Evening Star Newspaper, March 19, 1935, Page 10

‘A—10 THE .EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition, WASHINGTON, D. C. TUESDAY. . .March 19, 1935 THEODORE W. NOYES...Editor ———— e The Evening Star Newspaper Company ‘Business Office: nd Pennsylvania Ave ce: 110 East 42nd St ffice: Lake Michigan Building ‘Eurovean Office. 14 Regent St.. London England Rate by Carrier Within the City. Regular Edition. The Eventne Staz_ "o 45e ver month v n “('whr;n ;m Sundays) 60c per month ‘The Evening and Sunday Star (when 5 Gundavs) The Sundav Star Nigat Final Edition teht Final ana Sunday Star 70c per month ight Fina) Star 65¢ per month Zollection made at the end of each onth. Orders may be sent bv mail or elephone Naticnal 5000 Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. 1ly and Sunday 1 yr.. $1000: 1 mo. RSe B:uj ony. Y1 ve "$8.00: 1 mo. s Sunday only 4.00: 1 mo 40c All Other State: ily and Sunday 1 yr. - ily only .....1yr. 1 mo. undav only 1yr. $500:1 mo Member of the Associated Press. ‘The Associated Press is exclusively en- titled to the use for republication of al news dispatches credited to it or not other- this paper and also the local news oublished herein _All rights of publication of special dispatches herein mre also recerved paida 65¢ per month e per copy yr. 1vr 80¢ Hitler's Hand Is Called. Europe has lost no time in coming to grips with Nazi Germany's mailed fist challenge to its security and to what is left of international law and; order. In a vigorous protest to Ber- | lin on Monday the British govern- | ment, speaking undoubtedly for the | allied powers in general, called upon the Germans to say whether they still desire Sir John Simon's visit to take | place within the scope and for the purposes previously agreed upon. Be- fore the day was over Great Britain was informed that Hitler is ready to receive the British foreign secretary and negotiate with him on the orig- inal basis. This does not mean that the successors of the Hohenzollern war lords are prepared to renounce their decision to adopt conscription ®nd increase the peace basis of the German Army to thirty-six divisions, in defiance of Part V of the treaty of Versallles, but it does indicate that the Reich recognizes the wisdom of discussion and delay before plunging forward with its militaristic program. facilities which has failed deplorably under the old system of competing, overlapping agencies. It is hoped the commission will justify the reasons for its formation by taking immedi- ate, aggressive steps to supply new bathing * pools, base ball diamonds, foot ball gridirons, tennis courts and other playing fields to compensate for the loss of these and other facili- ties through reclamation and beauti- fication of the Mall. This last development, long delayed, is peing carried out now, thanks to the interest and foresight of Secre- tary Ickes. But the development should not be carried out at the expensive loss of play spaces. They are becoming more valuable as the city grows and there were none too many before the Mall development cut them down. ——ee— The National Vaudeville. Donald R. Richberg, executive di- rector of the National Emergency Council, new dealer par excellence, speaking in the National Radio Forum last night, pictured the American peo- ple as engaged in a “national vaude- ville show.” The stage, Mr. Richberg said, is crowded with “political come- dians, contortionists, wise-crackers, ballad singers, crooners and exhibi- tionists.” There is no hope for America unless the “sober, sensible, hard-working men and women,” the progressive leaders of busi- ness, of agriculture and of politics, rally behind President Roosevelt and help him to put over his program Mr. Richberg's voice was raised in | protest at the criticisms which have rolled in waves against the New Deal in recent weeks. cry. It fitted in with a campaign which pictures Roosevelt as a bulwark to protect American business and American Government against the radicals. The denunciation of the “Destroy- ers"-——the radical fringe—by Mr. Rich- It was a rallying | of the Republic were religious men and they wove their hearts into the fabric of the institutions they estab- lished—the Declaration of Independ- ence is an appeal to the Almighty; the Constitution is a codification of the principles of Christian democracy, law and order. To deny the in- heritance so organized for the commog welfare of succeeding generations would be a form of treason, in effect. It follows that it is an act of patriotism to contribute to the fed- eration enterprise, and it happens, also, that it is an expression of pragmatic common sense. Churches are a bulwark against trouble, and they therefore have a claim upon the city as a civic entity. But the me- terialistic phase of the campaign need not be urged. vfi‘mt really is wanted is the rededication of individual givers to the cause whose prosperity is mak- ing Washington a happier place in which to live. No appeal is being pre- sented for insincere contributions. The federation desires spiritual support as well as financial assistance for its work, and the campaign for that reason furnishes both an opportunity and a privilege. Efforts to terrorize this country by bombing raids are pictures in imagi- nation. It must be assumed that New York would be spared owing to the| reports of so many conclaves in all kinds of languages in widely separated | parts of the city. Munitions makers are expected to perform patriotic service by providing | home defense equipment and paying ' liberal income taxes. The profit mo- | tive has its patriotic side. ———————— Photography has its moments of gloom. Few things could be more de- pressing than showing how an epi-| thet-scarred orator looked when he | was a gentle, innocent schoglboy. ———————— A revised sense of humor has as-| berg was quite complete. He Jid not overlook the conservative “Old