The Seattle Star Newspaper, December 20, 1923, Page 8

The Seattle Star 1207 Beventh Aya Phone Prema Bervios, Hy @ monthe 62,00, year $8.60, Pubiien MA tn040 Ruthman, Speotal Representatives. San Francleco u Monadnock Bide.; Chicago office, Tribune Dida; New York office Canadian Pacific Bldg.; Boston offices, Tremont mide, Christmas, Old and New OW many Christmas presents are you giving this year? Last night Friend Wife showed us the com- plete list of presents that are being given by all mem- bers of our family. When it was handed to us, we ‘thought at first it was an inventory of our household fur- nishings. q Our mind slipped back to the simplicity of some of the old-time Christmases, In particular we recalled the finest Christmas we ever had. We were a boy then. Most of the presents were home-made. Grandma furnished mittens, knitted by oil lamp after we'd been tucked in bed—thick warm mittens with a long cord that extended up thru coat sleeves and around the neck to prevent loss. Aunt Saphronia gave us a basket of Christmas cookies, shaped like animals and stars and covered with delicious colored sugar. Uncle Tom gave us a watch, and his generosity ap- palled-us, even if it was the old turnip that he'd dis- carded. You can imagine the reaction you'd get if you tried giving a 1923 boy a second-hand timepiece. Most of the presents were useful, in the old days, in- cluding a reefer oyercoat and a new pair of shoes, As for “boughten” presents, they were limited to “The Erie Train Boy,” by Alger, Henty’s “With Clive in India,” a New Testament, a sled, a pair of skates and that most wonderful of all old-time toys, a tin monkey that climbed a string. i ‘At that, Christmas of long ago represented proportion- ately as big an outlay as now, comparing the family in- comes of the two periods. a But the gift itself was secondary to the spirit of the giver, far more than in the present generation, Some- how we believe the Christmas dinners of those days were superior. The Christmas Eve entertainment at the church was as enjoyable, to us, as the modern movie. ‘And the ride in a cutter over the deep snow beat the auto trip of 192) Christmas has changed, but no more so than the rest of life. An advancing standard of living has its price. “Window Shopping — Savteueit— SMILES | Cleveland gus is 80 low tt needs a political convention now more than it will next, apring. | Long debates are expected in cons| SS SSS = SS How “Lame Duck” Bill of Senator Dill Would Operate vias antercirp-hndieed lieth sas oc mach ae noe aia spidis THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1 WHAT McADOO SAYS ABOUT WAGE OF RAIL WORKERS DURING WAR BY WILLIAM G. McADOO Formor Director General of Railrouds FIARLY in 1918 1 appointed a 4 wage commiision, of which the late Franklin K. Lane was chairman, to invoatigate and ro port upon the wages, and after exhaustive inquiry that commis sion reported some four months later that “It has been a somewhat pop lar impression that railroad em- ployes were among the most highly paid workers, but figures gathered from the railroads dis- pore of thin belief," ‘fhe commission reported that 61 per cent of all employés re- colved $75 per month or lean; 80 per cent received $100 per month or less; and only 3 per cent re- celyed between $150 and $250 per month; that the average pay of rks was only $66.77 per month; ‘age pay of section men only 1 por month; average pay of unskilled labor only $58.25 per pay of station only $68.87 per month; average pay of freight brakemen and flagmen only $100.17 per month; average pay of passenger brakemen and flag: men only $91.10 per month. The commission recommended substantial increases of pay; that the lowest paid employes receive the highest percentage of {n- crease and that the highest pald yeu receive the lowest per- of Increase, sid to the credit of the st paid men in the brother hoods that they not only con- rentod, but urged'the director gen- eral to giv Kent increases to the poorest paid employes, in order that they might have a chance to make a living wage during the trying war period. Thruout the wage schedules, if they are taken item by item, it will be found that shipyards $608,000,000, a» shown by a mm cont estimate furnished to me thru the United States railroad labor board, Walker D, Hines mioceeded me an director general January 11, 1919, and during his administration wages were fur: ther increased $34,000,000, mak- ing the total of all increases dur- ing federal control $1,002,000,000, On March 1, 1920, the railroads were restored to private control Telling It to Congress PARKS NEED ROADS For automobile use the existing park (national) roads are in many instances too narrow for safe driv- ing, contain too muth adyerse grade, and particularly have slot the base to withstand the continuous and severe pounding of modern high-powered motor vohicle travel — Secretary Work of the interlor, In- nerted by Sen, Smoot (Rt), Utah. under the Cummins-Fisch net, which established the Unite States railroad labor Chicago and gave it Jurindiction over wages and working condi tions. Upon a hearing, the labor board in 1920 granted a turther increase of $620,000,000 on top of the total increases made during federal control, It. js further tribute to the rail. rond employes of 191% that they took the same railroad terminals, tracks and facilities, the same broken-down locomotives and bad-order cars, and all the other equipment of the raliroads at the time and, by thelr efficiency, made the Identical transportation machine with which the private operators had failed, to the {m- perilment of the war, funetion eo wuccensfully that ample trang portation was provided to keep the greatest business in the his tory of the United States going at the highest point of production and to maintain the lines of com. munication between our soldiers in France and the armies of our allies and thelr American base * supplies. LETTER FROM VRIDGE MANN Chicago —Synthetle Christmas market for natural trees. trees are cutting into the ‘They are fireproof and can be used for several years, and for these reasons find favor with many householders.