Indianapolis Times, Volume 40, Number 170, Indianapolis, Marion County, 6 December 1928 — Page 4

PAGE 4

SCR I PPS -HOWARD

.The Gas Utility City officials and civic bodies will be derelict in their duties and obligations if they fail to take every precaution against any possible action that will prevent the city from taking over the gas plant in 1930. The local engineering society has published its opinion that the city has every right to the plant at the end of the franchise period and that it should exercise that right. The president of the gas company assures the people that tne gas company is ready to do everything that it is legally compelled to do. That, of course, is what every citizen and every business enterprise is compelled to do, willingly or unwillingly. The gas company stands in a peculiar relation to the public inasmuch as it was found on a very definite plan of providing cheap gas and ultimate public ownership. The men who founded the company, to meet a public urgency, were public spirited. They knew that gas is a necessity. They believed that the public should have all the benefits that could come from a fair partnership. They provided that those who invested their money to start the company should be generously repaid for their use of the money and that the people should be as generously treated for the useo f their streets. Under the contract the investors were to receive 10 per cent each year as interest on their money and when they had received this annual interest and the full amount of the original investment, the city shall then own the company and operate it for the benefit of all citizens. That was a fair bargain. It was considered fair by those who put in their dollars. The people accepted it in good faith. The company has grown, largely through its own earnings. Its physical value is now worth many millions more than the amount originally invested or borrowed. It has amassed huge reserve funds. The exact status is not definitely known, since the company some time ago abandoned publication of its financial statements, provision for which was made in the original partnership agreement. The engineers say that the company should at once resume this practice in order tnat the people may know, as they are in reality partners in the enterprise. There is one disturbing aspect of the situation. The shares in the company have a face value of $25. That is the sum which should be received by holders at the end of the term of private control. Yet on the stock markets and in the banks the shares are given a value of more than twice this amount. That suggests that some stockholders may endeavor to set aside the original intent of the agreement and try to keep the company in permanent private ownership. * The situation" is one that calls for most careful scrutiny, Even if the majority of the stockholders desire to carry out their contract, there may be some holder who will appeal to courts on technical grounds to destroy the intent of the contract. The city should and must bulwark its own position so that no negligence on its part will prevent the taking over of the plant. Had this city or any city of its size kept all its public utilities, citizens would draw dividends instead of being compelled to pay taxes. A Federal Deficit? Submission of the budget to congress for the fiscal year which begins next July reveals thac prospective expenditures of the federal government have reached a point where a deficit is easily possible. The comfortable surpluses of recent'years have vanished because of larger appropriations and diminished revenues. Congress is asked to appropriate for next year a total of $4,417,369,904 for all branches of the government, which includes a postal appropriation of $816,000,000, most of which is reimbursible. This is $69,363,466 more than was appropriated for the current year, and some SBO 000,000 more than the maximum set by the President last summer. It is estimated that this outlay will leave a surplus of $60,576,182. The budget also shows that the surplus for the current fiscal year, originally estimated at $252,540,283, has dwindled to an estimated $36,990,192. Thus income and expend ! tures are approaching the balancing point. Any unusual authorizations by congress may convert the expected surplus into a deficit. The new budget does not allow for the $300,000,000 or $400,000,000 farm relief loans to the proposed stabilization corporations. It does not provide for the projected cruiser building program, which will cost $274,000,000 over a period of several years. Nor is allowance made for the possibility of appropriations for Boulder Dam and Muscle Shoals, increasing the shipping board’s revolving fund, pension increases, and numerous other things for which legislation is pending. It should be remembered also that supplemental estimates and deficiency bills ordinarily add materially to -Jhe original budget estimates. Congress must check the tendency of recent years toward continually larger appropriations, or seek new sources of revenue. “It is clear that we can not assume any great additional expenditures without jeopardizing this favorable outlook,” said President Coolidge, commenting on the expected surplus. “We are committed irrevocably to a balanced budget and that carries the assurance that the only revision of our tax laws which will be considered is a revision downward. “We have no immediate prospect of any further reduction in tax rates; but we have no thought of curtailing in any way the benefits which have gone to the people by the four reductions already made in taxes.” Save Cumberland Falls The Federal power commission must decide whether Cumberland Falls in Kentucky is to be developed as a private water power project or as a state park. Samuel Insull, Illinois power magnate, seeks to lease the falls for fifty years for hydroelectric exploitation. In return, he offers to give the state land for a park besides other inducements. T. Coleman Du Pont, native Kentuckian and former Delaware senator proposes to buy the land adjoining the falls and give it to the state for park purposes. Although Du Pont has power company connections, Insull’s representative at the federal trade

