Evening Star Newspaper, January 28, 1942, Page 12

A—-10 X The Foening Ftar With Sunday Morning Editien. THEODORE W. NOYES, Editor. WASHINGTON, D. C. WEDNESDAY .. January 28, 1942 The Evening Star Newspaper Company. Main Omce: 11th €. and nnnmnnn Ave. New York 0 Eas Chicaso e 435 North st ichigan Ave. Delivered by c-nler-—cny and Suburban. Regular ening snd Sunday. 75: ver 0, of 18¢ per week e Evening_Star___45¢ per mo. or lch’ week The Sunday ‘fe’:’n 10c per copy i) Fisht o gl funasy siar = gge per many Tpe Jrenins and Sunday Star " ‘85e per month Ihe Eveniog & 580 per month e 8 copy per Eolloctions Dinds st the eid L onch onih o each week. Orders may be sent by mail or tele- Shone National 5000, Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Dlxl) lnd Sundly ~1yr.$12.00: 1mo. . 00 paily “1yr, $8.00: Imo. ibc Ehdayonly 2 1yr’ $500; 1mo. 50c Entered as second-class ml!ur Dost office, . Washington. D. C. Member of the Assoclated Preu. st s dae RS EED S Bad Legislation Congress finally has passed a so- ealled price-control bill, but the descriptive title is a misnomer. Sena- tor Clark of Missouri, in agreeing reluctantly to vote for it, aptly char- acterized the measure as “lame, halt- ing and incomplete.” He, like many others in Senate and House, felt that, with prices already spiraling upward and threatening to get altogether out of hand, it was better to vote for & faulty bill than for no control at all. The bill, as has been pointed out repeatedly in these columns and else- where, is lame, halting and in- complete because it contains con- cessions to special privilege groups that are bound to make the legisla- tion ineffective as a price-control Instrument. Instead of clamping a lid on all factors which enter into the price structure, the bill deliber- ately places an elevated floor under farm prices and applies no lid at all on wages—yet these are major elements in any successful price-reg- ulation program. The bill narrowly escaped emerging from the Capitol in even worse form. In conference it was shorn of an amendment which would have permitted farm prices to rise to 120 per cent of parity, whereas, under final phraseology, no lid can be put on farm prices until they have risen to 110 per céht of parity. This means that instead of applying a ceiling to farm prices, the measure invites these prices to go up as much as 11 orJS per cent. Moreover, the Secretary of Agriculture is given veto power over any farm price maximum set by the price administrator—a provision which President Roosevelt has called unsound. In lieu of dealing forthrightly with wages, the bill contains a weak declaration of policy admonishing Government agencies to “work to- ward a stabilization of prices, fair and equitable wages and cost of production.” Thus the invitation to take advantage of the war emergency to promote selfish and unwise wage demands. That at least some elements of labor will not hesitate to make the most of this implied per- mission to push wages ever upward is indicated by the action of the executive board of the Congress of Industrial Organizations Monday in urging its unions to demand “sub- stantial wage increases” to meet the Increased cost of living. Yet any considerable increase in wages will only accelerate the vicious spiral which sends the cost of living—and what is even more serious, the cost of national defense—higher and higher. President Roosevelt would be war- ranted in vetoing this grossly inade- quate and lopsided legislation, but there are indications that he will accept it reluctantly, on the theory that conditions are tending so close to uncontrolled and uncontrollable inflation that even a partial check will be helpful. He surely could not Justity approval of the measure on any other ground. Macassar Strait The scene of Japan's first great | naval defeat is one of the most beautiful pictures in the world. A broad expanse of blue-green water, very clear, reflects a tropic sky il- | luminated by a golden sun by day and millions of diamond stars by night. On the east there rises the high and rocky coast of the island of Celebes, while the low and swampy jungle shore of Borneo is the west- ern boundary. How the strait came to be known as that of Macassar is a matter of debate. The name is older than recorded history. A fine modern city bears the same designation and shares in the dis- tinction accruing from the battle in which units of the American fleet ccmmanded by Admiral Thomas C. Hart are participating. The Celebes capital, a logical objective of the Japs in the present phase of the | war, must be tremendously excited by its proximity to a contest which already has been compared to Dewey's attack upon the Spanish fleet in Manila Bay, May 1, 1898. Comparing favorably in size and