Passing Events

Grasshoppers and crickets appear in alarming numbers, this year, throughout Utah, according to a report by Heber J. Webb, state crops and pests inspector, published June 18. The failure of Knauth, Nachod, and Kuhne, New York, was announced on the stock exchange, June 16. The liabilities are estimated at $11,000,000. This is said to be one in a series of sensational suspensions during the past ten weeks, announced in Wall Street. Frenchmen unveiled a monument to American volunteers in the French army, who were killed in the war. The ceremony took place July 4, at Place des Etats Unis. The monument was built by popular subscription, at a cost of 400,000 francs. L. Yucan-hung resigned his position as president of the Chinese re- public, June 14, and turned the government over to his cabinet. A few days previously he fled from Pekin to Tientsin. Dr. Sun Yat Sen was reported as being on the war path in southern China. Utah has big lumber resources, says a report from the national forestry department, published June 19. The indications are, says the report, that Utah can produce 17,000,000 board feet per year from lands readily ac- cessible, while less attractive areas may supply an additional 50,000,000 feet. American vessels were seized by Siberian officials at East Cape, ac- cording to a report from Nome, Alaska, June 19. The vessels were trading schooners from Tacoma, Wash. The U. S. State Department is of the opinion that traders who enter territory under the jurisdiction of the Russian soviet authorities do so at their own risk. Grasshoppers ivere doing great damage to wheat and alfalfa fields in Cache Co., according to a Logan dispatch dated June 27. The county appropriated $1,000, to fight the insects, who were appearing in great num- bers, from Avon on the south to Cornish on the north, and from Hyde Park on the east and Petersboro on the west. Wm. R. Day, former U. S. Supreme Court Justice, died, July 9, at Mackinaw Island, Mich., of complications, following an attack of pneumonia, about three years ago. He was born in 1849. During the war with Spain he was assistant to Secretary of State John Sherman, and in 1903 he was appointed member of the Supreme Court by President Roosevelt. Alton C. Rasmussen, son of Mr. and Mrs. L. C. Rasmussen of Mt. Pleasant, Utah, died of typhoid fever while laboring as an L. D. S. mission- ary in the Tongan Islands. He was buried July 3 and it is not yet known whether the body will be brought home. Alton graduated in 1921 from the North Sanpete High School, and left soon after for the mission field in Tonga.

PASSING EVENTS 947 The organization of the World Federation of Education Associations was effected at San Francisco, July 5, at a meeting of delegates from about forty countries, who were attending the National Education Association Convention. The object of the world federation is to promote peace by educational means. One of the aims of the federation is to establish an international university. Poet Laureate of Idaho is the title bestowed upon Irene Welch Grissom, of Idaho Falls, by Governor C. C. Moore. Mrs. Grissom has published one hundred poems of Idaho and the west, and two short novels. The appoint- ment was made by the Governor after earnest solicitation by the women of the State Federation of Women's clubs. Mrs. Grissom is the first to hold this position. The Fourth-of-July celebration at Liberty Park, Salt Lake City, was marred by an accident by which Ruby Soderberg, ten years old, was in- stantly killed and 50 others were injured, some seriously. The accident was caused by the collapse of the stand from which the multitude were to view a pageant. An investigation of the accident was commenced at once, and the fact was brought out that the collapse was due to the soft ground and insufficient foundation. The world court opened its second session in the Carnegie peace palace at the Hague, June 18, in the presence of a large assembly. All the foreign diplomats at the Hague — except the Americans — were present. Two new judges were sworn in: Schudang, of Germany, and Wang Chung Hai, of China. Judge Loder, president, outlined the three cases before the court; that is, two cases submitted by the league for advisory opinion, and one case for judgment, namely, the Kiel canal dispute. Cut Your Alfalfa Early — A circular from the Agricultural College by Professor George Stewart of the Experiment Station advises farmers that "it pays to cut alfalfa early." After a five years' experiment it was found that the yield of the hay cut just when it was beginning to blossom was from 8 to 15% higher than hay when the crop was in full bloom and when the bloom had begun to fall off. It was also found that the early cut hay produced greater gains on beef, both per acre and per one hundred pounds of hay. U. S. Customs officials seized the liquor in the S. S. Berengaria, when she landed in New York, June 22. In order to get the liquor, they had to break the British customs seal. They did so on instructions from the treasury department in Washington. While official attention was centered on the Cunard Liner, the Baltic, of the White S'tar Line slipped into dock with 6,182 bottles under British government seal. Both steamers carried the liquor over the 3-mile limit in defiance of the latest dry-law rulings by American authorities. A volcanic eruption of Mt. Etna, Sicily, occurred June 18. The first reports said the city of Linguaglossa was destroyed, but later it was found the lava had been deflected and was pouring into a near-by valley, form- ing a veritable lake of fire. The inhabitants were ascribing this deviation of the destructive element to their patron saint, to whom they had been praying fervently for days. On June 20 it was reported that Paloma and Santo Spinto had been destroyed. Many inhabitants were rendered home- less. Help has been sent from all over the world to the stricken region. Stamboulisky, former premier of Bulgaria, has been killed, says a re- port from Sofia, June 15. The resistance of his followers to the new regime

