. . . EDITORIALS . . .
'AV.'.V.V.V.V.W.W^jijuuujij ..........
The Omaha Guide
Published every Saturday at 2418-20 Grant St.f
Omaha, Neb.
Phone WEbsrer 1750
Entered as Second Class Matter March 15, 1927
at the Post Offiee at Omaha, Neb., under the Act
of Congress of March 3, 1879.
Terms of Subscription $2.00 per year.
Race prejudice must go. The Fatherhood of
God and the Brotherhood of Man must pre
vail. These are the only principles which will
stand the acid test of good citizenship in time
of peace, war and death.
Omaha, Nebraska, Saturday, JUNE 22, 1935
Service to Society as a Whole
By. E. Hofer.
DURING the fiscal year 19:34-35, the National
Board of Fire Underwriters spent $1,331,516, ac
cording to William H. Koop, the organization’s re
tiring president, to promote better fire underwrit
ing conditions in the Unted States.
Its activities “inured to the benefit of every
stock fire insurance company, whether, a member
of this organization or not: they have inured to the
benefit of mutual insurance companies; they have
inured to the benefit of every manufacturer, mer
chant and property- owner, and to every man,
woman and child in this broad land of ours,’’ said
Mr. Koop. In other words the National Board
functions largely in the interest of “service to
society as a whole.’
For example, it carries on an interesting cam
paign in the interest of fire prevention. It pro
vides municipalities, industries and home ovrners
with invaluable scientific advice that, if followed,
greatly lessens the change of a fire starting, and
prevents its spread once it star.s. It has created
a Model Building Code, which a legion of towns
have adopted, and which assures that ail types of
construction shall be as fire resistaut as is practi
cable. It maintains the Underwriters’ Laboratories,
which carries on exhaustive tests to determine the
fire risk inherent in gas. electric and heating ap
paratus, and building materials, and which pre
scribes safety standards for manufacturing these
articles. It cooperates with private and public
bodies in bringing about better fire protection, and
in improving alarm and water facilites. And it
carries on an unceasing war, in conjunction with
stare and municipal authorities ,against arson; a
war whose success is reflected in the declining to
tal of fires of dubious origin.
That work benefits every American citizen. It
is impossible to estimate how many million dollars
it has saved the nation, entirely aside from the in
finitely more important saving in lives that would
otherwise have be:i. sacrificed to th* god of fire.
What is the Answ er?
By. E. Hofer.
JJERE is an interesting comparison, taken from re
cently published figures: In 113, the cost of gov
ernment, federal, state and local, was less than
3 million dollars. In 1934, it was 15 million 500
thousands dollars; a gain of 431 per cent.
In 1913 ,the cost of domestic electricity averaged
8.1 cents per kilowatt hour.. In 1934, it was 5.3
cents, a reduction of 39 per cent.
The same politicians who were responsible for
quadrupling the cost of government in a generation,
are lamenting the ‘‘high cost ' of electricity; which
amounts to only one or two per cent of the average
family budget; and are asking the taxpayers to let
them run the power industry.
Is this concern over power designed to divert at
tention from the quadrmpled cost of government,
for which they are largely responsible?
Would the politicians who ran the cost of gov
ernment up over 400 per cent in 20 years be good
managers to reduce the cost of electricity or any
thing else?
You Can’t Win
By. E. Hofer.
'PHE reckless driver, like the habitual criminal,
can’t win.
Every newspaper carries the evidence of that, in
accounts of those whose lives have been sacrificed
to speed, to incompetence, and to carelessness at the
wheel.
The tragic end to the great career of T. E. Shaw,
the famed “Lawrence of Arabia,” was headlined in
the papers of the world a few weeks ago. Not yet
40, Shaw had done war service whose value to the
English cause was so great as to make it almost
unappraisable. He had distinguished himself as a
translator of Greek classics. He was one of the most
brilliant of living archaeologists. He was a military
and mechanical genius of the first rank. It was
certain that his period of greatest achievements still
lay in the years ahead.
Shaw's “hobby” was to drive automobiles and
motorcycles at incredibly high speeds on country
roads. According to news accounts, his cycle was
going at around eighty miles and hour when he
was forced to deliberately crash to avoid striking
a boy on a bicycle. A few days later he died, with
out regaining consciousness. His doctor said that
it was best that he did not live, because of the ter
! .....-----..
! rible injuries his brain had sustained in the ae
! cident.
