose | life-likes are the same as his own. | This does not mean, necessarily, that he must egree with the content. We hope no reader will make a mistake on t. th}s! 1‘.:0;‘110! at all necessary to cut one’s | self off from the benefit to be gained | from the opposition. All that is re- quired is that the aim, or intent, of | tnat opposed mind must be the same— | that fs, a genuine regard for the truth, as one sees it. | This is the zre:“tsr m:;nen gfy u:ll?kd: | which far supersedes the pe - | ness tl;( those lE‘Iehn shout “Aye” together at some meeting. | ""1f the aim is truthward, in a book, it coincides with the aim of an earnest reader. Thus the man of liberal ten- | dencles in religion may read St. Au- gustine's “Confessions” with the great- est of benefit. The pure woman Wwho knows the | vastness of life may read with un- | wrinkled brow Zola's “Nana,” because, ss o reader, she will be able to under- stand the tragedy of it. It will lnt‘n]\’ be understood that | there is a sort of paradox here. Like- ness of mind is essential, and yet this very likeness often manifests itself in apparent unlikeness. . So it is, and so it will always be. PRI In selecting books for personal read- ing, especially among the newer offer- ings, one will find it expedient to take advantage of advertisements, reviews, the opinions of friends, ana especially of authors and tities. Let us consider each one of these five, Shakespeare Was Hardly ] A Stickler for Rules To the Editor of The Star: On the editorial page of March 14 some slight criticism was offered of Shakespeare's philosophical accuracy, and a quotation out of the mouth of Polonious in “Hamlet" is given as an ex- | ample—"Neither a borrower nor a lender be.” I realize that the observa- tion was made humorously and only to | point a quirk in international finance. Still it is an amazing thing that nearly everything which Shakespeare’s char- acters utter is accepted as the poet’s personal philosophy. 1 beg to submit that Shakespeare subscribed to no such philosophy as that uttered by Polonious, or if he did, only with reservations. Polonious indeed is satirically treated. and is represented as the true type of pedant in personal affairs, business or | statesmanship. It is only fitting that & pedant should utter such platitudes as does Polonious. Therein, of course, lies the art of Shakespeare's character drawing. ‘The poet himself was hardly a sticklér for rules, except in matters of the most abstract morality, where he never failed to differentia between right and wrong. He would put into the mouth of the greatest villain charming truths, as, for example, the words of Iago: “Who steals my purse steals trash; but he that fliches from me my good name Tobs me of that which not enriches him and makes me poor indeed.” This, of course, is done to demonstrate the guile and hypocrisy of Iago. Oddly enough, it is easy to assume that this is Shakespeare’s personal philosophy and not that Iago is a character to imitate because he expresses himsclf so ad- mirably. The poet was not one likely to prate of rules and “principles” as "nurust.nust;s1 do},‘" those statesmen in our time who choose to see hungry for the sake of a mglglezf’ the truth of which never can be proved. ALBERT LEVINSON. —— e beginning with the last two, the au- thor and the title. Often these para- mount aids to good selection are over- looked. We do not mean the so-calied “popular’ author, whose name is so well known that a new book by him immediately sells like hot cakes are supposed to sell on a frosty morning. Often the name of a book, or of an author, will strike a sympathetic chord in the mind, maybe in the heart, of & reader. They may gnaw at him for days before he succumbs and buys the thing. More often than not, he will discover that he has made a good chcice. Never resist this temptation, if you are a real booklover. Often it leads to great finds. Advertisements of books are helpful, because it is manifest on the face of it that mo publisher is going to put much money in advertising any book which he regards as no good. No, the fact that it is advertised shows that some one, somewhere, thought it worth- while in some respect. The thing for the individual reader to do is to de- termine in his own mind whether it will be good for him. Book reviews,often prove helpful in the selection of the one book out of twenty, but only when the reader has established well in his own mind a bond of sympathy with the reviewer in the case. It is not always necessary to have read previous reviews by the same person. Often