Evening star., 1932-03-12
ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS
BY FREDERIC ]. HASKlN.

Liberal and tas Labor or sociAhgs
under O coalition governmenk the
leader OF which Is Ramsay Macdonald,
who was at the last election also the
leader Of the Labor or Socialist party.
At the present time this party 10 headed
by Arthur Henderson. The Liberal
leader is David Lloyd George and the
Conservative leader Is Stanley Baldwin.
Q. why is the word prescribe" pro-
nouneed as though spelled ''perscrtbe"?
l. N.
A. The correct pronunciation agrees
with the spelling. The word "pre-
scription" also Is frequently nlispro
nounced.
@. Why did Lincoln have both Repuu-
llcans and Democrats In his Cabinet
r. 8.
A. Lincoln selected the members of
his first Cabinet principally from the
point of view of their abilities to meet
the emergencies of the grave situation
which obtained at the time His de-
sire was to give important positions not
10 his personal friends but to the men
OF the greatest abilities. He also de-
sired to see the different sections Of the
country represented.
@. How many postal savings sta
ticns are there In the United States?-
c. L. N.
A. The Post ONCE Department saws
that at the close of the fiscal year 1881
there were 7,459 postal savings deposi-
tories.
Q. Was Natural Bridge in Virginia,
formed by river which has since been
los" "A NJ
A. This is not the explanation. In
limesone formations rain water perco-
lates through the soil, enters the cracks
and crevices in the rock and gradually
enlarges them. 1t often follows some
plane Of stratihcation, following out
large, irregular rooms, then, finding q
lower level repeats the process. In
places the intervening floor Of rock
breaks down and lofty hall is formed.
Then, If the roof of this hall falls in.
there is a valley bounded with steep
cliffs. In some places the floor between
the two original levels is left, forming
such a natural bridge as the one in
Virginia.
@. What are the nearest substi-
tutes for ethyl alcohol?-W. C. p.
A. The Bureau of Standards says
that chemically and in their general
solvent power methanol and propazol
tmethyl and propyl alcohols) are near
est to ethyl alcohol. Acetone IL an
equally good solvent for many sun
stances. other excellent solvents are
isopropyl alcohol, the butyl alcobols,
ethyl acetate and related acetates, and
some of the ethers and esters of ethyl
enc glycol and diethylene glyeoi.
@. How many retail stores OF all
kinds are there in the United States,
and what is the volume of their busi-
ness?-G. H.
A. Bureau OF the Census figures show
that there are 1,550,0 retail stores in
the United States doing an annual busi-
ness in excess Of $5o,0oo, 100000.
@, To whom does the "free gold" in
the Treasury belong?-C. XII.
A. All gold in the Treasury belongs
to the United States. That referred to
as free gold' is the metal which has
not been specifically set aside as re-
serve against currency. For example,
for every $40 gold certificate in circu-
lation there must be $40 in actual gold
yet called for this purpose, and is free
to be used as backing for paper money.
@. What was the minimum weight
OF soldiers accepted in our Army dur
ing the World war;. d. p.
A. A minimum of 110 pounds was,
after some changes finally fixed upon
Regtstrants Of lighter weight were re-
iected.