948 IMPROVEMENT ERA is said to have dwindled away. The charge was made that Stamboulisky had planned to force the king, Boris, to abdicate. Stamboulisky is said to be the fifth statesman among those who participated in the Genoa con- ference of April, 1922, to meet a violent death. Three of the participants have been assassinated. It is noted further that the delegates to Genoa of most of the western powers have since been dropped from office by their respective governments. Mrs. Elizabeth Campbell Taylor died, June 22, at a local hospital, after an illness of five weeks. Mrs. Taylor was born December 20, 1858, at Salt Lake. For fifteen years she had been a worker in the Salt Lake temple and since the organization of the Granite stake twenty-three years ago rhe was a member of the board of the Relief Society of that stake. She was an active charity worker. She leaves her husband and two sons, Frank C. Taylor and Leslie Taylor, and two daughters, Mrs. Mary Taylor Richards and Ruth Taylor. Leslie Taylor was in Washington, D. C, when he was informed of his mother's death. The Lausanne Peace treaty was ready for the signatures of Turkish and the Allied delegates, July 10. By it peace has been established and Turkey is victorious. There were six questions before the Lausanne meet- ing— capitulations, the Ottoman debt, evacuation of the Dardanelles, prewar concessions, Mosul and foreign educational institutions. The Turk has won all points in controversy. The new republic established at Angora starts life denuded of considerable territory which belonged to old Turkey, but freed from old conditions and prohibitions which made old Turkey something less than a free and independent nation. The Ottoman success was made possible by the lamentable condition of Europe. The total area of irrigated land in Utah is 371,651 acres, according to reports published June 23 from figures compiled by the state board of equalization. This is far below the total formerly estimated. According to the board, the total of land patented in the state is 9,567;00O acres, or rather more than 18 per cent of the total 52,597,000 acres. In addition, there is said to be an additional 15 per cent administered by the forest service. The remainder is public land, owned by the United States government. Of the 9,567,000 acres of lands patented, the board calculates that 5,050,410 acres is farm or ranch lands and of this total 1,793,380 acres is improved farm land under the board's classifications. The L&viathan returned to New York, June 24, finishing her trial trip of 2,100 miles, from Boston to Great Abaco Island, Bahamas, and back. Thousands of cheering people greeted her on her arrival, on tugs, yachts, ferryboats, and other craft. Certain foreign ships, however, did not share in thel enthusiasm. There was no cheering on the Cunard Liner Berengaria, and none on a French vessel near by. Senator Reed Smoot and Dr. John A. Widtsoe left Salt Lake City for a trip to Europe June 28. They boarded the Leviathan which left New York July 4, on her maiden trip across the Atlantic. On the 5th the great steamer was heard from by wireless. She had covered 487 miles in the first day's run, making a speed of 21.67 knots an hour. Elder Reed Smoot and John A. Widtsoe went to Europe, to visit the Saints in the European mission. The Ltviathan landed at Southhamp- ton, July 10. Senator Smoot remarked that the big boat was big enough for the next twenty years, and then "we will fly." William James Wright died in Coalville, Utah, June 10, 1923. He was born at Handsworth, Woodhouse, Yorkshire, England, October 9, 1846; came to Utah in 1871, and located in Coalville where he lived until his death. He was married February 11, 1873, in the old endowment house,