Guard” in his hour of criticism of the op- | ponents ct the New Deal. But it is the “Destroyers” who for the mo- ministration attack, and it was against | the “Destroyers” rather than the Old Guard that Mr. Richberg was warn- ing the people. It was the necessity ‘The British note sets forth that Ger- many's action “is calculated seriously to increase the uneasiness of Europe.” What Hitler now again agrees to talk over includes a general settle- ment of European problems—a mu- tual air pact, an Eastern Locarno treaty, Germany's return to the League of Nations and a convention of powers mutually guaranteeing the independence of Austria. The con- templated settlement would, in the case of Germany, embrace agrec- ments to replace the military clauses of the Versailles treaty. In other words. instead of arbitrarily abrogat- ing these provisions, Germany is to be given an opportunity in “a general settlement freely negotiated,” to ob- tain that freedom of action which she | has just declared her intention of securing by her own act alone. The atmosphere has been materially cleared by Germany's readiness to take up matters where her brusque proclamation of last Saturday broke them off. Hitler's hand had promptly and firmly to be called if the Nazis | were not to get it into their heads that they could ride roughshod over Europe and turn the “victors” of Versailles into the vanquished of Versailles. London has talked to Ber- lin in the language of Verdun. Ger- many is told in effect: “Thou shalt not pass!” She is informed that there is a limit to her pretensions and that it has been reached with her venture to abolish and evade unilaterally the | solemn pledges into which she en- tered on June 28, 1919., Allied Eurppe serves notice that she is not yet so ab- Ject as to accept without remon- strance the Nazi plan to re-establish German military supremacy. If the Reich persists in the determi- nation to create another mighty Ger- man army, navy and air force in defiance of efforts to stabilize arma- ments by international agreement, it is a foregone conclusion that Hitler- ism will find itself surrounded by a ring of steel and iron capable of et- fectually neutralizing attempts to re- draw the map of Europe on “Greater Germany” lines. The Nazis will have to decide whether the game is worth the candle. ——e ‘Germany, if report be true, can re- cruit an army of strategists by call- ing in-a large quota of alleged propa- gandists. e More Places to Play. ‘While challenging the strict legality of establishing, without benefit of legislation, the newly formed Dis- trict Recreation Commission, People's Counsel Roberts states in his letter to Benator King that: Recreation in the District of Co- lumbia is at present badly disorgan- ized, overlapping and unsatisfactory from a functional and financial stand- point and underfinanced other than as to acquisition of land. That 1s a very concise statement of reasons prompting formation of the District Recreation Commission. As to the legality of the step, it is to be remembered that none of the agencles in charge of recreation in the District loses its identity under the new set-up; that each possesses a veto power over acts of the new commission affecting matters within its own jurisdiction; that the co-ordinating agency was created in direct response to a sugges- tion from the President and with the idea of experimenting for about a year before a permanent body is created by legislation later to be rec- ommended. It is difficult to see where the validity of the District Recreation Commission can be successfully chal- lenged, more difficult to see why it should be challenged. Formation of the commission represents the first step in needed co-ordination and cen- |of checkmating these radicals that | he particularly stressed. As Caesar divided Gaul in three parts, w0 Mr. | Richberg divided the American people |and their leaders into three groups, | the Old Guard, the Progressives and | the Destroyers. To the Progressives | he gave the palm. With them, ne said, |lay the way to safety under the iead- | ership of Franklin D. Roosevelt Without mentioning names, Mr. | Richberg scathingly denounced ‘those who appeal only to selfish emotions” and the idea that they should tecome the shapers of public opinion. And he added: “Do they (the people) real- ize the danger of having public poli- cies determined solely by appeals to | prejudice and class interests?” may ask themselves who it was that started this fashion of calling names, of denunciation and appeal to class prejudice. They might think back to earlier days of the New Deal when they discuss the question of who and what raised the feeling of class prejudice which has gained such headway that now Mr. Richberg teels called upon to denounce it. Mr. Rich- berg said that the serious trouble wilh Rome lay not in the fact that Nero fiddled while the city burned, but that the people had come to look upon | their-government as the provider of free bread and free circuses. The people, he said, had forgotten that self-government and self-support are the essentials. Yet more has been done in the last two years than ever before to turn the thoughts of the American peecple away from such sober contemplation and to teach them to think in terms of Govern- ment bread and Government enter- tainment. The executive director of the Na- tional Emergency Council sald many things last night that the sober and sensible and hard-working people of America will applaud. They may wish, however, to be “shown” before they are inclined to accept the new dealers in the role of the protectors of America against radical change. ) A scrap-of-paper war would have been right enough if it could have been been humanely limited to tear- ing up blue prints. ————— Spiritual Progress. Keen and unprejudiced observers appear to agree that a new vitality is discerniblé in the religious life