Evening Star Newspaper, January 9, 1942, Page 12

A-10 = The Foening Htar With Sunday Morning Editien. THEODORE W. NOYES, Editor. B WASHINGTON, D. C. FRIDAY January 9, 1942 ‘The Evening Star Newspaper Company. Main Cfice: 11th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. New Ycrk Office: 110 East 42nd St. Chicago Office: 435 North Michigan Ave. Delivered by Carrier—City and Suburban. Regular Edition. ening and Sunday. : bc per mo. or 1Rc per week e Evening Star 45¢ per mo. or 10c per week ¢ Sunday Star 10c per copy Night Final Edition. [iish: psl, agd Sundsy Ster_. s3c per menth ight Final Star 80c per month Rural Tube Delivery. vening and Sunday Star _ 85¢ per month ve Star -~ _--BBc per month v Star L0c per copy Collections made at the end of each month or esch week. Orders may be sent by mail or tele- phone National 5000, Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Paily and Sunday. . 1yr.$12.00: 1mo. $1.00 Deily only ~__ " 1yr, $800; 1mo. ide Sunaay only 1yr. $5.00: 1mo., 3¢ Entered a3 second-class matter post office, Washingion. D. C. Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively entitled to the use for Tepublicalion of all news dispatches eredited to it or not otherwise cre in this Daper and also the local news published herein. Al rights of publication of special dispatches Rerein alse are reserved. ired Civilian Defense In voting yesterday to transfer the administration of civilian defense to the War Department, the House was reflecting the real and growing public concern over deficiencies of the exist- ing setup. The civilian defense pro- ‘gram has" suffered from the very beginning from inadequate leader- ship—inadequate because Mayor La Guardia and his assistant, Mrs. Roosevelt, pressed by other duties, could devote only part of their time | to their new jobs. From the outset, therefore, the organization and ad- ministration of civilian defense has been a part-time undertaking. But it part-time leadership of this im- portant home-protection service was tolerable in the early months of the pregram, there can be no doubt that it became an all-out, full-time as- signment from the moment that America came to grips with Japan and her Axis partners. Mayor La Guardia, in his annual | message to the New York City Council Wednesday, conceded that the civil- fan defense task is far from finished and announced that henceforward it will make even greater demands | upon his time. Undoubtedly, his other job as wartime Mayor of Amer- | fea’s largest city also will make greater demands upon his time. For the present, however, he sald he intends to hold onto both posts. The Mavyor's willingness to undertake this double duty is commendable, indeed, but he should not be reauired lonzer to bear responsibilities that no man {s qualified to handle successfully alone. New York City deserves the full-time services of its Mayor in this critical period—and the Office of Civilian Defense deserves the full- time services of a military or other director with special qualifications for so vital a wartime function. Mebilizina Man Power Faced with the tremendous re- sronsibility of taking a Nation-wide inventory of America’s notential re- serve supplv of men of fighting age, Selective Service authorities are fortunate in having readily available a framework of registration machin- ery which can be put into motion with a minimum of difficulty on February 16 next, the day set for the wartime survey. Two prior regis- trations under the pre-war training program have vrovided a basic or- ganization and much experience that shonld nrove extremely valu- able ncw. Eut while rezistration procedure will be substantially the same as in the previous inventories, new problems will arise in the classi- fication and induction or deferment of the millions of men in the new combat age group of twenty to forty- four, inclusive. As Brig. Gen. Lewis B. Hershey, director of selective service, pointed out in The Star’s National Radio Forum, the previous drafts were di- rected primarily toward creating a | reservoir of trained man power upon which the armed services could draw in event of great national emer- gency. Now, however, it has become absolutely necessary not only to call existing reserves into the all-out fight but to mobilize as soon as pos- sible vast additional forces for actual combat duty on far-flung fronts. This necessitates a complete revision of classification policies and rules. Lt. Col. Joseph E. Battley, of the Un- dersecretary of War's office, indicated the trend of the revision when he told draft occupational advisers of ten States that deferment plansi in effect heretofore are “out”. While every effort will be made to avoid unnecessary economic and domestic dislocations, he said, the exigencies of war may require eventually that women take the