10 HARRISBURG TELEGRAPH A NBWSPAPBR FOR THE HOME Founded Ilu Published evenings except Sunday by THE TELECJItAPH PRINTING CO., Telegraph Building, Federal Square. E.J. ST>. CKPOLE,/V*/* & Editor-in-Chief F. R. OYSTER. Business Manager. GUS M. STEINMETZ, Managing Editor. Member of the Associated Press—The Associated Press Is exclusively en titled to the use for republication of all news dispatches credited to it or not otherwise credited In this paper snd also the local news published herein. All rights of republication of special dispatches herein are also reserved. . Member American Newspaper Pub- §^?car'of 11 L d Entered at the Post Office In Harris burg, Pa., as second class matter. By carriers, ten cents a t week; by mail. 13.00 a year in advance, THURSDAY. JANUARY 10, 1918 An educated man is a man who can do what he ought to do when he ought to do it whether he wants to do it or not. — NICHOLAS MCRBAT BUTLER. A PLACE FOR REAL HELP IF the situation in regard to farm labor is anything like as serious! as "Farmer" Creasy, spokesman in agricultural matters for the Democrats of Pennsylvania, puts It, there is a glittering opportunity for the eminent Democrats with farm ing experience who are about the! President to keep the food produc- j tion of the Keystone State where it! is. Some time ago the national authorities asked the farmers of; ihis State to increase by anywhere : from ten to twenty per cent, record- > breaking acreages in cereals. Some of them set out to do it and were 1 (confronted with the exigencies of war—the draft, the demand for men for industries, shipbuilding, trans portation and other lines speeded up for national defense. Mr. Creasy says the Pennsylvania j farmers are short about fifty per L cent, of what they should have to 1 till the fields of this State and he says it is going to be worse next summer. The nationat ad-I ministration has undertaken to ad- ! minister our food and fuel. It claims there is plenty of both, butj that it is a matter of distribution. Is not the same true of labor? Moreover, labor is patriotically in clined. Many skilled workmen are j country-born and would like to go back to the farms for a few weeks' j work in summer. All are interested in keeping the farmer at farming.! It would seem that a national plan for providing farm labor when it is needed and also having the farmers buy a few more Liberty Bonds! would be a splendid tiling to work, out while the weather is cold. Meat is accumulating so fast in the I storehouses of Chicago that if the Government doesn't come to the aid j of the packers they actually may be j forced to cut prices. Awful! COAL AND MILK A YEAR ago we were quarreling! about the price of coal. Slid- 1 denly we have awakened to the! fact that it is not a q icutton of price, but of getting coal i.t ;iny' price. Last spring and suiir.r.er we becarre hysterical over a dollar n! ton increase and to-day wo carry| our money to the dealer and con'tj get the fuel we need even at a premium over the markei pr : ce. Let us not make the same mis- i take about milk. It is hard to see! prices of household commodities like coal and milk go up ant!, up, and it is but natural that we should see the immediate evil in larger aspect than that which is just above the horizon. But we should not be apprehensive of the passing squall as t3 be heedless of the ap proach of the little black cloud that heralds the cyclone. When Dr. Garfield took hold as federal fuel administrator he fixed the price of coal, which was all very well, but he failed to insure an ade quate supply at that or any other price, which was all wrong. When Germany went to war the govern ment fixed a maximum price for milk, which was hailed with fle light by the populace, and some six months later awoke to a milk famine due to the fact that dairymen had found it impossible to produce milk at the given figure and had butch ered thousands of their cows. We have had our experience with coal, let us see to it that we don't fall into like error concerning milk. The President is thinking of ap pointing women income tax collectors, and we judge he knows enough to select young and pretty ones. PASS THE PRESIDENTS BILLS CONGRESS should pass Presi dent Wilson's railroad control bills with very little attempt at change. They may not be what they ought to be in every respect, but, by and large, they will accomplish the maximum of results with a mini mum of hardship. The present is' THURSDAY EVENING, no time for quibbling. We have but cne task before us, aa a nation, and that is the winning of the war. Be fore any other consideration that must be kept constantly in view. We know that prompt and thorough ! railroad control is necessary a*id the | sooner we get down to It the better, i The President's legislation is essen i tial to this and, therefore, should go ! through Congress as quickly as Is ! possible. j After the war is over will be time enough to think about the larger | problems of railroad ownership and ; the differences that are bound to ! arise, as time goes on, between the j railroads and thß government. Just now all we want is efficiency of j transportation and