of the Nation's Capital. Even indi- viduals who customarily are not in- terested in church work of any kind declare that spiritual progress is one of the hopeful signs of the times in Washington, an¢ it need rot be added that there are thousands of earnest and sincere people who will join in a prayer that they may be correct in that judgment. The annual campaign of the Fed- eration of Churches, in any case, should furnish an index for an ap- praisal of the facts. Launcheo on Friday last, the drive will continue until the end of the mofith, and its expected success should confirm the prevailing tmpression of incressing concern for worship and service in the community. Interdenominational in character and personnel, the federation aims at the development of a “more Chris- tian” atmosphere in the Federal City. It represents one hundred and rwenty congregations ~o-operating toward that end and has no doctrinal nor propa- gandistic aspect save that inherent in its purpose of striving for a hroth- erhood of faith and charity in a neigh- borhood representative of the whole population. ‘Theoretically, perhaps, it might not matter 1f Washington were utterly pagan. Actually, however, it would be tralized direction of recreation facili- ties in the District. Its aim is to bring about that development of such g 4 4 an inexcusable betrayal of American traditions to neglect Christian ideals in the Federal center. The founders A ment have become the center of ad- | Mr. Richberg and other new dealers | | serted itself. The literary world has | awakened to the fact that there is | nothing really funny about being a | cCommunist. e | Those who regard politics as a game doubt whether Germany is playing thet game according to established | ‘cnnservsuve rules and refuse to say | | “Hoyle, Hitler!” | —— e | Historians cannot fail to agree that the Versailles treaty is a rather large document to be treated es a mere | | scrap of paper. ——————————— With war threatened abroad, the free-for-all debate on N. R. A. may | perhaps be regarded as a minor inci- dent. —————— Jobn Barleycorn has always figured | as an outlaw. With or without pro- | hibition there are always moonshiners to be captured. | —_— r—e—— The new diplomacy demands re- spect for the ability to make a bad matter infinitely worse. —— SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. | Permanency. | A college issued a degree ‘With oratoric vapor, But grandpa laughed. It was, said he, Another scrap of paper. A marriage license was acquired. Such was the proper caper. It proved, though once so much ad- mired, Another scrap of paper. You pause to read a solemn screed And burn the midnight taper. And then discover ’tis indeed Another scrap of paper. So Moses wrote his words on stone Of 1aws to be the shaper. Those tables never can be known As just a scrap of paper. Conscious Energy. “Haven’t you been -engaged in some unseemly bickering?” “Yes,” answered Senator Sorghum. “I don't think the bickering will do any harm and it may be valuable in assuring constituents that although I am silent on «eally big subjects, I still possess conscious energy.” Jud Tunkins says if there Is another | war he hopes he'll have to use a high- | Power telescope to see it. | . Hide and Seek. Our Congressman has fortitude Which is with admiration viewed. He murmurs in a manner meek, THIS AN One of the biggest pigs in the fish world is the Tri chogaster trichopterus, popularly known as the three-spot Gourami. This fine fellow can eat as much as you give him without batting an eye, and only with ultimate good to himself. It almost is impossible to give him too much food. He is what might be called a three- level feeder. On the surface he has an unique way of eating, he will seize frag- ments that drop through the water and he is as efficient at getting food on the bottom as a scavenger. 1t is good policy, therefore, to keep at least one of these fishes in every so-called community tank of mixed varieties. * Kk k The only possible fault to be found with the three-spot is that he will row a bit large. 7 This, however, is really to his credit, for it shows that he is able to handle his food well and to evince the good health which growth so often spells. His size at maturity is about 4 to § inches, not counti§g the tail, which adds another inch Rather heavy-bodied, his shape is different from that of most tropical fishes kept in the home aquarium. This feature, coupled with his red- rimmed eye, his long ventral “feelers' and his sedate but pretty coloration, makes the three-spot a very fine fish all around. A word is necessary about the pop- ular name, “three-spot.” Really he has but two spots on each side, but the eye has been taken as the third, owing to the symmetrical spacing of the two spots and the eye. = During the recent “rage” for keep- ing tropical fishes the T. trichopterus was almost forgotten. Now that the hobby has settled down again to what many consider a more normal state of things, it is interesting to see this fine fish coming again into popular favor. Not only can the old three-spot be secured easily, but also its two newer cousins, T. sumatranus, popularly called the “blue Gourami,” and T. leeri, sometimes called the *“mosaic Gourami.” These three fishes are all “bubble nest builders,” a distinction they share with the famous Betta, or Siamese fighting fish, and the Paradise fish. The “three-spot Gourami” is a curi- ous combination of olive, with shade ings of violet and orange: the “blue Gourami” has a slightly thicker head and is tinted a light-green blue, and | the “mosaic Gourami” is mottled in| mother-of-pearl. The last is more | slender than the other two. A These are all nice aquarium in- mates, but we unhesitatingly prefer the old-fashioned ‘“three-spot.” 1t is long-lived, healthy, active, but not troublesome; pretty after its fash= ion; easily kept with other fishes, de- spite