Evening Star Newspaper, May 10, 1940, Page 10

The Foening Htar With Sunday Morning Edition. THEODORE W. NOYES, Editor. WASHINGTON, D. C. Y. May 10, 1940 ' The Evening Star Newspaper Company. Map Offis: 1123 8. and Penmazivanis Ave. Chltoro Offcss 35 Movth Ave. * Delivered by Carrier—City and Suburban. a Subtey J5e et tmo. ot 18c per wee fi:n%:en::l SHar ™Y 256 Ber mo. of 10 per week 1] inday Star - 10c¢ per copy st g g B ™ Tube Delivers. Evening and Sunday Star ing Bty Gollection ma SIch week, Order one National 5 Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. F"’ and Sundsy..1 ar. $12.00: 1 mo. 81,00 iy only " 1 8.00: 1 mo.. % ly- 1 5.00: 1 mo., &5c per month 80c per mont™ 85¢ per month B3¢ per month 10c per copy Ich month or may be sent by mail or tele- Associated Press is exclusively entitled to the use for republication of all news dispatch d to !t or not otherwise credited in t Paper and also the local news published herein. Al rights of publication of svecial dispatches herein also are reserved. —— Zero Hour The zero hour has struck on Europe’s western front. Hitler's most feared blitzkrieg has come with all the ruthlessness and violence of modern, mechanized barbarism. The . neutral soil of inoffensive Belgium once more is being defiled by the grinding heel of German aggression —and a similarly shocking fate has * befallen peace-loving Holland and . tiny Luxembourg. Their only sin is that they stand in the path of a . carefully planned drive by the Reich’s formidable war machine against her democratic adversaries, France and England. The move came with dramatic suddenness—signifi- cantly at the height of the British * cabinet crisis. Britain no sooner had . bared the weaknesses in her armor than Germany decided to thrust a well-timed dagger at allied vital spots—inferior air forces. Goering's vaunted air power is being given its supreme test—with savage and omi- nous initial results in the Lowlands and in France. The crime speaks for itself. But this much is clear in all its stark reality: On the outcome of the long- awaited German smash in the west well may hinge the entire fate of the allied cause and of European democ- racy. The nearness of a decision on whether Germany is to hold and use the channel ports should impress Americans with the critical stage at which the war now has arrived. France and England face squarely the necessity of retaliating with a hard and devastating blow at Ger- many. There can be no minimizing the immediate peril in which the German invasion of the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg places the allied cause. Unlike Norway, where an allied failure had only a secondary influence on the course of the war, the Low Countries are so strategical- ly located that their fate is bound up inextricably with that of Britain and France. If the allied cause is to be saved from disaster German military might must be met with a flery and » masterful counter-offensive which will wrest the Low Countries from the hands of the invader. Excuse for German violence—that the allies were plotting a blow at Germany through Holland and Bel- glum, that the little kingdoms were conniving in a plan to overthrow the German government and that they failed to take military precau- ““ tions in the direction of the allies . equal to those taken on the Ger- - man border—is sophistry of the =~ usual Nazi brand. Who among unbiased, sensible peoples can be so naive as to swallow such utter non- " sense? The charge that the allies . were contemplating invasion of Hol- land and Belgium obviously is as brazen and false a contention as the mendacious Nazi regime ever has had the effrontery to make. . The absurd- ity of it is so patent that the German case will receive not the ’" slightest credence from intelligent ' persons. Obviously, the allegation is part of a formula which Fuehrer Hitler has evolved from a long study of the most ruthless precedents. It was the excuse Germany used in Norway and it is the excuse she will use again if she decides to loose her thunderbolts over Southeastern Europe. Ingredi- “ents of the Nazi formula are, first of all, a false charge of conspiracy against the Reich, followed imme- diately—and without opportunity for negotiation—by a violent blitzkrieg, " of which the attack on Holland and "' Belgium is as perfect an example as .. has yet been offered. Reported misuse of the Dutch uniform, which is a particularly cowardly piece of work, clears up some of the mystery about the dis- covery of truckloads of Dutch army elothing on the German border at . various times in recent months. It is a variation, of course, of the Nazis’ “Trojan horse” technique used so effectively in Norway. The allies have pledged immediate aid to Holland and Belgium in re- sponse to appeals from Brussels and The Hague. The big test of the allies is at hand. They deserve every blessing in that test that far-seeing Americans can give them. e ———— Pan-American Science The meeting in Washington this week of the eighth American Scien- tific Congress, with the leading scien- tists of twenty-one nations gathered for exchange of ideas on the funda- mental problems of civilization, may well become an historical event of the