Evening Star Newspaper, May 5, 1933, Page 8

- evidence in THE EVENING STAR [ab & s’ ituc < it it & NG (8 5 With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. THEODORE W. NOYES....Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business E 11th St. and Pennsjivania Ave. New York Office: 110 East 42nd St. | Chicago Office: Lake Michigan Building. European Office:, 14 Regent St.. London, England. ‘Rate by Carrier Within the City. Star 45¢ per month an ! 60c per month e Evening. and Buniday tar 20 2o (when 5 Sundays) 65¢ per month TEoneciion made at the iid of each month, Collection made 4 Orders may be sent 1n by mail of telephons NAtional 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. Daily and Sunday... Daily only Bungfl only . All Other States and Canada. ally and Sunday...1yr., $12.00; 1mo., $1.00 Batly ams £ 1yr. 8800 ., i8¢ Bunday only . 1yr,, $5.00; 1mo. Member of the Associated Press. 5. Press is exclusively entitled o' the ARCT0K Tepubiication of All news dis- atehes Sredited o it or Mot otherwise cred- e t5 (his paper and also the Iocal news ublished herein. All rights of publication of Eoccial dispatches hereln are aiso reserved. Co-operation for Recovery. In a brief address at the annual din- ner of the Chamber of Commerce of the United States last night President Roosevelt made three requests, two specific in nature and one general. He asked the members of the chamber, as representing the majority of the em- ployers of the Nation, (1) to refrain from further reduction of wages and to increase wage scales in proportion to| commodity price increases, (2) to co- operate with each other and with the Federal Government to bring order out of the prevailing chaos and industrial ‘onfusion, and (3) to subordinate group pnd selfish interests for the develop- ment of the general improvement. In urging immediate changes in wage icales to conform to the present rise in commodity prices, the President asks consideration of the fact that hereto- fore wages have lagged behind price scales, with the result of imposing upon those who labor an unfair burden, pre- wventing their just and equitable share in the profits of industry and limiting the purchasing power of the overwhelm- ing majority of the population. The ‘wage scale of the Nation, he says, has gone down during the last four years more rapidly than the cost of living,| and it is essential as a matter of na- tional justice that the scale should be brought back to meet the living costs, and that “this process should begin now and not later.” The reduction of Government sal- aries recently ordered has been condi- tioned upon the cost of living. If the living costs rise, the pay rates of Federal workers will be restored to their former level. The President asks that the in- dustries of the country adopt the same principle to effect a concurrent recovery in wages in keeping with the recovery in prices. | Less specific is the request for co- | bperation between the industries and the Government to bring order out of chaos. Yet the President’s intention is indicated by reference to “unfair meth- ods of competition and cut-threat prices.” H2 asks co-operation with the | Government to bring the minorities in industry to understand that unfair practices in trade are contrary to a sound public policy. The third request is that the indus- tries of the country translate their w:l- fare into the “welfare of the whole, | that they view recovery in terms of the | Nation rather than in terms of a par- ticular industry. ©Of the justice of these requests there iean be no question. Their effectiveness depsnds upon realization of those who are conducting the business and the in- dustries of the country that their wel- fare is dependent upon that of those i | United States. ‘who work, who must buy the products of | the industries and the goods handled | by the distributing agencies. Full co- | operation alone will bring about the | Testoration of prosperity to the cnuntryfl) ———— Even the audacious hold-up man is entitled to a little respect as compared with the skulking cowardice of the kid- naper. ————e————— No rules for working hours will pre- went the practical farmer from getting up at sunrise and working till nightfall. A Thorny Path. Indications pile up that the course of true international love at the World | Monetary and Eccnomic Conference at London in June is not to run with entire smocthness. Even in its pre- liminary stages snags manifest them- selves. From both Great Britain and France, whose distinguished emissaries were in Washington but a few days ago, | comes evidence that on a variety of pertinent issues those countries and the United States are still wide apart. It was cflicially disclosed in the House of Commors by Mr. MacDonald yester- day, freshly arrived from his American expedition, that debts are not to bz dealt with at the economic conference. In the French Senate frmer Am- bassador Henri Berenger, co-author of the Mellon-Berenger debt settlement, lamented that France's “magnificent gesture” in remitting ninety per cent of German reparations had produced no repercussion in the United States— & gibz at M. Herriot's failure to bring home the bacon in th: form of a Ppromise cf war debt revision downward. On the specific question just raised: by the Washington Government, look- ing to a tariff truce or economic armis- tice, pending the London conference, Prime Minister MacDonald announces that Great Britain must demand certain *safeguards” before she consents to ‘such an arrangement. He points out that a country like Great Britain, cn only a semi-protective basis, is not in so favorable a position as a land long anteeing their interest payments in anclents. Vergil tells of the javelins 100-cent gold dollars, while no such made by cornel wood which struck down FRIDAY....,......May 5, 1933/ guarantee is held out to American citi- | Polydorus. Pausanias reports a festival zens, vexes Europe. In both London and Paris uncomplimentary references to the Roosevelt administration’s de- cision on this score are finding expres- sion, with such taunts as “dishonor” and “repudiation” creeping into the discussion. Here in Washington itself pre-confer- ence thorns are