its size, and above all is a great consumer of foodstuffs. | have ever had any trouble in the aquarium due to unconsumed food BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. This last will endear it to all who| D THAT urally characterizes many of our aquarium inmates. He is one of the few fishes which possesses the ability to swim upside- down. The young man on the flying trapeze has nothing on him. In coming out from behind a clump of plants he ofter. finds it easler simply to turn over his back and swim out that way. The observer, on seeing him do this the first time, will get rather a shock. Another trick of his is to throw himself around in short circles re- peatedly, time after time. Occa- slonally he will resent some particu- lar fish in the tank and will pursue it around and around, keeping right atfer it with surpiising agliity. There is nothing mean in his action, how- ever, and shortly he gives over the chase and shows no more resgntment. In all these maneuvers he never dislodges a single plant spray nor in any way harms any fish or article in the aquarium. The only time he becomes belliger- ent is at spawning, when he will take complete command of the tank and chase away from his bubble nest all and sundry, including his mate. The three-spot is easily bred, and any one who wishes to see a bubble nest in operation had best choose this creature. Some 500 eggs will be laid and only about 4 to 5 per cent will grow to maturity, but this is much better than in Nature, where only absmt 1 per cent of a hatch live to grow up. More of the baby fish might be saved if the spawning were done in a 20 to 30 gallon tank, but even in a 10-gallon aquarium the amateur fish culturist will find himself with more baby Gouramis on his hands than he knows what to do with. * ok K X The three-spot has a curious habit of darting to the surface of the water for a drink of air from time to time. He is, along with the Betta and the Paradise, & labyrinth fish, that is, he has, in addition to gills, an arrange- ment which enables him to breathe air direct. The Gourami, however, is the only one of these fishes which takes his air in literal dives. He shoots surfaceward in a dash, breaks the surface film, protrudes his head and then suddenly turns over and goes down, reminding the ob- server of the great porpoises. At times, in a tank of young | Gouramis, a sudden mob spirit will seize upon them, and one after the other they will dart to the surface, like so many piscatorial rockets. » * ¥ % ¥ These interesting habits are sec- ondary, however, to the complete dis- posal of food which they make. This is where they shine. The favorite position of the three- spot in eating is mouth to the sur- face, where, by setting up currents in the water by suction, he draws into | his capacious mouth food from all parts of the water table. He will stand in this position for minutes, gently waving his long thread-like feelers in a sort of rhyth- mical motion. We do not know of other fishes ex- cept the Gouramis which so feed, particles. Even the most careful feeding of the popular dried foods will at times result in too much food being put in the tank. but there is never anything to fear when Trichogaster trichopterus is around. Normally it is best to buy and keep fishes in pairs, or at least what the by himself. - He is a very innocent-appearing fish, lacking much of that “fishy” look which so completely and so nat- Laboratory Prof. William J. Humphreys of the Weather 3ureau uas a new explana- tion for the strange phencmenon of the “blue :noon”—observed so seidom that the term has become a Dprpu- lar symbol for infrequency. Since one was reported in Cali- fornia a few months ago there has been much speculation among phy- sicists about its possible causes. Dr. Humphreys' solution would make the “blue moon”—nonestly observed by a sober man—very rare indeed, out en- tirely possible. The moon could appear blue he says, only when it happened to be located in exactly the right position in the western sky just after sundewn. It always would be a quarter moon. The sun, just below the horizon, still would be illuminating the earth and the lower atmosphere—its light comjng througn serrated breaks ir a cloud bank piled up on the horizon. This light would just graze the earth, passing througn the denser strate of the atmosphere close to the surface. Practically all of its blue light would be filtered out, with the result that there would be only red, orange or yellow streaks. Such is noi uncom- mon sunset phenomenon. But some light of the descending sun woud be thrown over the tops of the cloud peaks or the mourtains “For trouble I shall never seek. It seems to be of little use For me to offer this excuse, Since trouble, as you plainly see, ‘Wil still persist in seeking me.” Documentary Evidence. “Did Mesa BiH get into society when he went to Chicago?” “Sure,” answered Cactus Joe. “He has receipted bills to prove that he hired a dress suit for three different occasions.” Unadorned Vernaculars. If you sometimes exclaim “by gosh,” Why that's okay. Through foreign tongues we've had to slosh A weary way. If any crisis now awaits To bring dismay And you just talk United States, Why, that's okay. “Folks dat say ‘I told you so0’,” said Uncle Eben, “simply shows dat dey wasn't of enough importance to get deirselves paid attention to.” P Propaganda That Is Not Propaganda To the Editor of The Star: * 1 see where the Senate has voted to make an investigation of propa- ganda which it claims the utility companies inspired against the hold- ing company bill. This is all right, but why doesn't it investigate the inspired propaganda and the ac- tivities of lobbyists in.favor of the bonus? It appears to be propaganda men it comes lroh:‘ utility lnv::t?l.u patriotism w] inspired bonusaires, W. BENNETT. - \ also | Summer and Autumn of 1831. and this would be predominancly