first magnitude. In the past there has been a far closer co-operation and understand- ing between Europe's acientists thase of this hemisphere than Be- tween the sclentists of North and 1 South America. This has been nat- ural. Europe has been the center of the world’s culture. Pérhaps, even after the present holocaust, it will remain so. It has been the home of ideas. The New World;, north and south, bas been the scene of their technical applications.. Now its {deas have been diverted into a very nar- row channel, Politically and economically there have been close approaches between North and South America since the first World War. These approaches were natural responses to common problems. But the intellectual life of the two continents has remained divided. There has been a certain difficulty in fusing a Saxon and a Latin frame of thinking. The United States has looked to London and Berlin, Latin America to Paris and Madrid. The political and the economic spheres of human activities, how- ever, are closely bound up with the intellectual and cultural’ No eco- nomic partnership, no political alli- ance, rests on secure foundations without a common field of interest outside those lines. Partners in busi- ness are not necessarily friends. Men concerned with the theory of rela- tivity almost necessarily are friends. It is this sort of friendship which the eighth American Scientific Con- gress hopes and expects to promote. Cold Realism? Elsewhere on this page today The Star prints a letter from a corre- “spondent who signs himself “Cold Realism.” The letter is a well-ex- pressed statement of a rather widely held point of view. But is the writer as “coldly realistic” as he fancies himself to be? The Star agrees with the writer that internaticnal friendship and moralism on the part of nations can be, in so far as sentimentality is con- cerned, eliminated from the argu- ment. Nations do not go to war for friendship’s sake, to raise the stand- ard of international morality or, unless they have been duped, to pull anybody’s chestnuts—except their own—out of the fire. War propa- ganda twenty-three years ago, and the disillusionment of the post-war period. have, it is true, implanted the idea in the minds of many Ameri- cans that we were duped into the last World War by clever allied prop- aganda and that our reason for en- tering the war was to “save the world for democracy.” That is a form of propaganda which is being cleverly utilized today by propagandists of various ideas. We entered the last war to defend certain rights the protection of which had been a traditional part of our national policy and, while there are many people who can tell us what we lost in this effort, nobody can tell us what it might have cost had we stayed out. The. Star does not believe that we were tricked or duped into the last war by propa- ganda. There was plenty of prop- aganda then and there always will be. But propaganda and slogans— such as saving the world for democ- racy—are the accompaniment, rather than -the cause, of any considered determination by a nation to go to war. - A nation goes to war to protect its own interests—not the interests-of anybody else. The step that leads to war may not be worth fighting .about., It is the next step, and the next, in anticipation of which na- tions usually go to war. ‘Where Mr. “Cold Realism” forgets his realism is in his statement that a -German victory “involves no menace to the United States.” Maybe not, but all the evidence and common sense point the other way. With dic- tators ruling most of the world as the result of a German victory, there would be a_distinct menace to the United Statés. And if the United States enters this war—which would be a calamity—it will be in defense of its own interests, not the interests of ‘the allies ‘or anybody else and not because of ethical con- siderations of right or wrong or the morals of nations, past or present. What is best for its own interests will be decided by mature and delib- erate consideration of the: future of this country and the Western Hemi- sphere in a world ruled by dictators who, having enslaved their own peo- ple and subjugated others, consoli- date their gains and look across the seas for new worlds to conquer. Hopson Indicted Howard Colwell Hopson has fallen upon evil times. In the wake of the collapse of his billion-dollar utility empire, a Fed- eral grand jury in New York has indicted the erstwhile bookkeeper for mail fraud and conspiracy, alleg- ing that over the nearly two decades in which he rose to power, Hopson, with the assistance of three asso- ciates, extracted more than twenty million dollars in unlawful profits from the now bankrupt Associated Gas and Electric system by stock manipulations. The maximum penalty for convic- tion on the nineteen counts of the indictment would be ninety-two years’ imprisonment and a fine of forty-six thousand dollars. Hopson was a product of the “fab- ulous twenties.” He started his climb with the purchase—on bor- rowed funds—of the old Associated Gas and Electric Company, which operated utilities in Central New THE EVENING STAR, remembered in the Capital for the merry chase he led House and Senate committees in the summer