Evening Star Newspaper, November 27, 1934, Page 10

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON,D.C. TUESDAY...November 27, 1834 THEODORE W. NOYES. .Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office: 11th St. and Pennsylvanis Ave New York Omce. 110 East 43nd 6t Chicago Office: Lake Michigan 3ulldiug. Eusopean Office: 14 Regent 8t.. London. ngland. Rate by Carrfer Within the City. Regular Edition, The Evening Star . ... .45c per month The Evening and Sunday Star ' andays) 60c per month 65¢ per month The Sunday Star.. ..bc per copy Nizht Final Edition. Night Pinal and Sunday Star, T0c per month Night Fin £ 55¢ per month Collection m.ide ‘at the ‘end of each month _ Order be sent in by mail or telephone y y 1 moy Bunday only. r. $4.00;1mo’. 40c All Other States and Canada. A SRder It S $8.00: 1 mo., $5.00: 1 mo.. 7ac Member of the Associated Press. The Ass Pr ted to it or n 5 paper and also the liched herein. All rights of ¢ '‘pecial di‘patehes herein President Roosevelt's fiscal program for next year is of tremendous inter- est to the American people. From ‘Warm Springs, Ga.. come reports that the President will seek a creased taxation now. These early reports, although they do not commit the administration definitely, are en- couraging to those who are hoping for recovery through a program in which private initiative and private business | will play the major parts instead of turning the whole affair over to Gov- pending agencies. nt's fiscal program does not. it is further reported, contem- plate immediate payment of the $2.000.000,000 soldiers’ bonus. While there is to be a tapering off of emer- gency expenditures, no one is to be allowed to starve. If the President sends to Congress a budget message | along indicated lines, the more rad- ical New Dealers and the plain rad- icals are likely to be in a stew. The radical New Dealers are used to win- ning victories over their more conserv- ative colleagues. They have seen the so-called conservatives vanish from key positions in the administration during the past twenty-one months. have by no means given up hope of further victories. An interesting situation might develop if these gen- tlemen, finding the President unwill- ing to go along with them, should break with the Chief Executive and seek their ends The chances are, however, that in any such event the radicals would find themselves quickly out of office, | and, out of office, out of power. It looks as though there may be a distinct cleavage between the liberal spenders and the more conservative spenders. President Roosevelt in- clines at present toward the conserva- tive. He has conferred at Warm Springs with Senate Leader Robin- son and Pat Harrison, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. Neither of them is regarded as radi- cal. On the other hand, the Presi- dent has had with him during his vacation trip Prof. Rexford G. Tug- well, Undersecretary of Agriculture, who has been regarded in the past as a leader of the more radical New | Dealers. The Chief Executive may determine finally upon a compromise plan for Government appropriations and expenditures. Certainly he is not likely to go as far as some of his ad- visers desire in Government spending. The fear of heavier taxes to meet extraordinary governmental expendi- tures has hung over business and pri- vate individuals, but current an- nouncement from Senate and House sources, combined with reports from Warm Springs, are that large tax in- creases are not contemplated. Busi- ness is struggling to get on its feet again; to give employment and to in- crease production. Heavier taxes would hinder such efforts. The time to levy high taxes, if money is needed to liquidate governmental debts, is during prosperity. Prosperity may be coming around the corner, but 8till has a long way to come. ————— Countess Russell says she will not tell all she knows about Bertrand. ‘There are points at which even scan- dal arrives at the stage of tediousness. ————— All-Night Parking Bans. The Traffic Advisory Council's pro- posed ban on all-night parking on cer- tain streets, to facilitate snow removal during three months of the Winter, will probably meet the usual opposi- tion to proposals aimed at all-night parking prohibitions. But the Commissioners should con- sider other things than the protests of the minority. There is a majority, less articulate, which has equal rights to eonsideration, A recent count of all- night parking on M street from ‘Twenty-eighth to Thirty-sixth, for in- stance, revealed the presence of only sixty-two, cars. Yet many thousands of motorists, not to mention bus and street car riders, depend on this traffic artery, morning and afternoon, and one or two cars to the block, parked at the curb, prevent adequate removal of snow by ploughs in even a mod- erately heavy storm. In all the area which would be affected by the Traf- fic Council's recommendation there are only 7,442 all-night parkers. But more than half a million cars pass over these streets. While there might be no more than two or three heavy storms between December 15 and March 15 next Winter, there must be constant preparation in advance and every day for the storm that does come. There can be no adequate snow removal as long as cars are parked at the curbs. ‘When the Commissioners study the Trafic Advisory Council's recom- A h0: 1 mo., $1.00 | 80c | “balanced | budget” for “normal” Government ex- | penditures, a reasonably conservative | emergency relief program and no in- | They | through Congress. | the news. | were inspired by Mr. Ickes, not the mendation, however, the recommenda- tion should be supplemented with statistics and other information re- garding parking space for the rela- tively small number of cars removed from the thirty-three highways in question. If adequate garage space is lacking, and it probably is, there is doubtless plenty