strategic commercial importance with Hong Kong, the community is similarly “a nest of nationalities.” Hendrik de Leeuw, in his “Cross Roads of the Java Sea,” writes: “In its busy and noisy streets floats a babel of twenty-seven languages and more dialects. * * * Here swarm the omnipresent Buginese traders, rovers and sometimes unconventional ma- rauders; Arabs in their robes; hadjis moving in holy dress on unholy er- rands; Chinese with their own res- taurants, temples and graveyards; . Malays from all of Dutch East In- ¢ia, looking faintly sad at being / | gress. | months ending next July, the Budget | Housing Co-ordinator Palmer is one in whites, sitting in the cool of the Harmonie Club or Oranje Hotel.” Especially in recent years, the prosperity of Macassar has been phe- nomenal. The potential wealth of Celebes, however, is the magnet which draws the Japanese invaders. Few areas of the same size are richer in natural resources yet to be de- veloped. But the prize must be reached through a channel costly to negoti- ate. Thirty-four Jap vessels are be- lieved to have been hit by Dutch and American planes, surface craft and submarines. Of these, eleven have been listed as sunk, six prob- ably sunk, seventeen damaged. A battleship and a plane carrier are included in the price which Nippon has been obliged to pay for the foot- hold in Celebes which the military clique in Tokio almost certainly expected to gain both easily and cheaply. S Housing Relief Defense Housing Co - ordinator Charles F. Palmer, evidencing justi- flable concern over the increasing gravity of the wartime housing crisis in Washington, has Jost little time in taking advantage of the suggestion in congressional quarters that special legislation dealing with the problem be prepared. He has submitted, with Budget Bureau approval, a bill which would allot $50,000,000 of Lanham Housing Act funds to relieve the acute shortage, present and pro- spective, in housing for lower-sala- ried war workers in the District. His description of fhe situation which will confront Washington when the full impact of the accelerated influx of emergency employes is brought to bear here is sufficiently alarming to warrant immediate action by Con- Mr. Palmer, in a letter to Speaker | Rayburn, points out that all previous | estimates of the urgent local need for low-rent housing have become obsolete since the outbreak of the war. Whereas, before Pearl Harbor, his office recommended a program providing for 4,500 publicly financed homes in Washington—over . and above maximum private production —it is now estimated that at least 10,000 dwelling units will be needed. Whereas the original program was based on the belief that 60,000 new employes, many with their families, would come here during the eighteen Bureau now envisions a population increase during 1942 of close to 250, 000 persons. It is obvious that this great increase will aggravate the shortage of all types of housing. If private builders are freed from priority and other restrictions now hampering construction, they should be able to meet a considerable part “ of the demand for medium and | higher priced homes and apart- ments, but only the Federal Govern- ment is in a position to provide | shelter for employes of lesser in- | come. Special legislation is needed be- | cause Washington has been excluded | 50 far from participation in the Fed* | eral housing program under the | Lanham Act. That law limits its scope to relief of housing conditions resulting from activities at military and naval stations. Employes in the Federal departments and agencies thus are not provided for. Chairman Lanham, recognizing the need for Federal aid in this housing field, has promised to introduce special legis- | lation to take care of the local prob- | lem. There has been too much delay already in considering Washington’s plight as center of the national de- fense effort. Only yesterday did the White House clear the way for a be- lated $2,135,250 allocation to Wash- ington of “leftover” defense public works funds. The prevailing attitude in some | quarters in the past has been that Washington was just another city | and, as such, should take care of its | own problems—forgetting or delib- erately ignoring the fact that this is the Nation’s Capital, that the situa-" tion that has arisen is not of Wash- ington's making and that the city cannot raise or spend a penny for remedies without authority of Con- gress and the National Government. of the few Federal officials who has shown a proper appreciation of the dilemma in which Washington finds | itself in this developing war emer- | gency and who seems conscious of the absolute necessity for prompt action. —_— An Unworthy Proposal In a recent address ai Cleveland, Secretary