New Britain Herald Newspaper, May 20, 1916, Page 6

. NEW. BRITAIN DAILY HERALD, SATURDAY, MAY 2v, 191 O©. W BRITAIN HERALD SRALD PUBLISHING COMPANY, Proprietors. d dally (Sunday excepted) at 4:15 p. m., Herald Building, 67 Chkarch St d at the Post Office at New Britain Becond Class Mall Matter. éred by carries to any part of the city br 16 Cents a Week, 65 Cents a Month. iptions fcr paper to be sent by mall, ble in advance, 60 Cents a Month, Year. ; o rofitable advertising medium In Circulation books and press pom always open to advertisers. Herald will be found on sale at Hota- ng’s New Stana, 42nd St. and Broad- y, New York City; Board Walk, at- atie City, and Hartford Depot. TELEPHONI carLLs. a1 FACTORY FIRES. bse who in the early hours of wonderful May morning were gned from their, peaceful slum- BY the weird blowing of a factory fealling upon fire fighters to hé*sweep of flames are perhaps pring why some rasping pd of calling out the fire brigade not be resorted to in times of It was between two and three i this morning that the first s rendered, a mighty roar that 11 the of the Angel s'anticipated trumpet note on Day. Nor was there surcease sorrow ‘after that first wail. It p long and arduously for many thereafter until all the factory Ehters inh New Britain and parts ptford and the Naugatuck Valley and answered. Residents of imediate neighborhood were Jied and brought to their senses many of them, that the end Wworld was at hand. True, such happen once only in a great less semblance Fires are not nightly occur- in the factories, nor do these Have to call out their own fire by this blasting, except on occasions, If they did, we be willing to circulate a peti- jnong the peace loving denizens community calling upon the n council to formulate and pass th a measure prohibiting the : of whistles after midnight, ex- h the occasion of ushering the r out and welcoming the new \ which, of course, would hap- once every year. It would [visable for the factories to in- system of silent alarm to call 13 'emen, a series of wires run- om the shop to the houses of iters, and not awaken an entire the purpose of calling together dozen ‘“minute men.” Other- the factory watchmen, in case phone over and call in the city Anything but that whistle its most silent moments fhame a whole fleet of Missis- eamboats blowing and touting pecasion of a Southern jubilee. jin 1776, 1861 AND 1816. flore Roosevelt at Detroit, the Henry Ford, yesterday made the greatest speeches of his eer, a speech that will echo prberate throughout the length ladth of the land, striking into 'ts of the American people and them realize the great that are being brought to bear ation at this moment. In all the utterances of Colonel it were the words of an Amer- patriot, a man who holds his ountry higher than any other possession, a man willing to n his life if needs be for the inherited from our fore- And, as such, this speech e Colonel far from the realm cs and places him on a pedes- re all who hold to the true f America and what it means te him, whether they be Re- s, Democrats, Progressives, ionists, or what not. Pl Roosevelt believes in going to the seat of trouble. There alf way measures about him. s enemies must admit this. he will not brook pussy-foot- he stood up like a man yes- h the very home city of Henry id told the followers and ad- f that Prince of Pacifists what jght of their creed, -calling e spiritual and moral heirs of 0 in the Revolution and Civil ounced Washington and Lin- e scored the so-called hyphen- in- his usual vigor, denouncing Jparticular brand, but extend- remarks to cover all those, English, Irish, Scandinavian ish, who, as citizens of this hold some other nation first thoughts. ‘‘Americanism is a f the spirit, not of birthplace declared the Colonel, who that some of the best Ameri- has ever known, among the kest to him in social or politi are and have been men born L.n whose fathers were born in, . Ireland, the Scandinavian s and other European coun- ese shores men of all nation- est and break bregd. They for a purpose, to build up nd-families, to- rear-childyen [ that they might enjoy the blessings of the new country, the great repub- lic that has no replica on the face of the earth. In so doing, it is for all concerned to shake off the shackles of other governments, to unite in the one great object of protecting and fostering the principles of Otherwise America holds no place for America. them. Preparedness and American- ism are the great thoughts of the day. We are in the throes of a cris one that is fraught with possibilities as great as the initial one in 1776, or the later day strife in 1861. It is in this year of 1916 then that all men must s, stand together for the common cause, to sink or swim, to survive or perish, according to the manner or means of making the preparation. Colonel Roosevelt should not be allowed to enter the political arena for his third presidential nomination. We believe that; but we also contend he should be given some great post, the office of supervisor of public patriotism. And he should be paid from the national exchequer to go about the country pushing men into line, making them realize the great blessings that are theirs because no pacifist arose to get the boys out of the