Evening Star Newspaper, May 19, 1933, Page 8

" A-8 THE EVENING STAR With Sundsy Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. FRIDAY..........May 19, 1833 THEODORE W. NOYES....Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company ‘Business Office 11th_St. and Pennsylvania Ave. 110 East 42nd St Lake_Michigan Building. 14 Regent St. London, England. Chicago Office: European Office Rate by Carrier Within the City. e Evening Star........ 45¢ per month e Evening and Sunday Star | days) . = 60c per month 65¢ per month | e Sunday Star.... 5c_per copy T ohection made at the end of each month Orders may be sent in by mail or telephone NAtional 5000. ays Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virgina. Daily and Sunday....1 ¥, $10.00; 1mo. 85c | Daily only Sunday onl: All Other States and Canada. ! nday...1yr., $12.00: 1mo., $1.00 | Sunday onl: 1yr, $5.00; 1mo. 50¢ Member of the Associated Press. patches credited 10 it or not otherwise cred- | e e hes Merein are aiso Teserved —_— The Tennessee Valley. President Roosevelt’s signature, af- fixed to the Muscle Shoals bill yester- day, gives final effect and direction to | the Government's plans for the further | development of its huge power plant and fertilizer plant on the Tennessee River. Ever since the World War, when | the Government undertook to establish this great hydro-electric power plant g $6.00: 1mo.. 50c y 1yr. $4.00; 1mo.. 400 variably, a policeman of the regular force is present in the vicinity to see that they do not exceed their authority. Motorists, understanding the system and sympathizing with it, give their co-operation toward its success. The public at large is genuinely apprecia- tive. Surely, it is plain that accidents are prevented and lives preserved by the | policy which the boys are delegated to put into effect. The plan has demon- strated its practical value again and again. Among its supplementary bene- fits are those which the patrols them- selves acquire from their experience. In recognizing the bovs it must be | remembered that there also are a few | girls in the service. They too, of course, are entitled to a cheer. e Complete the Public Buildings! In the preparation of plans for the execution of the public works progam authorized by the newly enacted “na- tional relief” legislation consideration is being given to the matter of completing | the building projects now under way in | Washington. A survey has been under- taken to determine the extent of the operations. It is indicated that all of the constructions now actually in prog- ress will be pressed to accomplishment. That program should be carried fur- ther, to include all of the structures which have been contemplated for Gov- ernment use at the Capital. There are now under way buildings for the Departments of Labor, Post Office, Justice and Agriculture, the In- terstate Commerce Commission, the Su- preme Court and the Archives of the Government. Contracts for those struc- tures having been entered into, it was | determined some months ago that there 7 HE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, T which will make it or break it. This pub- lic opinion, in turn, will be formed by the methods chosen to administer the powers conferred in the measure. If there is justice and common sense, the public will be behind the plan and make of it a success. Bad administra- tion might wreck the best plan ever devised, but good administration might prove the salvation of a plan that under other conditions would be un-| ‘workable. | Gen. Johnson, therefore, will ap-| proach his duties equipped not only | with the technical features of the in- dustrial control scheme but with a well | developed philosophy ~regarding its | workabilty. He has already made &) name for himself as an able adminis- trator and executive. He is credited | with having originated the selective draft of 1917 and made himself larflelyi instrumental in its execution. He was| a member of the War Industries Board during the war, and formed there a | close relationship with Bernard Baruch, | which has been since maintained. He planned and directed in the be- ginning the purchase, storage and| traffic divisions of the General Staff, which were in effect from August, 1918, to the end of the war. Since the war he has been engaged in manufacturing. i It has been said that, along with the selection of Gen. Johnson, the President is busily at work picking the staff which will assist him and that it is proposed | to start the machinery for making the | industrial control features effective | within a week after the legislation is approved by Congress. The President | is conducting his war against the de-| pression on a dozen fronts and is wast- | ing no time waiting for volunteer cap- tains, He is drafting them. et Lads who do not care for reforestation probably regard the woods as of interest only as places to hold picnics. The attitude of the white collar man be- comes as much a fixed idea as that of any other type of citizen and requires systematic education. e should be no interruption of operations. These, however, are not all that are in- cluded in the general scheme of con- struction. There remain to be finally planned, contracted for and erected per- manent. housings for the Departments of War and Navy, an addition to the Library of Congress, a Naval Hospital equipment, the “Apex” Building, to house certain commissions, and the final connecting units of the structures on Pennsylvania avenue, to complete the so-called Triangle group. ‘The Government of the United States has never had an entire outfit of buildings. It has from the beginning housed its departments and bureaus to some extent in rented quarters, which have been inadequate, costly and in- efficient. The general building program, framed almost in complete detail a few years ago, had for its object the final establishment of the Government in its own quarters, properly designed and located to insure the highest pos- sible efficiency and the greatest economy in order to assure the United States a . sufficient supply of nitrogen for use in making munitions, a controversy has waged in and out of Congress over the proper disposition of these plants, which cost the people in the neighbor- hood of $140,000,000 when all wes said and done. Senator Norris of Nebraska has fathered the idea of Government ownership and operation. While the late President Coolidge and former President Hoover were in the White House he was unable to grt legislation for this