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3?HE EVENING STAR With Sulay Mamin* Edltlee I - THEODORE W. NOTES, Editor WASHINGTON, D. C. THtJRSDAT.December *, 1317 Tha Evening Star Newapaper Company Main Office: 11th Bt. and Pennsylvania At*. New York Office: 110 East 42nd St. Chicago Office: 43A North Ml chi ran Ave. Delivered by Carrier—City and Suburban Begnlar Elltlee Evening and Sunday. «6e per mo. or 16c per week The Evening Star.. 46c par mo. or 10* per week 1 he Sunday Star_6* per copy Night Final EdlUen Night Final and Sunday Star-70e par month Night Final Star_the per month Collection made at the end of each month or tech week. Orders may ha sent by mall or tele phone National 5000. Rate by Mall—Payable la Advance Maryland and Virginia Dally and Sunday_1 yr. 310.00: 1 mo. She Dally only__1 yr. 36.00: 1 mo. 50* Sunday only-1 yr. S4.0C: 1 mo. 10* All Other Bute* and Canale Daily and Sunday. 1 yr. 312.00: 1 mo.. 31.00 Dally only_1 yr. 38.00: 1 mo. The SuftUay only_1 yr. S5.00; 1 mo. 60s Member at the Associated Prem The Associated Press is exclusively entitled to the use for republication of all news dispatches credited to It or not otherwise credited In this paper and alio the local news published Herein. All rights of publication of apodal dispatches uvinu imu m* w I casi f cu< IWhen Interests Conflict. No wages and hours bill—no farm bill. This is the ultimatum announced by members of the House from indus trial districts. Particularly do they resent the activities of the Southern members of the House, who have opposed the wages and hours bill as a measure that strikes particularly at the growing industries of their States. Gen erally speaking, the South and the West, the great agricultural areas of the coun try, are for the crop control bill. The chaotic conditions on Capital Hill which are bringing such ultimatums threaten both these legislative panaceas. House and Senate members are puzzled when the American federation of Labor, through William Green, its president, attacks the wages and hours bill, and the Committee for Industrial Organiza tion, through its chairman, John Lewis, demands the passage of the meas ure. They are more confused when Sec retary of Agriculture Wallace assails the crop control bill, now before the Senate, on the ground that it does not go as far toward compulsion as it should go. It is again apparent that the funda mental interests of the farmer and the in dustrial worker are, from the more selfish point of view, directly conflicting. The farmer wishes to sell his products at the highest prices he can get. The indus trial worker wishes to buy these products as cheaply as he can. The farmer, like wise, wishes to buy as cheaply as he can tne products oi min ana iactory, wnue the Industrialist must make his prices cover rising costs of production. In a country dependent both upon agriculture and industry, it is clear that both must be successful or the nation as a whole suffers. Sick agriculture necessarily infects industry and weakens the whole structure of the country. The same is true if industry lags. Nevertheless the struggle continues, with Industry seeking the advantage over agriculture and with agriculture seeking an advantage over industry. The more nearly the two can work together, the better for everybody. The disciples of the theory that prices must be high if there is to be prosperity, however, con tinue to muddy the waters. While it is true enough that too low prices are ruin ous, the demand for high prices, If it succeeds, merely reacts against both agriculture and Industry, for high prices mean less buying and less distribution. The wages and hours bill, coming at a time when industry already is suffering and recession of business great, and the _ crop control bill at a time when foreign - competition threatens the markets in * Which American farmers have been accustomed to sell, are out of place. Many members of Congress realize that and, for one reason or another, are opposed to the farm bill or to the wages and hours bill or to both. It is possible that the combined opposition may be sufficient to throttle both. I,,nn*c Wo* Rill -- — Japan’s known anxiety for cessation of bloodshed in China and early peace— naturally, on Tpkio’s terms—is motivated neither by humanitarian nor altruistic reasons. It springs from urgent eco nomic causes. The islanders are far from the end of their resources, but that these are being progressively strained to ' the breaking point is no secret to author ities with access to authentic informa tion. It is the considered judgment of > come of these observers that unless the Japanese achieve decisive victory over China during the winter, their military successes may be abruptly and com pletely nullified by economic collapse. This theory is predicated on the sup position that Chiang Kai-shek’s strategy contemplates a stubborn defense designed to draw the Japanese farther and farther into the interior of China and corre spondingly ever more remote from their sources of supply. Those were the tac ■ tics of exhaustion Kuropatkin pursued in the Russo-Japanese war and which, f many military students have long thought, would eventually have doomed < Japan to defeat if the Mikado’s armies had been lured only a little more deeply into Siberian territory. Nathaniel Peffer, : one of America’s leading Asiatic spe cialists, has just written that “it can be said with dogmatic certainty that ' there Is no prospect of China’s resist v ance diminishing to such a point that ¥ Japan can reduce its force of occupa 9 Hon in China to less than 250,000 men r for another year. A conservative estt * -mate would be nearer 400,000.” 