trenches in 1776 or 1861. If he centinues to do this in 1916 and leaves alone part ties he will be the greater having done so, and the nation will be the better for his patriotic enthusiasm. in n poli- man for BATTLESHIPS AND CRUISERS. In rejecting the Daniels five year program and the program of the Gen- eral Board, the House Committee on Naval Affairs in substituting a one year program and deciding to build five battle cruisers instead of two battle cruisers dreadnoughts has started the new era off on the basis of This, despite nations in the and two “a no battleship nav. the fact that all other world are at present relying for their main strength on the battleship, or the dreadnought, and backing up this with an auxiliary line of battle cruis- ers. It was only as far back as No- vember 9, 1915, that the General Board in recommending the building of four battleships and four battle- cruisers reported: ‘““As to types of ships, the conclusion to be drawn so far from the history of the current war is that the battleship is still the principal reliance of navies, as it has been in the past.” Yet on top of this the House Committee on Naval Affairs totally ignores the building of the two battleships recommended by the Gen- eral Board and gives them three battle cruisers more than are asked for. There is this consolation in the turning down of the Adminis- tration’s maval problem: The battle cruisers to be built by Congress will be far superior to any other battle cruisers that ever sailed the high seas; $100,000,000 will be spent on their These ships will be developing a speed of hour and will construction. capable of thirty-five knots an carry 14-inch guns. There are no such ships afloat at .present. The strongest battle cruiser that Germany has in her navy is a twenty-nine knot ship of 63,000 horse-power. Great Britain for its strongest ship of this type a battle cruiser capable of developing twenty-eight knots an hour, and 87,000 horse-power. Uncle Sam’s new battle cruisers are to be capable of developing 180,000 horse-power and in addition to this will have heavier guns and greater volume of gun fire than either the ships of Germany or of Great Britain. This is the way things should be. Uncle Sam should have the greatest ships he is capable of building, unless they are to be relegated to the scrap heap in a year or so. are building battle cruisers they should be made worth while. There is no contention on this part. What may probably be the great mistake of the Committee on Naval Affairs is the ignoring of the General Board’s rec- ommendations and not providing for at least one battleship. Battle cruisers are necessary in the later day method of naval warfare; but battlehips have not totally gone out of style. has of THE OATH OF ALLEGIANCE. Coming on top of the admissions in arantees American the Sussex case and the of indemnity for loss of lives and property, the mento from the German embassy that of cases that have oc- pronuncia- “In consequence curred of late, Bernstorff sent instructions to all the jerman Ambassador German consuls in the United States on German citi- to strongly impre zens living in their districts that it is their duty to scrupulously obey the laws of the country in which they re- side,” will go a long way toward clear- ing up some of the ill feeling that has been prevalent This Manifesto, com- ing through the Imperial Embassy at Washington, is just such a soothing syrup that many born citi- ns as well as native born Americans German iting for since the days ave been v that bomb throwing and bridge burn- ing were in full swing. German agents and enthusiasts let their ardor and devotion to the Fatherland run away Wwith them, with the result that ill feeling and resentment were stirred up- againsy Germany when such things instead | As long as they | should have never taken place. Sub- sprung up over night in this country and shortly sidized journals and write | after the Lusitania tragedy the nation was inflamed by the propaganda carried on by these mediums. Burn- ing and blowing up buildings and | ships became a pastime, and even the capitol huilding at Washington was subjected to the work of an anarchist, Frank Holt Happily, all these things seemingly have come to an end. And the Ger- man government, although it is rather late in issuing these instructions, sees that such a campaign of hate against people who have always been friend- has availed nothing, ly to Germany and can avail nothing in the long run. Therefore, it has disowned the men { who applied the torch and the bomb, and now recalls to their senses those who might be willing to follow in the | evil wake The careful vigil cised all along by the Secret Service agents of the United States govern- ex ment went directly at the root of all this misfortune and securely fastened the blame where it belonged. There was no dearth of evidence to prove that the conspiracy hatched within the shores of a nation friendly to Ger- many had been in some manner brought forth under official sanction. Even in the midst of all its exaspera- tion, the vast majority of our people held their good temper and there was no such as these things might have stirred up. Now that all these terrible happenings have been branded and acknowledged as