visible, Current nego- tiations with Argentina appear to be running into difficulties because of the new Anglo - Argentinian commercial and financial treaty, which grants Ar- gentina, our own best customer in South America, very material advan- tages in trade and exchange facilities. All of these developments go to show, if proof were necessary, that something more than mere good will among the nations is required in these troubled times to arrive at economic agreements. The trade and currency systems of practically every important country in the world are in such delicate shape at ihis time that governments must, move warily lest, in a spirit of altruism, vital domestic interests are sacrificed. Wise statesmen have to take this factor into consideration. Patience, tinctured with invincible hopefulness, must be their guide. R The Railroad Bill. President Rcosevelt, in his message to the Congress and in an administra- tion bill, has undertaken to place the strong arm of the Government behind the railroads in an effort to help them eliminate waste and balance their budgets. The President’s broad plan is to co-crdinate all the agencies of trans- portation in order to maintain adequate service. He told the Congress, how- ever, that he was not vet ready to sub- mit a comprehensive plan for perma- nent legislaticn and that he would con- fine himself to “three emergency steps” which should be taken at the present special session. 3 Most important of these three steps recommended by the President is the appointment of a Federal co-ordinator of transportation, with broad powers to “encourage, prcmote or require action on the part of carriers in order to avoild duplication of service, prevent waste and encourage financial reorgan- izations.” The Federal co-ordinator will work with groups cf railroads to carry these instructions into effect. ‘The other steps recommended by the President are the repeal of the recap- ture clause of the Interstate Commerce Commission act—under which earnings of railroads in excess of six per cent on their valuation are segregated and one-half of these excess earnings are placed in a fund to be disposed of by the Government—and the placing of railroad holding companies and corpo- rations under the jurisdiction of the Interstate Commerce Commission. The commission has heretofore declared the recapture clause to be unwork- able and impracticable. Through the use of holding companies certain persons have sought by indirection to do what they are prohibited from doing directly. The proposal to place these hclding companies on all fours before the law and the Interstate Commerce Commission with the railroads them- | selves is entirely wise. The President in his message point- ed to the fact that available traffic is not sufficient at this time to utilize existing raflway facilities and the sup- plementary facilities prcvided by new and other forms of transportation. He still regards, he said, the railnays as the main arteries of commerce in the In these circumstances, it has been obvious that scmething must bz done to fit the railway services as far as possible, for the benefit of both the public and the railrcads, to the existing traffic, with the hope that as business improves more and more of the present facilities may be put back to use. The railroads themselves have been anxious to bring about such co- crdination 2nd saving as is now pro- pcsed under the administration emer- gency railroad bill. They have con- sidered the feasibility of setting up a co-ordinator of -their own. But it is obviously easier for the Government to take such action. The railroads have strongly urged immediate legislation to i regulate motor bus and moter truck carriers. Generally speaking, the bill seems to be pleasing to the railroads as far as it goes, although that section which undertakes to deprive railroads of ac- cess to loans from the Reconstruction Finance Corporation and to prevent bond issues until the Interstate Com- merce Commission shall find that there is a reasonable prospect that the car- riers can survive the existing depression without reorganization may be under attack. provision might hamper a very large number of the railroads. Railroad labor, on the other hand, is prepared to fight the measure unless some provision is written into the bill which will take care of the em- ployes who may be thrown out of work through the co-ordination of services now in contemplation. It has been esti- mated that perhaps 530,000 employes will lose out under these co-ordinating cfforts. e —e——————— From time to time Wall Street an- nounces profit taking, as an agreeable assurance possibly to the business world that there are still profits. —.— The Dogwood. The rozdside thickets of the neigh- borhcod of Washington are bright with the dogwocd. Authorities on the sub- ject say that this year the blossoms are especially fine and that they will be at Lheir best during the next few days. The commonest variety in America is the Cornus florida, generally regarded as one cf the most beautiful of flower- shielded by high tariffs like the United States. France, too, seeks to assure herself by defensive measures preced- ing and during the London confer- ence, no matter what subsequent tariff compacts the nations may enter into. ‘The suggestion may be a cynical one, but perhaps both Britain and France might be more inclined to consider a tariff truce if America were ready to pledge a debt moratorium, effective June 15. Our reeent action with respect to geld is obviously complicating pre-con- ference negotiations, too. “The unwil- {ngness of the United States Governs Q ing trees. The white form has a dis- tinctive light yellow-green flower center with four surrounding brachts, one to three inches long. The rose-red form is identical except for the color tint. Altogether there are about eighty species distributed over the temperate zome. Several representatives of the family are found in Mexico and in Peru. In Europe the Cornus- sanguinea, with deep red Autumn foliage, was a fav- orite source cf arrow shafts in the Middle Ages. Even in our time it is wanted for its firm, hard wood, used in intricate inlay work. The feeling exists that