Evening Star Newspaper, January 19, 1933, Page 8

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. THURSDAY....January 19, 1933 THEODORE W. NOYES....Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office: % Office. 110 Bast 4aud 8t Chicseo Offce. Lake Michigan Bulldine. European Office: 14 Regent 8t.. London, England. Rate by Carrier Within the City. Evening Star - 45¢ per month 11 nd S when s Sundars) 60c per month 65¢ per month Evening and Sunday Star ays) Sc_per capy tion X Ordors ey be sent 1h by mall of telephone NAtional 5000. Rate by Mall—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. Dafly and 3unday....1yT. $10.00: 1 mo..85¢c aily only .. yr.. 36.00: 1 mo.. 80 junday only J1yr. $400: 1mo. 40c All Other States and Canada. .1yr.$12.00; 1mo.. $1.00 Bally ony Sundard3n Nie0o: 1me: ase Bunday only 1yr. $5.00: 1mo. 50c Member of the Associated Press. sociated Press is exclusively entitled w‘:’r‘:’- Aive for republication of all news dis- atches credited to it or not otherwise cred- ted in this paper and also the local news published here:n. All rizhts of publication of special dispatches herein are also reserved. Proposed Gas Tax Increase. The considerate and generally ap- preciated proposition by the Senate District Committee of & compromise on | the gas tax increase and its recom- mendation of an additional tax of one instead of two cents a gallon do not rgmove the basic objections to increas- | ing the local tax burden in any respect at this time. 1! there existed a deficiency or antici- pated shortage in revenues for highway work, or if the need existed for em- barking on an enlarged program of highway building and street repair in ‘Washington, an increase in the gasoline tax might be justified on the grounds of necessity. But no such condition in relation to local streets and highways exists, ‘The purpose of the increased gasoline tax is to relieve the general tax fund, to which the Federal Government “directly contributes through the lump sum, of that part of the tolal high-| way cost to be borne by the increased gas tax—about $1,125,000. The Federal Government pays no gasoline tax. If, In turn, this relief to the general fund were reflected by a much-needed reduc- | cheaper rates than it is now sold. That | to be the Federal Government. mendable appetite for all the informa- tion available on these pending and pressing questions in order that, as they are automatically laid upon the door- step of his administration on March 4, he may be prepared to tackle them in the light of their latest phase and with full knowledge of everything that pre- ceded it. It was not a gratifying picture the United States presented to the ‘world two months ago when President Hoover and the man to whom the reins of power are soon to be entrusted agreed to disagree. There was an America counseling Europe to bury its differ- ences, but unable or unwilling to com- pose its own. Events have marched far and usefully since then. ——o——s ‘Water and Other Rates. Representative Cannon has attempted to summarize in a brief statement what must be & volumnious and highly tech- | nical engineering report on the feasi- bility of a publicly owned and operated Power plant in the District of Columbla, and the report itself has not been made | public. It is rather difficult, therefore, to| understand how the conclusions of the report were arrived at, or, as & matter | of fact, to understand exactly what these conclusions were. In general, however, it is said that the engineers decided a publicly owned and operated power plant here could save the Fed- eral Government and the local tax- payers money and sell electricity at means that the taxpayers, as owners of the plant, could sell to themselves as consumers electricity at a cheaper rate than it is now sold and that the pro- | ceeds from such sale v.ould exceed the | taxes they now collect from the pri- | vately owned and operated Potomac | Electric Power Co. It might work. But without going into the matter of private versus public ownership of utllities, it may be said| that the only publicly-owned utility in| the District—the water plant—has not covered itself with glory as a producer of cheap water. As a matter of fact, comparison of rates under this publicly- | owned utility with the rates of private- ly-owned utilities do not lend great en- couragement to the theory of public| ownership, when a part owner happens | If the average rates, or, rather, the average monthly bills, for telephone, electricity and gas in the District in 1920 and 1932 are compared with the | average annual water rents (water tion in general property taxes, it might be argued that such a transfer of tax loads was in a sense justified. But the increase in the gasoline tax will mean, to overtaxed Washingto- nians, an increase in their total tax burden, with no offsetting reductions | in other taxes. Granting that avail- able tax revenues are barely enough | to cover costs of municipal maintenance | and provide some improvements, the reason for this is not the undertax- | ation of Washingtonians, but is due | to the reduction in the Federal con- tribution, If the Federal Government, | due to greater consumption of gas, the | paigned against the Hoover ticket do | in turn, s hard pressed for revenues, it | mesns that Washingtonians will be | called upon through higher Federal | taxation to make up their part of the | deficit. In view of current and anticipat- | ed increase of the Federal tax burden, on | top of local tax burdens, citizens every- ’ where are reducing their local taxes. | In Washington the proposal is to in- crease both local and Federal taxation | at a time when ability to pay has been | materially curtailed. | If the gasoline tax is to be increased, | the increased revenues could appropri- ately, and as many times suggested, be used to make possible the repeal of the | so-called Borland act. That law, basic- ally unfair, has been riddled by the courts, and the workings of the amend- ed instrument have added inequity to lnequity. If enacted, the gasoline tax fncrease should certainly do away with the Borland law, lock, stock and barrel. The gasoline tax would be a far more | equitable and suitable way to secure the | Tevenue