blun- ders by the government of Germany, perhaps those few remaining loyalists to anything that is not solely anger even American will see the writing on the wall and take the kindly and well meaning advice of the German gov- | ernment to “scrupulously obey” the laws of the United States. Those who hold so tenaciously to the tenets of foreign lands and slightingly pass by the things in the land of their adop- tion should sometimes reflect on the blessings bestowed generously in this land of real liberty. Even good men and true will sometimes forget in times of stress. But they should remember the oath of allegiance, those s0 who took it npon being made citizens. Someone is anxious to know just how long the Chicago convention will be ‘Well, will be sixteen nominating speeches for in session. there as many presidential candidates, and then sixteen more speeches for the and the convention will be opened every day with prayer by one of many chap- lains. Search us! vice-presidential candidates, The Finer Thought. (Edgar A Guest in Detroit Free Press) How fine it is at night to say: “I have not wronged a soul today, I have not by a word or deed In any breast sowed anger's seed. Or caused a fellow-being pain; Nor is there on my creast a stain That shame has left. In honor’s way With head erect, I've lived this day. When night slips down and day de- parts And rest returns to weary hearts How fine it is to close the book Of records for the day, and look Once more along the traveled mile And find that all has been worth while, To say: “In honor, I have toiled, My plume is spotless and unsoiled.’ Yet cold and stern a man may be Retaining his integrity; And he may pass from day to day A spirit dead, in living clay Observing strictly moral law, Yet serving but a selfish cau So it is not enough to say “I have not stooped to shame todasy It is a finer, nobler thought When day is done and night brought The contemplative hours and sweet And rest to weary hearts and feet If man can stand in truth and say: “I have been useful here today Back there is one I chanced to see With hope new born because of me. has “This day in honor I have toiled My shining crest is still unsoiled; But on the mile I leave behind; Is one who says that T was kind; And some one hums a cheerful song Because I chanced to come along.” Sweet rest at night that man shall own Who has not lived hi: day alone. FACT! Old Man Mars evidently is im- mune from that spring tired feeling.— Syracuse Herald, What slows up the Roosevelt hoom s the fact that most of the Progres- ves went back last year.—Buffalo Enquirer. What the country would like to see would be less Senatorial courtesy and more Senatorial brains.—Philadelphia Public Ledger, sn't the only presi- dential candidacy that is a joke, but | Ford is the only one who admits it.— Philadelphia Pres: Henry Ford's Having an “Indian day” among our national holidays needn’t necessarily | increase the sule of tomahawks and red paint.—Gloversville Herald. Three thousand habies were exam- | who ined in a contest in New York the oth- er day, and two were pronounced per- fect. Of the winners, one was Irish, and so was the other.—Rochester | Herald, i e B Town Topics | Taken as a whole Mayor George A. Quigley's annual message to the council was a tisfactory, moderate and carefully prepared article, show- ing him to be cognizant of the needs of the city and having a desire to improve on certain conditions, prin- cipally the trolley and telephone ser- vice, the sewage disposal and property taxation. Regarding the trolley ser- vice, it is a fact that in the south- eastern tion of the city there is considerable property that needs only trolley extension to develop it into a thriving community. Many new houses have sprung up within the past year or two in this section, particularly in the inity of Ellis street and the district south from there to South street which a few years ago was open fields. Trolley extension in the northwest has heen secured and it is right to direct efforts for similar improvements in pro- perty just as valuable to the south where there are great opportunities for the city’s expansion, especially since the erection of the factory near the Ellis street bridge. Property taxation is another salient point, and one well taken, in His Honor's message. Property assess- ment is by far the most important cog in the municipal wheels as it by this means that revenue is received to make the wheels turn round. No method of taxation calling for the expenditure of money by property owners will ever be popular, but as it is a necessary evil is it not better to evolve a system that will be emin- ently fair to all, rather than go along in the same old rut whereby some, are reaping greater profits, do not have to pay for them in a cor mensurate manner and other little fellows, who are not profiting, pay just as high.? The solution is to have a board of assessors to devote its entire time to this end. Property should be assessed at its real value at date, rather than otherwise. communities develop the property be- comes more valuable, owners can demand higher prices, and according- ly they should be compelled to pay a higher tax. Wisdom of this last has been seen by the council which authorized the mayor to name