4 As her war of conquest is said to be •^costing Japan 15,000,000 yen (roundly, **g4£00,000) a day, and the Empire’s Ye ■m fnalning liquid assets are estimated not g to exceed $200,000,000, it is easy to calcu ■* Jala that the prospect of prolonged hos * IQlties conjures up disquieting posslbill ties. These are not minimised by current Toklo claims that only 6160,000,000 of bonds has been Issued out of an author ised $730,000,000. The Germans proved that a great na tion can fight Interminably, even though pinched for money, raw materials and food. But Japan's position, precarious in high degree long before the “China incident,” is notoriously not such that she can bear Indefinitely the burden of maintaining combatant forces on the mainland of Asia, believed at present to exceed the enormous total of 800,000 men. Every hour of sustained Chinese re sistance lengthens not only the Invader’s lines of communication, but extends the economic shadow that dogs his “victo rious” advance. Welcome Aid. Washington welcomes the forthcoming survey of its health and hospital problem by the. United States Public Health Service. For there is perhaps no unit more competent to make a complete, in formed, impartial and comparative In vestigation than the Federal health agency. Other current investigations are at tacking the situation, each from a spe cific angle which will contribute to but not give a picture of the status of public uemui in waMiiugwMi. The inquiry by the Budget Bureau in thirteen local hospitals, for ex ample, is being made by administrative experts, not by doctors, and with a view to determining comparative per capita costs per patient. The inves tigation of Gallinger Hospital by the committee of local physicians, on the other hand, will look at the problem from the point of view of maintenance of med ical standards. Both of these efforts will be of material assistance in ailing out the District health picture, but neither alone will suffice. The Public Health Service, on the other hand, has both the facilities and ex perts to make the sort of Investigation which will make the local health situa tion stand out in bold relief as to whether it is Above, or below or just average. It will be conducted impartially and with complete disinterest. Its effort will be to furnish a yardstick for the measure ment of adequate public health protection. The States have often availed themselves of the service of representatives of the service for similar Inquiries, not with the idea of baring scandal, but in their ca pacities as experts diagnosing a situation. The Capital community is gratified that the Surgeon General has consented to undertake one here. Civil Service Report. The Brookings Institution is highly critical of President Roosevelt’s plan for the “reform” of the Civil Service. In a report released yesterday it declared: “A merit system politically administered is worse than no merit system at all.” Government employment in recent years, as everybody knows, has been dependent upon “political clearance,” and the Brookings findings call atten tion to the fact that the emergency agencies generally have been exempted from the control of the Civil Service law because “the boys wanted the gravy." Even in the so-called "regular service” ways and means have been discovered for appointments of purely political character. The philosophy represented in the practice of the New Deal never has been concealed. Postmaster General Parley honestly believes that “you get just as good personnel one way as the other.” He repeatedly has testified to that effect. The President's proposal was to abolish the existing commission of three and to centralize all Civil Service jobs in the hands of a single officer. Such a move, the Brookings Institution insists, “would invite political encroach ment rather than repel it.” The report argues: “The one-man administration would be affiliated with, or be suspected of affiliation with, one political party. He would almost of necessity be identi fied with one particular section of the country. Whether he had or had not sectional interests or sectional prejudices, he would be suspected of having them.” The Brookings Institution, in other words, fears that the Chief Executive, whoever he might be, would dictate Government hiring and firing in minutest detail through an appointed delegate. It is not satisfied that the spoils system would not continue to exist under an other name. More Muddled Than Ever. Two Virginia governmental agencies, within a period of twenty-four hours, have, in effect, washed their hands of responsibility for the muddled state of affairs at Washington