this| celebrated in honor of Apollo at Lace- daemonia to appease the wrath of the god at the destruction of the dogwood trees on Mount Ida. - Tradition says that when Romulus wished to enlarge the boundaries of Rome he hurled his spear to mark the extension permitted by the gods, and it struck a spot on the Pala- tine Hill and there was metamorphosed into a fine cornel tree symbolic ‘of the greatness and strength of the Roman state. Philologists are puzzled about the forigin of the name “dogwood.” It has no authentic connection with the canine | thing in family of animals. Perhaps it comes from the old Saxon word, “dag,” signi- fying “dagger” or “skewer.” The Cor- naceae may have been popularly named “dagwoods,” the reference, obviously, be- ing to the toughness of the fiber, suit- {able to dagger use. But one theory is really knows for certain. At a time some fifteen or twenty years ago it seemed that the dogwood was in danger of being exterminated, and & campaign to save it was waged by naturalists and nature lovers. Soon the tide was turned in its favor, and now it is making excellent progress. Small and sturdy, the tree responds to care, and its beauty amply repays at- tention. The State of Virginia has chosen the dogwood as the official flower of the Commonwealth. It is said that it may be found on the tops of the highest mountains of the Old Dominion. ‘The dogwood flowering season, from May through to the -end of June, is its heyday, but even after the blossoms are gone, it still is decorative. It richly Jjustifies its place in gardens, flelds and ‘woodlands all through the year and de- serves protection accordingly. S Machado is quoted as saying: “For- get the politjcians, but put an end to those students.” The American system, whjch waits for students to attain the rank of professor before mingling in State affairs, is perhaps better. It gives enthusiasm a chance to mature and gives youth an undisturbed and proper period of time to devcte to foot ball and “Sweet Adeline.” — e It is proposed to subject all bonds offered for sale to a searching investi- gation. Former Gov. Al Smith may de- pend on Congress to submit his idea of a public improvements bond issue to thorough scrutiny and debate before it is put into practice. — vt Uncoined gold has not been called in by the Treasury. If it were, there might be some sad awakening as to values of unsuspected plated stuff. Values even in small matters are largely questions of confiding opinion. ————————— Lindbergh will have to relate the de- tails of his bitter experience, for the purposes of justice. To a man toward whom the public meant to be so gen- elous the social machinery is compelled to be merciless. — e Unskillful private speculators showld rot be blamed too severely. Some of the most famous financiers have been turning some pretty poor collateral out of the old strong box. ————r———— Price-fixing is a tempting pursuit even though it has not worked any great advantage to humanity in the course of readjustment of relative values in world currency. ———e— Even in a time of considerable con- {usion, there is not much excuse for an Iowa farmer's mistaking a shotgun for an agricultural inplement. ———e— SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. The Great Game. The man who makes a chesty bluff And shouts “I am the real stuff!” May be quite useful for a day In getting something under way. On close acquaintance you may find He’s ordinary human kind, But if he has true grit enough, When called, to make another bluff, We honor his courageous show. Perhaps he'll make the next one go. It's better, son, to bluff a bit Than simply to lay down and quit. Titles and Attainments; “An official title is of itself an evi- dence of superior knowledge,” said the complimentary constituent. “Not necessarily,” answered Senator Sorghum. “You frequently find that a jman at a window labeled ‘Information’ has to look through a number of books to findl out what he is talking about.” Jud Tunkins says some men remind him of Uncle Jim's parrot, who gets a reputation for being smart by using rough language which doesn’t mean a thing. Sound Effect. We heard'a queer gargle, a cough and a sneeze! ‘We hurried, in doubt as to what to expect. 1t was only dear father, who sat at his ease Reciting a story in Scotch dialect! Unassailable. “Nobody disputes Mrs. Flimgilt's po- sition as a social leader. “Who would dare?” rejoined Miss Cayenne. “Her husband is in a position to foreclose half the mortgages in the town.” “An untruth,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “is the sacrifice con- science must sometimes make for the sazke of common politeness.” e For the Sake of Contrast, There must be competition fair The waiting public to amuse. Monotony is hard to bear. Sometimes the home team has to lose. There must be night as well as day, For contrast jazz requires the blues. We cannot be forever gay. Sometimes the home team has to lose. wasn't strictly his own business,” said Uncle Eben, “dar wouldn’ be no fun in watzchin’ a base ball game.” Static. 1 From the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin. It may ordinarily than to pay rent, extraordinary as competent as another, and no one |ing. ! THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. the expression, heard on 5 '.hat?