blue. Herlce, if the sky was very clear, it would be entirely possible for the ob- server to see a stratum of red or orange light just below a stratum of intense blue light. Now, if a very rale quarter moon happened to be ideally situated so that it was in this blue light streak and there was an especially sharp contrast with the colored light under- neath it would be apt to appear blue to the sober observer—at least for a few minutes. There probably have been more blue moons than anvbody has noticed, since nobody has locked for them. In any event, the pale blue moon is not so rare a phenomenon as the vivid green sun. Dr. Humphreys himself saw a “green sun” once, as his train was pulling into Montreal. He and another Washington scientist observed it in the early morning, when the air was filled with smoke from the loco- motive. The smoke obviously was filtering out all of the sunlight spec- trum except green, Locomotive smoke does not ordinarily do this. On this particular day it must have contained some pecullar chemical compound— possibly some form of sulphur—which accounted for the phenomenon. Both blue and green suns were ob- served in India after the great erup- tion of the volcano Krakatoa in 1883. This spread a dust sheet over the atmosphere practically around the globe and resulted in a year of the reddest sunsets ever known. The green suns, however, were not ob- served outside the immediate neigh- borhood of the volcano itself. A curious greenish-blue sun appar- ently was quite commonly observed in the Eastern United States durtl;g the was undoubtedly due to.fine dust in the upper stratosphere, resulting from volcanic eruptions that year. Among other things, this “green sun” served to set off the slave in- surrection in Virginia known as Nat [} i dealer swears is pairs, but the three-| | spot sems to get along very nicely all STARS, MEN AND ATOMS Notebook of Science Progress in Field, BY THOMAS R. HENRY. |and it is invaluable for the well- | managed aquarium, since all finer | particles of food, which many fishes | will not eat, are thus completely con- sumed. | Where will one find a prettier, more interesting, better behaved, | more hardy or satisfactory fish than this? To those who have not tried the old-fashioned “three-spot Goura- mi” we recommend it, with the hope that they will get as much pleasure from its possession as we and many | others have. and Study. | Turner’s rebellion. It was considered | a sign from heaven that the time was | ripe to strike. During a time of green sups the moon also would tend to be green or blue, since moonlight is only reflected sunlight and must pass through the | same atmospheric obstructions before | it reached the earth. > ¥ ok | The United States has just passed | through its fifth remarkable Winter, says J. B. Kincer, chief of the cli- matology section of the Weather | Bureau. All five have been much warmer than normal. Each has had a single excessively cold section set down in the midst of exceptional warmth. This cold patch has shifted curiously. In 1930-31 it covered only the northern part of the State of Utah. In 193132 it had spread out, but with diminish- ing intensity, over all of Utah and most of the section west of the Rockies. There it remained fixed in the Winter of 1932-33 But by the next Winter, as Wash- | ington well remembers, it had shifted | all the way across the continent and | covered the northeast, bounded ap- proximately by a line running from | Virginia to Maryland. There it re- mained this past Winter, only shifting a little northward. In fact, says Mr. Kincer, since the Winter of 1917-18 there has been a remarkable trend to warm Winters in the United States, Tifteen out of the 17 have been warmer than normal. About half of them were warrer than normal in practically all sections of the country, Only two could be con- sidered as cold—1919-20 and 1928-29— when the entire country is considered. Especially unusual, according to Mr. Kincer's records, ha$ been the procession of Februaries. In the Northwestern States 11 of the past 12 have averaged more than 10 degrees warmer than normal. * ok % % Will the great drought of 1934 be repeated? It all depends on what happens in April and May, Mr. Kincer believes. Up to date there has been a surplus of rainfall in the Mississippi Valley States, which were especially hard hit last Summer, but there has been only about half the scant normal precipita- tion in the Great Plains States east of the Rockies, and unless they accumu- late a big surplus before Summer an- other drought is practically inevitable. East of the Mississippl Valley belt there has been another rainless styip this Witner extending west of the Ap- palachians from Ohio to Florida, but this is not causing much concern at present. It was not drought-stricken last year and more abundant rains are expected this Spring. Well-Named Undertaker At Damariscotta, Me. To the Editor of The Star: Reading in a recent issue of The Star a list of curious coincidences in names and occupations here in Wash- ington, I would like to add that of “Dymore,” an undertaker in Damaris- cotta, Me. His name and place are to be seen just as you cross the bridge from Newcastle. MARY V. PENNINGTON. § D. C, TUESDAY, MARCH 19, 1935. Holding Companies and | Depreciation Reserves ‘To the Editor of The Star: Your “Holding Companies” editorial is incdeed a Star editoriall As its sequel, perhaps you will make clear the fact that the public even now owns not less than 60 per cent of all electric, telephone and railroad utilities, and therefore possess ample rights to 60 per cent of the votes in any stockholders’ meetings of such organizations. The present public’s ownership in such utilities centers in the depreciation reserve, which is pubiic money, and which is now in the hands of the holding companies, but from the beginning should have been deposited in the public treasuries