Airport. This creates a fresh impasse which appar ently only the National Congress can surmount. For years Washingtonians have been forced to stand by apprehensively while one proposal after another to alleviate universally recognized and constantly in creasing hazards has failed. Once more, despairing of relief from any other source, local civic and aviation interests, with the backing of aroused national groups, are preparing to turn to a Con gress which for eleven years has neg lected the safety of those who fly to and from the National Capital. The Arlington County Beard and the Virginia State Corporation Commission, in tabling, pleas for action to remove existing dangers at Washington Airport, have placed responsibility for the situa tion upon Congress, it appears that they base their failure to act upon a belief that so long as the National Con gress has under consideration legisla tion which might invalidate any action on their part, it would be futile for them to proceed.* The Virginia developments, coupled with President Roosevelt’s recent veto message calling for passage of legisla tion to meet local airport needs, effec tively put the National Legislature “on the spot.” The Federal Bureau of Alr Commerce, the Virginia government and the county government apparently have reached the limits of their abilities to Improve local conditions. The issue has become dean cut. It is up to Congress. There are two proposals pending be fore Congress—one to build an airport at Camp Springs, Md., the other to complete the filling and development of the Gravelly Point site as a downtown air terminal. President Roosevelt, in his veto message, definitely recommended the Gravelly Point site for immediate development and asked for authorization to develop a larger, all-weather terminal farther out, mentioning Camp Springs as a logical location. Congress must act or accept the blame for possible consequences of its failure. ■ ■ — » » -- Irritating inddents will overtake the greatest fortitude and James J. Parley must not be surprised when so many politicians think they could run the Post Office better both for other people and for themselves. Washington, D. C., needs fortitude to take care of its local conditions with reference to health. Many students owe this community much in the way of early education and welcome opportunities to meet the obligation. Question arises as to whether a foot ball game can be properly described with out the use of slang, which still holds an advantage. A new language is not so bad if you are not compelled to take a strange vocabulary seriously. Qreenbelt is showing Maryland an ideal town with one man to represent the local and the general interests. It will be interesting and perhaps helpful when its economics are candidly figured. Nobody apparently enjoys associating the career of Justice Black with that of the K. K. K. Enough troublesome re search is now provided by the three simple letters A. A. A. Life would be more conveniently ar ranged, if bootleggers carried plans for measurements which would regulate a holiday supply, instead of trusting the guest to a process of self-glorification. Communication with China is hin dered by the Japanese as they claim to be victorious and Oriental standards continue to figure many methods of ! progress upside down. Colleges have numerous games to cele brate and hearty greetings to exchange. But even they have lessons to be learned in the requirements of plain toil and subsistence. Once a Cuban President, Machado is to be under arrest in New York City, the town expected to provide political head quarters for the entire world. Wonderful things are beingsdone with machinery, but it may be asked whether the management of human power is conducted with so much skill. As credit must be used, its employ ment calls for further intelligence. The deferred obligation is one of the greatest of all modern problems. Shooting Stars. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Slipping Along. Slipping along—slipping along— Now with a sorrow and then with a song. The world seems to sigh as so gently it grieves Where the wind softly sweeDS through the old autumn leaves. Slipping along from the summertime glow To the gathering clouds and the hur rying snow, ’Neath the glittering stars through the long silent nights That seem to reflect this earth’s myriad lights. Slipping along! Though an hour may be slow. The weeks and the months with strange swiftness will go. Well patiently wait for the robins to sing. We’ll be slipping along very soon into • spring. Repudiated Theory. "So you deny that a chimpanzee was your ancestor?’’ "So far as I am personally concerned,” answered Senator Sorghum, "I do. No creature that couldn’t talk could possibly hove been the ancestor of a politician in my State.” Jud Tunkins says mince pie is a .homely delicacy that is liable to require a doc tor’s prescription before and after. Commercialized Saint Santa, in the windows yonder, Wins an admiration great He’s so numerous, we wonder If he is a syndicate. Modern Legality. “You may send for your lawyer." “Wot’s the good of a lawyer," said Bill tha Burg. “Send for my psychoanalyst." * “There may come a day when fighting must cease,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown. “It will arrive when women are no longer beautiful and men cease to be avaricious.” —— \ Get ting the Facts. Thought I heard a robin sing. Snowbird aaid, “Remember, Though the summer flowers cling, This Is now December.” Robin on a summer day Makes a handsome showbird. But when winter skies are gray, Don’t forget the snowbird. *1 says my prayers,” said Uncle Kben, “but X goes to work at • am. to help de answers coma' true." i t Further Correspondence On Rapid Transit Question To tbo Editor of Tbo Star: Mr. James E. Chinn’s articles and va rious letters have told us all about the street cars. I think that those who caused the discussion, the riders, are making a lot of ado about nothing. On the principle that “many mickles make a muckle.” The company has raised the price of a fare from 7V4 cents to 8*/3. If this advance means financial stability then they ought have it. Those who can afford to pay the lesser sum should also be able to swing the slightly larger amount. This means good wages for the employes, new equipment, good up keep, dividends for the stockholders and interest for the bond owners. Other wise, maybe, failure. Many of us know what happened In Baltimore. Receivership, new certifi cates issued with a face value of $1,000, but a present market value of about $100—10 cents on the dollar. The 5-cent fare was tried out, but no luck. More riders, but less receipts and, of course, more work for the motormen. Right here financial difficulties landed the W. B. & A. In the ditch—400 pernlanently out of a Job, and big losses to stock—and bond holders. Why not three tokens tor a quarter? Because the customer, after taking three rides, might invest in a wheelbarrow and have his half-grown boy trundle him to his destination. But under the six token system he must at least patroniae the company a half a dozen times be fore he may resort to such desperate loco motion. Our old friend, human nature of course, is at the bottom of most of this. We hate to fork out. A necessary article ought to bring a reasonable price. And mass transportation is a necessity. FRED VETTER. * * * * To the Editor ol The Star: Judging from the criticism from differ ent sources there are some who are not, in a constructive way, trying to aid the District of Columbia Public Utility Com mission handle the transit problem to the best interests of the riders. Most of the critics do not seem to take a prac tical view of the situation in that they do not appear to think that an adequate credit base for the Transit Co. is at all necessary to make the improvements they demand. On the other hand they have no objection at all about Increasing the debit side of the company's accounts, some demanding that all large cars and buses be operated by two men. Unfortunately, the nature of the Transit Company’s business does not make friends for it. The peak loads, which come in the morning and late aft ernoon, move only in one direction at a time. This inveitably means crowding for the passengers, who crowd into the first car or bus that comes along, and added expense for the company because much expensive equipment has to be provided for limited use only. What is wrong with the local street car and bus system is apparent to any ob server provided, of course, he is not a confirmed opposition advocate. The trou ble lies in the fact that the Capital Transit Co. has lost much of its profitable short-haul business due to cruising taxi cabs and people generally moving fur ther away from the business section of the city together with increased cost of lnkot. tnVAc TU** + 111, truck, does not actively compete for the not so profitable long-haul business, but leaves that to the established transpor tation companies. As a matter of equity the local Utility Commission may have to establish a zone system, but it will meet with considerable opposition from the suburban organizations, who nat urally wish to maintain their fare equal ity with the short-haul patrons. Public ownership of the local trans portation system, which is being agitated by some people, would be of decided ad vantage to the regular patrons because the approximately half of the District residents, who depend largely on pri vate automobiles and taxicabs for their transportation, would have to assume their share of the purchase price. The owners of the Capital Transit Co. would also be fortunate in being able to col lect on the appraised value of their prop erty rather than on its earning power, which is very low. In the end all this criticism should make for a better understanding of the problems the District Public Utility Com mission is trying to solve and demon strate to all who are open to conviction that the only way the Commission can help the public is by helping the Transit CO. J F RXfT'TM * * * * To th* Editor of The Star: Permit me to join in thanking you for the candid portrayal by Mr. Cbinn of the afTairs of the Capital Transit Co. A friend remarked recently, that, though having lived in many cities, con ditions here were different from any place in