Every year in this country alone, some 35.000 j
Congenital recklessness had robbed the world of
one of its gifted minds.
people die; victims to improperly driven motor
; driven vehicles. Among them are the famous and
i the obscure, the brilliant and the mediocre. Each
life lost means that the nation’s resources have been
sapped; each death means misery and unhappiness
to others. Reckless driving is an unbeatable game,
at which the player always loses; and which like
wise penalizes and robs the innocent.
—
Statistics Tell the TTruth
By. E. Hofer.
PROPONENTS of the Public Utility Act of 1935,
which proposes to eliminate practically all gas
and electric holding companies of the country by
1940, have two arguments on which they lay espe
cial stress.
First, they hold that neither consumers nor in
vestors receive genuine social or economic advant
age from holding companies, and that individual
operating utilities, disassociated from any parent
company, can adequately serve the country's needs.
Second, they charge that “write-ups” made by
the holding companies in the securities of operating
companies have inflated the consumer’s power bill
to outrageous limits.
Both of these claims are graphically answered
in a series of charts issued by the Electric Bond and
Share Company; a representative large holding
company, with subsidiaries in many states.
In 1934 .as compared with 1933, the company’s
properties in Tennessee showed a net decline of 4
per cent in operating revenue. Those in Arizona
delimfd 6.2 per cent and similar declines, rang
ing from 02. to 6.4 per cent oecured in Texas. Louis
iana. Minnesota. Montana and Utah.
It is obvious that, had the Bond and Share Com
any’s properties been entirely located in these
areas, owmers of the concern s securities would have
suffered severely. More important still, the op
erating utilities involved, being temporarily on the
decline, w*ould have found it difficult to obtain
needed funds; and some of them might have been
forced to retrench, at the expense of service.
But the Bond and Share Company also held in
terests in properties in Alabama, the C'arolinas,
Kansas, Nebraska and other states, where net in
creases were registered. As a result, all of its com
panies averaged a gain of .08 per cent for 1934 over
1933. Thus, geographical diversification protected
the interests of investors and consumers alike, in
|hat money lost by one operating concern was made
up by another within the same system.
The statement of the Bond and Share Company
in the matter of “write-ups’’ is especially impres
sive. These “write-ups” are usually made when
a holding company assumes control of an operating
company, improves its facilities, perhaps extends
its operations, and otherwise makes it more valu
able than before. When that is done, the holding
company advances the value of the operating com
pany.
It is claimed that these advances in value have
led to the creation of false rate bases; and so have
increased the cost of power to the consumer. Here
are the actual facts concerning Electric Bond and
Share subsidiaries:
In every case, the rates of the operating utility,
following the “write-up,” have showed steady de
creases. This can be attributed to but one thing;
the increase in operating efficiency made possible
by holding company management.
The advocates of the Public Utility Act of 1935
claim much and make many charges; charges and
elaims that are alike thoroughly and unconditional
ly disproved by cold, truthful statistics.
—
Do You Know?
By. E. Hofer.
—that arson, “crime of crimes/' is responsible for
more than 50 per cent of the lives of fireman lost
in all fires?
—that one arson fire is said to cost more than a
dozen unprwentable fires?
—that many losses of suspicious origin not yet
proven incendiary when reported, are classed as
“unknown'’ or “miscellaneous?”
—that arson fires swell the total losses, thus affect
ing the cost of insurance protection to everyone?
—that, to combat arson, special agents of The Na
tional Board of Fire Underwriters are aiding
state departments and cities in the organization
of arson squads and that many cities now have
such squads? :
—that the model arson law has been enacted in 34
states?
—that suspicious fires are thoroughly investigated
by experienced arson detectives and that many
of them result in convictions of the guilty per
sons?
—that you can do your part to stop this crime, com
mitted against soeiety?
—that you should report any suspicious fires to the
authorities?
—that the lives of many innocent persons are en
dangered by this lowest type of criminal?
Help bring him to justice.
ECONOMIC
HIGHLIGHTS
Happenings That Affect the Din
ner Pails, Dividend Checks and
Tax Bills of Every Individual.
National. and.. International
Problems Inseparable from Lo
cal Welfare.
—0O0—
A survey of the business maga
zines shows that industry is dis
playing much more initiative than
it was a year, two years, or three
years ago. There are exceptions
to this rule, of course, principally
consisting of businesses which are
in fear of legislative attack. But
even these feel that there is a
good chance that matters will
work out well in the long run.
Here are some business briefs of
interest:
RAILROADS' All over the
country lines are instigating driv
es to regain lost passenger traf
fic. Lower rates and better serv
ice, air-conditioning, more com
fortable cars, higher speeds, etc.,
are high spots of the drive. Wes
tern railroads have recently gone
in for a large joint advertising
program.
