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Show BRISBANE I THIS WEEK Yea, We Get No Money Einstein Says Naughty Two Pigeons, Hatching Silver Limns 13uck Britain, owing to the United States $4.713.tKK).XKl, has decided that the best plan for this spring's Installment Is to pay nothing at all. They would have gladly handed In a "token," some-thins some-thins for Uncle Sam to play with, perhaps a few silver dollars, but President Pres-ident lioosevolt had said: "Pay the amount due this spring, or consider yourselves In default." The British do not like to be In default. de-fault. Refusing to pay what they ! owe this nation would justify other nations In refusing to pay them. On the other hand, the British feel that, If they buy our dollars to pay us, they might Increase the value of the dollar and .diminish that of the pound. The upshot Is that our British friends decide to pay nothing, explaining-with words well chosen that we ought to he grateful that Britain did not allow Germany to destroy the United States In the big war. And, anyhow, it is all our fault The super-learned Doctor Einstein of relativity fame, warns the United i. States that "America Is not innocent of Europe's misery," and in demanding- payment of her debt becomes "an accomplice in the ruin of political morality and the cultivation of a re- venge spirit encouraged by despair." So says an Associated Press dispatch from Paris. !a., l3j It should not annoy Professor Ein- rj Stein to be told that the people of the United States, delighted to receive and lull provide, him with congenial employ-1 employ-1 1 ment when Germany put him out, feel able to form their own opinions concerning con-cerning the debts. Opinions of one, however wise in mathematics, who will take no part in paying the debt and bought none of the "Liberty bonds" when the debts were contracted, contract-ed, do not Interest the American tax- n- payer. . If the highly esteemed Doctor Ein- M stein will read the foolish book that his greater predecessor, Newton, wrote, elucidating the Apocalypse, he Will learn that it is possible for a scientist to make mistakes when he wanders away from science. There is no demand for a fourth dimension In International honesty. At Morrison, 111., two pigeons take turns trying to hatoh a duck egg left In an open lane. The pigeons find It i hard to cover the entire egg, but do Y their best, and the egg may be hatched, j Farmers watch and wonder what the j pigeons will do with their child after they have hatched the duckling, and what they will think when it takes to the "water. At Washington there is mamma gr-ernment gr-ernment that may be even more surprised sur-prised than those pigeons as it watchea the. unfolding careers of social and economic "ducklings" that it is now hatching. , We are going on a partial, limping semi-silver basis, which means having back of our money $25 worth of silver, at the nominal imaginary rate of $1.29 per ounce, for every $100 worth of gold. The government must purchase some thirteen or fourteen hundred million ounces of silver, that will cost, with silver prices probably rising, between be-tween seven hundred and one thousand thou-sand million dollars. Interesting question: How will the government pay for this new silver? .Will it pay with more interest-bearing bonds, on the assumption, that the silver sil-ver Is really worth nothing? Or will the government Issue nice new green j money, saying, "There Is good silver back of this"? How long is the most I dangerous kind of "inflation," through Interest-bearing bonds, to continue? The British government orders Lloyd's to cease writing Insurance on the life of President Roosevelt. A special list of rates had been prepared for those wishing to Insure the President's Presi-dent's life, 5 per cent for Insurance against assassination or accident, V& per cent against death from ordinary causes, 12 per cent against the President's Pres-ident's being incapacitated. By special request, and wisely, this system' of gambling on the President's life has. been discontinued. The most expensive thing In the world Is carelessness. In Xew York state alone last year accidents to workers cost one hundred million dollars. dol-lars. Twenty-five million dollars was paid In compensation. The entire loss of $100.1X10,000 In the long run Is paid ty the public. The Important thing Is the loss to workers and their physical suffering. There is no remedy, except greater care on the part of workers, who be-I'orue be-I'orue careless ; . men that handle dynamite, dy-namite, for instance, often throwing Hie sticks about as they would throw-sticks throw-sticks of wood. Also, there should be ever-Increasing vigilance as regards use of safety devices on Machinery. - Mine. Curie Is suffering from an 111-,nes3 111-,nes3 caused, her scientific associates sy. by overwork In her radium lab oratory. She Is sixty-six. and should have a rest. But ambition and love f truth are pitiless slave-drivers. , King Features SyndloaU', Inc. rf$A WNU Service. |