which the? had previously resided. Reference was to the use of the public highways as free garage space with its many-fold resultant evils, and to the use of the local transit system as a butt or target for every citizens' group, or labor union with a grouch, regardless of facts or reason, or just plain publicity seekers with no other means of break ing into public print. I have often wondered why certain Individuals devote so much time and trouble over the years in stirring up and creating every possible difficulty for the organization, admitting its Inperfections. This is an angle which I have never seen mentioned in the newspapers, and there follows a few facts which I have been able to glean concerning a few of these self-appointed “champions of the people” as follows: A few years ago a certain late gentle man cleaned up a tidy sum—a quarter of a million or more—on W. R. E. Co., com mon stock. Only after disposing of his holdings at this tidy profit did he sud denly become extremely agitated con cerning the financial welfare of the par ents of Washington school children; be coming, perhaps, the foremost agitator for the 3-cent fare, which costs the com pany a loss of an equal sum on each pas senger carried, if I am rightly Informed. This kindly philanthropist would no doubt be dubbed a liberal today in cer tain quarters if still among us; a liberal of a type only too common these days— liberal with other people’s money. So I mucn ror tnat. Another present-day crusader, after arriving here from a certain State, has, during the past 10 years, managed suc cessfully to keep himself in the public eye by opposing on every possible occa sion everything the transit company wishes to do. Good or bad, right or wrong, he’s "agin it.” His consistency at least is consistent in that he is always in opposition. As for labor unions, nothing they might resolve would surprise me after a con versation 1 had with three members late last year. One was a post office worker (city) and he lived for over 20 years in a near-slum, not only on account of low rent, but because he could walk to and from work. He had moved about a month before, yet his denunciation of street-car service was not only universal, but lurid. The other two were brick layers, and their ignorance on the sub ject was awe-inspiring; particularly the one who roundly denounced the ‘ high fare,’1 yet another time expressed the thought that high wages and yet hither wages was desirable for mechimios -$20, a $25, or even $30 per day. And there you are. Everybody looking out for Number One. And how! JOS. A. RICHARDSON, M.D. * * * * To th* Editor of Th* Star: Being one of the unfortunate stock holders of the Capital Transit Co., I nat urally have been very much interested in the controversy caused by the recent fare boost approved by the P. U. C. Of the many letters appearing In The Star, none seem to even remotely touch on the real issue. When the merger of the W. R. St E. and Capital Inaction was finally consum mated (it having been held up for sev eral years), they found they were faced with the task of rebuilding Into one sys tem two badly neglected ones. The pro gram provided for rebuilding of tracks, new switches, new crossovers, several hun dred new buses, new bus bams, quite a number of new cars, besides a large num ber of second-hand cars. All of this ex pense evidently has been charged to operation of the system, and apparently there has been no effort by the P. U. C. to determine how much should be a capi tal charge, and what portion should be rightfully charged to operation. One has only to turn back to the re port of the result of the operation of the Transit Co. for the first year after the merger (which was before the pro gram of changes got under way) to read ily see that with the average passenger traffic increased by more than two mil lion monthly since then, and even allow ing for the actual increase in the oper ating expense, the company is earning a good profit. The fare increase is noth ing more than repeating a blunder that was made before, which resulted In Wash i ington having more taxicabs than Chi 1 cago, Pittsburgh and Baltimore combined. In their efforts to make the traveling public of Washington pay increased fare, under the plea -that increase In cost of operation demands it, the management of the transit company has committed an other blunder. Their efforts have resulted In forcing the value of stocks and bonds to a lower level on the market, thereby making it increasingly difficult for the company to borrow for extraordinary expenses. The proposed investigation ol the transit company by a committee ol Congress, if it Is thorough, will be inter esting. B. EDWARD McCANN. j Growing Cotton Market lm th* oharieitoa (W. vs.) Mas. Accident reports would seem to Indi cate that the bandage demand would miminata tha ootten surplus. A THIS AND THAT I • ■* MY CHARLES M. TRACEWELL. The turtle dove is the nearest bird ve have to the lost passenger pigeon. A little heavier in the beam this Caro lina dove, and somewhat differently marked, but on the whole very much like the famous extinct pigeon. Five of them dropped into the yard