“'.hk is a good lilac people gardens these days, and that is almost everywhere. ‘The fact that this old favorite shrub does happen to be blooming exception- ally well in this Spring of 1933 is buf the visible aspect of an interesting hor- ticultural proble; m. What makes certain tribes of flower- Inétl;lnndobetmoneymuunm- other nxuomuunl’:nzm lmund.m- Al or e plants themsélves? ey * % x % This looks as if it is going to be a fine year for peonies, too, and for iris, and for several lesser things. Maybe it is the rain which is doing it. Not since before the big drought of several years ago has Wi and vicinity received such a natural water- This, of course, means everything to plant life. It means not only that there will be moisture, to form tissues largely made up of water, but that, more im- portant, there will be proper absorption of food elements. It is a living wonder how plant life survives during an extended dry period. Some of it, of course, finally shows damage, after a period of months, but the losses directly traceable to this cause are not as large as might be ex- pected. * x k * It might seem curious that any group of plants whatsoever would so respond to varying climatic conditions, if that is the real point at issue. Second thought may make one won- der if that is the essential point, after all. Perhaps there is some subtle soil con- dition to the liking of certain plants, 8 state which must be built up over a long period of time, The lilac is the most common in- stance. Every one is acquainted with some bush, probably the old-fashioned pur- ple variety, which has never bloomed. Then, some bright May, it opens a perfect flood of flowers. * * x x It may be that the soil took all this time to build up certain chemical ele- ments exactly to the liking of that par- ticular bush. It may be that the average lilac bush is not given one-tenth the fertilization it needs. If this latter is true, how does it hap- pen, then, that certain bushes, stuck in the ground and left to themselves, do so_remarkably well? We have never tried the experiment we saw described once, pouring garbage into the hole in which lilac bushes were | set out, but we have given them better | than average fertilization, only to have them refuse to bloom except when they got ready. * % % x While there may be many exceptions to the rule, it is true, we believe, that when lilac bushes do very well in one part of the city ‘hey are doing equally well elsewhere. Certain bushes may refuse to bloom, but mostly they all come out at once, with the city proper leading, owing to the’ approximately 4 degrees warmer temperature prevailing there the year around. This is a good lilac year—let us ac- cept it as such, and not question it too much, especially when we possess no laboratory methods by which to arrive at any actual determinations. Experimentation here, as with foods, is bound to be sketchy as carried out by the average person. Just as the home food “scientist” has no small laboratory animals, as they are called, talk |ing a clear to feed chosen articles, to test:for various diseases, or their , 80 home gardener has no real way of mak- check. He lacks both the expes tal ma- terial and temper. The teur gar- dener will question if anywhere such experiments have been on as would give any cléear and reliable an- swers to ns proposed. It is undoubtedly true that some years are “good lilac years,” certain other seasons better for cestain other flowers. * k k% be the lem, but surely it fails, because some lilacs are never fertilized at all, and yet they do better than those which "have treated. Healthy stock, ancestry, call it what one will, counts here, as elsewhere, but this falls down, t0o, as a sole explana- tion, because often the weakest-appear- ing plants give the most blossoms. An amateur gardener might pose this question for the experts: May there not be a cycle in plant 8To ? The “cycle,” or recurring state of af- fairs, is & favorite theme elsewhere; it may have originated in Nature, even among the plants. * Ok ok % Every one knows that greenhouse plants, subjected to constant and heavy fertilization, and sufficlent moisture, and too much warmth for their ulti- Fertilization might seem to easlest key to opening this probl mate good, bloom their heads off, as the | his saying is, for a time. After that they become practically worthless for commercial purposes and sometimes are sold to the unsuspecting, who try them in their gardens. Here they are often complete failures, the task of readjustment keing much for them, although they may have been sturdy varieties in the beginning. Yet sometimes old hothouse roses, planted outdoors, in time come to do fairly well, as they accustom themselves to their new environment and take in new life from the great earth. * o ox % Every human being is subject to change in mood, one day being bright and gay, another moody and blue. Nor do these changes always come from ac- countable causes, although no doubt a higher intelligence could see them. The varying growths of plants may be nothing more than vegetative moods, brought about by obscure conditions not recognizable in the ordinary sense. These may affect an entire tribe of plants at one time, since they all grow the mother soil ‘which spreads like a shell over the surface of the world. ‘These growth and bloom cycles may operate according to laws as yet undis- covered by man. It cannot be thought for an instant that all the “laws” have | 0 been discovered. No doubt there are many more, they are. to be drawn out of man's mind into recognition, for, of course, they operate just the same, whether mankind “discovers” and states them or not. * X x % This theory of plant cycles is prob- ably worthless, but so have many ?hem ries enunciated in past years, and b lsuppoud experts, been entirely value- ess. All that makes a theory of any sort worth while is that it gives humlyn in- telligence a starting point. It gives the mind something to stand on. A theory is valuable even when it does not work out. The history of science is the his- tory of this sublime paradox. This is a good lilac year, we hope it Will be a good peony year,'and a good iris year, superlative over several past seasons. If we only could know the real reasons and causes perhaps we might have perfect flowers everywhere every season. But whether that would be better than our present system no- body knows. - WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. Apparently President Roosevelt thinks Washington isn't a half bad place to spend at least a portion of the Sum- | mer. The White House is not to be | tenantless during the hot season. The Executive family’s plans remain some- what undetermined pending the a Jjournment of Congress, but Mr. Roose- velt's present program calls for pro- | tracted residence at No. 1600 Pennsyl- vania avenue over some of the weeks when denizens of the District of Co- lumbia are accustomed to flee to cooler parts. There’ll be a brief vacation at Campobello Island, just across the Maine line in the maritime Province of | New Brunswick, Canada, where the | President spent