The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-04-02

gently said that his election expenses av-
 eraged about 8 per voter, rate much
 less than that of Adams county, Ohio.
 One way of consolidating the public is by acting as godfather to babies, and it is said that one statesman here has a thou sand god-chldren. A change of adminis-
 tra tion means a change of offices. The appointments are made on the old Jack sonian theory, ''To the yictors belong the spells"
 When a new government is elected the old clerks have to leave, and this is so of school teachers and college professors, as well as of the librarians and officers of the museums.
 I From Athens to Paris By Rail | Just now one of the questions which Is | agitating the Greeks is the building of a | railroad to connect the system here with
 the line which runs from Paris to Con
 stantinople. Greece has in the neighbor- hood of 900 miles of railroads. It has some which go to the northern boundary and | which by an extension of less than 60
 miles could be joined to the great Paris trunk line. I am told it would not cost more than S.000,000 ito make the exten- sion, and that both the great powers Of Europe and the sultan have approved of it's construction. It is delayed, however. for fear of military troubles. When 1t IS completed it will have a great influence upon Greeee. It will probably change the through fast route to India, which now goes, by Italy and ,Brndis, to This road to the Piraeus. The mails will go that way and the passenger travel as well. The people are excited over the possibilities, and the money for building the line could probably be raised without difficulty.
 Chances for American Trade
 In the operation of this road there is no reason why American locomotives should not be used. The country is mountainous, and our railroad engines are said to be the best for such re- gions. Americans are popular here and it might pay our locomotive companies to investigate the situation.
 Speaking of American machinery, am told that the people are beginning to use it. American sewing machines are popular and our bicycles bring the highest prices. l see sofe American revolvers and also arms made by the Germans to initiate American arms aho sold as such. As te agrlcuiturai ina @ chimes the farms are small and the most of the implements are similar to those of the days of Herodotus.
 Water Works for Athens
 Other openings might be found in supplying Athens with water. The city often suffers from drouth and as it is now it is about the, dustiest town of the Orient. The streets are macadam- ized. and the roads grind the mtal TO powder The soil is thin and the dust is a white flour which penetrates exery- thing. It covers your boots to such an extent that you have to have them placked several times every day, and this has caused Athens to have more bootblacks than any other town of it's size in the world. The water now comes from a reservoir on Mount Lyk- abettos, but the supply is not sufficient and they are now talking of utilizing the falls of the Styx. which are long distance away. the scneme pro- posing an expenditure of something like $1,000,00O.
 The Draining of Lake Kopais Another enterprise which is already
 under way and largely successful is the
 draining of Lake Kopais. the largest lake in Greece. This lake lies in the noun | tains some distance northeast of Athens It has usually contained no water except in winter. when there was depth of about 13 feet. In the summer 1t was al-
 most dried up. and 1t seemed to have a subterranean outlet to the sea. About 26