Destruction Wrought in Hawaii by the Tidal Waves
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Photograph shows a railway drawbridge over a stream near Hilo that was wrecked by tidal waves. Hilo Is the prin
cipal city on the island of Hawaii, and is approximately 225 miles from Honolulu, which is located on the Island of
Oahu.
Wages Endless
War on Rodents
Modern Pied Piper Rid the Coun
try of 10,000,000 Rats Last
Year, by Government Count.
I
SMS PESTS (RE ON INCREASE
Theoretically, if Rat Population In
creases in Next 100 Years as It
Has in Last 15, the Rat Will
Destroy Human Race.
Washington. ? The modern Pied Pi
per, J. L. Nicholes, was in town the
other day, and he brought the sad
news that rats are on the increase.
Even with all. the rat-killing cam
paigns, and with the interest of the
public aroused, these pests are flour
ishing. Rats are being killed by the
million, but the surviving mothers, sis
ters and cousins and aunts energetical
ly offset the tribal losses by building
up new and widening family circles.
Mr. Nicholes is not a gloom dis
penser. For seven years he has con
ducted rat-killing campaigns. He has
swatted the rat cheerfully and with
telling effect. He says that last year
he rid the country of 10,000,000 rats,
by government count. But the out
look is that, theoretically, if the rat
population increases for the next 100
years as it has in the last 15 years, the
rat will destroy the human race.
They Are Costly "Pets."
Mr. Nicholes says that in 1910 rats
in the United States destroyed $80,000,
000 worth of food and other property.
In 1916 the amount was $180,000,000;
In 1919, $300,000,000, and this year rats
are expected to do $1,000,000,000 worth
at damage.
And that Is not the worst of rats as
pests. They are among the most effi
cient disease carriers that we have.
They have taken the bubonic plague
all over the World. Their connection
with typhoid, scarlet fever, diphtheria,
meningitis and tuberculosis is also be
ing investigated. Rats are flea-infest
ed creatures, and that alone makes
them both dirty and dangerous. They
are pests to be attacked relentlessly.
This modern Pied Piper has no pipe,
and he has never tried charming rats
with music. But he has studied rat
character and Intelligence, and he ap
plies his knowledge to bring about the
rat's downfall. After hearing Mf.
Nicholes talk about their cleverness, it
.seems likely that rats have changed
since the Hamelin town Pied Piper
x story. The rats of 1281 never hesi
tated In following magic tune, we are
told. But you cannot help fancying
that the 1922 rat would merely have
smiled impudently at the piper and
have wrapped his tall securely about
his ears to shut out the dangerous
| or else the tradition became lost, for
! the market had to be cleaned out again
not long ago.
How ever the news of danger Is
spread. It Is evident that rats do pos
sess a degree of intelligence which
>helps them to avoid danger. They are
anything but gullible, and this makes
the problem of destroying them the
more troublesome. They quite often
avoid traps. Predatory animals, such
as cats and ferrets, cannot as a rule be
used to kill them off in large numbers.
Poison, carefully and properly used,
Is the most effective means of dispos
ing of them on a wholesale scale.
Mr. Nicholes uses barium carbonate,
which is tasteless and odorless. Its ac
tion upon rats is slow, so that poisoned
animals generally leave a house or
barn in search of water, and the small
quantities used to bait food for rats
are not often sufficient to kill other
creatures.
Three Kinds of Bait Used.
The American Pied Piper carries his
reasoning about rat intelligence over
Into his work of poisoning the pests.
He knows that rats are suspicious,
and so he uses three kinds of bait, per
haps cheese, apples and hamburger
steak. The rodents do not seem to be
able to suspect danger In as many as
three kinds of food at one time.
Food Is placed not less than five nor
more than fifteen feet apart In baiting
an area. No special effort is made to
avoid handling the bait. A wild ani
mal might be warned by the associa
tion of a human being with the food,
but a rat is domesticated. The scent
of man is attached to much of the food
it eats regularly.
The rat brain seems to work some
thing like this: The first rat comes out
and finds a piece of poisoned food. He
sniffs It suspiciously and decides it
might be dangerous. He goes a little
farther and finds a different kind of
food. The first kind he avoided as
dangerous. He tries the second and
apparently it is all right. Other rats
follow the example of the discoverer of
the food. A banquet follows, and then
wholesale tragedy.
15,000 on One Farm.
The scale on which an expert rat
killer works may be Imagined from the
following case: A Louisiana farm five
miles square was so overrun by rats
that nothing could be successfully
grown on it. Mr. Nicholes took 16 bar
rels of sweet potatoes, 16 cream
cheeses and an entire cow and baited
drain ditches for a length of two
miles. The result was that 15,000 rats
died that night.