purpose past tiie ‘hief tive. With the advent of President Roosevelt, however, the picture changed | completely. For the President and Sen- ator Norris have seen this problem eve to eye. The great experiment, which Senator Norris insists will benefit the whole people and result in an eventual reduction of costs for electricity, is now to be made. The present Muscle Shoals bill goes far beyond the earlier conceptions of Some arrangement is to be desired that will permit France and Germany, admittedly two of the most courageous nations in the world, from being afraid of anything, even of each other. — e A tariff system which will permit a nation to sell abroad while excluding foreign markets is, next to perpetual motion, the hardest thing science has ever undertaken to discover. R The bonus army has allowed itself o develop a condition in which two wings are not serviceable for flights because they cannot be co-ordinated. r—————————— Senator Norris. It looks to the develop- ment of the great Tennessee River basin, creating & Tennessee Valley Authority. Under the administration of this authority plans will be prepared and put into effect looking not only to | the use of the power developed by the | river but also to development of flood control, navigation and the industrial- fzation of this vast area in Southeast- ern United States. Already the Army engineers have made a complete report wupon the possibilities of the develop- ment of the valley and it may be used 8s a guide for the work soon to be un- dertaken. ‘The development by the Government of hydro-electricity at Muscle Shoals and #s distribution or potential distribu- tion by the Government has been vig- orously opposed by the power industry. Yhe claim is made that it will place the Government, with its unlimited re- sources, in direct competition with private industry; that it will eventually break down private industry, causing loss to millions of investors, big and little, and will make in the end for less efficiency in the service of the peo- ple. The supporters of the Muscle Shoals bill, now a law, have denied flatly that private business, where properly and economically conducted, will be destroy- ed by the Government operation and distribution of hydro-electricity at this plant and others on the Tennessee River. They insist that these operations will result in showing to the country that the rates for electricity have been and are far too high; that millions upon millions of dollars have been written into the securities of power companies | ®out of the air,” upon which the people are expected to pay dividends through their electric bills, The Congress and the President have | $inally determined to act upon the rec- | ommendations of the supporters of the | Muscle Shoals bill. It marks a new de- | parture for the Government. It will | give hope to the friends of Government | ownership and operation of public util- dties. The experiment is under way. The next few years will provide the an- pwer. ——— ‘The problem before the world is one | of arriving at a management of old ! obligations in a manner that will per- | mit nations to approach future trans-{? ections with implicit confidence in one another. o A Cheer for the Schoolboy Patrols. | Junior guardians of the safety of | ehlldren on their way to and from school, the boy patrols of Washington sbundantly merit a word of praise and | congratulation. They do thelr work so | well that it is not too much to say that | they have made themselves indispens- sble. It is an experience worth having end worth remembering to see them on @uty at busy intersections, shepherding thelr small charges over dangerous | crossings and now and again assisting | an aged man or woman in the same | way. | The boys take their responsibilities Beriously. It is an authentic honor to | be designated to such an assignment. whe white Sam Brown belt which they wear is their badge of authority and it never is granted to an individual unworthy of it—a good record is an im- perative qualification. Only lads known to be reliable are chosen. Those nomi- mpated are trained by the policemen de- | neighborhoods. | | formists in the industrial world who tailed to the school Fhey are taught in this manner the goutine which it is necessary for them | to know. Those who distinguish them- pelves are rewarded by the American ‘Automobile Association. The whole ar- rangement is governed by Selden M. Ry, representing the school authorities, and Maj. Ermnest W. Brown, represent- $ng the police organization. The patrols do not attempt to inter- gere with motor traffic. Their func- of administration. to some extent interrupted this work. Now the Government is about to engage in a program of extensive public works, primarily to provide employment for | business that goes with it. The depression has people now idle. The first consider- ation should be given to its own re- quirements. The full undertaking of the entire program of public constructions in Washington would meet in large degree the purposes of the new legislation, as far as providing work for artisans and material fabricators is concerned. It would prevent further delay in the ulti- mate provision of a proper housing of the Government at its Capital. It would facilitate public business on the basis of efficiency and economy. 1If only those features of the buildings program in Washington now under con- tract are carried on there would remain urgent requirements which must eventu- ally be met, at greater cost than at present. ‘The Capital City would re- main in disarray, with glaring signs of the interruption of the program in lamentably conspicuous evidence. There would be no economy in the postpone- ment, but actually an addition to the eventual cost. ‘When this program of Government works in Washington as now planned and contemplated is finished there will be no need for major constructions for many years to come. To postpone the half dozen constructions that stiil re- main to be authorized and undertaken until a later period would be false economy, just as the delay of more than twenty years in the undertaking of the “Triangle project” cost the Government many millions of dollars. Let economy and construction, work provision and practical business administration go forward together, now, without any fur- ther procrastination. - ———. Striking farmers have been im- pressed by the reminder that those who most need milk are babies, and that babies, being neither politicians nor financiers, deserve no