of 1935, when he was wanted for questioning in connection with the powerful lobby maintained by the utilities’ interests in an effort to kill the hold- ing company bill. Eventually located “somewhere in New Jersey,” he came before the House Rules Committee and ex- pressed vigorous opposition to “these committees prying into private affairs.” Later he headed off a con- tempt citation by going before a special Senate investigating com- mittee. He showed further reluc- tance to testify when the 8. E. C. had his affairs under inquiry about eighteen months ago, and a few days ago refused once more to talk when brought before the grand jury which has just returned the true bill against him. The fact that Hopson has been indicted, of course, does not mean that he is guilty. He is entitled to receive and will get his day in court. S———— The D. C. Bill The revised 1941 District supply bill, reported to the Senate yesterday wifh $1,405,623 added to it, is the result of painstaking and:conscien- tious work by the Appropriations Subcommittee, presided over by Chairman Overton. It does not take care of all of the city’s needs, but it goes as far as the Senate group could go under the present fiscal situation, without forc- ing the Commissioners to raise the tax on real estate, which already bears too large a proportion of the local tax burden. When the bill passed the House six weeks ago it appeared unlikely that the Senate would be able to add any- thing to its total without raising property taxes. The House also had approached the bill with an earnest desire to keep expenditures within estimated revenues, and even after that ‘branch had cut more than a million dollars from the Budget esti- mates, it was figured that the re- maining $48,291,717 total would leave an $800,000 deficit in the city’s gen- eral fund at the close of the fiscal year, June 30, 1941. It developed in the Senate hear- ings, however, that this deficit was foreseen mainly because of the new law permitting half of the income tax levy to be paid in October of each year. The Senators found that 1f the District treated all 1940 income tax payments as part of the 1940 fiscal year anticipated revenue, and followed the same course next year, they could restore a substantial sum to the House bill and still not raise the real estate rate for the coming year. The subcommittee is to be com- mended for proceeding on this the- ory and thereby making possible inclusion in the bill of many essential items. The subcommittee also dis- played care and commendable judg- ment in selecting the purposes for which this additional money should be spent. For example, it added twenty-five policemen to help combat crime. It allotted a large part of the total Increase to the school system, includ- ing sites for three future buildings. It gave some of the health and wel- fare institutions added maintenance money and authorized a $150,000 revolving fund to start the food- stamp plan for needy families here. The full committee yesterday showed its confidence in the work of the subcommittee by ratifying all of these changes, and also authorized Chairman Overton to offer in the Senate the amendment necessary to provide for the Scott Circle under- pass out of local funds already avail- able, and to be built under the Federal-aid highway system. Those who handle local appropria- tions in both Houses have agreed to leave the Federal payment toward the bill as a whole unchanged for another year, at the present lump sum figure of $6,000,000. In the near future, however, Wash- ington is going to face heavy ex- penditures for major improvements that will make a more equitable and permanent basis of Federal payment imperative and the new Congress which meets in January should seek such a solution. A New Crime? In the rather sad life of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, the great ques- tion was to be or not to be; in the life of the local taxi pilot, it is to talk or not to talk. The problem arises from a new ordinance, whose legality is about to be tested, requir- ing cab drivers, if they would show the sights to passengers or discuss Washington, to take out a guide license at ten dollars a year, thus disproving the bewhiskered ° old adage that talk is cheap, There is a strong feeling abroad in the land that the average Wash- ington hacker could never stand the strain of being gagged, and would pay many times more than the fee required, although he -would never quite understand why he should have to hand over a ten-spot for speech when the Constitution says it is free. Theoretically, he could play safe and keep mum; practically, he would ptobably blow up under-the stress. It would be difficult for him to remember that it is still O. K. for him to follow his present. custom of complaining about the crying need of a good southpaw on the Nats and at the same time all wrong for him to point out the Grimith Stadium, to say nothing of the halls of Congress national debt. In the inter- humanity—jail is no place WASHINGTON, D. C, Calls for Realistic Foreign Policy Writer Fears Sentiment Will Fog American Attitude on War To the Editor of The Star: “There appeared in a recent issue of your paper a letter from