Evening Star Newspaper, February 28, 1935, Page 10

A—10 THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1935. —— e e e e e e ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS * BY FREDERIC ). HASKIN. THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition, WASHINGTON, D. C. THURSDAY. . February 28, 1935 THEODORE W. NOYES. . .Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office: St and Pennsylvania Ave. < 110 East 42nd 8t icago Office: Lake Michigan Building. ropean Omce:!: Mlluzenc 8t., London. gl . Rate by Carrier Within the City. 60¢ per month ¥ 652 per month . .5¢ per copy Night Fin Night Pinal and Sunday Star Night Pinal Star Collection made "at eac| onth. Orders may be sent by mail or elephone National 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. Daily and Sunday. .1 yr., $10.00: 1 mo., 85¢ Daily only.. 1yr! $6.00: 1 mol. B0c Sunday only. 1yr] $400; 1 mo.. 40c All Other States and Canada, Daily and Sunday.1 yr., $12.00; 1 mo.. $1.00 Dally only. 1yrl. $8.00: 1mo.~ 75¢ Sunday onl: yr.. $500i 1mo.. b0c Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively en- titled to the use for republication of all news dispatches credited to it or not other- wise credited in this paper and also the local news published herein. All rights of Dublication of special dispatches herein are also rererved. A Year Under Repeal. The unprejudiced observer of the first year under the new regulations for control of the liquor traffic in the District will hesitate to draw definite conclusions regarding new social trends on the basis of facts so far available. He might conclude that the showing is no better and no worse than was to be expected, and leave to the impassioned advocates of either side the selection of morals with which to adorn the tale. But, as described in the news article elsewhere in today’s Star, there are some facts which should appeal to reasonable men and women as signifi- cant. The increase in traffic accidents attributable to intoxication on the part of the driver or pedestrian is so marked, here in Washington as well as in many other sections of the coun- try, that it cannot be dismissed or apologized for on the ground that such accidents represent a very small proportion of the total. The menace of the drunken driver is increasing end law enforcement officials can spare no pains in dealing with it as & menace, ‘The increased arrests for intoxica- tion might be accepted as a reason- eble index to increased drinking. The figures here which deserve study are those showing that the greatest per- centage of increase in arrests for in- toxication is found in the age group between seventeen and twenty-one years old. 1In this group the increase was 51 per cent, as compared with the increase of 34.6 per cent for the group over twenty-one years of age. In total numbers, of course, the arrests for drunkenness in the latter group far exceeds those of any other. There will be general agreement with the conclusion reached by George W. Offutt, chairman of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, of the need for increasing emphasis on temperance. Both wets and drys are enlisted to fight side by side in the battle for temperance. The wets, if not already in all cases among the enthusiastic supporters of temperance, are under the obligation of campaign and platform promises to prevent the return of the evils of the saloon and to substitute what they consider real temperance for what they have de- nounced as intemperance under pro- hibition. The drys, including’ those who continue to regard total absti- nence and future complete prohibition as the only effective safeguard against the evils of the traffic in alcohol, must in the same spirit postpone the con- tention that temperance and absti- nence or temperance and prohibition are synonymous and fight with all their might to reduce at this time to & minimum the evils of the use or abuse of alcohol and of the alcoholic traffic by the enforcement of a real temperance which falls short of pro- hibition and total abstinence. With this combination in good faith of wets and drys in the campaign for tem- perance victory might reasonably be expected to result. As far as the District’s liquor con- trol law is concerned, the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board has given in- dications of having begun its opera- tlons with a tendency to err, if at all, on the side of liberality but to tighten up in those directions that experience with the law may indicate is wise. The limitation on the maximum number of licenses for sale of hard 70c per month 5¢ per month it 1s his intention to remain true to| that proven policy of safe procedure. Such peril as there is in the circum- stances is traceable to the anxieties| and doubts of those who do not trust the old doctrines of progress and who are demanding that the ship be turned into untried waters. Mr. Ickes cited the demagogues to {llustrate his point. They are but “voices” in his judgment—irrespon- sible agitators without knowledge, training or experience equal to the need of the Nation or the requirement Some would lead the country into Fascism, others into Com- munism—both alien concepts of gov- ernment, adventurous and hazard- ous in character, and only the com- mon sense of the masses can be relied upon to protect the State against the jeopardy of their willingness to gamble with the public weal. Perhaps the speaker represented the views of the President. Many who heard his address surmised that, in fact, he did, since it is generally supposed that his mind and that of Mr. Roosevelt are closely integrated. The occasion, so considered, would have certain impressive significance. It would mean that