Evening star., 1933-10-12
ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS
BY FREDERIC ]. HASKIN.

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storehouse Of all kinds Of knowledge.
You can draw on 1t free Of charge
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ton Of fact you may ask will be
answered promptly In q personal letter
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The Evening Star Information Bureau,
Frederic J. Hsskin. Director, Washing
ton, D. G.
@. Why can't alcohol be made from
corn and burned in furnaces, thus Civ
ing farmers higher prices for their
corn?-J. M. D.
A. The Bureau Of Standards says
that In regard to the technical aspects
Of the proposal, the production Of aleo-
hol from corn Is practicable and its use
oil Il possible. However, q gallon Of
alcohol Will have about half the heat
ing value Of . gallon Of furnace oil, 50
it must retail at half the price Of oil
to compete. On account Of differences
in physical properties between alcohol
| and furnace oil, more or less costly
notifications Of oil-burner equipment
would be required.
Q. What are the oficial languages
Of Andorra, San Marino, Egypt, and
Albania?-R. G.
A. Tho o6ncial language Of Andorra
Is Catalan: that Of San Marino Is Ital-
ian. The language Of Egypt is Arabic,
and the language Of Albania is Albanian.
q. Can whales. being mammals, live
on land?-A. r.
A. whales are fitted for a purely
aquatic life and never come on land
as seals do. When q whale is occa-
sionally washed up on shore 1t is per-
fectly helpless and soon dies.
@. What amount of coined money
becomes worn out and is withdrawn
from circulation in year?-J. w.
A. The total face value Of domestic
coins withdrawn from monetary use
during the fiscal year ending June 80,
1882, was $11, ,o26, ,25612.
@. Were any Of the crew saved when
the ship with Lord Kitchener on board
was lost at seam. E. N.
A. The cruiser Hampshire, on which
Lord Kitchener lost his life, was sunk
by German mine or the West Ork-
ney Islands, June s, 1916. Only II
sailors survived. These were able to
reach the shore on . raft.
O. Who originated the lines, That's
all there is-there isn't any more?"-
F. w. w.
A. They were spoken by Ethel
Barrymore in play called Sunday"
in which Miss Barrymore appeared In
1906. Since then she has used them as
q final line for curtain or after dinner
speech, until they are identified with
her. Sunday" was written by Horace
Hodges and T. Wygney Percyval. and
produced first in London in 1904.
@. Does cover charge ever include
the food served?-S. D.
A. A cover charge is an assessment
for the privilege of having a seat in .
restaurant. 1t includes no article Of
food.
@. How was the tax on bank checks
collected in 1898?-H. A.
A. The Bureau of Internal Revenue
| says that the tax on bank checks was
passed July l, 1898, and repealed July
], 1901. The tax was an imprinted
| stamp on blank checks that were made
by certain companies. Employees were
kept In the bank to certify Is TO the
number Of checks that came in. The
bank placed q requisition for q supply
Of these bank checks and paid In ad-
vance the price of the tax Individuals
who used the checks were then required
| to pay for the book or for each individ-
ual check when used. The charge was
cents for each check
@. Will hard rubber last longer than
soft rubber II exposed to the veather?-
G. p.
A. Hard rubber will last in the
weather much longer than soft rubber.
II hard rubber is not placed in the sun
or where the sun can reach it. 1t will
last indefinitely. II 1t Is placed where
the direct rays Of the sun will reach it,
1t will last from flve to ten years.
@. Was Georges Carpenter ever
heavyweight champion?-M. T.
A. Georges Carpenter was never
world heavyweight champion. He was