of the Treasury Morgen- thau contended that in time of-war, even more than in time of peace, it is necessary to close loopholes in our laws which permit of tax avoid- ance. There will be little disposition to quarrel with the thesis that tax avoidance is wrong and that it | should not be tolerated, either in war or peace, but there is room for considerable difference of opinion as to what constitutes tax avoidance and the specific steps that should be taken to eliminate it. In the main The Star has sup- ported and continues to support Mr. Morgenthau’s position in this mat- tér. The Cleveland speech contained one proposal, however, which seems to be so foreign to long-standing concepts of fair dealing that it can- not be supported and should be vigorously opposed. This proposal had to do with the | issuance of tax-exempt securities by | State and municipal ‘governments. Pointing out that the existence of this “loophole” costs the Treasury, at present tax rates, about $200,000,000 8 year, Mr. Morgenthiu urged that L | cabinet with which a compromise the income from future issues be made subject to taxation, as has been done in the case of Federal securities. This is a proposal which is equitable and sound, and it merits full support. Mr. Morgenthau did not stop there, however, but went on toeassert. that the income from State and municipal issues now out- standing also should be taxed, and it 1s diMcult to see how this latter recommendation can be justified on any ground. These outstanding securities were sold on the express cendition that the interest on them was not to be subject to taxation. It was possible tc market them at a very low rate of interest because the purchasers re- lied on that assurance. In some cases, no doubt, buyers were in- fluenced oy motives of tax avoid- ance in the usual sense of that term, but in many others the purchasers accepted a low interest rate in ex- change for an investment source for their savings which they re- garded as safe and not subject to the vagaries of tax legislation. Many in this latter category are owners of only small amounts of- tax-exempt securities. By no stretch of the imagination can they be grouped with the “wealthy taxpayers” whom Mr. Morgenthau rather loosely ac- cused of seeking refuge from all income taxes. The practice of issuing tax-exempt securities, as has been said, is basically wrong and should be cor- rected. But the proper remedy con- sists of refusing to issue tax-exempt securities in the future, not in break- ing faith with those who purchased tax-exempt issues in the past. These purchasers, after all, relied on the belief that they could depend on the promises of their government, State or municipal. The willful destruction of that faith in government would be an extremely high price to pay for victory in this war, but, for- tunately, it is neither necessary nor desirable to pay such a price, and Mr. Morgenthau no doubt will come te the same conclusion as he gives further consideration to all of the implications of his Cleveland proposal. — Churchill Stands Pat Prime Minister Winston Churchill's report to the House of Commons came under favorable auspices. All Britain was thrilling to the news of a large American troop landing in Northern Ireland, which Mr. Church- ill assured his hearers was merely the vanguard of larger forces. The atmosphere was thus electrically jubilant. Mr. Churchill certainly did not sidestep. His comprehensive report touched every important issue, some- times with surprisingly rn‘nk dis- closures. He admitted that mistakes and miscalculations had been made, but he boldly took upon himself full responsibility, refusing to shift the blame to subordinates and make “scapegoats” to still the criticisms ot sections of the British and Aus- tralian press. Warning that more bad news and fresh losses were prob- able, especially from the Far East, he called for a vote of confidence, declaring that the loyal support of the House was necessary if his gov- ernment were to conduct the war with full efficiency and if harmful Axis misrepresentations were to be stilled. In this connection, he threw a revealing sidelight on the Rudolph Hess mystery, stating that the Nazi leader had flown to England with the hope of effecting the overthrow of the Churchill government and its replacement by an ‘“appeasement” Anglo-German peace might be made. Churchill's most detailed revela- tions concerned the Libyan cam- paign. He informed the House that the imperial army engaged in that ‘ operation was much smaller than | had been generally supposed; that it had at all times been markedly in- ferior in numbers to the enemy; that the margin of victory had been slim and had entailed heavy losses. By implication he gave the House to understand