the very way the review is handled is enough to show | & mind akin. | . The opinions of friends, one’s book- |loving friends, constitute one of the | best ways to determine which books, especially among the new cnes, to read and which to leave alone. The two of you probably have held many a review between yourselves, so that each knows what the other prefers, or what would be well for him to read for other reasons. Father Time, the old critic, must not be forgotten. It is he, after all, who puts the world’s bookshelves in final order; upon him rests the last word | in all the pow-wow of writing and read- ing. Time, imitating the wise man, says: "I jilted & thousand books to ‘This principle must be applied, in fix on one!” WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS, chusetts, of which his friend and erst- | while Coolidge biographer, Robert M. | Washburn, is president, has just been obliged to decline another invitation from the club. Writing to President | Washburn, Senator Borah says: “I am | informed that the La Follette brothers, | the Senator and the Governor, are to appear before you in Symphony Hall on April 8 next. These are two of the most remarkable young men now in public life. Knowing them as I do, and know- ing you as I do, I am sure the house will be jammed. Those who remain away will be the heavy loser.” “Bob” Wash- burn professes to be a Republican, but strongly insurgent, and incidentally is a | great showman. | * K X *x | Newspapers are specifically excepted |from the manufactiyers’ sales levy in | the new tax bill. Many a member of Congress has slyly winked at his news- | paper reporter friends and said in effect, “You see how well we have taken care of the press. We are levying no | new taxes on the newspapers.” Para- doxical as it seems, the fact is that the newspapers will bear a heavier tax by reason of their exemption than other- | wise. Had newspapers not been ex- | empted their tax would have been | assessed against the selling price of | their finished product, namely, their | revenues from the newspaper sales, and | the news print paper would have been tax exempt, as a constituent part of a finished manufactured taxable article. But since in the case of newspapers the finished product is tax exempt, the news print paper, itself a manufactured | product, is taxable, the paper manu- | facturers will pass this tax along to | the newspaper publishers, and the total |cost of the paper, against which the ;2'4 per cent levy will be assessed is act- | ually larger than the total selling price, | for the cost of the news print in the or- dinary metropolitan newspaper s greater than the two or three or five cents at which the newspaper sells. £ x x Louis K. Liggett, drug store magnate, has just announced his forthcoming Tetirement as Republican national com- mitteeman from Massachusetts. He came on to the National Committee during the Coolidge administration. He has never held public office. Mr. Lig- gett’s political position during the past four years has been no bed of roses. | Republican rivalries in the Bay State are deep seated—and were further com- plicated by the rise in influence of Mr. Hoover's own proteges there, who were wholly outside the reguiar organization. Mr. Liggett, too, is a pronounced wet. John Richardson, young Boston lawyer, is reputed to be the President’s choice to succeed Mr. Liggett as national com- mitteeman. If the Massachuseits Re- publican State Committee consults its GWn preferences, however, the mantle may fall upon George F. Booth, wealthy newspaper publisher of Worcester. Mr. Booth has becn picked to head the Bay State delegation at the Chicago conven- tion. Mr. Liggett will not be a delegate. Others of the “big four” delegates at large at the convention are ex-Senator William M. Butler, former Gov. Alvin Personnel Reduction Without Hardship | To the Editor of The Star. With Congress and the President | vying with each other in endeavors to reduce the Federal personnel and there- by decrease expenditure, it seems pass- ing strange that what is probably the most_likely fleld to enter, even if not a particularly large one, should be en- tirely overlooked or else ignored. It is the enactment of Senate bill 2320, in- troduced by Senator Dale of Vermont, providing for the voluntary retirement from the Government service upon a small annuity, of persons who have served 30 years or more but have not reached the compulsory retiremeat age. There is probably not a bureau, of- flce or service under the National Gov- ernment wherein there are