the administra- tion intends to adhere to the “middle of the road,” to be neither reactionary nor radical, and that conservative citizens have little to fear from the New Deal when it has been disciplined by history. In any case, Mr. Ickes stands forth as a frank opponent of “taking chances,” and is on record as an advocate of the “true course,” which the chronicle of the Republic shows is patriotic, liberal and con- structive. ——— Trade Treaty With Belgium. Trade with Belgium is not among the most important items in the United States’ foreign commerce, but the con- clusion of a reciprocal tariff agreement with her is significant because it is the first one consummated with a Euro- 'pean country since Congress author- ized the President to conclude such pacts on his own responsibility, with- | out the requirement of senatorial ratification. Hitherto reciprocal treaties have been negotiated and signed only with Latin American | countries—Cuba and Brazil. The ice has now been broken across the Atlantic end the way opened for similar progress with other Old World nations. The Belgian-American treaty is a truly mutual arrangement. ‘The United States reduces its tariffs on forty-seven products affecting $5,200,- 000 of imports based on 1933 figures. | Wares on which American duties are cut on en average of about twenty- four per cent include cement, steel items, plate glass, glass sand, linen fabrics, certain woven fabrics, lace, photographic goods and hatter’s fur. Belgium cuts its tariff on twenty-two | products and, counting by-products, on fifty-four. The average duty reduc- tion of more than thirty-five per cent affects over one-third of our exports to Belgium, based on 1933 figures. The lower rates will be to the advan- tage of American automobiles, motor parts, radio supplies, fruits and cereals. In addition, Belgium agrees to liberalize her import quotas in favor of American lard end pork products and of women's silk hosiery and clothing and to stabilize other quotas. Assistant Secretary of State Phillips, in signing the Belgian agreement, ac- curately hailed it as a “mutually profitable pact which will mean more trade, more production and more em- ployment of labor in both countries.” The treaty provides for most-favored nation rights, which may be terminat- ed by either government should a third country, because of its low-cost producing conditions, find itself in position to derive undue advantages in either the Belgian or American market. The life of the pact is not specified. It may be abrogated on six months’ notice by either contracting party. The convention with Belgium strikes another timely blow at the obsolete theory that trade is a field in which ‘any one nation can hope continuously to absorb all the benefits without con- ceding advantages to others. It is a practical vindication of the give-and- take principle. It tilts at economic nationalism and isolation and at the system of quotas, embargoes, reprisal tariffs and other arbitrary barriers to international commerce which came in the aftermath of the war. Secretary Hull, who looks upon tariff reciprocity as one of the soundest guarantees of world peace, hopes that the Cuban, Brazilian and Belgian liquors for consumption off the prem- ises is a desirable move, for economic as well as other reasons. This has been the class of licenses which showed the greatest increase, a fact which contradicts the hopes of many advocates of repeal for a change in drinking habits which would lessen the consumption of hard liquors while increasing the sale of beer and wine. After a year's experience, the A. B. C. Board has suggested amend- ments to the control law which would strengthen its hand in enforcement. Such amendments should find quick and sympathetic response in Con- gress, and not be used as the medium for weakening the law. The True Course. Speaking before a joint meeting of the Washington Rotary and Lions Clubs yesterday, .Secretary of the Interior Ickes outlined his philosophy of the New Deal. The language he employed was simple and direct, and he stated his case without affectation or extravagance. A practical plan almed at ensuring “the greatest good for the greatest number,” he insisted, 1s neither new. nor novel. The Union itself, as he sees it, was founded in that interest and for that purpose. But the apex of his argument came when he sketched the ship of state as coming into port through & narrow channel with rocky shores and dangerous shoals. The captain, he said, is steering by accepted charts, following & constitutional course, and treaties will be the forerunners of many such tokens of the United States’ good-neighbor policy toward all the peoples of the earth. He has made a gratifying start in that direc- tion. —_————— If expensive foreign propaganda is as prevalent as has been suspected America is getting a lot of its money back through channels not clearly recognizable. Time for a Revolt. ‘The American people spend hun- dreds of millions of dollars every year on education of their children in pub- lic schools, where some of the ele- ments, at least, of decent behavior, good citizenship and good taste in speech and manners are taught. The more careful parents spend other millions of dollars for children’s who control radio broadcasting in the late afternoon? There are signs here and there that ; such & revolt is in the making. More and more is heard the indignant comment of parents who, purely by accident, have stopped by the radio long enough to listen to what broke up the base ball game on the vacant lot and brought the youngsters crowding in- doors. And what do they hear? They hear villainy in all its forms described in language which seldom appears in printed