that the. Libyan offensive | —as an offensive—was at an end, for he stated that Britain’s job now was to hold Cyrenaica. When the offen- sive started two months ago it was officially stated that the destruction of the Axis army and its expulsion | from North Africa was the specific goal. Although Mr. Churchill did not say S0, the announced shift to the de- fensive in Libya presumably reflects a major change in British grand strategy since Japan'’s entry into the war, with all that this has entailed. The Far East, he said, is in no sense & secondary theater of war, adding that Britain and America are jointly resolved to give it every attention that available shipping will permit. As usual, Mr. Churchill made no | effort to cheer his audience with easy optimism. He warned once more that another hard year lay ahead, and that intensified and in- timately correlated efforts of all the Allied nations could alone assure ultimate victory. He admitted that the burden of the struggle lay upon | his shoulders perhaps more heavily than in the tragically crucial days after Dunkerque. Yet, mingled with these admonitions was a virile and unshakable faith in the ultimate triumph of the Allied cause which evoked prolonged cheers and left no doubt that Britain’s great war Pre- mier and his government would re- ceive the unstinted confidence they sought. Mr. Churchill was never stronger with Parliament and the nation than he is today. The Four Aces recommend tfit more bridge be played as a wartime relaxation. This is ane way of tack- ling the rubber shortage. ) A | submitted shortly to the people of Can- Tells Canada’s Part In War Effort Journalist Expresses Belief That Dominion Record Is Not ‘Unworthy’ By W. R. Givens. Mr, Oivens for 20 vears was the editor Bl the Ki) Hm &hfl’ lhlru lo ent. w8 president of the Now that the United States is an active participant in the war, it is but natural that her people, unitedly sup- porting the magnificent efforts of their Government, should turn toward their next-door neighbor, Canada, the largest of the British Dominions, to learn ex- actly what the Canadian Dominion has done in the more than two years since she entered the war of her owrt volition— for it is to be remembered that Canada is a sovereign, independent nation and not under the control of Great Britain, as some people still mistakingly suppose. Accordingly, to satisfy this quite nat- ural desire for information, some facts and figures herewith are presented re- lating to Canada’s war efforts which may prove interesting. If, heretofore, little information along these lines has been forthcoming the explanation is a simple one. Briefly it is that, second only to Canada’s resolve to help win the war is her desire to strengthen and preserve the ties of friendship, growing stronger and {stronger each new day, that bind to- gether the people of the United States and Canada. To this end her states- men, her newspapers and her people adopted a self-imposed censorship, firmly resolved that nothing savoring or sug- gestive of propaganda likely to influence or create war sentiment should go out; firmly resolved, also, that under no cir- cumstances should we interfere in any way, by suggestion or otherwise, in the weighty issues with which the President and the Congress of the United States were wrestling. These, we appreciated, were problems that the American people themselves must resolve. For Canada to have acted otherwise would have been at once impertinent and presumptuous. And s0, hoping that what war efforts have been put forth by Canada may not seem unworthy of a nation of less than twelve million people, a few of these accomplishments are now set forth in brief paragraphs as follows: Compulsory military service was put into effect in Canada in June, 1940, to include all men aged 19 to 45, who were single, widowers or divorced at the time of national registration. At present the Dominion is calling up the 21-24 age group. Whether compulsory overseas service will be put in force by conscription will depend on the result of a plebiscite to be ada, on recommendation of Prime Min- ister Mackenzie King who was elected two years ago on & “no conscription” platform. More than 360.000 men, of whom ap- proximately 10,000 are Americans, volun- tarily have enlisted in Canada’s forces for overseas service anywhere, these forces being made up as follows: Army, 240.000; air force, 93,000, and navy, 27,000 If our population were as great as the United States and the percentage of en- listment to population held constant this would be equivalent to an overseas force | of 4.000,000. | In addition, more than 160.000 others | in Canada have enlisted for home defense and to guard our two coasts. At present we have more than 150,000 men