happy boyhood days at | the camp the Roosevelts long have| maintained there. Then a sojourn at Hyde Park, N. Y., but a large part of the Summer right here in Washington. F. D. R. is keenly contemplating a trip down the coast from Eastport, Me., to | Baltimore aboard the spick and span | new 10,000-ton, 8-inch-gun cruiser In- dianapolis, when she churns her way | South on a “shake down” spin. The‘ sea-minded President has long hankered for an experience of that sort. The In- | dianapolis is capable of anything from | 311, to 33 knots. She represents the last word in Yankee warship building genius in the particular category of “treaty” vessels she typifies. * ok ok X ‘With the offer of a United States Cir- cuit Court of Appeals judgeship in the Southwest _to Senator Gilbert Bratton, Democrat, of New Mexico, President Roosevelt signals that his rzid on the Senate didn’t end with the drafting of Hull of Tennessee and |of Willia Swanson of Virginia for the cabinet. other distinguished strangers who have been, are now, or will be within our gate, go home ‘empty-handed, with re- spect to American tariff concessions, their countrymen will build no bon- fires of welcome in their honor. * & ¥ % President A. Lawrence Lowell of Har- vard University, ancestral Roosevelt alma mater, addressed a Washington gathering the other day, and, without mentioning any names, likened a cer- tain statesman’s problems to those con- fronting the leader of a great mass or men marching toward a given goal Suddenly they find their progress im- peded by an unexpected congestion. The leader has to think and act quickly. Unless he does so, chaos inGe- scribable will ensue. The leader can detour his forces in one of only two directions. It is a gamble which is the Tight and which the wrong turning. All he can do is to take the one whic, everything considered, promises to be the better route, and boldly lead in tha. direction. President Lowell (who 1s being mentioned as a possible Roose- velt choice for ambassador to Germany) created the impression that he thinks leadership in a certain coun Just now béa inspired by the tactics ae- seril * K Kk % P;Fld:vnt J. A % Chandler of ven- erable William and Mary College, at Williamsburg, Va., told Admiral Cary T. Grayson, an alumnus of America’s second oldest college, in Washington the other day of an amusing experience When Dr. Chandler was returning from the Virgin Islands in March. The head m and Mary bears a_ rather striking resemblance to Herbert Hoover. Senator Bratton has another full four jHe was contemplating the beauties of years to serve in the seat to which he was re-elected in 1930, but evidently prefers his first love, the bench. He resigned as an associate justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court in 1924 to accept nomination for the United States Senate. ~ Previously he n a State district judge. Native of Albu- querque, Bratton was a lawyer at 21, a judge at 30, and a United States Sen- ator at 36. He's a youngster of 44 £ * k k% William B. Shearer, who sprang into international fame six years ago when he was keeping the world safe for war- ship building at Geneva, is in Wash- ington's midst on business not publicly disclosed. When “Bill” was last town he was bent on prying loose from Senator Sam Shortridge's Naval Affairs Committee the report on Shearer’s al- leged activities in Switzerland, which the latter contended would comipletely vindicate him. As the author of the inquiry into the Geneva affair, Herbert Hoover incurred Shearer’s enthusiastic enmity, an “Bill” did what he could to even scores during the 1932 presi- dential campaign. Having recently been seen at Washington in the com- pany of men close to the patronage pie counter, Mr. Shearer may be a member of the grand army of Democratic hope- fu) who intend fighting it out on the Farley line if it takes all Summer. * ok ok ok ‘They seldom creep into the stories about the doings in Washington of eminent gentlemen, like Finance Min- ister Guido Jung of Italy and Argentine y, Ambassador le Breton, but it’s h\;mhu mn.’;. l‘l‘k’: olf and thei cheese, and what the Ar- the Caribbean one afternoon, when a fellow passenger approached and, lift- ing his hat respectfully, sald: “Well, Mr. Hoover, you're out of a job now, too, aren't you?” * x x % In anti-repeal circles (where the wish may be father to the thought) it's be- ing touted that the beer-brewing in- dustry is so satisfied with the status quo that its once powerful support of the repeal movement is no longer in evidence.. If the country’s thirst can be quenched with the 3.2 per cent stuff that foams and froths, say the beer barons, why foment the agitation for. hard stuff?> The brewers are, after a in | fashion, just now in the position the soft-drink industry occupied between 1920 and April, 1933. They're sitting (hery pretty and see no reason why they ould do anything to help legalize al- coholic drink of higher voltage than their own. * x % % That's what comes from printing a political pun, even when it isn't of your own manufacture. Reproduction in these observations of a British witti- cism about our ship of state having a good Hull evokes the anonymous shaft that the Hull Dern cabinet is Woodin. (Copyright, 1933.) A Larruping Lilt. From the Portland Gregon Daily Journal. Evidently the Island of Coo, in the Mediterranean, hmxn by an earthquake, is the home of the peace dove. A Spring Symphony. Prom the Milwaukee Sentinel. perfectly simple, as mostly | Furloughs, Refunds and| The Controller’s Ruling To the Editar of The Star. I notice that s writer for The Star of May 3 has taken the stand that an employe of the Federal Government who took the full furlough of 24 days called fcr by the economy act for the fiscal year 1933 is being cut 231-3 per BY FREDERI Did you ever write a letter to Fred- eric J. Haskin? You can ask him any question o(:'l::!ln:' gethlh: mfi?fl ‘lln r, Here is a grea - infroduced into the lives cent because of Mr. McCarl's ruling)of that this employe can not be given a refund for the months April, May and June, d which the 15 cent pay cut“nn.uku effect. i Your writer's reasoning is very ob- scure. How can he figure that an em- EJlnye Wwho has really taken