resentment. —_—e— Drafting a Soldier for the Job. In choosing Gen. Hugh 8. Johnson as chief administrator of the industrial control plan embodied in the public works Tecovery bill, just beginning its journey through Congress, the Presi- dent has selected a man who, from active participation in framing the measure, probably knows more about it than any other available person and whose background and knowledge of in- dustrial control through governmental co-operation were gained from active experience in a position of great ré- sponsibility during the war. Gen. John- | son’s selection has become known even | before the plan which he will admin- ister has been approved by Congress, and he has not formally accepted. But under the circumstances his acceptance lusion The job to which Gen. Johnson has been called is unique in the history of | our Government because of the degree of extraordinary control over private ‘The bill as drawn gives the authorities who are to administer it almost unlimited pow- ers over industry. He will act as the President’s agent in approving agree- ments within industry for the purpose of stabilizing production, regulating working hours and setting minimum wages. By the power of license, he will hold a whip hand over the non-con- may still incline toward that “rugged individualism” that, up to the emer- gency of the depression, was under- stood as & part of the American sys- tem. He must blaze his own path through this new territory that Ameri- can business is about to explore. A friend quotes Gen. Johnson as hav- ing said, after his work with adminis- tration officials in drafting the bill, 18 to direct pedestrian children, that the success of the undertaking might be regarded as a foregone con- | As an eminently successful autocrat, Mussolini might, with advantage, be ap- proached with a proposition to open a school for European dictators. — e Stock market quotations have gone higher, but not at the rate that causes the investor to hold his breath and reach for a parachute. . Cuban revolutionists are accused of using poisoned bullets, thus offering an- other reminder that war, as a civilizing influence, is a complete failure. ————————— The sales tax ultimately bases its chief argument on the old reminder that the Government needs the money. — e Germany apparently has available everything that can provide material for popular protest except 3.2 beer. r———— SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Salutation to Dear Teacher. Keep your eye on the Professor, He's a very canny lad And is often the possessor Of ideas not so bad. He will teach us economics, He will tell us of finance And assist in drawing comics ‘That may cheer the passing glance. Keep your eye on the Professor, With his comprehensive style. As a jovial aggressor, He may teach us how to smile. Accurate Comprehension. “Do you speak French?” “Yes,” answered Senator Sorghum. “And German?” “yes.” “And you understand what may be said in either language?” “I won't go quite so far as that. Even Frenchmen and Germans admit that it often becomes difficult to do this.” Jud Tunkins says admiration doesn’t always mean envy. When you see a parachute jumper you admire his nerve but you don't envy his intelligence. Greetings! T love the good old greeter ‘Who meets me at the door And makes the world seem sweeter ‘Than ever heretofore. His genial way disdaining, Sometimes I seek to start With my usual complaining— I couldn’t have the heart. Algebra in the Brew. “What does Crimson Gulch think of three-and-two beer.” “The boys don’t like the punctuation,” said Cactus Joe. “They say the period should be replaced by a plus sign, so as | to make it five.” “In settling one quarrel,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “wisdom and | caution are necessary in order to avold | developing causes for several more.” | e Ode to Gaston Means. You startled us in days gone by With nafrative untrue, And so we often heave a sigh And wonder what to do. You've told us many & dazzling tale In dizzy days of yore. If we increase your time in jail You'll just think up some more! “It's good to incourage singin’,” said Uncle Eben, “foh de benefit of folks dat has more voice dan dey knows what to do with and is liable to talk deirselves into trouble.” ——or—s- Tough Luck. Prom the Topeka Daily Capital. The new law forcing them to pay their back taxes is tough on Chicago | D. C, FRIDAY. THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. A toad, Buffo Americanus, has added itself to the variety of creatures which inhabit the back yard. Just where he came from is a matter of interesting speculation, because he is the first in three years. Could he, by any chance, be the tad- pole placed in the lily pool about three weeks ago? He was a black little felow, who had just got his legs in the aquarium, where, with a trio of frog taddies, he had scavenged all Winter. First appeared his hind legs, then his forelegs, while his tail, never large, began to be absorbed. B At this point he was put into the outdoor pool, from which he shortly | disappeared, after a day or two spent mostly on the edge. ‘There his bright beady little eyes looked around at a vast and growing world new to him, but not to his multi- tudinous family. The world was theirs from of old. The question was: Could this big fellow in the grass be that little fellow? * % ok x If so, then toads have marvelous powers of growth. Circumstantial evidence was entirely in favor of the two being the same. Never a toad in three years, until a miniature one had been put out three weeks ago. And now this big fellow, quite the flattest in existence. Perhaps they grow that way, large and flat, not large and fat.. * K K This warty creature was larger than a large fist, and almost as flat as the proverbial pancake, Very lethargic, he seemed -to have but one method of defense, which was to hump up his rear into the air when- ever disturbed. He never hopped. There could be no doubt of his ability to get around, however, for one morning he would be in one part of the yard, the next in another. * x x * He had been discovered first in the peat moss around the rhododendrons. The next day he was out in the grass, lookLng quite like a patch of brown earth. He has taken himself around so much that one is almost afraid to run the lawn mower, for fear of passing over him by mistake. No doubt the wet season has been very much to his liking, providing worms and insects to his taste. Hoptoads, as they are popularly called, are