places of industrial workers called to the front line. Re- doubled vigilance and a considera- ble amount of discernment on the part of local draft boards are neces- sary to avoid repeating some of the mistakes which attended past efforts. It is unfortunate that the entire mobilization program could not have been effected by the selective service process. The present hybrid part- draft, part-volunteer recruitment system results chiefly from failure of Congress to authorize induction for combat service of eighteen and nineteen year-olds. The Navy and Army need these younger men for certain specialized work because ex- perience has shown they make better fighters, by and large, than the older men. men volunteered last month, most of them after the attack on Pearl Har- bor. Many were students in schools and colleges and undoubtedly many of them were skilled workers who are needéd more for production lines than for combat service. Their patriotism is understandable, but A The Navy reports that 40,000 | THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, FRIDAY, JANUARY 9, 1942. THIS AND THAT By Charles E. Tracewell. military and naval authorities should encourage boys under the draft age to continue studies—especially in technical subjects—that may better fit them for future service. It would be well if both services worked out & co-operative plan which would insure students a maximum of technical education and which would leave skilled industrial workers in the fac- tories until selected by the draft for the work they can best perform. The volunteer system gives the individual, rather than the Nation, the decision as to who is needed for what.. Price-Control Dispute The President seems to be on sound ground in urging Congress to vest control of all prices in the hands of a single administrator. What this | country needs, and needs urgently, is legislation to set up an organization which can function effectively to keep prices down. Anything that tends to diffuse authority or to be- cloud responsibility would seem on its face to be a step in the other direction. Opposition to the single admin- istrator plan is coming from two sources. In one instance, the farm bloc in the Senate is seeking to shift control of farm prices from the price-control establishment to the Secretary of Agriculture. This is a | move which appears to be entirely | lacking in justification. Under the present language of the bill, farm | prices cannot be fixed under 110 | per cent of parity or the average market price prevailing last October 1. This insures highly favorable | treatment for the farmers, and there | would seem to be no reason for trans- j ferring farm price control to the | Secretary of Agriculture unless, per- haps, it might be hoped that he | would permit the prices of farm | commodities to rise above the high ! levels fixed by the act. If this be the | expectation back of the farm bloc maneuver, however, it not only tends to embarrass the Secretary, but is also grossly unfair to the other ele- | ments of the population. The second attack on the bill is coming from those who oppose plac- | ing its administration in the hands of a single administrator. This op- | position springs primarily from the expectation that Leon Henderson would be named administrator if the bill should be passed in its present form, and many members of Con- gress are afraid that he would use his price-control powers to “reform" business along New Deal lines. As yet, however, no real evidence has been brought forth to support this belief, and even if such evidence were shown to exist, it would seem that Congress, in writing the law, could erect adequate safeguards against such abuse of the authority it grants, without hampering its ad- | ministration by placing responsi- ‘ bility for enforcement in the hands [ of several men instead of one man. | In passing, however, it may be | noted that while the Presiden: is | right in urging centralization of ; price-control authority in one indi- vidual, he weakens his case by his own example. Mr. Roosevelt has in- sisted upon maintenance of a di- vided responsibility in the direction of the war program and, despite the resulting confusion and inefficiency, he has not modified his original con- | tention that this division of authority between William Knudsen and Sid- ney Hillman would in no way prove | detrimental to the effectiveness of “the war effort. It does not appear that there is any way in which these conflicting expressions of opinion on his part can be reconciled, and it is to be hoped that his sound reason- | ing in the price-control question will | be applied without further delay to the rest of the Government's mili- tary program. Rum-Bumble Pudding Four days before Pearl Harbor, newspaper offices received mimeo- graphed sheets—seven and a quarter | | pages, typed on both sides—from the | Navy Department on “Favorite Rec- | ipes of Naval Officers’ Wives.” The | first recipe was for Hawalian Niu | Moa Ai, or coconut with chicken. It is believed that this selection, in rela- tion to the incident four days later, was purely co-incidental. There now comes to hand from the United States Navy Department, however, “Series 2” of “Favorite Rec- ipes of Naval Officers’ Wives"—five and a quarter pages, typed on both sides—and the second recipe of those | which “until now have been the | coveted secrets of some of the serv- | ices’ most popular hostesses” is pre- sented under the delectable title of “Rum-Bumble Pudding.” One is not so sure that this selec- tion, viewed against the current scene of war-time Washington, is accidental. There is real significance in the title, and it hardly could have ! been chosen by mere chance. For can one seriously argue that the de- fense agencies, sprawling and spread- ing and growing by leaps and i bounds, do not in themselves sug- gest a rum-bumble pudding? The real rum-bumble pudding, according to the Navy Department, is often served on a silver platter. Could any utensil be more appropriate for the service rendered by some of the new agencies, or activities, which, under priorities gained by the magic name of “defense,” are crowding Washing- ton’s every cubby-hole? Adequate housing, adequate room for the Government's huge war ma- chine, is a grave problem. Partial solution of that problem might lie in eliminating unnecessary, expensive and space-consuming activities and in examining the value of their func- tions, even though they claim pro- tection in the name of “defense.” Such examination, for example, ’ might enable the Govesmment to re- tain the Patent Offios Where it be- lorgs, which is in the Capital of,a Na:ion at war. And the people of the Naiion should be grateful that the over-worked, over-crowded Navy De- patment can find time in these pa'lous days to reveal the hitherto sec:-et recipes of naval officers’ wives, and for the apt suggestion contained in “Rum-Bumble Pudding.” Advisory Council Despite the pessimism of labor spckesmen, there seems to be no resson why the advisory labor- menagement council for the conver- sioa of the automobile industry to a wa* basis should not function suc- cesstully. 4s set up by the O. P. M, the ad/isory council represents a com- premise between labor’s insistence upn an agency which would be em- povered both to make and enforce recommendations and management’s preposal for a council which would me:ely be empowered to make rec- ommendations. The council, as now ou'lined, will consist of one Govern- ment, three labor and three manage- meat representatives and is author- ized to make recommendations and “alvise” the O. P. M. “he labor proposal, it seems clear, woild have resulted in a radical ch:nge in the pattern of American | incustry, since it would have given | lator a directive voice in the man- agement of industry without the as- swaption of any corresponding re- sponsibility or liability. It does not apjear that there is anything in the war emergency which could justify su‘h a fundamental departure from thr system which has given the Urited States its leadership in pro- du:ction methods. Experimentation in such fields at this time might de- | lay, rather than hasten, the all-out eflorts so necessary. epresentatives of management | have given assurance of their full | co.operation in the conversion effort, | including pooling.of tools and em- pleyes, and their past record affords no basis for believing that this co- operation will not be forthcoming. | If labor, despite its disappointment in receiving less than it had believed desirable, proves equally co-opera- tive, it may be expected that the corversion program will move for- wzrd without undue delay. School Budget Despite the drastic slashing of fuads for the building program, sev- erul highly important items have be>n adequately provided for in the $14,297,552 school budget estimates | suomitted to Congress on Wednes- dsy. This total represents an in- crrase of almost $90,000 over this | year's appropriations. Appearing for the first time in the budget is a $20,000 item for sys- | tematic elimination of the major fire hazards revealed in the annual in- srection of school buildings by the flie marshal’s report. This inspec- | tisn found many of the schools with- ot modern interior fire alarm sys- | tens and also revealed other serious shortcomings which could not be currected because of the small repair fund. The $20,000 item is included in the much larger repair and maintenance | find of $593,400, but is earmarked for elimination of the fire hazards. ‘The present appropriation for main- teaance is $510,000, which school officials have insisted is not sufficient tc keep