overseas, all thoroughly trained and equipped and all transported with the loss of only a few lives. The Canadian Army in England today | is reputed to be the most heavily mech- | anized army in the world. | Immediately after the fall of France | and the evacuation of Dunkerque this army was the sole organized and equipped fighting force in the United Kingdom standing between Hitler and the con- quest of Britain, if he had then at- tempted an invasion. In the past year Canada spent for | war purposes alone over 40 per cent of her entire national income and in 1942 she will spend 60 per cent of her na- tional income for war purposes. We are now training in Canada under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan more than 35000 airmen. Already 15,000 trained airmen have gone overseas from Canada and of these more than 1,000 have lost their lives, the majority in defense of England. By early spring it is expected that 15,000 more airmen will be on their way over. Every State in the American Union is represented among the volunteers who have joined the Royal Canadian Air Force and these Americans are recog- nized as among the most efficient and daring fiyers in the service. Australians, New Zealanders and Brit- | ish pilots (the latter especially for night | flying) are also being trained in Canada and hundreds have completed their training and are now in active service. Since the beginning of the war 8,000 ships have sailed in convoy from Cana- dian shores carrying more than 50,- 000.000 tons of food and war materials, this not including troop transport ships. Our shipbuilding yards are working day and night, turning out destroyers, corvettes and merchant ships. ‘We are happily wholly free from strikes and labor trouble and have been for months. Without friction of any kind, wages and prices have been stabilized, with a proviso—in order to adjust wages to war- time price levels—for a cost of living bonus after February 15, 1942, to all employes except those above the rank of foreman. Most of the equipment and supplies already sent from Canada to Britain have been “lease lent” by the Canadian people. The value of these in 1941 amounted to $1,500,000000 and Canada provided all the money needed by Brit- ain to pay for these supplies. Canada herself is not obtaining sup- plies from the United States under the iease-lend plan but is paying cash in American dollars for everything she pur- chases in the United States for her own account. In 1941 our total purchases from the United States amounted to over $950,- 000,000, of which $425,000,000 represented ‘war purchases. In the fiscal year ending in March next Canada’s estimated war expendi- tures will amount to $1,450,000,000, while in addition $800,000,000 financial aid will be extended to Great Britain—a total for war purposes of $2,350,000,000. This last year alone the production of explosives in Canada equalied the entire | livered in a cold drizzling rain, March 4, THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C., WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 1942, temporarily absent from their home kampongs; and last, men of Holland THIS AND THAT By Charles E. “SPRING ROAD. “Dear Sir: “Now that the leaves are off the trees is a good time to observe birds’ nests. And in my amateur way, this is what I notice: “I see practically none in the trees in Rock Creek Park, but many in the trees on upper Sixteenth street. Why do the birds build in trees (and small trees) along a much traveled street in prefer- ence to the comparative seclusion of the park? . “I feel sure also that many of their young are devoured by cats when they build near the houses of men. “These nests, I am sure, from the men- ner of their construction, are not those | of English sparrows, but are of the native {merican birds, such as robins, catbirds, mockingbirds, etc. “Is it because more food is to be found around our yards? “With many thanks for any explana- tion of this mystery, I am “Yours truly, J. M. J.* * % x % When the leaves are off the trees is a mighty good time to study them. Then the symmetry and pattern of their branches are seen in all their beauty. | There is too much tendency to speak of winter trees as “bare.” Properly looked at, they are alive with beauty, | just as they are in summer. Trees are very much zlive, now. They are getting all ready for the sap to begin to rise. Many observers stop admiring trees when they lose their leaves. Even the wise poet sang of them only in their warm weather tresses. Really, trees are trees, no matter whether they have leaves or not. The construction of a tree, its sturdy trunk, its boughs and branches, is something to | admire at any time of year, but it is seen | best only in the winter. | The bareness of