unification of ef forts. We are out to win the war and the government's control of the railroads being a prime essential j to this, nothing must stand in the way. There have been too many delays, and since"'every day means the loss of American lives in France and the expenditure of millions in money, nothing must be permitted to stand in the way of the Presi dent's plans for the railroads. It's a dull day when Farmer Creasy can t find some new excuse for em broiling the State Grange in a politi cal row. DAYI/IGHT SAVING INDICATIONS are that the day light saving plan, which is in j successful operation in twelve of - the larger countries of the world and which the lower house of Congress declined to pass last year after It had been unanimously adopted by the Senate, will become a federal law during the present session. What the House failed to see the necessity of as a peace measure is found to be highly desirable as a war economy. The plan, as worked out else where. In brief, is to go to work two hours earlier each morning and quit two hours earlier each afternoon, thereby saving daylight in the even ing and doing away with the neces sity of sleeping during the early hours of the day in spring and sum mer when the sun .gets up early and goes to bed late. Advocates of the measure claim that it will accom plish the following results: Promote the greater use of daylight for recreative purposes. Benefit the physique, general health and welfare of all classes of the community. Reduce the industrial, commer cial and domestic expenditure on artificial light. Reduce the use of fuel by clos ing up the furnace one hour earlier at night. Give to school children an hour longer for play and diversion after school hours. A little thought will convince the j doubter that these findings are cor- | rect, and since they can be accom- ! plished by the simple expedient of I re-setting the clock twice a year, at I the beginning and ending of the daylight saving period. Congress would do wrong if it did not enact the measure into law. London re ports that through this means It has saved hundreds of thousands of tons of coal a year which went to the making of gas and electric light. Robert L. Brunet, public service en gineer for the United States govern ment, estimates that the saving to the United States in fuel for these purposes by the daylight saving plan would be about $40,000,000, j and surely this item is well worth I while, not only from the money con- j sideration alone, but as a means of economizing the use of coal. Another great help would be the i additional time home-gardeners I would have for the working of their j plots in the evenings. In this lati- J tude two hours more of light would be a wonderful convenience in this i respect. When the bill was before the House last year the railroads com- j plained that it would inconvenience i them, but with the government in ! control and all the roads being op- I erated as a unit former problems I are greatly simplified and the old objections scarcely can apply. A thrift stamp is a baby Liberty i Bond; buy one every time you get the | price and help win the war. WHAT ABOUT COTTON?' THE War Trade Board has de-j creed that no individual li-1 censes shall be required for the j exportation of raw cotton to the Unit- j ed Kingdom, France, Italy, Japan or \ any of their colonies. This means, as j dispatches from Washington point j out, that American cotton is free to get the highest prices in the world; that there is to be a scarcity and j consequent high prices of this staple in America, and that the South is to profit by the war to the limit. Why regulate the price of coal, of iron, of wheat and other commodities produced in the North and West and let the Southern cotton growers "sting" the public by charging ex tortionate prices for cotton? The answer is simply that South ern Democrats are in control at Washington and are determined that the South shall profit by the war at the expense of the North, and un less the same restrictions are placed upon this war necessity that are re quired of others, the Wilson admin istration leaders must stand convict ed of being party to the transac tion. When the South was without a cot ton market a few years ago Wash ington was loud in its demands that men everywhere "buy a bale of cot ton," to "help out" the Southern growers. Now that the shoe is on the other foot, the South means to make the North pay excessively for every cotton garment it buys. And this at a time when cotton is 400 per cent, higher in price than it was in 1915. In. 1895 cotton was quot ed in New York in March at 5.94. in 1897 at 7.12, in 1915 at 8.05, in 1916 at 12.40, in 1917 at 17.55 and yesterday at 32.25. But notwithstand ing this tremendous prosperity of the cotton industry, the growers propose that the North and the Weat and the government, which usea immense quantities in the manufacture of mu- nitlons, shall go still deeper into their pockets. Is this patriotism or extor tion, and if it is extortion how long is the government to be permitted to wink at it? f oIUUi, By the Ex-Committeeman Governor Martin G. Brumbaugh j last night