Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-04-28
CAPITAL JoTTlNGs.

Refusal of the Interstate Commerce
Commission to permit the principal
railways of the West to advance their
rates on the transportation of cement,
for the reason that the carriers are al
legged to need additional revenue, is the
feature of a decision handed down
Thursday in the important Portland
cement case.
Aeroplanes, 1t is said, will be such a
common sight in the national capital that
people will no more think Of looking at
them than at dray horse. Brig. Gen
James Allen, chief of the army signal
corps is making plans for an army staff
of aeroplane experts. Grounds will be
leased as an aerodreme. where daily
flights will be made. Lieut.. Benjamin D.
Foulos, NOW on duty along the Mexican
border, will go to Washington to instruct
other officers in flying.
Those who claim that shad is the most
palatable of all fish need have no fear
that the day is near when they will not
be able to please their palates with it.
Immense catches of shad along the At
lantic coast this year are attributed by
Commissioner Bowers of the bureau of
iASiANAAC7 " tiAG AeiCt tiinil QuiItlS tiit past
few years the bureau has planted be-
tween 100. 100000 and IL. coo, coo shad yearly
in the coast waters. Ten years ago the
shad had been SO depleted, he said. that
it was feared there never again would
be any big catches like those of the "old
days"
Loss of efficiency in some bureaus of
the government service is said to be due
to overerowding of employees. the govern
ment losing more thereby in the decrease
in work done than it saves in rent
George Q. Smith of the geological sur
vey declared Thursday to congression-
al committee making an investigation of
public buildings, that in his bureau,
which occupies rented building. the
overcrowded condition of his men caused
a loss of fully 20 per cent. in their eff
ieiency. Representative Cantril of Ken
present the matter to the House of Rep
resentatives.
Dangers SO grave, according to Dr. H
w, Wiley, chief chemist of the depart
ment of agriculture, Turk in the ordinary
headache remedy that he has determined
to institute an investigation under the
pure food and drug act. Many cases in
which death has followed the taking of
these remedies, said DR.. Wiley Thursday.
have been brought to his attention of
late. Headache powders, said DR.. Wiley,
usually contain large quantities of ace
tanelid, phenacetin antipyrine or caf-
feline, all of which affect the heart more
or less The powders, according to Dr.
Wiley, contain a larger proportion of
these drugs than any physician would
think of prescribing.
The relation of the home to child well
fare was the general topic for discussion
at Thursdays session of the second In
ternational Congress of Mothers and Pa
rent Teachers Association at Washing
ton. The program included demonstra-
tons of play songs by a group of second
grade children of the local schools and
number of papers on various phases of
the topic, among those TO speak being
Mrs. Geo X Johnson, president of the
Pennsylvania Congress OF Mothers; Mrs.
j. r. Little, president of the Georgia Con-
gress; Mrs. b. f. Carroll, president of
the Iowa Congress, and Mrs. Robert
Park, vice president of the Massachu-
sets Congress. Discussion of the topic
will extend through the night session.
Victor Berger of milwaukee,. the So
cialist member of Congress, in a reso-
luton introduced Thursday not only |
proposes to abolish the Senate, but
aims To strike from the hand of the |
President the veto power and take
from the courts authority to invalidate |
legislation effected by the House of |
Representatives,. All, this is proposed |
as an amendment to the constitution, |
which, if petitioned for the per cent |
Of the voters in each state, shall be |
submitted to general referendum |
The Senate has run its course" said !
Mr.. Berger. after his threatening docu- |
nent had been dropped in the hopper |
on the Speakers desk. 1T must some |
day, as with the British House of |
Lords, yield to the popular demand for |
It's reformation ar abolition.