—0O0——
CONSTRUCTION: Revival of
construction, mainly domestic, is
believed essential to recovery, to
employment, to industrial activi
ty at large. A billion dollars
could profitably be spent for new
homes, a billion more for renoviz
ing old ones. Interesting plan is
announced by General Electric
Co. which will spend $10,000,
000 for constructing 1,300 model
houses, costing $6,000 to $10,500
each, throughout the country; one
house to each 100,000 of popula
tion. Committees will work
in every population center to find
buyers for the houses. General
Electrie’s main contribution will
be to completely electrify the pub
lic view from September 1, when
all houses will be completed, to
October 31. General Electrics
hopie is that this will cause a na
tion-wide demand for better, more
efficient, more economical homes.
UTILITIES: The XRA decision
has put new confidence into this
industry, for two diverse reasons.
First, the most difficult utility
operating problem has been to
keep rates down in the face of
XRA artifically boosted material
costs; a problem which has like
wise applied to railroads and
other industries with fixed rate
bases. Second, and perhaps more
important, the decision has given
utility owners hope that the pro
posed Wheeler-Ravburn bill to
eliminate the holding company
will be held unconstitutional
when and if it reaches the High
Court.
MOTORS: Also gained from
the XRA decision. In the words
of Time, the industry has been set
ting new records for profitless
prosperity; in that it is unable to
pass along to the public the high
er material costs the XRA forced
it to pay. Big motor companies
will now be able to use their vast
bargaining power to cut the price
for steel and other necessary
commodities. Also, the XRA
used-car code provisions slowed
down sales; now that it is gone,
and Mr. Public will be able to get
more for his old cal, motormen be
lieve he will go for new cars in a
big way.
—0O0—
RETAIL TRADE: Price wars
are rampant, especially in the to
bacco, drug, liquor and sundry
trades. Consumers are thronging
the cut price stores, where “loss
leaders ’ ’ predominate. Some
chains recently sold cigarettes
ivhich cost them about $1.00 a
carton for as little as 60 cents.
Result is a terrific retail turnover.
AIR COXDITIOXIXG: Develop
ments are coming fast in this, one;
of our youngest industries. Com-'
petition is tremendous, some 100
concerns bidding for business,
rhis tends to give the public bet
:er equipment at lower prices and
an more favorable terms. A new
entry into the field offers, for less
than $800, a unit that will provide
complete summer air conditioning
for from four to eight rooms for
£15 or less a season.
BAXKLXG: A highly interest
ing development in this field is
the fact that commercial banks
ire taking up small loan business,
something they refused to do a
few years ago. Large banks
ire opening personal loan depart
ments, where responsible persons
jf small means can obtain money
svithout going to the loan sharks^
vho still charge anywhhere up to
1,000 per cent interest a year.
And there is talk that some sav
ngs and loan associations may go
nto the commercial field by ac
cepting demand deposits.
AGRICULTURE: A late survey
shows a small, but encouraging,
rise in the value of farms.
Ualues jumped in 30 states, be
:ween March, 1934, and March,
I -
1935, declined slightly in only
five, and were unchanged in 30.
I Largest gains were in the cotton
j belt; largest declines, as might be
: expected, in the drought area.
—0O0—
EXPORT TRADE: In all but a
handful of cases, America’s first
| quarter export business was well
1 ahead of a year ago. has held up
j since. Canada bought 13 per cent
more, Italy 15 per cent more,
j Cuba 58 per cent more, Australia
53 per cent more. Mexico 25 per
cent more. England and Japan
j barely got into the gain column
with respective rises of 1 and 5
per cent. Principal drop came in
Germany, which bought 62 per
| cent less from us.
So far as new export business
is concerned ,according to Busi
ness Week. Oceania; Australia,
South Pacific Islands, offers the
best prospects.
Out of Struggle
and Hardship
“Out of the struggle and hard
ship that has besieged the coop
erative movement in many states
| throughout the country during
the last few years, will develop a
new group of friends and sup
j porters of farmers’ organiza
tions.’’ says the Dairymen’s
League News of New York.
“The chaos of depression gave
rise to the belief that government
al control could solve the prob
lems of farmers. New leaders
leaped into prominence overnight.
They gained followings, sorne
i times large, because they promis
ed much, and because thousands
! who had been crushed by the
weight of depression suffering
were still ready to follow any new
flag that came along,
j “Out of all this came new laws,
new boards and commissions set
up by the government to rule the
I business of the farmer. These
boards and commissions were
manned in many instances by men
conspicuous for lack of know
ledge of the problems they were
to grapple with- . . men who had
spent a lifetime guiding the coop
erative movement were ignored.
