North Carolina Newspapers

THE CHATHAM RECORD H A. LONDON, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR Terms of Subscription $1.50 Per Year Strictly in Advance THE CHATHAM RECORD Rates of Advertising One Square, on msrtjMi XL.00 On Squtr. two JnttrtfeM t9 0n Square, one nxiith - J2JS0 For Larger Advertisements Liberal Contracts win bo made. VOL XXXV. PITTSBORO, CHATHAM COUNTY, N. C.; FEBRUARY 12, 1913. NO. 27. 1 ' iRIEF NEWS NOTES FOR THE BUSY 1 MOST IMPORTANT EVENTS OF THE PAST WEEK TOLD IN CONDENSED FORM. WORLD'S NEWS EPITOMIZED Complete Review of Happening of Greatest Interest From All ' Part of World. Southern. Frederick O. Beach, the wealthy New Yorker, who has been on trial at Aiken, S. C, charged with murder ous assault upon his wife, was acquit ted. Andrew Williams, 35, negro, was lynched by a mob at Houston, Miss. He was suspected of having murdered Mrs. John C. Williams, wife of the deputy chancery clerk. She was found dead in her home at Houston. Guilty without a recommendation, although the jury had been out 24 hours, was the verdict in the supe rior court at Savannah, Ga., in the Agnes Jones diamond theft case. She was convicted on circumstantial evi dence. Another interesting chapter will be added to the history of the James town gave now owned by the Atlan ta chapter of the Daughters of the American. Revolution when Senator Bacon uses it at the joint session of the two houses to announce the elec tion of Woodrow Wilson as president. This gavel is from the wood of a tree that grew beside the grave of Patrick Henry. The crevasse in the Missippi river levee at Beulah, Miss., is now 800 feet in width, and, with the river ris ing rapidly in that section, water is pouring through the opening in great volume, according to dispatches sent out from Memphis, Tenn. The British steamer Fredericke, 16 days overdue from Middleboro, Eng land, and for which grave fears were entertained, reached Savannah, Ga., Capt. Robert Fretwurst reporting a terrific hurricane in latitude 44 north, longitude 20 west. The seas were the largest he, ever encountered. The cabins were half filled with water, and everything movable was strip ped. The wind velocity was enor mous and the barometer sank to 27.70- General. Litigation over the bequest of $2, 000,000 made to the First Church of Christ, Scientist, of Boston, by Mrs. Mary Baker G. Eddy, ended when her natural heirs joined with the trus tees of the church in proposed de crees entered in the several courts involved. A Constantinople dispatch says that heavy fighting has been going on for two days in Gallipoli, and that the Bulgarians have won all along the line. Five thousand Turks are report ed to have been killed. With sails snugly furled, the life boats in the davits, the galley plenti fully supplied with provisions and wa ter, but without a vestige of human life aboard, the Norwegian bark Re mittent, Rio Grande to Liverpool, was picked up January 19 in mid-ocean by the British steamer Roumanian, according to Captain Claridge of the latter vessel, who has arrived in New York City. The strange disappear ance of the Remittent's crew recalls the famous schooner Marie Celeste mystery which puzzled the maritime world for many months. "Well, the nerve of some people's horses, exclaimed Mrs. John McCar oit of Chicago, when she rushed from the kitchen to investigate a crash in the front part of her home and found a team of draught horses tramping on the parlor carpet. The team had run away and ran into the home of Mrs. McCaron. N With her bow pointing at right an gles to the shore, the Norwegian steamship Nicholas Cuneo, laden with bananas and cocoanuts from Port An tonio, Jamaica, grounded upon the sleeping stretches of sand at Long Beach, on the south shore of Long Island. An explosion in a hardware store at Cienfuegos, - Cuba, resulted in the death of ten persons, including the proprietor and his wife and their two children. The office of the Cuban Submarine Telegraph company, on the opposite side of the street, was bad ly damaged, and several employes se riously injured. Karherine Scanlon of Pittsburg, pa., hid $500 in her hair when she heard a burglar ransacking the house and, although he searched the room "here she was, he failed to find the money. A message to Pres;dent Taft an nounces that the work of excavation on the canal would be completed soon. A bill has been introduced in the Minnesota senate making it a felony wuh a prison sentence for one fam ily to steal a servant girl from an other. The father of the bill declared the family friendships were broken by the ent!cing away of maids.