as accrued. The depreciation now amounts to about 60 per cent of the original cost, or prudent investment of the propert.es, and has rested at about that figure for some time. It is now realized, and even admitted in public hearings, that the depreciation re- serves of the above-named services have come to their mean tide, and no concern need be expressed as to its ever getting much over or under the 60 per cent level so long as the prgp- erties continue as going concerns and so long as the depreciation fund is fortified by insurance on the prop- erties. The rates charged for services in- clude the taking from the public of a sum each year for the purpose of restoring to the investor his invest- ment, or, in lieu of that, to replace the property and start the cycle over again. Until it is so used, the fund belongs to the public. But it is left! in the hands of the managements of the utilities. The public is careless like that, and the managements have | assumed ownership in the fund. The| interest it earns, which is enough to| double itself every 15 years, should be paid into the public treasury, but it goes to the stockholders as divi- dends. Or the fund is invested in plant enlargements, the earnings of which should go into the public treasury, but instead more stock is issued to the public (widows and orphans) and the new earnings are diverted as dividends. There is another possible handy use for this depreciation fund. holding company is organized and acquires control of a utility having its 60 per cent reserve fund. Since con- trol is secured of the utility, control is gained over the depreciation fund. It mignt very well be taken to pur- chase comtrol of another utility, which | in turn also has a substantial depre- ciation fund accrued, and that fund may be used to buy control of still another utility, and so on. If the depreciation fund of all utilities were placed in the public treasury, where it belongs, it would just about offset three-fourths of the public debt, and the public debt should be enlarged each year in the same ratio as the utilities must enlarge their physical plants by true invest- ment, and depreciation is accrued thereon. Then the original investors, and the new investors creating the enlargements to the plants, may look to the depreciation deposits in the same light as we regard the minor | bonds our Government is now cffer- ing us. That is to say, the money is there if we actually need it, no more and no less, regardless of the stock mar- ket’s nervous system. As matters now stand, we hope that BY FREDERI 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. When and where is the Inter- national Exhibition of the Bookplate Assoclation to be held?—M. E. A. The eleventh annual exhibition will be held in the Los Angeles Muse- um, May 1 to June 1. It is open to all and entries will be received up to April 10, Q. Is Aconcagua the second high- est mountain in the world?—B. T. M. A. It is not. It is the highest mountain on the South American continent, but many peaks in the Himalayas are higher. Q. What is the name of the song that Ggace Moore sang on the bal- cony in “One Night of Love"?—F. P, A. It was “Sentre le Libre,” an aria from “La Traviata.” Q. Do dogs have two sets of teeth?— A. They do. They cut their milk teeth at about 6 weeks of age and these first teeth remain in a variable length of time. Many dogs begin los- ing their first teeth around 5 months. ‘The bigger the breed of dog, the earlier the permanent teeth come in. Some of the larger dogs have a complete set of permanent teeth at the age of 7 or 8 months. Q. How many people live in the Vatican City?>—B. W. A. According to the latest published statement there are 1,006 residents of Vatican City, of which 710 are citi- zens. nate, “One man’s meat is another man’'s poison”?—R. N. W. A. It is an adaptation of a line from *“Lucretius,” which is literally translated, “What is food for one may be fierce poison to others.” Beaumont and Fletcher used it in “Love’s Cure,” as follows: “What's one man’s poison, A | signor, is another’s meat or drink.” Q. Among what birds specimens appear most often?—E. B. A. They are more common among blackbirds, crows or robins than any other types of North American birds. Q. What is a native of Yucatan called?—F. W. A. He is called a Yucatecan. Q. How many prisoners are kept on Devil's Island?—C. P. A. Devil's Island is one of a group of French penal islands and is re- served for political prisoners. There are about & dozen prisoners there now. They live in separate bungalows in comparative freedom. Escape from the island is, however, practically impos- sible. Q. Are the Rand Gold Mines in South Africa operated by the British government?—E. M. A. They are operated by a number of private companies under govern- ment control. e . Q. Please explain the Mexican six- year plan—E. G. A. The so-called six-year pian of rehabilitation for Mexico was an- | the utilities still have the depreciation | fund we deposited with them, but | much has happened to such things in the last five years, and none of us has ever seen a published accounting of those funds, beyond a blank state- ment that the books show such funds amount to about 60 per cent of the original investment. This is the accrual by the book. Let us admit this. According to the bocks of accrual, the public now owns 60 per cent of all established utilities. Sixty per cent of the stockholder's voting rights also. Well, let us forget it then, and con- tinue our indignation over our traffic troubles and parking spots, while the widows and orphans and very aged citizens follow where the holding com- panies may lead them. R. H. HARSH. Freed Prisoners Menace To Law-Abiding Society To th~ Editor of The Star: In a recent issue of The Star you printed a letter by E. E. Dudding, who speaks strongly in favor of the Parole Board, and from his letter one gathers