represented by the Borland | method of assessing for what, in many | cases, are non-existent “benefits.” ‘The Senators propose to extend the use of the gasoline tax to construction and maintenance of parkways and park roads would, as the Bureau of Ef- clency pointed out, levy an inequitable charge against motor-vehicle owners by placing an unjustified share of park im- provement work on their shoulders. Such expense should properly be charged to the general tax revenues and | %o the park-planning, park-purchasing and park-owning Federal Government. | ‘The tendency to work a good horse to death is no more clearly shown any- ‘where than in the increasing burdens placed on the effective and easily-col- lected gasoline tax. ———— By going into conierence the Presi- dent and the President-elect make it | clear that any personalities which may ‘ have bolled over have cooked down suf- i Ticiently to be set aside in the interest | of public business. | | Unity in Foreign Affairs. Earlier announcement this week that the outgoing and incoming administra- tions are in accord on fundamental points of current American foreign policy leads naturally to tomorrow's second visit of President-elect Roose- velt to President Hoover. Matters have progressed substantially between them since their abortive con- ference on war debts, in November. First, there was the call at the White House by Norman H. Davis, President Hoover's roving ambassador in Europe, followed by Mr, Davis’ talks with Gov. Roosevelt. Thereupcm ensued, in due course, Secretary Stimson’s conference with the President-elect, from which, as its immediate and important effect, there issued the momentous statement that President Hoover and his suc- cessor see eye to eye on the “corner stone of all relations between nations” ~—that s, the paramount necessity of observing the obligations implicit in international treaties. Beyond the admission that exclu- sively foreign affairs will be the topic of the impending Hoover-Roosevelt conference st the White House, noth- ing has been disclosed as to its pur- pose. When Gov. Roosevelt was asked if the conferees would take up debt matters where thelr previous failure to get together had left them the President-elect warned against prema- ture “speculation.” A safer theory is that in addition to the smoldering sit- uation in the Far East items like dis- srmament and the world econcmic editerence are down for At any rate, Gov, Roosevelt reveals a com- taxes) in the same years, the result can be set down as follows: Telephone . Gas (3.400 Electricity \ Water . 10:85 *40 kilowatt hours. 160 kilowstt hours. | | son's trip from Los Angeles to Wash- |of historic events is supplied, and, of | The pamphlet is & work of scholarship, THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 1933. valuable. In the neighborhood of Wash- ington the Hagerstown Almanac has been an institution since 1797, and is atill going strong, the one hundred and thirty-sixth issue being now on sale in the streets of the Capital. ‘The influence of the almanacs of gen- erations past and gone approximated that of the mnewspapers in our own time. Through the early history of the United States the annual issues had their place with the Bible and Shake- speare as the standard cultural sources of the people. If recently almanacs have declined in popularity, the expla- nation may lie, nct in an unreasonable neglect on the Part of the masses, but In a lack of genius among compllers. A good almanac, obviously, cannot be merely an indiscriminate affair of scis- sors and paste; it must have a funda- mental integrity predicated on creative ideallsm and honest work. Such a publication, as it happens, is the 1933 edition of the Telephone Al- manac, printed for telephone subscrib- ers of the Bell System. It is an ad- vertisement, certainly, but none of its readers will be offended by the fact.! So crammed with interesting informa- tion, historical, literary and scientific, is it that its promotion value either is s0o much lost or so much enhanced by the text that it is entirely unob- Jectionable. To exemplify the point: Suppose the average person were asked to name “twelve historical events in the history of these United States which serve to illustrate the importance of communications in shaping the destiny of the Nation and in bringing its sev- eral commonwealths together into a single, united national community” what would the answer be likely to be? ‘The list, as given in the present al-| manac, includes the first demonstration | of Morse's electric telegraph, Kit Car- | ington with news of the discovery of gold in California, John Stevens' exhi- bition of his experimental “steam car- riage,” William Goddard’s announce- ment of his plan for a “Constitutional” post, the first trip of the Southern overland mail and the dissemination of the news of Lincoln's election to the presidency, 1860. For each event a sketch is given. Other items discussed at suitable length and in spritely, read- able style, are the seven Saints Valen- tine, March fourths that fell on Sun- day, what April fools ate called in other lands, the first observance of Memorial day, the origin of the Stars and Stripes, | July second as Independence day, the first United States census, some facts about Thanksgiving and scme facts | about Christmas. For each month a list course, the usual astrcnomical data. artistic designing and excellent print- THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. ‘The subject of the home aquarium cannot be, dismissed without saying som about feeding. ;h are as many doctors as The old familiar goldfish is easy enough to feed, just 0 long as he is fed sparingly, but the so-call tropicals, limates, are not so easily handled. ‘These fellows need less in their water to breathe, but more of it, it seems, wherewith to ald digestion and other life processes, commenly called metabolism. Many of the tropical fishes are meat eaters, living in their native haunts on invisible and visible insects and the like. When they are placed in the essen- tially artificial surroundings of the glass-sided aquarium they become prob- lem fish, in every sense of the word. ‘The home aquarium is, after all, & tagnant pool. No matter how well “balanced” or how clear the water or how cdorless, the tank is a pool, and it is literally stagnant. Not that it possesses, of course, the usual characteristics which belong to any idle body of water, however large or small, which properly might be labeled such. Aquariums would not be kept in the home if they could not be made sani- tary. A properly managed tank is as sweet smelling as new mown hay, and its water is remarkably clear, taking into consideration that vital life processes of a number of animals are going on constantly therein. By supplying plenty of plants, enough light and using the dip tube, where- with to remove offending matter from the surface of the sand, the amateur fish culturist is able to keep his tank sanitary in every respect. There is another way in which he achieves this result, usually not men- tioned in public by those addicted to | this hobby. That is by remaking the | aquarium about once every month or two. The books, and the magazines, and | the boastful aquarist, never mention this, but the average dabbler in fishes soon finds it out for himself. Despite his best care, plants will re- f to grow properly. or become “laggy”; the glass sides of the aquarium become covered with algae; the bottom | may become so covered with debris of various sorts that recourse to the dip tube is a job. What is to be done? The simplest thing to do, as many ah enthusiast has found out, is to dip out the fish, put them in another re- ceptacle for the time being, and re- make the big tank from the bottom. | It is one thing to read about aqua- riums which have not been disturbed | for 40 years, except to add water to replace that which has evaporated, and | quite another to attain such a fish heaven for one'’s self. The feeding of the fish not only has so much to do with their hedith, live- liness and happiness. but also it has a great deal to do with the state of the| water and the appearance of the aqua- | rium. As'far as we have been able to dis- | cover, there is no food of the many The cost of telephone, gas and elec- ' ing. Altogether, it is well worth hav. | made and offered to the fancier which tricity has gone down. The cost of | water has gone up. In 1920 there were | 82,589 telephone subscribers in the Dis- | trict and today there are 179.288, \-ol-!‘ ume of business reducing cost of service. Lower rates for gas have, in part, been | gas company encouraging new business by lower rates. In 1920 the average montaly consumption of electricity by the home owner was 40 kilowatt hours, and in 1932 this average had risen to 60 kilowatt hours, another case of lowering of rates with increased business. In 1920 it would have cost a man $21.18 to light ’ his home and operate eleven electrical | fixtures (including the then non-existent | radio and electric refrigerator). To- | day he can do it for $7. | But in 1920, when the average annual | water rent was $5.10, there were 72,149 water rent payers, and in 1932, with| rates more than doubled, the number of | water rent payers had increased to' 98,673. The greater the volume of busi- ness for the privately-owned utilities the lower the rate; the greater the volume of business for the publicly-owned util- ity, water, the higher the rate. ! The general taxpayers and the water | taxpowers own the majority interest | in the water plant. The Federal Gov- ernment is minority partner. Yet the general taxpayers must sell to them- selves, as water taxpaycrs, water at a “profit” above opcrating expenses in order to supply the Federal Govern- ment, the minority partner in the en- terprise, and the municipal govern- ment, the Federal Government's agent, free water in unlimited quantities. In addition, the water taxpayer must meet all expenses for improvements that are not met by the general tax- payer, and at present, in order to show a mythical “saving” in the Federal budget, the improvements for which the water taxpayer has been taxed are not permitted to be made, the money plling up in the Treasury without in- terest, usable only in the water service end denied use there. There may be | a surplus of a million dollars by the end of the fiscal year 1934 (the next | fiscal year) under this policy of unxln[} water rent payers for improvements | that are not permitted to be made. The District taxpayers have been as- | sessed for the major part of the cost of the three-year $50,000 survey to| determine whether a publicly-owned | power plant will be feasible in Wash- | ington. In view of the trends and| tendencies shown in water rates and the manner in which the Federal Gov- crnment, minority partner in water | plant ownership, has been the only one to profit, it would be well to determine whether the aim of a municipal elec- tric plant is to supply the Federal Gov- ernment with free electricity at the ex- | pense of the proposed plant owners, the | private consumers of electricity, and let the local taxpayers, in possession of | all the facts, debate the advisabiiity of | embarking on such an enterprise. | B G Japancse rioters are mot averse to| “What do you regard as the hope of | I mechanism, but prefer machine guns to ! sewing machines. | ————————— Telephone Almanac. Perhaps it is a aign of being old- | fashioned, but to certain people an al- manac of any kind has a special fas- cination. The very word has sn at- traction, ccming as it has been sup- posed, from an Arabic original signifying “the sun-dial” It was a common term | among the Moorish astronomers cf Spain as early as the twelfth or thirteenth century, By Queen Elizabeth’s time in England the publication of yearly cal- endars, embellished with literary text of miscellaneous character, was a mo- nopoly belonging to two companies of printers or stationers. The celebrated “Old Moore's” is one of the objectives of the modern collector of bibliographic treasures, and “Poor Richard’s,” edit2d by Benjamin PFranklin from 1732 to 1757, is almost equally famous and ing, and the American Telephone & Telegraph Co. must be enjoying & good | deal of satisfaction in its production. | ———t—— Demands for Democratic reccgnition of prominent Republicans who cam- not classify the great game of politics with poker as one in which “friendship ceases.” Some admirers of Al Smith