ITEMS OF INTEREST November 30, 1907 Issue

ITEMS OF INTEREST

AT The Hague Conference just held forty-six powers, occupying the territory of the entire globe, came together with more or less of their historic prejudices, ill-feeling, and suspicions, their various local interests, their racial differences, and their diversified constitutions and legislative methods, and for four months continued in the serious and thorough discussion of problems which concern them in common. In a practical and experimental way they were laying the foundations of their future deliberative and federated union. They were unable to move any faster than the slowest and most conservative among them could be induced to go. In the necessary discussion of the rules and regulations of war the Conference had distinctly in view the restriction of the area of hostilities, the reduction of the horrors attendant upon war, and the extension and safeguarding of the rights of neutrals and non-combatants as against the pretensions and so-called rights of belligerents.

The People's Lobby watches measures in and through Congress, as well as the work of Congress itself. Its purposes are to examine carefully all measures presented at Washington and give attention particularly to those which are bad. It is also prepared to call attention to all obstacles that may be placed in the way of bills that are purely for the public interest, to arouse and direct the interest and attention of those who live away from Washington, and to see that the whole truth is known. In the investigation of measures faithful statements are given to Washington correspondents and mailed to every member of the committee before which the measures come.

A colossal machine to test the Largest bridge members and architectural columns will be installed in the testing laboratory of the Watertown (Mass.) Arsenal. The new device will be the largest and most approved of its kind, either in this country or abroad, and will be capable of supplying data for further extension of engineering projects on a larger scale than heretofore. The machine will weigh ten million pounds and with its equipment will cost more than $250,000. The recent bridge disaster at Quebec indicated strongly the need of a device of this kind for establishing the exact strength of steel and iron for building purposes.

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Article

JUDGING AND SPEAKING EVIL OF OTHERS