this fur- ugh leave can be given a refund, thus iving him monev for services not per- ormed? ‘For instance, one employe may have worked every day last Summer, in a hot, stuffy office, while another employe in the same office may have taken his furlough, left for some Sum- mer resort, and enjoyed the cool ocean breezes. He would have this latter em- ploye, who did not do any work, for that time, come back and 'demand a refund for time in which he was not at the office but at the seashore. This weuld be giving him annual leave, and the economy act for the fiscal year 1933 expressly states that no annual leave can be allowed for the fiscal year 1983. Besides the 81-3 pay cut was really a furlough and not a straight pay cut. He also states that the new law pro- vides that a Federal employe cannot be cut more than 15 per cent according i 1o the new economy act, reasoning that because of this it is wrong to cut an employee 231-3 per cent by combining 15 per cent cut and the excess fur- lough cut which he has taken because he took more furlough than the others who used only 18 days or less. How about the new furlough of 90 days or less? This will probably cut employes’ pay 35 or 40 per cent. that har- t00| monize with the statement that the iemplo)es' pay can be cut only 15 per cent? Isn't that adding cut on cut? Mr. McCarl's ruling was absolutely correct. He ruled that where an em- ploye had not used his 18 days he could teke the rest of it before July 1. He slzo ruled that where an employe had paid_ for all his furlough of 24 days but had not used it he could have a irefund. But.he has not ruled that an !employe who has paid for all his fur- lcugh and also used all of it can have & refund. Nothing could be fairer. K. WARREN. Senate Page Perhaps a Victim of Environment To the Editor of The Star: I was standing in one of the long lines waiting for admission to the Sen- ate gallery the other day. It was ome of those days when a card of admission the reserved gallery was about as imuch use as a_three-year-old rain check. You just had to stand in line. ‘There were two men expensively, if not well dressed standing directly behind me and they were becoming very res- tive under the enforced wait, At last there came sauntering down the cor- rider one of the Senate pages. He was about 12 years old, freckled, and with |a great shock of red hair. He sized up the people in the line with a gaze that was as cool, calculating, sophisticated, not to say cunning, as I have ever seen on the face of a banker four times his age. He then stepped over to the two impatient gentlemen standing directly behind me, and I distinctly heard the following conversation: You fellows want to get in?" “Certainly!” “I can get you in. It'll cost bits apiece.” “0. K" | | you two “Just follow me.” They followed him and T presume the youthful racketeer made good his promise and received his four bits. Now, for all I know to the contrary this sort of thing may be a well estab- lished custom of the Senate pages. It may even be one of their perquisites. But to me it had a decided flavor of Al Caponeism. To put it very mildly 1 thought it was a very undignified per- nce to take place in the Capitol. My feelings toward that page were somewhat harsh. And then I was ad- mitted to the gallery. After listening for a couple of hours to speeches advocating empowering the President to shave the gold content of the dollar and to abrogate contracts made with the Government in good faith and several other proposals of like character I began to feel sorry for that kid page. I finally came to the conclusion that the poor little fellow Was a victim of his environment. S. H. MUMFORD, ————s International Scenarioé Get Diplomatic Approval To the Editor of The Star. I note in The Star of A 30 an article quoted from a Iondonprgispatch, United States film scenarios are cen. sored by British before they are ‘shot’.” In addition to this sort of a contact I wonder if you know that before sce- narios are put into the studios in this country, if they concern foreign n: tionals or-foreign situations in any way, the foreign diplomats and consular rep- resentatives in this country are con- sulted. Often scenarios are worked over by these foreign representatives and the final pictures shown to them be- fore they are released for the public to see. A recent example of this is “A Fare- well to Arms,” which the Italian Am- bassador in Washington was kind enough to lend his assistance and aid in preparing the scenario in the proper form from the Italian standpoint. The finished picture was projected for his private viewing before it was released to the public. Naturally, these sorts of contacts are very helpful to our indus- try, who appreciate the splendid co- operation we are having from these for- eign government representatives in the United States. FREDERICK L. HERRON, Motion Picture Producers and Dis- tributors of America, Inc. e Moscow Fantasy. From the Wall Street Journal. If the Moscow trial of half a dozen Britons and a group of Russians on charges of counter-revolutionary activ- ities has any meaning for Americans it is that our ition of the Soviet republic is impossible until a change comes over the spirit of the Russian dream. It is absurd to call these the- atrical proceedings a trial; it is a tax on the simplest credulity to suppose that their real purpose was to disclose the guilt or innocence of the accused. Whatever the indiscreet inquiries of the Britons which furnished a pretext for the charges against them and the third- degree methods by which seeming con- fessions of guilt were extorted, this trial is of 2 plece with the whole long policy of the Kremlin ru!%ls to lzl;r‘nmén their own countrymen by const Tepre- sentation of all the capitalistic govern. ments as crouching to spring upon Communistic Russia at the first favor- able opportunity and crush the revolt of the masses. To the preservation of that illusion, uld. | out value or which cards. Ads W y Director, The Evening Star Information Bureau, Wi 4 Q. How many children are dealt with in the courts each year?—M. P. A. It is estimated that at least 200,- 000 children are dealt with by courts each year on delinquency. Q. What are the average production costs of an 80.000-word novel?