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Show THE CITIZEN 7' . ely been a flash in the pan. The apathy of the govern-- i aUl akc some action on the project is hard to understand. 0I that public opinion is not strong on the point because Teiwsons have forgotten that Muscle Shoals ever existed, legislators no conscience? Lake Charles (La.) Amer- - the la h verm GOITRE. )le;h m of alarming increase in goitre in nthetic nitrogenous fertilizers amai t the adya sperii the section of Germany have been in use since has resulted in extraordinary measures being .taken to The attention of the t by the Prussian government. people was recently called to this matter by Director In a report to his f the Prussian Health department. ent, he requested the Prussian Diet Finance 50,000 marks to combat the spread of goitre, to is considered a specific for the affliction, Director aid, the cropping up of the disease is directly traceable lbstitution of German chemical fertilizers for nitrate of iich used to be imported from Chile and which contain commit-jpropria- te hoped to induce manufacturers of synthetic products le iodine salts in their fertilizers but whether this can be s Iodine is one of the basic of Chilean nitrate of soda and scientists believe that nee there is evidence that the great nitrate of soda beds m Chile were at one time under the sea since iodine is nstituent of salt water. It was not until 1895 that it d that the normal thyroid gland contained iodine. following chiefly by Dr. Marine, show that the Unless it con-- e has a remarkable affinity for iodine. maximum capacity, it will absorb the elements from any whether by the mouth, painted on the skin or in breath-spraIf iodine is injected into the hind leg of a dog, e recovered from the thyroid in a few seconds. When the colloid tie m (Is deprived of its minimum amount, the sacs of w smaller, the layers of epithelial cells thicken and pile the result is goitre. By replacing the iodine in a young the gland regains its normal size by process of involu- isfactorily, is problematical. Stud-ediate- ly y. DISARMAMENT le French government, in rejecting the Coolidge plan for S disarmament bases its action on the fact that there is a proposal for general disarmament before the League Sons and that France does not want to do anything along lie which might embarrass the league. The French concern international body at Geneva is almost pathetic. It is ntirely convincing however because it is so recent. Dur-pa- st few years France has not always been so con-- 3 over the welfare of the league and has taken many intersteps which seemed to ignore that august body. Commenting on the general increase in the efficiency of railroad operation, the U. S. Department of Commerce says : 4 The in the fiscal year 1925 exceeded that of the fiscal year 1913 by 43 per cent. Greater economy in operation appears in the heavier tonnage per train, in the greater mileage of car per day and in various other operating indexes. The shippers and the general public as well as the railroads, have ton-milea- ge profited greatly by this progress. Car shortages and delays have been greatly reduced. Prompt delivery of goods has made possible the carrying of smaller stocks, this not only lessening the cost of doing business but also reducing its risks The Commerce Department also notes the economy and benefits derived by the public from larger locomotives and longer trains, in that this greater traffic was handled with practically no change in the number of employes. From all of which it would appear that longer trains have resulted not only in better service at less cost to the public, but in less accidents to all classes, including the employes. There is little comfort in these figures and conclusions for those employes who to create more jobs are planning, on the pretense of safety, to crash legislatures and ram through bills reducing the length of trains, but there is an economic warning to the public against such legislation. 1 SCIENTISTS Scientists at Chicago university, according to press dispatches, are somewhat worried over wliat is going to become of the United States in the year 2000. One of them is quoted as saying that we will then have 325 millions of people in the country, packed like sardines. Water power is not being properly utilized, it is declared, soil is being wasted and sewage dumped into our rivers, forests destroyed and rivers of oil wasted. All of which, of course, makes a pretty gloomy picture. Maybe our country will have that many people in 2000 and maybe it won t. A lot of things can happen in seventy-fou- r years, and beside that, there are still a lot of wide and open spaces in America. And the situation is not perhaps as serious as it lboks. Necessity is generally the mother of invention, and it is likely that our scientists, including those at Chicago university, will solve the problems set out above, as rapidly as they become acute. PLANTING TREES New York has 30,000,000 tree seedlings ready for planting distribution, and most or all of these will be set out into permanent forests, this year. There was a day when New York white pine forests seemed atioE inexhaustible; but they melted away like June snow in the face of the great American market. Now, however, intelligent tax en laws and a growing realization of the need of forests for health, rebeauty, fuel, building materials, water conservation, bring a ha planting of the once deserted forest lands. oni Perhaps no crusade in the history of American business has been as rapid or as effective as that for reforestation. The AN ECONOMIC WARNING tendency is so strong toward reforestration that an actual gain in forest acreage may be brought about within the next decade. U no One thing can prevent this gain preventable fires in the respect have the railroads of the United States made r progressive improvement than in the prevention of ac- - great forested sections. Education for those who will be taught, to be extended punishment for those who will not obey, will have crime. J statistics compiled and published by the Interstate until the whole nation realizes that a burned forest is a There is no good reason why Utah cannot follow in the footv?rc Commission show progressive reduction in fatalities York. This state should plant many trees every hi fiUres both as to passengers and employes. It is shown steps of New will not be long before our acnumber of year. If we once get the habit it persons killed in train and train service an inex- ts. ln 1913 was 10,550 and in 1925 was reduced to 0,354, a bare hills will be covered with foliage, thereby creating ion of , haustive water supply so essential for modern progress. nearly 40 per cent. number injured in 1913 was 86,088 compared to 47,993 is safer than standthat service flyiug An air expert says of 192o, statement if jfn V.0(lll(tion of nearly 45 per. cent. By the end alities per million locomotive miles was reduced to 3.57 ing behind the business end of a mule. But that true doesnt prove that aviation is particularly healthful. record ever made. Ieela-- 3 ff lf f |