Alaskan Town Has
Virginia Climate
Temperature Seldom Falls
Much Below Freezing.
Washington.—Ketchikan, Alaska,
Is going Into the public utility busi
ness. The city has arranged to buy
up local electric light, power, water
and telephone properties.
"This Is only another Indication
that Ketchikan Is a strictly modern
city, with very few of the charac
teristics popularly attributed to
Alaskan towns," says the Nntlonul
Geographic society. “Its popula
tion of 3,800 would scarcely rate It
a metropolitan standing In the
states, but Id Alaska It Is second
only to the capital, Juneau.
More Rain Than In Panama.
"Situated at the very southern
most tip of the long, Alaskan pan
handle that reaches down the coast
of British Columbia, Ketchikan Is
first port of call for all steamers
entering Alaska through the Inland
passage. It is perched on a rocky
hillside that falls abruptly Into the
waters of Tongass Narrows.
Around It rise steep, wooded hills,
green the year around, for winters
In Ketchikan are as mild as In
Richmond, Va. The temperature
seldom drops much below freezing,
and there Is practically no snow.
The winding sea channels and
swift, mountain streams freeze.
But there Is rain, plenty of It; over
thirteen feet a year, which is worse
thnn tropical I’anama. Fellow oil
skins are the prevailing fashion In
all seasons.
"The bare, rock foundations of
the city provide neither soil nor
level space for roads, so the streets
are built of wooden planks. The
business district Is set on piles,
close to the long line of wharfs.
Stairs and winding board roads
lead up to the residential part of
town. There almost every home
has a bit of lawn or garden, prob
ably planted on Imported earth.
Is Busy Place.
"Business Is good In Ketchikan.
It Is a shipping center and supply
base for a large district. The shops
and stores are stocked with foods
and merchandise fresh from the
states. After all, Seattle Is only
000 miles away, with regular steam
er service winter and summer.
Huge salmon canneries are fran
tically busy during the short sea
son when salmon are running.
Often the little river that rushes
through Ketchikan, Incidentally
supplying It with electric power, Is
packed solid with pink and silver
fish. The chlnook. or king salmon.
Is the principal variety of the
Ketchikan district Halibut fishing
Is another big Industry, and there
are great cold storage plants where
the *sh are frozen before they are
shipped south.
"Although there are several saw
mills, lumbering has not been de
veloped on n very large scale. BuW
Ketchikan has all the potential re
sources for a great pulpwood In
dustry—unlimited, year round wa
ter power and almost inexhaustible
timber. The forests, which are
mostly spruce and hemlock, mixed
with some elder, willow, and cot
tonwood, are controlled by the
United States forest service.”
Iowa Pig Has Two Mouths
and Eats Well With Both
Oelweln, Iowa.—C. A. Cummings,
farmer living four miles northwest
of here, has a pig he would like to
sell to a museum. The freak pork
er has an oversized head, three
eyes and two perfectly matched
snouts and noses.
The pig can eat with either
mouth, Cummings said. Physically,
it Is perfect, except for the super
abundance of noses and snouts, ac
cording to Its owner.
47 Birthdays Pass
Minus Smile of Sun
Springfield, Mass.—It was rain
ing the day Alme H. Cote was
born In Alpena, Mich.
Since then he never has had
the cheer of sunshine to help
him celebrate a birthday anni
versary.
Years ago he moved from
Michigan to Massachusetts, but
the birthday rainstorms per
sisted.
It rained this year as he cel
ebrated his forty-seventh birth
day.
End of a Wild Horse Drive in Oregon
Untamed broncos, 82 head of them from the Steems mountains, were herded to Molnlla, Oregon, for ex
hibition during the annual “Buckaroo.” The wild horses ended their 42-day trek by swimming the Molalln
river.
Millions Lost to Bondholder Ring
_ _A___
Receiverships Said to Bring
Huge Returns.
Washington.—Evidence disclosing
the existence of so-called “chain
committees” of bondholders cen
tered In Chicago and New York and
controlling millions of dollars' worth
of defaulted realty bond9 was made
public by Congressman A. J. Sabatb,
chairman of the house committee
Investigating receiverships.