the one thought that Dudding favors the criminal more than he favors the protection of law-abiding society. The criminal is jailed for his repre- hensible acts on the innocent public, and it is rather discouraging to a court when sentencing a criminal to prison that some Parole Board is liable to turn him loose the next day. Criminals are sentenced by the courts to a term in prison and under that sentence the criminal has two hopes—one is that his time will rapidly pass—the other is that the Parole Board will turn him loose on an early day that he may resume his criminal career. Dudding says how desperate the prisoner becomes in his confinement and how if all prisoners were kept in prison it would turn our prisons into outposts of hell. What are our courts for? What are our prisons for if not to protect law-abiding citizens against racketeers, gangsters, kid- napers, murderers and what else have you? We read of paroled criminals re- arrested and returned to prison for violation of parole rules, which proves that parole means nothing to the criminal and the Parole Board has sidetracked law protection. Parole boards have proven to be nothing less than a menace to law- abiding society, and why the char- acter of a criminal is more damaged by serving his full term than a small part of it is something for mathema- ticians and statisticians to figure out. Of ~ourse, there is sympathy for the criminal because he is what he is, but any one who sympathizes to the extent of turning him loose or contributing money in that direction is either criminally inclined or very soft-hearted. W. J. DERMOTT, Why New Jersey Is Rated As a “Foreign” State To the Editor of The Star: The designation of New Jersey as a “foreign” State, to which reference was recently made in the “Answers to Questions” column in The Star, may come from the time of Bona- parte, but I think that he was not the cause of it. The State of New Jersey formerly levied a tax on every one traveling through the State on the railway. My father told me he had paid it many times. is tax had nothing to do with foreigners, but was paid by ‘ll travelers passing through the State. Hence the pub- lisher of the New York Ledger used to advertise his paper as “For Sale Throughout the United States and New Jersey.” H. B. HASTINGS. —_——————————— Proof. Jersey City Journal. nounced by ex-President Calles June {17, 1933. It is analogous to that of {the Soviets in that it abolishes the | profit system. A large public works program is projected, included irri- gation works, sanitation, the con- struction of highways and the mod- | ernization of national telegraph. Spe- | cial attention will be given to rail- ways and aviation, also to hygiene. | A new agrarian department is set up, ! many schools are to be erected and the “Mexicanization” of industry is to be advanced by restricting the em- ployment of foreign technical experts. ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS Q. Where did this quotation origi- | do albino ‘ C J. HASKIN. The pian provides for the direct ine tervention of the federal government in foreign trade by means of a com- mission of control of imports and exports and a board of standards. Q. Can one House of Congress ad- journ without consulting the other? A. The Constitution says: “Neither House, during the session of Congress, &hall, without the consent of the other, adjourn for more than taree days, nor to any other place than that in which the two Houses shall be sitting.” Q. How much has immigration fal- len off since 1929?—R. P. A. In that year the number of immi- grants to this country was 279,678. The decline has been rapid since, and in 1933 only 23,068 immigrants were admitted. Q. Does snow improve fa land?—J. D. H. s A. Snow is called the “poor man’s manure.” This is because it protects crops against Winter kill by blanket- ing the top layer of soil from freezing. It also fills up the subsoil with moisture when it melts. In addition, snow actually has some fertilizing val- ue, since it contains some combined nitrogen and sulphur. Rain and snow together will put about 4} pounds ammoniacal and 1’2 pounds of nitrate | nitrogen into an acre of soil yearly. This amounts to about 6 pounds of nitrogen, which may be expected as the gain to the soil in one acre from a Winter’s precipitation. It is the equivalent of about 40 pounds of com- mercial nitrate of soda. | Q. Is a scar considered reliable as | a characteristic for comparison in | searching for a criminal’s fingerprints ‘\;ho has a long cgiminal record?— . C. | A. Fingerprint experts in the Bu- | reau of Investigation, Department of | Justice, disregard the presence of a | scar in connection with their search- ing, inasmuch as the finger may have | been scarred subsequent to the taking %f] the fingerprints that appear in the es. Q. Why do hunters | coats?—G. C A. Red is the color of the British royal livery. It is said that this color was adopted by huntsroen because fox hunting was declared a royal sport by Henry IL Q How many deaf children are there in the United States?>—M. S A. Of the ten million deaf persons in this country, three million are chil- dren. Of this number, two million were born deaf. wear red Q. How much fusel ofl is there in whisky>—W. W. 8. A. The average quantity is one- fourth of one per cent for alcohol of 100 proof; that is, 50 per cent of al- | cohol by volume. | Q Who first rode n a glider’— | K. L. A. John J.eMontgomery was the first man in the world to ride on | wings. In 1884 he constructed the | historic “gull” monoplane. Its single | curved wing, 20 feet long by 415 feet | wide, was covered with waxed silk. A movable tail guided it up and dow The operator, sitting on a little sad- dle below, maintained sidewise bal- ance by swinging his body toward the high wing when the machine was struck by a gust. Like the wings of a seagull, the main supporting surface arched downward. Q. How much was the old Spanish doubloon worth?