opened the campaign for the Republican nomination for state I candidates by a declaration that he j would not support any aspirant j who had not been in accord with ! the policies of his administration. The declaration was in effect a ; statement of opposition to Senator I William C. Sproul, of Delaware, and j was a bitter attack upon people who had fought the Governor. It has j been known that the Governor was hostile to the Delaware Senator be i cause of the stand he took in the I General Assembly when he present jed the resolution for investigation, j but it was a surprise that the Gov > ernor should take up the cudgels so vigorously before the Senator made a formal announcement. The Governor's statement came after it had gotten abroad last night that Attorney General Brown was disinclined to become a candi date. although favored by many people at the Capitol, and when Gif ford Pinchot had gone to call upon Highway Commissioner O'Neil and j to ask him where he stood on the j moral and economic questions of I the day. Mr. Pinchot appeared to be very much pleased with the in terview when he left Mr. O Neil last night and the Highway Commission er was openly boomed as the ad ministration favcu-ite for the nomi nation before midnight. An open statement by Mr. O'Neil that he has an ambition to become Governor and that he will make his fight on an antiliquor platform with demand that all aspirants make known their stand on the moral and economic questions of the time is looked for. The Gov ernor is expected to get in behind him and to take the stump. The Governor's statement follows: "Many prominent citizens, includ ing officials of the national govern ment, have asked me whether or not 1 and my friends were actually sup porting this or that certain heralded man as candidate for Governor. They point out the newspapers have, for some time, carried this rumor, and this inspired propaganda, they indicate, may lead some persons to j believe it has some foundation in \ fact. It is the cheapest sort of j camouflage that has as yet been j foisted upon the people. "This administration has steadily j sought to promote the welfare of the j whole people. It has not permitted itself to be dictated to or influenced j by the political leeches that have I sucked money like blood from the I liquor and other special interests to carry the government against the | common people. I have been abused I and maligned because I have not been the tool of special privilege. I ' have stood and do stand for the things that are patriotic, just and humane in this Commonwealth. "No man with any sense of loy alty to the people of this great Com monwealth can wish more than I do for some basis of party harmony and a Republican victory in Novem ber, but there can be no harmony with any man or group of men that have steadily opposed all the hu mane legislation, all the just and equitable things this state owes its citizens. Better a thousand times stand for right than to stand for might. We want no Kaiser rule in our party. You may know, there- i fore, the stories you have had given I you have been made for a purpose I and are as untrue as they are im- I possible. —Philadelphia newspapers gen-' erally regard the Governor's state- 1 ir.ent as a declaration of war against Sproul, although he is not mention-1 ed by name. The Inquirer to-day prints a picture of Colonel Roose-' veil and Senator Sproul taken yes-! teiday at the Sproul shipyard where the Colonel spent the day, the pic ture giving the impression that the ( olonel and the Senator are very chummy. They are good personal friends and have been for a long time. The Colonel visited promi nent Bull Boosers and asked about 1 the Pennsylvania situation. Inci dentally he made a speech which is r.ot given much attention by Demo-! cratic organs. —Senator Penrose reached Pitts-1 burgl} for the Armstrong dinner to- : night in company with Auditor Gen eral Snyder and Representative Isa dore Stern, who will be run in op position to Congressman-at-large John R. K. Scott. —The Inquirer to-day says that sentiment among the men at Pitts burgh is strongly for Sproul and also hints that James F. Woodward, chairman of the appropriations committee of the last House, may be run for lieutenant-governor and another man named for secretary of i internal affairs. At this distance it_ looks as though Secretary Paul A\ . Houck might be a harmony man for the secretaryship. The admin istration is for him and with Penrose support he would just sail right along. —The conference of labor leaders and grangers here this week devel oped the fact that the labor men had urged Gilford Pinchot to be come a candidate and that, as indi cated in this column nearly two months ago, he was certain to have the support of all those who were not for Dr. John Price Jackson. Mr. Pinchot set out to get the Gran gers with his ideas of rural uplift and general welfare, but does not seem to have been as successful as he was with the labor men who re membered him as the friend of Roose velt. The Grangers, however, have been sitting in with "Farmer" Creasy and other Democrats so long that they were wary of any