Evidence concerning the opera
tions of the committees and their
affiliates Is continuing to be uncov
ered with the result that prosecu
tion may be requested for violation
of a number of federal and state
laws, Sabath declared.
The chain committees, he de
clared, control from a few issues
up to as many ns 400 Issues of
realty bonds aggregating In par
amount from a few million upward
of $200,000,000.
The chain committees, the con
gressman said, form but one aspect
of a "national racket” through
which 20,000,000 citizens have been
affected. Nearly $8,000,000,000 of
outstanding realty bonds are In de
fault, he reported.
Control or administration of the
chain committees Is nationwide, the
congressman reported.
Sabath said he had found In
stances where the so-called "protec
tive” committee destroyed the
value and Income of the property In
volved to enable the house of Issue
to purchase back the bonds “for a
“Finis” Written for
Last Private Bank
, Cincinnati.—The final chapter
in the history of what was be
lieved to have been the last pri
vately owned bank in the United
States was written in the office
of the clerk of courts here re
cently.
“Finis*’ was wrltteo when all
books, papers and records of the
Citizens’ Bank of Harrison,
Ohio, were deposited in a vault.
The bank was founded about
80 yearb ago by Frank Bowles,
its sole owner. Two years
ago Bowles decided to retire and
witu the approval of the state
banking department started
liquidating his bank. All cred
itors were paid in full.
Police Pay Own Way
Newcomemown, Ohio.—With gas
oline funds exhausted, police here
have been operating at their own
expense since January. Already
they have given a dance, earning
$80 for a special fuel fund
song." He added:
"We have discovered Instances
where committees have taken bonds
sent to them and posted them as
collateral for loans to pay expenses
and big fees—5 per cent to the pro
tective committee, 5 per cent to a
management committee, 5 per cent
to the lawyers, and so on down the
line.
"They are resourceful and deter
mined to get away with everything
they can."
RIDING ENSEMBLE
By CHERIE NICHOLAS
Here's the proper outfit for a
canter along equestrian paths of
city parks these bright summer
days or to take along on your camp
ing trip or your sojourn on a dude
ranch. The Jacket Is of a jutesak
material in natural color, the shirt
Is of whlre mesh, the Jodphurs of
brown cloth, tailored to perfec
tion. A figured string tie and a
brown felt hat, and that which Is
most Important, one of the “Just
out” swanky leather fob vanities,
complete this correct and handsome
riding ensemble. This sporty little
leather vanity as worn by the chic
equestrienne here pictured will lend
assurance that you need not have
a shiny nose no matter what active
sports you indulge in. A metal
vanity might look too dressy for
such occasions but this, you see.
has been set In alligator leather,
hanging from a leather fob which
is slipped through the strap of
the Jodphurs.
ANOTHER GREAT ICE
AGE MAY BE ON WAY
If It Happens It Will Be
in Distant Future.
Boston.—Another great Ice age
may be on Its way, similar to that
of more than half a million years
ago when a frigid glacier sheet slid
over Europe and the American con
tinent, but don't be alarmed. If it
happens It will be In the distant fu
ture.
This was the assertion of Dr.
Harlan T. Stetson, Harvard astron
omer, In a radio address In which
he discussed the effect of the west
ern dust storms upon solar radia
tion. Dust storms and volcanic
eruptions might even help to bring
about a new Ice age, he says.
It was Doctor Stetson who a few
yenrs ago revealed the results of
his study of more than 5,000 earth
quakes, and the finding that the
gravitational pull of the moon was
responsible for practically all the
deep-seated quakes. Including the
one In India last May which took
thousands of lives.
Doctor Stetson pointed out that
during the great Ice age, our sun
and the planets were at a spot In
space which appears through tel
escopes ns a large black patch like
a horse’s head. In the constellation
of Orion. Since then, the sun has
been speeding away from that point
at the rate of 400,000,000 miles a
year.
Doctor Stetson said:
"Perhaps back In those dim day»
of geologic history, when the giant
Ice sheet slid over Europe and the
American continent, the sun and
earth were enveloped In a cosmic
dust cloud »o dense that the par
ticles screened off the sun’s heat
to a disastrous degree, lowering
our temperate climates to below
the freezing point the year round.
