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The Commoner.
3TJNB 10t 1905 f
E" CURB8NT "TOPICS mMF
THE ACETYLENE JOURNAL, devoted to light
ing and kindred subjects, In its issue of
May presents several interesting- reports showing
some remarkable experiments of acetylene on
plant growth. Several of these experiments were
made at Cornell University. It has not yet been
established beyond question that the discovery
of acetylene's influence on plants will have com
mercial value to florists and plant growers, but
the Journal says: "When it is considered that
the demand and price of flowers and overy other
forced growths is the greatest in the period of
shortest days, about the holidays, it seems likely
that enterprising plant forcers will avail them
selves of these results to conduct tests having a
commercial bearing. At any rate, the Cornell
experiments seem to -have proceeded far enough
to place acetylene in a class by itself as an artifi
cial light approximating daylight." Mr. M. J. Iorns
of Ithaca, New York, asks the question, "Has Old
Sol a substitute" and then by way of partial an
swer, although expressly declaring his unwilling
ness to draw definite conclusions, presents some
of the striking facts obtained in his own experi
ments. Mr. Iorns' experiments together with
those of other investigators, are illustrated in the
May number of the Acetylene Journal, published
in Chicago. Any one interested in these experi
ments would do -well to apply to Ellas A. Long,
editor of the Journal for copies of his publication.
THE Colorado Board of Pardons in session June
3, granted pardons to Stephen D. Irapey and
Charles Impey, Leadville men who since June 5,
1903, have been in the Colorado penitentiary. At
one time the Impey brothers seemed In imminent
danger of being lynched. Now, after they have
served two years in prison the person on whoso
accusation they were arrested and convicted, con
fesses that she was persuaded to make the in
famous charge, and that the Impey brothers are
innocent men.
WESTERN farmers are having considerable
trouble Oils year with the Hessian fly.
Professor Lawrehce Bruner of the Nebraska State
University has issued an interesting bulletin re
ining to this insect. Professor Bruner says that
in the fall of 1904 the Hessian fly did an unusual
amount of injury to winter wheat in the south
eastern counties of Nebraska, in many instances
the injury amounting to fully 50 per cent or more
of the plants being attacked. In some localities
the plants were killed outright. Professor Bru
ner says that there is still much chance of danger
for the present crop, and he asks thafarmers
coming in contact with the Hessian fb d to
his office reports of their experience. Professor
Bruner says: "Of course the Hessian fly, like all
other insects, passes through several stages in
the course of its life, viz: the egg, the larva or
magot, the pupa or 'flax-seed,' and finally the
imago or perfect insect the fly. The injury is
all done by the magot. The 'flax-seed' is the rest
ing stage in which the insect passes through the
cold winter as well as the hot dry summer months.
It is in this stage of the insect's career and during
the summer that we must do our fighting if we
"wish to destroy the pest."
ABOUT 5,000 persons, according to a writer
for the Brooklyn Eagle, annually disappear
in the United States, and are nevr heard from
again. That writer says: "At first -blush the
assertion seems incredible, but police statistics
furnish confirmation. The actual figures, based
on a conservative calculation, are even more
alarming than those given. In fact tLe reports
of the police departments of the larger cities show
that in the twelve months just past, 10,008 of
the persons who disappeared during the year were
never reported as found: but the shrewd police
officers, accustomed to the eccentricities of hu
man nature, are of the opinion that the return
of many thousands of these persons, through
shame or indifference, was never reported at po
lice headquarters. But even after making allow
ance for this feature of the case, it is reasonably
certain that more than five thousand persons
were swallowed up in oblivion. The tragedies of
real life hidden within those peculiar cases, if
they could but be brought to light, would .rival
many of the novels penned by the world's great
est writers. No Bubjoct that can bo imagined
has such weird fascination as that of tho thou
sands and thousands who have gone down this
grand canyon of oblivion."
A GLANCE at the police statistics In a few of
x the leading cities shows tho ever growing
extent of the "disappearance habit.'' Tho Eagle
writer says: "In the city of New York during
tho last year 1,415 persons wero reported to the
police as missing. Of this number 751 returned
to their homes, leaving GG4 still missing or unac
counted for. In Philadelphia during the same
period 1,912 persons wero reported as missing.
Of this number 1,555 returned to their homes, leav
ing 367 who wero still in the land of tho missing.
In Boston during the year 411 persons were re
ported as missing, and 108 of these wore after
ward located, leaving 303 unaccounted for. This
percentage of unexplained cases is larger in pro
portion than either New York or Philadelphia,
but Superintendent Pierce is of the opinion that
a number of those persons reported as missing
afterward sought their homes and tho friends or
relatives neglected to notify the police of the
fact."
THE traffic passenger manager of the Japanese
government " railroads is Y. l,...ita.
Speaking to a correspondent for the Chicago Ex
aminor Y. Kinoshita made several interesting
statements, all of which were confirmed by D.
Nishi, civil engineer in the Supervising Bureau of
both government and private railroads, and T.
Mimoto, freight traffic managor of tho Japanese
government. Kinoshita said: "Tho average pas
senger rate on tho railroads of Japan is three
fourths of a cent a mile while tho highest rate
is four-fifths of a cent a milo. This is tho result
of government ownership and operation of suffi
cient mileage to establish a just return upon the
actual capital invested in the construction and
maintenance of both government and private
roads, devoid of watered stock."