of room on adjacent streets. There is no reason why the all- night parker, forbidden to use curb- stone space on one street, should not park his car somewhere else nearby. As Commissioner Hazen has said, there are certain rights of the all- night parker which should be pro- tected. It is interesting to note that these rights have developed through failure, by the authorities, in the past to take any positive action regarding the all-night parking problem. As it is, the automobile owner has come to feel that with the purchase of his car | he reccives a tacit guarantee by the municipality of storage space at the curb, and he will fight to the end to retain it. But as long as he retains| it, Washington may expect repetitions of past unsuccessful struggles with snow storms, delaying and blocking | the movement of mass traffic and re- | sulting in general inconvenience. No Misrepresentation. Secretary Ickes, public works ad- ! ministrator, and James A. Moffett, | Federal housing administrator, judg- | ing from a statement issued jointly | | by them on Saturday, have reconciled | their differences which grew out of their separate housing plans. No one will have the slightest quarrel with | the desire of these gentlemen to have | peace; peace apparently at the re- | quest of the supreme head of the New Deal, President Roosevelt him- | self. But the joint statement issued as proof of the peace is something of | a reflection on the intelligence of the American people. This statement begins: It seems a pity that either misrep- resentation or a desire to stir up| trouble where no trouble exists should | have given rise to stories which create the impression that there is a di- vergence of views between the Hous- ing Administration and the Public | Works Administration. And, in conclusion, the statement { 1eiterated the suspicion that some- thing underhand was being done: | We suspect that there is a dis- position in certain quarters to make it appear that there is a difference of opinion between us. We decline to furnish material for a Roman holiday for those who are trying to create this impression. The stories of disagreement between | Mr. Ickes and Mr. Moffett over their | spective plans for housing develop- | ment were published in the news- papers, so the newspapers are pre- sumably the “certuin quarters” sus- pected of making it appear “that there is a difference of opinion be- tween us.” As a matter of fact, the interest of the newspapers is to print The statements made by Mr. Moffett, criticising the plan ad- vanced by Secretary Ickes for a two to four billion dollar housing project by the Government, were not man- ‘ufactured by the newspapers. They were made by Mr. Moffett. The orig- | inal statements about the possibility of & Government housing program newspapers. If Mr. Moffett is willing to swallow his own words after hear- ing from the White House, that is his affair. But for Mr. Moffett and Mr. Ickes to insinuate that the press is seeking to misrepresent and to stir up trouble in the New Deal family is rather childish. It will be interesting to see whose housing plan finally gets the back- ing of the President. Perhaps both will be recognized and the public may be enlightened later as to how two apparently contradictory schemes can both be successful. The press, with the public, will await the solution | with interest. In the meantime, it is hoped there | will be no further recurrence of a disposition on the part of some New Dealers to tell the press not only what to say, but also what not to say. ——e— Japan's Pinching Shoe. For several years, particularly since the inception of the Manchurian ad- venture in 1931, there have been cumulative indications that the pil- ing up of military and naval arma- ments {s imposing unbearable burdens | upon Japanese taxpayers. Only a few days ago world-wide attention was | attracted by an interview given by former Premier Viscount Admiral Makoto Saito to the Christian Science Monitor, in which that elder states- man warned his countrymen against the danger of embarking upon a “bankrupting naval race.” Today comcs word from Tokio that because of the increasing demands from the armed services, which have just rammed through a military budget 131 per cent larger than it was four years ago, funds are not available for urgently needed farm re- lief. Through recent typhoons, droughts and floods, Japanese agri- culture has suffered damages vari- ously estimated at 500,000,000 to 1,000,00,000 yen. It is admitted on all hands that the farmers’ plight is grave, but with the budget of 2,190,- 000,000 yen, involving a deficit of 750,000,000 yen, assigned overwhelm- ingly to the army and navy, it has been found possible to devote only a bare ten per cent to relief, of which but 70,000,000 yen will be expended during the current fiscal year. The new budget presents the fifth succes- sive increase in military appropria- tions. With Japan preparing to build to naval equality with Great Britain and the United States, appropriations for the fleet from now on will keep pace with, if they do not substantially outstrip, the rising expenditure on the army. The government is obviously at its wits’ end in devising sources of rev- enue. There are suggestions of a bond issue for relief purposes, but the market is uncertain. A special tax on industrial profits has just been ordered. While the Japanese people have been successfully educated to be- lieve in recent times that the inter- national situation requires the strengthening of the empire’s defenses, 4 | land he doesn't know what work is. | dignation, his advice will not be gen- | | To thoughts of George Washington the plight of the farmers presents problem that must be met if social discontent on a perilous scale is to be avoided. How painfully the Japanese mili- taristic shoe is pinching is further manifested by the resignation of