a com- ittee of six to go deeply into the mai- ter. When Mayor Quigley inserted in his message that the present sewage system is a ‘“‘confessed failure” he w: not exaggerating a particle. Not only is the present system a confessed failure but it is also an expensive failure for the city, although to some of the farmers of Kensington, Berlin and Cromwell it has been a some- what lucrative issue inasmuch as they have derived thousands of dol- lars revenue in damage suits. A sat- isfactory solution of this problem cannot be made too quickly and the | mayor suggests an experimental sta- tion for a year at a cost of $15,002 to try and solve it. It would be a good plan were a committee appoint- ed from the council members to act immediately, in conjunction with two or three competent engineers, in bringing to public attention prices and possibilities -of many plans. By a process of elimination a satisfactory solution of the problem might be reached. ®ull powers in the matter should not, however, be given until it is exhaustively investigated. But although the mayor's messaze was generally acceptable there are some items which should ‘be closely questioned; chiefly his suggestion to have the city retain the Burritt school property which is to he given up as soon as the new Burritt school on the Farrell property is bullt, and remodel it into a new police head- quarters and court house. At present headquarters are deplorably inade- quate. With the present force there is not sufficient quarters for the men and when the ten new. appointments are made there will he no place to put them. The cellroom too, rapidly | growing congested, especially on Sat- urday nights and holidays. The court room has become a joke. In the first place it is small, as is the prison- er's pen which is oftimes crowded. is The spectator’s gallery is usual crowded and when an interesting case is on many have to be turned away. 3ut the most serious favlt with the court is the noise. A court room should be .onducted in a digni- fied mannei, but with the puffing locomotives | continually switching nearby and heavy trucks rattling through this street it is oftimes mne- cessary to suspend business until the no ubsides. Tt does not seem practical to utilize the Burritt school and property for a police station. It is a far too valuable corner and from both a civic and economical point of view it would seem that the best policy would be to sell the proper for business purposes. Tt is easily worth $150,000. To remodel the oid building into a police station and court might cost $50,000 more, thus bringing the total value to the ci up to $200,000,000 from which no ap- | preciable income would be derived. Opinion seems to be that for the bet- terment of the business district as well as for the city's financial welfare this property should be sold for business purposes and the police headquarters placed on some other site not too far removed from the center. The plan at present is to have police headquarters moved and thus permit the central fire station to occupy the entire building mnow shared by both. The mayor's insistence to erect municipal slaughter house at an ex pense of $5,500 likewise seems unwise. A solution has been printed here p viously, and it would seem that jus as satisfactory results can be ac- complished by having a competent inspection system as by the erection of the slaughter house. e Seldom, if. ever, has business been any better at the local factories than at the present time. Every shop is working a full week and in meny cases various departments especially rushed have to labor ever- time. Likewise, never has there been a time when labor has been as arce as at present. Each big concern is finding it hard to get sufficient help that is desirable and in many in- stances the superintendents have ssued orders to permit no man to leave if he can be induced to remain, The reason for this scarcity of labor the enormous amount of work being done by the munitions manu- facturing plants in Hartford, Water- bury, New Haven and Bridgeport. The biggest factories in the world are iocated there, money is fairly pour- ing in and in order to keep abreast with business and increase the golden shower the manufacturers are constantly enlarging their factories &nd offering inducements in the man- ner of increased pe Scores of men have left New Britain within the past vear to work at these various mu- nitions plants, and therefore good labor is scarce. e Just as soon as warm weather comes to stay the flies will begin to show signs of life, slowly and slug- gishly at first, but as the warmth in- creases so will their activity until in a few weeks they will be buzzing bout, carrying just as many germs as ever. Now is the time to wage the most effective ‘swat the fly” cam- paign. When the flies are fewer it is easier to kill them and each fly killed now means several hundred Iess flies a month from now, for that species of insect multiplies very rapidly. If all the good housewives would swat every fly she sees as soon as it shows itself in the house it vould be a big step in the right di- rection. In this same connection: now is the time to begin a mosquito campaign as well. Old tin cans filled with filthy water should be emptied and every bit of