Who knows bnt that In some dis
tant future day the sun may again
penetrate one of these cosmic
clouds of dust, and the enrth fall
In temperature until civilization
will migrate into the tropics in or
der to continue its existence?”
Old Chair Worth $100
Pottstown, Pa.—Mrs. Leroy Mau
gher bought an old chair for $2
at a household auction. Later she
found $100 In currency under the
seat cushion. Mrs. Maugher re
turned the money to the former
owners.
Minister Is Forest Ranger
Tulare, Calif.—A minister in the
winter, Itev. Arthur Rice, of the
Tulare Congregational church, will
become a forest ranger In Yosemlte.
He held the same job In 1933 and
1934 while a pastor In Salt Lake
City.
SEEN--' HEARD
•round the
National Capital
ITiTi ■ ■By CARTER FIELD==»
Washington.—Noone knows where
the figure of 1840,000,000—first men
tioned In connection with the Pres
ident’s tax proposal as the amount
certain schedules would raise—
came from. But It is no secret that
while no clever work had been done
In figuring the returns, for they
were obviously wrong, the figure
did mean something.
What the figure meant was the
estimate of a certain brain truster,
now very much in the saddle, of
what the treasury needed each year
in addition to present revenues.
The reason the figures were so
far wrong, in fixing the amount
which these mysterious levies would
raise (for no one has ever admitted
parenthood for the figures either)
was that the administration, after
working out the schedules, did not
ask the treasury to put its experts
on them. The reason for this was
not an oversight but the fact that
Treasury Secretary Morgenthau had
just expressed himself In such vig
orous terms against the tax pro
posals being made at that time that
the brain trusters who had won the
President’s approval hesitated to
ask him.
But let no one be deceived about
the significance of the figures, des
pite the discrepancy that the rates
mentioned do not produce the $340,
000.000.
The rates were not imagined^ by
enterprising newspaper reporters.
Nor was the $340,000,000. Both were
conceived inside the administration
and formally given out.
The only advantage of the de
nials Is that the administration is
now free to produce an entirely dif
ferent set of rates, and an entirely
differacrt total, and Insist that these
new figures represent carefully
worked out studies of the problem.
While the Republicans can never
prove that the first figures were offi
cial.
Want More Taxes
All of which Is only Important
politically. Actually what Is Impor
tant Is that certain trusted and at
the moment successful advisers to
the President believe the treasury
should have $340,000,000 a year
more In taxes than are now coming
In. Also—this opinion was held
prior to the avalanche of decisions
against AAA processing taxes.
If you will examine the highest
scale of taxes on which Morgenthau
reported to the house ways and
means committee, and then boost
the whole level about one-fourth,
the taxes would represent the
treasury Judgment on what Is
needed to make up for (1) the pres
ent deficiency In revenue as seen
by certain very potent—In Influence
with the President—brain trusters,
and (2) the loss of processing tax
revenue.
This Is not a prediction that
any such rates will be enacted. The
President has no Idea of going any
thing like that far. He never did.
His original Idea was to increase
taxes only on very large Incomes,
and Impose levies on very large
Inheritances and gifts. Also to
boost corporation taxes by the slid
ing scale aimed at bigness.
It Is perfectly true that the slid
ing scale corporation tax Is frankly
regarded by Insiders as Just an
opening wedge.
New Day in Politics
Maybe Business will come to a
realization that there is a new day
in American politics as well as a
New Deal in Washington In time to
save Itself, but It is about an even
bet.
It appeared some months back
that the public utilities, long po
litically the most stupid aggregation
of successful men in other fields In
America, had learned at least the
elemental rules of the new game.
But even this demonstration does
not seem to have had much effect
on other business men.
The Immediate case In point is
the administration drive against
bigness, exemplified in the sliding
scale tax on corporation income. If
it were Just a boost in taxes no
one except perhaps the immediate
taxpayers would be Interested. But
its avowed object is a "better so
cial order.”