- With the palace of justice under a heavy guard of armed troops and gen darmes, the trial of twenty automo bile bandits who created a reign of terror in Paris last year began with vast c -owds present. The New York stock exchange adopted a stringent resolution against 'wash sales." This action followed j closely the introduction in the state legislature of the bills recommending stock exchange reforms as outlined in Governor Sulzer's recent message. The first death resulting from the strike of the. garment workers of Rochester, N. Y., occurred when Val entine Sauter, proprietor of a i cloth ing shop, fired one shell from a shot gun into a crowd of strikers who were engaged in a demonstration in front of his place of business. One girl striker, 17 years old, was killed by the shot, and three other persons were injured. Two of the wounded are women. Maj. Gen. Leonard Wood, chief of staff of the army, has discussed at length with Representative William Schley Howard the department's plans for the enlargement and further development of Fort McPherson, near Atlanta, Ga. These plans contemplate the expenditure of $1,800,000 for new land, buildings for barracks and quar termaster's stores, sewers, lighting, water mains and for new walks and roadways. After the civil governor of Foo Chow, China, escaped a bomb that killed twenty bystanders, he rushed at his would-be assailant and with the help of citizens arrested the man. President-elect Wilson has declaim ed himself in favor of radical changes in the primary laws of New Jersey to be applied not only to the nomina tions for United States senator, but the governorship as well. John Paul Farrell, a discharged apartment house jantior of New York City, confessed that he had killed Mrs. Bernard Herrera by means of a bomb he had made, and that by simi lar means he had caused the death of Mrs. Helen Taylor a year ago and attempted the life of Judge Otto A. Rosalsky of the court of general ses sions, last March. T lied to the American government for ten months, telling them that the Mexican revolution would be over in six weeks. I was forced to invest my diplomatic mission with a domino and a mask. This statement was made by Manual . Calero, formerly the Mexican ambassador to the United States during the discussion of the loan measure in the - senate at Mex ico City. A document signed by Gen. Jose Blanco was made public jn which the former commander of Madero's reb els orders his captains to "do as their conscience dictates' in disbanding their troops or joining the revolution. This is the gist of a telegram receiv ed at El Paso, Texas. Another attempt to place William R. Nelson, editor and owner of the Kansas City (Mo.) Star, in jail for contempt of court was blocked when Sheriff Winstanley, in the Kansas City court of appesJs, repudiated a mo tion filed in his name by "friends of the court" of Circuit Judge Joseph A. Guthrie, asking that a writ of habeas corpus, on which Mr. Nelson was re leased, be quashed. King Menelik. of Abyssinia is dead according to a dispatch received in London, England, from Addis-Abeba. j His successor, Prinqe Lidj Jeassu, one ; of his grandsons, entered the capital with great pomp. It is officially announced that hos tilities have begun both at Adriano- I pie and Tchatalja. At Adrianople the allies began bombardment. At Tchat ' alja an insignificant skirmish occur j red. The armistice lasted two i months. Bulgaria turned a deaf ear i to the remonstrances of the powers, I and unless Turkey yields to the Bal kan demands, the allies will attempt to drive her completely out of Eu rope. Washington. Storm clouds over Central America, with the signal exception of Costa Rica, caused the United States to or der four warships there. Reports upon which this government took action come from many quarters and though, in most cases, they are somewhat vague and speculative, they are very strongly of the same general tenor that it was no longer thought wise to permit" American interests in Central America to remain exposed to any dangers. Arthur M. Beaupre, American minis ter to Cuba, acting under the direc tion of the state department at Wash ington, presented to Secretary of State Sanguily of Cuba a peremptory note insisting that measures be taken for the prosecution and exemplary pun ishment of persons responsible for the recent attacks on the American ' lega tion by the newspaper, Cuba. Despite the check in the movement of the cotton boll weevil during the last year on account of the unsual climatic conditions of the winter of 1911-12, the insect has made a net gain of 7,300 square miles, according to reports coming from the national department of agriculture. Reorganization of the mobile forces of the United- States on the most elaborate scale attempted since the Spanish-American war will be put in to effect on February 15, Direct taxes upon the