may pro- test against the idea of making him Secretary of Commerce on the theory that it hitches a man to a cash register when he belongs in front of a micro- phone. ———————— ‘There are Filipino leaders who believe that the ten-year plan may prove even more in need of extension than the Soviet five-year plan. One advantage in a genera] sales tax | might be found in a saving of book-’ keeping and a hope of painless pay- ments by the ultimate consumer. e Even when disarmament is apparently winning world approval the authority to search for concealed weapons must | be maintained e SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Favorite Stock. The stock ticker's shock I with reverence scan And my favorite stock Is “American Can.” Depression’s sour fruit, Which philosophy’s plan In the future may suit, We will can if we can. And many a nation Is wondering if we Can can cancellation In spite of their plea. Long speeches that mock Should be under the ban. 8o my favorite stock Is “American Can.” Fame as an Asset. “Did your speeches last Summer con- vince anybody?” “Yes,” answered Senator Sorghum, “they convinced the publisher of the magazine I work for that I am earn- ing my nllu’}':" Jud Tunkins says he is always more sorry than angry when an old friend avoids him, because it favors a suspicion that he has done something he's afraid you might want to talk about. - The Patient Reporter. “They serve who only stand and wait.” The hard-worked man is this "un, Who has to go through a debate And only sit and listen. ‘Where Technocracy Quits. the human race?” asked the gentleman prefessor. “Human vanity,” answered the lady professor. “So long as men desire the acclaim of the crowd there must be people to provide it. Applause by ma- chinery wouldn’t mean a thing.” “We are sometimes misled,” said Hi | essary Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “because every change of custom, even for the worse, is always referred to those who will profit by it as a reform.” Threat in Desperation. My radio! My radio! ) Some day I'll take & hammer And knock you stiff with one brief biff, Unless you mend your grammar. “De only trouble 'bout allus tryin’ to tell de plain truth,” “1s dat it's Nable to tion of bein’ mighty poor company.” will not pollute the water, to some ex- | tent, if left to fall to the bottom. Most of the foods for tropicals are | be left, in the last analysis, to the dis-|line when he comes to deal with Con- made in the shape of small grains, | which float on the surface, but are | easiy dislodged therefrom in the com- | that it will be a great deal less than he | make the Democrats adhere to it. There motion of feeding time and fall in con- ‘; fiderable number to the sand. If not found by certain varicties of | FE 145 TRACEWELL. fishes which like to feed off the bottom, these fallen grains swell up, and in some instances send forth a erop of small white il e R e a] ce wi ol dandelion seed. de! 3 ‘The question is, then, how much food to feed? ‘The truth is that no matter how little in, a certain amount will fall It is amusing to read tions on the various cans and containers of the various tropical foods. One says feed the fishes a “trifie.” ‘The next recommends a “pinch.” An- other hl:yl & “mouthful,” whatever that may be. Once a day, in the morning, after daylight, is enough. It is felt some observing fanciers that all the tropical fishes feed with more gusto in full light. Darkness cuts down their sbility to handle their food, they say, believe it or not. Personally, we have never noticed any difference; the fishes seem as greedy one time of day as another, and it is right here that the main warning to all newcomers in this pleasant hobby is to be given: Feed 'em so liitle daily that you are ashamed of yourself. ‘The temptation to increase their ra- tions is almost irresistible. Every one taking up this indoor rec- reation is fond of without saying. What some of the fish culturists do in the interest of their pets is almost beyond belief. They wade in icy pools in order to for them certain t; of minute cts. They sit up with their sick fish and count no labor too strenuous if it helps their friends of the tanks. Perhaps many hobbyists will not go to this extent; they will feel that their fishes must get along on dry food the best they can. ‘We have not made up our mind yet whether they can get along lndeflnne‘lly on dry food, but, if they can, it will not be one, but several, and one and all must be fed with a perfect niggard- liness. All types of manufactured fish foods are concentrated. Indeed, they ap- oach the “rations” which mankind as attempted to evolve for itself in times of war, whereby a man might be fed on s tablet, and yet be properly nourished. Foods are so concentrated that a little of them will go a long way with a fish, especially if it can nibble off plants in the tank, and perhaps eat some of the algae adhering to the inner sides of the glass, It has been sald often enough that it is better to feed too little than too much. 2nd most amateurs are willing to believc this, but too many of them never stop to find out for themselves what “too little” and “too much” mean. Each phrase, in any case, will mean so little food that the feeder will be- come ashamed of himself, and feel that he is starving the helpless creatures urder his charge. The temptation is great to give them a nibble here, a nibble there, but it| should be resisted. both for the sake of the fish and of the water, co-existing. one depending upon the other for its condition, at least in part. Just h much is “too little” and how much “too much,” and esgech]ly how much is “just right,” will have to cretion of each individual fancier. One thing he may be certain of is thought. “Too little” will be about nothing at all, “too much” quite tiny, and “just right"—well, just right. High Lights on the Wide World Excerpts From Newspapers of Other Lands ORRIERE DELLA SERA, Milan. | are now recelving the earnest | attention of the Congress at | Rome. Both the cultivation of | the grape and the marketing of the | wine have become yearly more pressing questions due to increase of production and a decrease in consumption, par- ticularly during the period of the crisis. It has now beccme necessary to reach & mutually satisfactory agreement be- tween all the wine-producing countries of the Mediterranean, principally Italy. | France, Spain, Algiers and Greece, as to the areas to be assigned for vine- growing in each country snd the best methods of obtaining an equitable di- vision of the export trade. The in- creased producticn of wine for the past two or three years is, however, only relative. ‘The greater surplus has been due to diminished gsmlt?d' and not ac- tually to larger production. Th{ gmmoutput of wines for all countries of the world in 1928 was 183,- 000,000 hectoliters (4,844,500.000 gel- lon). In 1931 this total fell to 167.