6
HARRISBURG TELEGRAPH
A XBIVSPAPER rOR THE HOME
Founded list
Published evenings except Sunday by
THE TELEGRAPH PRINTING CO.,
Telegraph Bulldlac, Federal Saaare.
E.J. STA CK POLE, Pris't & Editor-in-Chief
F. R. OYSTER, Business Manager.
GCS M. STEINMETZ. 'Managing Editor.
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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
and also the local news published
herein.
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dispatches herein are also reserved.
t Member American
llshers' Assocla-
Bureau of Circu
lation and p ® nt |"
Eastern 0^ flce>
Avenue Building,
Entered at the Post Office In Harris
burg, Pa., as second rlasji matter.
SgBB By carriers, ten cents a
week; by mail, $5.00
a year In advance.
SATURDAY, MARCH 2, 1918
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
1 thank whatever gods there be,
For my unconquerable soul.
—WM. HENLEY.
TIME FOR JOINT ACTION
THE man in the audience cannot
always know what is passing
behind the scenes, and for that
reason criticism of the administra
tion's policy of delay in agreeing to
co-operate with Japan for military
operations in Siberia may be out of
place, but judging from what ap
pears on the surface it is difficult to
understand why the government is
not ready and willing to shift some
of its Philippine reserves to Siberia
to co-operate toward ridding
that territory of Germans who are
now threatening the huge depots of
American military stores at several
points along the trans-Siberian rail
road. It would appear that we have
everything to gain and nothing to
lose by such a policy.
It is true that the Bolsheviki
might not relish such a course, but
the occupation of the territory might
easily be placed on the basis of a
friendly effort to protect the inter
ests of a former ally threatened by
the armies of a hostile power. At all
events, Russia would be divided on
the subject. While the German
sympathizers and those who favor
peace at any price might object,
countless staunch Russians would be
only too happy to have the Japanese
and an allied army come in from the
east to stay the triumphant march
of the Germans into their country.
Doubtless such an expedition as the
Japanese propose would attract to it
large detachments of Russian troops
now looking in vain for an anchor
age.
At all events, if the allies do not
go into Siberia with the Japanese,
the Japanese may be expected to go
alone, and once in on their own ac
count there may be some trouble
getting them out.
Xo, Maude, dear, not all the sausage
balloons belong to the Germans.
TRAINING THE IDEA
MEN who have been following
the home defense organiza
tions throughout this State
have expressed considerable admi
ration for the manner in which the
majority of the men in the Harris
burg Reserves have maintained their
work, especially in view of the dis
couragements encountered through
lack of heat and light in the Armory.
In about half of the towns where
these organizations were formed,
drills were suspended when reai
winter started and in Philadelphia,
■where 5,000 men were enrolled, fur
nished with uniforms and rifles,
there is a howl going up because the
attendance at drills has been irreg
ular. Some Philadelphians have
expressed doubts as to what to do
with the organization upon which
so much money was spent, now that
the police force is up td its max
imum and the Reserve Militia is be
ing mustered in.
These home defense organizations
sprang yp through the desire of
citizens to be ready for any call for
home service, whether at the sum-
mons of the sheriff or the chief of
police." They Worked hard and in
many cases spent much money;
authorities encouraged them and
promptly forgot them. The Reserve
Militia is getting ready for home de
fense and to suppress possible dis
order. Cut the Reserve Militia can
not train the drafted men and
neither does it hurt to have a line
behind the men who wear the
State's green uniform. It would
seem that there is a very definite
place for these defense organiza
tions which came into being when
the country was unprepared* They
can keep on training the men with
gray in their hair and youngsters
at home and at the same time fur
nish good wholesome exercise. They
can instruct the young men of draft
age in the "rudiments," so that they
will not go to camps "greenhorns."
Furthermore, these Home Guard or
ganizations are made up of men
who are in earnest, many of them
SATURDAY EVENING, HABIUSBURG fgfrtTO TELEGRAPH STARCH 2, 191?.
property owners, and they have gone
through a lot of "kidding," too.
What they can do to help authority
in a quiet way when disloyalty starts
to mutter should not be overlooked.
i If Mr. Hindenburg wonts to make
i good his promise to be in Paris by
'April 1, he might have some German
j aviator drop him from an airplane
J some dark night.
BUY JUST ONE STAMP
a quarter, go to the post
| • office or some store having a
Trift Stamp card in the window
and buy just one Stamp.