Repub licans and the horny-handed sons of the farm refused to hurrah very much. Hence Mr. Pinchot went to visit O'Neil and Creasy said to some friends that there were some good points to "this fellow McCormick." The labor men still hope that Pinchot will run and those who boosted Jackson are willing to line up behind the forester since Dr. Jackson is busy in France. —Congressman-at-large McLaugh lin does not seem to be losing any time or sleep over the coal situation. Instead of debating it he rushed to the men in charge and demanded that Philadelphia and Eastern Penn sylvania be given some of the coal being shipped to other states. It is understood that the Congressman secured some agreements whereby the difficulty will be remedied as a result of his forceful presentation of the piatter. —Judgments aggregating $25,000 have been piled up against County Treasurer Anders at Norristown. An ders tried to commit suicide. —Reading has saved $4,000 of its annual payroll by cutting out some offices. In Pittsburgh the Magee councilmen cut out several city of fices, which the Gazette-Times says were established under Magee, as tndly needed. It la Intimated that * " _ -T * HAHRISBURG TELEGRAPH AIN'T IT A GRAND AND GLORIOUS FEEUN'? .... AFTER VOO HAVE READ AN£> YOU THIMK /\N£> HOV/J .S/\£> FOH THE DOZENTH TITV\E - . OP RUE TIKASS HC ME LOOKED WRTEUF IHC LGT TER LELUMG ALL / I " PMV' ( ' K VOO LEFT FOR - BOO X : 'HITE / (RN ) > FM. ) R N E TF>MMIWCT * °* ■ (%f AN- OF 111 \J VNI A* - IM FLESH ANL A 6UPDEM A AT I ™ -BLOOOI .RTHF WIPE AD KIT - -L Ttse'HosrcfXi ()M- H -* H gov •M! ! ! E A SK.MC H Mayor Babcock's veto of any re duction of the offices on account of politics and not for economy will be sustained by the Kerr strength. —Judge McCormick, who cut down the number of Elk county sa loons, is believed to have similar ideas about Clinton county. —There mav be something of in terest to people in upstate politics in the fact that Thomas A. Crichton. cashier of the State Treasury and former law partner of the late Rob ert K. Young and Ex-Senator Wal ter T. Merrick, has become a mem ber of the firm of Watres & Marsh. The latter are friends of Judge Chifnnel. —Richard W. Williamson, of Huntingdon, is said to be develop ing Congressional ambitions. —One of the oddities of the sit uation as developed in the change of government Monday was that Democrats have smaller representa tion in city and county governments generally than known for a long time. There are some places where the Democratic officials have been reduced to the minority representa tion allowed by law. —Mayor Hoagland, of Williams port, one of the Mayor's elected hands down, is demanding that his city establish a permanent city plan, while Mayor Heidenreich, of Hazle ton, says the same thing and also urges that people obey the laws of nature. BOOKS AND MAGAZINES I.eague of Nations. A chapter in the history of the movement by Theodore Marburg. MacMillan and Company, New York, publishers. "This little book is a history of the movements in the United States to secure action by the United States and other Nations, after this great world war, looking to the establish ment of a League to Enforce Peace. .Mr. Marburg, the author, is a stu dent of international law, a public ist. and a diplomat of marked ability and learning. Under the last Re publican Administration, he was United States Minister to Belgium. With great public spirit he has al ways been active in associations for the promotion of arbitration and judicial settlement of International controversies. "I hope the volume will be widely read."—William H. Taft. "PrussianiMHl Germany'' the ad dress delivered before the Harris burg Chamber of Commerce by Otto 11. Kahn, the New York banker, which aroused a great deal of com ment in the press at the time of its delivery, has been printed in book let form, and anyone who desires to obtain a copy may get it free by writing to the Harrisburg Chamber of Commerce and enclosing a post age stamp for mailing. This ad dress of Mr. Kahn's is regarded by many as one of the most significant and patriotic utterances which have come from American business and finance. God's Minute?—A book of 365 daily prayers — sixty seconds long—ar ranged in calendar form—a-prayer to a page, with a verse of Scripture at the top of the page on encour agement to worship. The prayers were written expressly for this book by 265 of the most eminent evan gelical clergymen and laymen in the English-speaking world. Cloth, 384 pages, price, 35 cents net. The Vir Publishing Company, ?00 North Fifteenth street, Philadelphia, Pa. The idea of the book was suggest ed by the thought that so many Christian people offer as an excuse for not having family devotions, that they haven't time. This spiritual contribution to the Christian world's literature proves that only a minute daily devoted to the worship of God can be made an inspiring one to be gin the duties of the day. LABOR NOTES Over 30,000 females under 14 are employed In Japanese factories. Virginia will consider a workmen's compensation law for the state. There are 75,000 workers engaged In hazardous occupations in Mon