In spite of such sweeping destruc
tion no community has ever been en
tirely cleaned of rats. A 75 per cent
death rate is about the best record
made when a city conducted a rat-kill
ing campaign. Some rats escape to the
country and come back later, and some
buildings are not cleaned at all.
| Mother Killet^Children 1
| Trying to Keep them Warm |
t I
? Desire of Mrs. Edna Oilhnny i
? of Phllndelphia to keep her two j
J babies warm cost the lives of J
f Thomas Gllhany, twenty-two J
| months old, and Mary Gllhany, t
f nine months. The mother !
I dropped a quarter in a slot me- J
| ter, ignorant that a pas heater In I
i the room where the children J
t were asleep had gone out. Es- ?
? caping fumes asphyxiated the lit- j
f tie ones. 4
i t
It is not enough for one or two peo
ple in a town to fight rats for a week.
The entire community must Join In the
battle ^nd continue the attack after a
campaign is over. Houses should be
rat-proofed, food shut up in rat-proof
containers and refuse cuns kept cov
ered.
This appears to be good advice when
it Is known that each rat costs some
body half a cent a day, or $1.82 a year.
In inland cities there are now two
rats to each person, Mr. Nicholes fig
ures. In seaports the proportion Is
four rats to each person and In the
country eight. The burden of support
ing these parasites falls on the human
race, and evidently people are making
it easier, rather than harder, for rats
to get a living, for Mr. Nicholes re
ports that rats are not only Increasing
in numbers; they are getting fat. ? Chi
cago Daily News.
FIND JEWELS IN INDIAN MOUND
Diggers Find 300-Pearl Necklace
Worth $15,000 and 14-Inch Cere
monial Quartz Spearhead.
Chilllcothe, O. ? A necklace valued
at $15,000 and containing 300 fresh
water pearls has been dug out of the
Hopewell Indian mound, near here. In
announcing the find recently, Dr. W. C.
illlls, head of the state archeologlcal
society, declared that the necklace
was the first ever fouud among
mound builders' relics.
The gems now are the property of
the state.- An offer of $15,000 for
them was rejected recently. Several
of the gems in the string are polished
and in excellent condition. The ma
jority are Imperfect, however.
At the big Prlcer mound, near Baln
bridge, nnother valuable find was
made when a ceremonial quartz spear
head 14 Inches long was dug up. This
is the largest spearhead ever found In
Ohio. The valuable relic was washed
out of the mound on the property of
Mrs. Mary Wood. It is in the posses
sion of a state historical society.
Italy's Army to Be Doubled.
Rome, Italy.? Army reorganization
In Italy, under Premier Mussolini, will
double the force of men under arms
if one Includes the national militia.
The kingdom will have land forces
numbering between 400,000 and 500,000
officers and men.
notes.
Mr. Nicholes says that rats (Mstin
tniish between different colors. If bait
is put on a number of papers, some red,
some white, and some blue, the rats
will eat the food on one kind of paper
and w ill avoid the other colors. Pre
sumably they try one type of food, and
if that seems satisfactory they con
tinue to eat as long as It lasts. If they
try the bait on blue paper and like that
they will ignore the red and white pa
per and eat only the blue.
Most Cunning of Animals.
Rats are the most cunning of animals,
Mr. Nicholes says. He tells of a case
in which a basement was overrun with
rats which were almost tame. One day
ia trap was set in the basement. A rat
ran along the floor directly toward the
trap. Suddenly lie saw the danger and
tried to stop so quickly that he slid on
his haunches and caught himself only
a few Inches from the trap door. He
scampered away hastily, and evidently
spread the exciting news of the trap,
for no more rats came out all after
noon.
That rodents warn one another of
danger is further shown by Mr. NU?fc
? oles In a story of Lexington marker.
Several years ago Mr. Nicholes con
ducted a rat-killing campaign In Balti
more, and cleared this market of 1,500
rats. For a year, which Is about six
rat generations, there were no more
eats in the market. It may be that the
survivors told all of their friends about
1 4he terrible massacre of the market
plac* After that the fear xrore off,
Ambassador Warren Comes Home
Charles B. Warren, the retiring American ambassador to Japan, and hli
family photographed on their arrival in Ban Francisco from Tokyo.
psnoiH
TO ORDER SIMS
BOUTHERN MAY CARRY FIGHT
AGAINST ORDER TO U? 8.
SUPREME COURT.