Take it home. Show it to the
family. Tell them that you have
just provided Uncle Sam with the
money to buy a few machine gun
cartridges for the boys at the front.
Look that stamp carefully In the
face. Think that it represents your
contribution ■ toward keeping this
war going. Think that if nobody
buys Liberty Bonds and nobody buys
Thrift Stamps, the war is going to
end in a German victory—and a
German victory means that life
wouldn't be worth living for any of
us.
Think, also, that when the war i 3
over—or before, if you need the j
money—Uncle Sam will pay back all i
you have put into these stamps
with interest.
Thus, every time you buy a Thrift
Stamp you take a crack at the Kais
er and feather your own nest, both
at the same time.
Think of these things! Think of
what America means to you I Then
we know exactly what you'll do.
You'll go out and buy another
stamp. And once you have two,
there'll be no stopping you until the
card is full.
Every time you get a fresh "grouch"
at the Germans go around and buy a
War Savings Stamp. That means five
more cartridges for the American sol
diers to send over the top.
HARDER DAYS COMING
DON'T for a moment think that
"50-50" ■ flour, and Liberty
Bread, and days"
are to be the extent of our sacrifices
in this war. Speaking in the United
States Senate the other day, Senator
Smoot gave voice to this warning:
Notwithstanding all that has
been done, and as some people
say, sacrificed, the work has only
begun. If this war should con
tinue two years longer. I am
afraid there will be a world scar
city of food and many of our
people will be compelled to go
short to assist in feeding our
army and navy and the armies and
navies and people of other coun
tries engaged with us.
There are several reasons for this
shortage. First, the submarine,
which sinks weekly thousands of
tons of food. Secondly, deficient
transportation, both rail and water;
third, failure of the world to raise
food sufficient to keep armies in the
field and the civilian population well
fed. If we can conquer the subma
rine, as there is some hint that we
are likely to do within the next six
months, the wastage in that direc
tion will be stopped. Or if we can
increase our shipping facilities, we
may be able to carry food to Europe
and at the same time bring some
from more distant points such as
Australia. An improvement in our
railroad systems will be another
great help, and this is 'certain to
come within the next twelve months.
But the farmer and the house
holder cannot trust to any of these
chances. Each family must raise
food for itself. Each family must in
the vegetable season, can and pre
serve more for winter than ever be
fore. We must cut down on grains
and eat more fruits and other green
things. The home-garden is going
to be the most popular institution
in the land next summer. Thousands
of people who grew vegetables last
year will know more about garden
ing this year and countless others
will take to cultivation who never
handled a hoe. Now is the time to
get busy. If you have a plot of
ground fit to cultivate—or can get
one for the season—and you do not
do it, let the blame fall on your head
if you go hungry next winter.
HAS A GOOD RECORD
ANNOUNCEMENT that Aaron s.
Kreider is to be a candidate
for re-election will be good
news to thousands of his friends
throughout the district. It goes
without saying that he will have no
opposition for the nomination, and,
as usual, he may expect nothing
more than nominal opposition at the
polls.
Congressman Kreider was elected
first during the trying campaign of
1912 in a three-cornered fight. #le
has served his constituency admir
ably ever since. This is a Republi
can district and it is proper that- it
should be represented by a high
type man, thoroughly acquainted
with its interests and one who can
be depended upon at the same time
to vote also for the best interests of
the country in measures of larger
import. Such a man is Congressman
Kreider, He has the confidence of
Republicans and Democrats alike
both at Washington and at home. It
is gratifying that he is to have no
opposition at the primaries and the
likelihood is that Democrats will
make no serious effort to defeat him
at the general elections.
T>o
'PtKKOIf&KUtUv
By the Kx-Committeeman
This is the first day upon which
nominating petitions for the May
primary can be circulated in Penn
sylvania for signatures and accord
ing to officers of the Department of
the Secretary of the Commonwealth
hundreds will be started around be
fore nightfall. For the last ten days
many petitions have been sent out
from the state capitol and in ad
dition it has been learned candi
dates who will have many petitions
have their own papers printed, as
has been done in previous yeard. A
number of requests for the style of
the official papers have been made.