Sanenobu Fujil, minister of finance, who s suffering from a nervous and physical breakdown as a result of his futile efforts to prevent large increases in military appropriations. He was bitterly denounced by the army and navy zealots during the recent “bat- tle of Lhe budget,” which provides for the heaviest military and naval ap- propriations in Japanese history. - “Mussing” Gunmen. Police Commissioner Valentine of New York has advised his detectives to use strong-arm methods on known criminals. Gangsters and racketeers, he said, ought not to be brought in looking as though they just stepped out of & barber’s chair. They should be “mussed,” perhaps even mangled. What riled the commissioner was | the appearance before him of a dandi- fied gunman who since 1927 had been arrested three times for homicide, six times for violation of the Sullivan law and nine times for “assorted charges,” including grand larceny, felonious as- sault and possessing narcotics. But the record showed “no convictions,” and the suspect was brought to Mr. Valentine’s office—an extravagantly tailored and barbered thug, accused of murder, but posing and smirking like & matinee idol. Something “boiled” inside the commissioner, and he tossed caution to the winds in the expression of his disgust: Look at him! He never has worked When you are up against such a man, don't be afraid to muss him up. Men like him should be marked up and mussed up. Blood should be smeared all over that velvet collar. Instead, he looks as if he had just got out of a barber’s chair. I want you to under- stand you will be supported, no matter what you do, just so you are justified. Make it disagreeable for these men, make them leave the city, make them afraid of arrest. Do not treat them lightly. Take this message back to | your associates that musclemen, thugs and racketeers must learn that this town is no place for them. | Of course, such indignation is not | new and such instructions are not novel. Criminals have been “mussed” for centuries. The story of the “third degree” dates back to an age before | writtea records first were kept. But,| as Maj. Ernest W. Brown, superin-| tendent of the Metropolitan Police of Washington, says: In enforcing the law, vou have to keep within the law. The evidence you get from beating up a criminal will not stand un in court. Moreover, it has happened that innocent people have been abused. The instinct of police officers, like that | of civilians, is not infallible. For that reason, as human as may have | been Commissioner Valentines force- ful expression of understandable in- erally approved. B It would be too bad if the project | for old-age pensions should itself be | permitted to expire in a state of gar- rulous senility. —r—————— “Communist” is not always a word to be intelligently defined. Some- times it is only an epithet. - SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. A Filmy Fancy. < fondly we turn As we join in a great celebration. His monument rises where all may | discern His height of esteem by the Nation. | | A scaffold stout we have set 'round | about The shaft that is noble and stately. As it stands in the twilight there isn't a doubt That its beauty’s increased very greatly. Its spirit is reaching up into the clouds While it graces a proud panorama With the wondrous effect that bewil- ders the crowds Of a gauzy one-legged pajama. ‘Words. “What is your idea of a Commu- nist? “He'’s an example of the great im- portance we attach to a change of title," said Senator Sorghum. “He's an anarchist who derives his name from the French language instead of the Greek.” Jud Tunkins says a delayed election | count makes a ballot box look to him | like a highly magnified prize package. Unworking, Some sad temptations now and then Are brought in evidence, As Theorles behave like men With varying consequence. You'll often hear somebody say That, like the folks who shirk, Some Theories draw liberal pay Although they do not work. The Pork Problem. “Did you kill off your pigs?” “I did,” answered Farmer Corntossel. “And you got paid for doing s0?” “Yes, but not enough to buy all the pork the family’s going to need this Winter.” “If there were no money,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “there could be no war as war is usually known. But it could still be carried on by an ancient system of counterfeit promises.” Numbers. The game of “numbers,” people state, Is rather hard to regulate, Even when played from day to day Where dimes and nickels go astray. When warships are discussed with care, Both over here and over there, The naval ratio I should call The greatest “numbers” game of all. “De march of progress in dis sub- urb,” said Uncle Eben, “has caused & situation dat leaves de huntin’ dogs outnumberin’ de rabbits two to one,” ) THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. Pedéstrian precepts: Always look to the left, from which danger threatens. More harm comes from the left than all the other directions put to- gether, but a great many persons do not seem to realize it. For instance, if one is desirous of catching a public vehicle, but first must cross the street to do so, it is very risky to keep an eye on the car or bus. Let the vehicle take care of itself. ‘You should look sharply to the left before stepping into the street, and never pass in front of the street car, but rather behind it. ‘Take the following very common situation: The pedestrian is walking west along the north side of the street, to catch a car coming south on a north-and-south street. As the car thunders down the block, he naturally looks north to- ward it. That is all right, quite natural, of course—but the danger comes in per- mitting the idea of catching the car to occupy the mind solely. The one big idea ought to be simply to get across the street safely. This idea demands that once the pedestrian has seen the street