tana. Unions at Mason City, lowa, have opened a co-operative store. Winston-Salem (N. C.) building trades will enforce a 9-hour day. Springfield (Ohio) City Commis sion has recognized the building trade schedule. The ratio of unemployment among British trade union members was 7.1 per cent. In August, 1914. and for many months recently has been practically zero. War Economy Hysteria j URGIXG to fullest extent the maintenance of "business along normal lines,'' James J. Phelan, Boston banker, decries the hysteria of war economy. He says the only way for America to carry her financial burden is to keep her industries at top speed of productivity. "We are embarked on a campaign to raise $2,000,000,000 by the sale of thrift and war saving stamps," he says. "I believe in this heartily, but I do not believe that 'thrift' should be so urgent as to adversely affect business and thus imperil the pros pects of future big loan campaigns when the government counts on busi ness to provide 110,000,000,000 or $20,000,000,000. "If we are to raise these loans we must have prosperous business. The President last June remarked that not only was this no time to allow any slowing up of business but that it was a time when every sensible process of stipulation should be used. "I heartily agree with Secretary McAdoo when he recently said that the nation had borne the financial A SCRAP OF PAPER Germany is beginning to learn what it means to earn a reputation for breaking its word. Reichstag leaders have been criticising the for eign secretary for his duplicity in Idling the Russians one day that Germany wanted no territory, and the next day insisting on virtual re tention of all Russian territory oc cupied by German troops. Such dealings, they told him, justified the Entente statesmen in refusing to put confidence in the word of Ger many's leaders. The difficulty goes further back than Brest-Litovsk. A famous docu ment, often quoted three years ago, deserves to be recalled at this time. It is the note of the British am bassador to Berlin, dated August 8, lit 14, describing his call on Chan cellor von Bethmann-Hollweg, after the declaration of war. He wrote: "His excellency at once began a' harangue, which lasted for about twenty minutes. He said that the] step taken by his majesty's govern- i mcnt was terrible to a degree; just: for a word —"neutrality," a word; which in war time had so often been disregarded—just for a scrap of paper Great Britain was going to make war on a kindred nation who desired nothing better than to be friends with her. I protested strong ly against that statement, and said that, in the same way that he and llerr von Jagow wished me to un derstand that for strategical reasons it was a matter of life and death to Germany to advance through Bel-1 glum and violate the latter's neutral ity, so I would wish him to under stand that it was, so to speak, a matter of 'life and death' for the honor of Great Britain that she should keep her solemn engagement l to do her utmost to defend Bel-1 fcium's neutrality if attacked. That' solemn compact simply had to be| kept, or what confidence could any one. have in engagements given by Great Britain in the future? Thei chancellor said, 'But at what price i will that compact have been kept.i lias the British government thought ; of that?' I hinted to his excellency, as plainly as I could that fear of consequences could hardly be re-j garded as an excuse for breaking; solemn engagements, but his excel-1 leney was so excited, so evidently! overcome by the news of our action, 1 and so little disposed to hear rea son that I refrained from adding luel to the flame by further argu ment." The "scrap of paper" is a phrase that will live In history. It sum marized a policy of unscrupulous ness that has convinced the world of the 'mposslblllty of Jealing with the present rulers of Germany.— Kansas City Star. AUSTRIA LOOKS AHEAD Foreign trade will surely play a highly Important part after the war in the affairs of every country, or al! signs fail. Following Germany, England, and France, Austria has now come forward as an organiser of commercial preparedness. In Oc tober the Austrian government created a committee of Experts for Foreign Trade, including representa tives of each industrial group inter ested in exports as well as export merchants. This committee is to, act under official supervision and; will co-operate with the government! in measures of war in bringing about! the transition to conditions of peacel whenever war ceases.—The Nation's | Business. burdens of the war well because of healthy business conditions. And the corollary is that, if we are to continue to bear those burdens well, we must Vreserve and not impair those healthy business conditions. "There must be 110 waste—there, must, be conservation of food and fuel. There is a danger the pub lic may carry economy to a point where it will cripple business. And if anything could better give aid and comfort to the enemy than a busi ness depression and panic, I do not know what it is. "England, France and Germany have been waging war for more than •three years. Germany has raised over fourteen per cent, of her money by taxes, 8C per cent, by loans: France. 