form; they hear the glorifica- tion of horror and cruelty; they hear enacted crimes so lurid that the de- tails doubtless make an ineradicable impression on fresh young minds— and, above all, they hear a sickening amount of cheap and trashy bunk. Some of them are courageous enough to turn the radio off and shoo the children away. Others doubtless ex- perience a sense of utter futility and helplessness in the face of this new craze for gutter-wash that the radio is capitalizing through an appeal to youngsters, Some of the programs permitted to come over the air for children are a reflection on the common decency of the radio interests, If the movies tried such stuff they would be howled out of town. But the radio people will get away with it just as long as they are allowed to get away with it by the long-suffering parents. It is time the parents acted. Ravages of the Japanese beetle are causing increased apprehension among practical horticulturists. No possible theory of crop destruction for price promotion could possibly favor this gaudy but voracious parasite as a factor in economics. ) Complaints are numerous about low flying by amateur aviators. The high honor in which aviation is held is based on the assurance that it will protect the groundlings who wittingly pay taxes to support it and further its development. —————— It must be admitted that Liberia is something of a disappointment in not being able, after all these years of civilizing experience, to come for- ward with some practical suggestion for organizing Africa. ——ae——— Assertions are made that the for- mer German Emperor need entertain {no hope of resuming the throne. The chances are that such an idea is among the least of his present phantoms of hope. ————————— If King Solomon’s mines were situ- ated in Abyssinia, the government of that country would do well to employ engineers to locate them, in the hope of providing much-needed revenue. A Russian ballet is more or less misleading as a reflection of Russian society in which the stage manager exerts an authority quite independent of that of the political dictator. —— e Many quarrels arise in the course of economic administration. President Roosevelt remains a remarkable figure as a man who can umpire and still retain his popularity. —_— J. P. Morgan may leave behind him many art treasures. There will be no trouble about money if America can collect from the world's tourist trade. ———— February has brought its usual val- entine reminders of America’s latent resources in poetry, both sentimental and satirical. SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Whistling in the Dark. We can't be absolutely frank In all that we are saying. Our friends ere long will cease to thank ‘The candor we're displaying. Whatever fate may have to bring Life's pace—we still must strike it! A little song we'll try to sing And just pretend we like it. A sense of sorrow or of blame It's little use betraying. The difficulty of the game Makes it appear worth playing. So let's go on until the dawn Declares that night is ending. Our courage is not wholly gone ‘While we can keep pretending. Situations and Jobs. “What do you think of the political situation?” “Situations don’t occupy my mind Just now so much as plain jobs de- manded by constituents.” Jud Tunkins.says he can't under- stand why a Russian ballet should be so cheerful and a Russian novel so gloomy. They're both about folks without much to wear. Friend in Need. Snowbird loiters 'round the door As storms are threatening near; Eats the crumbs and waits for more ‘With patience and good cheer. The robin with his merry song Will come with Winter's end; But you will be remembered long, A gentle, faithful friend. $ Insidious Blow. “Another insidious blow has been dealt to us Communists,” exclaimed the sidewalk orator. “Why don't you face the inclement weather and explain it in a soap-box books, carefully written to appeaF to what is best in youthful minds and which as carefully eliminate the things not considered proper for youthful minds. And as many parents inflict upon themselves considerable necessary agony in the effort to teach their children by example, by counsel and sometimes by & stiff birch rod how to behave themselves like little ladies and gentlemen. ‘When are these same people going to rise up with a roar that will com- pletely drown out and eliminate for all time the unspeakable rot that is designed for children’s ears by those speech?” “I can’t. They are now making the soap boxes of pasteboard.” Anatomy. The airplane scurries on its way, 1t leaves the groundling vexed. It may lay golden eggs one day " Or throw war bombs the next. It uses fuel with great art In sunshine or a blizzard. It never seemr to have & heart But just a flery gizzard. “We has heard a lot about George ‘Washington,” said Uncle Eben. “Well be safe if all re chillun named after him grow up to be as good as he was.” i9) THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL., Opportunity now exists for some- body to make a neat collection of these little books the children love. They sell in “10-cent stores” for a dime, and there are scores, there may be hundreds, of them. They are fat little books, almost cubes, in fact, although some of them are thinner. ‘There are editions of such things as Stevenson’s “Treasure Island” and Defoe's “Robinson Crusoe.” There are all sorts of “comics,” based on popular comic “strips” of the day. ‘There are many old-time favorites, such as Mother Goose, some as new as 1935, such as Shirley Temple's “Jite Al * k% The far-seeing booklover, no matter how many fine first editions he owns, will be interested in these fat small ks. Some day, if we are not mistaken, these little