Passing Events

EVENT The Republican national convention convened at Kansas City, Mo., June 12, 1928. Senator Simeon D. Fess of Ohio delivered the keynote speech, emphasizing the business prosperity of the country, the leadership of the American govern- ment in the "war upon war," reduction of taxation, and legislation touching agri- cultural problems. Herbert Hoover, secre- tary of Commerce, was nominated, June 14, on the first ballot. He had 93 7 votes of a possible 1182, counting all the votes cast and 5 not voting. Coolidgc got 1 7 votes and Dawes- only 4. Lowden, with 74 votes, was the highest next after Hoover. Secretary of State Kellogg appeals to the churches in behalf of peace. Secretary of State Frank B. Kellogg, on June 11, 1928, directed an appeal to the churches for support of his efforts in behalf of the perpetuation of the peace of the world. The occasion was the celebration of the 300th anniversary of the founding of the Dutch Reformed church in Manhattan, on which occasion he delivered a memor- able address. He summarized the steps taken toward outlawing war since the idea first originated in a suggestion made by Aristide Briand, foreign minister of France. Since this discussion commenced, he said, the idea has appealed with in- creasing force to the public opinion of the world. The speaker acknowledged the ex- istence of "cynical individuals", who be- lieve in war as an institution and see no value in the present negotiations, but the world's- desire for peace, he declared, would triumph in the end. "I am persuaded," he went on, "that the time has come when a frank renunciation of war as an instru- ment of national policy should be made, to the end that the peaceful and friendly re- lations existing between the peoples of the world may be perpetuated. I am con- vinced, moreover, that all changes in these relations should be sought only by pacific means and be the result of a peaceful and orderly process, and any nation which shall hereafter seek to promote its national in- terests by resort to war should be denied the benefits and guarantees furnished by the proposed treaty. "This is the object of the negotiations in which fifteen world powers arc now engaged, and in the name of the government of the United States I bespeak the continued support of this and every other church in the present movement for the promotion of world peace," he said. Fly from America to Australia. Captain Harry W. Lyons, Jr., and James Warner, Americans, and Kingsford-Smith and Ulm, Australians, landed, June 1, 1928, in the Wheeler field, Hawaii, in the monoplane Southern Cross, after having covered the 2,400 miles from Oakland, California, in about 27 hours and 24 minutes. All through the journey the Southern Cross kept in touch with land through its short- wave-length radio sending apparatus. Throughout the day and night the plane sent word of its situation, now jestingly, now in anxiety and concern. Honolulu gave the Southern Cross a wild welcome. The craft was the fifth to fly from the California coast to the mid-Pacific islands. The object of this flight is Australia. At 6:23 p. m., June 4, Pacific coast time, the Southern Cross landed at Suva. Fiji Islands, having made the distance from Kauai Island, Hawaii, 3.138 miles in 34 hours 33 minutes. This is said to be the longest flight over water ever made, so far. The four fliers arrived at Bris- bane, Australia, June 9, at 10:10 a. m. (5:10 p. m. United States mountain time), where they were received with great enthusiasm. When they reached Sydney. 500 miles to the south, they had completed their perilous journey across the Pacific. 7.800 miles from Oakland, California. Secretary Kellogg's efforts for peace meet with success. The Irish Free State and New Zealand accepted, May 31, 1928, the

PASSING EVENTS 807 invitation of Secretary Kellogg to parti- cipate in the negotiations and become original signatories of his proposed treaty for the renunciation of war. Canada's reply was, the same day, handed to the American minister in Ottawa. It is also said to be an acceptance of the proposition. Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Japan have also accepted. The time would, therefore, seem to have come for the be- ginning of the negotiations contemplated in the proposition of the American minister. The Canadian government, June 1, 1928, notified Secretary Kellogg that it takes great pleasure in accepting his invitation to join the eleven other nations in the negotia- tion and signature of the proposed treaty for the renunciation of war. Australia, South Africa and India have also been heard from. Disaster averted. A leak in the Scofield dam, near that settlement, was reported on May 21, 1928, causing a panic and a gen- eral exodus from Colton, Scofield and other towns on the Price river. Immediately, hundreds of volunteers, both men and women, went to work, under competent direction, to try to stop the leak, and the railroad furnished carload after carload of sand, cement and rocks, which were drop- ped into the hole that threatened to be- come a breach in the immense wall. More than 20,000 sacks of earth and sixty tons of hay served the same purpose. A flood would have affected the people in Rolapp, Castlegate, Heiner, Martin, Helper, Spring Glen and lower parts of Price, besides valuable farm land. The reservoir behind the dam contains normally 61,000 acre- feet of water. At the time of the threatened break 70,000 acre-feet were impounded. The reservoir covers approximately thirty- six square miles. There is a drop of 2000 feet between the dam and Price, the last town in the threatened area. Trans- lated the dam now impounds approximate- ly 21,000,000,000 gallons of water. There is approximately 60 per cent more water in the Scofield dam at the present time than there was in the San Francisquito dam near Los Angeles, California, at the time of that disaster. Against Militarism. The Methodists in conference at Kansas City, Mo., expressed themselves as opposed to military train- ing in the schools, colleges and universities of this country. Dr. Ernest Freemont Tittle, of Evanston, declared that the war spirit was fostered by military training, that the theory that war was inevitable had become increasingly prevalent, and that it is an affront to the church "to compel American youth to learn to stab and kill and be trained in the art of murder." Great Britain for Peace. Sir Austen Chamberlain, British secretary for foreign affairs, in his reply to Secretary Kellogg's note on the outlawing of war says the British government, as well as its self- governing dominions and India, are all in accord with the general principle of the treaty proposed by Mr. Kellogg, and "will support the movement to the utmost of their power." Germany has accepted the proposition without reservations, and Italy has accepted it in principle. Socialists victorious. At the general elec- tions in Germany, May 20, 1928, the socialists and communists made notable gains. The Marx government was de- feated. But Herr Stresemann, the foreign minister, was re-elected, and that may be taken as a popular endorsement of the republican form of government and of the peace policy of Stresemann. According to the socialist leader, Dr. Scheidemann, "The working classes, burdened with intolerable economic conditions, are wearied with the dishonesty of the other German parties." The socialistic victory is greater than the leaders expected. What is most astonish- ing is the communist growth, a majority of the first voters — the youths of twenty years — being extremists. "This is due to the great unemployment, especially among the young men, and the alluring promises of the communists," he said. What it Costs to be Governed. The House of Congress, on May 18. passed the second deficiency measure, amounting to $99,152,885.76. The total expenditure by the present congress will amount to Over four and a half billion dollars. Part