16 per cent, by taxes and 84 per cent, by loans; England has rais ed 26 per cent, by taxes and 74 per cent, by loans. But we, in our eight months of war, have raised 37 per cent, by taxes and only 63 per oet. by loans. These taxes fall chiefly on industry and the wealth produced by industry. If industry fails, they fail too." Getting Record Straight The delusion that the western states determined the result of the last American election still persists. It isn't of the slightest consequence, of course, being of interest now only as a political curiosity but when a Canadian newspaper draw 3 a lesson from the recent voting in the Dominion that the West has come into control of both sides of the boundary a gentle remonstrance in the cause of precision is called for. The western states did not deter mine the result of the last Amer ican election. That belief arose out of the peculiar position California chanced to hold in the time of the returns, but it was wrong. If the returns from all the states had come in together, Ohio, not California, would have been the district upon which people's thoughts would have focused, and people would have been inquiring what on earth hap pened to the Buckeye state, not what the Golden state was doing. Ohio's twenty-four electoral votes went Democratic for the first time in 1916, and they, with New Hamp shire's four electoral votes, swung the balance of power. Had they been with the East, the West would not have been on the winning side. But their breaking away from the direction of their environing states decided the result.—Detroit Free Press. BALLADE Written upon the reception of a lordly quantity of anthracite, when almost in articulo mortis. (To be sung as an ode if you haven't paid for it.> You ask me why no more with sul len eye, As when I watched the prices climb, I wring my hands and heave the heavy sigh. And go bedight in rosemary and thyme? You ask (with reason) why burst into rhyme? Ah, Joy hath come with us to stay. And sing I blithely as a wedding chime: "We got two tons of coal today!" With circumambient curses, such as In college learned when in my prime, I exercised my tongue each time the sly Coal barons spake a He sublime, Each tale of woe I branded as a "lime" Intended but to make the rabble pay; In penitence and joy I sing this time: "We got two tons of coal to-day!" I heard the gathered mob in wonder cry: "How sweet 't must be, this chilly wintertime. To be thus favored! Oh, come tell me why Fate made me not an Earl of Coal sublime?" "I'd gladly give twain hundred times a dime," Quoth one, and sadly wiped a tear away, Could I like this most lucky mime; "We got two tons of coal to-day!" JANUARY 10, 1918. Ocer the uv "~pe>v>au v "Henry Gaspeii" says a newspaper just over tlie border in Ohio, "has bought a cow and is now supplying his neighbors with butter and fresh eggs." Henry, you bring on that in teligent cow to this neighborhood. 0 Farmers throughout the northern tier are carrying grain and other food into the woods to feed the birds and game which are freezing and starving in largenumbers during the long continued cold spell. Their natural supply of food is shut off by deep mows. , Nlas women were on a jury hear £nr a criminal trial recently in Los Angeles, and now the news comes from England that the people want to see a woman in the British cab inet. No longer will they write that drool About the shrinking dame So cute and cunning when a mouse Across her pathway came; The poets, A-I and bush league, Will have to change their dope Fair woman's now a citizen With anything to cope. OUR DAILY LAUGH AN APT COMPARISON. Mr. I. M. Ill—Doc, you remind me of a bird. Doc—How so? Because you're forever sticking i your Mil In my face. LUCKY INDEED. 'Did you have any !uck in your stock market speoulatiors?" | "Yes, Indeed. I escaped with part ; my money." A JUST KICK. Turtle—Boo, hoo! Every time w play tag, I'm it! JUST 80. "He's a regular pessimist." "Yes, always 'croaking' aboo tomething or othsr." i&ntittg (Eljat According: to what farmers and people M ho come to the State Cap itol and the city markets from tho country districts say the reports about a serious shortage of chick ens for the coming spring and sum ber is no Idle dream, but a very se vere reality. A year ago men activo In farming sounded a warning that there would be fewer chickens this whiter than for a long time and that the number might be reduced by thousands and the fowls soar higher in price than they roost in canipmeeting time. They based these predictions upon tho fact that tho prices offered for chickens were so attractive that farmers' wives were cutting down their stock and that the state propaganda against keeping useless roosters was gain ing converts. Then, too, it was pointed out that the price of feed was going up and that this winter it would bo worse than for a long time for the chicken raiser. Ne.