fellows are going to be as popular with collectors as the famous Currier and Ives prints. Only a few persons, in the old days, had enough common sense—gump- tion, some call it—to collect those old lithographs. Most people called them “pretty pictures” then, and forgot about them. A few collected them. ‘They had to wait many years before their precious prints became “the rage,” but when that time arrived great was their satisfaction and pride. Now most of us leave the collection of these bulky square volumes to the little ones, who, indeed, seem to love them very much. Many small boys have rows of them, since they cost but 10 cents apiece. It 1is easy to buy them, to add to them. The point is, however, that some adult ought to go in for their collec- tion on a large scale. Every “five and dime” as these stores are sometimes called, seems to have an entirely new list of them. For a comparatively small sum, as such things go, the mature collector of these cubic books might corner the market. As new ones were issued he could add them to his collection, so that in time he, alone, would be the king pin connoisseur of such things in America. *x ox % It would be as easy as that. The fact that one “had ‘em all” would be the grand appeal, not so much the little books themselvees. Yet these fat creations of cheap bookmaking are interesting enough, in their way. ‘There is a Mother Goose, gontain- ing 576 pages, with excelient illus- trations. Connoissuers of the Goose will find in this one some verses not found in others. No doubt the definitive Mother Goose simply does not exist. Who- ever puts out an edition, evidently, often puts in some verses or other he thinks ought to be included. Hence the reader, be he adult or juvenile, never knows exactly what he is going to find in a Mother Goose. The old favorites, yes, but often some new and totally unexpected ones. * R ok % Here in this block of a book we find one we never heard before: “Charley Warley had a cow, Black and white above the brow; Open the gate and let her through, Charley Warley's old black cow.” STARS, MEN ‘This Mother Goose fancier has never seen that in other editions. It is chiefly interesting because of the plain tions for “cow,” 3 In recent years several interesting studies of the life and times of the real Mother Goose have been pub- lished. The theory of one student is that these old rhymes all had political significance in days when to be out- spoken in such matters was to run the chance of suffering the loss of one's head. In the old days justice evidently placed little faith in the security of heads. A head could come off—indeed often enough did tome off—at the slightest 11l deed. Every one has read of some of the misdemeanors for which, several centuries ago, a man could be beheaded. But evidently no one was killed for writing & Mother Goose rhyme. At least we hope not. * Xk x ¥ ‘This column has long pioneered in cheap books, believing that only a few persons can buy expensive editions, and that an inexpensive edition, if it is done well, and by bookmen for book- men, may be as good as any other. 1t is & pleasure, then, to go on down the scale, even to 10 cents, a thin dime, when we find chubby booklets of good paper, although cheap, with good | type and adequate illustrations. Only the conscious adult will sneer at them because they are “juveniles.” He who values a thing for itself, and not because it is something, or be- cause it isn’t something else, will find in these books of cubic content some- thing to admire, and even collect. * *x x % In addition to hundreds of dollar books, there are several admirable col- lections of volumes, drawn from the general literature of all nations, cost- ing even less. We happened to be in & basement devoted to these collections the other day, and were thrilled at the implica- tion of them that so much true litera- ture is available for a modest price. This, means that young men who have not much money, and older men, too, who happen to be in the same fix, may, nevertheless, possess some of the greatest works ever written. He who would buy one of these 80- cent books every week, in a year would have a real shelf before him. An admirable feature of them is that they are small, and therefore the person living in apartment or other limited quarters nevertheless could have as many books as he could afford. ‘This is not always true, even when one’s money holds out, with the larger, more pretentious volumes, Booklov- ers usually know the limitations of space. Therefore these smaller books, with their lesser margins, do have a real place for the booklover who wants to own all the books he can buy and read. Their one drawback, as we see it, is that often they use too small type. ‘The trend of recent years in all print- ing has been toward larger and larger print, easier on the eyes, more pleas- ing to mind, and shall we not say heart? Fortunately, for our chubby books, the printers want to play safe with childish eyes, and therefore use very large type, which is exactly as it should be—in any boek, for that mat- ter. AND ATOMS Notebook of Science Progress in Field, Laboratory and Study. BY THOMAS R. HENRY. China had & “New Deal” 1,000 years ago. Working with the Chinese material in the Library of Congress—the largest Chinese library m the world outside of China—Dr. Thomas Tseng Mien ot Catholic University is engaged in studying the reforms of Premier Wang an Shih of the tenth-century Sung dynasty, which curlously parallel some | tp, of the economic and social measures now being enacted in the United States. There was, for example, something like an Agricultural Adjustment Ad- ministration to help farmers burdened with the heavy taxes arising