incomes of citizens of the United States, wheth er derived from idle capital or from the conduct of business has been made possible by the ratification of the sixteenth amendment to the Fed eral Constitution. Delaware, Wyom ing and New Mexico, indorsing the in come tax amendment through their respective legislatures, completed a list of thirty-eight' states that have, approved it, two more than the three fourths necessary for its final adop tion. Leaders in congress predict that through this authorization con gress will levy a tax after March 4. THE LAWMAKERS OF NORTH GAROUHA THE LEGISLATORS HAVE SECOND CONTEST ON THE STATE COURTS. OTHER LEGISLATIVE WORK Six Days Work of the General Assem bly Given in Brief Form. Bills That Are Offered Passed and Otherwise , Disposed of. . Senate Monday. Raleigh. A bill introduced by Sena tor Weaver would regulate the use of assumed . names in partnership. The following bills passed final read ing: Senate bill to consolidate and amend laws relating to graded schools of Wilson. Senate bill authorizing bond issue for Henderson Graded schools. Senate bill authorizing Hunters- ville school district No. 1, Mecklen burg county, to issue bonds. House bill authorizing addition road bonds for Franklin township, Franklin. House bill amending act of 1909, relative to road bond election in Union county. House bill providing for good roads in Robersonville township. Martin county. Senate bill to amend and consoli date road laws of Madison county. House Monday. Several petitions for compulsory education and six-months minimum schools were offered. Bills passed final reading as fol lows: Road law for Stokes county; sent to the Senate. Bill for school bond issue in Scot land countyj This was ordered en rolled for ratification. . For building a bridge across South River by Sampson and Cumberland counties. Road law for Person county. To encourage stock raising in Ma con county; sent to the senate. To create the office of county audi tor for Henderson county; ordered enrolled. Senate Tuesday. Petitions were ' received f ron em ployes of Rutherford county cotton mills against the enactment of further laws restricting the right of employers to contract for labor; from citizens of Wayne county for law prohibiting use of two-wheeled log-drags on public roads; from Wayne, Durham, Madi son, Forsyth, Cabarrus counties for six-months school term. The Nimocks amendment was lost by 7 to 40 and Bryant's by 17 to 24. The bill was passed on the second reading by 37 to 6, and after It pass ed the third reading, on motion of Senator "Jones, the vote was reconsid ered and that motion tabled, clinching the Senate's action. House Tuesday. There were numerous petitions rel ative to six-months school terms, child labor, for expenses of military com panies to the inaguration of Woodrow Wilson to be paid by the state, against the proposed state fish commission, and for the usual appropriation to the Oxford Orphan Asylum. Bills passed final reading as follows : House bill as to the rate of interest to be charged for waterworks bonds for Lillington. House bill to allow a bond issue for schools in a certain Cleveland County district. A message came from the Governor to the effect that he has appointed Senator W. C. Council, Representa tive E. J. Justice and N. B. Broughton as the special commission, under the Justice resolution, to confer with rail road officials and report as to the pos sibility of amicable elimination of the freight rate discriminations against North Carolina shipping points so much complained of at this time. Senate Wednesday. A number of new bills were intro duced in the senate. The following bills passed final reading: To extend for two years the time for the construction of the North State Central Railway. To validate the probate of certain wills prior to 1860. To validate the probate of the will of Maria Nixon. To araid the law relative to draw ing juries in the recorder's court of Nash County and provide compensa tion. To cure certain probates made by Ambassadors and Consuls outside of the United States. House Wednesday. r The House passed the joint resolu tion from th'e Senate for the consti tutional amendment commission of five from the Senate, eight from the House and. five appointed by the gov ernor to formulate amendments to the Constitution and report to an ad journed or special session next fall or winter. Enrolled bills reported for ratifica tion were as follows: To amend and revise the charter of the town of Elkin. j To authorize the town of Franklin ton to issue street bonds. -. To incorporate thf town of Drex all, Burke county. k - "... ' . .' Bill relative to a road bond elec tion in Union county. To allow Franklin township to vote on road bonds. To authorize sewerage bonds by the town of Dunn. To increase the number of. Supe rior Court judges and judicial dis tricts from 16 to 20. Senate Thursday. The Stewart anti-tipping bill that passed the House, making it a mis demeanor and $100 fine or 30-days imprisonment to give or receive a tip in hotels, cafes and other places, or for employers of waiters to em ploy them with 1 agreement as to tip ping, was voted down in the Senate 21 to 19. Senator Barnes made the lone speech in its support. - .