—J. R. H. A. The Publishers’ Weekly says that tempted. It would cost about 50 cents {apiece for a first edition of 2,500. On a second printing, the cost would be less, as the type-setting and plates ‘would not have to be paid for again. Q. Why are Frenchmen called Frogs?—J. B. A. The nickname was first applied by the courtiers to the people of Pars. The streets of the city were so quaggy that the name was appropriate. Q. What are the principal causes of blindness?>—T. A. A. Ophthalmia neonatorum (babies’ sore eyes), venereal disease, trachoma, glaucoma, cataracts, and accidents for most of the cases. It is estimated thav 50 to 75 per cent of blindness due to these major causes is preventable. Q. How many members has the American Red Cross?—T. L. . A. It has over 3,500,000 adult me: m- bers and almost 7,000,000 junior me: bers. m- Q. What progress is education mak- ing in China’—H. B, A. In 1905 began a new movement toward education of the masses 1n China and since then progress has been marked. While the number of schoois, 167,000 with almost 6,000,000 students in 1923, is small compared with the total population, the number is grow- ing rapidly, and in 1932 a report from Mr. E. H. Cressy, secretary of the Com- mittee for Christian Colleges in China, to the United States Office of Educa- tion declared that 10,000,000 children, men and women are now attending schools of all grades from primary o and through the niversities. The total population of China is estimated at about 475.000,000. In 1928-29 there | were 34 universities and colleges and | students. victor belongs the spoils”>—G. G. A. Andrew Jackson. The “spoils system” was not mew. but the frank admission of it by Jackson was. cruiser Emden?—L. H. K. A. It had a spectacular career as a commercial raider from August 11 to November 10, 1914, when it was de- stroyed by the Australian cruiser, Sydney. An officer and a few of the crew escaped and made their way back | to Germany. Q. How many theaters and other gzrms of amusement hes Paris?— . 8. B. A. In 1932 there were 641 theaters, including legitimate stages, concert halls, motion picture houses, circuses and variety shows. During that year permits for radio concert performances and other amusements issued to cafe and restaurant proprietors for special entertainments numbered 2,088, while nearly 6,000 other permits were i an estimate is all that can be ai-|H 16 highly technical colleges with 20,000 | Q. What President declared “to the C. Q. What became of the G:rml.n}e ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS C J. HASKIN, for dances and evening entertainments to which admission was charged. Two hundred and thirty-seven open-air con- certs were held in the vicinity of Paris, while 35 different. were held either at the G Palais or at the . | Parc des Expositions. a Q. Which are the %ot permanent teeth to come in?—T. R. A. The four six-year mofars. They | come in immediately behind ths tempo- 1ary teeth when the child is aboyt six years old. Since they displace no teeth, they are often mistaken for temporary teeth. Q. What is the Jewish | Washington, D. . J. A. There are a) ximately 16,000 Jews in the District of Columbia, Q. Please name some of the late de- velolgmle‘nu in mechanical science. A. Some of the recent ones a George Washington Bridge, reclama- | tion of Zuyder Zee, photo-electric cell, | dual elevator, high altitude photog- raphy. central heating from volcano Italy. teletypewriter, harnessing tides and fathometer. population in C2—F. A. J. | { - g. ghere is Thursday Island?— "A.1t'is a small island fust off the tip of Cape York, the northern extension of the State of Queensland in the Aus- tralian Commonwealth. It les in Torres | Strait, which separates Australia from | New Guinea. Q. How many Liberty-head nickels were coined in 1913?—W. E. W. A. The coining of the Liberty-head | nickels in 1913 was not authorized. Some were made, but there is no exact record of how many, since they were counted with the others coined in that vear. | . Q. When did Tormer Vice President Curtis first come to Congress?—K. D, | A. He was first elected to the House | of Representatives in 1892, when he was | 32 years old. He served in the House until 1907 when he was elected to the | Senate to fill the unexpired term of a Senator who resigned. He served in the Senate until he was made Vice | President. | Q@ What is meant by the Tron Ring | Around Germany?—W. B. H. ‘ A. It was a part of the French post- war policy to establish what was known | as the Little Entente, or the Iron Ring Around Germany. To gain the sup- port of the countries hemming Ger- many in—Czechoslovakia, Austria, Yu- goslavia, Rumania and ~Poland—she !lent money to strengthen their armies. Q. What interest does the Govern-, ment charge on soldiers’ bonus loans?— L. 'A. Loans on adjusted service certifi- cates carry an interest charge of 32 per cent, compounded annually. Q. Is the Bank of England a gov- rnment bank?>—J. P. K. A. The Bank of England is & com- pletely private institution in its organi- zation. The Bank of England is au- |thorized to issue notes upon the se- curity of government bonds, but all issues in excess of a certain amount must be covered by gold in its vaults. It may be said to be the fiscal agent of the government. | Q From what territory was Colo- rado formed?