- 000,000 hectoliters, of which quantity the Mediterranean nations produced 135,000,000 hectoliters (3.575.000.000 galions). A large proportion of this wine is necessarily consumed in Italy | because of the limitations of export trade, and is mostly of small alcoholic content, in the early stages of natural fermentation. It is regrettable that foreign demand | is not likely to increase measureably in the immediate future. Even should the United States be opened again to the wine trade, unless Italian wine were of very superior quality, it is likely it would be subjected to a formidable com- petition. America is a prodigious grape- growing country, and capable, perhaps, of entirely supplying her own needs. I not, the Argentine, Chile and Brazil, not to mention the other vinicultural coun- | tries of South America, are, perhaps, in | a position preferable to our own for making deliveries to North America. | So it seems that only by drastic lessening of production, and by assur- ing the highest qualities of the output | that survives, will Italy, in competition | with_the other Mediterranean nations, be able to recover lhehfir_ade with hne‘r rkling beverages which once com- ;“aud s: large and important a factor of her national industry. The main- stay of our commerce has been our agriculture, and when this no longer represents an asset in our foreign trade the whole country cannot help but sus- tain economic lethargy. It is anxiously hoped that the conference at Rame may be successful, bettering the ex- portation, not only of wine and grape ingredients, but also of many other natural products, not only for Italy.but for zll our sister nations of the Medi- terrancan as well. * ko k k¥ Colombians Prefer To Ride in Taxis. Tiempo, Bogota—According to ac- mflw atamtms compiled by officials of e “Taxis Rojcs” (Red Cabs), 76,756 rsons rode in these vehicles during the fortnight comprehended between the 1st and 15th of October. Senor Cecilio Gutiemzk,, pmldenlt of the com- pany operating these usual conveyances, so m\mphe estcemed and employed by all the pecple of Bogota, takes plessure in ing to these figures, which we publish as testimony that there can be no penury really serious in the capital when &0 many people still find it nec- to use this means of transpor- tation either for business or in con- nection with social engagements. The tariff of the “Texis Rojos,” while | extremely reasonablie—that to say, the distance of 400 meters for 5 cen- tavos, without first adding any fixed charge for occupancy—is still consid- erably higher than the rates of travel by'tramway or autobus. That in view of these facts so many people still fer greater speed and comfort to the advantage of a merely pecuniary saving is, in our reflections, a matter of significance and prisons an interesting official ré#port —The problems of viniculture | on the Lads’ Hostels at Norwood and, Cottesloe, Johannesburg, a'report that should be studied not only by everyone interested in child welfare. but also by those who are concerned about the problem of unemployment in this coun- t ry. It is generally agreed that the ma- jority of juvenile delinquents are re- cruited from that class of the com- munity known as subnormal citizens. They differ_from the mentally defec- tive in that they are not incapable of profiting by a certain amount of in- struction received at school, but they, are not intellectually capable of highly S‘:“led vocational or professional train- 8. Yet among juvenile delinquents there are undoubtedly boys of a superior grade of intelligence, and any solution of the problem presented by such boys must provide for individual training. Such individual training can only be given in hostels properly organized and managed by superintendents who are thoroughly acquainted with boy nature and with the the delinquents in their charge. *x ox x Foreign Legion Being Recruited. Diario Del Commercio, Baranquilla— Men with previous experience in any branch of the service are required for the Foreign Legion. Applicants will be subjected to a rigid physical exam- ination and are required to swear al- leglance to the flag of the Republic of | Colombia. This oath spontaneously im- poses fealty and obligation to all the mandates and requirements of the na- tional army. For all further informa- tion and particulars, candidates for the foreign expeditionary contingents may apply to the chisf recruiting officer, in the Edificio Murdo, Calle Comercio, be- tween the hours of 7 and 9 p. m. daily. Applicants, 1t is understood, may be nationals of any country excpet thie Re- public of Colombia. ———— Presidents Should Be Elected by Direct Vote From the Pasadena Star-News.: Whatever attitude one ' may have, politically. toward William Gibbs Mec- Adoo, Democrat, United States Sena- tor-elect from California, one well may agree to the sentiment expressed in the State Capitol at Sacramento by Mr. McAdoo, to the effect that the elec- toral college should be abolished and that the lent’ and the Vice Presi- dent of th> United States should be elected by direct Vote of the people. He said that to make this change would obviate’ miich’ dishonesty in presiden- tia! elections. As one viewed the' scene In the State Assembly chamber at Sacramento, one of the_ Amcrican’ peopie I permiting o such’ obtclete’ metheds to remain in the' United States Constitution. All the world Has known,'since the night of November 8, that the Democratic |, party won the national election over- whelmingly And yet the farcial cere- mony at Sacramento, where- by 22 electors more or less cast