a tree permits the | observer to understand how wisely nature | constructed them. “Only God can make | a tree,” the poet said. There is some- | thing in the majestic specimen, in forest or town, which draws thoughts upward. % It is probable that the very best time to study trees, to learn to distinguish | them, is now, for the real tree is best discerned now. | In a manner of thought, the leaves | merely confuse the student. In winter, he is able to grasp the real difference in the construction, the architecture, of the various species. Every one who is at all interested in these mightiest of plants, at some time or other has been confused by the leaves. Persons brought up in the country commonly know their trees, but city | persons often are very much confused by the different species, and do not know an oek from an elm.’/ This is partly because they cannot see | the tree for the leaves! Probably too much accent has been placed, in the study of trees, upon the shape of the leaves. This is good in- | | will find far more | suburban Maryland and Virginia than Tracewell. formation, but it is oniy & part of a tree. The skeleton, the framework, is more important. - ‘The bark, indeed, is & better index to a tree than its leaves. LR The student of winter trees will find that overcast gray skies of the season make it possible to reslly see the sil- houette. In spring and summer, the beauty of leaves and blossoms obscures the funda- mental construction. In the cold, the specimen stands out for what it is. There is no doubt at all of its beauty, though 2ome persons, not used to really looking at trees in this way, might think it “bare” and forelorn. It takes experience, undoubtedly, to look at trees and shrubs in this way. Sometimes an occasional person will have to work hard at it, in order to overcome the old romantic attitude. He or she is s0 used to thinking of the tree and shrub as “alive” in summer, and “dead” in winter, that time is necessary to realize that they are very much alive the year around. L Birds nest in builtup areas not only because they often find more food there— and especizally in recent years, since bird feeding has caught on—but 3also because they like us. ‘There can be little question of this. Even the wood thrush, so named because of its original habitat, has come over bodily to the towns and suburbs. You wood thrushes in in the deep woods of Rock Creek Park. Nor are birds as afraid of cats as many persons are for them. Birds and cats have existed side by side for thousands of years. It is only the occa- sional cat which is a bad killer of bird life. We have spent more time observing | cats than most persons, and do not hesitate to say this. The role of the cat as a bird killer has been very much overdone in many in- stances. Storms, lack of food and man | himself have killed many times as many | birds as cats have. English sparrows do not often build | nests in trees, although, of course, they sometimes do. They prefer man-made | places, such as drains, spouts and cor- nices, where the nest holds firmly, with- out swaying. It is a pleasant thing to contemplate, | that the various birds spend both their summers and their winters with us. This gives every one with even a trace of nature love in his veins the oppor- tunity to have friends on tap, as it were, friends which are not dependent upon one’s not saying anything to offend them. In times such as these, when the spirit of some men seems to be growing more vile with every hour, this is some- thing to keep in mind. As man increases his wars and his fighting, the birds go | stalks, right ahead, with minor infractions, liv- | ing their own lives as ordained in the beginning. Mankind still has many les- | sons to learn from the birds. Letters to Messages to President On His Birthday. To the Editor of The Star: It was with much interest that I read Francis De Sales Ryan’s article concern- ing the evaluation of President Roose- velt's second inaugural address by out- ! standing speech specialists. The ma- jority of these specialists acclaim this to | be President Roosevelt’s masterpiece of oratory. Some say it is among the most | enduring specimens of eloquence of all the centuries. Time having dulled my memory, I went to the Public Library to read again that second inaugural address. Not only did I read it again, but I copied it in long hand, the better to impress its contents and composition upon my mind. As I read the text of the speech, de- 1937, I came to the passage: “We of the Republic pledged ourselves to drive from the temple of our ancient faith those who had profaned it; to end by action tireless and unafraid, the stagnation and despair of that day.” And then there | passed through my mind the never-to- | be-forgotten