—News item in The Star. Dear Folks: I've heard about “synthetic gin” since prohibition days. other things I know have been produced synthetic ways. Dec. 20, 1923, And For scl- ence does an awful jot of synthesis with ease; and now I notice how we've got “synthetic Christmas trees.” It looks as if the world had turned a scientific page; we've reached, with all the stuff we've learned, the Great Synthetic Age. Perhaps we'll travel down the line in scientific sway, and then we'll . board at all enjoy a fine, synthetic Christmas day! Beneath a big, synthetic tree, I'd pile the presents high. We'd have the grandest jubllee synthetic coin will bi And if the chil- dren want @ pet, I'd let it go at that—on Christmas each of them would get a nice, synthetic cat! The wife would be surprised, I know, to see the gift I'd hold— synthetic diamonds in a row, upon synthetic gold! And when I drink—if drink I must—my liquid Christmas cheer, 1/4 simply tell the Wife, “It's just some Synthesis, my dear!” and other competitive industries were constantly offering higher and making it increasingly | cult to secure the required Economist Babson is worrying because folks are buying autos instead of homes. Homes should come first, hie says. e they would if some production genius would make it as easy to buy homes as to buy autos, gross, It's a bitter session, Our lan-| guage will suffer heavily expiring monthé of @ allpping ‘ASHINGTON, Dec. 20.—What in {in , entitled In popular parlance as}administration, They continue to things helthe “Ant-Lame-Duck’' bill, Intro: | hold thelr seats in the house or sen- 0 we : could worry about one congressman | quyced in the U, 8. renate by C. C.) ate for some months after their de- oe gg man tp apace has a bUl‘on ‘canary’ birds tit new senator from Washington, |feat, Their votes frequently enable| the railroads successfully for Your Auto’s Life seer is likely to pleane the libernls |the administration to force thru leg.| War Purposes And yet, to main Mellon announces paper monay de-| In the hi reas Topresenta. | Islation which the eople | tain. transportation, equally with TAXICAB’S “‘life” is, on the average, 25,132 hours of With a million other an | have woh ad: | service, we're told by the manager of a taxi company. | floor leader, set himself squarely in thel # are Obtained for sing qu n After that, the car goes to the junkman. The life of the average privately-owned auto probably is not far from the taxi figure. Which should help you figure how much it costs an hour to run your car. You already know how much a mile. Old Guard republican leaders nullify decision of party at last conven- tion to eliminate representation from southern districts having practically no republican vote. Boss rule dies hard. One Way to Progress New York city, various societies against vice and crime have recently been hammer-and-tongs after in- decent theatrical productions. Many showmen formerly enjoyed having their shov investigated, the publicity making tickets seli like hot- cakes. Now the investigating is done in private, prelimi- nary to taking legal steps. This makes alliance with vice less profitable. So it looks as if the more salacious shows will be dressed up and vocally toned down. The most guilty are the ticket buyers who, by their financial sup- port, encourage indecency by making’ it profitable. French government considers new suffrage bill which would give par- ents one extra vote for each child under age. Of course the mothers, voting by proxies for the babes, will favor greater armaments and more war. What Advertising Did N 1912 a young advertising man invented the Christmas Savings club plan, by which people save and bank a certain amount each week and at Christmas have enough money to buy presents. This plan was intended to keep busy, thru banking channels, the millions of dollars Ge previously from circulation and saved at home, idle. The idea took hold slowly, for banks in those days were just waking up to the mighty pulling power of adver- tising. This year over 18 million Americans have Christmas Savings accounts, totaling 400 million dollars. Advertising did it. Ganna Walska McCormick has joined the suffragists, thinking, per haps, they will appreciate her voice. Loans and Peace T last the Washington government seems to have de- cided to do something to help solve the dangerous European muddle, fast breeding tomorrow’s war. The latest idea is for an American to sit in on allied committees of experts which are to probe Germany’s ca- pacity to pay, try to find a means of stabilizing German currency and locate, if possible, the vast caches of Ger- man wealth’ spirited out of the country and concealed in foreign banks. This participation, however, will not be official. Our expert will not represent the government, but will be “sanctioned” by it. Among other things the committees will investigate is ability of a loan to Germany. Which, were we cynically inclined, we might say is one of the sons why Washington is now so willing to sanction American par- ticipation at this time. For if a loan is to be floated, this country will have to furnish most of the coin for the very simple reason we have a near corner on the supply. But at that, if ade- quate German resources can be found and nailed down to back up such