Signers must be qualified electors
and no voter may sign for more
candidates for an office than he can
vote for, while affidavits as to sig
natures must be made by men in
charge of the papers. The papers
must be filed by April 11 and an of
ficial suggestion is contained on
papers that they be entered at the
Capitol before that date so that er
rors may be corrected. Ordinarily
there is a jam of such papers on the
last day, which it is desired to avoid
so that all papers may be gone over
before doors close.
The dates for registration for the
spring primary, which will be held
May 21, will be April 17 in first
and second-class cities and May 1 in
third-class cities, while the enroll
ment dates in boroughs and town
ships are March 19 and 20.
In addition to the state ticket
there will be nominated this year
candidates for Superior Court and
Congress at large, all district Con
gress seats, twenty-eight senatorial
seats and the whole "House of Rep
resentatives.
—Governor Brumbaugh In Phila
delphia yesterday came out flatly in
favor of J. Denny O'Neil for Gover
nor. "I aril for O'Neil,'' he Raid. "I
believe this has been well known for
some time. I am surprised that any
particular stress should be laid on
it at this time." The Governor
added that he thought the ques
tion of prohibition is more im
portant now than ever. As for
an extra session of the Legislature,
he repeated that' he is considering
it but has reached no conclusion. At
the same time Democrats in Phila
delphia were said to be re-opening
the movement to have Yance*C. Mc-
Cormick reconsider his decision not
to be a candidate for Governor at
this time and run with prohibition
as a distinct issue.
—Dr. B. E. P. Prugh state chair
man of the Prohibition party of
Pennsylvania, and one of the two
members of the Prohibition national
committee from the state, left last
night for Chicago, where he will at
tend a meeting of the national com
mittee on Monday and the national
convention on Tuesday. Among the
matters to be considered at the na
tional convention wil be the election
of members of Congress next Novem
ber that will stand unequivocally for
immediate nation-wide prohibition
without waiting for the adoption of
the amendment. But the matter of
chief importance to be considered
will be the proposed merger of the
Prohibition party and the new Na
tional party. Dr. Prugh says he feels
sure there will be strong sentiment
both for and against the merger. The
late Pennsylvania state convention
seemed to be strongly against it,
though in favor of the closest kind
of co-operation at the polls. The
delegation, however, goes unin
structed. The conditions existing in
Pennsylvania are such that the Pro
hibition party feels compelled to go
straight forward, as in the past, re
gardless of the action at Chicago;
but the action both by the state
committee and the state convention
provides for active co-operation with
any man or body of men that will
stand squarely for the things which
the Prohibition party stands for. Dr.
Prugh also stated that he believes
that it would be a good strategic
move of the Governor to call a spe
cial meeting of the Legislature of
Pennsylvania to act on ratification
of the prohibition amendment spe
cifically. The next Legislature will
approve the Prohibition amendment,
he believes, and says the only thing
to fear is overconlidence.
—AVhilc there is a marked drift
in the Republican party toward
backing up the prohibition amend
ment the indecision which caused
the conference of Democratic state
leaders in Philadelphia tho other
day to duck the problem seems to
prevail generally in the party. Fail
ure of some of the Democratic state
bosses who have been very loud in
years gone by in their advocacy of
local option to demand that-'the or
ganization, in which they are big
factors, should declare for the
amendment, has produced unfavor
able impression. Republican state
and county leaders are wVestling
with the proposition, but the at
titude of the majority of the Demo
cratic leaders, state and county,
seems Xo be to sit on the fence.
—And in spite of all the outgiv
ings of the Democratic windmill and
the peace pipings of the Democratic
organs here, the big Democratic
newspapers of the state, look for a
new fight within the party. The
nomination of acting state chairman
And petroleum administration Joseph
F. Guffey. manager of Pittsburgh
public utilities in private life, is not
taking well among the "dry" ele
ment of the Democrats. The ma
chine bosses are thinking of vacci
nating the party again.
—One of the humors of the Dem
ocratic situation is that the bosses
who steam rollered Lowry Humes
and other candidates and handed out
Guffey as the -party candidate for
governor indulged in the very same
sort of procedure as that which they
denounced so vehemently when
practiced by Col. "Jim" Guffey,
uncle of the acting chairman. In
deed, it was the shrieking in the
market places against such things
by the present bosses that enabled
them to tear the colonel from the
high seats of the party. Guffey
uncle's machine ideas are now the
standard of the group in which Guf
fey's nephew plays a stellar role.
