News and Miscellany

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Mar 9, 1916

News and Miscellany

Notes and clippings from the daily and weekly press

— Pike’s Peak automobile road is the highest motor road in this country. There is but one higher road in the Western Hemisphere,—a road in Bolivia, which crosses the Andes seventeen thousand feet above the level of the sea. The Pike’s Peak road is ten thousand feet above sea level.

— The Canadian Pacific Railway and the Canadian Northern and Grand Trunk Railways announced on February 2 that an embargo had been placed on all shipments of rolled oats to the United States. The ruling applies also to oatmeal, breakfast foods, and all special mill products manufactured from oats. According to local mill and railway men, the embargo has been placed by instruction from the Dominion government, and applies to all Canada.

— The Philippine bill, which would extend to the islands a greater degree of self-government and authorize the President to grant them independence within four years, passed the national Senate on February 4 by a vote of fifty-two to twenty-four. Various Democratic Senators, led by Chairman Stone of the Foreign Relations Committee, tried unsuccessfully to obtain amendment of certain features of the independence clause.

— It is reported that the Mexican government, directed by President Carranza, is attempting to establish and develop many new land reforms. A commission made up of carefully selected men has been appointed to develop the plans and put into operation the Carranza land equalization scheme as quickly as possible. This scheme contemplates returning to the government control of all municipal lands taken by private parties during the Diaz régime, and also the lands taken subsequent to the Diaz régime. When this is accomplished, Carranza will proceed to divide the uncultivated lands on an equitable basis. These lands comprise some very large estates in the Mexican republic. It is announced that the soldiers who fought under the Carranza banner will come in for a first share in the distribution of the small farms when all the details are worked out and the plans completed.

— Nation-wide interest is taken in the recent appeal for funds to relieve the Jewish war sufferers, which resulted in securing over a million dollars for these unfortunates. But this is only a step in what leading Jews have in mind for their coreligionists throughout Europe. Already action has been taken to try to secure civil and religious rights to Jews everywhere after the war is ended. The Independent Order of B’nai B’rith, the international Jewish society, is now taking steps to find out from the capitals of Europe the most acceptable methods of having this very important matter presented to the Peace Congress at the close of the war. It will include in its scope, however, not simply Jews, but also the Armenian Christians. It is thought that this will lead eventually to a solution of the vexatious Jewish problem in Europe. The B’nai B’rith has in its membership many of the leading Jews of the United States and also of other countries.

— And now another fond notion is proved to be nothing but fiction. The Sahara is not all sand after all. Who would have thought it? Travelers, having skirted the fringe of it on all sides and seen nothing but sand dunes, came to the conclusion it was nothing but sand from border to border. And the geographers put it down accordingly. But now it turns out through thorough explorations that, while there are 700,000 square miles of sand, the desert also has 2,800,000 square miles of rocky tableland. While much of this rocky surface is as forbidding as the sand wastes, there are other sections that are capable of cultivation. And this can be carried on even among the sands, as was the case near Biskra last year, where, through sinking 800 wells, 1,500,000 date palms were made to bear fruit. It is reported by experts that the date industry may easily be developed along the northern edge of the desert, south of Morocco, Algeria, and Tunis.