D, 8. Snell of Schenectady in which he described Hitler as “a master of this earth, prob- ably the greatest natural genius the world has ever seen,” solemnly an- nounced that “Armageddon is here,” pleaded for realism in our war attitudes, and vigorously concluded that we should at once wade into the European mess to save eivilization. As a preface to my comment on this letter, may I say that I am a neutral, holding no brief for either Great Britain or Germany. At the same time, I enter- tain an old-fashioned notion that there are at least two sides to.every case. I attempt to take a judicial attitude, free from emotion. I agree with Mr. Snell only as to his plea for realism; for it is undoubtedly true that the American people are today stumbling in a fog of unrealities. A major unreality is the bland as- sumption, born of wishful thinking, that there exists on the earth such a thing as national morality. This is fol- lowed by a second erroneous assumption that the side we are for is moral, while the side we are against is immoral. The truth is that what is known as the na- tional interest, and not the Ten Com- mandments, always controls every nation. The sovereign corporation has no soul. ‘We work up our blood pressure when Hitler lies his way to success, overlook= ing the fact that international diplo- macy is made up largely of deception, and that no country ever keeps a prom- ise when it interferes with a major national program and the promise may, with reasonable safety, be broken. The United States, when under no special stress, deliberately violated its treaties with the Indians again and again, and more recently invalidated its promise to pay obligations in gold. Napoleon, acting for France, broke treaty after treaty and all of the rules of the deca- logue, but he is adored by the French; and they would, if they could, follow him as wildly today as they followed him yesterday. We fondle the idea that the nation we do not favor is an aggressor, while the nation we do favor is a nonaggres- sor. The fact is that all strong, virile peoples are aggressors. That applies to the United States; we acquired a sub- stantial part of our domain by conquest. Because of her aggressions Great Brit- ain holds 25 per cent of all the land on the globe, and boasts that she rules 100 per cent of all the waves. By compar- ison the possessions of Germany are modest. Great Britain has spent 56 per cent of her lifetime in war, while Ger- many has spent 28 per cent. Nor has Albion given up any of her loot in re- pentance, so she can hardly say that she has reformed. Of course, nations never repent; their vilest abominations are glorified permanently in their school books. The views of many are distorted by the conclusions that one government is a friend and protector of small neutrals, while another is an enemy and destroyer. History quite clearly proves that this is not true. As there is no morality be- tween nations, there can be no friend- ship. What passes at times for friend- ship—and changes with the wind—is a cold, coincidence of national interests. Britain is again wooing Russia, and if we were to get into the war, quite pos- sibly the Stalinites would be our brothers in arms. As a general rule, the small neutrals in Europe exist, not because they are deserving peoples and God has smiled upon them, but because the strong nations wish to use them as bumpers, and so save the expense of Maginot and Siegfried lines. For ex- ample, if before the present contest, Holland had decided by popular refer- endum to become a part of the German. Reich, Great Britain would have gone to war to prevent the elimination of the Dutch bumper. When small nations are not useful as bumpers, and at the same tme are valuable—like the Boer republics in South Africa—they usually are taken over. Another unreality resides in the com- mon contention that in-. the-.second World War, as in the first, there is an issue respecting democracy. Most of the governments of the past have been dictatorships; they are nothing new. ‘Whenever a country reaches such a condition of distress that it may be called seriously ill, a dictator Is neces- sary; there must be one physician in charge whose prescriptions will be im- plicitly followed. A democracy is a good form of government for a nation that is well, but it does not function effec- tively in periods of severe stress. It could not be made workable in the Ger- many of recent years. We canceled our Bill of Rights n 1917, and urnless we can’ cure our present ailment arising from the unemployment of men and money, & dictator will most likely arise in the United States without assistance from Europe. Particularly obnoxious and unreal is ‘the principal conclusion in Mr. Snell's letter, which, reduced to simple terms, is, that the United States has an obli- gation to underwrite the major quarrels of the British Empire and permanently guarantee her existence. This is utter folly.