- ' The following bills passed final reading: ' Senate bill to submit to the voters of Davidson county the question of road bond issue. Senate bill to repeal the charter of Hickory and incorporate the town. House bill authorizing additional road bonds by Youngsville township, Franklin county. House bill amending the road law of Lenoir county. Senate bill to authorize New Han over county to issue $200,000 road bonds. ( House Thursday. The House voted down by a vote of 44 to 34 the Kellum bill to advance the age of consent from 14 to 16 years. This was after an amendment had been adopted to the effect that men under 21 years old should not be affected by the provisions of the bill. Criticism of the amendment by Representative Miller of Cleveland brought about the defeat. The' House voted to refer the Jus tice state-wide primary bill, the Doughton substitute and all amend' ments, including the 40 amendments for the exemption of counties, to a select committee of five for revision, and the drafting of a measure that will not be so drastic as the Justice bill, and have this committee report back within seven days. Many new bills were introduced in the House. Senate Friday. The Senate Committee on Educa tion will report favorably the bill pro viding for uniformity of examination. certification of graduation of teach ers. This is the bill as recommended by the Teachers' Assembly and the County Superintendents Association. Bills passed final -reading as fol lows: Senate bill to build bridge over Yadkin between counties of Davie and Forsyth, one mile from Hawes Ferry. Senate bill making larceny in amount not exceeding $20 a misde meanor instead of a felony through' out the state. House bill to permit Liberty school district, Randolph county, to vote bonds. Senate bill-authorizing townships oi Duplin county to issue bonds in aid of railroad in the county. Senate bill ratifying road bond Is sue of $250,000 in Orange county. House Wednesday. Mr. Justice offered a petition signed by 563 citizens of Ashe county asking that - the state-wide primary bill be passed and Mr. Bowie of Ashe, a petition by a number of those signing the Justice petition asking that their names be erased from the Justice pe tition. On motion of Mr. Doughton an or der was made for 500 copies of the Anti-Saloon League search and seiz ure bill, as reported from the Com mittee on Liquor Traffic favorably, to be printed for the scrutiny of the leg islators. , The bill to require county officers now on fees to make reports showing their revenue passed. Senate Saturday. The Senate passed the House reso lution appointing a commission to look into the allotment of quarters to State Department in the new. state buidling. The bill requiring bonding compan ies withdrawing as surety to give rea sons for cancelling the bond' passed the Senate. The original bill includ ed requiring railroads to accept any good bond, but this was stricken out The Senate bill to allow Charlotte Park and Tree Commission to v sell part of its real estate passed final reading, as did the following: House bill to prevent use of fire arms by children; makes it unlawful for parent or guardian to permit child under 12 to have any firearms House bill to amend road law of Clayton township, Johnston county. House resolution for commission to investigate South Atlantic and West ern Railroad Company (Transconti nental Railway), and report to Legis lature by February 25. House bill adding Cherokee county to barbed-wire fence law. House Saturday. ' There was unsuccessful effort in the House to get a vote on the bill to change the county seat of Jack son from Webster to Sylva, it being insisted successfully that too many members were absent. . There was a lengthy discussion of the Connore bill to provide for the payment into the hands of the clerk of the court of certain trust funds by trustees and mortgagees. Mr. Steph enson advocated the bill. Mr. Grier opposed it. Mr. Connor insisted that the bill would afford trustees and mortagees much needed relief. The bill passed final reading and was sent to the Senate. LAND OF THE LONG LEAF PINE Latest News of General Interest That Has Been Collected From Many Towns and Counties.