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ie Customs Under Fire "There has been a remarkable boom | in what are known as Gretna Green marriages. This week the more or less romantic circumstances of one of these runaway matches received wide - 'publicity. ~The report of the Commit tee on Church and Nation on this sub- 'ject appears, therefore, at an approp: riate time. The trafic in these mar- riages has become a scandal."--The Scotsman. "The report which has been pre- pared on the subject by the Church and Nation Committee of the Church ot Scotland for submission to the forth ing General A bly makes a strong indictment of the loose prac: tice obtaining in the Gretna marriage business, stating as the three most outstanding objections: the absence of certainty as to the marriage being' good and valid, the risk of imposing on 'innocent women and the lack of proper registration. "The Committee invite the Assem- bly to draw the attention of the Sec- retary of State for Scotland and the Lord Advocate to the frequency of ir- regular marriages in Scotland and to the scandalous traffic in clandestine marriage carried on at Gretna Green, and to ask the Government to exam- ine the whole question with a view to amendment of Scottish marriage law."--Glasgow Herald. "During the past two years the Com- mittee have been exploring the whole situation. The report now prepared for the Assembly of 'the scandalous traffic in clandestine marriage pres- ently carried on at Gretna Green,' states that the aid of the Secretary of State for Scotland -and-the Lord Ad- vocate must now be invoked, Early legislation amending the Scottish marriage law has become imperative," says the Glasgow Herald. "Irregular marriages at Gretna have lately been receiving an undesirable publicity, and there has been an In- creage. of the grotesque ceremonies. "The Gretna 'priests' have themselves stated that, during 1928, they. 'cele- brated' something like 215 marriages; but the registers show that only 18 of these were registered. "It is probable that the cost and very great trouble in getting their 'marriage registered account for the enormous number -that do not com- plete the transaction. "Here are extracts from two let- ters: "1. 'I was "married" in the smithy. (Here date is given.) 'I had just re- turned from a long voyage, and the lady who made the joutney to Gretna with me had known me one day. Ap- parently she was not satisfied with Cher lot, for after a week we drifted § apart, and since then we have heard nothing of each other. In the mean- time, sir, I've met my sweetheart of childhood days, and we have been anxiously waitin gand A hoping that something would turn' up to enable us to be married by the minister here. I may state that after the "ceremony" in the smithy we did not register the marriage at Dumfries. Will 'you please advise me?' "Stop So Much Misery" "2. 'A boy friend and myself were going to Carlisle on his motorcycle and 'we called in at the smithy out of curiosity. We hadn't the slightest no- tion of being married, but the black- smith asked us, and I didn't realize what we had done until it was too late; that was (Here date, quite re- cent). My husband was frightened to tell his people and said it must be kept secret. We were twenty years of agecand our marriage was never registered. 1 am told that I could have it annulled, but I am only a working girl and haven't the means. Is it legal? It to"me if T knew that I was free. 1 do hope Gretna Green marriages will be stopped, and it will stop so much misery. "The report proceeds to give notes by 'one who is eminently qualified to discuss the question.' This authority . points out that while Lord Broug- 'ham's Act of 1856 checked the con- racing' of marriage by runaway couples in Border places, it has, through providing a ready means of ; Tesotting irregular marriages, ren- 'ed possible the business of what ould meant so much in. known but there are strong suspicions that it is considerable. There are two marriage shops at Gretna, one be- ing in the 'smithy,' anw the other in the Old Toll House, the former being the most frequented. ~~ "The following are possibly the most outstanding objections to the marriage business carried on at Gret- na: The absence of certainty as to the marriage being good and valid, the risk of {imposing on innocent women and the lack of proper regis. tration, : "The- lack of certainty as to mar- riage rests on loose practice; know- ledgable witnesses are not insisted on, and a mere statement of twenty- one days' residence in Seotiand is ac- cepted." ea Home Life of Western Indians Has Improved Prosperous Conditions Reflected In Better Homes and Advanced Mode of Living The progress of the Indians on re- serves in the three Prairie Provinces towards a position of self-support and independence is one of the gratifying features of the work of the Depart- ment of Indian Affairs, In farming and cattle raising these wards of the Government have, during recent years, scored conspicuous successes and the prosperous conditions prevail- irg on western reserves are reflected in the improved mode of living. New houses are springing up cn all the reserves at the annual rate of from 360 to 400. These are of log and frame construction with at least six windows providing ample light and ventilation. Well kept gardens are laid out near many of these homes while milch cows, flocks of poultry, and pigs are not uncommon sights in the barnyards. The improvement in home life on the reserves is due in a large measure to the training received hy the young Indian women in the boarding schools maintained by the Department. In these they learn, among other things the principles of domestic science and hygiene. At one time it was a diffi- cult matter to make ihe Indians real- ize 'the value of milk as a food for themselves and their children and to get them to milk their cows. However, a gradual change has taken