Evening star., 1929-06-10

That mammoth pile which some day
will surmount the corner stone which
President Hoover is laying this after
noon will be called the Department
of Commerce, but it's bound to be
known in future as the Hoover
monument. AT least no one could wish
more impressive memento of his fame
than such a building. Close by
there looms high above the glorious
treetops of the Mall the graceful shaft
reared to the memory of our other engi-
neer President. The Washington Monu-
palace are thus appropriate neighbors.
In its magnificent dimensions the
building is worthy companion of the
Monument. Its length of 1.000-odd feet
Is nearly twice the height of the worlds
most beautiful obelisk Within the
yawning ST zee in which the Commerce
Buildings foundations are being laid
the Woolworth Building, tower and all,
could be deposited, with plenty of room
alongside for the 44-story Equitable
Building in lower Broadway and the
new Madison Square Garden. The Yale
Bowl could be swallowed up, and so
could the Yankee Stadium.
Uncle Sans most colossal Government
building is the product of Herbert
his personal direction. Hoover started
out eight years ago to make the De-
partment OF Commerce the biggest and
busiest branch OF the whole executive
system. and he did it. In March, 1921.
the number OF daily services rendered
TO American business averaged abous
700. At present these run to some
1000 every working day OF course
40 other unit of the Government has
undergone so fabulous an expansion
OF its activities. That's why it was
FOUND necessary to put up 900 by
4OO-foot, 7-story- reimbursement struc-
ture to house a working staff Of 5000
men and women. Some of the dimen-
sionsl details of the colossus are stag
gering. Itll have cafeteria capable
OF serving 5000 persons at one time.
Several courtyardS within the building
will be as wide as Pennsylvania avenue.
The Bureau of Fisheries (always one OF
Hooyer's pets) will install the biggest
aquarium in the world. consisting of 40
Oh so specially designed, huge tanks
fllled with almost everything that swims
and has fms. Such is the house that
Herbert built
Chief Justice Taft has long prepared
himself for the emergency of a sudden
illness. such as the digestive attack
which has temporarily laid him low. He
mas oeen Systematically storing up re-
serve energy and on 1t, his physicians
tnd, he can successfully draw at times
IKE these. One Of Mr.. Taft's unbreak-
able rules is not to dine out at night.
fTlends VINO want TO entertain him must
nave him for luncheon. He also refrains
from speeches, for which he is in inces-
SAINT demand, The Chief Justice broke
that rule In Washington recently when
hn rFNr{c oN lnlS
school class Of All Souls Unitarian
Church, of which he is an active adher-
ent, by taking charge and conducting
the days lesson. Mr.. Taft specializes at
the Supreme Court in assigning himself
tough cases. Not even the baby of the
bench, Mr.. Justice Stone, outstrips him
in energy and application.
X X
The State Departments first woman !
chief of division, Mrs. Ruth B. Shipley.
has just celebrated the first anniversary
of that distinction. Since June !. 1928.
Mrs. Shipley has been chief of the di-
vision of passports, the departments
principal source of contact with the
career women" of the foreign service,
dating from the days of that most IA
nous Assistant Secretary of State, |
Alva A. Adee, at whose right hand Mrs. |
Shipley sat for more years than she f.
looks. From year to year passports, at !
$40 per, become an ever-increasipg !
source of revenue to the Government. |
During the last fiscal year some 188. 900
were issued. The annual rate of in
crease is about per cent, so that for |
the year Just ending the total will climb !
toward 100000. Passport fees already |
pay the full upkeep cost of the State |
Department and soon will be doing |
more than that.
X y
China and the United States are the :
best of friends, but Secretary Stimson