car he put his entire attention back on his main job, getting across the way safely. This requires that he look at once to the left, from which direction au- tomobiles are rolling along the direct path into which he must step. * kX X Never walk in front of a street car or bus from the opposite side of the street. Always go behind it, and if this means failure to catch the vehicle well, catch the next one, then. More will be along. Just as motorists often make too great haste, for no particular reason, 50 pedestrians at times are in too big a hurry for their own good. Take a chance on the conductor failing to see you rather than on getting caught between car side and automobile. By walking behind the car—still with eyes to left, at least before one gets off the other track—the pedes- trian plainly displays himself to on- rushing motorists. Visability, on the part of the man afoot, is highly desirable. * ok ok x Always give yourself a little extra time in the morning. No doubt many of the forenoon accidents are due, in part, to the almost universal habit of most human beings of giving themselves just the shortest time possible to get between two given points. It isn't necessary. except upon oc- casion, and it puts the average mind into a stew, a rush and push which by no means add to efficiency. It makes possible, occasionally necessary, failure to keep the eyes to the left. It induces a pedestrian to hurry in front of a car, instead of taking the time to go around from the rear, still looking up the street to the left, since he is now facing the other direction. It is wonderful, how much easier walking is nowadays when one gives one’s self just a little extra time! Xk ok X Never cross immediately at an in- tersection where there are lights, but wait for the next change, even if it is red. g ‘The important thing is to get across safely, not just to get across. ‘When one arrives at a corner the light may be green—but how long has it been green? Just about the time one gets in the center of the street it may go amber, or even red, if it happens to be that sort of a corner. And there one is, caught squarely in the rush of traffic. No, for the average person it is much better to be overly cautious. ‘Wait until you have an entire “light,” even then the time will be short enough. Then be careful still about looking to the left in order to avold being run down by cars making close left turns. EE Put no faith in the dear motorist. This may seem harsh, and it would be, if one could be sure of the men and women behind the wheel. If one knew them personally, it might be all right to imagine that no motorist would run one down, but as long as all but a few drivers are un- known quantities, it is better for the sake of everybody that they be re- garded as potential menaces. This means to the pedestrian that he must watch them like a hawk, and never give them a chance, if pos- sible, to run him down, whether un- avoidably or voidably. ‘What difference, particularly, does it make after one is injured whether the man at the wheel was indifferent or sincerely disliked running down pedestrians? x k% % In waiting on street car platforms it is well to acquaint one’s self with the nature of the street, particularly whether automobiles are permitted to run on the tracks between the load- ing platforms. This offers an en- tirely new hazard. The main thing, however, is to re- member never to get to thinking “about something else.” Let the mind really wander only for a second. It is enough to detract the attention, and may forget to watch out. Then one may turn and step down from the platform, squarely into the path of a motorist. The common habit of turning one’s back to the traffic flow, in order to watch the oncoming street car, is partly responsible for this habit of stepping into the street without look- ing. * ok ok % It is all very well to say, “Look,” but if one happens to think about something else. then one will not be thinking about “looking.” Sounds something like Gertrude Stein’s new | book, but it is the truth. The pedes- trian must have on his mind all the | time the idea, first of safety and then | of looking for what menaces his safety. Perhaps this makes for worry, but the modern street is a good place to i worry, one of the few places where it | helps. Yes, worry about cars, for that will help you to keep them in mind. The | trouble to the pedestrian usually | comes when he fails to worry enough. | Above all, try to keep in mind the idea that personal safety, through the | exercise of care, is more important | than the idea of getting somewhere. | There may be good exceptions to this, but they are exceptions. Mostly pedestrians will find it vastly to their | advantage, as well as that of others, to put the end on mental ice, as it were, but keep red hot the means. New Agencies Dwarf Pay in Old For Same Work, Writer Charge To the Editor of The Star: An expression in Washington these days which has germane truth buck of it is: “It is not what you know but who you know that counts.” with a high degree of responsibility and qualifications attached thereto will command salaries in many in- stances only half as great as other work on a parallel plane of educational | requirements and duties. That the disparity between the two has existed is known to almost everyone having a fair degree of familiarity with one or more of the newly created agencies. That it was as great and as general and that it was growing greater as the months passed was not so well known until the Associated Press gave out an item regarding one of the better known agencies, the N. R. A. Under the guise of economy, the Civil Service employes were cut in salary and the possibility of all promotions removed. Contrast with this the treatment of the so-styled emergency organizations which appear now to be assuming per- manent forms. Here promotions in