Evening Star Newspaper, April 1, 1935, Page 8

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition, WASHINGTON, D. C. MONDAY........April 1, 1835 - THEODORE W. NOYES. . .Editor The :I::: = Office: 4 e 11th 8t. and iinnulnnh Ave. :"D fce : 14 o £ Erenine e Reen e ning and Sunday Biar (when 4 Sundays) . 60c per month The Evening and Siar (when 5 Sundays) -65¢ per month The Sunday Star. ... B¢ per copY Night Final Edition. t Final and Sunday Star. 70c per mont| mt’;l Star. o Buwnum: llection made at the end of each month. | Orders may be sent by mull or Teiephone National 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. Daily and Sunday. .1 yr.. $10.00; 1 mo.. 85¢ Daul; only. .. 1 - .00: 1 mo.. Bindayonty: 122211 3 $400; T mo: d0¢ All Other States and Canada. ily and Sunday. 1 yr., $12.00: 1 mo.. $1.00 fl: only. . J1yr. 384 Sunday only. 50c ‘Member of the Associated Press. Tre Associated Press is exclusively en- titied 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. ANl rights of ‘bublication of special dispatches herein are also reserved. _——— Closing the Ring. ‘While the Moscow communique summarizing the Eden-Litvinoff-Stalin negotiations disavows the intention of bringing about “the isolation or en- circlement of any states,” it must be plain to Germany by this time that Europe is fiercely determined through collective action to guard itself at all points against the Nazi peril. Great Britain and Soviet Russia are fully | agreed upon the necessity of providing security through arrangements for mutual assistance, as contemplated by the Anglo-French accord of Feb- Tuary 3. The Moscow conversations had security in the East primarily in mind. To effect and maintain it, the Anglo- Russian communique points out, the participation of both Germany and Poland “would be welcomed, as afford- ing the best solution of the problem.” Between the lines of that statement is the warning that if the Germans and the Poles decline to take part “in the organization of security,” they will find themselves confronted by a group- ing of force dedicated to the accom- plishment of that purpose without their assistance. Unmistakably the ring is closing around would-be trouble-breeders. ‘The British have revealed no liking for commitments outside of their im- mediate sphere in Western Europe. Among the things borne in upon Capt. Eden by his Soviet hosts was that a Germany, with or without Polish help, that contrived to impose its will in Eastern Europe could not long be expected to suppress aggressive ambi- tions in regions closer to the English Channel. Thus, problems now of im- portance, more directly to the Soviet Union and its French ally, to Austria, to Czechoslovakia and to the other . Little Entente powers, sooner or later {.would assume magnitude for Great Britain. It can hardly be doubted that * the “exploratory” missions of Sir John Bimon and Capt. Eden in Berlin and Moscow have gone far to convince the British government that it cannot afford, in its own interests, to stand aloof from a general European security agreement in the teeth of Hitler’s re- armament challenge and territorial revision plans. At Moscow during the Eden visit there was unofficial talk about a “Far Eastern Locarno,” in which the United | States would be asked to participate. It was occasioned by Russian fears of a German-Japanese alliance which some day might compel the Boviet to do battle simultaneously on both its _ western and eastern fronts. Japan .. has taken prompt occasion to scotch the Locarno rumor, saying flatly that ‘Tokip contemplates neither any such pact nor any alliance with Germany. It is scarcely necessary for Washing- ton to disclaim American interest in a8 “Far Eastern Locarno.” Our ex- perience with the nine-power pact has not been such as to generate enthusi- asm for new ventures of that nature. European events of the next two or three weeks will carry further the plans for making Germany realize the hopelessness of achieving her purposes through reversion to pre-war mili- tarism. The Anglo-Franco-Italian conference at Stresa on April 11 and the League of Nations Council a few days later are certain to bolster the defensive structure which the allied powers are steadily rearing against Nazi pretensions and threats. ——————— An appropriation of nearly five bil- lion dollars will not be grudged by _ posterity if it affords the relief for which it is intended. In the golden future American billionaires will be as plentiful as millionaires are now. ——— The War on Disease Advanced. Described as of intense scientific " interest because it may aid greatly in the study of the phenomenon of immunity, the process under- lying body resistance, a discovery is Jjust announced from Ithaca, where two workers in the laboratories of Cornell University have succeeded in isolating in pure crystalline form from white beans a substance which may lead to a material advance in the fighting of disease. This substance is & hemagglutinin, which causes the red blood cells to stick together and thus promotes the process of im- munization. ‘This is not to be regarded as an fmmediate, direct advance toward the cure of hitherto obstinate diseases. It is merely a step in that direction, but & most important one. It is now hailed by