The Indianapolis Times (A SCRIPPS-HOWAKD NEWSPAPER) Owned and published daily (except Sunday) by The Indianapolis Times Publishing Cos., 214-220 W. Maryland Street, Indianapolis, Ind. Price in Marion County 2 cents —10 cents a week: elsewhere, 3 cents—l 2 cents a week. BOYD GURLEY, ROY W. HOWARD, FRANK G. MORRISON, Editor. President. Business Manager. PHONE—RILEY 555 L THURSDAY. DEC. 6. 1928. Member of United Press, Scripps Howard Newspaper Alliance, Newspaper Enterprise Association, Newspaper Information Service and Audit Bureau of Circulations. “Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way ”

commission hearings conceded that the Insull interests are the only ones seeking the site for power development. If the Du Pont offer is accepted, the falls will remain in their natural state and commercialization will be prevented. Kentucky is diyided. A former governor says the state wants tp accept the Du Pont offer. The present Governor says Kentucky wants industrial development which would come with the Insull plan. .Cumberland Falls is not the only power site in that state. There are plenty of others for Insull’s purpose. Conservationists assert that Insull’s offer to permit a certain portion of the water to flow over the falls will not prevent destruction of its scenic value. Coupled with this is Insull’s proposal to build a dam above and a power house below the falls. There are few park areas in eastern states. Cumberland Falls should be kept for posterity as a natural park. Nepotism in Congress Although the salary of a congressman is SIO,OOO a year, some have found a way to add a few additional thousands and they do it legally. In addition to his salary, a member of the house is allowed $4,000 for office help. Presumably this goes to a secretary and one or two assistants. Actually in many cases it goes to relatives of the congressman. Many congressmen have their brothers, sisters, children, or other relatives on the government payroll. The practice is so general that complaint is seldom made and no concerted move has been attempted to get a law prohibiting relatives from serving. On the senate side the practice is not so general. Senators are allowed more than SB,OOO for office help, provision being made for four employes at salaries ranging from $3,200 down to $1,520. Occasionally a senator is found who has a relative working in his office, but this is unusual. One reason is said to be that senators as a rule are more wealthy than house members and not so dependent upon the government for their income. Whether a congressman ought to put his relatives on the government payroll is a debatable question. If the relative actually works and earns the money, perhaps no objection can be found. If the relative collects the salary and doesn’t do anything, the money rightfully belongs to the taxpayers and not to the individual receiving it. Experts Needed Recognizing the importance of finding some way to relieve the farm situation, President B. F. Yoakum of the Empire Mortgage and Bond corporation, says; “The Federal Farm board should be composed of those familiar with farm requirements, capable of dealing with business and marketing problems, and understanding interstate and foreign commerce—no lame ducks or political appointees.” That’s plain common sense. But political appointments to political hospitals for lame ducks is what we are accustomed to get from politically minded Presidents. Sometimes'the result is an administration of public affairs by Falls, Daughertys, Denbys, Millers, and Forbeses. While there is no way by which we may measure accurately all the motives and influences that led to Hoover's big majority, surely not the least among them was the belief that he was not politically minded, but was disposed both by experience and inclination to go at a job like an engineer and turn the work over to experts. So there is reason to hope that whatever can be done will be done during the coming four years so put experts who know their business on farm relief and other governmental problems. And so far as the general run of American people is concerned, it is probable that by tackling government as an engineering job Hoover will turn out to be a much better politician than some of the professionals think he is. Anyhow, the future doesn’t look so bright for political parasites.