- .Charlotte. Charlotte has been se lected as the place for the State Baraca-Philothea convention which will be in session April 12 to 15. . Scotland-Neck. After frequent en quiries among the farmers it is learn ed that they are making good pro gress for another crop. One good man said he had never seen a more Ideal winter for work done. Asheville. Walter Messer, the young flagman who was severely crushed by a train at Waynesvflle during the early part of January and was brouht to a local hospital imme diately following the accident, died from the injuries several days ago. New Bern. Dr. , J. B. Turlington, who has been selected to fill the posi tion as principal of Craven County's new Farm-Life" school, will arrive here the latter part of this month to assume his duties. At present Dr. Turlington is a member of the facul ty of the Georgia Agricultural and Mechanical College. Raleigh. Governor Craig and his personal staff will go to Washington to take part in the inauguration cere monies when Woodrow Wilson be comes president. The party will go in a special Pullman and it may be that they will occupy this - during their stay in Washington. Raleigh. The bill to allow justices of peace a $1 fee for performing marriages met death at the hands of the Senate Judiciary Committee No. 1, as did the measure for solicitors to appear for defendants in suits for ab solute divorce where no counsel is retained, solicitor be paid $10, which would be charged in the bill of costs, Greensboro. As an Incentive to lit erary work among girls of the State, the Adelphian and Cornelian literary societies of the State Normal and In dustrial college have decided to offer a loving cup as a prize to be awarded to the high school girl of the State who submits to the societies during the spring the best story. Wilmington. A committee of Brunswick & New Hanover county citizens went to Raleigh to appear be fore a committee of the General As sembly in behalf of the bill to annex Northwest township and part of Town Creek township, Brunswick county. The delegation will be com posed "of twenty-five or thirty citizens Raleigh. The Joint Committees of the Senate and House on Education decided finally, at the close of a three and one-half hours' session to defer action on the six-months' school term bill and the compulsory attendance bill until February 12. It is then eec pected that the Finance Committee will have submitted its plans for rals ing revenue. Washington. Senator Simmons) presented to the Senate a certified copy of the joint resolution passed by the North Carolina Legislature, rati fying the constitutional amendment for the popular election of senators In presenting the resolution Mr. Sim mons stated that North Carolina had been the first' State ! to ratify the amendment. Salisbury. In the meeting of the Rowan County Commissioners recent ly the matter of working the public roads was considered and the ques tion of drawing up a new road law or amending the present one dis cussed. Some of the main features in the proposed law are the levying of a special township tax of from 15 to 45 cents on the $100 valuation of property and 45 cents on each poll each township to be apportioned the full amount paid In for road improve ment. Asheboro. The Board of County Commissioners at the meeting recent ly adopted ; a resolution agreeing tc secure the services of an expert en gineer to make surveys and examina tions of material for building and maintenance of a system of improved roads for . the entire county. Ar rangements have been made hereto fore for the completion of the gravel road from Asheboro, north to the Guilford line, making two divisions at or near Randleman, and going di rect toward Greensboro, and the oth er along or near the Southern Rail way by Trinity college to the Guil ford line. Smithfield. The Johnston County Good Roads Association met here and elected James A. Wellons president and framed an act to be passed by the present General Assembly author izing the county commissioneers to call an election to vote on a bond is sue of $50,000. Lenoir. A telephone message receiv ed here recently states that W. T Jackson, who lives four miles above Patterson, had a difficulty with his son-in-law, - William Thomas, and struck him over the head with a stick of wood, killing nim almost in stantly. Gastonia. At the regular monthly meeting of the County Commission ers, held at the court house here sev eral days ago,- Mr. L. E. Rankin, of Lowell, was elected to the office of county auditor, which was created by special act of the General Assembly of 1913. Charlotte. At the regular monthly meeting of the Board of County Com missioners, held at the court house $500 - was appropriated to aid the hookworm fight to be waged in- Meek lenburg County. There