from ex- pensive wars. The government grant- ed two loans each year to farmers, one to purchase seed for the Spring sewing and the other to carry them through until .the harvest could be marketed. The interest rate, how- ever, was 20 per cent. There was the square field law, providing for thousand-foot square flelds to pre- vent wastefulness arising from small holdings and adjusting taxes to en- courage them. There was the equal distribution law, by which the govern- ment controlled prices. It purchased the surplus of each plentiful harvest at the market price and threw it on the market again in years of scarcity 50 85 to stabilize the cost of living. Dr. Mien's present studies are con- cerned chiefly with the institution of Pao-chia, or family militia system, set up by the tenth century philos- opher-statesman to curb the crime wave which was sweeping the coun- try and concentrate authority under a central government, He came into power during the condition of dis- organization which followed the wars against the Golden Horde of Tartars, when organized gangs were preying on the country, and n;l:;ler. kld;up- and robbery were ly events. m"nn premier broke up this condition by instituting & semi-military system with the family as its unit. Each 10 families constituted a chia, which elected its own leader. Each 50 fam- ilies, or five chias, constituted a pao, with a leader elected by the chiefs of the family units. The head of the pao was directly responsible for the welfare and good behavior of the chias in his organization to the mayor of the district, who was in turn respon- sible to the provincial governor, who was responsible only to the Em- TOT. petvery Winter, during the dull sea- son which followed the harvest, the government sent military and athletic instructors to each pao to train the men in the use of sword and bow, as well as to improve their general physical condition. Every man from 20 to 60 was compelled to serve. The Once the chias were set up they became part of the machinery of an elaborate population and agricultural census, so that, for the first time, g T Wang's reforms were so sweeping that they naturally aroused great opposition. The conservatives of the day threw all possible obstacles in his path and only the support of the Emperor, Sheng Tsun, enabled him to carry his program into effect. Once the relief measures were un- der way, however, a well-organized progressive party arose in support of em. The “New Deal” continued in force for 16 years. For the last half of this period Wang himself, under- mined by his enemies, was in exile, but his mind continued to rule China. He had even made official his own annotations of the Chinese classics, which were essentially the Chinese Bible. The overthrow of the system came with the death of the Emperor. His successor was entirely under the control of the aristocrats, who re- sented the breaking down of class lines, and the entire program was scrapped. * o Xk ‘Wang's curiously Rooseveltian sys- tem of the tenth century was not considered by its author as a move forward, but rather, according to the traditional Chinese idea of pro- gressivism, a move backward. It was an effort to put into practice, with variation of details to suit the changed times, the system which had obtained several thousand years ago during the traditional Chow dynasty, China’s golden age. He followed, says Dr. Mien, the political system out- lined in the Chow classics, but, since & law had been enacted making his own interpretations the only official ones, he was able to rationalize what- ever he pleased against the back- ground of the legendary golden age. Dr. Mien is making an intensive study of the Wang an Shih material in the Library of Congress because of the close parallel between the times in which he lived and the con- ditions through which most of the earth is passing today. The problems the old philosopher-statesmen faced were similar to those confronting the statesmen of today although, of course, much simpler.* The Nation’s Income. From the Providence Journal. The total national income of the United States last year was slightly less than $52,000,000,000, according to the calculation of Mr. Louis H. Bean, economic adviser to the Agricultural Adjustment Administration. This is an increase of nearly $6,000,000,000 as compared with 1933, according to the same authority. The 1934 na- tional income, incidentally, was the largest since 1931. The 1931 total was early $61,000,000,000, an impressive under | clusively an American T Ea 8 § | [The Political Mill By G. Gould Lincoln. New Dealers turned their eyes to- ward'the Supreme Court today. That court might reverse, if it sees fit, the decisions of Judge John P. Nields in the Federal Court at Wilmington and Judge Charles I Dawson in the Fed- eral Court in Louisville, both of which struck body blows yesterday at the N. R. A. The Government is pre- paring to carry these cases and ad- verse opinions of the lower courts to the highest tribunal in the land. Should the Supreme Court uphold the lower courts, one of the major parts of the New Deal will come tumbling down like a house of cards in a gale of wind. * ok k% The decision of Judge Nields holds section 7-A of the national industrial recovery act, the section which sets up the right of collective bargaining by employes, to be unconstitutional when it is applied to relations between & local employer and his employes. ‘The Constitution gives Congress au- thority to control interstate and for- eign commerce. The Congress has no constitutional authority to pass laws commerce. It seems clear that if the opinion of Judge Nields is sus- tained, the great mass of employers and employes in the United