Norwich bulletin., 1918-05-28
In the Halls of Congress

President Endorses Measure for Strict Enforcement of Mclean Mi. gratory Bird Law-Work of the In- ternational Red Cross-Taft Help
 ing Administration = Congressman Tilson an Ordnance Expert.
 Especial to The Bulletin)
 Washington, D. C., May 27, 1913-l Crops will save the Allies: Birds will save the Crops" is the latest war 1 slogan. Preservation of bird life as | a war measure and it's consideration | by the committee on foreign affairs may send bit strange but it is a | fact and moreover one which the presi- dent, the secretaries of state and agri- culture deem of sufficient consequence to urge immediate action by congress. l With the cost of living mounting high Ter and higher and the allies depending on this country for it's food supply, congress will put through a measure compelling strict enforcement of the
 Mclean migratory bird law which has already pasSel the senate and which resulted in a treaty between the Unit l ed States and Canada to protect the birds which fly back and forth from country to country in the spring and I bugs eat crops and the country can- not afford the enormous amount of
 waste to food product for which bugs are responsible. It is almost incredible, 1 but the crop damage by insects each year is approximately $So0,000 600, ac- cording to official statements of the Agricultural Department. The govern ment believes the most effecty remedy
 is to let birds have free range and eat their fill. And the agricultural department has made experiments which show that to fill birds stom- ach is some" stunt Birds often eat twice their weight in days time,
 and we are. told they while unconsci-
 ously performing a worm eating con- test under scientific observations, cer- tain birds have devoured gypsy moths at the rate of 35 minute, and keep up that pace for a half hour at time. So Congress has decided that the Me Lean law must be observed and as it concerns Canada as well as this coun- try the fate of migratory birds is made Ia matter for the Committee on fore ign relations to consider, and Congress regard it's passage. as a patriotic duty, believing the preservation of the bird will save many million dollars to the farmers and greatly add to the food
 
 l The enabling act provides for giving effect to the convention between the
 United States and Great Britain which followed the passage of the Mo
 Lean law. This act provides a penal ty of $500 for the killing or shipping J from state to state or between the l United States and Canada any birds killed or caught contrary to the laws of Canada. The foreign relations con- mittee believes it a patriotic duty tc
 prevent the slaughter of birds which 1 compel observance of this treaty anc : feed on insects. The president has written Senator Mclean a letter en- dorsing the measure and Secretary o1
 State Lansing has urged it passed al once. Some opposition came iron
 southern democrats who resented any interference with killing their gamt birds but the sentiment seems to bt strong in favor of the measure. Int : Mclean bill and it's resultant Canad 2 ian treaty, has the warm endorsement e | of the Connecticut delegation as wei l as full support from New England i, a general.
 Missing in Action" we read it oftel
 in the casualty lists issued by tn
 war department. And then perhap | weeks or even months afterwards ", e read that the missing man has beel y located in some German camp as = prisoner of war. And in the diffeui q task of locating the missing after a battle, the International Red Cross
 the special agency employed by all na ? tions for that organization knows n = race, no creed, no enemy in the grea : work it carries on. The 1nteraationa t Red Cross, through it's intelligence bu t reau looks up eacr case Of missin a men and reports it's findings to tn :, American branch of the Red Cros: . which in turn communicates it's infor ' lnation to the State and War Depart !. !. nnents. Pledged to neutrality an Il charity towards all warning nation g the International Red Cross can obtai
 information from each Of the belliger - ents which it would be impossible fo f any nation or other organization |
 secure. The method seems to be b
 interchange of information regardin II prisoners through the Red Cros e Branch of some neutral nation, wllit IS is then transmitted to the America If Red Cross. It uSually takes from on l. to three months to get back to tn IF United States any authentic news ( il prisoners although in specific instance
 it has been far more quickly don
 The Red Cross immediately inform the State and war departments an e the latter at once notifies the familie ? of the whereabouts of the capture
 men. Sometimes Gen. Pershing is tk
 first to learn the fate of the missin
 men and to cable the news to the WE
 department, but as commander of tt e American Expeditionary Force he mu' l. obtain such news by very indire
 channels, which takes much longt
 than the simple and direct methc # which the International Red Gro! which by reason of its peculiarly h, l. n1anitarian work. is permitted to carr
 on. So now, the war departmel
 counts the Red Cross as a branch E. it's official Intelligence Departmer i'll even though it is not so designate
 Former President Taft has come
 town and taken up war work by b' B. coming the head of labor mediatio y- He has leased modest little house n 1v far from the White House. The Ia
 laugh is just as hearty and the Ia
 smile just as cordial and reponsi , as in the old days when he reign, 1 supreme in the White House. It's 5h safe guess that no man in the count h. enjoys the amount of personal pop
 lar:ty and warm friendship which
 accorded Mir. Taft and it was nev it more evident than now he walks t lta streets of WaslningtoT1 inst a pla