pathologists as an assured #id in the field of controlled labora- tory methods as distinguished from empiricism, ' or experimentation. If the discovery at Ithaca is as described, the natural agglutinins and thereby to promote the curative process. Stated briefly, the agglutination of cells is one of the “defense mecha- nisms” of the animal organism. It is & process which the body employs to fight certain germs. Immunity to typhoid is given as an example. In- Jection of the typhoid vaccine causes the germs of that disease to stick to- gether, and when they are thus “bunched” it is easier for the white blood cells, which have been styled the policemen of the blood stream, to attack and destroy them. If now a laboratory-made agglutinin has been found in crystalline form, the process ‘of immunization for perhaps other diseases caused by malevolent factors in the blood will be advanced. Thus the importance of the dis- covery lies in the fact that it is now possible, it would seem, to cause the agglutination which is necessary in order to open the way for a success- ful assault upon certain diseases. Much work doubtless remains to be done in the laboratories to assure re- sults, but the way seems to have been opened for remarkable advances in curative and defensive measures. ——— The Works Bill Joker. President Roosevelt's work relief bill has pursued a difficult and tortuous course since it entered the halls of Congress. When the conferees of the Senate and House had reached a com- plete agreement on the bill and the amendments adopted by the Senate, it seemed that the end of discussion, beyond a protest in the Senate against the dropping of the silver inflation amendment, was at hand. Not at all. The conferees had inserted a “joker,” a provision that one-third of the sums | expended for public works should go | for labor on the spot. Secretary Ickes, who has been head of the P. W. A. and knows what he is talking about, insists that it will be impossible | to carry on public works projects of real value to the community and the | Nation with any such provision in the law, that the proportion of expendi- ture for labor immediately on the project proposed is too high. The cost of sites, material and transporta- tion requires a greater percentage than could possibly be allowed under the | language of the bill as it comes from | conference. Mr. Ickes is backed up | in his position by others who are familiar with the costs of construction. | Much of the money that goes for labor is used in the manufacture and trans- portation of the materials. If the conferees have written into | the bill a provision that was in| neither the House bill nor the Senate | 1 bill, they have exceeded their authority | and the conference report would be | subject to a point of order. Some of | the Senators claim this to be the case. The fact that the Senate placed in the bill the so-called Russel! amend- ment, fixing certain limitations on the wages to be paid out of the funds car- ried in the bill, is argued by others as giving the conferees a right to open up the whole question of what shall be paid for labor. However, the effort of the conferees to see that one-third of the total allotted for a project shall go to labor on the spot seems to go far beyond the immediate question of wage scales. President Roosevelt has been ap- pealed to and the House leaders have indicated that they will abide by his decision in the matter. The passage of the relief bill has been delayed so long that every effort should be made | to have the measure in proper and‘ }warkable form when it finally goes | | to the President for his approval. 1A day or two more, added to the weeks and months, will make little material difference. Work relief is a costly manner of granting succor and a costly manner of constructing public works. Robert Moses, park commissioner of New York City, in a statement made yes- terday, has indicated just how costly work relief is. He said that it costs just twice as much as private con- struction. With four billions of dol- lars of public funds to be used in work-relief projeects, the public will get just one-half as much work done as if the money was expended in the usual way for construction projects, if Mr, Moses states the case correctly. That is something for the public to think over. However, in the nature of work relief, it is proposed to give as | much employment to as many per- sons as possible, rather than to get the maximum amount of work done. It would be a grave mistake, how- ever, to place a limitation on the ex- penditure of hundreds of millions of dollars of this work relief appropria- tion, which would make it impossible to construct projects that are really needed and of great value. If such & provision remains in the law it may mean the use of a vast amount of money for the kind of work that was done under the C. W. A.