States will be affected. Judge Nields went fut- ther in his opinion and declared that the facts in the Weirton Steel Co. case did not sustain the contention of the Government that the employes were discriminated against and prevented from collective bargaining, because they had joined what is called the company union instead of the Amal- gamated Association of Iron, Steel and Tin Workers, an American Fed- eration of Labor union, - L ‘The soft coal code, set up under the N. R. A, was held unconstitu- tional by Judge Dawson on the same ground, 1. e., the coal-mining industry is an interstate business and therefore not sublect to control by the Federal Congress and its laws. Here are two great industries affected, steel, and coal, by these decisions. Sooner or later the Supreme Court, which al- ready has cases before it involving the constitutionality of the N. R. A., will hand down its decisions. The recoverey act expires June 16 next, unless it is further extended by Con- gress. The President has already recommended the extension of the law for another two years. Congres- sional committees are at work or soon will be at work on this legislation. ‘Two Senate committees at least are planning_ investigations of the opera- tion of the N. R. A. Prospects of cpeedy legislation on the N. R. A. are nil. Perhaps the Supreme Court will have had an opportunity to pass on these vital constitutional questions in- volved in the operation of the N.R. A. before the House and Senate under- take to legislate further on this sub- ject. It would seem the sensible thing to get this matter of legality and constitutionality settled before the passage of a new law. * o x % Food, Secretary Wallace of the De- partment of Agriculture says, is going up. In fact, the people will pay 11 per cent more for their foodstuffs in the first quarter of 1935 than they did in the last quarter of 1934. This is a matter that any housewife could give plenty of testimony about, al- though she might not be able to say just what the percentage of the in- crease in prices has been. The Sec- retary of Agriculture takes pride in the increased cost of foodstuffs. It seems perfectly clear that if the farm- ers of the country are to make profits, the prices of food had to go up. And certainly the farmers are entitled to profits on their investments and their labor. The higher cost of living, as reflected in foodstuff prices, will cause & lot of grumbling, however, among consumers. The offset, of course, should be increased purchasing power by the consumers, due to in- creased employment and increased wages. Otherwise, the farmers will not be able to sell their products in as great quantities. It looks as though the administration might well hesitate to take any step that would beat down wages under®any conditions and cer- tainly under the conditions that pre- vail today. * x % X This brings to mind the fighf now in progress in the Senate over the administration’s plan to pay a “security wage” averaging $50 a month to 3,500,000 workers now un- employed. The opponents of this security wage are insisting that the “prevailing wage” paid in industry for similar work be the compensation of workers on relief projects. They are not insisting that the ‘monthly compensation of the relief workers shall be more than $50, but they do insist that the hourly wage shall be paid according to the scales in private employment. They point out that the number of hours of work may be curtailed for each worker, so that his compensation shall be no more than $50. To do otherwise would be to jeopardize the whole wage scale of American labor, for if the Govern- ment hires an army of workers at a low wage, the tendency will be to bring wages down in private employ- ment. There has been talk of a compro- mise on this matter of wages for warkers on relief projects. It is diffi- cult to see just how it can be com- promised, so far as the principle in- volved is concerned. The language of the McCarran prevailing wage amendment might be changed or amended, it is true. But so far as the payment of the prevailing wage scale is concerned, there seems to be no way to compromise. However, there could be written into the amend- ment a provision that compensation may be limited to $50 to each worker, and the hours of work per week cur- tailed accordingly. * x %k ¥ The curtailment, through the A. A. A, of the cotton production in the South would result, it was predicted, in the increase of cotton production in foreign countries. It has. Repre- sentative Martin of Massachusetts, Re- publican, discussing the cotton farm- ers situation and that of the cotton textile manufacturers in the House yesterday, 3aid he would prefer to hand the farmers an annual relief fund of $125,000,000 than to see the curtailment plan, plus the processing tax, go forward. He said in part: “Let us look coldly at the facts. Last year about 30,000,000 acres of cotton were planted in the United States, while the other countries planted 44,500,000 acres. These figures show conclusively cotton is not ex- commodity, but & world commodity. We raise approx- imately 45 per cent of the world crop and other countries raise 55 per cent. fad price outside country. Our abroad de- 1F : AT oreign ] dealing with intrastate business and | A reader can get the answer to any question of fact by writing The Washington Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, Direc- tor, Washington; D. C. Please in- close stamp for reply. Q. How much money is lost by the people in this country through pur- chase of lottery tickets?>—G. K. A. The annual loss to the Ameri- can people through trafic in foreign lotteries is estimated at more than $10,000,000. There is no estimate of the additional millions lost through the purchase of counterfeit tickets. Q. How many snips are equipped with radios?