—Newspaper editorials on the
death of Dr. Samuel G. Dixon, late
State Commissioner of Health, are
extraordinary in that without regard
to party, they praise his splendid
public service and show that when it
came to duty and politics he knew
no divided allegiance. The commis
sioner's adherence to duty made him
one of the monumental figures of
the state.
—The controversy over the right
of the Allegheny county salary
board to review salaries fixed by
the board of judges, is now in judi
cial hand to be settled.
—Carl G. Busse. who resigned a
52.500 Luzerne place to go into the
THE CONVALESCENT ~ By BRIGGS
... „ ,
army, is a son of the sheriff of that f
county.
—Highway Commissioner O'Neil's
invasion of Luzerne county this !
weekend is interesting. Luzerne is ]
one of the headquarters of the
group which is insisting upon Com- |
missioner W. D. B. Aainey for gov
ernor. , It will be interesting to note
the effect of O'Neil's visit upon the i
Ainey men, who are numerous and i
influential and seem determined to I
back the Commissioner despite some I
frowns from high places.
§otditr
I '
FLAG FALL
Stars and Stripes, the emblem of
our Nation,
Grand old flag of strength and
Unity—
Best old flag that waves in all crea
tion
Our Stars and Stripes, the flag of
Liberty—
Stars and Stripes, our flag of grace
and beauty.
Each brave heart will answer to thy
call.
'•Hand in hand we stand to do our
i duty.
I And we'll never let the old flag fall.
CHORUS.
We'll never let the old flag fall,
For we love it the best of all.
We don't want to flght to show our
might,
But when we fight, we'll fight, fight,
fight.
In peace or war, our voices ring.
"My country 'Tis of Thee" we sing.
At the sound of her call, we'll show
them all
We'll never let the old flag fall.
CAMOUFLAGE
[From the Brooklyn Eagle]
Hang the crayon portrait of Aunt
Anastacia over the bad place in the
living room wallpaper.
Back the sideboard up against the
place where the wainscoting was
blistered during a chafing dish party
given by your predecessor.
By keeping the player piano going
you can easily overcome the bang
ing of the family radiator in the liv
ing room.
The temperature may be made
agreeable with constant exercise
with wall weights, dumbbells and
rowing machines. On heatless days
you can thus fool your landlord and
yourself at the same time.
Place a large Japanese umbrella
up against the ceiling in the library
where the radiator upstairs has
leaked through.
Where you have too many pic
tures, hang them one over the
other —the pictures of your relatives
on the bottom and those of your
wife's relatives on top.
NAMED NOT NOMINATED
In these (lays of food conserva
tion and with some pretended ef
forts to choose or "slate" a Demo
cratic candidate for governor who
represented the "policies of the
president" a party of self-selected
"representative" Democrats of Penn
sylvania gathered in the inner cham
bers of Philadelphia's highest priced
eating-house the other day and nam
ed a candidate to defeat the hand
picked one of Republic in bosses.
According to the censored an
nouncement handed out to the pub
lic the a Pittsburgh office
holder was chosen \/,r the Demo
crats to vote for to set up in turn
in opposition to either one chosen
personally by Brumbaugh and the
Vares or an abler one who has the
cordial approval of Penrose, or
both.
Quite naturally enough the one
picked by these self-labeled repre
sentatives was an official of one of
the worst-managed and most inso
lent corporations of the state, a per
son of no known party standing out
side of his own locality and presum
ably a gentleman of abounding
wealth. v
If the purpose of the "representa
tive" Democrats was to slate a can
didate with the marks fjt defeat
stamped Indelibly upon him they
won. The late Mr. Harrlty wys
used to make selections for the Dem
ocrltic party in the same way. We
had hoped that tbis sort gf */eak
imitation had, in at least these ✓-•r
--ilous times, gone out of fashion.—
Cliambersburg Valley Spirit
The Circumlocution Office
David Lawrence in the Saturday Evening Post.
SOME instances of red tape In
,the Government are amusing;
others are pathetic. Not long
ago a National Guard regiment was
being mobilized in a Southern train
ing camp. Its lieutenant colonel
was ordered to Washington for In
struction in certain staff duties.
Three months later the regiment
was ready to sail for Prance as a
part of the Rainbow Division. The
colonel wired Washington for his
lieutenant colonel. For days he re
ceived no answer. Finally came a
telegram: "Where did you hear
from Jones last?"