not a num- ber of employes of 30 years' service or more who would gladly retire were the existing law amended so as to allow them to do s0 on an annuity. They do not wish to remain in the service until the day they are compelled by the terms of the present law to leave, but cannot afford to retire unless their limited means are somewhat augmented. maximum retirement annuity now available is $1,200 a year, the aver- age being considerably less. Whatever its amount, it would be drawn, not from the United States Treasury, but from the Civil Service retirement fund. In some cases the person retiring would not even exhaust the amount of his own payments into the fund. Under the present Government practice the posi- tions vacated would not, unless in ex- ceptional circumstances, be fiilled, so that a salary would be saved in nearly every case of retirement. Our British cousins, faced with a similar situation, are actually offering inducements to civil servants to anticipate the date of their retirement. Here, then, is a simple, practical plan by which a substantial saving to the Government may be effected without hardship to any one: indeed. to the distinct satisfaction of the persons who would be thus enabled to retire from the service. GEORGE A. WARREN. Taxis Are Criticized, Street Cars Upheld To the Editor of The Star: ‘The fallure of the 20-cent taxis to function during the past storm period is clear warning of future inconvenience and lack of service, particularly if the unfair competition between taxis and traction companies eventually forces the latter to reduce service or forces them into bankruptcy. It is time that the interests of the street car riders be given some consid- eratidn. They cannot receive the best service unless the companies are pros- perous. Every restriction of profitable opera- tions, whether chartering busses for sightseeing purposes of operating taxis, is of distinct disadvantage to the street car users, and there does not appear to be any equitable reason for giving some companies a monopoly of the sight- seeing business. There can be no gainsaying that the traction companies will be able to pro- vide a more dependable and responsi- ?le‘servlce than the present unregulated axis. After all is sald about deprivin - ple of work by regulating pt:xb,‘lme is only a certain number that can be supported by the community, and whether they are irresponsible individ- uals or responsible, or employes of auto-selling companies operating as taxi companies, or of responsible taxi companies, or of the traction companies is immaterial. Thelr number will re- main the same. ‘There is, however, no doubt which class of drivers would render the most dependable and responsible service. GEORGE H. HEITMULLER, M. D. B One Pathetic Scene At Cardozo’s Seating To the Editor of The Star: Many were they who came early and staod long at the entrance of the United States Supreme Court on Monday, hop- ing to see Benjamin Nathan Cardozo | take his oath of office. Among them was one of the city's unemployed, a man who had served his country in time of war. He was poorly dressed, but decently, wearing as an outercoat a leather windbreaker, which, he later explained, was his “best.” After standing in line for an hour and & half this man was approached by an officer and told that he couldn't ex- pect to enter “looking like that—you've got to have an overcoat.” And in a democracy! The scene was pathetic. Eveiy one felt that an injustice had been done. Every one saw that this sensitive man was deeply wounded, and the scar will be long in healing. Declining the coats of sympathetic listeners, he quietly Jeft, bearing the humiliation as might be- come a Chief Justice. Who honors his country most—he | tax as a Federal levy.” ‘This is a special department devoted solely to the handling of queries. This paper puts at your disposal the services of an extensive organization in Wash- ington to serve you in any capacity that relates to information. This service is free. Failure to make use of it deprives you of beneBts to which you are en- titled. Your obligation is only two cents in coln or stamps inclosed with your inquiry for direct reply. Address The Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, Director, Washing- ton, D. C. Q What is the fastest speed at which a person has walked a mile?— M. H. A. Indoors, Mike Pecora has lately walked a mile in 6:27 1-5 minutes, while the ocutdoor record minutes, to the credit of George Gould- ing. Q. Is it true that there are thousands of Government employes who receive more than $10,000 a year?