spectacle in my home town | in Tennessee, of men, women and chil- dren being fed and clothed by the Red Cross, the only relief organization we | had in the winter of 1932-3. I remem- i bered the farmers having sold their corn at 20 cents a bushel; their cotton for § cents a pound; their hogs for 3 cents a | pound and their cattle for hardly as I’ much. I remembered men beggin@ for work at 25 cents a day, and few finding it. I remembered the crashing of banks in nearby towns and cities, and then I remembered the cures that had been inaugurated for these conditions under President Roosevelt’s guiding hand. I remembered that his thoughts never have been of himself, but always of the underprivileged. He indeed had “re- fused to leave the problems of our com- mon welfare to be solved by the winds of chance and the hurricane of disaster.” And as my thoughts followed down the years, I remembered how in recent months, this great benefactor had been misjudged and harshly criticized for his Canadian output during the whole of the first World War. Many thousands of women are working in Canada’s armanent plants on shells. guns, ammunition, tanks, airplanes and other war equipment and doing magnifi- cent work. Canada is supplying Britain with the major portion of all the wheeled equip- ment being used in Libya or Britain itself, except tanks. Both the Atlantic and Pacific Canadian Coasts are constantly guarded by large concentrations of troops and by fortresses and coastal and anti-aircraft guns, as ‘well as by naval and air patrols operating along 2,000 miles of coast line and far out to sea. Business income is subject to a mini- mum tax of 40 per cent, while 7915 per cent of all excess profits are taken by the government. The personal income tax in Canada starts with a tax of $150 on the first $1,000 of taxable income, $200 additional on the second $1,000; $250 additional on the third $1,000, with steady increases thereifter until a final tax of 85 per cent is reached. In addition there is a defense tax of from 5 to 7 per cent on the Editor Letters to the Editor must bear the name and address of the writer, although the use of a pseudonym for publication is I permissible. The Star reserves the right to edit all letters with | a view to condensation. stand on foreign affairs, how I myself had thought him wrong and had called myselif an isolationist. every one had awakened to find how right he was. The name of Franklin Delano Roose- velt will be recorded in the archives of the ages as one of the great men of all time. But that will be after he is gone. It has always been true that the louder acclaim for men of vision and under- standing achievement has come after they have died. But must that always be so? All men are human, and it is human nature to appreciate being appreciated. The man in the White House has a birthday Friday. It is true that there are being staged many great infantile paralysis benefit celebrations in honor of this birthday, and this is a cause very close to his heart. But would it not also be grand. if 130,000,000 people, either by note, post card or wire, were to voice to him personally their love, affection and appreciation? Of course, he could never read all the messages, but he could be told how many were received and in that way realize the place he holds in our hearts. I know not what | others may do, but as for myself, my message wishing him many happy re- turns of the day, will be there. E. K. CHURCHWELL. Wants “Unity Week” To Show Solidarity. To the Editor of The 8tar: I propose that we ask President Roose- velt to set aside a week starting February 8 or February 15, to be known as “Na- tional Unity Week.” The purpose of this week would be to help the 130,000,000 of our people to real- ize just how serious this war is and to help show the Japs, Germans and Italians that we mean to win this war. During “Unity” week all the people of our country would be asked to strive harder in every way, inecluding buying Defense bonds and stamps, to start our Nation and the United Nations on the road to victory. I believe that such & week would help toward really uniting our people and would aid them to understand fully the need for the sacrifices that we will be called on to make. JOHN MURRAY, Norristown, Pa. Corrects Reference To National Forests. To the Editor of The Star: In the late edition for January 22 I read an article about canceling auto tax stamps with the owner's signature. An . example was given of how the Interior Department requires such cancellation for national forests hunting lnd fishing licenses. T would like that statement corrected. The Interior Department has no au- thority over the national forests as yet. The United States Forest Service ad- ministers the national forests and that bureau is in the Department of Agri- culture. . ANGELA ©. JANSZEN. And then how | 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. Please tell me what mosquito boats are—L. B. 8. A. Mosquito boats are small, fast tor- pedo boats about 65 feet long and capable of speeds in excess of 50 miles per hour. Q. Is there a roed that follows the boundary between the United States and Canada?