Men who knew the ins and outs
of marketing problems were not
; consulted.
“Of late there has been eviden
! ce of changed views. Some of the
I men who set out to control by
mandate of law have learned that
! cooperatives really have some
thing to offer. They are finding
that more can be done through co
operative effort than will ever be
possible by law.
You can take a horse to water
but you can't make him drink;
and you can pass all the laws you
| like but they won’t necessarily
work. Economic law still is su
perior to legislative law. If
government has learned that in i
the case of the farmer, agriculture
will have a better chance to bring
prosperity out of depression.
Edgar G. Brown
Discusses Emergency
Conservation Work
.Continued From Last Week. .
At noon the boys return to
camp for dinner. Then they re
turn to the field again until 4:30
o’clock.
In this manner they put in 40!
hours a week for Uncle Sam. The
enrollee receives thirty dollars a
month for his services, as well as
food, lodging, clothing and the
life of the out-of-doors. Some
twenty colored assistants and
leaders among the enrollees in the
two companies at Gettysburg re
ceived 36 and 45 dollars a
month. These men have been pro
moted to the more responsible
positions in the camps. Each en
rollee in a CCC camp allots an
average of 25 dollars of his
monthly salary to his parents
baek home.
At 5 p. m. Captain Francis
Moran, the commanding officer
of Camp Renaissance—XP-1 CCG
Company 385, salutes our coun
try’s flag while a colored CCC
boy, the company bugler, sounds
‘retreat.” Two parellel lines, eaeh
of one hundred young men, stand
at attention as the colors are
slowly lowered by CCC enrollees.,
The visitor is impressed with
the alert and intelligent expres
sion on the faces of these enrol
lees as, with heads bared, they
participate in this moving cere
mony. The enrollees are attired in
comfortable and neat khaki col
ored uniforms and strong cow
hide shoes. Just a half hour be
fore these same lads were in their
work clothes returning to the
camp from the field.
Captain Moran introduces the
visiting guests; the boys applaud
their greetings. Dr. King, the
colored historical foreman, assur
es the boys in turn of the best
wishes of the entire party and
also those of the head of Emer
gency Conservation Work. Dr.
King, who did his graduate and
resident work at Columbia Uni
versity, tells the boys something
of the earliest history of Gettys
burg, when Indian tribes roamed
these wild meadows and hunted
for big game. Dr. King’s recita-t
tion of historical facts so faeiant
es these hungry boys they seem
oblivious of the supper bell.
Let us go inside the mess hall.
This is indicated by a hand-paint
ed marker of carved wood. We
learn that this sign, like similar
ones on the hospital, recreation
j hall, supplies, officers quarters,
garage and supervisors office, is
the work of Emery Faueett, a col
ored enrollee. who has in the past
two weeks been promoted to the
position of sign painter for the
Gettysburg National Park, as well
as the camps. He has been given
an office at the supervisor’s
building. More of the artistry of
enrollee Faueett, who hitch-hiked
from California to Pennsylvania,
finally landing up in the CCC
camp at Gettysburg, is strikingly
apparent on the inside of the din
ing room. A gray and black color
scheme predominate throughout,
not only on the walls and ceiling
but even including the huge
built-in- ice box, which we arc in
formed was constructed by the
| boys themselves. The twenty
five tables are highly polished
and appear to be of a fine quality
'of maliogany but in fact are just
made of plain pine lumber. The
long benches are likewise spick
and span. The enrollees repeat
grace in unison while standing.
i he aroma of those platters stack
ed with crisp, luscious fried ham
will not soon be forgotten. Chi
the wall at the end of each table
was a green mental holder, in
which a card was inserted bearing
the typewritten name in full of
each enrollee who had a seat at
the table as well as the name of
the special leader at the top. His
job has to do wi.h the general de
portment and a rather brotherly
concern for the more timid young
sters who might possibly fail to
get the necessary food require
ments for a healthy body.
Captain Moran introduced us to
Lieutenant Paul K. Monaghan.
Senior Leader Lawrence Johnson,
a colored enrollee and Chef Char
les Foy. a colored locally enrolled
man. We then proceeded on our
way, stopping to inspect the ice
box which was stacked with fresh
food. This refrigerator contains
twelve hundred pounds of ice. An
automatic switch throws on the
light when the door is opened. As
we inspected the kitchen, six col
ored cooks clad in immaculate
white trousers, coats, and caps
went about the business of pre
paring dinner for 200 strong
hungry youngsters. All the cooks
were trained by Chef Foy.