supposed to be good garden inhabitants, feeding on a variety of | smaller creatures. * K K ¥ Few animals have had more legend built around them. ‘The old belief that they cause warts upon those who touch them has not much scientific backing, we believe, but nevertheless it helps keep the animal free from molestation. Cats and dogs mostly fail to see toads, a habit they have when it comes to moving things they do not care to molest. They seldom pay any attention to the larger tortoises which live in home gardens. After a few preliminary sniffs, they are willing to permit these queer things to continue their leisurely journeys across the grass to the refuge of yonder cool shrubbery border. * X % x ‘There is one very large “turtle” which is seen several times every Summer. He is quite large, and especially high, so much so that at a little distance he looks a great deal like a small rabbit. There are four other animals to be seen in the yard from time to time, dogs, cats, squirrels and rabbits. ‘This season there have not been as many squirrels or rabbits as customary. Just, what accounts for this we do not know. Of rabbits, but one has appeared to date. He sat immovable for almost half an hour, until scared away by a cat. *x * X ‘The domestic cat is decried as garden animal by many, but mostly this is based upon human antipathy, not grounded on the animal itself. As a matter of fact, the cat really does little harm In a cultivated garden, although to thuse who do not like him he often seems to be doing a great deal. In this they are ..ostly mistaken, though; we have watched cats too long, and too intently, to be fooled in this. It may be said honestly that cats do practically no damage in a garden, not one-tenth of that done by the average ;uog dog, great clumsy creature that e is. « | “The aifference comes in the way these animals handle their feet. * % ok It is seldom noted by the average - son that a cat carefully mfzs thropue;h plants, whereas your faithful dog blun- ders right into them. The one places his feet on the earth between stalks and flowers, the other deliberately crunches plants beneath his paws. It takes one interested in both these creatures to note this difference, not in defense of one or the other, but simply as & mater of interest in the study of | nature, | The difference, however, is very | largely in favor of the cat. If kept in mind by the average gardener, espe- clally one who does not Iike cats, it will save him (or her) from a great deal of worry. He ;may feel sure that a dozen cats, gml;g'mfi '.htrgufl&l his yard, will not ordi- o the damage caused by one good healthy puppy. * k% x | Not in the last three years have there been as many birds seen and heard in the yard as this Spring. Already a humming bird has graced the white wreaths of the spirea, and several bluebirds, hitherto strangers, have been seen for several days. The cries of a whip-poor-will re- sounded over the neighborhood late in the night, when tb~ moon was shining. This was the first time that we had ever heard one of these birds, in so far | as_our memory could recall. We were struck by the loudness of the cry, scarcely a song, and the plac- ing of the accent on the “will” very decidedly. Somehow we always had "'l;l;’lulg}!" the accent would be on the p.” Mostly the words attributed to bird songs are hocum, but the call of the whip-poor-will seems to be in exactly those syllables. 1In the distance doves coo, and a score of unknown birds pipe and trill, and we unfair to them. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS Five billion dollars out of the Fed- eral Treasury and into the pockets of the American people, through the medium of titanic Government lending and spending, as the supreme anti- dote for unemployment and the sure specific for the revival of proseprity, has long been vociferously championed and as vigorously denounced as folly by opposing economic and political medicine men. This week it has passed from the realm of theory to the realm of reality. Mr. Roosevelt has given it his unconditional “O. K.” | It is the natural sequel to the Roose- velt “reflation” policy. Expansion of the currency has been authorized. New issues of bank notes and Treasury notes are authorized, but are of no effect unless they are actually put into | circulation—into the hands of the peo- ple. A new bond issue is in prospect, and new taxes. But whatever the out- ward aspects of the financing of the five billion, the reality will be inflation. Al Smith was the pioneer exponent of the five-billion-dollar public works plan to combat unemployment. He was advocating it a year ago, when he was bidding for the presidential nomi- | nation. The adoption of this program by Mr. Roosevelt ought to bring a telegram of congratulations from Al X %ok The naming of Eugene R. Black of Atlanta as governor of the Federal Reserve Board to succecd Eugene Meyer is regarded at the Capital as purely a stop-gap appointment. In making the announcement, Mr. Roose- velt emphasized that Mr. Black’s “per- sonal business affairs in Atlanta” would preclude his serving as governor of the Federal Reserve Board for more than a few months. Federal Reserve bank policies, as matters stand today, are an integral part of the administration’s fiscal and economic program. The President has regarded it as essential that the Federal Reserve Board order its affairs in strict conformity with Mr. Roosevelt's own wishes. In appoint- ing a new governor of the Federal Reserve Board the President was not looking for a man who would be capable of excercising high independent judg- ment, but rather for one who would be amenable to White House sugges- tions. This situation helps explain Black appointment. * x % x ‘The executive office at the White House was crowded with members of Congress when the President signed the Norris Muscle Shoals bill Thursday and there were nowhere near enough souvenir pens to go around. There are only 18 letters in the President’s signa- ture, so even when he uses a separate pen for each letter 18 pens is just about the limit. Representative Al- man of the Muscle Shoals Alabama congressional district, one of those present at the ceremonies, brought with him, carefully preserved under glass and in a heavy oak frame, one of the pens with which Woodrow Wilson had signed the original Muscle Shoals bill 18 years ago. Mr. Alman secured one of the Roosevelt Muscle Shoals pens and departed beaming with pride. S President Roosevelt, like King George of England, is