—M. J. K. A. Mo road follows the boundary, but a ?0-foot vista is cut through wooded sections 10 feet on each side. Q. Can you tell me when the earth is nearest the sun this year?— F. F. G. A. The earth reached perihelion, or the point nearest the sun, on January 2, at 2 pm. Q. Are the cloves that are used as condiments, the flowers of the tree or the fruits?—A. U, F. A. The cloves of commerce are the unopened flower buds of the clove tree, which grows largely in the Malay Pe- ninsula. Everybody's Songbook—A collec- tion of 205 carefully selected and expertly edited songs, complete with words and music—the old favorites we all love to sing. The musical arrangements are all with- in the range of most voices. This little book is 6 by 9 inches in size, has 144 pages, with an attractive durable cover printed in three colors. To secure your copy of this book inclose 20 cents in coin wrapped in this clipping and mail to The Star Information Bureau. Q. Is it possible to manufacture paper from cornstalks?—A. E A. Paper has been made from corn- wheat straw and a number of other farm wastes in the laboratory, but there is no commercial production from any of these products at the present time. Q. Please advise whether or not the composer, Edward Grieg, was of Scot- tish descent.—A. B. A. The Grieg family (formerly Greig) was of Scottish origin. The composer’s grandfather was a merchant of Aber- deen who emigrated to Norway in 1746. Edward Grieg was born while his father was serving as British Consul at Bergen, Norway. Q. What is the significance of the palms on the Croix de Guerre?—M. E. L. A. In the awarding of the Croix de Guerre, a decoration instituted by France during the World War, the cross without palms was awarded for the first conspicuous act which was deemed to merit the distinction. For additional citations, bronze palms were attached to the ribbon. In the case of five cita- tions, the four palms already attached were removed and a silver palm was substituted. Q. Please let me know where the high- est point of land in Rhode Island is.— G. M. S. A. The highest point in the State of Rhode Island is Durfee Hill in Provi- dence County, which has an elevation of 805 feet. Q. Is it true that Oklahoma Univer- sity was invited to participate in the Cotton Bowl Game January 1, 1940, but refused?—H. C. G. A. Oklahoma was invited to participate in the Cotton Bowl football game Janu- ary 1, 1940, but refused because her key players were injured. Q. What was the extent of the Roman Empire?—B. L. A. At its greatest extent, the Roman Empire included what later became in whole or in part, Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Yugoslavia, Rumania, Hun- gary, Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey, Arabia, Syria, a bit of Russia, Egypt, Libya and Algeria. Q. Will you please tell me the origin of the expression, “feet of clay’?— F. O'B. A. The term “feet of clay” is taken from the Bible—Daniel, ii.33, where the king in describing his dream speaks of a mighty image, the upper part of gold and silver, the feet being partly of iron and partly of clay. In its modern sense the term “feet of clay” is generally used in reference to the earthly or baser part of human nature. Q. When and where did the Govern- ment establish its first bird sanctuary?— L.D. A. The first United States Government, bird reservation by executive order of March 14, 1903, was Pelican Island, In- dian River, Fla. Q. Did Indians serve in the Army dur- ing the last war?—T. M. A. At the time of the first World War Indians were not citizens and therefore not included in the draft. More than 8,000, however, entered the military services, Q. Could you inform me of the origin of the following lines: “Just for a hand- ful of silver he left us, Just for a ribbon to pin on his coat”?—F. M. K. A. The lines are from the poem “The Lost Leader,” by Robert Browning. Boy With Flintlock He lifts it from the cupboard space With careful fingers that caress; This weapon, wrought with craft- man’s grace, Seems made not for destructive- ness, But for a symbol of the brave— The valiant heart, courageous soul, Of the pioneer who stanchly gave His strength to keep his home life whole; The barrel yet sights straight and true— As he grasps the stock old hands have worn, There, by the hearth his fathers knew, The man in the boy is born. JESSIE M. DOWLIN. l [}