Evening star., 1926-04-05

there were, up to the end of last
month, 2644 roll calls. Sheppard has
missed but IA of them-an average of
only about one a year. One of Shep-
pard's achievements during the pres.
ent session Is the passage of O law
granting honorable discharges to the
service men of the World War who
"fibbed" about their ages in order to
get a chance to fight. Some 5000 of
these hitherto have been deprived of
veterans benefits and privileges. All
with good service records are now,
under the Sheppard law, restored to
he honor list.
x x y x
Do departmental officials read the
tnnual reports Of a chief, the secre-
airy OF this or that executive branch
# the Government? Well, some do.
md apparently some don't. In this
column not long ago appeared a sta
isticai statement affecting certain
Federal activities. One day last week
a subdivisional chief of the depart.
ment in question called up by tele.
phone, said there'd been "a lot of in.
quiries about that" and asked where
he information came from. He was
told it was culled almost verbatim
from the 1926 annual report of his
chief. Well" was the subdued re.
ply, that's all right. then"
(; x !; y
Ca1ifornians in WASHINGTON are
going to give a banquet in honor OF
the retiring president of their State
society, Representative Arthur NJ.
Free. One of the reasons Californians
like Free is because of his practical
contribution to the solution of the
japanese peril--he is the father of
two sets of twins. Four of his five
children are boys. With his quartet
Mr.. Free is the ranking member OF
the joint congressional committee on
twins. In the House the only other
father of doubles is Representative
John c. Ketcham of Michigan. In the
Senate are three members each OF
whom has twins-king of Utah
field Of Texas.
= K < !,
Over at the Department of Agricul
ture they're perfecting a mechanical
device that looks like q cross between
speedometer and an adding ma
chine. It's called "cropometer, and
it's place is on the dashboard Of an
automobile. AS the car starts tC
pass. say, a field of oats, button is
pressed, which records the number
of feet of grain fronting the road al
that particular spot. When the cal
comes to the end OF the oats frontage
and starts in on corn or some othei
cron q corresponding button is press
ed. and the meter registers the mum
her of feet Of that field which borders
tbe road William It. Callander. cniel
of tbe United States CNbp Reporting
Service. recently rode with the State
crop reporter of Georgia from Attain
Ia to Washington, approximately so'
miles. 1--WE measured the field crops
all of the way" says Mr.. Callander
"and found that the frontage metel
worked perfectly. l believe 1t VIII be
of considerable future Importance II
giving us q check on crop areas. aisC
on crop damage" d. A. McCandliss
Mississippi's agricultural statistician
evolved the idea of the "cropometer,
hut If was worked out by technol
ogist in Secretary Jardine's beehive
Of bucolic lore.
"Civfc Victory Dinner" is the title
of the feast which friends OF Senator
Burton X. Wheeler will hold in his
honor on April IS. 1t is to celebrate
'sthe inglorious end Of the conspiracy
against the junior Senator from Mon
tana. Wheeler himself. and his coun
sci and colleague. Senator Thomas j
Walsh, will be the speakers Of the
evening. Norman Hapgood is chair
man of arrangements. 1.-THE com
monwealth owes him civic garland
| (from Ben Jonson's "Catiline') is the
slogan Of the occasion.
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