their ballots for the and in February, at Washington, the farce will be ted by the can- vulslaotthgretumfrnmthealemfll college. ‘This method doubtless served s good | SIoile purpose in the early 'days of the Re- public. But it long since outlived its usefulness. by direct vote of the people. Styles in Crime. From the Indianapolis Star. Vandals who poured sirup over the floor of a local business house evidently were trying & new kind of stick-up. Russia’s Penalties. Prom the Louisville Times. R s men - n drivers? i animals, that goes | fajls special characteristics of | [The Political Mill By G. Gould Lincoln. ‘The Democrats in Congress are look- ing with longing eyes to Franklin D. Roosevelt, President-elect, for real leadership after March 4. Some of the | Democrats frankly admit that the only {hope lles in Mr. Roosvelt. As one veteran Democratic Senator puts it: “This is & presidential country. The people look to the President for leader- ship and for action, not to ‘This ;mybe-ll wrong, but it is a fact, never- airs and gives them pre- the particular interests of or 1 district will Under Unless the President of the States is a real leader and is able to take Congress by the throat and make it do what he considers wise for the whole country. there will be chaos here in zuhh:{tonm g S | ‘This is pretty strong language, but | the Senator spoke feelingly and as one who had been through the mill for many years. He sees his party comng igto full control of the Government. 1f Mr. Rooseveli to dominate Congress, he looks for four years of ineffective government * ¥ % ¥ ‘The most effective Presidents, when it comes to getting legislation through Congress to carry out their programs in the last quarter century, have been Roosevelt and Wilson. * President Hoo- ver did & good job at it as long as the House of Representatives remained strongly Republican, which was during the first two years of his administra- tion. He never had a real Senate ma- mfly to back him up, cwing to the 'ge group of progressives in that’| body—some of whom opposed Mr. Hoo- ver’s election in 1928 and were ready to make things as difficult for him as possible from the drop of the hat. Wil- so. for six years of the eight he served in the White House had working and workable Democratic majorities in both houses of Congress. During thase years he dominated the Congress, and Wwhat he wanted went througb. -In the last two years of his administration the Re- publicans blocked his program, just as the Democrats have blocked in con- siderable part the Hoover program now. Roosevelt had Republican majorities in Congress right up .to the time he quit. Both Roosevelt and Wilson did not hesitate to call in their narty leaders in Congress and tell them just where to get off, if the{n;howed signs of revolt. They did not hesitate to put individual { members of the Senate and House “on the spot” if they would not fall in with their plans and go out and stir up | their States and districts against these | recalcitrant members. P Franklin D. Roosevelt may be “an- other Roosevelt” or he may not in this | particular respect. Up to the present | ‘t.‘me he has been known, as he has| shown himself to be, a shrewd politi- cian, capable of bringing warring fac- ticns of his own pmdvn together. He | |may be able to continue along this gress. But one thing seems certain—he | will have to adopt his own program and | are too many factions among the con- | gressional Democrats: too many vari- | ances of views of public questions and | issues. In the old days the more con- | servative Presidents said that the duty | of legislating was Congress’ and that it was proper for the Chief Executive to advise Congress, but to keep his hands off the actual work of legislation. Well, that procedure doesn't work any longer. Unless it is steered by a strong hand from the White House, particularly impotent, | all | n § hem | thinking solely of the good of the people. | L i The President-elect is in Washington | today, conferring with his party leaders in Senate and House. Tomorrow hc is to talk again with President Hoover | regarding the foreign relations of the United States, including the debts owe:l this country. He is in an unfortunat: | Rosition just now. He is not President The newly elected s has not come into office, with its huge Demo- | cratic majorities. He is not in a po- | sition to dominate his party in Con- | gress as he will be after March 4. So| there seems to be little reason why he | should go out of the way to side with the Glass and Robinson clique or thz| Huey Long clique in the Senate, for example. n he moves into the ‘White House Mr. Roosevelt will be in a position to talk turkey to these Dem- ocrats. He has a huge club in his hands, Federal patronage. He also wiil be in a position to start backfires at home against Democrats in Congress who undertake to hamstring his pro- gram. * ox % % ‘What Mr. Roosevelt needs more than anything else in the world right now— or he will need it March 4—is a pro- gram of definite legislation calculated to carry out the platform pledges of the Democrats. He may have such a program in the process of formation. It has been reported that he has had | agents in Washington making a study | | | |of many questions, who are reporting |to him. It does not necessarily have |to be a program with many major points. But it must have a farm-relief feature and a tax feature, plus Gov- | ernment economy. It must also be defi- nite with regard to prohibition, the kind of a beer bill to be enacted and the kind of a repeal resolution to be submitted to the States for ratification. *x s The House Ways and Means Com- mittee Democrats have finally an- nounced there is to be no effort at budget balancing; that the balancing of the budget must go over until the spe- cial session of the new Congress, which they expact Roosevelt to call not later than the middle of April. Whether this be wise or not, it is practical. There seems absolutely no way of get- ting through the old Congress at the session which ends March 4 revenue legislation calculated to balance the budget. While the Democrats control the House, it-is by a narrow margin, and they have no control of the Senate unless the R’e{uhllm insurgents