Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-01
ANSWERS TO QUESTION:
BY FREDERIC ]. HASKIN.

Stop a minute and think about this
fact. You can ask our Information
Bureau any question of fact and get
the answer back in personal letter.
1t Is great educational idea intro
duced into the lives of the most In
telDgent people in the world-American
newspaper readers. 1t Is part of that
best purpose of a newspaper-service
There Is no charge except 2 cents In
coin or stamps for return postage. Get
the habit of asking questions. Address
your letter to The Evening Star Infor-
nation Bureau, Frederic j. HaSkin,
director. Washington. D. G.
@. How many copies of the song
Sonny Boy" have been sold?-C. B. Y.
A. About 1,250,000 copies have been
sold.
Q. Who was the first winner of the
Wright Brothers Medal?-A. S.
A. Lieut.. Comdr. Clinton H. Havill,
chief Of the propeller section of the
Navy Bureau of AeronauticS, is the first
He was given the award for the best
paper Of the year 1928 on aerodynamicS.
@. What Is the meaning of wove,
laid, granite, quadrille and pelure as
applied to paper?-M. N.
A. Philatelic nomenclature includes
these adjectives as applied to postal
paper. In a general way the distinc-
tionS are these: Wove paper is of the
plain, even texture used for books and
newspapers; laid paper is watermarked
with parallel lines close together; the
lines may be either vertical or hori-
zontal; quadrille paper IS watermarked
with both vertical and horizontal lines,
which thus form squares or oblongs;
granite paper shows colored f1berS in its
texture; the fiberS are tiny pieces of
silk thread, and the reverse of the
stamp has notified appearance; pelure
paper is thin like tissue paper, semi
transparent, but tougher and harder
than the tissue texture and usually
grayiSh in color.
Q. What is the longest train that a
locomotive has pulled?-W. H.
A. The longest train of which we
have a record and which Is thought to
be the longest train ever pulled by one
locomotive was on the Virginia Rail-
road. This train had in 1t POI cars. 1t
was 1882 feet long, or over ! " miles.
@. Are people affected with giantism
normal mentally?-E. McC.
A. Persons affected with giantism
may or may not be of normal mentality.
@. What is the current equivalent in
United States money of the British In
dian rupee and of the anna?-J. D. M.
A. Riggs National Bank says that
the value Of the rupee is SO cents.
There are 16 annas to rupee. ConSe-
quently the value of the anna IS "a
cents.
@. Is there any country in which
there is a penalty incurred for falling
to vote at an election?-J. T. s.
A. In Belgium and Switzerland and
some other European countries punish
ments are inflicted on non-voters. In
Belgium for the first offense the cul-
prit is at once called before a justice,
who reprimandS or fines him. The
second offense Is more severely pun
iShed and the name of the refractory
citizen is published by the magistrate
and posted on the gates Of the town
hall. The man who. without excuse
has absented himself from voting four
times in 10 years is considered I'M
worthy Of citizenship and his name is
stricken from the poll list. For 10
years he is debarred from holding any
public Office.
@. Where is the Piedmont Plain?-
A. Piedmont Plain is a name used
in the photography of the United
States to designate that part of the
Atlantic Coast Plain which lies between
the Appalachian highland and the low
coastal plain proper 1t is distinguished