1 have before me the daily
menu of 385.h Company CCC, Re
naissance, Gettysburg, Pennsylva
vania, May 6, 1935. Breakfast;
ereamed chipped beef, baked
beans, cereal, milk, bread, coffee
and oranges. Dinner; roast beef,
brown gravy, mashed potatoes,
spinach, bread and fruit. Supper,
ham, bread, fruit, coffee, kale and
boiled potatoes. It has the official
approval of mess officer, Paul K.
Monanghan, First Lieutenant.
CA-Res, and is typical of the day
in and day out menu.
In the store-room there is
enough canned salmon, corned
beef hash, and corned beef to fall
back on for a week’s feeding of
the entrire company, if any un
toward delay in the food supply,
like a snow storm in winter or a
flood in the summer, should cut
the camp off from its base of sup
plies.
To Be Continued Next Week
Erection of Carver
High School Started
Bessemer, Ala., June 20, (AMP)_
i Construction of the $125,000 George
W. Garver high school, got unde?
way here Tuesday morning when
work started on the first unit, which
will cost $65,000. The erection of
the buildings is a PWA project and
the school is named for the famous
scientist of Tuskegee institute.
‘ To Rebuild School
Memphis, Tenn., June 20, (ANP)
—Assurance that the Barrett's Chap
el, county school which was recently
struck by lightning and destroyed by
: fire, would be rebuilt immediately,
was given here Tuesday when the
project was approved by the County
Board of Education and funds were
made available for immediate con
struction by the FERA The new
building will constitute six class
rooms and an auditorium.
Killed By Lightning
Loviek, Ala., June 20.—ANT—
J- D- Van Horn was killed here
Monday when lightning followed
an electric light drop under which
!he was standing and struck him.
His wife and members of his
family, standing elose by, were
knocked unconscious.
Prisoner Dies in Flood
Chill’eothe. Mo.. June 20.—AN
P—Mitehell Fleming. 22-year-old
trusty on a S ate Penitentiary
prison farm, was drowned in the
flood last Monday when officials
removed 139 trusties from prison
farms along the Missouri river.
Stabbed to Death
Near His Home
Chicago, June 20, (ANP)—Wil
liam Taylor, 51, was found stabbed
to death early Friday in front of his
home at 159 W. 39th street, a knife
having been plunged into his back.
----O
Elected Knoxville
College Trustee
O—--a
Dr. rlWSROSZ (X//£■<£
Dr. Caliver on June 11 was elected
as an alumni member of the Knox
ville College Board of Trustees.
Dr. Caliver received his A. B de
gree from Knoxville College in 1915.
Dr. John A. Cotton of Henderson
Institute, Henderson, N. C., is the
other alumni mem be. of the board.
FOODS. FACTS—'FOIBLES
A PEACH TREE ABLE TO RE
SIST EXTREMES Of COLD WAS
RADISHES WERE FIRST USED AS
A FORM OF POLITICAL CRITICISM.
ROMAN CITIZENS U5ED TO HURL
AM THEM IN THE FORUM.
*7 w
THE ESKIMOS
EAT BUTTER
THE WAY WE
EAT CANDY.
THE CRAVING ;
FOR THE HEAT '
AND ENERGY PROVIDED 0Y BUTTER
MAKES THEM EAT IT
A POUND AT A TIME.
KtLtnilT TOltnitU DTAHUH
TICUI.TURI5T IN CLYDE. OHIO —
THE FIRST PATENT OF ITS KIND
EVER TO BE GRANTED. THE
PEACH TREE WAS DEVELOPED
TO MEET CHANGING CLIMATIC
CONDITIONS ON THE NORTH
AMERICAN CONTINENT.
f IHE FIRST CARLOAD
)*" OF LIMBURCCR CHEESE DRIVEN
THROUGH THE STREETS Of MONROE.WIS.
CAUSED A RIOT AMONG THE CITIZENRY.
TODAY. THE PROBLEM OF PLEASING MOD
ERN DELICATE NOSTRILS IS SOLVED BY
PACKAGING UMBURCER IN GLASS JARS,
v
^ THE SUPERSTITION ABOUT THE SPILLING
\ OF SALT IS OLDER THAN THE OLDEST
RELIGION. IN THE RELIGION OF THE
\ GREEKS, SALT WAS CONSECRATED TO
f^CTTHE GODS-AND ACCORDING TO
1 THE LAW OF MOSES. SALT MUST
BE MIXED WITH EVERYTHING
OFFERED IN SACRIFICE.
j[FAMOUS GOURMETS OF HlSTORY|“
THE FAVORITE DRINK OF BOTH •
NAPOLEON AND VOLTAIRE ‘
WAS COFFEE,
jliTL