vote with them. e Republican insurgents are not inclined to favor a lot of Dem- ocratic measures to raise revenue any more than they approve President Hoo- ver's demand for & sales tax. So there is definitely to be a special session of the new , as has been cted ever since the ¢ session of Gon - mitted capitalists to invest their money whole | 4 peas: es, ants will be assessed a definite grain ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS 1 letter. Here is & great edu- cational idea introduced into the lives of the most intelligen world—American newrpaper readers. It 13 & part of that best purpose of a news- paper—service. There is no charge ex- £ifn Dostage. Do Ror. usc.poct curde 2 cards. e ening r [ormaf Bureau, Wi , D. C. Q. How many broadcasting stations T a2k heoa ! of casting in Russia is under the supervision of the commissariat for posts and telegraphs. Every important city has one or more broadéasting stati making total between 60 or 70. i 5 Q. Has any State adopted an unem- ployment insurance law?—I. T. A. On January 28, 1932, the first un- employment insurance law adopted by any State in the Union was approved by the Governor of Wisconsin. Unless em- ployers of at least 175,000 employes es- tablish voluntarily some unemployment insurance plan which 'meets the stand- ards prescribed by the act it will auto- matically become compulsory on July 1, 1933. le: Q. What is the length of the railway between Colon and Panama?—H. G. T. A. Tt is about 473 miles long. Q. How much money has been coined in the United States?—J. McK. A. In the fod 1794 to 1928, in- clusive, gold been coined to the amount of $4,384,183,477.50; silver, $1.- 422,138,540.80; minor coins, $137,097- 427.96. . Should a person walk with the toes pointing outward or straight ahead?—F. M. A. The natural and correct position is with the toes straight ahead. Q. Why was a “tidy” placed on the back of & chair called an antimacas- | sar?—T. C. | A. Because it was placed on the chair | to proteci the uphoistery from macas- | sar oll, which many people used on their | hair in early days. The oil was named | for the city of Macassar, a city in the | Celebes, which exported the oil. Q. What were the differences on the | tariff question between Alexander Ham- flton and Thomas Jefferson?—S. E. A. Alexander Hamilton looked toward the development of an industrial nation and belleved in the protection of infant | industries by a tariff levy. Thomas | Jefferson believed in the philosophy of | individualism and hoped that the coun- try would remain a simple agricultural | state. In 1793, however, he advocated | high tariffs against England. | Q. What kind of wood is used for the | baskets in which fruit and vegetables | are packed’—S8. D. | A. Among the kinds used are gum, | beech,. maple, elm, birch, basswood, ash and cherry. Q. How many vezerinaria: in this country?—A. T. W. A. There are at present approximately | 7,500 graduate veterinarians engaged in | private practicc and approximately 2,500 other veterinarians are engaged in Federal, State, county and munici- | pal work. The fleld is not, at present, | overcrowded. | Q. Is Australia socialistic>—J. G. | A. Although it cannot be said that | Australia is socialistic, there are cer- | tain things commonly advocated by | Socialists which have been carried out | in Australia. For example. the gov- | ernment operates the state railways, harbors, water works, telegraphs, tele- | phones, wharves, exporting dfpl.’t-‘ ments, public schools and other under- | takings. It is sald that this has come | about so naturally that it has per-, in other undertakings, and has as- | sisted in opening up pastoral, agri- | cultural and mining industries, The | overnment owns most of the lands, which are leased. Q. In making a set of anagrams, ns are there | o BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. how many of the vowels should there be?—M. Y. A. In a 120-letter set there should be 10 a's, 10 e's, 10 i's, 5 o's and 4 u's. ‘The two consonants of which the great- est number are required are s and d. In such a set there would be 7 s's and 7 d’s. Q. Where should one grasp a gob- let?>—W. N. A. A goblet should be grasped firmly in the middle. . Q. When was the first English dic- tlonary published, and when was the first “Webster's”?—G. W. R. A. The first English dictionary was that of John Bullokar, published in 1616. Noah Webster published his first edition of Webster’s Dictionary in 1828. ity Q, Why are there no tides in lakes?— A. The waters of lakes are influenced by the attraction of the sun and moon, just as the waters of the ocean, but owing to the comparatively small ex- tent, the rise of water is so small as to be hardly noticeable. Observations made by the United States Lake Survey at Chicago have shown that Lake Michi- gan has a tide, the amplitude of which is about 1% inches at neap tide and 3 inches at spring tide. M. Q. Which prominent Negro was enter- tained at the White House by three Presidents?—C. Y. A. Prederick Douglas was entertained at the White House, 1864 by President Lincoln, 1878 by President Hayes and 1885 by President Cleveland. Q. Who graduated first in Robert E. Lee’s class at West Point?—F. D, V. A. Charles Mason of New York vas graduated with first honors from the | United States Military Academy at | West Point, N. Y., in the class of 1829 in which Robert E. Lee was graduated with second honors. Q. How many pounds of potatoes does the average person eat in a year? A The per capita consumption of potatoes in the United States is ap- proximately 185 pounds yearly. Q. Do all kinds &f deer have scent glands?>—W. K A. 1t is only the musk deer which has a gall bladder and caudal glands, or scent glands, near the tail. These are Wwanting in the remaining members of the family Cervidee. The musk deer further differs from the typical deer in the absence of antlers. . Q. Are more children born in hos- pitals or at home?—R. R. A. Many more are born at home. In the United States, cut of 2,200,000 births in a year, about 1,500,000 are born at home. Q. What is the story of the building of the Kaaba, the sacred Mohammedan temple at Mecca?