the large school plant from d:teriorating. The thirty-three additional teach- | eis provided will help staff new schools coming into service and re- litve congestion in some classes. It is also encouraging that suf- firlent funds have been alloted to ecuip all schools now building or in irnmediate prospect. As a result of tlis action, there will be no need for these buildings to stand idle for nonths after completion, as did the Calvin Coolidge Senior High School, fcr which furniture was not avail- anle. In_cutting out most of the building itemg, the Commissioners and Bud- g+t Bureau were facing the fact that it is almost impossible to obtain priorities on materials for schools. Tne one school authorized—a Jjunior h gh for colored at Forty-ninth street aid Washington place N.E.—will bring welcome relief to the Browne J inior High School, no#® running on dyuble shiff with some of the largest casses in the system. . Vitamins Vindicated It is a commMon saying that “so- and-so was born too soon,” meaning that. his actions and ideas, disap- proved at the time, were later justi- filed by events. Prominent among Americans born too soon was the late Ceneral William Mitchell, and among Eabylonians, the late King Nebu- chadnezzar, who made the headlines in the brick tablets of his day by exting weeds. Now, plundered countries under | Dazi rule have discovered that weeds cin be eaten, and are a lot more rourishing than empty air. But eren more to the point is the an- rouncement by botanical experts tiat many weeds are superior, espe- cally in vitamin value, to the better known vegetables. Pigweed, wild nustard, catnip, milkweed, swamp mallow, goldenrod and cattails are cnly a few items on the list of mod- ern groceries highly praised by these experts, and offering a means of b:ating the high cost of lifing for tnose who still have enough tires on taeir cars to go out and collect their meals. How about postiiumous honor t» Nebuchadnezzar, and a “belatéd recognition that &n his court they were all out of step but the king? Denies That League: Has Died or Failed Weriter Expresses Faith In Dream of World Peace Supported by Liberal Leaders To the Editor of The Star: January 10 marks the 23d anniver- sary of the coming into being of the Léague of Nations. As Winston Churchill said on December 26, “If we had kept together after the last war, if we had taken common measures for our safety, the renewal of the curse need never have fallen upon us.” It was Woodrow Wilson who stated at St. Louis, “All the nations that Ger- many meant to crush and reduce to the status of tools in her own hands have been redeemed by this war and given the guarantee of the strongest nations of the world that nobody shall invade their liberty again. If you do not want to give them that guarantee, then you make it certain that without your guar- antee the attempt will be made again, and if another war starts like this one, are you going to keep out of it? If you keep out of this arrangement, that sort of war will come soon.” It must be remembered that 48 na- tions remain members of the League of Nations. Although some of them are in exile, as Norway, Holland and Belgium, they have maintained their membership in the League. Eighty officlals are on duty in the Jeague building at Geneva, the only structure in the world which is the sole common possession of the nations. What are they doing? They are saving the international unity; they are preparing for the post-world organization; they are assembling data on the problems of refugee rehabilitation, reconstruction and social problems. Principles of our civilization which have endured the centuries have been | brutally attacked, 15 nations have lost | their independence. Their leaders have | been killed, their intellectuals degraded, their peoples crushed into submission | which their hearts and minds revolt. Behind all this lie profound social changes. After this war we must con- sider something more fundamental than reparations from the conquered or help for the starving. War was formerly a matter of interest only to contestants; now it swells beyond its confines and affects all states and all peoples. There | will come the problem of famine and disease; of civil disorder when terrible | forces will be released and revenge and hunger in desperation will make war after the war. Economic collapse, the | problem of uprooted peoples, of derelict colonies, of social uncertainty and po- litical control; all will cry for attention. | We need not wait for anxious months to set up machinery for the solution of these problems, such machinery is ready now and is found in the League of Nations. ‘The.United Nations which have signed | the historic anti-Axis document are in | themselves League natiops. Of the 26 | signing, 25 were members of the League | and 19 still