—made work, the sweeping up of twigs and the cleajing of land. = B —— By keeping out of war America may hope to eat sauerkraut in peace with- out reverting to the clumsy practice of calling it Liberty cabbage. ——— e Another Tariff Treaty. Haiti bulks very inconspicuously in the volume of the United States’ for- eign commerce, yet the conclusion of a reciprocal tariff treaty with the| Port au Prince government is not without significance. The agreement signed with it at Washington last week is the fourth pact concluded since Sec- retary Hull undertook his reciprocity program. Previously, treaties had been made with Cuba, Brazil and Bel- gium. Negotiations are being con- ducted with thirteen other countries. As in the case of the accords which preceded it, the treaty with Haiti is & model of reciprocity, with a square deal for each contracting government as its hallmark. It will run for a minimum of three years and there- after indefinitely, unless denounced by tions on a wide variety of American commodities, such as electrical ma- chinery, apparatus and appliances; radio equipment, sewing machines, fresh meat, canned goods, dried fruits, dairy products and lard. On a num- ber of other American imports, in- cluding glass, iron and steel pipe, automobiles, trucks, sutomotive ac- cessories, prepared beef and pork, the Haitians agree not to raise rates above the present levels. ‘The number of items upon which reductions in duty are granted by the United States to Haiti is not large because few important products im- ported from Haiti are dutiable. Duty- free admission into this country is to be continued for Haitian coffee, cocoa beans, sisal fiber, logwood, bananas and ginger root, and reductions are provided in the present American duties on rum, fresh pineapples and mangoes in preserved form. The duty on rum is cut in half. In view of the large proportion of Haitian im- ports already admitted into the United States duty free, our principal con- cession consists of the guarantee of continued tariff-free entry. In one year imports thus admitted have amounted to as much as eighty-five per cent of the total. Secretary Hull is making a con- sistent record in the reciprocity field. Impending negotiations with Canada will constitute perhaps the acid test of his policy. Not only does our trade with the Dominion represent an im- mense and valuable volume, but all ti elements of tariff give-and-take are present in the concessions which each country seeks for its own products. Selfish interests on both sides of the border may be relied upon to fight to the bitter end for specific advantages to a given trade or industry, oblivious |to the general good. These are in- escapable accompaniments of inter- national tariff bargaining, but if the common-sense spirit of Yankee horse trading is permitted to prevail, it should not prove impossible to arrive at agreements that do justice broadly to national interests, even though here and there a local disadvantage may not be avoidable. ‘The Hull reciprocal tariff program is practical exemplification of Amer- fca’s “good neighbor” policy in in- ternational relations. The Secretary of State’s persistence and patience in promoting it deserves the country’s cordial support. —— e Many economists are inclined to suspect that in order to meet foreign gambling competition Uncle Sam may as well have a few sweepstakes of his own. — By turning over a few pages of his- tory Secretary Ickes may be persuaded | to a philosophic attitude. Being Sec- ertary of the Interior has never been guaranteed as an easy job. ———r—— A shift in social responsibilities tends to burden the State Department with most of the hard thinking and an extraordinary amount of hard work. In addition to her undoubted emi- nence as an airwoman, Amelia Ear- hart as a public figure has the ad- vantage of taking a most agreeable photograph. K SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Diversion. Our literary impulse we are cherish- ing with care. We use it on the printing press. We hear it in the air. But we number 'mongst our orators conspicuously those Who, like the Moliere student at the first attempt, write prose! Might it not be a sweet relief in fili- bustering time If those who can compose in prose should also write in rhyme, Or like the bard who swept a harp in stately measures croon Or even sometimes introduce a bit of jazzy tune. When figures are becoming so re- markably immense That they reach out from the present far into the future tense, Let’s ease the situation on a literary plan By employing a few numbers that melodiously scan. Art. “Has art a place in politics?” “Unquestionably,” answered Senator Sorghum. “N. R. A. has shown us that o man can expect to carve a niche in fame for himself if he is nothing more than a clumsy chiseler.” Jud Tunkins says don't say “I told you so.” It's & sort of prophet motive that's liable to get in the way. Getting Over It. The day of “April Fool” is past, We're going safe and sane Wt last, In hope that all our folly may Be held to one brief holiday. Polite Incarceration. “Do you think you can keep that desperado in jail?" “I don’t know,” answered Cactus Joe. “We're doin’ our best. We have fired two cooks he didn't like, given him credit at the licker dispensary and subscribed for all the magazines. But somehow we don’t seem able to keep him satisfied.” Artificial Radiotion. ‘The warmth has been surprising In the circles of debate. The climate needs revising For the humble and the great. And temperament and temperature Car't seem correct and neat Till we secure a season sure For turning off the heat. “Drinks and automobiles don’t mix,” sald Uncle Eben. “What