808 IMPROVEMENT ERA of this enormous sum is accounted for by the fact that a large part of the nearly $201,000,000 carried in the first defi- ciency bill this year was necessary because the second deficiency measure a year ago became entangled in a senate filibuster and never was enacted into law. Nobile in the Arctic. General Nobile returned, May 18, 1928, to King's Bay, Spitzbergcn, after an excursion to Nicholas II's land, which, however, he was pre- vented from exploring by terrifying Arctic weather conditions. The air ship became coated with an ice crust, adding greatly to its weight and seriously hindering the maneuvering of the airship. Realizing the impossibility of attempting to lower a landing party in such weather, and unable to see any land, General Nobile was com- pelled to order the return of the ship to King's Bay. The Italian explorer suc- ceeded, on May 24, 1928, in reaching the North Pole, where he dropped a cross, enclosed in which was a message from Pope Pius XI. On May 26, a radio message reached Oslo, from Gen. Nobile, asking tor help. He had been forced down on the ice on his return from the Pole. Immedi- ately preparations were made in Norway, Sweden, Italy and other countries to come to the rescue. Among those who set out for the Arctic regions was the famous Norwiegian explorer, Roald Amundson. For many days the whereabouts of the Italian were unknown. Three times, in as many days, he and his companions saw the rescue plane, but failed to attract their attention. Finally, on June 20, Major Maddalena succeeded in discovering the stranded men, and dropped food and other supplies from the plane. At the same time Captain Amundsen and the French avi- ator, Guilband, who left Tromsoe for Spitzbergen, June 18. in a French sea- plane, were reported lost and extensive preparations were being made to find them. It was learned that seven men were in the control cabin when the Italia was forced down. These were borne away when the gas bag rose again, and their whereabouts are unknown. Three men started on foot in attempt to reach North Cape or Spitz- bergen. They have not been heard from. Five of the crew are with Nobile in the ice floe, and these are thought to be safe, until they can be taken off. Packing plant destroyed by fire. Fire destroyed the plant of the Rocky Moun- tain Packing corporation at Murray, Utah, June 2, 1928, causing damage estimated at $200,000. Considerable handicap was caused the fire fighters from the continuous exploding of the canned goods, consisting of peas, tomatoes and string beans. With the collapse of the roof, cans were soon flying skyward as the steam pressure forced the containers to give way. Chief Ed Larson of the Murray City department was of the opinion that the small stove in the rear of the building had undoubtedly caused the fire. When the blaze had been brought under control the factory was a skeleton of broken walls and collapsed roofing. A son of President Young passes aioay. Heber Young, son of President Brigham Young and Lucy Decker Young, passed away at a hospital in Salt Lake City, June 3, 1928, after a protracted illness. He was born in Nauvoo, 111., June 19, 1845. Mr. Young filled a three-year mission to Germany, from which he returned in 1870. He has been active in various branches of business, including real estate and insurance. He is survived by two daughters, Mrs. Murray C. Godbe and Mrs. H. O. Kraack; four grandchildren, and twelve great-grandchildren, and one sister, Mrs. John D. Spencer. Willis Rogers passed away, May 30, 1928, after two-years' serious illness. As a result of paralysis, he had lost his speech, but regained it shortly before his death. He was born in Provo, August 17. 1873, and at the age of three years went with his parents to Salt River valley, Arizona. Upon reaching manhood, he moved to Bluff, Utah, whence he was called on a mission to the Southern States, where he labored for twenty-seven months. He also filled a mission for the Mutual Improve- ment Association in the Salt Lake stake, in 1906. He was a faithful Latter-day Saint throughout his life. He is survived by his wife and eight children.