remain | The one country which gave impetus to the League idea but which never | joined now welcomes back to its source | important League groups. The technical services are at Princeton, the economic, financial and transient departments are also there. The anti-drug unit has estab- lished itself in Washington, while the international labor office is in Montreal. For the first time in history the na- tions of the world have avallable an organized agency of international co- operation. As Arthur Sweetser, member of the League secretariat since 1919, has 50 well stated: “The world is far less poor than it thinks. Amid all the pres- | ent destruction there remain the seeds ! from which a new world-life can spring.” As the acting secreiary general of the League, has just reported: “There is not only a heritage which should be safe- guarded during the crisis, but a con- tinuing and active system of services which should be strengthened for new | and greater tasks.” The President, in his address to Con- gress, has said we must not only win the war, but must win the peace. It is significant that in these United States on January 10 the League of Nations Association is observing the 22d anni- versary of the coming into being of the League. The League has not died, it to use it; it stands as an instrument | Let it not be said that we, the people, refused to join the League, let it be said that a minority of the United States Senate prevented our joining. Woodrow Wilson led the crusade for the guaran- tee of peace on earth. We hold the vision which we have not lost. ‘We will yet make the vision real. In all the nations of the world suffering humaniy will de- mandé that soymething be done to prevent this curse from afSeting us ®gain. As Franklin Roosevelt, then & candidate for Vice President, said on August 9, 1920: “To the cry of the French at Verdun, “They shall not pass,’ the cheer of our own men in the Argonne, ‘We shall go through.’ we must add this: ‘It shall not occur again.’ This is the positive dec- laration of our own wills: That the world shall be saved from a repetition of this crime. A treaty of peace must be & real treaty for a real peace must include a League of Nations, because this peace treaty, if our best and bravest are not to have died in vain, must be no thinly dis- guised armisticé devised by cynical statesmen to mask their preparations for a renewal of greed-inspired csnquests later on. ‘Peace’ must mean peace that will last.” In 1920 Pranklin Roosevelt glimpsed the vision of eternal peace. As President, he has kept the faith, MELVIN D. HILDRETH, Chairman, Washington Chapter, League of Nations Association, Inc. Urges Feeding . Of Wild Birds. To the Editor of The Star. In these days when each effort counts, every one can help in some way. Every one can feed the birds. America needs such crop as she never has“produced J before, apd there it no one thing of greater assistance to the farmer than oyr little feathergd friends. Naturalists | tell us of the almost unbelievablé, num- her of weed seeds and of destructige Snsects that the pirds destroy every sea- son. Therefore, it if of the utmost im- bportance that these glad, unpaid helpers of the farmer should receive our all-out assjgtance. VIRGINIA T. DAWSON. to a new and immoral order, against | has not failed except as we have failed | ready to serve as we want it to serve. | | for regulation by “Dear Sir: “Since you love the birds I am sure that you will understand why the cake that I have, so far, enjoyed most in my life was one that I baked to give to & friend in Chevy Chase, but threw over the fence to the birds. “It was an applesauce cake, with raisins in it. Had it reached my friend, I'm con- fident she would have been pleased, per- haps as much as the birds. “It happened this way. When my cake was ready for its Christmas wrapping, & fine sleet made the city streets like glass. I was afraid to venture out to deliver my gift. ‘Let's throw it over the fence to the vacant lot next door and see what the birds will do,’ I said, and my sister readily agreed. “How the birds found the cake, I do not know, but they came in numbers. They were cold and hungry and rude. It was a loaf cake and the birds began eating at either end and ate until they met in the mldze “From our d-floor window it looked as if they were digging a tunnel through the cake. “They stood on top also and fought like little demons. If a bird couldn’t get a bite he wouldn't let any other bird have & taste. We stood at our window and watched and wondered, and my advice is it you really wish to enjoy your Christ- | mas cake, throw it over the fence to the birds. You may not understand what they say by way of thanks, but they will say a plenty. “Have enjoyed your column for years. “Sincerely, 8. F." * s & Maybe this is & good way to