The colonel promptly telegraphed
back he supposed his lieutenant
colonel was in Washington. The
War Department finally said it
couldn't locate the lieutenant
colonel, and the regiment sailed for
France without that officer, who had
been at work every day in the War
Department building, from which
very place somebody had been tele
graphing. He was at a desk not
more than two hundred feet from
the officer who couldn't locate him!
Why did this happen? Because'no
real system of registration had been
devised at the time. Think of a
business institution that didn't know
where to locate its employes—and
especially a man who corresponded
in importance to a lieutenant
colonel! •
The fact that divisional and bu
reau duties are so carefully deline
ated by red tape makes men do
what they are asked to do and noth
ing more. It is the system which
makes one man believe that some
one else is attending to everything
else. To interfere in the affairs of
another bureau and suggest that
perhaps somebody may not have
thought of a certain thing would be
in military or naval circles a rank
intrusion—or rather an intrusion on
rank.
Here is a case in point: A certain
officers in the quartermaster's corps
at an Atlantic port had twenty-five
stenographers. They had very little
work to do and were getting anxious
about their Jobs. On the same pier,
WILHELM'S WILL
One of the latest souvenirs of the
war to make its appearance in var
ious cities throughout the country
is an official-looking document bear
ing a big red stamp and entitled
"The Last Will and Testament of
the Kaiser." The wording of the
will is as follows:
"This is the last will and testa
ment of me, Wilhelm, the super
swanker and ruler of the sausage
eaters, recognizing that I am fairly
up against it, and expecting to meet
with a violent death at any minute
at the hands of brave Sammies, here
by mak? my last will and testament.
"I appoint the Emperor of Aus
tria to be my sole executor (by kind
permission of the Allies).
"1 —I give and bequeath to France
the territories of Alsace and Lor
raine (as this is only a case of re
turning stolen property, I don't de
serve any credit for it, and am not
likely to get it either).
"2 —To Serbia 1 give Austria.
"3 —To Russia I give Turkey.
"4—To Belgium I should like to
give all the thick ears, black eyes,
and broken noses that she presented
me with when I politely trespassed
on her territory.
"s—To your Uncle Sam I give all
my dreadnaughts, submarines, tor
pedo-boat destroyers and fleet of
Funkers generally, what's left of
them. He's bound to have them In
the end, so this is only anticipat
ing events.
"g—xo John Bull I give what's
left of my army, as his General
Haig seems so handy at'turning my
men into sausage meat.
"7—To the College of Science and
Museum I leave my famous mus
tache as a souvenir of the greatest
swanker in this or any other age.
"8-—TO Mrs. Pankhurst and the
wild women I leave my mailed fist;
they'll find it useful, no doubt, when
they resume their militant tactics.
••9 —To Sir Ernest Shackleton I
leave the pole I've been up for so
long that I regard it as my own
property.
"(Signed) H. I. M. Wilhelm,
"Lord of the Land, Sea and Air,
"Not forgetting the Sausages and
Lager Beer."
not more than one hundred yards
away, was a branch of the ordnance
department. The. employes of the
11 ?st ofllcer heard that the neighbor
ins: bureau had telegraphed to;
Washington for permission to hire|
extra clerical help. They sent a
delegation to see whether they
couldn't bo employed; they feared I
their work in the quartermaster's]
corps might end abruptly. But the
ordnance captain told them he was
sorry, but he couldn't avail himself
of their kind offer. He couldn't say
to an officer in another branch of
the service that he believed he had
too many idle employes about, and
wouldn't he transfer them to a place
where they were urgently needed!
"That would not be proper," add
ed the captain. "I must ask Wash
ington and receive help through the
War Department."
So for nearly a month the ord
nance officer struggled along with
insufficient assistance. His employes
were forced to work overtime every
day. and it was with difficulty he
obtained the extra stenographers;
and at last reports there were twen
ty-five still idle within stone's throw
of his office, hired by Uncle Sam,
paid by Uncle Sam, but not being
used by Uncle Sam. Why? Red
tape that forbids business inter
course between divisions or bureaus
in the Army, but insists on round
about communication that consumes
weeks of time, money and patience.
One of the most amusing instances
heard in Washington is that of two
bureau chiefs, with offices just
across the corridor from each other
in a certain building. One had to
obtain supplies in a hurry, but he
couldn't get them without the neces
sary authorization from the other.