happens to de driver may not make so much dif- » way has been found to control the | ejther country on six months® notice. | ference, but it is s shame to apoil study of the chemical composition of | Haiti grants substantial tariff reduc- |good machine.” A \ . THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON; D. C., MONDAY, APRIL 1, 1835. THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. Walking in modern city traffic, sharpening the mind, often helps solve mental problems. Try it the next time thoughts re- fuse to come promptly. Not every one can use this remedy, of course, but for those who can it pays big dividends. It will seem to many to be a real - pen, but which many. have a sneaking belief is possible, after all. Surely a pedestrian who manages to find good in traffic conditions is something of & magacian! Yet any one can be this modern wizard simply by hklum.mm. or, rather, not taking thoug! * % % % The secret of the thing is not to consciously think about the problem at hand. Suppose it is some knotty situation in business whose solution is not ex- actly clear to one. Or one may have “got out on the wrong side of the bed” that morning. Too much merrymaking earlier, perhaps. ‘Whatever may be the cause, the old thinking machine does not work as readily as it might. It may be that the victim has the privilege of smoking a pipe and look- ing supremely wise while he is doing it. m'nm is one of the advantages of the pe. No other form of smoking will do it. A cigar may make a man look im- portant—at least in his own opinion— while a cigarette may cause a girl to seem sophisticated, but a pipe is the instrument which gives the illusion of intelligence. Even some old fellow who perhaps hasn't a thought in his head looks su- premely intelligent while puffing away solemnly on a pipe. * x % Even the smoker, however, may reach a state in which no thoughts come at all. He may fool others, but he can’t fool himself. Then the time has arrived for a turn through the downtown streets. If, while walking, one attempts to solve & problem, he will find that it eludes him. Not only will the solution escape, but an automobile may strike one. The way to solve both these problems | at once—how not to get run over, how to think of what one desires to think —is deliberately to keep ideas out of the head as much as possible. This may seem a strange way of thinking, to those who have not in- vestigated the phenomenon in other fields. Those who may have made some study of the mind and its workings, in even the most elementary form, will realize that this is at once the sim- plest and surest way of starting thought processes. * k %k % The late Emile Coue, a much mis- understood man, knew it well. His idea of the repetition of “Day by day, in evry way, I'm getting better and better,” was not something to be laughed at, but a very practical, | shrewd idea right out of the mind of a very shrewd, practical man. There is saild to be no shrewaer man alive than a French peasant, White House announcement that President Roosevelt—“in person,” as they say in the movies—will supervise the expenditure of the $4,880,000,000 work-relief fund means more than meets the eye. Probably the true inwardness of the emphatic denial that Messrs. Hopkias, Ickes, Tugwell and company are going to direct the distribution of the billions is that the average member of Congress is in- clined to throw a fit at the bare sug- gestion of such a thing. The reason is that the officials in question have a reputation on Capitol Hill of being nca-politically-minded. With a natu- ral desire to bag the largest possible slices of work-relief pie for their re- spective communities, Senators and Representatives are not keen to do business with New Dealers of that type. So F. D. R. will assume full responsibility for doling out the . It goes without saying that although his dictum will be the last word on all occasions, the President will rely to & wide extent upon the counsel of his administrative aides, as well as on that of Admiral Peoples and of Gen. Robert E. Wood, who will head the advisory board. The net of it all is that politicians with work- relief axes to grind will at any rate be able to lay their troubles before the President instead of submitting thern to men whom many members of look upon as officials lacking in political u:du:t-wdlng. * * * As the huge work-relief project ap- proaches the stage of actuality, Re- publican agitation over its political effects mounts higher and higher. The G. O. P. is filled with genuine alarm that the dollars will be roll- ing just about the time they will be most useful l!m- g:mog:;“kh “eu:.