swampy or marshy ground should be treated with a little kerasene. The oil kills the mosquito cggs and prevents further incubation, One mosquito egg Killed now will pre- vent hundred of annoying and poison- ous bites during the months ta come. - x o Recent agitation of the school board to have motion pictures cen- scred before presenting them to the lccal public is causing no end of ccmment and the casual observer finds that the majority of apinion is, that while admittedly a federal cen- sorship would be an admirable thing, a municipal censorship for New Eritain would be impractical and would be nothing but a farce. Strik- irg a medium between the reaction- ists and stand-patters on the question, ic is agreed that occasionally there is a picture show that might have a Geterrent effect on a child. But in the first place, let the child’s parents censor that child’s act. In the second place Impress on the theater managers by police supervision the necessity of showing only high grade films. It Is sald that the three pic- ture houses here show upwards of fifty reels of films each day. Who is there, or what committee is there wha would consent to watch and cen- sor fifty reels of pictures day in and day out? No one would do it gra- tituously and to have it done at all would necessitate the considerable expense of hiring several censors at a subs salary. Also, it would be difficult to find several willing people who would be qualified to sit in judgment. Public opinion here in- dicates that locally the project of having a censor is by no means prac- tical. Not so with a national board, haw- ever. TFilms are stamped ‘“passed by the national board of censors,” but in reality that means nothing. The rational board has absolutely no legal right to permit or restrain any film. The government, only insofar as indecent and obscene pictures vhich could come within their crimi- nal jurisdiction are cancerned, have nothing to do with the movies. In- quiry has elicited the information that when the movie rage began several vears ago, the various big film manufacturers and projecting machine makers formed the Moving Picture Patents company. This was a combine to control the trade and increase revenue. Controlling the ne- cessities, it Was necessary for a thea- ter man to buy rights from this com- kine and in addition to that he had tc purchase a license to show pic- tures. Then it was that the national board of censorship was created, Thinking to gain public appraval and likewise get favorable free adver- tising many prominent educators and welfare workers were invited to sit in judgment on pictures. They son tired of this however, until it id that today the national board is somewhat of a myth. But as a whole moving picture producers, while ever trying to put over a thrill or a sensation, regard . their high standard too much to take too many chances with objectionable pictures, Admittedly, real reed national censor- ship would be ideal, but a New Britain board of censorship—it is hard to see where it would be even possible, let alone practical, o x “I have no flowers, but I lay my heart, the heart of an old soldier, on the grave of the Apostle of Peace.” Such was the significant statement made by Signor Moneta, president of the Italian Peace society as he stood beside the grave of Elihu Burritt dur- ing the great peace meeting held here on October 12, 1904. Yet important as this famous old soldier and the world at large considers Elihu Bur- rit, strange to relate the 8, 9, 10 and 11 of May have passed without a single Ppublic notice of the th anniversa of one of the world's greatest peacc conferences which was held in this city and Hartford and at which time peace advocates from all over the United es and Europe journeyed to this city to pay homage to Burritt. Memory of that great day, May 10, 1910, with its brilliant guests, festive decorations ,able orators and gigantic parade till fresh in the minds of our citizens and Burritt's own history is too generally known to relate at this time. But in turning back the pages of life’s memory to May 10, 1910, many of the men who were most active in that big affai e seen to have departed to the Great Beyond. Among the most prominent New Brit- ain men who took active parts in that big Burritt Centennial who has since died is the Hon, Charles E. Mitchell, who was vice president of the execu- tive committee. Other committee men since dead are A. Howard Abbe, Fred- erick C. Costello, Thomas H. Brady, Hon. Philip Corbin, Isaac Kanrich, Told In The Beautiful Legend Old Coahuila ‘Washington, D. C., May 20.