get rid of Christmas fruit cakes. Those cakes, you know, dark and mys- terious, which are always being presented | by well-meaning friends. Now fruit cakes must be just so0-s0. But your s0-so about & fruit cake | may not be my so-so. And 30 on. Every human being, evidently, has a different taste, when it comes to this sort of cake. Some like "em old, very old; some pre- fer 'em new, or comparatively so—one will like the dark, and anothér the light; one taste runs to nuts and another to citron. Still another mskes a great face when he runs across a plece of it. “Might as well put spap in it,” he thinks to himself, trying to Yemove the offending substance in a polite manner. Citron, however, is a substance which Wwas never meant to be handled accord- ing to the rules, written or otherwise, of etiquette. The only way to handle citron is to get it down and hit is across the back of the neck, as if it were one of those little yellow brothers we hear so much about. | . s s Birds, naturally enough, are fond of | nuts for the squirrels. That would be the cake, and especially of cakes which con- tain raisins. 4 Not only mockingbirds and catbirds like raisins, but robins like them, too. Only mockers will be around at this time of year, but they and the sparrows and the cardinals will go for cake in any form. Sometimes in Pebruary, when the first robins appear, a few raisins will make & great appeal to them, and may save their lives. = Often those first robins arrive before the last snow. . How forlorn the big birds look, without being able to find any worms! The ground is too hard for them to pull them forth. » A few raisins, put in a dish on the lawn, will be veritable life-savers for the robins. * s We do not imagine many persons will want to feed good cake to the birds. Circumstances, however, now and then may make it possible. If a friend presents a family with a cake which no one in the family likes— and sometimes that happens—the best thing to do with it is to put it out for the songsters. It may be doled out a slice at a time. ‘There are few cakes which the birds will not relish, because cakes basically are made out of flour, and most baked goods are meat for birds. They find the carbo- | hydrate content exactly what they need to keep them warm. Even the greediest person might be | willing to give a slice of cake to the birds. Most persons nowadays are willing to put out a slice of bread. So why not cake? The difference is not so great. Maybe the queen wasn't 5o silly, after all, when she said. “Let them eat cake.” L] Perhaps the best time of day to put | out a bit of cake for the birds is about 4 o'clock in the late afternoon. | By that time, at this season, most of the English sparrows are gone. There will remain the cardinals, the nuthatches and the song sparrows, and all of these will eat it. A few English sparrows may linger, if | they find cake. These sparrows, in small numbers, are an addition to any yard. Even the greatest English sparrow hater will be able to stand for a few of them. A good way to ornament the cake for the birds is to stick sunflower seeds in the slice. | Put them in on end, so0 that the birds | may find them easily. They will serve as | a good introduction to the more sophis- ticated fare. Not that an honest cake needs any introduction. Nut cakes would appeal to squirrels. | But most persons find such cakes too good to give away. Just save out a few best way. Letters to Criticizes “Sophistry” ef Complaint | Against Big Business. To the Editor of The Star: In his annual report to his superiors | and hence to Congress, Assistant Attor- ney General Thurman Arnold charges big business with responsibility for our national failure to meet the urgent de- mands of all-out defensé and war pro- duction. He argues that the large and powerful industrial organizations of this Nation, being fearful of post-war over- production and dislocation of normal business mechanisms of supply, demand snd distribution, have conspired against the healthy and regulating restraints of the anti-trust laws which his division of the Department of Justice so zealously enforces. Specifically, he charges that the concentration of defense contracts in the hands of the powerful, entrenched few, their monopolistic price-fixing prac- tices in respect to esscntial and key commodities and their malign, subver- sive control over transportation and eventual distribution are violations of the | Sherman Act designed to continue and perpetuate the dictatorial and monopo- listic control of big business over the economic destiny of our Nation. There is little doubt that there is much that is timely and relevant in Mr. Ar- nold's indictment and recommendations, but it is just as obvious that his pleading contains elements of sopkistry and in- consistency. His sophistry is shown in