an enthusiastic col- lector of postage stamps, and the Roose- velt stamp collection is extensive and valuable. The President is taking a personal interest in the special com- memorative issues of United States stamps, which have been increasingly numerous 1n recent years. Since March 4 there have been, as yet, only three new commenorative United States stamps, which have been increasingly ing at Newburgh, N. Y. of the pact which ended the Revolutionary War, and two stamps celebrating the Chi- cago World's Fair this year. Mr. Roose- velt personally selected the designs of these stamps from the various samples submitted for his approval. There are pending in the Post Office Department several hundred applications for com- memorative stamps. Many stamps are sought, and few are chosen, but it is expected they will be more numerous now than ever before. * % % The impeachment trial of Judge Harold E. Louderbeck, now holding forth in the Senate, is proving to be a dull affair. It is a life-and-death matter to the California jurist, but there are few thrills in it for either the senatorial jury or for the galleries. Many Senators are giving private vent businesses. They pay so much for pro- tection to racketeers that paying to dictate to automobilisis In- would depend upon public opinion, State isa to- the feeling the business is an un- ited on the Senate's the legislative matters of national and international urgency press for speedy decision. The House Judiciary Committee after pro- | longed inquiry into the charges pre- ferred against Judge Louderbeck had voted against impeachment. The House itself reversed its committee and voted | for impeachment by a comparatively | narrow margin at the behest of Repre- | sentative La Guardia of New York. | The Senate is having a hard time keep- | ing a quorum on hand to hear the | testimony. Sam Bratton, the Senator from New Mexico, soon to take a place | on the Federal bench, is acting as thenpresldlng judge in’ the senatorial court. * ok ¥ One reason why the Roosevelt press conferences are so highly successful is because the President himself genuinely enjoys them. In the case of his prede- cessors conferences with the press were an ordeal. But in Mr. Roosevelt's case they are a joy. He likes to match wits with his questioners. He likes the repartee. He is never “riled” by hostile or trick questions. How the President | will fare with Congress during a four- year span is still debatable. Whether his present high popularity with the country will continue for four years is open to argument. But his continued popularity with the press and, in turn, its continued sympathetic treatment of the President in news dispatches seems assured. * K x X J. P. Morgan and all of the dozen partners of the house of Morgan, with their retinue of legal counsel headed by John W. Davis of New York, and with scores of secretaries, clerks and ac- countants and a carload of books and papers, will descend upon Washington next Monday for appearance beginning Tuesday before the Senate Banking Committee at the resumption of public hearing in the senatorial stock market probe. The Morgan entourage bave pre-empted an entire floor in a down- town hotel—and are preparing for a long seige. “Standing room only” sign | has already been set outside the door of the committee hearing room. Ferdi- nand Pecora, the short, bristly haired | Italian, shining New York legalite and the | the committee’s prosecutor, has girded | his loins for action. gives him free rein he promise: a great show. P SLE (Copyright, 1933.) —————— |Questions Statement as To Army Officers’ Pay To the Editor of The Star. If the committee an editorial entitled “Wett] the Pow- der,” you make the nswu‘x?glngesmt:- ment that “the officers of our uniformed services formed the only class of our citizens who were denied material ben- efit during our twelve years of pros- perity.” 1 suppose that “material bene- it” refers to salary or compensation. To |say that the officers in our military | civilian_employes of the United States Government, school teachers and thou- sands, 1f not millions, of laborers in fac- tories and mines is evidently so at variance with the facts that it should not be permitted to go unchallenged. Such a statement would be true as re- gards the enlisted personnel, but cer- tainly not as regards the officers. As & matter of fact, Army, Navy and Marine | officers as a rule are much better paid than the other classes mentioned, and the statement that they form the only class of our citizens who did not re- celve & fair share of the material bene- fits of the twelve years of prosperity is very surprising. J. C. ROBINSON. e Protests Change of Thomas Circle Park To the Editor of The Btar: Permit me to express approval of It is our beautiful parks and breathing spaces only for speeding up motor prog- ress at the risk of increased hazard to lives of pedestrians at these already ly dangerous crossings. May we not hope that definite steps will im- mediately be taken to prevent these moves against our “natural sanctuaries.” originally conceived by the first de- ers of our Nation's Capital? joe & BRITTINGHAM. MAY 19, 1933. Indignant at Change of Name of Hoover Dam To the Editor of The Star. What is the purpose of Secretary Ickes in refusing the name “Hoover” to the dam in Arizona after it was so christened? His explanation is not con- vincing. It is a national work with which ex-President Hoover's name has been associated because his engineering knowledge and advice had much to do with developing the plan and with ac- tually starting the work, which had a great headway before the Democrats be- gan their administration. ‘To many of us Secretary Ickes had no more right to change the name of this latest dam to “Boulder” than he would have to change the name of Coolidge Dam or Roosevelt Dam, all three of which are in arid Arizona. Unless he had a weightier reason than he has already given the act was unworthy. Such acts reflect no credit on the spirit animating the Democratic party and will do them more harm than Ex-President Hoover 'deserves and has the respect of millions of his coun- trymen. His own attitude was generous toward the Nation, as shown by his gift of his camp to the Nation, and his es- tablishment and maintenance of the mountain school. He was also generous toward the Democratic party, especially toward his successor in the White House. Nor do we forget how untiringly he struggled against heavy odds the last two years, with no help whatever