- We were struck down by that ob- session in 1917 and lost fifty billions plus. Another venture of the sanie-kind would give us bankruptcy and a dictator. ‘The present war, which Great Britain and France declared .against Germany, arose primarily from an attempt to pre- vent Germany from recovering her old properties, Danzig and the Polish Corri- dor. If Germany wins the war, and has the ability and ambition ascribed to her, she will expand into the Ukraine, which is near’ home—not into the. United: States, 3,000 miles away—and that will keep her busy for a long time. ‘The allied propaganda in this country is now being developed exactly as it was developed during the first World War. And the effects are much the same; we seem to learn but little from experience. The distorted concepts which admittedly fooled us in 1916 and 1917, are fooling FRIDAY®, MAY 10, 1940, THIS AND THAT By Charles E. Tracewell. “LAKELAND, Fla. “Dear Sir: “Referring to your column in The Star for 34 and the discussion therein as to bathing habits of cardinals, I would like to state that in the six years & bird bath has graced my garden I have regularly observed a pair of cardinals bathing. “The little chirps of the female have generally been what attracted my atten- tion, although often it is the splashing and fluttering of wings. She seems to be saying to her mate, ‘Come on in, the water'’s fine.’ “After several immersions and splash- ings she fiies up to the overhanging oak tree branch, and her better half will then descend and go through the same performance. They are timid, and if & bolder bird such as the blue jay or the mockingbird attempts to bathe At the same time they will retreat, but as soon as the intruder has finished they return and finish their bath, * K K % “We do not always get our quota of daily showers during the rainy season in the summer months, and when a week or more goes by with no rain, the bird bath, always popular, is extremely so. “Sometimes it is so much in demand that no sooner is one bird finished with its ablutions than another takes his place. I have noted a succession of . mockingbird, brown thrasher, blue jay, cardinal, red-headed woodpecker, song sparrows, and the last two summers I have been thrilled by the presence of a meadowlark who, after drinking and bathing, remained to hunt over the lawn for worms or bugs. “The blue jays are the ‘bathingest’ birds of all, and at times several will bathe at once. “One time there was a regular blue jays’ convention in the bird bath, six being in the water, standing or flutter- ing, and one perched on the outstretched arm of the little figure ‘The Good Fairy,’ which rises from the center of the bath, and which is used as a perch so much that it has become loosened several times from the little dab of concrete it Is imbedded in. “The jays are often selfish and quar- relsome over the use of the bath. One spent an entire day hiding among the foliage of the oak tree above the bath and dropping down on every bird who came to bathe or drink. “I have often been in the garden quite near the bird bath when one will arrive to bathe and seemingly pay no attention to me if I do not move sud- denly. “Your column is very enjoyable—I have been reading it for years, off and on. My father has The Star sent down every winter while he is here. “Cordially, H. C. C.” LR “WINNSBORO, 8. C. “Dear Sir: “Why all this discussion about bird bathing? “I thought it wa$ conceded that feather-bearing animals had but two ways of cleansing themselves, dusting or bathing. & “I cannot speak for parrots, for I know nothing about them. If you do, please give your readers the information. The' English sparrow (your friend and my enemy) is the only bird that I know that bathes both in dust and water. I feel confident that all flesh-eating birds bathe. “Are English sparrows so dirty that they have to use both methods to keep clean? “I can't reconcile your love and ad- miration for our native birds and your _defense of English sparrows and star- "lings. “Their importation into our country was an unforgiveable error. “God knew just where to place his fauna and flora and man’s interference has always resulted disastrously. Away with them, for they pre-empt cavities and eat the food of better birds. “No one ever saw a dirty bird in its freedom, for all of them believe that ‘cleanliness is next to godliness.’ “Domestic fowls and birds confined and denied dust or water baths do become dirty, but it is not their fault. Associa- tion with man, domestication, has caused some of God's animals to degenerate, but not the birds. - * k% % “Yes, cardinals do bathe, there is no doubt about that. A femalé was in my bird bath on the 26th, thermometer at 50 degrees. “Birds are very cautious about bath- ing, for when doing so they become tempting targets of their enemies, and it is for that reason we so seldom see them in their bathing suits. “The ruby-throat and small warblers doubtless contént themselves with the frequent summer showers or the early dew. “Since by your unfailing kindness in answering so many questions you have established an open forum, I am em- boldened to trouble you with questions the answers to which I would like to know. “Why are eggs pigmented? “There may be a good reason for those deposited in open or exposed nests, for it does help to camouflage them, but why pigment those laid in cavities? “The eggs of bluebirds, robins and catbirds are very similar; yet the B. birds use & cavity. “Doves use an open