—B. M. A. Colorado was organized as a Ter- ritory on February 28, 1861, with the same boundaries as at present, being made up from parts of the Territories of Utah, New Mexico, Kansas and Ne- braska. The name given to this Ter- | ritory in the bill as it passed the House was Idaho, but it was changed to Colo- rado in the Senate. | Proposed curtailment of the expense of preparing, printing and distributing the Congressional Record is regarded generally as an academic question, be- cause of the valuable personal publicity that members of Congress derive from this Government journal. A measure Democratic member from Wisconsin, would save $4.000 a day by limiting the free circulation. Mr. Cannon calls the Record, as now conducted, “a colossal fraud on the taxpayers.” Many believe that “leave to print” speeches never de- livered should be limited. Commenting on undelivered orations, the Buffalo Evening News feels that “this method of fraud has been coun- tenanced so long that the great ma- ing this expenditure, the News declares: “Senators and Representatives print brilliant perorations under the priv- ilege of extending their remarks. For them the Record is a propaganda pub- lication—an agency through which to present themselves to their constituents as great figures in Washington. How- ever, in the last few years they have been shamed into paying a small part of the expense of making the welkin ring in fancy. ‘Not printed at Govern- ment expense’ is a notation occasionally seen on excerpts from the Record that are broadcast. But it is significant that while the cost to the taxpayers of print- the Record in the first session of the Seventy-second Congress was $983,- 584, the total receipts for the public; tion in that session were only $9. Yes, Mr. Cannon is utterly right about this matter; largely the cost of the Record is money thrown away. How- ever, he has no chance to win his case for economy. His colleagues will refuse to change the order to which they have become accustomed, as to the Record or anything else.” . “The campaign is a worthy one,” says the Milwaukee Sentinel,. “but we are afraid the Con| has embarked on a less effort. The abuse of the Record has become such a part of congressional privilege that it is going to be very difficult to bring it to an end. No statesman is likely to ob- ject when some other statesman wants something printed &:he Record, be- cause the first stat n knows in his heart of hearts that some day he will want to do the same thing. We wish Mr. Cannon well in his effort, but, un- less by some miracle the Record can be brought under the jurisdiction of the President in his economy plan, it will continue to contain hundreds of pages| at $58 a page that nobody will read and that n?ver lhould‘be tp?tnmn ':"I:; boys in Congress won't cuf more than they'll give up their mileage and their family clerkships.” “It is no secret,” avers the Baltimare Sun, “that ‘speeches’ neither delivered nor written by members frequently are given extensive space in the Record. It costs $1,000,000 & year to print and cir- culate the publication, an expenditure which would not, wnnn be subject to criticism if it were not that presentation of tfie bd:tnfl.l of congressional procedure » | another went in articles, speeches not ac- tually ivered, which ither wif e "or which have: idler ot Ba legislation that is connection with the Do ' pending.” “It'is not falls introduced by Representative Cannon, | Congressional Record Foes Warned Change Is Difficult | Record can have a real grasp of public affairs and a clear knowledge of events. It is not too much to say that if every | business man, every farmer, and every | merchant and manufcturer in the country had read with care every issue |of the Record since the present Con- gress began its sessions it would have | been impossible for the larger part of | the legislation which has been proposed ever to come within sight of passage.” | _“It is safe to say,” concludes the Jersey City Journal, “that if the Record cost the legislators so much per copy the’folks back home would not have so v‘much reading matter to put in their | scrap baskets. There should, however, be some provision for printing the Record for sale, so that those who | really need it for its official record of | legislative doings can buy copies. For | instance, occasionally it is necessary that newspapers cgnsult the Record. “But those who really need the Record | should be willing to pay for it, and not saddle the cost on the taxpayers, who | are carrying plenty of burdens as it is.” —_— cmt———— | Gold Coin Oddities. | From the New Orleans Times-Picayune. | TUncle Sam’s call for gold coin has | brought to publft recognition a lot | of facts concerning the striking of gold | pleces in the United States that here- | tofore were known only by enthusiastic | numismatists. President Roosevelt's appeal, or order, that all gold coin and certificates must be turned in by May 1 already has resulted in the recapture by the Federal Treasury of some $630,- 000,000 in those moneys, and among the actual gold there have made their appearance a lot of pieces which, equity, and perhaps even by law, the Government has no title to. This we should explain, for the reason that a great many such coins, that the public may have been wheedled into turning | in have a value far in excess of that which the Government pays for them. These are coin curiosities that have acquired far above their face or gold weight worth. For instance, some have presented for rede: examples of the old California gold 25-cent pleces, mere flecks of gold scarcely thick enough to hold the stamp mark. And yet certain of these are valued by coin collectors at not 25 cents, but that many dollars. And, at the other ex- treme in size, is the so-called California slug, a piece of polygonal outline con- taining gold to the value of $50. This coin has been known to sell as & nu- mismatic curiosity for $1,000. And a similar supervalue is given to the long- out-of-circulation $3 gold piece. There is a yarn 'round that a collector once offered $75,000 for a double eagle of 1894, of which only a single one was minted. We do not vouch for the story, but our guess is that if it is true the individual who has that piece in hoarding would be most unlikely to turn it up to the Treasury for 50 bucks, even if the officials got wind of its “"x"h Treasury reports that, mixed in e Te| 3 with the quantities of Federal gold eolnage turned in by patriots, there are found gold pieces not put out by the Nation but the private mints of the several States that at one time or their own com- monwealth money making. Tiwere wers at least four of these, all of them in Jands where gold was a local product on a considerable. scale. California ing for private individuals to issue gold until an act of pro- the practice was passed in 1864. Obviously, such private coins‘had to be of the official gold content and, therefore, such of them as still exist have at least the value of their officiel and maybe, as curios,