—The re- cent raid of Mex bandits in the Big Bend district, as the territor: the vicinity of Glenn Springs, Texas, can in is called, has resulted in the dispatch of pursuing troops across the border at a point opposite the village of Bo- quillas, a settlement of thirty-five peo- ple, according to the census of 1910, 260 miles southeast of El Paso. Here- tofore the American punitive expedi- tion has been confined to Chihuahua, but now Coahuila also is to be searched for marauders. This state on the Mexican border is described in the following war geography bulletin issued today by the National Geo- graphic society from its headquarters in Washington: “If extent of territory were the only consideration the American troopers now in pursuit of the bandits suilty. of the Glenn Springs outrage would have an easier task searching Coahuila than those who are hunting | for Villa and his men, for, although in size it is the third state in the Mex- | ican republic, it is only three-fourths as large as Chihuahua. Its area is equal to that of New York, Delaware and Maryland, combined, but ranks only sixteenth in population among the states of the neighboring nation, with about as many people as the city of Washington, D. C. “Coahuila has many natural re- sources. It is extremely rich in sil- | ver and copper mines, with extensive coal fields in the vicinity of Ciuflad Porfirio Diaz, on the Texas border. Cattle raising formerly was the state's greatest source of wealth, immense herds finding excellent pasturage on the fertile plains, but in recent years irrigation has caused an enormous in- crease in the value of agricultural products. Corn, wheat, beans, sugar- cane and peas are profitably grown, and in the southwestern section known as the Laguna district, more cotton is raised than in any other part of the republic. “One of the most valuable crops of | Coahuila is the ixtle fibre, which finds | an ecager market both in the Unitéd | States and in Germany, where it | used for cordage and in the manufac- | ture of baskets. It is of this fibre that | the famous ‘tilma’ in the shrine at | Guadalupe is woven. About this blan- ket the following interesting legend is told: At the close of the century which marked the conquest of Mexico by the Spaniards the Virgin Mary ap- | peared miraculously before an Indian on the hill of Guadalupe and bade him tell his bishop to build ashrine on that spot. The Indian’s message was dis- regarded on two occasions, but when the Virgin appeared a third time be- fore her messenger she gave him a symbol, teling him to gather some flowers growing on the hillside, and take them to the bishop. TI | ers the Indian wrapped in hi | When he reached the churchma | blossoms had alsappeared and in their ead, on the inner folds of the ixtle fibre blanket there was revealed the | face of the Virgin in glowing colo: just as the imprint of the Savior’s face remained indelible on the kerchief of St. Veronica. The blanket hangs to- day under a tabernacle of silver and gold, in the shrine built by the bishop, and the colors have remained compar- atively fresh for three centurie “Saltillo, a town of about 35,000, founded by the Spaniards in 1586, is the capital of Coahufla. It is & pop- ular health resort and is famous as the | birthplace of Leona Vicario, the Joan | of Arc of Mexico’'s war of independ- | ence. Here also was born the repub- | lic’s ‘poet of passion’, Manuel Acuna, who at the height of his career com- mitted suicide on account of an un- happy love affair. “Torreon, in the center of the cot- ton belt, is a thriving manufacturing city of 15,000 with soap factories, rubber works, and packing houses in | addition to its textile. The Parras dis- trict in the same section of the state, is noted for its grapes which are said mous products of the California, Mal- aga and Granada vineyards.” who died last weelk, Judge James Roche, Lincoln S. Risley and John O’Nelll, former editor of the Herald, the anniversary of whose death fell on Thursday of the present week. P G In the annual‘report of city treas- urer Frederick S. Chambelain was a little item which, while it probably escaped the eyes of many, awoke in the memory of some of the old men new nearing the three score and ten mark some exciting days of their van- ished youth. It was a bill of $8.05 for fox bounties. There is a state law that any one who kills a fox can, by, pre- senting the beast's head to the proper authorities, receive a bounty of $1 per head. This law is one that exists for the benefit of the farmers and which has existed for many years but which is seldom noticed in the city. However, eight foxes were killed or wrapped by enterprising young huntsmen during the past year and the bounty money paid. To the old men the mention of fox hunting serves to quicken their faultering pulse, for fifty years ago fox hunting was re- garded here as great sport. The lit- tle red animals were a pest to the farmers and made a nuisance of them- selves by their repeated depredations on the poultry stock. The youths of the day would ofttimes load up the old single barrel shot gun or take down the old powder horn and flint luck Revolutionary musket and sally forth on a fox hunt. Their hunt was far different from that sport as it is prac- tised by the elite of England today. Their own rusty legs had to be the steads and the family watch dog act- ed as the full blooded pointer. Through the woods beyond Osgood Hill and towards Pinnochle mountain; to the southward towards Shuttle Meadow; to the east and south tow- ards Berlin and Beckley these little hunting parties would go, searching out the farm yard scavanger and as a result of their prowess many a mother of those olden days was sup- plied with a warm winter' coat, the fox’s pelt being tanned and cured at home. But as the years sped past this sport decreased as did the foxes until the past year only eight of the little animals were caught. It will not be many more