davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1935-01-28
Soviet Trade and Debts.

With Ambassador Troyanovsky's re-
turn to Washington from an extended
visit in Moscow, ,Soviet-American trade
and debt negotiations, which have
run singularly futile course for more
than a year. are about to be resumed
at the State Department. Mr.. Troya-
novsky exudes optimism that an
agreement is at length in sight. but
there are obviously important differ
ences waiting to be ironed ort.
The Soviet's attitude toward the es-
timated total of $500,000 900 in Amer
ican claims on account of Czarist and
Kerensky loans and Bolshevist con-
f1scated property is the factor on
which final settlement, including fu-
ture trade relations, mainly depends.
The United States, it is authoritative
ly stated, is willing to accept a per-
centage of the debt claim, reputedly
$l00,000,000, and upon the Soviet's
pledge to meet that obligation is
ready to establish credits that would
enable Moscow to buy heavy ma
chinery and other needed American
products. Hitherto the Soviet's posi-
tion has been represented to be one
of willingness to pay the scaled down
debt if the United States would grant
the Soviet cash loan of $10O, O,000, 900
and set UP equivalent credits Secre-
tary Hull has evinced no enthusiasm
for the loan demand, although re-
ceptive to suggestions for liberal COM
mercial credits. The loan proposition,
moreover. is complicated by the John
son act, which would forbid a Soviet
bond issue in this country until there
is a debt settlement. The fact that
Ambassador Troyanovsky is consider
ing a bond issue, under the existing
circumstances, lends credence to his
belief that an agreement is in prospect.
Meantime the Soviet has arranged
at Paris for an extension of credits
which will permit the Soviet to pur-
chase about s65, ,o00, 900 worth of goods
in France without entailing any loan.
To permit French exporters to make
deliveries Of goods, the plan seems
to be to have the French treasury
advance cash to them or rediscount
Soviet bills. 1t is understood that the
credits would run about three years
at seven per cent and be guaranteed
by oil shipments. The arrangement
also requires the Soviet to specify
what it will buy in France, including
aviation and automobile equipment.
While the credits agreement disre-
CARDS the billions of pre-war francs
old Russia borrowed in France, the
Paris government makes clear that it
is in no way abandoning those claims,
which are to remain a subject for
separate negotiations.
Perhaps there are hints in the
Franco-Soviet trade deal that will
help speed the impending negotiations
at Washington. American exporters
are anxious to secure their share Of
Soviet business, but the State Depart
ment is wise in proceeding cautiously
and in refusing to relinquish our es-
tablished rights or sacrifice the con-
siderable property interests at stake
without substantial and reliable quid
pro quo.
Evening star., 1935-01-28

Through the philatelic agencies and by
direct purchase from regular post Of
fees, they pay into the Government
Treasury several millions of dollars
each year for stamps which never are
used, and Mr.. Farley himself has said
that Uncle Sam needs and wants that
money.
The current trouble began when the
Postmaster General initiated the Gus
tom of distributing unfinished sheets
Of newly printed stamps to friends.
theoretically, there was no harm in
the idea; actually 1t created what
philatelists call variety and COL
lectors, naturally enough, charged
favoritism in the circumstances.
The market price of the novelties hit
the sky. Such specimens as reached
dealers commanded as much as a
thousand times their face value. The
supply was so limited and the issues
availability so restricted that only rich
men could afford to buy. Rank and
file collectors then prepared their
protest.
But Mr.. Farley is not personally
blamed. Rather, he is held to have
been merely the victim of his own
generosity. The present attack, it
seems indicated, really is intended to
discipline those of the Postmaster Gen.
erals advisers who assured him that
he need pay no attention to his philat-
elic critics. The proposed inquiry,
it is hoped, will bring the whole truth
to light. Some correction, obviously,
is needed if confidence and friendly
relations between the Post Office De-
partment and its collector patrons are
to be re-established.
Evening star., 1935-01-28
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