>—J. 8. H. A. It varied in value. From 1730 to 1772 it was worth about $8.24; from 1772 to 1786, $8.08; 1786 to 1848, $7.87. The coinage of doubloon has ceased, but those still current are worth about $5.00. Justice Holmes Oliver Wendell Holmes, the Great Dissenter of the Supreme Court, has | taken his place among American im- mortals. On the death of the famous jurist and philosopher in his ninety- fourth year, the press unanimously accorded him rank with the small group recognized by history as the country’s greatest men. “Personally beloved by all who were favored with his acquaintance, and honored by two generations of his fellow citizens,” says the Pasadena (Calif.) Star-News, “Justice Holmes has left his impress, not only on the law, but upon the general history of the Republic. “He was glorious among men,” de- clares the Birmingham (Ala.) Age- Herald, with the further estimate of his place as an American: “Somehow, in this death, there was more of ex- altation than of despair—at least for those to whom he always was more | a spirit than a person. For many, per- haps, consciousness can encompass no more than the devastating loss of a precious presence, the retreat into the shadows of a beloved and uniquely real companion. But for the rest who only were privileged to sense him from afar, there still abided in poignantly realized actuality much, if not all. that Oliver Wendell Holmes meant. That grand spirit lived on with a strange impact, with a new clarity, as it de- parted its temple. And through years of memory it will live on.” Quoting John Morley’s opinion, 30 years ago, that Justice Holmes “was the greatest judge in the English- speaking world,” the Kansas City Star says that if Mr. Morley were living today, “he would have no cause to revise his tribute.” “Inheriting a great name,” states the New York Herald Tribune, “he bore it forward and adorned it with 8 personal distinction of his own. Few men of our time can so truly be called great. Because he was a chal- lenging voice in the deliberations of the Supreme Court, because he re- tained to advanced age his youthful outlook on life, because he was one of the keenest minds of his time, the country will mourn him. But even more it will grieve for his warm heart, his great understanding and his wice tolerance. Few men have served their country with greater distinction. Mr. Justice Holmes was much more than an expert in the law. He was more than a wise and constructive inter- pgggr of the Constitution. He was a Tepresentative of the best that America has produced.” “His place is fixed with the great- est in the aistory of American juris- prudence,” according to the Buffalo Evening News, which also refers to him as “a nobls humanitarian.” The Milwaukee Journal avers that “it is one of the noblest and most useful of American lives that is closed in ‘Washington—a life that carried in it something of the stability of the Re- public, and the amazing power of the Nation to ‘evolve peacefully and in- telligently{ to meet changed condi- tions.” The Journal feels that “it will ever be the monument of Justice Holme,u' that he changed our Supreme “share the wealth” movement is | Court. “Added to this command of the - caused him to be referred to, on more ~ ) 1 Takes Place Among Immortals of Nation | than one occasion, as ‘the wisest man | now speaking and writing in_the | English language.'” The Asbury Park | Evening Press avers that “because he | completed a career so rich in enduring | contributions, the Nation is richer for his having lived.” The Scranton (Pa) Times states that “his intellect | brought the distinction thai justly | puts him into the annals as a truly great and honored American, repre- senting the finest type.” “Like Washington,” declares the Baltimore Evening Sun, “he upheld old Americanism at a time when the | bulk of his associates were afraid to do so. If he exhibited no great origi- nality, he did exhibit tremendous character, and in the long run it is character, not originality, that molds. manipulates and refashions the | world.” The New York Sun also re- marks that “on *he threshold of 94, as at the gateway of life, he was a gentleman unafraid, frightened by | neither men, nor ideas, nor change |itself.” The Youngstown Vinidica- tor pays the tribute that “he was a | fighter to the end and he had the | satisfaction of knowing that the rights of the people were more se- cure and the country was a better place because he had lived.” “He had a literary quality which made its habitual appearance in his | well modeled judicial opinions,” states | the Providence Journal, while the | Grand Rapids Press also speaks of |“a rare mastery of English.” The Ann Arbor Daily News credits him with helping “to humanize the Su- preme Court” and the Charleston (8. C.) Evening Post concludes: “He had a fine sense of humor, an under- standing of human nature, a strong and wholesome patriotism which im- pelled critical judgment of national policies for the honor and righteous- ness of the Republic.” A Plea for Old Clothes For Benefit of the Poor To the Editor of The Star: Now that Spring is approaching and “clean-up,” “paint-up,” ete, is 1n order, why not gather all the discarded clothes, hats, shoes and “whatnot” to- gether and telephone the Salvation Army, who will be glad to call for them, renovate and give them to the poor? That will be better than giving to a “rummage sale” to make a few dollars for your church or lodge. E. ROBERT ANDERSON. A Rhyme at Twilight By Gertrude Brooke Hamilton. In the Night The softest sound that night can reap Is rain on the roof of a house asleep; In the constant drip on the window pane One can almost dream 1'te a child again. The loudest sound that night can make 1Is rain on the roof of a house awake; Like bullets pelting upon the breast Of one who dares not sleep or rest! »