David Dietz on Science ■ New Planet Is Found No. 226

THE next great name in the history of the telescope is that of Sir William Herschel, the discoverer of the planet Uranus and the first president of the Royal Astronomical Society. Herschel was born in Hanover, Germany, on Nov. 15, 1738. His father played oboe in an army band and the boy was educated to follow in his footsteps. He became the oboist of the band of the Hanoverian Guards, but apparently cared little for the army life.

and Greek. Finally he decided to build himself a telescope because they were too expensive to buy. ' It wasn’t long before he was building better and bigger reflecting telescopes than had ever e 'isted. His sister, Caroline, was his faithful helper in all his work. Later when he took to observing the sky through his big telescopes, she acted as his assistant. In 1781, this musician who had turned amateur star gazer took his rightful place in the world of astronomy. For in that year he discovered the planet Uranus. Many honors came to him. King George 111 made him telescope maker to the king. But he did it at so large a salary that one wit of the time remarked that never had royalty purchased glory at so low a figure. Herschel was also elected a fellow of the Royal society. He spent the rest of his life building telescopes and studying the skies and did much important work, listing faint stars and nebulae. He died in 1822. It is interesting to note that his son, Sir . 'ohn Herschel, followed in his father’s footsteps, be oming, in turn, one of the greatest astronomers of his day. Sir John did much of his work in the southern hemisphere, “sweeping” the southern skies with his telescope and cataloging stars and nebulae as his father had done with the northern hemisphere.

M. E. TRACY SAYS: “You Can Teach People ■ Birth Control, but You Can Not Make Them Exercise It Unless They Want Tor

“T SHALL not allow you to impose X more children upon yourselves or upon society,” said Judge Harrison W. Ewing of Cleveland to Mr. and Mrs. Otto Kourim. “I therefore refuse the divorce and impose upon you three years of birth control.” It sounds fine, but what would Judge Ewing do, if Mr. and Mrs. Kourim disobeyed his order? Would he jail them for contempt of court, and if so who would look after the children? He would not, as he admits himself. No one knows better than he that such an order lacks legal foundation, that its force is entirely dependent on the attitude of those to whom it was given, and tnat jf they elect to disobey •*., nothing can be done. What Judge Ewing said was all right as fatherly advi re. No one can quarrel with its justification, or good sense on that ground. But when put in the form of a judicial order, it does not look so good. tt u \ Education, Not Law Three children in five years are enough, especially if the husband earns only $24 a week part of the time. The problem is, however, to make young people understand as much, for they are the only ones who can exert influence through advice and information. If young married people want to go on producing more children than they can support, who can stop them? Can you, can I, can their relatives or friends, can an act eptitled an act? You can teach people birth control, but you cannot make them exercise it unless they want to. Setting up an ideal, theorizing about it, or even teaching it as desirable, is a far different thing than approaching it from the standpoint of authoritative decree. tt tt tt Lesson Forgotten Perhaps the most tragic weakness of our attitude toward social problems is the thought that they can be solved by statute, or failing that, that they can be solved by arbitrary decisions. In view of the fact that this republic came into being largely through fear and resentment of law, that this government was designed for no purpose so distinctly as to prevent another overdose of law and that for 150 years we have professed to believe that the people were able to govern themselves with a minimum of law, is it not curious how prone w r e are to yelp for legal measures, or extra legal dictation every time we get in a jam? a a a • Poor Potatoes Who started the idea that potatoes cause fat, or that a reasonable amount of fat is incompatible with health, happiness and personal charm? Letting that pass, it seems to have caused the potato growers a deal of harm. A good many ideas which look innocent at the start react the same way on one kind of business, or another. Somebody said potatoes produced fat, and that was more than enough. Thousands if women, who had grown up to believe in potatoes, along with roast beef and the British empire, staged a revolution. Last year, we are informed, potato consumption fell off in this country by some 30,000,000 bushels, while the outlook for next is worse. Growers of the lowly spud feel that more has occurred than an argument as to what constitutes beauty. They are up against its dollar and cents side- All of which, forebodes a great advertising campaign to rehabilitate potatoes in public opinion. ‘Two Can Play’. As might be expected, in these days of organized production and expert publicity, advertising runs to propaganda. Contrary to. the common idea, competition goes much farther than rivalry between those engaged in the same line. One business interferes with another, though no one suspected any. connection between the two. Worse still, advertising can make one business interfere with another, even though such a connection does not exist. The latest illustration is to be found in that promotion gem “when you feel like a sweet, smoke a Lucky instead.” In other words, quit candy for cigarets. The candy makers are shocked and surprised. They find the competition doubly cruel because it was unexpected. Their most logical move would be to tell the public that “when you feel like a cigaret, eat a bonbon.” tt a tt Food for Thought Food advertising originated in an honest effort to improve diet. In the beginning, cook, doctors and manufacturers vied with each other not only to make something better but to balance the ration. As the thing proceeded, the cooks and doctors were robbed of the spotlight by the manufacturers and their publicity agents. Their advice was garbled to suit-the needs of trade. Phrases were ripped out of sentences, sentences were ripped out of paragraphs and paragraphs were ripped out of papers for the sake? of salesmanship. Health ceased to be the object. It became a grand scramble to get business by presenting various products as givers of life, health and beauty. Meanwhile, the 17-year-old South Dakota girl and the 15-year-old Michigan boy, who just have been awarded first prize in the national 4-H health contest, eat potatoes, but avoid both candy and cigarets. They keep regular hours, go to bed early, eat all the meat they want, but drink no coffee; milk, and plenty of it, being their beverage. This information ought to be of use to butchers, dairymen, mattress makers and the producers of postum.