\>. came the fall with its general scrambling to get food for winter lined up and the poultry put into cold storage was something worlli noting. And on top of it all there came the cold wave, the coldest known in a long time with farmers in many parts of the state having only frosted corn to feed their chick ens. What the cold did not kill the corn of low food value almost put out of business. In order to over come the sickness and lowered vi tality among the chickens fed with such corn the state experts are sug gesting that the corn be dried or parched. And now with eggs away up it looks as though the number of settings would be less than usual. Altogether the 1918 poultry outlook is anything but good. There must have been some very interesting periods in the hearing by the Supreme Court of the appeal in the recess appointments case at Phil adelphia when Attorney General Brown spoke on behalf of the Gov ernor. Not only did Air. Brown make some charges and cross swords with the learned justices in the mat tor of quo warrantos, but once when the question was raised as to wheth er certain views were held in the convention which framed the con stitution of 1873 he turned to Jus tice John Stewart, who had been one 01' the delegates to that notable gathering and said he would correct him if he made an error. In an other instance when there was a remark about whether the conven tion had considered some phases the Attorney General presented the courts the very law books which had been used in the convention by Al exander Simpson, father of his law partner, Alexander Simpson, Jr. • • Frederic A. Godcharles, Deputy Secretary of the Commonwealth and one of the crack shots of the state, has become secretary of the Harris burg Rifle club, one of the growing organizations of the kind in the country. Ho is a resident of Mil ton but has many affiliations here and will help make the club's range work notable. • • ♦ George G. Hutchinson, who is in charge of certain field work for the Department of Agriculture, was here, yesterday on some departmental business, and was well jollied by some friends about the comments upon his activities in the state gov ernment in the late Governor Pen nypacker's autobiography in the Philadelphia Evening Public Ledger. "It's all true what was written, but there is one thing wrong about it," said the genial George. "What's that?" "Well." said the man from War rior's Mark. "That all happened, but the old Governor got me mixed up with some one else. I never was zoologist, never did the things he said I did and never drew the pay of the office in which he placed me in his memoirs. He meant a man named McCartney." • • * One of the oddest things about the present condition of the rail roads is the manner in which travel ers greet each other when they meet at the State Capitol. People come | here on business from all parts of the state and the first thing they now ask is not what is the weather but how long did it take to get to Harrisburg. Yesterday men who had come from Pittsburgh found to their surprise that they had made the trip in the same length of hours that it had required friends from Philadelphia to get here, while a man came from Pottsville in the time that one arrived from Altoona. • When it comes down to real grit some of the carpenters and builders around Harrisburg are to be com mended for sticking to work in the last three weeks of such winter as we hope will not come around again for a long, long time. There are some building operations under way in the city and its suburbs where the men have worked outside in zero weather. They have had fires going to keep coffee hot, but they have endured pretty severe conditions. One builder said that he knew the men could not do as much work as he or they wished, but they wanted to keep going and he wanted to hold them. WELL KNOWN PEOPLE —Dee Slasterson, Johnstown engi neer well known here, has been made superintendent of streets of that city. -—John S. Herron, new president of Pittsburgh council, served for years in that body. —Dean Trickett, of tho Dickin son law school, was educated for the ministry, but preferred law. ■—N. M. Edwards, city solicitor of Williamsport, was toastmaster at the Jackson day dinner in that city, a role he has filled several times. —William I. Forbes, appointed major of the Reserve Militia caval ry, was for years active in the Na tional Guard. DO YOU KNOW —That Harrisburg steel is used for making shclU for high explosives for marine warfare? HISTORIC HARRISBURG Col. Bouquet spent several days hero while preparing for his expedi tion against the Indians. FINANCIAL - PERILS, TOO Munitions manufacture has its uncertainties, according to the re turns f the federal tax for 191 U. Of 498 concerns which reported manufacture of munitions or parts, only 269 showed a net otit after they had made allowance for amor tization of special plants and equip ment. • The results of the tax for 1916 are below expectations, and apparently will be around $40,000,000. Thin will mean that the net profits re ceived by the concerns subject to the tax were about $320,000,000. For 1917 the special munitions tax will decrease from 12 V 4 to 10 per cent, of net profits, and it will cease al together after December 31.—The Nation's Business.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers