Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-09-14
WHAT THE GOVERNMENT Is DOING

lowing the use OF this poison after al
the costs have been taken out.
No staple crop is injured by the boil
weevil except cotton. With q single ex-
ception the pest lives entirely on cotton
The only instance In which IL Is known
to live ON another plant il in Arisonas
where the Mexican boil weevil lives on =
plant which has q fine boil. resembling .
cotton boil. and composed Of tiny threads
Of silk nbers. SO fine that the plant
cannot be used for any purpose what
soever. The weevil may feed for a day
or SO on one other plant. the sarden
hollyhock. It can only keep up life on
this plant for day or two. however.
and cannot breed on II at all. 1t Is not
known whether the boil weevil WAS in
troduced into this country from Mexico,
as has been often reported. or not. Ii
grows in Its native state in Mexico. Guat-
emala, Costa Rica, Porto Rica and Cuba.
There are a number OF persons who
have advocated the establishment OF a
zone 100 miles wide across the south
ern states, in which the raising OF cot
ton would not be allowed, In order to
hold the weevil back In a restricted
territory. The plan would be to close
In this zone each year until the weevil-
was pushed out of the United states
This plan Is favored both by many
southern men and also by a number
OF entomologists. The scheme is con-
sidered impracticable. however, by
government would have to buy the
land practically outright in order to
control its use. and 1t Is not likely that
Congress would provide for such
large purchase
The boil weevil has been blessing
In disguise in some respects. because
IL has made 1t necessary for farmers
TO practice rotation of crops and adopt
b rer msth ,Ss s Of cultivation In
both farmers and laborers have been
Taught to handle crops which formerly
they knew nothing about Diyersifi-
catlon or crops as one OF the moves in
the fight against the weeyil has meant
more for the prosperity OF farmers
according to farm experts. than any
other change In the system of agri-
culture In the south made during the
last half century. Besides crops TO be
| sent to markets many southern farm
ers now raise on one plantation every
thing they need for home consume
tioh' IN the old days most Of the farm
ers raised only cotton and used the
proceeds TO buy other products which
were needed.
When Secretary Redfeld moves his
hundreds OF clerks into the new eleven
Commerce Dept. which has BEEN
Under One Roof. co. constructed for
of Commerce at 10th street and Penn
sylvania avenue. he will enjoy the UNIQUE
distinction of being the only cabinet off,
Ger whose department will be housed
practically In its entirety under a single
| roof Bureaus now using five old rent
ed buildings scattered I'm various parts
OF the city will soon abandon their make
shift quarters, and be brought together in
| the one large office building
Efficiency has been the watchword
among the departments officials who
have directed the planning and construc-
| ton OF the building. Although the build
ing Is owned privately, it was construct
ed for the governments special use. To
all appearances Ii is only an ordinary Of
flee building. but an investigation of the
interior plan shows that its features OF
lighting, ventilation and sanitation have
been worked out for the accommodation
of large groups Of clerks necessary to do
| the work of the many bureaus.
The welfare of the individual clerk has
| bees studied out carefully by the depart
ment officials who directed the build
| ing's planning. The result is that there
| is not single dark room or poorly ven-
| tilated room in the building. Efficient
work. it was realized, cannot come
| from clerks who suffer from eye strain
because of bad light, or from headaches
because Of stuffy. ill-yentilated rooms
IHore Is not Dark cOTT1uOT III
the large building. all are brightly light
| ed throughout the day with natural light
which streams through ground glass
sashes arranged on the corridor walls
of the rooms All persons enter and
leave the building through one large
door.
The Commerce building is privately
owned. but the government will soon both
plan and construct for its use a building
of modern office type which will house
Hf ltaY> hrrra Alas> If.-
terror Department, the reclamation serv-
| ice, the bureau of mines and the geo.
logical survey. This will be erected on
large site near the Corcoran Art Gallery
and will be the first large building OF
modern Office type to be planned in the
office of the supervising architect of the
Treasury. Congress authorized the build
ing. which Is to cost $2.JOOO0. In the last
! Congress. but the appropria ton for the
| work will not be made until the next
regular session. Supervising Architect
Oscar Wenderoth Is anxious to be given
| an opportunity to show the country that
the government can plan a building
which will be a model in design, lighting.
! ventilation and other points which make
for efficiency.
1 Although virtually all OF the china
ware which 9O.00O.000 Americans use
on their tables three
Domestic times a day Is either
=. imported from foreign
AoVAAA' country or is made from
imported china clay or kaolin. in
vestigators of the United States bureau
of mines report that there is enough
Kaolin in the mountains of the south
ern Appalachian region to supply
nearly all of the product which is need
ed for domestic consumption.
Notwithstanding the nearness of an
| easily accessible supply of raw mate
rial for the making of china and other
white ware. American manufacturers
are today sending abroad and purchas-
ing nearly 10000 tons of china clay or
kaolin, which costs more than 5000. 600.
This kaolin displaces a like amount
of domestic raw material. which ex-
perts say has no superior IL properly
handled Besides purchasing vast
quantities of the raw material. this
country is importing annually finished
china and porcelain ware valued ap-
proximately at $40. 000.0 900. large por-
ton of which il is claimed could be
saved if manufacturers made use of
the large quantities Of domestic kaolin
for making the china which the coun-
try requires each year.