New Britain herald., 1928-01-06
HERALD READERS
 ASKING QUESTIONS
Use Of Information Bureau Is
 Widespreadd
By Frederick M. Kerby, Director,
 Washington Bureau

by FTctct1CN M. AerDy, lIltVCJ0t,
 Washington Bureau
 Washington, D. C., Jan. 6.-Read- CTS of the Herald are thirsty for facts. No other conclusion is possible from survey of the continuous stream of requests which have reached the Washington Information Bureau during the year 1927 just closed.
 In that twelve months. | total of 3,334 requests for information on every subject under the sun were filled by the bureaus staff of experts for New Britain people. Of these 641 were letters asking one or more tsometimes as many as fifty) ques- tions, and 2,693 were coupon re- quests for the printed bulletins is- sued by the bureau on more than 200 different subjects.
 The range of facts needed and wanted by Herald readers is as wide as human knowledge itself. Every thing from astronomy to potato bugs was covered. The greatest single subject of interest during the year was. not unpaturally. Aviation. The epoch-making transatlantic flight of Lindbergh. and the great activity in aviation generally. was reflected in scores of questions on the subject. So great was this interest that the bureau had to add to its staff an aviation expert. Other developments fin the fields Of scientific endeavor were reflected in increased interest in radio and science and invention generally.
 But the common everyday inter csts of life held their place too. The general field of home economics, from budgeting the family income down to the use of aluminium pots and pans, brought large number Of inquiries. And the great subject of education in all it's fields occupied it's usual important place among in- quiries received at the bureau. The outstanding fact that comes to light from an analysis of reader requests Is that the American public is never satisfied to stand still-rcaders of every age and type want to know about opportunities for increasing their education; they want to know how to go about learning more, get ting better jobs, fitting themselves for better station in life and mak- ing the most of the jobs they have.
 Inquiries about schools. books. correspondence courses, employment opportunities. and so on furnished a large grist for the bureaus staff. School boys and girls, from the youngest to the oldest, called on the bureau in increasing numbers for help and suggestions in their history. geography. mathematics, economics, debates, and what not. Many readers took the trouble to write letters of thanks expressing their appreciation of the free service rendered them. The printed bulletins issued by the bureau have been in increased de- mand. Each one of them is a little textbook on some subject of general | interest. The bureau has been guid- I ed in their preparation by the Ques- ton letters received. Whenever Q wide general interest is shown in a particular subject. a staff expert IS assigned to compile all the available information. specially designed to answer hundreds of questions on that particular subject. The ma- terial is drawn from authoritative sources, often after search of gov ernment libraries ard consultations with government specialists; it is carefully edited and printed. with the result that it is packed with in teresting and informative facts. ! brough up 10 date. These bulletins serve double purpose: they are offered weekly in tn newspaper and distributed to many readers: and .they are used in answering reader l letters, and in this form give the in- 1 duirer not only the answer to the particular question asked but also ! subject.
 In keeping with it's desire to in- crease the value of this service to , readers. important additions have been made 10 Che splendid reference library maintained in the Bureau al
 Washington. and the files of in- formation on all sorts of subjects have been enriched in many direc- lions. in preparation for even more prompt and efficient service during the year 1928.
 It is the ambition of the Herald , Information Bureau to have every reader of the paper make use Of the free service at Washington as often as desired. It will undertake to answer any question of fact or in- ! formation on which an answer is ob- 1 taipahlo. not involving extended re- search. With the single reservation i that if cannot give medical or legal seyyice. 1t stands ready to command ! during the coming year.
 i EN-REP. ENO DIES