and House ONCE Buildings. He did
not once fail to deliver the goods at
the psychological moment and in
vastly more than required numbers.
Mr.. Boland was elected without op-
position from the Scranton district
both in 1880 and 1882 and returned
to the present Congress for q third
term by handsome majority. He is
one Of the coming Democratic powers
in the House.
X y X
Friends of Secretary Ickes, now
urder fire from many quarters, say
he has incurred the wrath Of the poll
ticians mainly because of his failure
to deliver P. w. A. jobs on a lavish
scale. An unofficial estimate has it
that at one period congressional and
other pressure was being brought to
bear on Ickes for $4,000 jobs, few of
which were forthcoming. Hence, It's
said, most of the tears and jeers at
the Capitol when Ickes' name is men,
toned.
Rear Admiral Christian Joy Peoples,
paymaster general of the Navy, who
is conspicuously mentioned as one
Of the key men in the forthcoming
Roosevelt work relief set-up, is one
Of our few distinguished naval men
who achieved admiral's grade without
having been graduated from Annapo-
lis. He has come up through the
ranks, beginning as an ensign-asSist-
q Mt no CT fy1 100n
his tour of duty as assistant to the
chief of Bureau of Supplies and Ac-
counts at the Navy Department from
1914 to 1920 that Peoples became
well acquainted with the then As
sistant Secretary, Franklin D. Roose-
welt. Since 1888 the admiral has
been chief of the procurement di-
vision in the Treasury Department.
Latterly he has been with the Emer-
gency Relief Administration. Peoples
is wizard in the field of purchasing
and accounting. He is slated to
have charge of the work relief branch
dealing with selection of projects.
The admiral is native of Iowa, but
was brought up and educated in
California.
Compliments and congratulations
are coming the way of John Snure,
popular press gallery veteran, for the
achievement of his daughter Anne,
26 years old, in being the only woman
out of Sc candidates successfully to
pass the recent examination for ad-
mission to the Maryland bar. Miss
Snure, graduate of George Washing
ton University Law School, was ad-
mitted to the District of Columbia
bar at the end of her third student
year. Although she lives across the
District border at Silver Spring, Md,
she is a native Washingtonian and
one Of these days will probably hang
out her law shingle in the Capital.
X X X
1t was Ralph J. Kelley, Washington
correspondent of the Atlanta Consti-
I, tuition, who aroused President Roose-
velt's interest in the screw worm and
induced him to allocate $480,000 to
the Department Of Agriculture for
its determination. At a recent press
conference Kelley told the President
| that the screw worm was playing
havoc among live stock in Georgia.
When the scribe said the pest was
particularly dangerous to warm
blooded animals, F. D. r. said he
hoped it hadn't attacked his two
mules at Warm Springs and prom
ised to look into the matter forthwith.
Copyright. 1889
Evening star., 1935-01-28

Some American observers hold that
the conclusion of the new agreement
between France and Italy is important
chiefly in its bearing upon the African
colonial policies of the two nations,
especially upon Italys attitude toward
Abyssina.
"The Italian colonial drive" ac-
cording to the Baltimore Sun, has
received new impetus, or, at least,
new publicity, from the settlement,
and there may be sound reason in
AbysSinia'S mistrust of Italy's inten-
tions." The Brooklyn Eagle, however,
concludes that every cause of dis
cord between the two countries seems
to have been smothered away, except
Italys demand for naval parity, and
Frances unwillingness to concede it,
which has hung fire since 1922"
THE Conquering Lion of Judah,
otherwise known as the King OF
Kings" says the Seattle Daily Times,
may have something to say about
this rearrangement of French and
italian rights in Africa SO pleasantly
negotiated by M. Laval and Mr.. Mus
solini at Rome The Light of Ethiopia,
which is another of the lofty titles OF
Emperor Halle SelaSale l, will not take
the chance of being dimmed or snuffed
by Italian pressure so long as a we'll
trained black army of 250,000 fighting
men is in readiness for resistance.
Laval and Mussolini didn't see fit to
consult the Lion of Judah in fixing
up their spheres of influence that
hemmed Ethiopia round; but they've
been promptly warned not to twist
his tail"
France will not object" in the opin-
ion of the Lexington (Kyo Leader,
"if Italy deals ruthlessly with Ethiopia,
whose rich natural resources the Ital-
ian dictator covets." The Muncie Ind0
Evening Press also finds "a free hand
for Italy is Abyssinia," and the New
ark News concludes: "A piece Of
desert about as big as New York State
is to be handed over to Italy to bene-
fit her North African colony and more
! important concessions have been made
in the neighborhood of AbySsinia.
Italy gets stretch of seacoast and part
ownership in the railroad into Abys-
sinia from the coast. That seems
to be prize she has been fishing for.
If it ends the dispute with Abyssinia
it is a price France, which has been
Abyssinia's backer, can afford to pay"
"The decision to cooperate in
preserving Austrian independence Is
of great importance" declares the
Baton Rouge Oa) State Times, while
the Lynchburg (Va) News feels that
eff the Kellogg BRAND treaty means
! anything, there would be no need for
any two or three powers to sign any
other treaty" The Green Bay (Wis.)
Press Gazette states: "The most i'm
portant feature of the pact is that
| hitherto divergent Central European
policies of the two nations have been
i harmonized. In general the two
countries declare their intention to
collaborate in the widest possible field
in the interest of peace. In particular
the independence of Austria is to be
guaranteed and the status quo of
! Central Europe maintained. The re-
suit is bound to be an extraordinary
| clearing of the whole European at
mosphere because the friction which
has persisted for years between
France and Italy was a constant
danger to peace"
"Hitler's activities or inactivities."
in the judgment Of the New York
Evening star., 1935-01-28
SHOOTING STARS.
BY PHILANDER JOHNSON.