from the Democrats. In fact, everything he tried to do was blocked by a Democratic Congress, while it passed bills over his veto, taking huge amounts from the g‘r'ela.sury, already carrying a tremendous eficit. ‘What the Democrats are doing now could have been done two years ago {if they had cared as much for the | country as they do for their party. President Hoover never sacrificed the country for his party and time will |show his greatness of spirit to those | who have not yet seen it. But millions have recognied it, and such small act as | that of Secretary Ickes can not injure that generous, fine, patriotic spirit, nor | will it eventually aid the Democrats. MARVIN E. WII X Is Macerated Money to Be Wholly Wasted? To the Editor of The St An article in The Star May 7, 1933, captioned “Macerated Currency by Tons to Be Used” and subcaptioned “Mill at | Bureau of Engraving and Printing to | Make Waste Into Pulp for Paper.” “The might even say shrill, without being' In the May 13 issue of The Star, In | the example. set by industry, The | services are more poorly paid than most | your recent protest against reducing |and bureau,” it was said, “is now destroying |a day between three and four tons of | the redeemed currency, which, after | maceration is thrown away.” Is it pos- sible that the pulp made from macerated | redeemed currency—three and four tons | a day—is now being thrown away? | By whose order, direction, such a | waste of “between $40,000 and $50,000 a year"? For two or three years the writer of this letter was a member of the “De- struction Committee” of the United States currency at the Bureau of En- | graving and Printing three days of each week, going from the Treasury Building proper as the representative of the | register of the Treasury. In my day | the pulp from macerated currency was | pressed into sheets and sold to the , American Bank Note Paper Co. or other | makers of the highest graded bond and similar paper. Is it possible such a “waste” could exist under the Coolidge administration of the ‘“Woodpecker Club”? “Writing on both sides of offi- cial letter paper?” Or is this a thought- up idea at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, suggested to the Efficlency Committee, so as to impress the Secre- tary for the Treasury, Mr. Woodin? Is it a would-be keeping step by “between $40,000 and $50,000,” to help to balance the budget? How about the bureau helping to unbalance the budget by throwing away “between $40,000 and 1 850,000 a year,” according to its pres- | ent admission? This Bureau of Efficiency “mill to !be constructed to turn pulp into high- | grade bond paper” has for me an “ear- i mark” similar to the induction into the bureau of some 14 composite money Ppresses, at $10,000 or so each, for use |in cutting, numbering and sealing the (now inartistic, not wanted, easily counterfeited by photography or litho- graphy present United States paper currency extant. How come after all these “sleep years” of the Bureau of Efficiency that it awakes to the necessity of spending thousands of dollars in the construction of a mill to save “between $40,000 and $50,000 a year” by utilizing waste now that for years heretofore was sold? Who gave this inspiration to the Bureau of Efficiency? W. E. RYAN. Charges Hypocrisy in Government Pay Cuts To the Editor of The Star: Representative Loring M. Black has been quoted as having said: “The Presi- dent the other day told industrialists to raise the wages of their employes and then last week threw over 600 men out of work in the Brooklyn Navy Yard.” Also, the Government is throw- ing 200 Navy civilian workers in Wash- ington, D. C, out of jobs June 1 and, I understand, hundreds of others in various departments. What is to be- come of these jobless men? Why is the Government adding more to the unemployed group? ‘There has been more hyprocrisy shown in this depression than is justi- fiable. If industry in general had spread their available pay roll budget over all their 1929 employes this de- pression would never have reached the viclous point which it has today. Why did not industry know that two men working with an existence wage—with perhaps 10 cents over for cigarettes— would keep all the money in circulation, whereas the method pursued enabled the one man lucky enough to be kept on the job at his same rate of pay, or perhaps a 25 per cent cut, to “salt away” a certain percentage called sav- ings? The hyprocrisy was intensified by industry permitting husband and wife to both be employed, often the combined income being $400 to $600 per month. And now the Government is following budget must be balanced. Salary cuts called furloughs are the order of the day but most horrifying of all the 100 per cent cuts of those unfortunate enough to be the victims of total loss of jobs. The least the Government all the employes furloughs rather than deprive 10 per cent of the workers of their entire salary. H. CORNELL. Levies Proposed as Sales Tax Substitute To the Editor of The Star. | Instead of a sales tax, which would !still further reduce | Power of consumers and reduce demand the purchasing | and aggravate depression, the tax should be put on those best able to pay it. Exempt from income and other tax- ation, except as to land, every corpora- tion that earns less than 6 per cent dividend and give 280,000 corporations | a chance to do business profitably; in lieu of income tax, impose on the yearly surplus of every dividend-earning cor- poration a cumulative tax equal to .25 per cent per each 1 per cent of surplus as that surplus compares with the total of 6 per cent dividend on its paid- up common stock, and so make impas- sible excess profits that rob the public, also prevent a retained surplus in excess of 6 per cent after 6 per cent dividend has been deducted. Such a tax might not be popular with some of the 1,600 corporations that do 68 per cent of the producing and have surpluses of from 40 per cent to over 100 per cent due to profits, u:-“b 1t m:mua mydnuuy h:i crease uying power and prosperity of 99 per cent of our people, which is the only possible way to restore better | business; and it wnul“cid avert :volut};x‘x, which a sales tax would help - tate. M. A I& could do at this time would be to give | This newspaper puts at your disposal & corps of trained researchers in Wash- ington who will answer questions for you. They have access to the Govern- ment departments, the libraries, mu- seums, galleries and public buildings and to the numerous associations which maintain headquarters in the Nation's Capital. If they can be of assistance to you, write your question plainly and send with 3 cents in coin or stamps. Do not use post cards. Address The Washington Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, director, Washing- ton, D. C. Q. How much does oil and gas con- sumption increase when a car is driven 60 miles an hour over a car driven 30 or 40 miles>—P. H. A. According to tests made by the Chicago Motor Club, oil consumption at 55 miles per hour is seven times greater than it is at 30. Tire wear at 50 is twice as much as at 40, and oline consumption at 55 is one-fou: more than at 30. It may safely be stated that a mile a minute In an automobile is from three to four times more ex- pensive than when the speedometer says 40 to 45. Q. Is the flesh of the lizard known as the iguana fit to eat?