The office where the request ulti
mately would have to be filed was
only a few yards away, accessible
by telephone or by half a minute's
walk; but those two bureaus main
tained a correspondence with each
other for nearly three weeks. Their
papers went through half a dozen
other bureaus, traveled all round
Washington, and Anally were hon
ored by the man across the corri
dor!
War-Song of the Women
Death! Thou who takest double toll
Of living hearts and dying men
(O graves in which our hearts went j
down
Never in joy to rise again).
Hark the song we sing to thee—
Gray women who are left behind.
Bereft of all we treasured most;
Destroyer pitiless and blind!
You hushed my lover's voice for
me,
A&4 •'•'oze the breast whereon my
head
Once found warm shelter from the
world.
You laid my heart beside the dead.
And did you think your task was
done?
That lover's speech forevermore
Was silenced, that our stricken souls
Were dumb beneath the lead they
bore?
Dark death! and if thy reddened
hands
Outstretched for more, and more
again,
Should take our uttermost and best,
Grim Slayer, yet they are not
slain.
For we, gray jnburners who are
left.
Now serve and love and strive and
yearn.
As never women did before.
And from flheir dust such ardors
burn
As never flamed within this world.
Yea, we whose joy died with our
dead,
We, stern-baptized in bitter seas.
Beyond the shores of anquish led
By they dread hand, our eyes have
seen
A vision only grief-purged sight
Can look upon. We thank thee,
Death,
For deathless love and quenchless
light!
—By G. O. Warren.
Rich and Poor
It is not by a man's purse, but by
his character, that he is rich or
poor.—R. L. Stevenson. \
LABOR NOTES
Austria's trade union membership
includes 30,000 women.
Hungars' has 100,000 organized
workers in its industries.
The British Amalgamated So
ciety of Engineers has decided that
unless the government meets the
society in consultation It will resist
any action on the part of the gov
ernment to take skilled men for the
army before all the lit men who had
entered the trade since the outbreak
of the war had been enrolled.
As a result of the amalgamation of
the Federation of Flour Mill Work
ers in Austria, with that of the
brewery workers and all of the liqui
dation of the federations of the
Brickmakers, Umbrellamakers and
Paperbox Makers, the number of
central federations has been reduced
from 52 to 48. The number of inde
pendent local unions has fallen from
22 to 21.
As a means of meeting the Increas
ed cost of living a law has been pass
ed which grants an increase in the
salaries of the civil employes of
France and which provides for fur
ther allowances to cover family ex
penses by making specific increases,
according to the number of children
living with such employes and de
pendent upon them.
OUR DAILY LAUGH
IX THESE DATS.
"It's as useless as the fifth wheel
lo a ■wagon."
"That adage is out of date. All
automobiles carry extra tires."
FOLLOWED THE COLORS.
"And I suppose like a brave sol
eJior you'followed tho colors."
"Sure! Whenever there was a bat
tle I noticed the colors -were flying
and I fled, too."
WHERE IT FAILS.
'Two heads are better than ons. 1 *
"Not for wi army."
HER OPINION OF THEM.
"1 thought the army was supposed
to be dry."
"It Is."
"Well, why do they continue those
setting up exercises I read about."
ttomntg Qlljul
If the building materials being de
livered about the city, especially in
the newly-opened sections of Har
risburg and its suburbs, are anything
to go by the state's capitol is n<jt
likely to pay much attention to the
governmental injunction not to build.
Not in years has the demand for
homes been so general in this com
munity. It is unusual to see cellar
excavations under way on Wash
ington's birthday, yet that very op
eration was going on that holiday
nil the more remarkable because of
the winter we have Just passed
through. Apparently need for homes
is going to supersede Washington
edicts. Men who manufacture and
handle building materials say that
in spite of the high prices they are
compelled to charge they have many
orders and look for a busy season.
The population of this section, they
say, has jumped because of railroads
and industrial expansion and they
are declaring, when they get down
to "brass tack talk," that there will
be more building this summer than
known in the panic years, which is
a cautious way of intimating that
building operations are going to be
about normal. It is a matter of
fact that sales of lots, not only in
sections near the railroad yards on
both sides of the river, but generally
have been going on all winter. Some
of the real estate men say that it
is because money is abundant, as is
generally the case in war time. It
is an axiom when people have more
money than usual they buy land.