salaries have been of that magnitude which would gladden the heart of any citizen, irrespective of his position in life. A more cogent illustration could not have been given than that set out in this article of the salaries of the legal men in the N. R. A. and the junior patent examiners in the United States Patent Office. The majority, it ap- pears, of the legal staff of the N. R. A. consists of young men with only a few years of actual legal experience back of them. Their chief, under 30, makes $12.000. The junior examiners of the Patent Office are all graduates of tech- nical colleges and almost without ex- ception graduates of law schools and members of the bar. For four years Work | | and over these men have not received a raise and their average salaries stand at the low figure of $2,104, while since the creation of the N. R. A., less than 18 months ago, substantial raises in | the N. R. A. have been given and the 102 men in the legal section of the |N. R. A. receive between $4500 and $6,000. It is hard to find a harder- working group of men than the patent examiners. That they are well quali- fied may be surmised from the fact that over a period of 15 years not over 50 per cent of those taking the ex- amination have passed. In a recent examination 1,800 men took that ex- amination for entrance and slightly over 300 passed. It would seem that the men just one wing over in the Commerce Building can match qualifi- cations, diligence and responsibility intrusted to them with their friends in the N. R. A, although they average just about 50 per cent in salaries received. Nor is it believed that the example cited in the Associated Press article is singular. There are positions in all the regular departments of the Government, that there is no need to take up individually, requiring a LL. B. degree paying at least $1.500 less than the $4,500. To state that the alphabets are the favorite children would appear to be putting the case too mildly. There is something lack- ing in a regime which professes to champion the underprivileged and the forgotten man to have staffed its offices with employes receiving salaries which would appear good in the 1929 period and which dwarf those received by those in the civil service doing a corresponding grade and type of work. ‘This may be a New Deal, but there is a joker in it. ANTHONY Q. BONFIELL. Parked Cars Declared Prime Safety Menace To the Editor of The Star: Eighteen thousand more cars regis- tered in Washington this year than last year. These are true traffic fig- ures I read in your paper. Yes, and I bet “17,000” of those cars are parked on the streets of this city 24 hours a day. With at least 17,000 more cars parked on the streets 24 hours a day, it is no wonder our death rate has so increased this year by automobile accidents. On De Sales street by the Mayflower Hotel cars are parked two abreast nearly all the time. This practically closes the street. There is no garage in Washington that charges over $15 a month for storage, and mostly all charge less by far, as I have stored in the best garages here and have paid a lot less than 50 cents a day. ‘With a place to put a car, not only would the cars be off the streets in the wee hours of the nights, but thousands would be off all the time, only on the streets when used. Of course, there are thousands of destructive Americans that buy a car every year and don’t want a garage, but if the number of cars keep on increasing on the streets the city di- rectors better buy some houses and tear them down and make more streets for the people to park on. ABBOTT EARL. —_——————— He Is Standing By. From the Wichita Eagle. Capt. Fried, hero of the sea, has been given a high Federal post. Now perhaps he can rescue some political fat out of the fire, Dr. White’s Talk Of Signal Benefit To the Editor of The Star: A signal benefit was conferred by the publication in your columns of the full text of the address by Dr. Wil- liam A. White. Speaking with au- thority before those charged with humanity’s health in the newer sense in which biology presents the body and its conduct, this country ought to witness one of those outbursts of progress occurring in each era of “new learning.” Churchmen, educa- tors and scientists must recognize the “relativity of all knowledge” in the light of this indisputable statement that “humanity is not going to the dogs,” provided we draw upon our boundless resources by deliberate ap- propriation of usable achievements of science. This theory finds corroboration in the teachings of Him who said, “the kingdom of heaven is within,” and “except ye be as little children you cannot attain it thus showing the religious leaders how to guide hu- manity in its “quest for certainty,” by following the path already outlined; and in telling educators to cease wasting precious child-life by teach- ing from the dead past, rather than from the present backward. It en- courages real search for truth by pointing out the value of real product in building ‘that “humanistic age, deep-rooted in the soil of scientific knowledge aiid flowering in the genial air of idealism,” 'mh Lathrop Stoddard pictures so 8T8 = cally and which the New Deal aims to accomplish politically. CHARLES M. THOMAS. [y l while this state is in existence, one | G. O. P. Power Seen Lost Over Policy in West To the Editor of The Star: Many of the reasons given for the defeat of the Republican party seem puerile. The deeper reasons should be allowed to come forth. In 1932 the psychology of change that operates in all depressions would have beaten any Republican President. The point to examine is, What leaves the party so without elastic comeback? The answer is, guidance by a very poor statesman, Eastern finance. Under influence of the East from about 1928 on the party did about all it could to trample on its best feeders, the West, the middle classes and the