Machinery.
Machinery must work away
And never ask holiday.
Each gadget add unto our store
BY doing ten mems work or more.
Machines can do most everything
Except, perhaps, recite or sing
And even that they seem to do
Before the radio is through.
Sometimes our human spirits sink
And make us wish machines could
think.
Perhaps they'd seek luxurious ease
Instead of trying hard to please.
Perhaps they want their time insured
For golf and getting manicured,
And leave, as they serenely shirk,
More room for plain old Human Work.
Evening star., 1935-01-28
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

Many people complained of cold
ears during recent days, when un-
official Thermometers touched 10 de-
grees below zero.
Their complaints were thoroughly
provincial, of course-but the joke Of
1t is that the provincial" has sur
prising way Of being the human, too.
And anything which Is human is
not foreign to u.s." as the dwarf said,
some place or other, we believe 1t was
in Hans Christian Andersen.
There was man who loved snow!
In "The Snow Queen" and "The
Little Match Girl' he drew unforget-
able, if sad, pictures Of the all-envel-
oping qualities of the water magic
which the world calls snow.
Fingers of little readers of the long
ago fairly ached in sympathy with
the little match seller as she stood in
the bitter cold. The teller Of tales
never took unfair advantage Of the
theme His SHOWS naturally came out
of his settings, and accompanied his
characters at their tasks and play.
X X \ II
To be provincial" as some sneer,
Is Just to be human, is it not?
It is to take a genuine interest in
the small but nevertheless interesting
and important things of the everyday
life.
One Of these Is the snow, when it
comes, when it arrives with its fine
pictures for the artist, and its amount
of work for municipality.
There goes small boy of-we had
almost said of 10 Summers, but
winters" undoubtedly would be a
better word-holding his hands dubi-
ously in front of him, at elbow height.
The little fellow has frostbitten
fingers, no doubt, if spectator can
judge from the expression on his
face and the way he is holding his
hands.
Modern city children do not suffer
from this old complaint as much as
the youngsters Of yeSteryear did. In
this vicinity, at least, they seldom
have the opportunity.
Therefore, it is all the easier, per-
hapS, to get froStbitten fingers or
ears, when one is not suSpecting any
thing of the kind.
The ear, 1t would seem, is about the
tenderest part Of the anatomy, judg-
ing from remarks heard last week.
Many young fellows went to the ex-
tent of folding their muff1ers over
THAR hao6c tboV1 rlla hot
down over the ensemble.
1t was novel way of muffing the
ears without the use of earmuffs.
Who remembers wearing em?
There was time in this country
when even city boys wore earmuffs.
Country children still do, we are
credibly informed.
In the urban districts, however,
they are confined mostly to truck
drivers and the like, who must have
some protection.
Ordinarily the lobes of the ears are
not very sensitive. that is why there
is some danger of them freezing UP
without the victim knowing what has
happened to him.
This is all the more likely, in zero
weather. in city which has expert
enced its first real Winter weather"
for many years last year and this.
Whatever the Weather Bureau may
say about it, most of us who have
lived here for any length of time are
willing to agree that "the weather has
changed"
Evening star., 1935-01-28