- paign purposes in 1936. cal do not disguise their fears that they will be under a correspondingly heavy handicap in trying to depopularize the Roosevelt administration and the New Deal. They envision a repetition of their sad experiences in 1934, when, they claim, it proved utterly impos: Claus.” * k¥ X Democratic leaders profess to be utterly unconcerned by the recru- lican activities, as anything except Their argument will be s0 wm;x;dmr:; COVi 80 indubitably fime that the country will turn in Coue knew better than most that will power, as such has its limitations. Therefore, he attempted to subs tute imagination, as he called it; stead of asking a sick person to de- clare himself well, he merely required of him that he imagine himself so. Most good doctors.do the same, if no more than by a good bedside man- ner, which cheers the patient, gives him hope, and stirs his imagination toward thoughts of recovery. If he wants to say, outright, that day by day, in every way, he is getting better and better, who with any sense would say him nay, or laugh at him for his simple pains? ‘Well, it is so with thought in almost any department. Sometimes the more we strive and strain toward a solution of any given problem the surer it is to escape us. | * % % & Every one knows how it is with sleep. “To sleep on it” means to get rest before deciding on a problem. Sometimes a brilliant solution 1s given in sleep, not as a dieam, but simply as the resuit of giving over conscious intelligence ror awhile. No one should think any the less of conscious “taking thought” because now and then one can get best re- sults from just the opposite action. Make the mind s blank, oa the | given problem, and let the master mind of the brain take care of the situation for a time. This solution is as old as the hills, but always is new to him or her who just finds it. * % ¥ While walking in traffic deliberately, let that very deliberateness be enough of conscious thought. Look at the people, the automobiles, the stores. Keep an eye on the lights, put not too much trust in four-wheel brakes, nor fear too blindly the taxi driver who delights in racing up to the red light. A walk of a few blocks, when under- taken as a relief from futile thought, or thinking which somehow is not up | to one’s usual standard, may do a great deal of good. And then again it may not. One should not promise too much, | for, after all, it is a personal experi- | ment, but what helps one may help another, in all likelihood. Fortunate is the worker who is not s0 bound down by clerical routine that he must deprive himself of this help- ful way to better and more abundant thinking. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. exchange of handshakes, greetings and wisecracks. * x % *x Secretary Hull keeps plodding away persistently and patiently at his task of lining up the nations ready to do reciprocal tariff business with Uncle Sam. The treaty just signed with Haiti is the fourth pact concluded within a period of nine months—the others having been effected, in the order named, with Cuba, Brazil and Belgium. Negotiations with 13 more countries pending. with Canada will follow the conclusion of recent hearings at the State De- partment, during which interested American industries had their day in court. Sectional groups, reluctant to surrender advantages under existing market for such things as lumber, catile and fish, but Secretary Hull and Gov. Harold G. Hoffman of New Jersey is apparently first in the field with an honest-to-goodness organisa- tion looking to the 1936 Republican presidential nomination. The “Hoff- man-for-President Club” of Bergen County has just filed articles of in- corporation at Hackensack, N. J. *x x * *x Representative Samuel B. Pettengill, Democrat, of Indiane, received a clip- ping the other day from an Atlanta newspaper, in which he was de- scribed as & Tory. “But,” the Hoosier Representative says, “the fellow who sent it along compares me with Pat- rick Henry, so that mekes it about even.” (Copyright, 1938.) Improper Conditions At Arlington Tomb To the Editor of The Star: Reading Carleton K. Lewis’ com- ments on the neglected conditions of Arlington Cemetery recently, might I add to his suggestion that the enor- .| mous piles of horse manure piled in the cemetery entrance be removed Prom the Pontisc (Mich.) Press. Kemal seeks to simplify the Turkish language. Seems as if “gobble, gobble, gobble” were down to the irreducible minimum. i Men From Missouri. From the New York Sun. tee has & surplus. There must be a lot of veteran Democrats who ask just to look at it. After-Tax Holiday Needed. the | Prom the Louisville Courier-Journal. has no men are annusal March business after Discussions | The Political Mill I il L ] aying with the Supreme Court the constitutionality of the N. R. A. is not helping the administration any with the people generally. It has be- come increasingly evident that the Government has sought to avoid & final test on the law. * K kX ‘The Supreme Court can aid and abet the administration in its effort to shove aside a test of the N. R. A. law by agreeing to the request of the Department of Justice to dismiss the appeal brought by the Government in the Belcher case. The Government lost the case in the lower courts and took an appeal to the Supreme Court. It had to go that far or admit that the lumber code was unconstitutional last October when Federal Judge Grubb decided against the Government in the Belcher case. The disruption of the Lumber Code Authority would have happened then, instead of now. But the Supreme Court does not | have to -dismiss the appeal in the | Belcher case, unless 1t wishes to agree to do what the administration wants it to do. The court has full discre- | tion to grant or to deny the request | of the Government in this matter. The matter may be settled today. | The court comes back