the circumstance tlat whereas he pleads lawful and orderly process and mandate of Congress, his past performance marks him as one who | would usurp the sovereign jurisdiction of the Legislature and substitute the personal and arbitrary rule of bu- reaucratic administrators. His incon- sistency lies in the fact, as demonstrated in his recent anti-trust prosecutions of the ofl and aluminum interests, that whereas he indefatigably has been de- termined to destroy the economic and productive pattern symbolized by these big business organizations, the President, his superior, was patiently and carefully negotiating to utilize their undoubted efficiency and sufficiency for all-out pro-_ duction. Surely Mr. Arnold does not presume to nullify the painstaking and deliberate planning of his commander in chief, simply because it does not con- form to his personal concept of anti- trust law interpretation and application. But it is especially the sophistry im- plicit in Mr. Arnold’s known philosophy and past performance to which this writer wishes to call critical attention. There is no dispute,smong reasonable | men that our entire politicM economy would be benefited by furthér amend- | ment and more particulasized applica- tion of existing anti-trust laws. Condi- tions and circumstances have arisen amid the complexities of modern life and an accelerating and e pandirg so- cial economy-which our anti-trust lags in tisir present form miserably have failed to meet. The ordesly dentocratic process of constitutional government, however, requires that these flecesary @hanges be effect by Congress after public- hearings and debate. The fact ihat the Leégislature has been wwefully delinquent in the urgent matter of mod- ernizing the lppl!txufln and jurisdiction of ¢he anti-trust statutes does hot in any sense of the word justify the expedient alternativesof which his past perform- ance and personal philosophy marks Mr. Arnold as exémplar. In the past he has used the secret, politically manipulated grlnd-)?y hearing and indictment to supplant the prescribed cénstitutional mechaniam of the falr and epen publis the Editor I Letters to the Editor must bear thé name and address of the writer, although the use of a psexdonym for publication is | permissible. The Star reserves | the right to edit all letters with | a view to condensation. | | hearing culminating in debate and then equitable compromise of political re- sponsibility and expression of sovereignty in positive law. Where he has lacked the sanction and mandate of a fair, rea- sonable and traditional interpretation of existing statutes to justify a weird and sometimes an intimidating bureaucratic fiat he has resorted to the unconstitu- tional subterfuge of judicial legislation, wherein the courts usurp the sovereign duties and prerogatives of the Legisla- ture. All fair-minded men want to see Mr. Arnold succeed in his worthy objects, but we dare to remind him that a most desirable end dces not justify an un- worthy means. THOMAS E. MATTINGLY, M. D. Says Attorneys Have Opposed Patent Office Removal. Te the Bditor of The Star: In a letter published January 6, “A Patent Examiner” criticizes the patent attorneys for further opposing removal of the Patent Office to Richmond and suggests that they be made liable for the contractual relaiions entered into by the examiners. This apparently is a case where the attorneys will be blamed if they do and blamed if they dbn’t. Most of the examiners se@m to think jisat the attorneys have “let them down™ becauses they have not fought harder to prevent the removal, The Patent Office, it seems, is the only bureau whose officials are doing everything in their* pdwer to make the removal a falt accompli even before it is determined whethér removal is neces- sasy. 1If it.should turfl out that the. Patent Office is the only bureau re- moved, it will be«no one’s fault but¥he Patent Offiee officials’. At the congres- sional hearingsqll the testimony showed that removal of the Patent Office would retard the war effort, that it is unneces- sary and that it would be a serious blow to the patent system. Please Wive tze attorneys credit for opposing it. A PATENT ATTORNEY, =, . Suggesiz Sisén on Plane Te War‘ Citg of Raids. . @0 i Kditor 6f The Star. As you know, very few pifple have been able to hesy the warning air-raid sigmals. - L ‘Why not place a siren on an airplane and fly i over the city in ever widening circles? @ | One plane with a seren at little cost would do _more gbod than dozens of sirens at Yower levels" competing with street noises. , C. H. STOKES, \uenlnu Mamufacture Of @lcohelic Beverages. To the Editor of The Star: $0 much has been said and written about increased production and equitable distribution of products which are neces- sary to win the war. The use of many things is limited, but there are some which should be decreased, or better, left Haskin’s Answers To Questions By Frederic J. Haskin. A reader can 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. Is it true that the radio has seri- ously affected the circulation of news- papers?