For he deserted, and went to live in England. There he became a band instructor. Later he became the organist at the Octagon chapel at Bath. He at - tracted wide attention and soon had a great many pupils studying with him. But he spent all his spare time studying mathemathics, optics

THE INDIANAPOLIS TIMES

BY DR. MORRIS FISHBEIN Editor Journal of the American Medica Association and of Hygeia, the Health Magazine. FLATULENCE is the presence ol excess gas in the intestines; il is a symptom and not a disease. Gas may get into the intestine! by swallowing, or it may be gener-

ated there. Very rarely it gets through by absorption of gas through the intestinal wall from the abdominal cavity. Gas is, of course, swalllowed with almost every mouthful of food. The quantities are usually small and are

AMERICAN pacifists who criticised the President because he wants enough cruisers to keep us from becoming some other nation’s doormat, will be horrified to hear Mussolini say that the President is right, and that the United States is more than fair In her treatment of the world at large. To decide a case properly, an Ohio judge must decide whether cats are fit to eat. We don’t know anything about this, but we do know they are positively unfit to hear. It has been demonstrated that a diet of carrots will make a porcupine very gentle and we pass the glad tidings along for the benefit of all who may have married into the species. It was altogether proper for those who gave the banquet in honor of the Swedish count to give Lindy a higher rating than the count when the seats were arranged. Lindy not only outranks royalty; he even outranks a lot of Americans. tt tt a It’s our guess the prince of Wales would have flown back to London from Africa but for the objections of British statesmen, charged with taking care of things. The prince is a fine fellow and more democratic than many born in “the land of equality.” When the prince was over here some years ago he said Americans seemed to be wilder about titles than anybody on the other side of the Atlantic. a tt tt Surgeons up at Mayo’s say Chicago pepole have black lungs, caused by the smoke of industry, and inasmuch as they have white hair and gooseflesh, caused by the smoke of daily battles, they are the most easily identified citizens of the republic. tt u n It is apparent that the earthquake which struck Chile had arranged to arrive just as the world’s greatest calamity trainer, Mr. Herbert Hoover appeared on the scene, but Mr Hoover’s having stopped to fish made it impossible for them to synchronize. a a Adolfo de la Huerta, former president of Mexico and often shot at. now is in Hollywood, training the voices of film ladies, desiring to qualify for the talkies. All in all, we believe Adolfo is in greater danger than he ever was in Mexico. tt a The land owned by Dr. Cook’s oil company, the sale of whose stock lodged doctor in Leavenworth prison, now turns out to be valuable, which likely will cause such a reaction that the doctor will be hailed as the only explorer who ever went within a hundred miles of the north pole. .

His Annual Christmas ‘Sock’!

THE KIND \WEVE BEEN jf . GIVING HIM -- A REAL CHRISTMAS ZV 4tJo s -foraT S§)

Fatulence Surplus Gas in Intestines

Question —What is walking typhoid or walking influenza? Answer—Some people, in the process of developing serious disease do not have sense enough to go to bed. They walk around with fever and other symptoms, spreading the disease to others. In the past, the condition was called walking typhoid or Influenza; nowadays it is plain foolishness.