drys. In Washington the clearer heads would say, “Never have we seen such want of statesmanship. All the West asks is a few concessions from the East, but Wall Street won't give one inch.” Thus the West was lost. Then there were the drys, rightly handled and upheld a powerful group. A former President of the United States, if I recall correctly, said they were the only organized group the Republicans had behind them. But the party proceeded to fail the drys. 8o the force of the dry vote was lost as well as an ethical issue that drew in the middle, moral and social wel- fare groups. It was like & body saying, “We'll be better without our right arm. Off with it. Now off with our legs.” Well, | there is not much comeback to such | a fellow. Of course, the plan, as I see it, was to let the West go and build up a financial party of the East that should | make America safe for public utilities. | Prohibition out of politics, it was ar- gued, the votes of the industrial States | could be massed against the agricul- | tural States. But it all turned out ! like the proverbial broken heart—good on paper, but a bad in practice. How to recapture the lost arms and }lega is the question. Really the party | should have gone West (liberal) not wet. E. TILTON. { ‘Numbers’ Lure Found; I’s Thrills They Want ‘To the Editor of The Star: The “numbers” racket, so muclf in the headlines these days, presents some interesting and peculiar quirks of human nature. In my humble opinion, these racketeers are consum- mate opportunists and they are also close students of psychology. The racket is undoubtedly made possible by the inevitable boredom with which certain tvpes of people are afflicted. | To illustrate: I was talking re- | cently to a mechanic. He is a good mechanic and possessed of a fair de- | gree of intelligence along other lines, yet he was damning the newspapers and the clergy for fighting and ex- | posing this contemptible “numbers” racket. “Why,” said he, “can’t they let it alone and allow the people who work hard every day to have at least some little thrill and excitement out of | life2” | Surprised at his statement. I said, | “You surely don't play the ‘numbers,’ | do_you?” | He replied that he had been doing every week for years. I asked him | if he had ever won. He admitted he | never had, and then his face “lit up | | like a Christmas tree.” It seems that | about a vear ago he bet on 368 and | the winning number was 369! The { thrill he got a year ago from nearly | winning was still with him. No | thought whatever for all the years he had been playing the sucker. If he should really win just one time I imagine he would resign his job as a mechanic. i I have a suggestion to make which, if adopted, will give these morons their thrill, give them just as much chance of winning as they now have and at the same time do some good: Legalize this racket and let the Com- munity Chest run it. In thousands | of instances, the enormous profits ‘v.-m then go back, in the form of | “relief,” to the players. Let a Chest officer pick out a different man each week whose hair is partly gray. The thrill seeker who guesses the exact number of gray hairs and the exact number of dark hairs wins. This plan should also give a large number of P. W. A workers employment counting hairs. On second thought, I do not be- lieve this plan would work because no law would be broken. That would kill the “thrill.” S. H. MUMFORD. Toy Pistols Seen Aid In Glorifying Crime: To the Editor of The Star: Last week in our city two well- dressed little boys, apparently 5 and 6'2 years old, armed with toy pistols about 7 inches long, suddenly, while shouting, “Stick 'em up!” thrust them into the faces of three men sitting on a park bench. One of the men laughed, and a few minutes later the children passed again, repeating their act. This time the men wisely paid no attention to them and they dis- appeared. Some weeks ago two boys, about 7 and 9 years old, each thrust a similar pistol into the face of a fine-looking young man waiting on them at a postage stamp window. All these four small boys seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely. Probably thrilled with the thought that they were doing & fine thing in imitating some tough they had seen in the movies—some one who in their | so {and their widows and children. young eyes was a real hero. The sooner such examples for child hero worship are banished from the movies the better for the future citizenship of our country. Similar pistols were on display in a store window with the sign, “Per- fectly harmless!” They may be harm- less so far as physical harm goes, but before parents and fond friends pur- chase these pistols for Christmas gifts (and how out of keeping with the real spirit of Christmas) would it not be well for them to pause and consider what the social and moral effect on the youngsters will be? While through your valued paper you,are aiding the effort for clean movies and for the suppression of crime will you not also sound a word of warning against putting toy pistols into the hands of children to aid them in acting the part of criminals? GEORGIA ROBERTSON. Gains for Amateurs. From the New York Sun. The New York State Planning Board warns that farming is not for novices. But if the development in the direc- tion of not raising crops continues, the task of the novice ought to be tolerably easy. ————————— Always a Fly Somewhere. From the Walkes-Barre (Pa.) Record. A bootlegger pleaded that he could no longer pay alimony because he had been financially ruined by repeal. Well, we can’t make laws that will please everybody. Why He Hunts. From the Portland Oregonian. King Victor Emmanuel is reported to have bagged a huge elephant in Somaliland. Well, his majesty might :’ well go hunting as hang me. ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. A reader can get the answer to any question of fact by writing The Washington Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, Director, Washington, D. C. Please inclose stamp for reply. Q. What is the width and depth of the River Clyde at the point where gwnqucen Mary was launched?— I ‘A. At the point where the Queen Mary was launched, at Ciydebank, the river is 870 feet wide. Its depth is now 26 feet. Q. Please give a list of all the children’s books that have won the Newbery Medal—F. L. W. A. The 13 John Newbery books are: “The Story of Mankind,” by Hendrik Van Loon; “The Voyages of Dr. Doo- litgle,” by Hugh Lofting; “The Dark Frigate,” by Charles Boardman Hawes; “Tales From Silver Lands,” by Charles J. Finger; “Shen of the Sea,” by Arthur B. Chrisman; “Smoky,” by Will James; “Gay- Neck,” by Dhan Gopal Mukerji; “The Trumpeter of Krakow” by Eric P. Kelly; “Hitty, Her First Hundred Years,” by Rachel Field; “The Cat Who Went to Heaven,” by Elizabeth Coatsworth; “Waterless Mountain,” by Laura Adams Armer; “Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze,” by Elizabeth Foreman Lewis, and “Invincible Louisa,” by Cornelia Meigs. Q. Who invented Crepes Suzette?— H P A. They were invented by accident by Henri Charpentier, well known restaurateur. Q. What is the Prater in Vienna? —S.J. 8. A. The Prater is the chief public park in Vienna, on the island between the Donau Kanal and the river itself. It is about 4 miles long and 2 miles wide, beautifully laid out, plant- ed and decorated. The exposition of | 1873 was held there and some of the | buildings remain. Q. What is the origin of the phrase, “How in the Sam Hill>"—M. D. A. Sam Hill is a euphemism for the devil, and is probably a corrup- tion of Samael, the prince of demons in rabbinical legend. Q. Where is the Harmonica Insti- tute which was organized by Borrah Minevitch?—A. P. A. The Harmonica Institute of America has headquarters in Rocke- feller Center, New York City. G. How many co-operative credit unions are there in the country?—| B. W. A. Those which have reported to the Government number 1,772. Q. How many Indian reservations are there in the United States?— 8. A T. A. There are 217 Federal Indian reservations in the United States. Q. Please give the history of the | earliest life insurance companies.— | S. S. K. | A. Life insurance was introduced | into England by the establishment | of the Amicable Society in 1696. It was introduced from Great Britain to America in Philadelphia, 1759, for the relief of Presbyterian ministers | This was followed by a similar corpora- tion for the benefit of Episcopal « clergymen and their widows. \The first company to attempt a general business was the Insurance Co. of North America, organized in Phila- delphia in 1766. | the Phaedrus of Plato. was | in 1838, Q. At what temperature will dis- tilled water boil on Pikes Peak?— H. A J. A. Pure water will boil at about 186 degrees F. on top of Pikes Peak, which has an elevation of 14,107 feet. Q. When was the Diesel engine invented?—A. D. A. The Diesel engine was patented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel in 1892. The first real engine was not built until the following year. It was first ex- hibited in 1898. Q. How many life members has the National Education Association?— A. The number of life members enrolled in the N. E. A. on October 1 was 5,227, Q. Please give a few facts about the artist Jules Pascin—K. T. R. A. Jules Pascin was born in Vidin, Bulgaria, March 31, 1885. He was educated in Vienna and went to Paris in 1905. He was a fine pastellist, etcher and water colorist and had studios in Havana, Berlin and Brook- Iyn at various times. At the height of his success, five years ago, the :&nsz, in failing health, took his own e. Q. What was the prayer read at the burial of Dwight Morrow?— J. M. C A. The prayer read at the fu- neral of Dwight Morrow, from Beloved Pan and all ye other gods who haunt this place, give me beauty in the ir ward soul and may the outward and inward man be at one. May I reckon the wise to be we and may I | have such a qua temperate man and he on and carry. Anythi prayer, I think, can bear ore? The h for me. Q. Is it possible now to reach prac- tically every country by telephon from the United States?—W. C. B. A. All countries having more than 100.000 telephones can be reached by telephone from the United States ex- cept China, Japan, New Z d and the Union of Soviet Socialist Repub- lics. Q. When were first schools established in this coun! —R. M A. The first school for the prepara- tion of teachers was opened at Le ington, Vt., in 1832, by Rev. Samuel Reed Hall. Massachusett the first State to estzdlish normal schools, James G. Carter, who is called the “father of normal schools.” being primarily responsible. Through his influence the State Board of Educa- tion of Massachusetts lished and the normal school was passed Three normal schools were opened, the first at Lexington in 1839. the normal y? Q. Where was King Prajadhipok of Siam educated’—D. R. A. The King went to Eton, where he remained six vears. He received his military training at the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich. Q. What foot ball team is known as the Mustangs?