at exactly 3:30 o’clock on Thanksgiving afternoon. No doubt they were migrating a point a bit farther South. It is possible, however, for them to sur vive a normal winter in this vicinity. Two years ago we had a pair which re mained all season, feeding at the station with the smaller birds. The five which dropped in Thanksgiv ing day, adding a new note to the occa sion, remained Just half an hour. Part of this time they spent at the feeder. The last fifteen minutes or so they rested in the grass at the rear of the garden. Here their protective gray coloration concealed them very well, and they stayed at rest for several minutes, until one by one they took off and flew away. * * * * In grass this dove seems to have no feet at all, so short are the legs and so overhanging the fat body. These birds had lived well, wherever they had spent the summer and fall days. They were the fattest doves ever to visit the yard. During all the time of their visit they made no noise at all. They moved around in the yard like little gray boats, seeming to swim rather than walk through the grass. * * * * The turtle, or Carolina, dove is a cheerful, fat fellow, an ornament to any feeding center. He and she are neat feeders, too, unlike the sparrows and some others which de light in scattering seed on the ground. This may be due to the fact that the dove is a ground feeder, pure and simple. He is never known to alight on the shelf of the station, but always seeks his sus tenance on the earth below. He is not a good flyer for short dis tances. Once his powerful wings get him well into the air, he sails along as well as any, but until that happens he is rather at a loss. * * * a For all his fat body, the dove is alert, and seldom permits a cat or other enemy to get close to him. At the first alarm he is away, his wings making a creaking or whistling sound peculiar to the species. This sound, together with his soft notes, no doubt is responsible for the popular name of mourning dove, by which this creature is generally known. It is not a good name, one may think, because really there is nothing mournful about the sounds, and the bird itself is as Jolly a fat thing as the famous nickname, "Fats," connotes. Until 1913 this fine dove was regarded in some Southern States as a “game bird,” but the Federal bird law of that year classed it properly as a migratory bird, and it was given the protection of that statute. Since then many more of these birds have come to the suburban areas, which is good, for it is the only one of the doves to so visit us, and It* beauty and ■oft notes, usually heard In early morn ing and late afternoon, add a subtle note of home which fits the situation. * * * * It is said that the male of this species Indulges in a peculiar gyration, or flight, at mating time. It suddenly flies directly into the air from its perch, attains a height of a hundred feet or more, then holds its wings motionless as it glides back. The idea seems to be to impress the female. The famous "pigeon’s milk” is her produce. She mixes this with the food in her crop, from which the young birds feed. As to food habits, these doves are re garded as among our most helpful birds, which is one of the best reasons why their unrestricted slaughter would be a doubly great crime. Orinthologists tell us that the dove eats mostly weed seeds, but also likes Insects, with a partiality toward grasshoppers. • * * * At the home feeding station these birds will eat the cracked corn and oats usually sold as baby chick feed, and also like the seed mixtures generally called "wild bird seed.” They are not quarrelsome birds, de spite their size, although occasionally one of them will chase the English spar rows away for a time. Not even the most ardent advocate of these sparrows could blame them for iilOb* At times the flocks of sparrows get on the nerves of their best friends. This is mostly due to their sloppy way qf feed ing. Not content with eating all day long, they dash in their bills at each mor sel, and succeed in scattering a table spoon of grain and seed at each stroke. Such tactics soon coat the ground be neath each feeder. Some enthusiasts attempt to meet this by putting a big tin plate beneath the platform to catch this overflow, or spill. It is really comical the way the spar rows manage to throw out far more than they eat. If each bird had a spoon, and personally shoveled the seed out, it could not empty the hopper more quickly, leaving the graund beneath white with food. Maybe there is a method in their mad ness, after all. Such prodigality enables birds which have not managed to get a toe-hold on the feeder platform to eat to their hearts’ and stomachs' content. * * * * Simply “the dove” is a good name for our turtle, mourning, or Carolina dove, for it is the only one of the sort here abouts. Its relation to the pigeons is seen at a glance, but it is a far prettier bird than most of the latter, and its feeding habits much nicer in every way. Pigeons are great nuisances a{, the home feeding station. They run up the feed bill tremendously, and give no re turn at all, for they are not interesting to watch, unless, of course, one