MSE OKIES BUCK TO 1914
Passenger Station at'Selma ls*the
Particular Mote In the Railroad
Eye.
Raleigh.
The power of a state railroad com
mission to. compel an interstate line to
build a passenger station was before
the siipreme court of North Carohna,
the appeal marking the third of its
kind in the United States since tbe
pasages of the Esch-Cummings trans
portation act in 1920.
Appeal of the Southern Railway
company from a decision of Judge
Cranmer, in Wake superior cour:, on
a mandamus action brought by the
North Carolina corporation commis
sion lo compel the construction of a
union pasenger uepot at Selma, junc
tion point of Ihe Southern and Atlan
tic Coast Line, brought the case He
fere the highest court here. Pic
viou8 cases were heard in the coirts
of California aad Illinois and su1ij??
quently passed on by the United
States supreme court. Decision was
rendered in favor ot the railroad in
their cases.
The history of the case before ihe
court dates back to 1914 when ihe
Southern and Coa3t Line w??re order
ed to build the Selma station. Be
cause of emergency conditions due lo
the world war, the corporation com
mission was Indulgent and did not en
force the order, it was state'l. On
December 20 last, however the <om
mission, following several confer
ences, promulgated on order directing
the construction of the station to pro
ceed.
In a supplemental order, written by
Commissioner Maxwell, blame for the
delay was fastened upon the Southern,
the commission stating at that time
'hat the Atlantic Coast Lino stood
ready to perform its part jf the build
ing ordered.
Appeal from tho original order not
having been filed within the required"
time, according to the brief for the
commission, filed by Attorney General
Manning and Assistant Attorney Gen
eral Nash, the Southern sought a
certiorari of the record following the
mandamus hearing in which Judge
Crannor directed the order be carried
out. The Southern appealed to the
supreme court.
According to the contention of
council for the Southern the coropra
toin commission "is without authority
to require the Southern Railway com
pany and the Atlantic Coast Line rail
road company to construct a union de
pot at Selma because Congress,
through the transportation act of 1920,
manifested its purpose to take posses
sion of this field and has taken pos
session of this field, resulting in the
suspension of the powers of the cor
poration commission, theretofore
possessed."
? Calls Attention to Banking Law.
B. W. Kilgore, director of agricul
ture extension work in North Caro
| lina ,has addressed a letter to county
| agents asking them to call the atten
tion of farmers to the state banking
law which entities agricultural paper
to run nine monti-9. This period
would allow farmers time in which to
produce and market their crops.
The section of the law mentioned
by Mr. Kilgore Is as follows:
"Section 36. Commercial and busi
ness paper defined. The term 'commer
not more than ninety days, except
act, is hereby defined to mean a pro
missory note, and the term 'trade ac
ceptance' to mean a draft or bill of
exchange issued or drawn for agricul
tural, industrial, or cemmercial pur
poses, or the proceeds of which have
been used or are to be used for such
purposes, but such deftftttion shall not
include notes, drafts, or b)lls of ex
change covering merely investments*
or issued or drawn for the purpose of
carrying on or trading in stocks and
bonds for other investment securities,
except bonds and notes of the gov
ernment of the United States and
state of North Carolina. Such notes,
drafts and bills of exchange shall haye
a maturity at the time of discount of
not more than inety days, except
when drawn or issued for agricultural
purposes, or based on livestock, when
such maturities shall not exceed nine
months from the date thereof."
New Notaries Public.
Notaries public were commissioned
by the Governor as follows:
? Walter R. Price, Raleigh; John D.
Carroll, Charlotte; H. P. Cash, Wins
ton-Salem; H. L?. Dillard, Spring
Hope; James C. Pink, Concord; R. L.
Fox, Charlotte; M. M. Hopper, Kins
ton; Iiueco R. Harris, Henderson;
Miss Mary Louis Langley, Geenville;
Miss Trula Miller, Asheville; C. Octin
ger, Kinston; W. A. Pope, AsfceTllle?
C. F. Rich. Rtfci* Mount; T. R. Thig>
Jen. Mt Oliver; Rupert H. Trull,
M&rshTill*
1
Big Road Letting April 3.
Nearly 200 .-miles of new highway
construction, representing every dis
trict in the State will be placed under
contract April 3 when bids are opejaed
on 23 new projects, aggregating 111.24
miles of modern hard surfaced road,
18,87 miles of penetration macadam,
48.91 miles of gravel; three projects
for the construction of bridges and
railroad crossings.
