Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-05-02
ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS
BY FREDERIC J. HAsKIN.

This great service Is maintained by
The Evening Star for the benefit OF its
readers, who may use 10 every day with
out cost to themselves. All they have
to do Is ask for any information desired
and they will receive promps answers
by mail. Questions must be clearly
written and stated as briefly as posi-
BILE. Inclose 2-cent stamp Tor return
postage and address The Evening star
information Bureau. Frederic J. Haskin,
director, washington, D. c.
@. What Is Q "kibit2er" in a bridge
game?-A. r.
A. Kibitzer is a Yiddish slang term
for one who NEEDLES with others af-
fairs. In bridge playing 1t is specifically
a person who, although not q player,
makes suggestions and gives unasked
advice to the players.
q. What year did the Grand Army Of
the Republic hold its first encampment
In washington, D. CIV. A. S.
A. 1t was the fourth national en-
cAmpment, May liz, 1870.
O. What fish-eating birds are seen
in the Florida Everglades ?-H. F.
A. The Biological Survey says that
the following are among those seen:
Snakebirds. curlews. ibiSes. cranes, king
fishers, herons, wild ducks and geese.
q. How long does 1t take to assemble
Ford Model A motor and q passenger
cars. S.
A. The Ford Motor Co. says that I'M
der normal production schedule 1t re-
quires approximately / hour SIS min
utes to assemble the Model A motor.
Under similar conditions, a passenger
car spends from IS to 40 minutes on the
dnal assembly line.
O. From what plants Is the straw
made which is used in women's hats?-
I. S. w.
A. Some of the straws are Bakou,
from the pandanus plant in Java Ma
Mia hemp, from abaca in the Philip
pines: Leghorn, Turin, Florentine. from
wheat straw in Italy; split bamboo,
pandan, from bamboo in Java; Panama,
from carludovica docks like PALM. in
Colombia and Ecuador: Porto Rican
straw, from yaray palm. In Porto Rico.
O. What is the cost OF operation in
retail hardware stores?-J. C. R.
A. The National Retail Hardware
Association says that the cost Of doing
business of the average retailer Is 1918
per cent of the net sales. There are
37.211 retail hardware dealers in the
On1CeQ 0LdUCb.
@. How far from London are Wind
sor Castle and Hampton Court?-J. H.
A. Windsor is about 81 miles from
London and Hampton Court about IS.
@. What is the amount Of rainfall in
Africa, and what is the population Of
that continental. M.
A. The rainfall of Africa varies con-
siderably in the different localities. On
the Egyptian Desert there are appre-
ciable falls only once in a number OF
years, while in the Cameroons the av-
erage is 369 inches year. On either
side of the Equator there is belt Of
heavy rainfall. diminishing north and
southwark. The estimated population
Of Africa in 1880 was $4,000, 900.
@. Did the Indians use horses before
the coming Of the white man?-K. r.
A. They did not. The horse was I'M
known on this continent before the
coming of the Spaniards. There are
traces of horSelike animals in geologi-
cal deposits in various parts Of the
Americas, but for some reason the horse
never reached the development which
it did in Asia, and became extinct long
before the historical era.