—H. W. A. There have been a succession of temples on the sam@site. The first was it by the angels, the second was built by Adam, the third by Seth and the fourth, which still stands, by Abraham and Ishmael. Q. Who started the agitation in Con- gress for civil service reform?—D. C. A. Thomas Allen Jenckes of Rhode Island. Elected to the House of Repre- sentatives of the United States, he in- troduced the first bill concerning this preblem in 1865. Q. Please name some of the officers who served in the Confederate Army ;:ldnwere later elected to Congress.— A. Luclus Q. C. Lamar of Mississippi, colonel of 18th Mississippi Regiment: Henry Watterson of Kentucky, chief of scouts in Gen. Joseph E. Johnston's Army: Charles E. Hooker, colonel of Cavalry, attached to Gen. Polk’s com- mand; John T. Morgen, brigadier gen- eral; Wade Hampton, ileutenant gen- eral; Joscph E. Johnston, general. Q. When did Confucius live?—E. P. A. He was born about 550 B. C. and ed about 478 B. C. di Russian Reviews Indicate Lack vOf Contentment Among People Reports from the abbreviated five-| year plan in Russia, supplemented by a statement from Stalin, Soviet chief, are | interpreted in this country as evidence that "while an industrial machine of | some strength has been built, it has | been at the expense of the comfort and freedom of the pzople, and it has fallen short of the goal. This is the verdict, notwithstanding the Soviet explanation | of war requirements in the Far East and failure to get co-operation from other nations. Concessions to capital- ism also are observed in whatever has been achieved. Importance is given by the New York Times to the statement from Stalin, showing that “in three basic commodi- tles the Soviet authorities now expect to show at the end of 1933 results con- siderably below those that should have been attained at the end of 1932." The Times adds: “If the five-year plan were | really completed at the beginning of this year, then the year 1932 woulid have “seen 9,000,000 tons of pig iron produced. Tnat figure is now fixed for 1933 Of coal there shouid have been 90,000,000 tons produced in 1932. The figure set for 1933 is now 84,000,000 tons. Of electric power there should have been 17,000,000,000 kilowatt hours in 1932. The quota now fixed for 1933 is something over 16,000,000,000 kilo- | wat hours. * ¢ * The actual history of the famous plan is that it started out to be a five-year plan, to be completed | by October i, 1933. It was shortened into a four-year plan, to be completed by October 1, 1932. It was- prolonged by three months by making the Soviet fiscal year correspond with the cal- endar ‘year, and so terminating De- cember 31, 1932. It is now prolonged to a five-and-a-quarter-year plan by being made terminable December 31, 1933; and after that we shall see.” “The Russian government is contin- uing its policy of making capitalistic concessions to its people as a matter of expediency,” says the Lincoln State Journal, ~ which, while recogni: “astounding changes in Russia,” ob- serves that “they have had to back- track in several notable instances in order to overcom economic problems.” The policies adopted are held by the State Journal to ‘“demonstrate th tural class, the peasants, is really an old one. Under the proposed system, which was in effect 10 years ago, - tax in advance of sowing. This gives peasant assurance that his produc- tion beyond the amount fixed will be his. Under the system which has failed the food needed by the § 25 = & i E.. i | : £ E tricity and machinery are striking. In addition, the Soviet has created vast state farms. All of this, however, has been achieved at tremendous human sacrifice. According to some observers, the Russian people have never before | been so badly off for focd and clothing. According to moderate observers, the people are worse fed than they were when the five-year plan was launched and are facing this year thelr most se- vere food shortage.” “Just as the great new plants are rendered partly valueless by the fact that there are so few trained men in Russia to operate them,” states the Youngstown Vindicator, “so the life of the people under communism presents 8 confused mixture of good and bad.” Setting forth the democratic idea that “government is for the pecple, not the people for government,” the Cleveland News says: “Food is scarce; the people are living under restrictive, almost primitive, conditions. Their lot is un- happy—how unhappy the world can only guess On the other hand, un- doubted progress has been made in in- dustyializ:tion. Russia under the old Order was a naticn cof peasants, It has been made into a nation of manufac- turers. It has produced machinery, achieved some remarkable feats of en- gineering. By the simple expedient of putting everyone to work, it hes en- tirely overcome unemployment, whether its workers are decently fed or not.” “While the material achievements of the four and a quarter years have not been up to schedule,” remarks the New York Herald Tribune, “they have been remarkable. But this is not so inter- esting 2s -the facts that this progress has put, a heavy strain on Marxian doctrine and that the food shortage is now forcing a further retreat from orthodox communism. A conventional system of agricultural tithing is being re-introduced to ccax the peasants back to willing productivity. What _every one really wants to know is whether these various retreats from Marxism are temporary and strategic only, or whether such material advances as have been and may still be made in- volve an abandcnment for ell time of the fundamental red doctrine.” The Salt Lake Deseret News asserts that “neither agriculture nor industry at- tained its objective.” Taking up one of the Stalin excuses, the Boise Idaho Statesman avers that “one cannot blame other nations for their refusal to enter into ‘guarantee’ pacts with the Soviet Union,” and as to national defense, the Chicago Daily News declares, “There is some validity in that explanation, but the Bolshevik regime has yet to prove that, with its dearly bought equipment, it can duce commodities of good quality at reasonable prices.” The Buffalo Eve- News argues: “There was never a when Soviet Russia could have The Louis- concludes: “Rus- may not be necessary to even may be recipro- but each has served percen| lag 5 e wnwilling.