Which means that the sliding
scale idea is Just the opening wedge
—that the present proposed top rate
—if the administration has its way
—is only the beginning—that the
eventual object is to make little
ones out of big ones.
And “big ones” does not Just
mean a few enormous corporations
such as United States Steel, Gen
eral Motors, American Telephone,
etc. It includes virtually every cor
poration big enough to have its
stock listed on the New York Stock
exchange list. Or on the Curb, for
that matter.
The highest proposed rate, 17V£
per cent, applies on all corporate
income in excess of $20,000,000. But
the next lowest rate, 17 per cent, in
cludes all corporations with in
comes In excess of $1,000,000. Ac
tually, for all the talk of taxes be
ing reduced on "small” corpora
tions. only those with Incomes be
low $40,000 a year have their taxes
reduced. And even that reduction
is trifling.
In making this sweeping deter
mination of policy President Roose
velt, though this may be denied
officially, Ignored the advice of both
Treasury Secretary Morgenthau
and Brain Truster Moley. It rep
resents a complete triumph for
the Brandels-Frankfurter left wing
branch of the New Deal.
Using Wrong Tactics
Whereupon Business, following
the tactics of long ago, attempts to
tight It through the United States
Chamber of Commerce and the Na
tional Association of Manufactur
ers, neither of which can scare a
representative from a doubtful dis
trict, or worry a New York senator.
Just why Business in general does
not take a leaf from the amazing
success which attended the letter
writing campaign of public utility
stockholders is hard to figure. Not
because this letter writing cam
paign really did the utilities much
good. The final bill is tough enough
on the bolding companies almost to
suit Roosevelt.
The significant fact is that this
letter writing campulgn resulted
in a 110 majority In the bouse of
representatives for precisely what
the letter writers demanded. The
fact that the letter writers did not
demand enough really to save their
bacon Is not of consequence In this
connection. They got what they
asked for—from the house.
Why Ickes Worries
“We have only two unemployed
persons, and they have been unem
ployed for 30 years.”
That crushing answer, made by
the little town of Colebrook, way
up In northwestern Connecticut,
near the Massachusetts line, Is one
of the reasons why Harold L. Ickes’
gray hair is getting thinner. Why
the public works part of his activ
ities seem to be bogging down. Why
some administration officials are
wondering if it would not have been
better—providing, of course, the
White House had thought of It first
—to let Carter Glass of Virginia,
Alva Adams of Colorado and other
senators have their way about sub
stituting two billions of doles for
four billions of works relief.
But that Is not the only prob
lem which Is worrying Secretary of
the Interior Ickes—and the White
House—and which is illustrated by
Colebrook.
When the word first got round
that Colebrook could have a big
grant of federal money for a fine
new road there was much excite
ment round and about the village.
The progressive element was all
for It It would mean the spending
of money—and prosperity.
But opposition was not slow in
showing its head. The handful of
merchants might want more custom
ers, but the summer residents did
not want a lot of workmen messing
the place up. Again the merchants
might like the idea of a fine new
through road, that would cause
many auto tourists to stop off,
make purchases, at least buy meals.
But the folks who hnve been the
mainstay of the community for a
generation, living up there on money
made elsewhere, did not want the
tourists trouping through, did not
want the flavor of the old commu
nity “spoiled,” in short, wanted
to keep just as they were.
But the Progressives did not give
up. They kept on fighting. Then
suddenly it was discovered that the
money so kindly tendered by Mr.
Ickes would Involve using a new
road plan approved by the state
highway commission. This would
necessitate cutting a corner off the
beautiful and historic old church
which is the center of the whole
Colebrook legend.
Didn’t Like It
Even the progressive element
didn’t like that. But they did not
give up. And they might have won
their fight at that, and Mr. Ickes
might have purred over another
"soundly placed” public works proj
ect But there was more trouble
to come, the sort of trouble that is
always magnified in exactly inverse
ratio to the size of a community—
the agonizing yelps of taxpayers
afraid of higher assessments!