nest, yet lay white eggs. Wrens, great crested flycatchers and others using cavities lay pigmented eggs. “Woodpeckers, purple martins and chimney swifts lay white eggs. Why? Bob Whites and field larks use similar nests, both on the ground, yet larks pig- ment theirs, Bob W. does not. “I know you muss be tired of hearing from your readers that your articles are Informative and interesting, but I want to be polite. And so say I. “Have passed my 80 mile post, so ask your indulgence in my expressions and use of this machine. “Yours very truly, H. E. K.” Letters to Insists Democratic Committee Is Harmeonious. To the Editor of The Star: Yesterday’s column by Mr. Jay Frank- lin- was devoted to the theme of & failure on the part of the Democratic National Committee to cooperate with the Women'’s Division in the Institute of Government which brought several thousand Democratic women to Wash- ington. I have, of course, no knowledge of where your contributor obtained his mis- information. The fact is that.the success of the gathering was in no small degree the result of the generous and whole- hearted support of Chairman Parley, Mr. Michelson and the other represent- atives of the National Committee. The committee not only financed the insti- tute, but aided the Women’s Division in ning of plans the entire facilities of the National Committee were devoted to preparation for the three-day meeting. Mr. Farley’s welcome to the women from the forty-eight States, and his ad- dress which opened the institute at the Riverside Stadium, were main features of the N This 1s written in order to controvert the thought that there is any rift or dis- cord in the national organization or that the men and women who compose it are working at cross purposes. Per- mit me to request that your newspaper correct any such impression. DOROTHY MCcALLISTER, Director, Women's Division, Democratic National Committee, May 10. L) 2 Fears America May “Dragged” Into War. To wne Rditor of The Star: Immediately following the declaration of war by Great Britain and France .on Germany, this Nation resounded with ‘the determined cries of citizens, organ- ‘| izations and politicians that the United States must at all times remain neutral. Clubs were formed, books were written, radio time was consumed to further the cause of keeping America out of war. But while the tom-toms for American peace and neutrality beat furiously at first, they ceased shortly to be heard above the deafening din of propaganda de- signed to push, force and drag this 'country into the erupting volcano of war three thousand miles away in Eu- rope. Since the repeal of the arms em- bargo the warmongers have been riding high, tn the United States, and par- ticularly ‘'so here in Washington, while the apostles of peace and neutrality have been relegated to the background in ‘| spite of the fact that they represent the feelings of ninety-five per cent of oyr By reason of the oft-repeated but wholly specious contention that Britain's war is our war, and that Britain is fight- every conceivable. way. From the begin- the Editor : Letters to the Editor must bear the name and address of the writer, although the use of a pseudonym for publication is permissible. Please de brief! ears and we will be mighty lucky if we ever come out of it. Already we are fighting a war here against depression, misery and poverty. For ten years we have been fighting it and we seem to be losing it. Federal Security Administrator McNutt said in Omaha the other night that seventy- five million people in the United States today are living below the standards of the Oregon Trail pioneers. It is agreed on all sides that we still have fifteen million or so unemployed. Our national Areasury is fifty billion dollars in the red and going deeper month by month. This war we are fighting against the depression seems to be the only war we can handle at present, if we can handle that. < Americans, wake up! Put down as an enemy any foreigner who advocates the entry of the United States into the European War, and put down as a traitor any citizen of this Nation who favors draining the lifeblood and re- sources of our needy country for the purpose of giving aid and comfort to any foreign warring nation. If this Nation s to survive we must conserve our re- sources and finances to continue our ten- year battle against our real enemy—the depression. The minute we become em- broiled in that private fight between England and Germany over the sea we will be doomed—if not to destruction, at least to eternal bankruptcy. May 7. DON GALLAGHER. Thinks Reports of White Colored by Prejudice. To the Bditor of The Star William L. White, in his article in Monday's Evening Star, discussing the censorship of war news, says, in effect: “Don't believe the news items from Ber- lin, but you can believe the news from London, as the British tell only the truth ” Unfortunately for Mr. White, modern wars just aren’t run that way. All na- tions at war find it necessary to color the news in their favor; we did the same thing in the last war. A comparison of news items of several months ago with the facts as known today will quickly show that all the belligerents are doing a certain amount of