All of which opens up a very lnter
i esting situation because Undo Sam
' is calling for investment in War
Savings, not only a patriotic but
safe method of putting by extra
cash, and will shortly come around
for another Liberty Loan. Hence,
there will be somewhat of a con
test between the natural desire to
buy a piece of land and the Impulse
to invest in national securities.
Dr. Joseph Kalbfus, Secretary of
the< State Game Commission, big
game hunter, plainsman and con
servationist, is close upon Dr. Na
than C. Schaeffer, State Superinten
dent of Public Instruction, for the
longest record of a state official in
continuous service in one office. The
gamo protector, if>he counted in his
service in the Department of the
Secretary of the Commonwealth
could be one of the patriarchs of
Capitol Hill in point of years spent
in work for Father Penn, but there
ij nothing patriarchial about the
way he works or travels over the
state. Dr. Schaeffer became Super
intendent on June 1, 1893, and Dr.
Kalbfus began his service October
1, 1895. He will celebrate a quar
ter of a century in the Game Com
mission secretaryship on that day
and under the stimulation of the in
terest he has taken and the support
given by commissioners the Penn
sylvania system has attracted inter
national attention for conservation
propagation and protection of game
When he went into the commission's
service, right after the conimissior
had been put on a definite basis
the game work was handled as
side line of the State Economii
Zoologist's bureau. It was startei
so that the insectivorous birds could
be preserved because of their valui
to the farmer and Dr. Kalbfus has
never lost sight of that underlying
idea.
One of the most lmpressiv*
things about the railroad situation
and it is the thing which loom!
largest in our community, is th<
manner in which the railroads art
rushing "empties" to the West
Every day there are trains of empts
coal cars on the way back to th(
mines and the length is such as tc
naturally suggest counting the cars
The passing of these huge train!
gives an idea of what the situatior
must be like at the ports. And i 1
is also giving Harrisburg railroac
men a lot to do.
"Lancaster county farmers are eW
dently wide awake to the farm la
bor shortage and to the necessity of
increasing their grain yields this
years," said Herbert K. Curll, genera
manager for the International Har
vester Company in the eastern dis
trict, with headquarters in this city,
"For the first time in the history oi
the state we have booked orders for
two combination reapers and thresh
ers for Lancaster farms. When it
is considered that we have difficulty
showing the western farmer the ad
visability of reaping and threshing
his wheat all in one operation, the
adoption by Pennsylvania farmers
whose grain tracts are usually much
smaller than those of the west, the
innovation in Lancaster county is al!
the more remarkable. These big ma
chines cover the fields once. At one
operation they cut the wheat, sweel
It up into the machine, thresh it ami
pour the grain into bags, casting the
straw aside to be baled or stackec
all while the horses or tractors pul
the apparatus along. The saving in
labor is beyond belief."
♦• * v
Mr. Curll has been busier thi
spring holding farm schools than h<
has been selling implements. The
schools for farmers held here were
well attended and during the pasi
week hundreds of Lancaster counts
farmers have been attending those
held in that district. "Gradually the
farmer is geting awake to the faci
that it is not only profitable to raise
big crops when prices are high, bu
that it is his patriotic duty to do sc
at this time when the whole countr:
is dependent upon him for a fooe
supply, and far across the water:
hungry men, women and childrei
are looking to the farmers of thi:
country to save them from starva
tion. Our schools have been very wel
attended and much interest has beer
shown."
WELL KNOWN PEOPLE
—Congressman W. S. Vare say
that he had a fine February flshtn!
trip in Florida waters.
—C. J. Clark, a Philadelpliian, ha
been elected president of the ga
companies that supply Panama an
Colon.
—S. P. Kennedy, of Braddock
prominent manufacturer, is serious
ly ill with smallpox.
—Frederick Gllkison, the new ad
jutant general of New Jersey, usei
to be a frequent visitor to Pennsyl
vania camps.
—Willis F. McCook, prominen
Pittsburgher, is home from a roum
of visits to southwestern camps.
—Lew R. Palmer, the state*
Commissioner of Labor and Indus
try, Is summoned to Washingto
about once a week on national de
fense matters.
| DO YOU KNOW
—That Harrtaburg is now one
of tlio big midway places for lo
comotive repairs?
HISTORIC HARRISBI'RG
Blackberry alley was for year
after Harrisburg started lined wit
stagecoach stables.