For it was suddenly realized
by these gentlemen—and ladies, for
there are a lot of widows owning
property around Colebrook, that
Uncle Sam was only giving 45 per
cent of the money. Fifty-five per
cent would have to be raised by
the local taxpayers. In short that
there would have to be a bond is
sue, and they would have to pay the
Interest and sinking fund for this
issue for the next 15 or 20 years.
For the rest of their lives, as most
of them saw it.
All for what?
To have a new road through
their township, which would bring
In tourists which only the mer
chants wanted, that would bring
a flock of “aliens” In to work on
the road, and destroy the simple
pastoral touch of which the com
munity boasts, and finally would
chop off a corner of their historic
church. And only two unemployed
persons In the township, neither of
whom, opponents confidently assert
ed, could be Induced to so much as
look at a pick or shovel In con
nection with the new work.
So the town suddenly discovered
that Connecticut had a long and
prideful history of Independence,
that It was not becoming for
Colebrook, proud of its own and
Nutmeg traditions, to accept char
ity from the federal government.
And the proposal was turned down.
"Mossbacks,” said the progres
sives.
“Patriots,” said the summer resi
dents.
Copyright—WNXJ Servlco.
Bal uchisi an
Fruit Still in Quatti, Baluchistan.
Prepared by National Geographic Society,
Washington, D. C.—WNU Service.
THE Indian province of Baluch
istan lost its most Important
city in the recent earthquake
that destroyed Quetta.
Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan
and the only municipality in the
province, existed primarily for mili
tary purposes, but the Pax Brittan
nica, substitute for the lawlessness
and banditry of former days, had
made an Important civil community
and trading center of it as well.
Baluchistan is India’s fortress to
the east, and Quetta was its donjon
keep. The British have been in con
trol of the place since 1877, and
since 1883 have held it under per
petual lease from its old ruler, the
picturesquely named Wall of Kalat.
When the British went in Quetta
was only a little group of mud huts
surrounded by unhealthy plains that
were virtually swamps. Drainage
and sanitation made the place over.
The population increased to 00,000,
and once swampy lowlands fur
nished a setting for villas and farm
houses surrounded by orchards and
planted groves.
The outstanding feature of Quetta
was the cantonment where six or
eight regiments of British and In
dian troops were quartered. This
extensive post was to the north on
relatively high ground, while the
civil town was to the south on a
lower level. Mud, in the form of
suik.(Jrled brick was an important
building material in the town,
though not to the extent that it was
two decades ago. Then mud-brick
domes formed many of the roofs,
and were considered safe because
of Quetta’s scant rainfall (about 10
Inches annually). But there came
an unusually wet spring, and most
of the buildings melted away. Since
then many iron roofs—less pictur
esque, but better insurance against
weather vagaries—surmounted the
mud walls of the town.
Western Influence had permeated
Quetta and the standard of living
had risen accordingly. Tea, a lit
tle while ago a marked luxury, was
becoming a common beverage.
Leather footwear had displaced
sandals to a noticeable degree.
Hot Days, Cold Nights.
Quetta Is in the same latitude as
Cairo, Jacksonville, Fla., and Shang
hai, but because of its 6,000 feet of
altitude and the physical aspect of
the surrrounding country, its climate
is very different. Each day the mer
cury bobs up and down through a
wide range. The difference between
daily maximum and minimum has
been known to reach 80 degrees;
but such excessive changes are con
fined to certain short seasons. The
hills and even the valleys of Ba
luchistan are largely treeless, and
when the sun Is down heat radiates
away rapidly. As a consequence
the nights are always cool, even
when the sun blisters one by day.
The area devastated by the earth
quake extends south of Quetta Into
the state of Kalat, a vast mountain
streaked region of Bnluchlstan,
where modern progress has hardly
penetrated.
There are no road maps in Kalat,
for good roads are scarce. In re
cent years towns of the coastal
region and of the extreme north
have been linked with telegraph
lines. The railroad from Karachi
to eastern Persia runs across the
state’s northern extremity, but even
in the shadows of the telegraph
poles and along the railroad right
of-way the natives cling to their
camels and horses. A network of
animal paths forms the major com
munication system. Few people of
the interior have seen an automo
bile, and to many coins are curi
osities, for their wants are satisfied
by barter.
