Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-09-22
FRANK THoMSoN'S BOYS
His Scholarships for Pennsylvania
Railroad Young Men--searchlns for
Big Iron Ore Beds In This state.
Where Chester Leads
BY GEORGE NOX MCCAIN


BY GEORGE NOX Mccain
ENRANK THOMSON, former president oi
l. the Pennsylvania Railroad, belonged tc
His name will live, though, for years to
come.
1t will be remembered long after the grea,
system whose destinies he guided for a few
years has been lost in mergers and consol
cations with the mighty lines of the future
Except for an annual announcement, made
In matter of fact business like communi :
cation, there are few outside the Pennsylva =
mas great family of employees who are
aware just why Frank Thomson's name will
live.
Shortly after his death his children, in
memory of their father, established eight
scholarships OF period Of four years each.
They entitle the successful candidates,
sons OF living or deceased employees of the
pennsylvania Railyoad, to select a univer-
sity, college or technical school which they
desire to attend.
The purpose Is to offer an opportunity
to young men to secure a technical educa
ton.
THIS year one Of the winners is a New
L Bedford, Mass, boy. He Is the son of
deceased auditor on the eastern lines.
Sheffield Scientific School of Yale has been
selected by him.
Out at Fort Wayne, Ind. the son Of an
assistant foreman Of one Of the power plants
will attend Purdue University.
Nineteen young men took the examina
tions for these scholarships, which amount
to $500 n year each.
John Clarke Sims, formerly secretary Of
the Pennsylvania Railroad and n trustee of
the University of Pennsylvania, established
two yearly scholarships which exempt the
hoiders nsr - from tuition fees at the University.
One is open to competition among the sons
OF living or deceased Pennsylvania Railroad
employees. Trustees Of the University nomi-
nate the other.
The Sims scholarship this year goes to the
son son Of pn slerk in the car service department
The catholicity of the gift is shown in It's
distribution. The son Of section hand Is
as eligible as the son Of a division super
intendent.
Fifty two boys have been given a univer-
sity training through the Thomson scholar
ship up to the present time.
THE American Legion in Pennsylvania
J. has 10000 members. 1t is a paid-up
membership in good standing.
In spite of industrial depression and the
consequent hard times the Legion during
the last year has increased at the rate Of
1000 a month.
One post in Lancaster has a roster Of be-
tween 900 and 1000 names.
Out Of the 552 active posts there are 1873
that have between 100 and 200 members,
and thirty nine have between 200 and 300.
Montgomery County leads the rural list
with 1927, while Fulton County, noted as
the only county without railroad, has only
eighteen members.
Incalculable good is being accomplished
by the Legion. 1t aids "buddies'' to obtain
for them when i'll through the Public Health
Service.
The Bureau of War Risk Insurance
knows Of its activities to the tune of II 900
complaints last year. Fifty per cent Of these
were Legion cases.
Its work on behalf of its members and
the country for which they fought has only
begun.
GOVERNOR SPROUTS home town Of
" Chester is setting a pace for every other
third class city in the State.
There are thirty five of these smaller
cities, and 1t is the only one Of the lot that
bases its assessments for taxation purposes
on the actual valuation of the property.
Reading and New Castle are a close Sec
ond. They fix the valuation at 90 per cent.
Lancaster has 33 l g per cent valuation,
which requires eleven mills tax for all city
purposes. If this millage were based on the
full value of the property 1t would be re-
duced to $3.50 per cent.
These figures are the result of survey
made by Secretary of Internal Affairs Wood
ward. He is believer In taxing property
to it's full value.
Uniontown, where property is assessed at
one third its actual value, has a rate for
city purposes this year of fifteen mills.
On full valuation this would be reduced
to five mills.
County commissioners over the State are
urging assessments at full valuation.
T ROSS CORBIN, Of the State Survey
y . Bureau, Is at work on an investigation
that may put millions of dollars in the pock
cts of farmers before he concludes his ex-
animation.
He is making tests for iron ore in various
sections of the State, particularly in the
Eastern and Southeastern portions.
He is largely confning his Investigations
to a broad belt Of country running from the
Maryland line below Gettysburg, through
to New Hope on the Delaware
River in Bucks County.
There are large deposits Of ore already
within this belt at Dillsburg. Cornwall and
Boyertown.
There are paying copper veins also.
T1ORTY years ago Pennsylvania led every
Il State in the Union in the production of
iron ore Now it holds only sixth place.
The development Of the Lake Superior ore
beds threw this State far into the back
ground.
The size and purity Of these deposits made
improbable the working of our own ore
veins.
There are 165 blast furnaces In this
State Three years ago our iron mines pro-
duced less than 3 per cent Of the material
demanded by them.
The Northwestern ore beds, unless further
discoveries are made, will be exhausted In
the course of time. II is to anticipate the
future and ascertain just how much min
eral we have here at home that the present
investigation is being prosecuted.
NEARLY all of the ore mined in Penn
~ sylvania Is of the magnetic kind.