Reason

DAILY HEALTH SERVICE

easily taken care of in the ordinary case. In the case of an infant that eats too rapidly, much gas may be taken. It has been suggested that after feeding the infant be held against the mother's shoulder and patted gently on the back, to aid expulsion of the gas. The gas generated in the bowel comes either from chemical changes in food or from the action of bacteria on the food or on the bowel lining. As pointed out by Dr. Albert S. Welch, ordinary articles of diet, such as cooked potatoes and tender meat, are acted on by juices in the stomach and small intestines, and after about two hours pass into the large intestine. If for any reason the food is hurried through the small intestine, much undigested material will pass into the large intestine. If for any reason the food is hurried through the small intestine, much undigested material will pass into the large intestines. Certain foods resist the digestive

By Frederick LANDIS

THOSE who think that life would be one long sweet song if Mr. Barleycorn could only return from his Volsteadian exile will be crushed to learn that in Rumania, where the sale of liquor is in full legal blast, thousands are suffering from eye trouble, caused by drinking bootleg poison.

There are no trumps, and South has the lead. North and South must win six of the seven tricks, against a perfect defense.

S—K-J-9-7 H—None d— K-a C—s NORTH S—6-5-S—Q-10 a? u u IT n~?oo < H—4 . o—lo-8 5 y o 6 C—None C—9 SOUTH S—None H—A-10-8-6-5-2 D—J C—None 40

LAY out the cards on a table, as shown in the diagram, and study the situation. See if you can find a method of play that will net North and South six tricks. The solution is printed herewith.

The Solution

IT is possible to get into all kinds of difficulties with this problem if East and West take advantage of any errors. But it is also possible to work it out very smoothly, no matter what kind of defense is encountered. South begins with the ace of hearts, North discarding his nine of diamonds. Then the jack of diamonds is led, North winning with the king. Now North leads his club and East wins the trick. But East must now lead a spade through minor’s tenace and up to North’s major tenace, giving North all the remaining tricks. An opening lead of the ten or the eight of hearts, placing the lead with West, will not work out. West will then return a diamond which,

action of the stomach juices, but are readily broken down by the bacteria which are normally found in the large intestines. Dried beans and coarse vegetables are substances of this character. The excess amount of cellulose or indigestible material in lettuce, celery, cabbage, radishes and spinach may lead to fermentation in the lajjge bowel with the formation of gas. The reason for this is rapid passage of this material through the small intestines because of the indigestible fiber that it conains. Foods that are decomposed or that contain chemical irritants or poisons which stir up inflammation of the intestines will also generate gas. Obviously there are many causes, and each case must be studied in its entirety to determine the factors responsible before the physician can outline a suitable diet or suitable change of habits which will lead to the prevention of gas formation and recovery from disease.

ICE AGE IS HERE tt tt a LUNGS ARE BLACK tt tt tt FEED THEM CARROTS *

•QROFESSOR COLEMAN of the X University of Toronto predicts that the “ice age” is coming to the world and will arrive in about 100,000 years. It appears to have reached Canton, 0., already, for McKinley’s old home, the one from which he conducted his famous front porch campaign in 1896, is to be moved and the ground given to a hospital. By permitting the destruction of this national shrine and her own one claim to fame, Canton, 0., registers the most acute attack of municipal anemia known in our history.

whether it is won by North or by South, eventually will give East and West a total of at least four tricks.

This Date in U. S. History

December 6 1492—Columbus discovered Hispaniola (now Haiti) and built a fort, La Neviad. 1790—Seat of government removed from New York to Philadelphia as third session of Congress opened. 1833—American Anti-Slavery Society founded at Philadelphia. 1889—Jefferson Davis, former president of the confederacy, died

Daily Thought

She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not of bread of idleness.—Prov. 31:27. 000 A WISE man in his house should find a wife gentle and courteous or no wife at all—Epripides. How many states have mother’s pensions? The Children’s Bureau of the United States Department c f Labor reported on Oct. 3, 1926 that fortytwo states now have ‘mother’s pen sion” laws providing for aid to chU dren in their own homes, and 130.000 children are, at any one date, receiving such aid, but the total number of children who need suci. help is probably close to 350,000 Jf 400,000, the bureau estimates. What did the city of New York pay for the land occupied by Cen tral Park? $6,348,959.90.