into session | after a recess, and the Government, if it is going to ask dismissal, as the department has announced, will not wait, it is believed, until the last | minute. The case has been set for | hearing April 8. ' * k% X An assault on the administration's attitude in the Belcher case is being made today by two members of the Senate Finance Committee, now con- sidering the extension of the N. R. A. for another two years. Senators Clark of Missouri and Hastings of Delaware, a Democrat and a Republican, are asking the Senate to raise its voice in protest against the administration's unwi to have the constitu- tionality of the N. R. A. settled by a decision of the highest tribunal in| the land. A resolution requesting the Attorney General to stick to his guns and go through with the Belcher case before the Supreme Court was today | offered in the Senate by the two Sen ators. There seems a very sound reason, | from the point of view of Congress, for a test before the Supreme Court| of the constitutionality of the N. R. A. | 1t has been called upon by the Presi- | dent to pass another N. R. A. law, ex- | tending the life of that agency and the code system for another two years. | In the light of the bill which has been sent to the Senate Finance Commit- tee by Donald R. Richberg, chair- man of the N. R. A, and which has Jjust been introduced in the Senate by Chairman Harrison of the committee, the constitutional questions should be settled. If Senator Borah and other members of the Senate are right, the new bill is more full of holes, con- stitutionally, than the present law. A The administration, through Mr. Richberg, has sought to speed up the | passage of a bill to extend the| N. R. A. after June 16, when the| | present law expires, by warning the | members of Congress that strikes in | | many industries will be sure to ma- | terialize unless something is done. The N. R. A, however, has not proved wholly successful as an| averter of strikes in the past. There | was, for example, the textile strike ! last year, which operated on a big scale in & big industry. The truce | {reached in the coal industry by the workers and the operators has tended to reduce some of the alarm on Cap- itol Hill, however. Senators are not, they say, going to be rushed into passing an N. R. A. law until they have had time to find out what i is all about. The testimony before the Senate committee reveals many con- tradictions on the part of persons in industry from the statements made by Mr. Richberg regarding the opera- tion of the N. R. A. and its alleged success. * k ok x It looks as though another show- | down might be coming very soon in | the administration over the matter of spending money. The spenders— those who wish to shovel the money out as fast as possible—are ap- jparently in the saddle. Those who |are at least conservative enough to wish to see that the Government gets value recefved, to be sure that the money designed for relief goes for relief and to see that politics is kept as far away as possible from the dis- bursement of the money, are perhaps in eclipse. The question of speed in spending is made paramount. Get the money out, is the shout. If that is to be the policy, the administra- tion had better watch its step. It may put money in circulation, but that money may find its way into pockets that have nothing to do with relief rolls. . * Xk % % Senator Long of Louisiana is au- thority for the statement that Presi- dent Roosevelt would have headed & third party ticket in 1932 if he had failed to win Lomination at the Demo- cratic National Convention in Chi- cago. If the President had done so— for example, after the nomination of Al Smith by the Democratic conven- tion—he would scarcely have gotten to first base. Heading a third party is no easy matter, as the late Col. Theodore Roosevelt, could testify. Col. Roosevelt, who had been President and who had a nuge personal fol when he made the effort in 1913 to bring a new perty into power, failed completely. A third party, headed by Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932, might easily have resulted in a Re- publican victory. If Senator Long himself undertakes to head a third party anderun for President in 1936, he will probably cause atremendous amount of uncertainty smong the politicians and in the country. He is scarcely likely to break into the ranks of Republicans who voted for Hoover nor to capture many of the Republicans who voted for Roosevelt in 1932 and who say they regret now doing so. —_——— A Political Puzzle. From the Worcester (Mass.) Gazette. A question somebody ought to ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. A reader can get the answer to any question of jact by writing The Evening Star Information Bu- reau, Frederic J. Haskin, director, Washington, D. C. Please inclose stamp for reply. . How narrow a crack can light go through?—C. L. A. The narrowest slit through which light can pass is equal to two wave lengths of light, which is approximate- ly, one twenty-five thousandth of an inch. Q. How long has Virginia had an annual garden week?—E. C. A. In 1928 the Garden Club of Vir- ginia sponsored the first Historic Gar- den week. Q. Why aren’t vacant lots in New York' City used to raise vegetables for the poor?