—M. M. | A. The flesh of the iguana is much prized by the natives where it com- monly occurs, and it is said to be tender and white and in flavor equal to that of chicken. The horned toad and the American _chameleon belong to the same family. Q. Were more books sold in the first quarter of this century than had been sold previously?—H. M. D. A. James J. Walsh says that there was never so much reading in the his- tory of humanity and books sold as never before and never was there so much attendance at plays or so much money made by novelists and drama- tists, but there is more than a serious doubt as te the enduring literary value of anything written in that period. . How much would a brewery cost that would turn out 150 barrels of beer a day’—B. M. A. The cost of land, building and equipment would be between $300.000 and $400,000, exclusive of working capital. Q. Was Napoleon regarded as having a sclentific turn of mind?—V. P. A. De Eoumenfla % c!t:-mlu at school and later vate secretary for many years, says that if scientific courses had been taught at the military schools Bona e attended he “would have pursued these sciences with all the genius and spirit of investigation which he displayed in a career, more brilliant it is true, but less useful to mankind.” . Who applied the term “Nihilism” mqthe aoclalmc’loctrme which bears this name?—V. K. A. Its two chief expounders were Dobroluboff and Pisareff, but the use of the term is traced to Ivan Turgenef. Q. What 2ve the elemental spirits?— A. Accord to Paracelsus the ele- mental splrl’r:‘ot fire are called sala- manders; those of water, undines; of air, sylphs; of earth, gnomes. Q In what years has a Bradley horse won the Kentucky Derby?—G. D. A. In 1921, Behave Yourself; in 1926, Bubbling Over; in 1932, Burgoo King; in 1933, Broker’s Tip. For sec- ond place, Col. Bradley has had Black Servant in 1921; Bet Mosie in 1922, and Bagenbaggage in 1926. In 1924, his Beau Butler finished third. Q. Which has a larger standing army, Poland or Greece>—E. R. ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASK. A. Poland- has an active military force of about 332,000, while Greece has a force of about 85,000. Q. How long have experiments in forestry been conducted in Harvard Forest?—D. N. A. This tract has been under sys- tematic management for the past 24 years for the purpose of demonstrating methods of maintaining and promoting forest crops, furnishing information on operating costs, and as a research sta- tion in forest production. and utiliza- tion. It has an area of about 2,100 acres in Worcester County, Mass., and has the record for length of time of such experimentation in one place. Q. What is the meaning of the word Unaka?—R. B. A. The word is Indian and means misty or covered with smoke. It is the original name of the mountains now known as the Great Smoky Mountains. Q. When was the Rotary Club founded?—F. 8. G. A. In 1905. Paul P. Harris promoted the first organization in Chicago, IlL Q. Please give a simple way to esti- mate the magnifying power of a tele- scope?>—M. H. R. A The Bureau of Standards says that to determine the power of a tele- scope, focus it on a brick wall. With a little practice one can keep both eyes open, in which case one sees the wall directly with onc eye, and sees the wall through the instrument with the other. If the magnified orick is as large as 10 unmagnified, the power of the telescope is 10. The telescope should be at least 100 feet from the wall. Q. Why wasn't the Washington Monument built on White House?—H. J. A. The site provided in the L'Enfant plan is at the intersection of the mer- idian line through the Executive Man- sign and the east and west line through the dome of the Capitol. In 1848 this location was a marsh, so the site se- lected was a mound a few hundred feet to the southeast. % Gl’l‘lnk]ln D. Roosevelt & Mason? A. The Masonic Temple, Washi D. C., states that President Fran . Roosgvelt is & thirty-second Ma- son and has had this standing for about 20 years. Q. What is the policy of the Russian government armament?—H. 8. A. The policy of Russia is to protect its frontiers and to mfi against any aggression. \n is ze- ported at the present time to be the largest in existence, with the possible exception of China. Great amounts of war material are reported as been prepared from the time Trotsky as minister of war, before his exile, declared that he could M perfectly equil army of 10, men in the fiel Q. What is the smallest weight Jml ce that have been measured?- A. Measurements as small as one- billionth of an inch have been made by a newly developed ultra-micrometer. Since the dotting of an “i” in a signa- ture has actually been measured it is reasonable to believe that the mark of a pencil could be noticed in the weight of a sheet of paper. | Q Is it unusual to portray Christ as | a blond?