The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-09-11
FRANCE HAS GONE
AVIATION MAD
Convinced That Future of Ma
ton Is in the Air
CAFES RAISE PRICES
Is RAISE PRICES
of Living Is Precipitated in
France-Rostand Never
Speaks to Barber

Admiral Boue de Lapeyrere the sec
honor of meeting a few days ago, would
talk about nothing but aeroplanes and
said:
THE whole country has fairly gone
mad over aeroplanes and with good
reason, I. too, am carried away. I want
the French feet to be the first in the
world in the matter of aerial navigation,
as it is the first in submarine navigation.
Seven naval officers will have their GER
tificates as airmen in a few weeks.
THE naval budget this year is low, but
such as 1t is I am going to spend 1t in
buying machines. I want to have in
each of our naval sections-Cherbourg
Brest, Toulon and Bizerta-an airship
with aeroplanes to explore the neighbor-
hood of the port and find the position of
the enemy's mines so that these may be
removed and the warships be at liberty
to go out at any time and fight. Aero
planes will act as our scouts. For the
price of one schooner we can have thou
sands of aeroplanes. I have just come
from Toulon, where I have given orders
for aeroplane quarters to be prepared
at Mourillon. A competition will at once
be instituted for the ideal type of naval
aeroplane. I am keen on the matter, as
l mean France to come in a good first"
The Paris municipal council has decided
to offer prize of 100000 francs for an
important aeroplane race. Some time
ago 1t was proposed by a councillor that
prize be offered for a Paris Bordeaux
flight, but this was postponed. In view
of the recent accomplishments of avia-
tors a Paris Bordeaux race is considered
too simple and much severer test will
probably be arranged.
A short time ago NJ. Clementel. presi-
dent of the committee of army estimates,
said that the war department had de-
cided to order 80 aeroplanes at once, to
establish training grounds for officers all
over the country and in the future divide
the army into four distinct branches, in
stead of three, namely, infantry, cav
airy, artillery and aeroplane.
General Brun, the secretary of war, in
an interview the other day, said:
1T have nothing to add to NJ. Clemen-
tells statement, What he said was the
outcome of a conversation which he had
with me. All our efforts in aviation will
tend to improve the machines and to
adapt them to military purposes, and to
increase to the full extent of our re-
sources the number of aeroplanes in the
army and the pilots capable of steering
them, which will naturally require an
increased number of training stations"
The French army will soon be swarm
ing with aeroplanes. which will be seen
in every town and village of France.
There is no doubt whatever that Gen
eral Bruins conviction is one of long
standing. When he was harassed by in
terpellations in the senate and chamber
nv the advocates of Siderable balloons
he repeatedly expressed his opinion that
II was premature to go in heavily for
their construction, and that more might
ba exnected from another kind of aerial
craft. Time seems to have proved that
he was right.
The rise in the price of foodstuffs is
the question of the hour.
Following the initiative of the socialist
marty. M. Cannot. president of the agri-
cultural group in the senate, has invited
all the members to gather information
and suggest remedies. When it has pro-
cured the necessary data the government
will be appealed to on the matter.
The crisis has been precipitated by the
action of the restaurant proprfetors In
Paris in raising their rates This de-
cision was carried unanimously at
meeting attended by over 1000 restaura-
teurs, and it was further resolved to sup
nress half-portions--in other words two
order a SjnRle
dish of anything and share it between
them. but must take and pay for a whole
portion.
The powerful General Labor Federation
Is actively engineering the campaign
against dear living. Posters are already
making their appearance calling upon
housewives and workers In town and
country to Join the movement of protest.
The Debats sums up the situation as
follows:
.aThe main cause of the present rise
in the cost of living is a bad harvest.
Now in the case of a prime necessity
the only remedy is importation, but to
this the tariff wall is an obstacle. Pro-
tectionism is, therefore, the second cause
of the present prices. The protective
duty is paid. by the consumer"
One of M. Edmond Rostand's most fer
vent admirers is a sad and almost de-
spairing man. For years he has felt like
tearing his hair with modification, and
time only increases his chagrin. He Is
the poets barber, ana ne mas never
heard the poet speak.
He has shaved him daily and cut his
stiIl plentiful locks weekly for years at
Cambo. but has never managed to make
him open his lips He has thrown out
the most fetching suggestions, made the
most insidious observations, given the
most exasperating hints that the con-
yersational knowledge of barber can
devise, but he has never moved M. Ros-
tand to words, either in interest, sympa-
thv or rage. The poet may have WINGED,
frowned. smiled, may even have Shed
tears at the hair-dresser's persistent eff
forts to draw him out, but he has never
been drawn. One does not know which
to admire more In the genealogical
sense-the tantalizing torment of the
BARRIERS pertinarity Any stubbornly 81
lent customer must pain a hair-dresser
but the grief must grow millionfold
when the customer Is M. Edmond Ros-
tand. The tortured barber OF Cambo suf-
fers the more because other great men
have spoken to him. When geniuses go
down to visit M. Rostand they get M.
Rostand's barber to shave them; they
sneak to him, and what is worse. speak
to him of M. Rostand. Coquelin was
shaved by him and spoke to him. Sig
nor Gabrielle de Annunzio has been
shaved by him and has spoken to him.
M Rostand alone is silent. The de-
spairing barber, who has never been In
Paris, has made up his mind to come up
the next time M. Rostand comes. and to
force or worm his way into duchesses'
drawing rooms, where he has been told
that the poet sometimes recites verse.