ONE-THIRD of the railroads in Japan are
owned and operated by the Japanese gov
ernment. Pointing out this fact, Kinoshita said:
"The passenger rates, which are the same as on
the private roads, are based upon the distance
traveled, according to the following:
Eight-tenths of a cent a mile, under 50 miles.
Seven-tenths of a cent a mile, 50 to 100 miles.
Six-tenths of a cent a mile, 100 to 200 miles.
One-half cent a mile, 200 to .300 miles.
Above 300 miles the rate is four-tenths of a
cent a mile.
"Under government ownership and operation
of railroads we get much cheaper service in both
freight and passenger traffic than you get in
America, while In Japan it costs much more to
construct railroads than in this country.. The
actual construction and full equippment, includ
ing rolling stock, is about $40,000 a mile in Japan,
while it is much less In this country. Yes, I
know your roads are capitalized for over $60,000
a mile, but more than half of that Is what you
call 'watered stock' which is based upon the
ability to demand high rates, and not on the actutl
ccst of construction and operation. Japan is a
mountainous country, making the cost of railroad
construction much greater than here, but with
all our steep grades, costly bridges, cuts and
tunnels, our roads, including equippment, cost
only about $40,000 a mile."
0
ACCORDING to Kinoshita, the Japanese also
have cheaper freight rates than prevail in
America. He explains that the average freight
rate in Japan, nearly all hauls being termed short
hauls, is about one cent a milo for a ton of
merchandise, and adds: "There Is no such thing
as 'watered stock' in the railroads of Japan. The
government would not permit it under any cir
cumstances. The passenger and freight rates
are fixed to return a. reasonable rate upon the
cost of construction and maintainance, tho gov
ernment roads, ami prlvato roads as woll, earn
ing from seven to' eight per cent. Tho govern
ment issued four and flvo por cent bonds which
wero sold on tho market at par. With this mon
oy tho government roads wero constructed. As
tho roads earn from soven to eight por cent, they
will soon pay for themselves. After a fow more
costly Investigations and lawsuits by tho Unitod
States government, I think you will concludo
to adopt government ownership, which has boon
a success for thirty years In Japan. Tho prlvato
roads in Japan havo tho Hamd rates as those
owned by tho government. The government roads
act as a leverage, compelling tho prlvato roads
to adopt tho samo rates. Wo expect to remain
in this country for at least six months, studying
tho railroads of this country. Your railway
coaches are superior to ours, but we havo the
best roadbed."
DR. II. HANDYSIDE, low on his way to Lon
don to report to tho British admiralty, was
a member of an observation party connected with
Nogl's army beforo Port Arthur. Ho was present
when Port Arthur fell, and relates some Inter
esting stories concerning tho conduct of Russian
officers. Speaking to tho Victoria (B. C.) corres
pondent for tho St. Louis Globo-Democrat, Dr.
Hap 'ln said: "I sa with my own oyes be
t( sOO and 500 Russian officers in tho wards of
th ., .diary hospital at Port Arthur who had not
a scratch on their bodies. They feigned Illness
to escape the work and danger of dofondlng the
fortress. Moreover, I saw 25,000, woll armed,
well nourished and in good health, march out
and lay down their arms to Nogl's army of care
worn, ill-fed and batterod soldiers, whom, by all
rules of logic, they could have resisted Indefinite
ly. At the bottom of Port Arthur harbor I saw
warships enough to have swept Togo from the
sea, had a proper effort been made to do so."
Summing up, Dr. Handyslde declared tho Rus
sian soldier bravo and, to a degree, capable, but
that the officers, as a whole, are poltroons and
actually afraid to bear their sharo of tho duties
and dangers of tho campaign.
AS A RESULT -of tho rejection by the direc
tors of the Equitable Life Assurance Society
of the report of the Frick Investigating commit
tee. Henry C. Frick, Edward H. Harriman and C.
N. Bliss havo resigned from the directorate of
the Society. Other resignations are promised.
Tho Now York correspondent for the Chicago
Tribune says that the report of tho Frick com
mittee covers thirty-eight printed pages, and Is
a scathing arraignnei.t ofv the management of
the Equitable Life Assurance Society. It con
demns unreservedly all transactions of the syn
dicate known as "James H. Hyde and Associates,"
calls on all other directors besides him who
participated in the profits to make restitution,
and recommends that President Alexander, first
Vice President Hyde and Second Vice President
Tarbell bo removed. Tho report deals with tho
recently exposed history of the Equitable, with
much of which the reading public is familiar.
'
THE Frick committee finds that there has been
gross mismanagement under Hyde and in
cjxcusable carelessness on the part of Alexander.
In its report the committee says that Mr. Alex
ander should havo made his charge to the board
of directors long ago In order to prevent Mr.
Hyde's re-election as vice president last Feb
ruary. Not only does it find that Alexander was
"culpably negligent," but also that he "openly
encouraged" some of Hyde's irregularities. For
instance, on November 14, 1904, Alexander wroto
to Hyde: "I don't know just when Willie Is to
return, but I sugsest, with your concurrence, that
ho be charged with the responsibility of steering
the fiscal committee when it mets. We havo
two new members on it, and It is just as well that
they should all be under reasonable observation.
Lot him remember that the only duty of this
fiscal committee is to prove our annual state
ment. It is not their province to go into the
management of the company, or to express opin
ions about methods. When they come to prov
ing what we call our 'ledger balances it has been
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