>—D. A. | _A. There is a tradition to the effect | that the peculiar “mark” of members | of the House of David was their blond hair and fair coloring. Through the centuries artists have often portrayed Christ as possessing this characteristic. Parallels between the career of former President Charles W. Eliot of Harvard, and that of Dr. James Bryant Conant, chosen by the college corporation for the presidency, are found by the pub- lic. Placing both among products of the scientific world, and observing that each represented selection from the ranks of younger educators, ob- servers speculate as to the probability that the newly designated executive will exert as great an influence upon the cultural interests of the students as did his famous predecessor, who was also a pioneer in the use of the elective system. “A striking parallel between the two” is pointed out by the San Antonio Evening News, which observes that Dr. Eliot “transformed higher education, and asks: “Is it to be expected that under Dr. Conant's leadership Ameri- | ca’s oldest university will undergo an- | other revolution? Will it become more |and more a scientific, and less a cul- tural, stronghold? Such a prospect might be disconcerting to the older alumni, but they need not fear. Almost any university would benefit by a new infusion of scientific spirit, and, besides, the chemist usually has balance.” In taking up the same question, the New | York Sun voices the judgment: “In | the career of Eliot there was nothing to suggest that specialization narrows a man; he did not turn Harvard into a mere technical laboratory. He did remold the curriculum, but not into a finality. Rather, he reformed it into plasticity. Lowell maintained the policy of expression and liberalization.” “Dr. Eliot did not neglect any field of expansion and liberalization.” Springfield (Mass.) Republican, “and Prof. Conant has presumably been chosen because he is believed to have the same broad gift of administration and the same sympathy with all- round scholarly progress.” The Boston ‘Transcript similarly comments: “The mere fact that Dr. Conant is an emi- nent scientist affords no ground for bellef that he will give any undue em- phasis to undergraduate study of the material sciences. Dr. Eliot, also, was a chemist in his early years, but there appears no basis upon which we can features of his administrative policies, and certainly he was a wonderful ad- ministrator. ~ His genius, his policies, his type of wisdom were his own. The same has been true of his able suc- cessor. And the same, doubtless, will be true of the coming pilot of Har- vard's career.” “A true scientist” declares the Jer- sey City Journal, “constantly is experi- menting in search of new truths, and wonders and glories of this world. Life in all its forms is his constant study. That paper adds that “a man who is a master of organic chemistry could hardly be anything but a humani- tarian.” The Youngstown Vindicator comments: “Many who have felt that modern universities are too much given over to science and other ‘practical’ subjects, to the detriment of courses which have to do with life and human nature, would have liked to see a presi- dent whose principal interest lay in the humanities. It is possible, how- ever, that a scientist may also be a humanist, and this is what they trust Dr. Conant will become.” “When the University of Chicago in 1929,” according to the Rockford Reg- ister-Republic, “called 30-year-old Rob- ert Maynard Hutchins from his chair as dean of the Yale Law School to be- come its president aigher educational circles, while recognizing Dr. Hutchins’ talents, looked askance that one so organic Harvard chemistry board at connect that fact with the particular| cannot fail to be impressed with the| Caml He becomes the university’s 25th presi- | double-barreled Scientist as Harvard Head Stirs Recollections of Eliot dents,” and the Buffalo Evening News adds that he is “one of the greatest living scientists,” while the Lowell Eve- ning Leader sees in his selection motion from within the faculty.” In comparison with Dr. Eliot's task of shaping “a relatively simple insti- tution, the Rochester Times-Union states: “Today Harvard is a vast or- ganism, the character and development of which no one man can seek to form and guide as could a college president of that earlier time. Yet the powers conferred upon a college executive in America are very wide, and in strong hands may be used to accomplish many changes.” "filfl:m of nu‘mnn of learn rather one popular prestige™ is commended by the Baltimore Eve- ning Sun, while the Morning Sun of that city suggests that “it will be in- teresting to see whether the experiment of making a scholar into a college president, so seldom tried, is success- ful.” Dr. Conant’s cultural gifts and leadership are lauded by the Providence Journal and Hartford Times. His scientific_achievements are recorded by the Nashville Banner, including the award of two medals for “his research into the nature of chlorophyll, the | green coloring substance in plants.” ‘The Roanoke Times says of his record: “During the World War Dr. Conant had charge of operations at a lfi: factory in Cleveland where large-se production of 0US WAr gas was |carried on. It is said that when the | armistice was signed a single carload of gas, several times more poisonous than mustard gas, was sunk in mid-Atlantic, as it was considered too dangerous to be brought back to shore.” Government Pay Cuts And Wages in Industry To the Editor of The Star: An article published in The Star May 15, 1933, states that William F. Green, president of the American Fed- eration of Labor, declared in an. ad- dress that organized labor would “fight with its back to the wall” in the next political campaign for restoration of the 15 per cent reduction in the wages of Federal employes, as symbolic of its op- position to pay cuts generally, and that Mr. Green termed the Federal cut “senseless and stupid,” because, he said, | it curtailed purchasing power. In an editorial in The Star of May 5, commenting on the President's request to the Chamber of Commerce that in- dustry increase wages in line with the increase in the cost of living, the state- ment was made that as the cost of liv- ing increased the 15 per cent pay cut of vl}Govemment workers would be elimi- nated and that finally the wages of Government workers would be restored | to_their former levels. It certainly must be a known fact to Mr. Green that Congress in its “humane™ treatment of Government employes slashed appropriations of some depart- ments and then in order to prevent wholesale dismissals required the heads of departments to keep within the ap- propriations by applying administrative furloughs, which, contrary to the defini- tion of the word furlough in the dic- tionary, in this case means administra- per cent having been applied in addi- tion to the administrative furlough. For the fiscal year beginning July &hm employes are faced with a 90-day ‘furlough,” which is a 25 per cent cut in wages even if the 15 per..cent is ted as a result of the increase in dent. The Des Moin: oines Register takes | addition to note of the fact that “he joins the grow- | I must leave ing group of young univemsity .fl-LlIl. the 15 per cent Mb’xfii&rflt?-. a line with the