plain and fancy lying. D. May 7. Deplores Loss to England Of Noted Laborite, 'To “ae Bditor of The Btar* causes of war—and he knew the remedy. Knowing that wars are ingrained in economic injustices, he strove to avoid the present one. It is to the world’s mis- fortune that it failed to ltsten to his Haskin’s Answers To Readers’ Questions - By Frederic J. Haskin, A reader cen get the answer to any question of fact by writing The Eve- ning Star Information Bureau, Fred- eric J. Haskin, director, Washington, D, C. Please inclose stamp for reply. Q. How does the number of radio receiving sets in foreign eountries com- pare with that in the United States? —B.D. J. ; A. On January 1, 1940, there were 42,500,000 radios in this country, com- pared with a total of 52,000,000 for the rest of the world. Germany ranks next to the United States in number of sets with 16,000,000; the United Kingdom has 9.085050; France, 5104689, and Japan, 4,666,058, Q. What are the major causes of ac- cidents in private flying?—E. 8. L. A. The Civil Aeronautics Authority Bulletin for February 15, 1940, gives the following analysis of accidents for private flying operations from January through June, 1939; Pilot errors, 62.56 per cent; power plant failures, 12.59; structural failures, including handling qualities, 7.66; miscellaneous, including weather, darkness and terrain, 1652; undetermined, 0.67. Q. Who was the first billionaire in the United States?—F. L. W. A. The first American fortune to pass the billion-dollar mark was that of John D. Rockefeller, Q. What is the motto on the seal of Princeton University?—J. M. A. The Latin inscription is “Dei sub numine viget”—Under God's guidance it flourishes. Q. Please give a brief history of the old Shot Tower in Baltimore?—E. C. A. The tower was built in 1828 by the Merchants’ Shot Tower Co. Charles Carroll of Carrollton laid the cornere stone. In 1878 its interior was destroyed by fire. It was rebuilt and continued to function until 1892, when it wrs abandoned for shot-making purposes. From a base 40 feet in diameter the shaft rises to a height of 246 feet. The walls are 43 feet thick at the base, con- tracting to 18 inches at the summit. It is estimated that the tower contains 1,000,000 bricks. Q. What is the minimum age at which one may be elected to the House of Representatives?>—H. S. H. A. According to the Constitution, a member of the House of Representa- tives must have reached the age of 25 years, Q. When were amplifiers first used in major league ball parks?—T. S. A. Amplifiers were introduced by the New York Nationals at the Polo Grounds on August 25, 1929, Q. What intelligence quota does a child have who is classified as a genius? —L. G. N. A. According to Prof. Terman, child- ren with I. Q's of 140 and more are geniuses or near-geniuses. He believes, however, that above the I. Q. of 140 adult success is largely determined by such factors as social adjustment, emo- tional stability and drive to accomplish, Q. Where were the President and Mrs. Roosevelt married?>—W. E. D, A. Mr. and Mrs. Franklin D. Rogse- velt were married by the Rev. Endicott Peabody of Groton, Mass, at the resie dence of Mrs. Roosevelt's cousins, Mr, and Mrs. Henry Parish, jr., in New York City, on March 17, 1905. Q. Please give the date of the Writers’ Conference which will be held in Colo- rado this summer?—K. T. S. A. The annual Writers' Conference, under the auspices of the University of Colorado, will be held at Boulder from July 22 to August 9, under the direction of Edward Davison. Q. How many people have moved from the slums since the inauguration of the Housing Authority program?— R M. A. Nathan Straus, administrator of the U. 8. H. A, estimates that ap- proximately 69,000 persons will have been removed from slums into low-rent public housing propects by June. Q. In how many ways can paper be used?>—N. R. T. A. According to the National Farm Chemurgic Council, there are now ap- proximately 9,000 uses for paper. Q. Please give some information about the new settlement in the Dominican Republic for war refugees?—W, C. A. The project consists of a rich tract of 26,000 acres of land at Sosua on the northern coast of the Dominican Republic. It was donated by former President Rafael Trujillo and is spon- sored by the Dominican Settlement Association with a capital of nearly $500,000. Each family will be supplied with its own plot for farming and co- operative enterprises. Q. What is the value of the sky- scrapers in New York City?—H. M. A. New York’s 97 skyscrapers (build- ings over 30 stories high) are valued at $775,000,000. Q. How long is the Kings Highway in Texas?—C. M. J. A. The Kings Highway runs from San Antonio to Nacogdoches, Tex., a distance of 300 miles. The old Spanish name for the road was El Camino Real, meaning the Royal road. Q. What was the original weight of Plymouth Rock?—E. B. G. A. Plymouth Rock was originally a solid boulder of about 7 tons, consist- ing of greenish syenite. During the Revolution in an attempt to move it to Town Square it split, but the upper part was afierward cemented onto the Sight Restored 80 long to witness spring’ I thank the High Command tless days. To prise each thing new world. To understand i