years before a fox will be known to the city boy only as an ani- mal of which he reads. P Never has 2 city the size of New Britain been faced with a more se- rlous problem of how to provide wholesome recreation and amuse- ment for her children as is this city today. This was forcibly brought to the attention of the council by the public amusement commission Wed- nesday night and steps should be tak- en promptly to remedy the existing de- fects. The history of the playground movement here is not long or old. As the playgrounds were proving their worth all over the country, New Brit- i ok up the movement in 1911 :ll?l‘x:ollw {‘Inn, George M. Landers Joaned the use of a large tract of‘kmd at the corner of Winter and Clark streets. The plan was a succ from the start and last immer upwards of 83,000 children used the play- grounds during the nine weeks they were open and under constant super- vision of competent instructor: Today, however, the city is faced with the problem of how to continue these recreation centers. Al- though somewhat cramped for room, the playgrounds can be run this sum- mer, but next year it will be practical- ly impossible unless more land is se- cured. All of the schools are over- crowded, making it impossible for the school yard playgrounds to accommo- date all. Part of Landers’ playground has been sold and by next year the remainder of it will not be available. Neither will the American Hardware tract at the corner of High and La- fayctte streets and at the Burritt school the property so used is for saie and may be purchased any day. At the Bartlett school an addition to the building has further cramped the playgrounds. The Clark property ad- jacent of the Smalley school can be used as a playground but in the north- ern and eastern section of the city more playgrounds are a necessity. One is needed midway between the East and Smith schools and as there are 5,000 children within a half mile radius of the corner of Broad and Beaver streets the need of one in that section is obvious. One solution would be for the school board when pur- chasing property for new schools to buy enough extra land whereever pos- sible for a playground. Healthful re- cpeation under proper supervision will do much towads bringing the children to maturity as they should be and it would be a great moral misfortune as well as civic mistake to have t2 abolish this system . Before long the safety board and the board of public works will get to- | gether to discuss the advisability of further trafic protection at night and |a plan outlined by Chairman E. N. Humphrey of the public works board is meeting with considerable favor, al- though there is some criticism as well. intersecting streets such as Main P Bus A land West Main; Church and E\lmn: Chestnut, Main, Arch and Walnut and others, while protected by traffic officers during the day, are not protect- ed at night and there is nothing to pre- {vent a thoughtless driver from cut- ting the corner wrong and possibly causing an accident. Mr. Humphrey advocates the placing of a standard at the intersecting point after the traf- fic officer goes off duty and having it lighted with a lantern at night. Thus drivérs can go around ‘it and observe trafic rules as they would if a man were there. In New York and Brook- lyn this is done in many places and even in the neighboring city of Meri- den at the corner of Main and Colony streets it is done. Elsewhere it works out well and no doubt would here. At least it is an inexpensive experiment and would certainly be better than nothing. P The new fence that has been erected during the past few days at the south end of Central Park is not in any sense a beautifying thing and it would seem that i such a thing is necessary to prevent the public from trampling on the grass, the board in charge could have selected a type somewhat more attractive in design. The fence, as it is, consist of wooden posts, couple of feet in height, across which are stretched two wires. An imposing sight in the center of the city! Sim- ilar fences have been built at this spot in the pact and none of theni last. Loungers will insist on leaning against this wire, and in a short time it will be a sagging me If a fence is a necessity a low, neat, iron fence, cost- ing but Ititle more and lasting much longer, as well as looking incompar- ably better, would be the proper thing. In the Suffragist “slavery” parade in Chicago thirty-six girls, typifying the States which have not granted the bal- lot to women, will march with hands manacled and with a ball and chain, in the shape of a toy loon, attached to their ankles by a cord. Would not a gold anklet along with a wrist- watch more appropriately represent their condition of ery ?" w York World General Jose Inez Salazar sounds like a cavalry troop at a trot. It is therefore disapopinting to read of the General’s stealing a few bags of flour with his army consisting of a one eyed man, a cripple and a deaf mute. And it was only the other day that the | General started a revolution on his own account New York Sun It was a mistake to let the landers wear their kilts in Now the French dress designers an idea it's a compliment to the L model —Bing- British ally to use.the kilts as for next summer's gown hamton Press,