The approximate cost of the 23 pro
jects will be in the neighborhood of
$4,000,000, bringing the aggregate of
expeditures and contracts made by the
Highway Commission since Frank
Page became chairman to very near
ly fifty million dollars and the total
mileage built or contracted for under
his direction to nearly 3,000 miles.
This is the second big letting for the
present year.
Three projects involved in the let
ting will further reduce the unpaved
mileage of the Central Highway, leav
ing only a short link in Johnston coun
ty between Statesville on the west and
New Bern on the east that has not
been surfaced during the past three
years. The Jasper-Fort Barnwell Jink
in Craven, the Hillsboro-Durham line
link and the Statesville-Barbers Junc
tion sections are included.
Another important link of road
provided for in the coming lettipg is
the second section of the Raleigh
Franklin county road via Waks For
est. The new project will begin at
the Neuse river on the Wake Forest
road and extend beyond Wake Forest
to the county line, a total distance of
about 18 miles. The Raleigh end of
the road was put under construction
last fall, and the road is now closed to
traffic.
More than 300,000 barrels of cement
will be required in the construction of
the 111 miles of hard surface to be
let, and just where and how to get
that much cement immediately is the
problem that concerns the Commis
' sioner just now. The entire country
is in the midst of a cement famine,
and mills are unwilling to make new I
contracts until present obligations
have been met.
Chairman Page has already bought
the entire output of two of the largest
mills in the country, and has contract
ed for half the output of a third, to be
applied to contracts already outstand
ing. "rtiese mills, as well as others
not under contract with the State,
were forced to suspend operations for
i months during the past year, for a
I time on account of the coal strike, and
later by the railroad strike.
Reserve stocks usually held on hand
were entirely depleted, and although i
conditions in the industry have return- !
ed to something like normal during
the past few months, the demand is
greater than the supply.
Changes Made in Health Board.
Announcement of the appointment
of Dr. G. M. Cooper, who has been
director of the division of medical in
"spection of schools, as assistan secre
tary, and of several other staff chan
ges was made by the state board of
health.
Dr. J.. S. Mitchner, who has beem
epidemiologist of the board, has been
transferred to the division of medical
inspections of schools, as director.
The division which he formerly direct
ed has been abolished and the work
consolidated with that of the division
of statistics* headed by Dr. F. W.
Register.
Dr. K. E. Miller, of the United
States health service, for the past sev
eral years assigned to the board aa
director of county health work, has
been sent to Loulsiara for similar du
ties. He is succeeded here by Dr. B. j
P. Long, who formerly was assistant
director under Dr. Miller.
In point of service/ Dr. Cooper is
one of the oldest members of thq
board's staff, having been with the
organization since 1914. From 1914 te
1917 he was director of field work, and
then became head of the medical in
spection of schools division. Dr. W.
S. Rankin is secretary of the board.
The position of assistant secretary has
been vacant for several years.
To Appoint Chief of Deaf Bureau.
Appointment of a chief of the bureau
of labor and printing will be made by
Commissioner M. L. Shipman within
the next several days, it was announc
ed. Although the names of the appli
cants for the position have not been
made, public by the commissioner, it
becomes known that J. H. Robertson,
president of the North Carolina Asso
ciation of the Deaf, has been recom
mended. 'q
The bureau was created by the 1923
session of the general assembly and
the new officer will devote his time to
special work of labor for the deaf. He
will collect statistics relating to his
duties, ascertain what trades or occu
pations are best suited for deaf per
sons and inspect the school for the
deaf. It also is provided that the bu
reau chief study educational methoda
for dear persons in other states.
A salary of $2,000 and an expense
allowance, not exceeding $1,000 per
year, is provided for the position.
New Corporations.
Dixie Clothing Co., of Durham, with
$25,000 ^authorized capital and $4,500
subscribed 'by D. T. Lunsford, J. L.
Cozart, and Warren Bishop.
Robertson -Manufacturing Company,
of Concord, to manufacture cotton,
silk and wodl goods with a capital ot
$400,000 and with $81,500 subscribed
by E. C. Barnhardt, A. H. Howard, and
W. B. B ruton, all of Concord.
' Roanoke Construction Co., of Roa
noke Rapids, with $100,000 authorised
capital and $7,500 subscribed.
CONDENSED NEWS F%
THE OLD NORTH ST?
SHORT NOTE8 OF INTERe8tJ
CAROLINIANS.
Wilson. ? Carl Coarch. f<)r ^
two years editor of The \,.;v .
Sun-Journal, has purchased an lr,'
in The Wilson Mirror, a
per published in this eHv, an,,
assume management of th- JKl.,
tion.