happens to like pigeons. Some do. But the person who feeds the wild birds in the cold realizes, when he has pigeons, that he is simply feeding somebody else's birds for him and getting no return. Shoo the pigeons away, if possible* but treasure the turtle doves, if they come to your place, for they are among the most beautiful of birds, and the only link we have with the passenger pigeons. STARS, MEN AND ATOMS Notebook of Science Progress in Field, Laboratory and Study. BY THOMAS R. HENRY. New “tagged atom*” are showing how the various elements In food go to make up body tissue. Reports before the American Chem ical Society last month revealed that heavy nitrogen and heavy hydrogen, mixed with food and later recovered from tissue, were making possible, for the first time, study of the speed and mechanisms of fat and protein utiliza tion. Papers Just published by the National Academy of Sciences tell of similar experiments with two other elements, sodium and phosphorus, both of which are essential to the human and animal body. Both of these elements can be made radio-active by bombardment with deuterons, or atoms of heavy hydrogen. These radio-active isotopes act chem ically in precisely the same way as the normal elements. In the great chemical laboratory of the body they enter into the same combinations at the same rates. But they emit powerful radiations which can be recorded and counted by delicate instruments. Hence they can be followed in their progress through body tissues. The physiologist can tell what has happened to them after they have gone through the process of diges tion. Where do they turn up? How long does It take them to get there? A significant report to the National Academy is by Drs. S. F. Cook. K. G. Scott and P. A be Ison of the University of California Medical School. They mixed radio-active phosphorus in the food of chickens. This element is par ticularly abundant in bone and brain. At one time it was much tooted as a “brain food” because so much of it eventually found its way into the cere bral tissues. xuc uuugmit uociors iea me radio active phosphorus to chickens. Some of the birds were killed at the end of four days and most of the organs of their bodies were tested with “ray count ers” to find out what had become of the element. It was found rather generally distributed through the body at this time, although approximately 32 per cent of it already was deposited in the bones. The other chickens were killed at the end of two months and some striking changes in this distribution were noted. Then more than 70 per cent of the ele ment was concentrated in the bone and the amounts which had found their way to the brain and spleen were much higher. The amount in muscle and other tissue was correspondingly less. The other report is on the distribution of radio-active sodium given to human beings, in some cases as a treatment for leukemia. Most of the sodium in the body is contained in the blood and lymph. Hence it is pretty well distrib uted throughout the organism. The radiation counters showed that the distribution was quite rapid. The absorption of the sodium, it was shown, began within a few minutes after the material was administered and is appar ently completed within from three to ten hours. * * * * Two hitherto unknown minerals—pre sumably among the rarest constituents of the earth’s surface rocks—have just been described from the collections of the Smithsonian Institution. They appear as lichen-like, greenish growths on rock specimens brought back from Chile by Mark C. Bandy, who con ducted a joint Harvard-Smithsonian expedition in 1935. The first of these minerals has been named antofagastite, after the Chilean district in which it was found, by Drs. Charles Palache of Har vard and W. F. Foshag of the National Museum. Of it a combination of chlo rine and copper which forms mould-like splotches on rocks. Curiously enough, it is a combination often made in chem ical laboratories, but its existence in nature had not been suspected. It dis solves completely in water, forming a beautiful pale blue solution. It colors flame green. The second new mineral was named • _ J 111. . Am ifd T t ie UBUUJUI^y --- — undoubtedly one of the rarest substances In nature, occurring in button-like crys tal formations seldom over a centimeter In diameter. The mineral is deep blue in color, with a suggestion of greenish fluorescence. It is a combination of boron, chlorine and copper, of a type never before represented in minerals. Before a blowpipe it colors flame green. It cannot be completely dissolved in water, but in ammonium hydroxide it yields an intense blue solution. l * - — ANSWERS TO I * QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. H ASK IN. A reader can get the answer to any question of fact by writing The Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. * Haskin, director, Washington, D. C. Please inclose stamp for reply. ~ •# Q. Who are the most popular radio entertainers?