—G. T. A. It is pot true. More than two- thirds receive less than $2,000. Accord- ing to a survey made in 1930 by the Washington Board of Trade, which in- cluded approximately 48,000 persons in the Government service, excluding Con- gress, cabine., judges, etc., are receiving a salary of $16,000; 54 143 from $7,500 to $10,000; 827 from $5,000 to $7.500: 4,681 from $3.000 to $£5,000; 7.641 from $2.000 to $3,000; 32,599 receive below $2,000. Q. Can a person drive & car in Eu- rope with an American driver's license? H A. American driving licenses are not accepted in all countries of Europe as authority to operate a motor vehicle, therefore an International Traveling Pass, which is a general license for the car and driver, must be obtained. This document is available in most Euro- pean countries for 12 months from the date of issue, and eliminates the neces- sity of re-registering the vehicle and obtaining a driving license in each country, thus saving its holder a great deal of time, trouble, and expense. Q. What do_macushla and mavour- neen mean?—R. C. A. They are both Irish terms of en- dearment. Macushla means beloved and mavourneen means my darling. Q. Are there any Chinese or Japa- nese students at Annapolis or West Point?—J. D. K. West Point, N. Y., one of whom gradu- ates in 1932. There are no Japanese any. There are no Chinese or Japa- nese students at the Naval Academy, although there have been some in pre- vious years. Q. In what year was Halley's comet last seen?—J. E. A. It was last seen in 1910. It was at its least distance from the sun April year. It is due to return about 1986. Q. What sort of fish is the pom- pano?—D. C. A. It belongs to the Jack family and is one of the most prized of the world's food nshes.h ‘The name is hlknen from the S ish pampano, meaning grape leaf, m:h the outline of the fish re- sembles, when viewed from the side. It attains a le of one foot and a half, a weight of two to three pounds, and has white flaky flesh. It is a fa- vorite in Creole cookery. Q. Why do some china dishes de- Velop.zl"l;])ndredl of tiny cracks?—P. E. N. A. occurs in semi-porcelain, because the body of this ware is softer than the the surface to break into a network of fine cracks. Q. Who discovered the Wind Cave in South Dakota?—W. H. 8. A. It is believed that a Black Hills stands at 6:2538 | 6 persons | are being paid from $10,000 to $15,000; | A. There are two Chinese students at | the United States Military Academy, students there, nor have there ever been | 19 and from the earth May 20 of that the Dee is is called crazing. It usually | glaze. The glaze contracts and causes | St. Louis. ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC ). HASKIN. | pioneer by the name of Tom Bingham discovered the Wind Cave in 1881. | While hunting deer he was attracted to & small hole in the rocks by a weird whistling. He found upon in- vestigation that the whistling noise was caused by wind escaping h the hole. ~ This small hole, scarcely 10 inches in diameter, is the only natural opening to the cave. Fortunately it is well preserved and may be seen just behind the present cave entrance build- | ing. Alva McDonald, whose grave and statue may be seen just east of the cave entrance, was one of the early explorers, Q. How is the name, Onelds, pro- e . ronound as O-ni-da, \\'!31 long o, long i, Mm t . and accent on the second syllable, | Q. Of what material is the Post Office ‘Dewmmem bullt>—S. N. A. This historic building, to be razed | eventually to make way for the Fed- eral building program, was built of granite from Vinalhaven, Me., at & total cost of $3,000,000. Its tower, | which has formed such a conspicu- ous feature of the Washington sky- | line, 15 315 feet in height. Q. How much excelsior can be made from a cord of wood?—H. W. A. It is estimated that one cord of excelsior wood will yield an average of 12,000 pounds of excelsior. However, this often varies from 1,650 to 2,300 pounds per cord. The various species of aspen and cottonwood, together with basswood, | constitute considerably more than half of all the cxcelsior produced in this country. Other species used in excel- sior manufacture in this country are the varicus Southern pines, willow, red gum, white pine, spruce and small quantities of a considerable number of other woods. Q. How much does it cost to rear s child to the age of 182 . D. A. An insurance company estimates that a child costs about $6,150. This includes birth and expense until he is |18 rs old. This total is reached by <‘ld ing to the initial “cost of bdn, | born,” estimated at $250, the sums of |$2.500 for food; $1,620 for rent, reck- oning the share of the child as one- sixth of the total so expended: $300 for fuel and light; $351 for furniture and | household maintenance; $144 for first |cast of installation of the home, and for clothing, $912 for a boy and $1,002 | for a girl. Q. If all oceans were of the same depthA, hfw deep would the water be? A ’I;ne'lverue d:;th of the ocean | below sea level is 12,500 feet. Q. A story bears the title, “Lizards in Jamshyd's Courtyard.” Who was Jamshyd?