Kalat la sparsely settled. The
state Is nearly as large as Nebraska
but It has only twice as many In
habitants as the city of Omaha.
Small villages are sprinkled on the
plains and in the valleys and there
are perhaps a dozen fair-sized towns,
but no large cities in the Ameri
can sense. Kalat, the capital, was
a cluster of mud houses and mat
ting huts climbing a hill topped
with the mud-walled, fortresslike
citadel of the Khan. Much of it
was destroyed by the earthquake.
The inhabitants of Kalat are di
vlded Into tribes, each with a chief.
Many of the tribes graze sheep ana
herd goats, following their ani
mals wherever there Is fresh pas
turage. Some of them live the year
round In matting or cloth-covered,
huts; others refuse to be burdened,
with cargo when on the move and
build new brushwood huts at each
stop.
Kalat farmers occupy the val
leys. While some fruits, cotton and
dates are exported, the farmers
are scaracely able to produce enough
food for domestic consumption. Nor
mal rainfall is scanty and the soil
Is poor. In the northern part of the
state, which is one of the hottest
areas In India, the sun is relent
less in its destruction of crops.
Farming and Fishing.
Here and there farmers have built
crude Irrigation works that are fed
by springs and small streams, but
more often the native cultivators
depend upon floods to water and fer
tilize their soil.
Along the coast hundreds of
small, clumsy fishing boats operate 1
In the Arabian sea fisheries. The
fish are salted and form one of
the leading articles of Kalat com
merce.
There are no organized Indus
tries in the state. Every native
woman is an expert with the needle
and she makes all the family cloth
ing. Wool and goat hair from do
mestic animals are her working ma- <
terlals and what she does not use x
finds its way to Pasnl, the lead
ing Kalat port, destined to foreign
markets. A peep through the door
of a native hut may also reveal a
pottery factory, but oriy a small
quantity of the homemade product
Is sold beyond the Kalat borders.
Just across the Baluchistan bor
der, In the province of Sind, is the
seaport of Karachi which has been
crowded with refugees from the
earthquake districts. Like Mar
seilles, near the mouth of the
Rhone, and Alexandria, near the
mouth of the Nile, Karachi Is of
a great river, but not on ft. It Is just
off the delta of the Indus; but its
Importance Is largely a gift from
that stream, whose shifting allu
vium has swallowed up Its rivals.
Karachi Once a Slaving Center.
Karachi’s chief “product” of im
port and export has been Abyssin
ian slaves brought by Arab boat
men from Masqat. Since British
control came to northwestern In
dia, Karachi’s hinterland has been
greatly developed through Improved
irrigation methods, and a swell
ing stream of agricultural and other
products has flowed to the port.
After a railway was built to tap the
Punjab's wheat fields, Karachi be
came India’s greatest grain port.
In population the town has Jumped
from less than 20,000 before the
British come, to about 263.000 to
day.
Though Karachi has a huge and
rich land to draw from, its imme
diate surroundings are rather dis
couraging. Itocky peninsulas Jut
out to shelter its harbor. A dun
colored, dry plain surrounds the
town. A few miles to the north
west lie the seamed, baked-clay
hills of Baluchistan, ‘‘as strange a
country as any in Asia.”
Off along the coast and into Balu
chistan strikes the amphibian tele
graph line that gives Karachi its
most direct connection with the
West. A land line until it gets
well into Baluchistan, it then divef*
into the sea to come up again 00
the Persian coast and strike over
land through Persia and Turkey to
I Europe.
Gateway for Central Asia.
Karachi Is not only a door for
India, It Is the gateway besides for
much of central Asia. Numerous
products that are freighted into
Karachi harbor find their way up
through the famous Khyber Pass
and over Himalayan trails to AfW
ghanistan and Tibet. p
Many millions of dollars have
been spent on the harbor of Karachi
in the construction of moles, Jetties
and other port works. Keeping
Its waters deep enough is a never
ending fight. A strong ocean current
sweeps to the entrance part of the
tremendous load of silt brought
down by the Indus, and this must
be continually dredged away that
Karachi may not suffer a fate like
that which overtook Tatta and
Shahbandar.