—B. 8. K. A. There are 18,006 ships in the world equipped with radio. Q. Where and how are the Chinese buried in this country?—D. A. R. A. The Chinese Legation says that Chinese are buried as other persons are buried, complying with the health laws. They are burled in hermetically sealed caskets in cemeteries wherever they have lots. However, every seven years special permission is obtained to remove the remains of dead Chi- nese, which are sent back to China to be buried. Q. Is there & record of septets be- ing born?—H. A. A. A septet was born in Hameln, Germany, 335 years ago, but lived only 11 days. A stone tablet com- memorates the birth as follows: “In this town to one Thiele Roemer, and to his wife Anna Beyers, there were born 9th January, A. D. 1600, at 3 am., two male and five female chil- dren at one birth. All died on the 20th day of the same month at 12 o'clock, having received holy baptism. God grant them bliss everlasting.” Q. When is garden week in Vir- ginia?>—N. K. G. A. The Gardep Club of Virginia has announced that historic gardens week will begin on April 22. Owners of more than 100 famous Virginia estates will open their places to vis- itors, and the James River planta- tions will be shown. Q. Are there dungeons under the Federal prison on Alcatraz Island? A. On Alcatraz Island are the foun- dations of the old fortress built in 1857. In the interior of the fortress are dozens of stone-flagged rooms, narrow corridors, powder magazines, cells and tiny cubicles. Thus beneath the present prison there lies a veri- table maze of dark and dreary dun- geons. All of this subterranean struc- ture communicates directly with the model prison above, although no pris- | oners have been locked up in them since the latter was built. Q. In what year in the 1800's was the Metropolitan Opera House closed? —C. H. L. A. In the season of 1892-93 the Metropolitan Opera was dark because fire had ruined the interior. In 1897- 98 it was closed because of the Span- ish-American War. Q. about the Eugene Field Shrine which is being restored in St. Louis.—E. C. A. Pupils of the St. Louis schools have contributed to restore the Field home, which stands just off the St. Louis waterfront, as it was when the family occupied it in the 1850's. The Poet Laureate League of America, the Please give some information | Board of Education, a St. Louis in- surance firm and various publice spirited citizens saved the house from being razed a year ago and the home Wwill be converted into a Eugene Pleld museum. The rooms will be papered and furnished according to the period, cherry wood balustrades have been installed and a flower garden will be planted. It is expected that the work will be completed by Summer. Q. Please give the floor space fig- ures in some of the newly bullt Gov- ernment buildings.—J. C. E. A. The square feet available floor space in some of the new large Gov- ernment buildings is: Internal Reve- nue, 1,104,000; New Post Office, 840,000; Department of Justice, 1,- 237,000; Interstate Commerce, 456,700; Labor Department, 447,000. The au- ditorium between the Interstate Com- merce Building and Department of Labor, 234,100. Q. What is the rarest stamp in the world?>—F. R. C. A. A stamp belonging to Mrs. Ar- thur Hind, widow of the philatelist, has been insured by Lloyd’s for £10,000. It is a magenta-colored 1-cent speci- men issued in British Guiana in 1856. The stamp will be sold at auction in London. Q. Is there any distinction between Memorial and Decoration day?—S. W. A. The terms seem to be used in- terchangeably. The law providing for this holiday for Government employes says “Memorial or Decoration day.” In the earlier days of this observance, the day on which flowers and flags were placed on the soldiers’ graves, was called Decoration day, and the | Sunday preceding was Memorial Sun- | day. The G. A. R. posts usually at- tended designated churches to hear memorial sermons. Q. How much coal is being mined in Alaska?—F. L. A. Two mines in Alaska are being worked and produced last year about 1,000,000 tons. This is bituminous and sub-bituminous coal. No anthra- cite is being mined in Alaska because | the deposits did not have an eco- nomical appearance. Q. What does the Scotch expression, “ca’ canny,” mean?—A. R. A. It means go easily. It is used in trade union slang for the method used to bring pressure on employers when, in the workmen’s opinion, a strike would be hardly justifiable or expedient. Q. When was a safety razor first made?—G. A. A. The earliest safety razor was that made by Michael Hunter of Shef- field, England, in 1875, Q. In shooting dice, if one rests at an angle on another, which face is counted?—P. T. A. Each dice must lie flat on one of its own faces after a throw, other- wise all the dice must be taken up and thrown again. Q. What was the first of the mod- ern periodicals?—sS. J. D. A. The modern periodical began with the Edinburgh, 1802; the Quar- terly, 1809, and the Blackwood, 1817, all published in Great Britain. Q. Which United States Senators voted against the United States enter- ing the World War?—J. C. A. Senators Stone, La Follette, Norris, Vardaman, Lane and Gronna. Income Tax Publicity Law Target of Newspaper Attack A large proportion of the press hopes that before income taxes are paid this year Congress will repeal the provision for publicity of returns. “Let it be remembered,” says the Buffalo Evening News, “that observ- ance of the publicity provision is not confined to those who have to pay taxes. All persons who have to file | returns must fill in the pink slips. In other words, every person who has a gross income of $1,000 or more must submit his affairs to the scrutiny of Paul Pry and Meddlesome Mattie and to the racketeering gentry. There will be absolutely no privacy of purse.” “Every one who makes a return,” advises the Youngstown Vindicator, “should write on the pink sheet this year: ‘I protest against this outrage.’ The pink sheet, reviving a practice discarded a decade ago as too objec- tionable to continue, contains a sum- mary of the individual return which will be open to public inspection. was evolved by Bob La Follette, who introduced the same idea in his own State, to the great satisfaction of busybodies, blackmailers, kidnapers and business men eager to take unfair advantage of their competitors by finding out the intimate details of their business.” The Vindicator refers to repeal legisladion, and declares: “It should be passed without delay and it should be made retroactive, so that persons who make income tax returns ‘will be protected in the privacy that is their right.” “A grand chance for snoopers,” is seen by the Detroit Free Press. Going back to other years, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram observes: “In recom- mending the repeal of the publicity provision allowing public inspection covering only the amount of tax paid, which stood for two years in the in- come tax act of 1924, President Cool- idge remarked that the publicity of returns was ‘detrimental to the public welfare and bound to decrease public revenues.’ It seems obvious that his stricture was accurate. Anything which does not serve a purpose of public benefit and at the same time exposes the citizen to the curiosity, the malice or the criminal intent of others must be detrimental to the public welfare.” “Some legislators,” in the judgment of the Providence Journal, “have so far forgotten the basic principle on which American liberty rests—or per- haps have never thoroughly grasped that principle—that they are willing to vote for a totally contrary doctrine of economic and social inquisition which is peculiarly the method of Eu- ropean and Aslatic nations. Such na- tions, with few exceptions, have never known the character of liberty indig- enous to America. To exchange the integrity of this historic fundamental concept of the ordered liberty of the American individual for the few mil- lion dollars that Treasury agents, with the aid of gossipers and snoopers, might be able to pry from a comj - tively few income tax cheaters is certainly not an act either of states- manship or of common sense.” “The qyestion has been before Con- world price, we must be ready to rec- oncile ourselves to a complete loss of foreign cotton trade. It is in- itable and must follow as surely as night follows day. “These crop reduction bills, I be- leve, materially advancing the time when we shall have lost the ma- part of our cotton sales abroad. are already substantial and It | gress more than once,” the Macon (Ga.) Telegraph recalls. “In 1933 the Senate voted by 2 to 1 in favor of & plan by La Follette to give the public all of the facts. But in a conference with the House the plan was changed 5o that inspection could be made only as authorized by the President. The Democrats were 4 to 1 in favor of the public inspection, as shown by the Senate vote, and the Republicans were | evenly divided. In fact, it is not & | political question. It is rather a geo- | graphical one. The votes favoring publicity come mostly from the terri- tory west of the Mississippi, while the opposing votes come from the East.” As to Wisconsin’s State income tax and the provision for publicity, the Port Huron (Mich.) Times-Herald makes the comment: “The tax com- mission said away back in 1930 that ‘income tax publicity has proved to be almost wholly without public motive | or significance; it is used chiefly for private and personal purposes, such as solicitation, investigation of credit possibilities, data on competitors, col- lection of bills and basis for suits or other court action” Which makes it look a good deal as though somebody had put something over Congress in getting this publicity thing written into the Federal law.” “What actual illumination can be added by the best-meaning citizen as a result of this scrutiny of what the pink slip reveals?” asks the Birming- ham Age-Herald, while the Lynch- burg (Va.) Advance holds that “even if a few extra dollars should be added to the Federal Treasury, the harm that the publicity feature of the law can bring about will far offset any ad- vantage to be gained.” ‘The San Francisco Chronicle agrees that “the publicity feature is an invi- tation to the compilers of sucker lists, bunko artists and kidnapers.” A Dent in the Dented. From the Helena (Mont.) Independent. A concert soprano in Santiago, Chile, fell from a hotel window the other day and landed on an American dentist. There’s one impression the doetor had to take whether he wanted to or not. Preference. Prom the Williamsport (Ps.) Sun. A scientist tells us that mosquitoes can find food enough without having to bite human beings. As far as hu- man blood is concerned, they can take or leave it alone. The trouble is that they prefer to take it. ————— Glittering Jitters, Prom the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin, Doubtless the market will now dig up some other apprehension to prove that “all is not gold that jitters.” A Rhyme at Twilight By Gertrude Brooke Hamilton Interlude Friend who proved faithless, light of day g I can keep thoughts of you far, far away, And in the night time, when violins play, I can forget you in a world so gay .. . Plunged in purple twilight, with and night a) = W What defenses have I when the hot tears start? a