—P. H. A. Crowell's Handbook for Readers and Writers says that he was the fourth king of the Pishdadian Dynasty, ie, the earliest, who is fabled to have reigned for 700 years, and to have had possessed s seven-Finged. golden” cup, & seven-i len cup, typical of the seven heavens, the levepn flmen. the seven seas, etc., which was ull of the elixir of life; it was hidden b; Lhe:ednfl;x}ldw-ma‘hl"ebun vered while digging ounda- tions of Persepolis. Q. What are the Lind il at he bt otative Al est eX-~] ive Lafferty otngufll'nh. R:mm'mfld one side of the coin would be a head of Col | Charles A, Lindbergh; on the representation of the Q. Is the eye or the ear more sen- sitive to impressions?—G. C. P. A. The Public Health Service that the eye is 16 times more tive than'the ear. Completion of the draft of the Fed- cral revenue bill has been followed by wide discussion of the new provision of a manufacturers’ excise tax of 24 per cent to be applied at the point of final fabrication. This is recognized as a burden on the taxpayers, but in the debate on the subject its acceptance as a necessity is shown in the bulk of the comment. Further broadening of the tax base is effected by lowering of in- come tax exemptions, and an advance in normal and surtax rates. There is a public minority suggestion that greater income taxes might have peen provided, but this is considered an uncertain source of revenue. The Birmingham Age-Herald believes that “everything in its power appears to have been done by the committee to devise a scheme which would work, and work with the least possible hardship on the taxpayers. If it brings the re- turns expected, and if, with economies which can be put into operation, it serves to get rid of the deficit, it is & good job.” “The sales tax is forced by an eco- nomic necessity that could not be re- sisted,” says the Boston Transecript, “and as it is expected to raise more than half of the revenue of more than a billion dollars the country must con- tribute, this levy must be accepted as having a place in the bill from which it cannot be dislodged.” “If there must be a tax increase for the purpose of rebu govern- mental units, the sales tax presents the fairest method,” thinks the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, while izing that “much of the objection to taxation abides in the obvious fact that taxation is not now and never has been just.” 'The Walla Walla Bulletin remarks: “A trial of the manuf--turers’ sales tax may result, if the exp.2rience is satisfac- tory, in its substitution for the income In explaining the basis involved, the Wall Street Journal offers the analysis: “The Ways and Means Committee, in its report, assumes that the manufac- turers’ price ‘on many of the common commodities’ is 70 per cent of the retail price. A family with an income of $2.- 000 _probably spends $1,000 for food- | stuffs, untaxed, and $1,000 for taxed articles. This does not mean, if the tax is all passed on, that the family pays a tax of 2% per cent on its $1,000 expenditure, but a tax of 21 per cent on 70 per cent of $1,000, or on $700, which is $15.75 for 'the year. With chances at least fifty-fifty that one-half | of the tax will have been absorbed be- | fore the retail price is set, the tax| burden becomes $7.88 on the family in- come of $2.000." | “The bill recognizes,”” according to | the Hartford Times, “the emergency | character of this part of the tax plan | who appears in purple and ermin: from necessity, or he who stands through weary hours, ragged, from necessity? How can we afford to kill enthusiasm T. Fuller, a warm Hoover admirer, and Mrs. Mary P. Potter, from the western end of the State. Mr. Richardson and Christian A. Herter, another Hoover protege, will lu‘u.dt:m:t delegates. The Summer White House on the Rapidan is going to bloom like the Garden of Eden this Summer if Mrs. Hoover's dreams are realized. Pinks, Fetunias, phlox, vervenae and numerous other flowers are due to be transplanted soon from the White House