PASSING EVENTS 949 Salt Lake City. He is survived by ten children, three having passed before him; forty-five grandchildren and five great grandchildren. In early days he was called by the authorities of the Church to plant fruit trees and flowers in Summit stake and he promoted the cultivation of them for many years, fulfilling his calling. Specializing in these lines, at the Utah Agricultural College he passed the examination for County Crop and Pest Commissioner, which he held until he was seventy-three years of age. He acted for twelve years as member of the Board of Education in his home city and filled many responsible Church positions with honor and credit. Matthew S. Browning died suddenly, June 29, while visiting his lawyers in Ogden. The death was due to heart failure. Matthew S. Browning was born in Ogden sixty-three years ago, the son of Jonathan and Elizabeth Browning, who were in the first handcart companies to cross the plains. Mr. Browning received a common school education in the schools of Ogden City. With his brother, John, he went to work in the gun shop estab- lished by their father. The present company, Browning Brothers, dealers in guns, is the outgrowth of the first Browning store. In public affairs Mr. Browning took a prominent part. He was mayor of Ogden during 1898 and 1899, and president of the Weber club. He was also president of the city school board for ten years and was responsible for the progressive spirit of the board which resulted in the construction of many of the present school buildings. He was director in a number of corporations. Three men of the presidential party are dead as the result of an auto- mobile accident, June 24. at Denver. The dead are Thomas F. Dawson, former secretary of the U. S. Senate; Sumner Curtis, of the Republican national committee; and Thomas A. French, of Denver. The automobile plunged over a seventy-five foot embankment in Bear Creek canyon. The machine was one of several which had carried more than a half-dozen of the correspondents with the presidential party and Denver newspaper men to a luncheon tendered in their honor by the Denver Press club at the top of Lookout mountain. After the luncheon, the party motored over Genesee mountain and was proceeding down Bear Creek canyon when the auto was seen to swerve toward the edge of the road, crash through a protecting rail, and tumble down the jagged incline. What caused the car to leave the roadway probably never will be known, because of the death of French, the driver, but it is believed that a broken steering knuckle was responsible for the accident. Control of Wild Morning Glory — According to Professor George Stew- art of the Agricultural Experiment Station, an experiment has just been completed in which it is found possible to get this weed under control in one season and to eradicate it the second season in a cultivated crop. This wild morning glory is one of the worst weeds in the state of Utah, and in certain counties of Utah large acreages of land are completely overrun with it. The only way to be absolutely certain of eradicating this pest is to cut it off so frequently and to continue for a long enough period until you exhaust the plant food that is stored in the root stalks. The most suc- cessful method of eradicating it is found to be a thorough cultivation of about four inches in depth or thereabouts, with an ordinary implement such as a beet cultivator with knives on, or a sort of sled arrangement made out of timber with a knife blade running three or four inches under the surface. There is no hope of growing a crop for the first year, and the ground should be cultivated about every five or seven days early in the season, and from ten to fifteen days as autumn approaches and the root stalks begin to become exhausted. As soon as green leaves get above the surface plant food is added to the root stalk. The only hope is to cultivate immediately

950 IMPROVEMENT ERA when anything shows above the surface. One season will kill about 65% of the weeds, and a reasonable amount of careful hand hoeing the next year will complete the task. President Harding and party arrived in Salt Lake City, June 26, and were accorded an enthusiastic welcome. The city was dressed in patriotic colors, and thousands lined the streets along the route of the parade. In the party were Mrs. Harding, Henry C. Wallace, secretary of agriculture; Dr. Hubert Work, secretary of the interior; Brigadier General C. E. Sawyer; Colonel W. B. Greeley; George B. Christian, Jr., secretary to the president; Rear Admiral Hugh Rodman, and Representative Fredrick H. Gillette, speaker of the house of representatives. The route of the parade took the president to Liberty Park, where an arch of welcome had been arranged over the central drive, and where the guest of honor addressed the children. A public reception was given at Hotel Utah; this was fol- lowed by a luncheon given by Governor Mabey to Mr. and Mrs. Harding and the distinguished guests. At the country club he played a game of golf, President Lee Charles Miller of the club, President Heber J. Grant and Joy H. Johnson, being the other players. In the evening a program was carried out in the Tabernacle, Senator Reed Smoot presiding. The presi- dent delivered his prepared speech, one of a series which began at St. Louis. The speech was heard by radio in the whole city as well as by thousands on the tabernacle grounds. At 11 p. m. he left on a special train for Cedar City and Zion National Park. The presidential party were very much pleased with the reception in Utah, and impressed with the scenery in the canyon. President Harding is the first president who has visited Cedar City, and his reception there was, consequently, very enthusiastic. The Indians, too, in the southern parts of Utah shared in the enthusiasm. ""Heap big chief. Pretty good man. All same shake hands white man and Indian, too. Heap like 'urn. All right." So said "Captain Pete," chief of the Piute tribe which has lived in the vicinity of Cedar City for years, in summarizing his opinion of President Harding, the first "Great White Chief" to visit Cedar City and Iron and Washington counties, and that pretty well summarizes the impression made by the Chief Executive of this vast and glorious country. The World Court was the subject of President Harding's address al St. Louis, Mo., June 22. It was the first prepared speech during his trip to Alaska. The president suggested to make the court self-perpetuating, so as to sever completely its connection with the League of Nations. President Harding and the Rigby Boy Scouts A singular honor was given the Rigby boy scout troop number 6 at the close of President Harding's speech at Idaho Falls on Thursday, July 5. After his speech he called the boy scouts of Rigby to his car and per- sonally tied on the ribbon which he issued to all the boy scout troops of the United States who gained 25% or over in membership in their recent drive. Troop No. 5 of Rigby was also awarded these honors and the President complimented both troops and scoutmasters. The personal deco- ration by the President was made possible through the efforts of President John W. Hart of Rigby, who met the Presidential train with the Idaho delegation reception committee. To have their scout standard personally decorated by the President of the United States is an honor which falls to but few scout troops of the country.