—V. N. A. Between 5 and 10 thousand plots on vacant lots in New York City will be turned over to home relief fami- lies this Spring for the raising of | vegetables for their own use. Q. Please publish something about the ice caves near Flagstaff, Ariz— L. L. A. There are several of these caves east of Flagstaff near Sunset Moun- tain, but perhaps the largest one is about 30 miles northwest of Flag- stafl. This is known as Government Cave. These caves are in basaltic lava, and ice § found in them during the entire year. Basalt is a very poor conductor of heat, and during the| Wintertime ice is formed in the caves, and it remains through the | Summer. The Government Cave | ranchers remove the ice during the | Summer for refrigerative purposes, but it forms again the following ‘Winter. Q. How many acres does the Chi- | cago Art Institute cover?>—R. B. ’ A. The institute, in Grant Park at | Adams street, facing Michigan avenue, | covers eight acres. Q. Is Axel Munthe, the author of “The Story of S8an Michele,” living? Is his home on Capri open to the public?>—E. M. | A. Dr. Munthe is living. He recov- ered his sight through an operation which he underwent in Zurich. His public. Q. What is the musical instrument which can be played merely by ex- tending the hands over it>—J. V. | A. The RCA Theremin is a de-| velopment of the Therminvox, an in- vention of Prof. Leon Theremin of the Institute Physico-Technique of | Leningrad. It is a musical instru- ment operating entirely by electrical | circuits. It has no stops, keyboards, or any of the other mechanical con- | trivances with which musicians must labor. TRe music which can be ob- | tained from the device depends upon | the operator only, and the motion of | his hands with respect to two elec- trodes, one for controlling volume and the other for controlling pitch. Q. Did Alfred Tennyson have s brother named Turner?—L. K. eldest brof of n, the English poet. He mmm of Turner under the will of a relative, In the lines “Midnight” he is com- memorated by his brother. In col- laboration with his brothers, Alfred and Frederick, he by Two Brothers” in 1827. Q. Did many German Jews go to Palestine in 1933?—F. P, A. In 1933 11,174 Jewish ref; W!‘;l' Whereas only 1,948 German Jews went there from 1920 to 1933. A. Apparently the baptismal pgol did not exist until at least the fifth ] when it was found necessary, through the growth of cities, to obtain facili- ties other than the rivers or streams, which has been used up to that time. Q. How is the acoustic quality of an auditorfum balanced?>—M. B. A. It is a matter of properly ad- justing the sound absorption of the interior 80 as to obtain the optimum reverberation time—not too great, else the sounds will be confused with each other, and not too small, else the room will be too dead. Q. What year since the World War is Jooked upon as the nearest to nor- mil? What were the expenses of the Federal Government in that year?— G.C. W. A. The year 1926 is usually cited as the nearest normal of recent times There were no relief and other ex- traordinary expenses. The cost of oper- ating the Government was $4,225.- 000,000. Of this approximately 80 | per cent would come under the head of compensation for services, pensions, bonuses and the like. Q. When were guinea pigs first used experimentally for the advancement of medical science?—J. A. B. A. The exact time is not recorded. 1t is believed that the eminent French chemist Antoine Lavoisier (1743- 1794), was one of the first men to use guinea pigs in this fashion. La- voisier’s contribution to the advance- ment of science consisted in his re- search on biological oxidation and respiration, which has greatly aided both physicists and chemists. Q. What proportion of motion pic- tures are original?>—A. C. A. Forty per cent. Plays adapted from the classics, novels and short stories account for 40.5 per cent, and those adapted from stage plays and musicals constitute the remaining 19.5 per cent. Q. What is meant by accumulative maiking in relation to students’ re- ports>—J. J. G. A. It generally refers to marks of several months or semesters or years Y | home on Capri is not open to the | Which have been brought together and form an accumulation of marks. Q. Does alcohol contain vitamin:* —E. W. A. It does not. Q. Do California and Florida fur- nish England with oranges?—B. J. A. The largest shipment ever landec at Southampton was a cargo of 41,000 cases of oranges from Jafla. Spain and the East furnish England with citrus fruits. Q. How long and wide is the White House?—C. S. E. A. The White House is 165 feet front and 80 feet deep and is built of white freestone with Ionic pilasters, comprehending two lofty stories with | stone balustrade. Of Relief Contr Newspaper observers suspend judg- ment on the merits of the charges exchanged between Federal Relief Ad- | ministrator Hopkins and Gov. Davey | of Ohio, but there is general agreement on the necessity for a full airing and in the belief that the incident is liable | to have important political repercus- sions. Of what has happened since the Federal administrator took over con- | trol of relief in Ohio, the Columbus Citizen says: “He has acted to abolish 60 superfluous administrative jobs at an initial saving of $10,000 a month. He has ordered county administrators to take similar action in their own offices—to ‘get the chiselers off the pay roll or be chiseled out yourself.’ He has ordered payment of relief al- lowances in cash instead of grocery orders to all who desire it among the million Ohio recipients of direct doles. He has suspended administrative em- ployes who are under fire in the pres- | ent ‘shakedown’ investigation, pend- ing determination of the facts in the | case. He has, in seven days of hard, intense work, applied himself to his Job—the job of keeping destitute | Ohioans fed, clothed and sheltered— | regardless of the politicians’ barrage that whistles about his head.” | “What the President wants” says the Cincinnati Times-Star, “the people of Ohio want also. There have been very serious charges from both sides; light should be let in from all direc- tions. In the meantime, elemental justice demands that the people of ©Ohio shall not condemn their Gover- nor even under a direct charge from the White House until much fuller information has been furnished than is available at the present time.” It is believed by the Akron Beacon Journal that “the only hope of the charges being threshed out lles with the grand jury and the Federal De- partment of Justice” “The poor are the sufferers,” says the Youngstown (Ohio) Vindicator, “and President Roosevelt was right in stating that they must not be per- mitted to become ‘the innocent victims of either corruption or political chi- canery.” It should be added that from now on the Governor should see that politicians have & wholesome respect for the relief administration and give it a wide berth. The State and his own reputation will benefit if he concen- trates on doing a good job and forgets litical fences.” mf‘l;’:mcu!u care,” advises the Louis- ville Courier-Journal, “is imperative for the protection of relief funds; be- cause they are administered jointly with the States and because great lati- tude necessarlly is allowed State ad- ministrators. It is, to say the least, significant when a Democratic na- tional administration takes issue with the Democratic administration of H politically important State like Ohio. “The charges almost certainly will have political repercussions in next year’s campaign,” according to the St. Joseph (Mo.) News-Press, which offers the advice: “The suggestion has come from a number of quarters in the past that the American Red Cross should be the agency to handle the Federal relief funds. That agency has been called upon frequently to answer is, How many third parties does it take to make a third party? deal with emergency situations arising from floods and other disastrous con- Judgment Suspended on Merits oversy in OQhio are evidently being allowed to fal! where they may. This is all the more striking because Ohio is an important pivotal State, necessary to the Roose- velt campaign next year. It would seem, therefore. that just in the crisis of the works relief bill, when signs of non-partisanship are particularly needed, the administration gives evi- dence of its political impartiality. Democrats in Congress are annoyed. Their party regularity is jostled. An unpleasant odor is abroad, and they would have much preferred to keep the lid on. Yet the country generally should have more confidence in the President because he did not hesitate to lift it.” “If the row is over who is to do politics with the huge expenditure, it is contemptible,” asserts the San Francisco Chronicle, and condemna- tion of the politics of the situation is | voiced by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The need of a full investigation is urged by the McKeesport (Pa.) Daily | News, the Buffalo Evening News, the | Hamilton (Ohio) Journal, the Canton (Ohio) Repository, the Eureka (Calif.) Humboldt Times, the Rock. Island (Ill.) Argus and the Lincoln (Nebr.) | State Journal. The Moon’s Pull. Prom the Wichita (Kans.) Eagle. Pull of the moon hifts America as much as 63 feet away from Europe in a year. That would be fine except it takes us closer to Japan. Profitless Panning, From the Wichita (Kans.) Eagle, There is a lot of panning going on in high circles today. But it isn't producing much precious metal. —_—————————— Persecution. Prom the Flint (Mich.) Journal Now Nevada joins the other States wanting to put a tax on bachelors. It is wicked the way they are perse- cuting the forgotten man. Pink Slips as a Starter. From the Toledo Blade. Pink slips were intended merely as a beginning. Seems to have been ex- pected eventually to have agents of the Government look under the bed. Another Collection Under Way. From the New York Sun. Power policies touched on at Wash- ington now and then point elearly to formation of the world's greatest col- lection of yardsticks. A Rhyme at Twilight By Gertrude Brooke Hamilton In Transit E-tc.lz:venm in the crowds I saw her She brought into my mind no special On:tlv;:'nmm thought of eyes quite ditions. Its administration has never been tainted with fraud. It has not been charged with playing politics, nor with waste and extravagance.” Science Monitor com- ‘The Christian ments: “In Ohlo, the A And of love I never wooed or knew. The other day I missed her in the throng. Ah, well! A lost note in life's even- song.