a loan, there i see why it should not be made. But if we can participate in an international plan to collect money and float loans, isn’t there some way—some unentangling way—in which we can participate in a sim- ilar plan to preserve world peace? Money is of interest to a handful of since they control most of it. But plain man, woman and child the are the ones who suffer and die down. no particular reason we can banke peace i world over. when For the peace breaks Frank B. Kellogg, | at the court-of St the king!” ne-duck ambassador, is shipped off to be presented ames. “And wasn’t that « pretty dish to set before What Does It Mean? a year’s new building construction represent lay of five billion dollar That’s a fourth sent an actual incr yance? an out- country. é Ne Does it e in building, or ‘gely , totaling the whol sore than a year ¢ repre- a price ad- the new billa last longer. pamieicsadlt Ithe path of th sople’s wit uses 425 gallons of | numerous occasions. The people then barring accidents. spiras ned On ted him to stay at } pon ho wa federal So many new kin g put into clroul sh from coupons. wag ‘The people of Indiana emphatically elected Harry 8. New to remain at home. The president’ promptly ap- potnted him postmaster general. The people of Washington stato elected Miles Potndexter to remain| ‘The president appointed | s of mon jon you can't important Anything can happen now. French foothall team played a German team in Germany without any damage. Remains of an ichthyosaurus were found In Nova Scotia. Remember the | at home. name in case you meet one. |hitn ambassador to Peru bac ‘Tho people of Minnesota elected k B. Kellogg to remain at home. Robberies are increasing in New | F York because It {9 so easy to coax | The presid a» appointed him am: | & stranger into a cellar, bassador to Great Britain. " < ‘The list of those who wound come} Mah Jongg sets are popular this|‘within tho terms of Renator Ditl'a) Christmas, Mah Jongg sets are dom-[bill is Tong and enlightening, The} inoes with a college education. Dill, however, does, not cover such | sca i of William Howant Your wife may kesp you in hot , who, running for the presi water. Could be worse. A Spanish was dofeated in all put twe one bolled her hubby in oll. and, who, in due time, was} Springfield (Vt) couple have a house on wheols. It's the best way, | by ma if you talk about the neighbors. | appotn' supreme court. y more important even n position co; a menace inherent In lame- | Wisconsin phonograph dealer is In men is always revealed | jail. But not, ax some readers may See eee ies ct think, for selling phonographs. | ii | * CE Los Angeles girl of 14 thinks she| S\( I KN is n wild horse. If sho was a dark | she could be a politician. . ce Atoms and. Logic nit} She w ivin, Can't al Angeles movie star's aut Almost all of tho patonishing *new" thing lence of the past | few ‘» may be found to hav understood or partly understood cen: | enlightened | been jturies ago by a few minda. I SIMPLY adore telling fortunes, EVEN if it {s my own. I CAN always tell when I am go- ing to be TURNED down, About 60 A. D. Lucretius Carus, ¥ "" um Na }the nature of th in my wit and /}time the but he moaning Even at that | | | was not new, | tom! laborated it in a manner t prophesied the developments of the theory. His prophecies mind, reasoned and his conclus ti can't make the pen|at by CAST by editors. $ a fearful thing to have a RISQL WELL, of an old r WRITE typed line, PARTICULARLY when the he or were well pn arrived pure » H » proved modern knowledge of the theory ‘orrect. by a ALWAYS in a. stereo- | atomic Roman ph taught many truths mate units of m A wid their limited variety sopher nbout the wultt-| and told of | know oft nts, start also sho has ‘ Be | there are ing with hydrogen « A THOUGHT leresium. "ie let not your heart be troubled; anat ieve in God, believe also in me. | you comfortless; I}the supreme This poem st | will come to you—John xv.:1-18. log com ‘ORT, like the golden sun J Di the sullen shad weet influenc Gn., is the dad of Rowe. the melancholy can say is a full CHANGELESS BY BERTON BRALEY OVE lives, tho all el: 4 The empire May fade like And other wither hings; But love undying springs In hearts of Ind And “Love lives, tho all else sand the king: and lasses, youth forever sings AR rules The clutch of Amid the pulsing thro: The tolling, striving masse still this changele ID eie of the desert cov TO; lyon and T But memories of their love thrill our hearts wi The conquerors expire, Silent their drum: But we know, heart tho all else NEA Service opyright, 1928. nm measures | of federal appo the expec tments when | | ‘The total increase in the wages of J employes made in the ar year 1918 was approximately Fine Beta am Seedless California Oranges Now-—atall stores—your favorite oranges. For Christmas gifts to all the family and friends—fine bright-colored fruit for Christmas decoration, good health and good cheer. These jolly, bright or- anges will delight the little folk as they take them from their stockings. No seeds—firm, tender, easy to peel, to eat whole, most convenient to slice or cut’ for quick salads and desserts. The eating of good oranges at Christmas time (when one 1s apt to over-eat of other heavier foods) aids digestion. Keep a bowl handy during the Holidays. Let everyone be tempted toenjoy their luscious healthful- ness. Phone your grocer today for your Holiday supply. o Sunkist California’s Uniformly Good Oranges Be sure to get them in the wrappers stamped ‘Sunkist’? California Fruit Growers Exchange, Los Angeles, California A Non-Profit Co-operative Organization of 11000 Growers taken when forces were and these night. the Capitol here early mained at missing.