conserva- tories, where they have been carefully nutured zll Winter in anticipation of this transformation of the wild uplands of the Rapidan into a flowery bower. Hundreds of little flower in the Senator Borah, who once or n SR R | in a time when there is little zest for anything smelling of the governmental, flureby’phnflnl the seeds of Com- Much less can we afford to discrim- inate against men, during these dread- ful days of hunger, because they are poorly clad. It not the cuter gar- ment that invests one's being with re- spectability, it is dignity of mind. Cer- tainly the latter covering is suficient to admit its wearer to a seat in the public gallery. MARTHA WILSON. Lon Both Si des Are Given, From the Yakima Daily Republic. Senator Wesley L. Jones addressed a radio audience the other night on “How Our Presidents.” Somebody by providing that it shall be operative only until July, 1934. It may be well for the consumer to keep his eye on that proviso lest Federal administrators and legislators try to make the tempo~ Tary measure & permanent one.” “It to have at least one beneficial effect,” in the opinion of the Harrisburg Telegraph. “It will cause a general, though t, advance in prices, and price in! are widely regarded as one of the essentials for an upward turn of the market. Besides, it should lead to large purchases in ad- vance of the imposition of the tax, and this should provid= a considerable stimulus to manufacturers and whole- salers, with a wider range of buying power for patrons of retail stores.” “No one can deny,” remarks the Sales Tax Is Storm Center In Revenue Measure Debate raise a sum comparable to the $595.- 000,000 expected to reach the Treasury's coffers by way of the tax.” Stating that “no increase of the in- come tax in itself would have been com= petent to square the budget,” the Phila« delphia Evening Bulletin holds that “the Ways and Means Committee in the sales tax has plotted a fleld of great productive capacity, which will involve & minimum of burden u any indi- vidual in the land.” The San Antonio Express voices the opinion that “the bill is mainly sound in principle,” and that “it undertakes to distribute the burden of Federal Government costs more equitably and among more citizens than before.” “An un-Democratic tax bill” is the verdict of the St. Louls Post-Dispatch, which in the course of its expression of d!upg‘m:l :gl: “Common decency will revolted by the spectacle of & tax bill that hits the poor man wWith a sales tax and higher income taxes, while letting the rich man off with a mild increase represented by a top surtax of only 40 per cent.” The Philadelphia Record advises the Democrats in Con- gress that they are “making a grave mistake,” and adds that “the sales tax will increase the cost of living, retard buying and save the wealthy at the ex- pense of the consumer and the business Observing that “a summary of the new bill fills about three ne'srhptt " the New York Sun declares: “But where are the three newspaper pages of retrenchment in the Federal expenses? As invisible as last year's moonlight. No long lists of bureaus condemned as useless and costly. No roster of Farm Board experts dropped from the pay roll. No announcement that the Government will discontinue the spending of thousands of dollars in- vestigal insect evils that never were or preparing phlets on agricultural conditions in lands 5,000 miles from the nearest American farmer.” Assuming that the sales tax “will be paid eventually by the consumer, no matter what it is labeled,” the Roanoke World-News offers the criticism: portance of balancing the budget and prevent! an increase in the public debt has cited by leaders of both parties and especially by Secretary Mills 8s necessary to economic recovery of the country. With this view there is every reason to agree, but the people would be more inclined to a limited tax increase to meet the situation if the Government departments would show & greater disposition to reduce expense or if Congress would exhibit determi- nation to force such a reduction upon them." “The bill may be the best Congress can put together,” says the Milwaukee Journal, “but it is a very bad bill, none the less. Any sales tax on general nec- mfleu of life is bad because it bears A manufac- turers’ sales tax is bad for the very rea= son that leads to its adoption; that is, it 1s more concealed. Chairman Crisp of the Ways and Means Commit~ tee is nEm frank about this. It preferable to tax Taised men and Senators who in times when men and women need bread still can- not cut their budget.