will be five dispensaries opened in the differen Tvwnshios shortly. , E GAUNTLET OF HOUSE NOW UP TO SENATE TO PROHIBIT SENDING LIQUOR INTO DRY STATES. . REJECT THE PARTY LINES The Prohibition Bill Stirred Up the Most Stubborn Fight During This ' t Session of Congress All Amend ments Offered Were Rejected. Washington. The Webb bill to pro hibit the interstate shipment of liquor nto "dry" states for purpose of sale, or in any manner used," in violation of the state laws, -was passed by the House of Representatives. Two hun dred and forty votes were recorded in favor of the measure, while 65 Rep resentatives voted against it. The passage of the bill ended one of ,the most stubbornly fought con tests of this Congress. Senator Ken yon of Iowa, author of a Senate meas ure of the same general purport, sat in the House most of the time watch ing the fight, which opened with a contest over the rule to bring up the Webb bill. Representatives of organ ized anti-saloon advocates sat in the gallaries and kept tallies on the roll calls. Representative ,Fitzgerald of New York criticized his fellow Democratic leaders for not devoting more time to essential appropriation bills. Repre sentative Dalzell of Pennsylvania, Republican, said this Democratic House would go down in history as one of "masterly inactivity." Repre sentative Mann of; Illinois character ized as "flimflam" the bringing up pf the bill at this time. Former Speaker Cannon declared that the states should regulate traffic themselves. Representative Berger of Wisconsin, Socialist, contended that all great men from Julius Caesar down to Can non were temperate drinkers. Repres entative Sherley of Kentucky attack ed the validity of the bill and Repre sentative Rucker of Missouri said he represented numerous constituents whose homes had been wrecked by liquor. All amendments offered to the bill were rejected. One of these would have substituted the bill already pass ed by the Senate and another would have added a penalizing clause with fine and imprisonment provisions which some members declared would have made the measure unconstitu tional. Troops Held in Readiness. Charleston, W. Va. Six companies of the West Virginia National Guard are being held in their armories ready to depart to the Paint and Cabin Creek coal districts to take charge of the strike situation. Governor Glasscock according to information from personE close to the executive, will probably take some definite action in the near future. ' Nicholas Makes Answer to Joseph St. Petersburg. Emepror Nicholas handed his answer to the autograph letter from Emperor Francis Joseph of Austria to Prince Hohenlohe-Wal-denburg-Schillingsfuerst, who leaves for Vienna. The greatest secrecy Is observed here as to the nature ofthe letters. 13 Killed in English Colliery. Mansfield, England. Thirteen men were killed and a number hurt at the Bolsover coal colliery because of the snapping of a chain to which was sus pended a bucket containing 800 gallons of water. The bucket crashed down the 500-foot ' shaft at the bottom of which the men were working. For Block Signal System. Washington. Compulsory adoption by all interstate railroads of the block signal system is the most important recommendation of the block signal and train control board, made in its final report to the Interstate Com' merce Commission. - To Have New Dollar Notes. Washington. Secretary MacVeagh ordered the engraving of the plates for the new one-dollar treasury notes. It will require 18 months to put into circulation this new paper money, which will be only two-thirds the size of existing currency. The Secretary gave his unqualified approval to the design for the face of the note, pro duced by treasury officials and the design for the back; created by Ken yon Cox, the New. York artist. Mr Cox's design also was approved by the Fine Arts Commission. Flutter Caused Among Legation. Washington. Movements of the United States warships to. Central America, which has just become fully known, put the Central American Le gations here into a state of flurry and sent the Latin-American Ministers hurrying to assure Secretary of State Knox that all was tranquil in their countries. At last report practically all the Ministers had communicated with the State Department to inquire the reason for the naval demonstration and disclaim existence of any condi Hons Indicating trouble. KBBI ASURE Ml SOUTH IS NEW CORN BELT. The Southern Railway Exploits therf Southern States as the Corn Grow ing Country. Folder Issued. Columbia, S. C, February 2. ''The New Corn Belt" is the title which) . das been accorded the nine Southern I states east of the Mississippi and; south of the Potomac. This honor i -given the Suth in an attractive f