—R. M. A. This is the nickr Southern Methodist Un of Dallas, Tex. me of the ersity team Q. Approximately W uates of colleges in the United States are there’—H. R. M. A. It has been estimated that there are 1,500.000 living college graduates This estimate was made June 30, 1932, and included the 1932 graduating | classes. Co-ordination o f All Loans Greeted as Encouraging Step Satisfaction is expressed generally | over the action of the Roosevelt ad- ministration in creating a committee for co-ordination of the loaning ac- tivities of the Government. It is ex- pected to produce curtailment of public expenditures, and to give greater opportunities for the use of private funds for the development of | new business. Attention is directed by the Phila- delphia Evening Bulletin to the re- ports of plans for expansion of public works as a means of giving employ-| ment, and that paper concludes that this “would require billions of Federal | funds, and its natural complement would be the reduction of other pro- | grams of extraordinary Government | expenditure, whether in cash outla; or in the provision of credit funds. Action on the loaning side is believed by that paper to “encourage private business enterprises.” “The committee headed by Secre- tary Morgenthau,” according to the Richmond News Leader, “is expected to ascertain by January 1, 1935, the budgetary needs of all the agencies. Included in the plan are the Recon- struction Finance Corporation and the Federal Reserve Board, in so far as the latter has been engaged in making direct loans to industry. There are suggestions that the system of ‘inter- mediate credits—loans that will be repaid in from 5 to 15 years—will be extended.” “There is no doubt,” says the San Francisco Chronicle, “that the Gov- ernment's move toward retiring from the banking business will give confi- dence and stimulus to private banking. Also it will give confidence to business. And it is from business and industry that the demand for credit must origi- nate. If the administration is cor- rect that business improvement is the reason for the curtailment of Govern- ment credit agencies, the fact of the Government's retiring from the field | should accelerate natural recovery.” “We have turned the corner and business is on the upgrade” is the in- terpretation of Government moves by the Manchester, N. H, Union, while the Portsmouth, Ohio, Times holds that “President Roosevelt apparently is ready to gamble on the possibility that private lending agencies are’ capable of resuming their function of advancing credit.” The Winston- Salem, N. C., Journal asserts: “The issue lies in the hands of the banks and business. Business has insisted that the Government has been tres- passing in its own peculiar field. If it has, it has been because private failed to function properly for the benefit of the masses. The Government will turn the fleld back to business as soon as the latter dem- onstrates the ability to meet the re- Quirements of the task.” “A large measure of satisfaction may be obtained,” according to the Kansas City Star, “from the statement that there has been repayment of nearly half of the $4,608,000,000 that the Re- construction Finance Corporation has lent to banks, railroads and other cor- porations to tide them over the most severe period of the depression. The report does not include loans to in- surance companies and individuals. More than a billion dollars advanced by the Government lending organiza- tion, which has gone for emergency relief, probably will not return to the ‘Treasury, but will continue to be a part of the Government debt. Some | done.” a part of the total loans has been repaid.” “President Roosevelt and his ad- visers,” in the opinion of the Brookly: Times-Union, “feel that the Govern- ment has done its share to redress a great national evil, and that the com- mercial and savings banks and other lending institutions can now be relied on to take care of what remains to be The Muncie Evening Pr records that “more private capit seeking investment than has been the case in three or four years.” The Mil- waukee Journal feels that it is “re- assuring that President Roosevelt states that our first task is to get the economic system to functiom™ The Dayton (Ohio) Herald attests that “private lending facilities are now on a sound basis.” “While business interprets the sians as encouraging and hopes that they mean the administration has come to the realization that the back of un- employment can be broken only by a | spurt in private enterprise.” in the | judgment of the Providence Bulletin, “nevertheless it awaits anxiously the President’s recommendations to the next Congress and his budget mes<age. If in those two important papers he shows that he has overcome the ad- visers who Insist upon spending and more spending. and if he signifies that the days of harrying business are over, then business can truly take heart.” ————— |Dog’s Action Draws Praise as Heroic To the Editor of The Star: Dear Sir: I was struck with a news item I read in one of the local papers today. It told of how a small terrier had been run down by an automcbile and left in the street to be run over, possibly, seve eral times more by passing automo- biles. But, while this poor dumb animal was suffering excruciating pain, a collie dashed out into the street, caught him by the neck and carried him to the sidewalk, out of the path of other cars. I love dogs and therefore cannot refrain from mentioning this incident. because I believe there is a lesson in hu- manitarianism to be learned by every living human from this heroic act. ‘The loyalty of a dog is one of man's prized possessions. I have read lately of the appalling number of people struck down by hit-and-run drivers, who have loft their victims to die in the street. What cowards! Potential murderers is the only way I can describe such cowardice. ' If there is such a thing as eternal damnation hereafter, I am one who hopes they get it. But we have the example set by a dumb animal to follow. Will per- sons of such cowardly instincts heed it? I don’t think so. LELAND F. JAMES. — et Russianizing. Prom the Worcester Evening Gazette. Perhaps that new Soviet opera, “Lady Macbeth From Mtsensk,” should have been written by somebody named ‘Tchekovspeare. —————————— Plenty of Races, Though. Prom the Owensboro (Ky.) Messenger. ‘The full significance of the bullet of the direct loans probably will have & prolonged existence before liquida- tion, but it is reassuring that so large ~ train’s 57-hour run is only be, to sink in. It beats every sedan to the crossing.