Temperatures averaged up over
| year may show a mean the same as
ever, but the low and high marks
| are lower and higher
Consider how much drought there
was last Summer. Then along came
one month with IA inches-or was 1t
II inches-of rainfall.
The average for the season, then,
worked out to normal! But the pre-
cipitation of that month was any
thing but normal.
Averages are notoriously misleading.
+ y 4
Average Winter temperatures here
abouts may even up about the same,
but there Is no doubt In the mind
Of any one living here that the
weather man" has shown us some
thing new during the last two Win
ters.
Snow on the ground, especially in
the suburban sections, for weeks at
a time Is something new, and danger
to ears and fingertips also something
new.
Poor circulation of the blood In the
ears, especially at the lobes, is ac-
countable for the fact that these i'm
portant but often disregarded organs
are SO likely to suffer sat zero or
below.
Typical city folk. especially office
workers, are not used to such tenn
peratures, SO when they get out in
them for any length Of time they
run some danger of frostbite.
1t Is good thing to keep in mind
that the better the circulation of the
blood throughout the body the less
likely the extremitieS are to suffer
from intense cold.
Therefore one remedy is to keep in
some sort of small activity while
waiting for public transport.
This well may be a simple rising
on the toes or standing on the curb
SO that the toes protrude, bringing
them first as high as possible, then
dipping them down as far as feasible.
This Is an old standard Army ex-
erciSe for flatfoot, not cold feet. but
IL works even better for the latter.
There is really more exercise in it
IMAM one would suspect. If it is kept
up for a few minutes it will start the
blood to circulating nightly through
OUT tne BODY, and the toes are bound
to benefit. Also the ears.
The ears and the toes are what
might be called extremities, no doubt
OF 1t; even the slightest exercise, If
Kept up long enough, win send little
more blood to them. and the bloods
the life, OF course. But even the blood
is not the life without circulation. It
is a fairly well known fact that the
pump OF the heart is what makes the
movement, or helps make the move
ment, and the movement is what
makes the warmth. and the warmth
the life. Let the heart stop, circula-
ton stops, the magic stable state" of
Just so many degrees begins to move
downward, and soon the blood is still.
cold, lifeless.
+ 4 Il
| Honest burghers, out in the cold.
need to keep in mind the necessity
for keeping on the move, If this move
ment be no more than dexing the BIZ
ceps vigorously.
There Is no need at any time for
standing as rigid as many good folk
do, on the assumption that it is dig
nified to do so.
In very cold weather it is foolish to
do so. Waiting for car or bus is
task. II one is 'at attention"
| The way to stand is any way that
keeps the blood circulating. Then one
Will not have to resort to earmuffS.
Evening star., 1935-01-28
ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

A reader can get the dnstDer to
any question of fact by t0rittng The
Washington EUening Star Information
Bureau, Frederic J. Hasktn, Director,
Washington, D. c. Please incloSe
stamp for reply.
@. Is the three-platoon system in
effect in the New York Fire Depart
ment or anywhere else?-J. F. w.
A. The New York Fire Department
is still working under the two-platoon
system. No city is known to have
a three platoon system.
@. Is the third finger used in play
ing a Hawaiian guitar?-W. D.
A. A teacher and writer of music
says that he has come to the con-
clusion that the third finger not only
is not needed in playing the Ha-
waiian guitar, but its elimination Is
advantageous.
@. Was Napoleon called the Little
Corporal because he was not tau?-
w. S.
A. The title was given him moi
because of lack of height, but because
of his youth.
@. How many museums are there
In the United States-A. M.
A. In 1880 there were 1866 public
museum buildings, containing alto
gether 781 museums. OF these, 167
were devoted to art, 125 to science
AIS to history, "a to industry and Sc
to general collections.
@. When did the name of the Dutch
East Indies become officially Neither
lands Indies?-C. P.
A. Early in 1882 an official notice
was received that the colonial pos
session in the East Indies, formerly
known in English as the Dutch East
Indies, would henceforth be called
Netherland India. In August, 1894,
a second official ruling was received to
the effect that the official English
form was to be Netherland Indies.
The Netherland Legation uses either
Netherland or Netherlands as the
English adjective form, and the pres
sent Minister prefers the form ending
in IS" However, the United States
Geographic Board prefers Netherland
as the adjective form. Either Of the
official names referred to above is a
translation of the Dutch name, Neder-
landSch-Indie.
@. How many people visited the
Century of Progress in the two Sum-
mers it was open?-E. T.
A. Nearly 100000 visitors were
admitted.
@. How many kinds of wood are
there?-F. o. G.
A. The Forest Service knows of no
estimate of the total number Of diff
ferent varieties of wood in the world.
There are in the United States 862
species of trees, 228 varieties and 81
hybrids, making altogether LIT diff
ferent forms of trees which produce
wood. In the Amazon Valley of
South America alone there are known
to be at least $500 species, and new
species are being described every year
by the hundreds in all parts Of the
can hardly be short of 5000 or 5000
and may be as high as 10000.
@. What was the persons name
who wrote under the pen name, the
DucheSS?-G N.
A. She was Margaret Wolfe Hun
gerford She was born in Ross, Coun-
ty Cork, Ireland. about 1855 and died
in 1897. She published nearly 80 vol
umes of short stories and novels.
Q. Does the oxygen content of air
change from day to night?-R. N. Y
A. The oxygen content of the air is
so constant that the day-to-night diff
ference cannot be detected by the most
delicate measurements. Sealed vases
dug from Greek ruins, contained air
of the same composition as the ali
has today.
Evening star., 1935-01-28
Old Friend "Doc."

A Doctor" teaches us to know
The stars in distant space aglow,
And how to calculate with care
On problems rising everywhere.
A Doctor" Is a brilliant youth,
Cropping for some mysterious truth.
I miss that Doctor who of old
Could tell me how to cure q cold.
Evening star., 1935-01-28

@. Why was Wall Street in New
York City SO called?-L L.
A. The name arose from the fact
that In the seventeenth century, when
New York was settled by the Hol-
landers and known as New Amster-
dam, there was stockade or wall
built across Manhattan Island near
what is now Wall Street. This was
to protect the inhabitants from In
dian attacks.
@. Is the land on which the Panama
Canal is built owned or leased by the
United States Government?-D. r. T.
A. The strip Of land comprising
the Panama Canal Zone was granted
to the United States by Panama by
! the treaty Of February 26, 1904, for
the sum of $l0,000,000, with annual
payments Of S250,000 in addition.
The land, therefore, is perpetually
leased.
O. When was a calendar first used?
W. O'C.
A. While there are abundant eH-
dences of well-designed calendars at
least 1000 years before Christ, there
are not the exact data as to the
precise originators Of such systems.
The earliest known are the Assyrian
and Phoenician, probably antedating
the Jewish. The earliest division Of
time was the sunrise and sunset, max
| ing a day. The division into months
was governed by the phases Of the
moon and the IL lunar months, bring
| ing around the same seasons on their
recurrence, was the origin of the
year.
@. How often is the aurora borealis
seen?-z. D. E.
| A. The frequency of the Northern
lights varies with the latitude of the
/ place. The aurora Is comparatively
rare within As degrees of the Equa-
tor, but more frequent toward the
north, up to the latitude of about so
] degrees, where it sometimes becomes
almost a nightly occurrence. The
aurora is less frequent near the poles.
in Europe?-M. T.
A. 1t was taken to Europe BY
/ Spaniards who learned its use from
the Mexicans in 1919. when Cortez
invaded Mexico. 1t was introduced
in England about 1857.
@. OF all plane figures having the
same perimeter. what shaped figure
has the greatest area?-J. B.
A. The circle.
@. What is the per capita consump-
ton of coffee and tea in the United
States?-H. F.
A. Annual per capita consumption
Of coffee is about 1912 pounds; of
tea, it is about three -fourths Of a
| pound.
O. What is the cost per page of
printing the Congressional Record
/ A. w.
A. The average cost of the produc-
ton is estimated at about S51 page.
@. When was the Massachusetts, In
stitute of Technology founded?-G. H.
| A. The plan was formed in 1859, 1t
was incorporated in 1851, and the first
meeting for organization was held
April 8, 1862. The Civil War led to
postponement of the opening Of
the School of Industrial Science until
| 1865.
O. Where is Robert Morris buried?
| p. OBJ.
! A. His burial place is at Christ
Church, Philadelphia. which stands
in its original burial ground recently
/ enlarged by the city, creating Robert
! Morris Park.
/ @. How many cities and counties
have the council-maneger plan Of
! governmental. c.
A. There are 451 in the world. OF
these, 432 are in the United States.
This plan originated in Staunton, Va.
in 1908.
Evening star., 1935-01-28

A World Court could do a great deal
of good If it could provide an injunc-
ton against PRONUNCIATION of Uncle
Toms Cabin" and "Old Man River
as typical of Americas sociological
attitude.
Evening star., 1935-01-28

The Hauptmann case is frequently
referred to as drama" Some of
the current chroniclers appear to
contemplate it as a sports event
viewed from ringside seat.
Evening star., 1935-01-28
Economics and Thrift.

EcUnUmIcS anu InrI1t.
What are your views on this great
economic question:" asked the re-
porter.
Sorry I can't give them to you
gratis" answered Senator Sorghum.
I'm under contract to save 'em up
for my next magazine article"
Evening star., 1935-01-28

Doubt fingers as to what the swas-
tika meant in remote antiquity
Europe IS not permitted to question
that it has definite meaning al
present.