—J. K. A. According to the latest program survey in 30 key cities, Edgar Bergen and hh dummy, Charlie McCarthy, are the most popular radio entertainers on the air. They lead by nlre points Major Bowes and his amateurs, while the third choice is the Monday night Radio Thea ter directed by Cecil B. De MilTe. Q. How did the United States reim burse Germany for German boats taken in American waters when this country entered the World War?—N. T. A. The German government was not reimbursed for ships taken in United States territory. They were considered contraband of war. 1 Q. What States have a system of sav ings bank life insurance?—M. H. A. Massachusetts is the only one. It has had its system since 1907. It is one of the major accomplishment* of Mr. Justice Brandeis. Q. Are there other Goat Islands be sides the one in Niagara River and the one in San Francisco Bay, now known as Yerba Buena Island?—A. N. W. A. A third Goat Island in the United States is in Narragansett Bay, R. I., Just off the city of Newport. The United States Naval Torpedo Station is situated on it. Mas-a-Tierra, the nearest to land of the Juan Fernandez Islands off the coast of Chile, was formerly called Goat Island. It was On these islands that the experiences of Alexander Selkirk led to the story, “Robinson Crusoe.” Q. How old is George Marshall, owner of the Redskins, professional football team?—W. H. A. Mr. Marshall is 41 years old. Q. Is it true that only the female quail utters the bob-white call?—F. L. J. A. Sylvester D. Judd in “The Bob white and Other Quails of the United States,” says that the call “bob-white” is the nuptial call; the male uses manv other calls, imitating other birds and animals. This call is not generally used after the breeding season, although it has been reported as late as October 20. The answer of the female is a single clear whistle. Q. Who was Deadwood Dick?—M. G. A. He was an adventurous character found in many dime novels. In real life he was Robert Dickey, Indian acout, trapper and fur trader. Q. Does painting done on linen can vas last longer than on cotton?—B. S. A. The life of cotton canvas ia about half that of linen. Q. What are the best feathers for stuffing cushions?—G. L. A. They are, in order, goo6e, duck, chicken and turkey. Q. What is the Bloody Tower?—E. H. A. It is the name given to (me of the towers of the Tower of London, in which Richard III is said to have caused the murder of the young sons of Edward IV. Q. Can you locate a quotation for me about religion's being what a man does In solitude?—A. N. R. 1 A. Religion is what the individual does with his own solitude.—Dean Inge. Q. Where is the oldest hospital in the United States which has been in con tinuous operation?—E. D. A. The main building at Pennsylvania Hospital, Philadelphia, is the oldest building in the country employed con tinuously for the care of the sick. Q. What is a filibuster?—N. G. 8. A. it is the act of a member of the legislative or a deliberative body who. in opposition to the proposed action of the , majority, obstructs or prevents action by the extreme use of dilatory tactics such as speaking merely to consume time. Q. Please give some information about the Borda Gardens in Mexico—J. W. • A. The famous Borda Gardens are at Cuernavaca, Mexico's most noted holiday resort. Some historians say they were laid out in 1716 by Joseph de la Borde, who came from Prance and later changed his name to La Borda. Emperor Maxi milian made Cuernavaca the summer capital of his court and occupied the Borda Gardens as the official seat of the government. The gardens were planned to reproduce those of Versailles and French landscape gardeners were brought to Mexico to make them as per fect as possible. They abound in trop ical plants such as mango trees, poinset tia, bougainvillea. The islands in one of the pools are planted with coffee, ba nana, and Maiclllo trees. Blue morning glories and to the color of the gardens. Tiled seats, fountains, wrought iron gates, pergolas, and arcades are some of the most beautiful features. Q. Do all C. C. C. camps have libraries? —R. N. A. They do. There are 1,849 of the small Government libraries now func tioning. Q. For whom was Wallack's Theater in New York City named?—J. H. A. It was named for James William Wallack, an English actor. In 1818 he visited New York, where he appeared with success in Macbeth and other roles. He settled permanently in the city about * 1850 and opened Wallack's Theater at Broadway and Broome street in 1852, and the theater of the same name at Broadway and Thirteenth street in 1861. -_ A Booklet ' On Care of Pets. This 32-page booklet is a compilation of the best Information and suggestions obtainable from governmental and other authoritative sources on the care of all kinds of pets—how to feed them, house them, train them, exercise them, breed them, and look after their minor ail ments. If you have any pets in your home you will And this booklet of real practical help. Order your copy now. Inclose ten cents to cover cost and handling. Use This Order Blank. The Washington Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, Director, Washington, D. C. I Inclose herewith TEN CENTS in coin (carefully wrapped) for a copy of the booklet, “CARE OF PETS." Name_.... Street or Rural Route___„ i 1 * State____ (Please order by mail only J t a