Durham. ? Definite assurance thr
effort will be made to chan^<- th>. ^
of municipal government in hUr^
was given when the city boanj J
tions issued a call for an t;?n
a commission form to be h. i<j ? i
14.
Elizabeth City? James L rWjf
40, and Barney C. Burrus. L'S, uv
county fishermen, are believed to h'
been lost during the 70-mile trale ttl
swept Pamlico Sound on Man-h s.^
cording to word received h<n; fr '
the Sound.
Charlotte. ? While attempting ^
raise an umrjrella in the facH 0?
high win, Edmund C. Bart.i, aged {?
was dashed to the pavement, hustaij.
ing injuries Jo his head which r^J
ed in his death within a few
Monroe. ? Marshville Manufat turi^
company, a tire fabric mill, i3 ^
name of the new corporation for whicj
application for charter has be?n mailt
Stock to the amount of $10u.f?oo ha
been subscribed and an option on i&j
acrei of land has been secured for ?
site.
Greensboro. ? Eighty dollars ^ what
| it costs for a witness to be late jj
' Judge A. M. Stack's court, tli? judg%
slapping a fine for that amount on a
i J. Schlosser, local butcher, when he
: was not present to answer to hit
name at the trial of a negro. Walter
Murray ,on 10 counts of forgery.
Raleigh. ? The Tobacco Growers
| Co-operative association will pay out
a million and a half dollars to groweri
in Virginia and North Carolina, ae
coring to announcement of James H
Craig, treasurer of the association
| Duke. ? The foundation for the erec
tlon of the St. Stephen's Episcopal
church has been practically complet
ed and with a corps of workmen <hi]j
at work upon it will soon have it fir. !
lshed. This edifice is to be of brick
And will be on a par with any other
Gliding of its size in the state.
Greensboro. ? The Greensboro torn
munity chest will be raised in one day
If plana made fcy the committe eharg
??! with the duty of putting the can;
paign over go through, as they are ex
ppcted to do. The date set is March
27, and the* campaigners are asked tc
Ret toward their own businesses that
day as if they wjere out of town.
Asheville. ? The recent Legislature
enacted a law requiring that of the
five members of Canton's school hoard
two shall be women. The school com
mitteement are to be elected at the
regular municipal election. The num
her on the Bo^rd of Aldermen was re
duced from five to three in another
law sponsored by Representative
Gwynn, of Haywood.
Wadesboro. ? There sems to he a
great demand for Anson county cotton
seed. Eli Griggs and Charles Robin
son, well known farmers of Gulledge
township, have reecntly shipped set
eral hundred bushels of pure seed to
pbints in South Carolina. Anson
county has the reputation of making
the finest staple of both long and ?hort
variety of any county in the state.
Greensboro. ? Southern railroad of
ficials made announcement that a
one-cent a mile fare will be granted tc
Confederate veterans and their im
mediate families to the general re
union, to be held at New Orleans
April 10-13. Other organizations, the
Sons of Veterans, Daughters of the
morial association will also get a re
duced rate, one fare for the round
trip.
Lumberton. ? A very painful accident
| occurred here on Third street when
Mr. W. H. Barton got his foot caught
In the machinery of the steam roller,
losing two toes an$ badly lacerating
his foot. f
Wilson. ? Wilson is to have a new
enterprise, to be known as Wilson &
Co., Packers and Provisioned. I-md
has been secured and a permit issued
for the erection of an $8,000 plant
which will be rusted to completion.
Dunn. ? Three whiskey stills ha\e
been captured and two men charged
with operating a still arrested m :!r
Dunn during the past week. The stills
were captured and the arrests made
by A. B. Adams, special prohibition
officer, and Deputy Sheriff H. H. M(>"
Leod.y
Charlotte. ? Charles P. Stallings, 21
was shot to death by W. A. Rhyn *.
when Stallings, it is alleged, attempt
ed to rob Rhyne'a grocery store at
four Spring street. An army discharge
In the dead man's pocket identified
him as having enlisted in the army
from Mooresvllle, N. C.
Burlington.? Mrs. Walter Thrift was
found dead in her bed at her home in
Saxapahaw, this county, by her hus
band upon his return from his work as
night watchman in the cotton mill at
that place. * It is not known how lonp
the woman had been dead.
Klnston. ? Fred Simmons, 26, found
luffering from bichloride of mercury
poisoning in the annex of the Hotel
Tail here, may recover, according to
physicians. Simmons admitted taking
a tablet in a fit of despondency, stat
ing that he had been unhappy at
home and tht the future held no par
ticularly bright promise fQr him.