.DEC. 6, 1928

The Riddle of Keeping Beautiful

BY MRS. WALTER FERGUSON A FAMOUS beautician—Oh, rare title—who does a column for the newspapers cheers up her country readers with the admonition that they must not be downcast because life and circumstance is not to be blamed for a neglected appearance. Pish, tush, and pshaw! That’s all a beautician would be expected to know about it- Sitting in her boudoir, surrounded by sweetsmelling unguents, dictating her wise advice, perhaps she can kid herself into a belief that what she says is so. But she’ll never be able to kid the country women. Keeping yourself always cold created and curled and manicured entails a good deal of work and certainly does use up the time. And these multitudes of mothers with babies hanging crying to them haven’t any too much of that to spare. Tired they are, poor things, when night falls. Worn with anxiety and toil, bowed with standing over steaming washtubs, their hands hardened with mopping floors, their eyes dim with stitching, their souls weary with monotony. u tt tt THEY dream of beauty. Do you think their hearts are not torn as they watch their charms slowly fading, as the years leave •gray in their hair and wrinkles in their faces? But bearing children and counting pennies never yet has been conductive to the preservtaion of good looks. Life has a way of undoing the work of skin foods. Sorrow can carve more lines in the face than a beautician can take out in ten years. These women, the poor and worried in cities, the overworked and harassed in the country, need something more substantial for their souls than recipes for cold creams. They need words of commendation for their courage, praise for their labors, recognition for their services to our civilization. Tot though beauticians may have their place, it never can be such an important one as that filled by the homely women who neglect their skins because they are looking after their children. And surely, if there be divine justice in the universe, somewhere these stanch souls whose lives have been barren of loveliness and starved for beauty, will be clothed in anew radiance that will compensate them for all they have missed here.

Questions and Answers

You can get an answer to any answerable question of fact or information by writing to Frederick M Kerby Question Editor The Indianapolis Times Washington Bureau 1322 New York Ave.. Wahlngton D C. inclosing 2 cents In stamps for reply Medical and legal advice cannot be given, nor can extended research be made Ail ether questions will rective a personal reply, nslgned reouests cannot be answeied. All letters are confidential You are '•ordinllv Invited to make use of this service. How wide is the English channel at its narrowest point? How long did it take Captain Matthew Webb to make the swim? What became of him? The English channel is twentyone miles wide at its narrowest point between England and France. Captain Webb swam from Dover, England to Calais, France in 21 hours 45 minutes, Aug. 24, 1875. On Aug. 12, 1875 he made his first attempt to swim the channel which ended in failure, but succeeded in the second attempt. In 1883 to maintain a waning popularity, he undertook to swim the rapids and whirlpool of Niagara and perished in the attempt. What would be the approximate weight of a twelve-foot shark? How fast does a shark move in the water? The recorded weight of large sharks are mostly based on estimates. The weight for any given length also varies with the species; it is therefore not possible to state definitely how much a twelve-foot shark weighs. A hammerhead shark of seventeen feet has been estimated to weigh 1,500 pounds. A whale shark, thirty-eight feet long, was estimated to weigh 26,000 pounds. The speed of a shark is not definitely known. No doubt the speed varies greatly according to circumstances and the constantly changing impressions which the shark receives from its environment. What is the right of eminent domain? Lands owned by private individuals can be taken by the government even against the will of the owner. This privilege of the government Is called the “right of eminent domain.” * Some of the essential conditions to the valid exercise of this right are: There must be a condemnation proceeding in which the owner or his duly authorized representative must be heard; the property so condemned must be for the public use or good; the owner must be justly compensated for the loss of his property, the value of whic his determined by the current market value of such property in that given locality at the time of its conversion by the government. How soon after receiving calls from neighbors in the locality into which pne has recently moved, should return calls be made? A call should be promptly returned within two or three weeks at most; if not, it is an indication that the friendship is not desired. A bride or newcomer should not wait longer than two weeks before returning her calls. After the exchange of calls, it depends upon individuals whether the acquaintance Is developed. How is fruit cup made? Dice any combination of fruit desired. Pile in sherbert cup, sprinkle with powdered sugar and grated cocoanut, and top with a cherry or strawberry. A good combination is pineapple, bananas, oranges and strawberries, the whole topped with a large strawberry.