old-i sr just issued by the Southern Rail-I . way Company which is being distrib-i ated among visitors to the National! Corn Exposition here. Figures in the folder, compiled from latest official! sources, give, new proof of the in creasing importance of the South as a) corn growing section and fully sub stantiate the claim given this wonder ful section as the "New Corn Belt." "Figures in the December number of the Crop Reporter issued by the. federal department of agriculture, show that the nine Southern states east of the Mississippi and south oC the Potomac produced in 1912 a corn-. crop of 505,135,000 bushels, worth $314,740,000 at prices paid farmers in that territory," sayB the folder. "Com-. pared with the report of the 1900 cen sus, when the crop of 342,464,737 bush els in the same states was worth $137,079,603, the latest figures show an increase of 162,670,263 bushels, worth practically $178,000,000 more than the earlier production. "The greater yield in the Southeast has followed an increased acreage giv en to corn and steadily increasing acre-yield. The general development of this agricultural region, aided by v federal and state demonstration work and further helped by the educational efforts of such railroads as the South ern, which maintains a corjs of agri cultural experts whose services are at the command of all the farmers along its 7,000-odd miles of territory, has had a large share in stimulating at tention given to corn. Prominent among the reason for the increased acre-yield has. been the organization of boys4 corn clubs and annual corn shows in each of these nine states. Comparative figures show that the in crease in the average yield per acre over the 1900 record in 1912 alone amounted to $103,981,221. Four hun dred and fifty-four members of boys4 corn clubs in the South in 1912 made over 100 bushels to the acre." In addition to the wide circulation it is being given at the Corn Exposi tion, the folder will be distributed among farmers . of the North and West in an effort to attract desirable settlers to the "New Corn Belt. For Better Army and Navy. Washington. To work for a largei Navy, an adequate Army," the improve ment of the National Guard and foi all things that will better fit the Unit ed States for war, the United Statei Defense League was organized hers recently. Representative Julius Kahu of California was elected chairman ol the executive committee and the board of directors. The board of directors include prominent persons throughout the country. While the league will work to strengthen all forces which would make the country better pre pared for war, it states in its con stitution that it believes in "universe peace but It firmly believes that prep ration for war is the best guarantee of peace." In Defense of Irrigation Work. Washington.: Secretary Fisher, In defense of the Government Irrigation work and in reply to the recent decla ration before a House committee" by Dr. B. T. Galloway, chief of the Bureau of Plant Industry, that "there has never been any long-continued success ful irrigation agriculture in an arid region anywhere in the world," has written to Chairman Moss, of the com mittee, denying Doctor Galloway's as sertion. The secretary also has writ ten to' Secretary Wilson asking how to prepare an official statement to show "the necessity of irrigation." For Safety of Miners. Washington. H. M. Wilson, the engineer in charge of the experiment station of the Bureau of Mines at Pittsburg, has become chairman of the executive committee of the American Mines Safety Commission and will work for the reduction of deaths in mines and quarries throughout the county and the relief of more than 160,000 injuried each year. Much Trade With Orient. Washington. Never was trade be tween the United States ' and the Orient as great as it was during 1912. Imports from Asia and Oceania com bined amounted to $280,000,000 in 1912 and the export to Asia and Oceania for the last year aggregated $190, 000,000. One feature was the sending of raw cotton to India and China. Despite the fact that both these coun tries are producers of cotton the Uni ted States sent to India 35,000,000 nounds of raw cotton and to China 14,000,000 pounds. Planning For Celebration. Washington. Details of a celebra tion of the 50th anniversary of nation al unity were determined upon at a meeting of the committee of which Dr. E. A. Alderman, president of the University of Virginia, is chairman. The committee . proposed to have a national memorial in the shapes of a bridge over the Potomac here, and urged upon congress and dedication exercises In 1915, under direction of G. A. R. and United Confederate vet erans, which will be a reunion of sur vivors of the two great armies. i