—C. L. P. A. It is not. According to Editer and Publisher, daily newspaper circulations are at their all-time high, having gained 2 per cent in 1941 over 1940. Q. My son has been in the marines since September, 1940. Is it still pos- sible for him to teke out Governmsnt insurance?—J. D. B. A. The United Stater Marine Corps says that according to a recent provision a member of the corps is eligible to apply for National Service Life Insurance 120 days from December 20, 1941. Q. Please tell me what parts of an airplane produce the most noise?—M. R. A. The principal sources of noise in a airplane, in order of importance, are: The propeller, the exhaust, engine clatter, and whistling wires. Q. When was a Senator last expelled from the United States Senate?—C. J. M. A. In 1862, when Jesse David Bright of Indiana was expelled for treason. HASKIN QUIZ BOOK—This excellent little publication con- taining 750 questions and answers on such subjects as history, biog- raphies, sports, politics, familiar sayings, science, geography, ab- breviations, Government and numerous others is just what you need to sharpen your wits—an excellent brain tonic. See how many of the questions you can answer—youll be surprised at how much you've forgotten. To secure your copy of this booklet inclose 10 cents in coin, wrapped in this clipping, and mail to The Star Information Bureau. Address Q. Is it correct to use “arem’t I" for “am I not"?—A. C. A. “Aren’t I"” has long been popular in England. In comparatively recent years, the phrase has become popular in this | country. From the standpoint of gram- mar, it is dot correct. Q. Where was Ge;x. Douglas Mac- Arthur born?—K. B. C. A. Gen. MacArthur was born at an f Army post in Arkansas. Q. Which of our cities has the largest Japanese population?>—D. R A. Los Angeles, Calif.. with 23.321 Jap- anese residents, has more than any other American city. Q. Can mistletoe be made to grow in the soil like other plants?>—N. E. P. A. The root of mistletoe cannot take food directly from the soil. The plant is a parasite that grows on the trunks and branches of various trees. Q. What is the difference betwesn a | bishop coadjutor and a suffragan bishop? | —A.P.S. A. A bishop coadjutcr is an assistant bishop with the right of succession in the diocese. A suffragan bishop is an assistant bishop without the right of succession. Q. Please give the origin of the word disaster—E. J. K. A. 1t is derived from two Latin words meaning, “the stars are against you.” Q. Which city has the widest street in the world>—G. O. A. Buenos Aires, Argentina The Avenida 9 de Julio has a width of 150 yards. Q. Where is Tecumseh, the great In- dian chief, buried?—A. F. D, A. His remains recently were rémoved to Walpole Island, overlooking the St. Clair River. Q. How does the new son of the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester rank in sue- cession to the throne of England?—G. M. A. He is fourth in line, preceeded by the Prineesses Elizabeth and Margaret Rose and his father. Q. Which are the most densely popu- lated of all the States?>—C. B. A. According to the 1940 census, the most densely populated States sre Rhode Ifllnd' and New Jersey. Q. Why do artists prefer a north light?—G. . A. North light is diffused more com- pletely than light coming from a portion of the sky where direct sunlight exists. Y- Why are the Japanese called Nip- ponesed—H. F. T. A. The Japanese name of Japac is | Dai Nippon. We have coined the word Nipponese to use for the sake of variety. —Iilrst Snowf_ofi Rain fell throughout the night; the morning sky Was gray with moisture, and a som- ber cloak Enwrapped the earth. By noon, the first thin flakes Of snow were falling, melting as they fell. | But soon the air was blurred, and grass and ground Were blanketed with downy white, The trees . Were thickly coated, and the filigree Of every bush was lovely to behold. Thereafter, time passed slowly for each child Sitting at desks inside the village school. Bright eyes stray window-ward, and youthjul minds Are not confined to lessons. There should be A ruling that all schools may be dis- missed A little earlier on this first day out of our lives, which have not been affected by our war program. ‘Why not stop, .or, at least, greatly de- crease the manufacture of beer, ale, ‘wine and whisky? Are not many bushels of grain and pounds of sugar used to make these harmful drinks? A. B.C. Of winter snow. How can the chile dren know The proper answers, when the world outside Is touch with crystal magic, far and wide! .fl.l:Y B. COOPER. A