place in their attitude. An increasing number of cows are being milked, and milk, cream, and butter are in use in In- dian homes. The development of gardening is another gratifying fea- ture of the Indians' progress and last year nearly 850-acres were sown to vegetables. In the matter of hygiene, the De- partment of Indian Affairs makes every effort to encourage good prac- tice, Where the wives and mothers are school graduates, the value of sanitary conditions is fully realized, and among the older Indian, women the work of the travelling nurses and field matrons is - gradually bearing fruit. Four travelling nurses are constantly on the road visiting Indian homes on the various reserves in the West, instruct- ing the women how to live and how to care for their children. This service is supplemented by the work of a staff of field matrons who make fre- quent visits to give any advice and assistance needed by the native wo- men. The care of the aged is also a par- ticular responsibility of the Depart- ment and officers on the reserves pro- vide food, clothing, and homes for indigent members of the bands. Dur- ing the last three years the policy of the Department has been to encourage old Indians as possible to live tapees. during. the. summer. tepees are usually large and well ven- tilated and the old Indians ave greatly benefited in health 'by this practice of living in these airy, summer-habita- tions. *Prepared at the direction of Dr. Duncan C. Scott, Deputy Superintend- ent General of Indian Affairs, by Mr. W. M. Graham, Indian Commissioner. ® \ timidity or Nercncas 8 thing | past. man and wolf; bear, beaver and fowl evaded man as a deadly "| Now there are wide dis many of these animals literally teed from +t s hand, their the Buffalo. il Elk Increase LN At 'Wainwright and Buffalo Park the buffalp roam the prairies and mea- dows in great herds. . Elk are in- creasing steadily at Blk Island, Jasper and Rocky Mountain parks. Moose, that were growing rare in the West, can now be seen any time at Water- ton Lakes, Kootenay, and other places. Antelope are thriving at Twenty Ways To Make a Million! An automobile that that goes sidewisa! as well as forward and backward will make its inventor millionaire. And, according to Roger Babson, the indus-' trial statistician, who writes in "The Forum," the device will come within twenty-five years. The machine will probably have its cylinders arranged in a ¢ircle and its exhaust will empty on the roof. The sidewise motion will be a convenience in parking. And here are nineteen other ways to be- come rich via the invention route. Mr. Babson's "Forum" suggestions are summarized thus in the New York "Sun": A Diesel engine for automobiles that will use crude oil, which is far cheaper than gasoline, not having. to go through any refining processes. He prophesies its appearance. The man who does it first will make more than a million, A practical and fool-proof helicopter --that is, a device that will lift an' Airplane directly off the earth and do away with the need for starting and landing fields, enabling the aviator to light on city building roofs or the decks of ships without difficulty. A light that will pierce fog, 'some- thing greatly needed in the field of alr navigation. Until this {is dis- covered Babson holds commercial avi- ation will be dangerous. Gliders for children. Babson pre- dicts that these will be, spmetime, as plenty as toy wagons and bicycles and "little boys and girls will fly around in their sand piles." New sources of power--from the sun, the tides and the heat of the earth. These are the big sources re- maining to be tapped. their yards as safely as they now play A new electrical development ex- ploiting the short wave lengths. Fireless cities. Babson would have jsome man get rich by sending heat [to houses direct from mines or gen- erating sources close to power sites. Cold light which will do away with ,95 per cent. of the electric current 'mow wasted on resistance to create the glow, * Central cooling systems, on the plan of central heating and lighting plants. Electrical clocks. He expects time to be on tap like gas or water. 'Horizontal "elevators" that will sub- jugate the labyrinths of departmental stores. Talking books--that is, pages that may be féd into a machine and save the bother of reading. Ready-made subways, smaller in size but of easler construction, being made in cast sections, ready for in- stallation. Grass paper that will substitute the annual product of the soil. for trees that take from fifty to a hundred years to grow into wood-pulp size, Pills for plants--some condensed form of fertilizer that will do away with wasteful spreading and supply the needed help to plant life economi- cally and directly. Flexible, unbreakable and bullet- proof glass. Synthetic foods. These are fast on the way. Milk, cream, butter and cheese already come as by-products of petroleum. Synthetic vegetables have been devised that outdo nature in vitamins, while eggs can be made direct from grasses. Mahogany lumber from native hard- wood trees, by inoculating them with dyes and' chemicals that shall make them take on the qualities of the trop- ical product. A tooth powder that will prevent the decay of teeth. At night ,when all the fest have fled, |. _ | He pokes his small, dramatic hear Out of the wings, and As though a Craig or Meyerhold Were sitting front to watch his bit, Lauding its pantomoms L nd wit. 'Modern Methods Used To-day ~{won_by a clear, | Automobile Races Are to Take Place On Sahara Desert Traveling Has Now. Become as Safe as in Any Normal European Country Algiers--The Sahara, whioh - was, 10 years ago, a desert of mystery, where travellers journeyed at great personal risk, has become as safe as the normal European or American regions. Motorists, even = women alone, can travel along its endless sandy or stony roads without much difficulty, the camels of caravans be: ing the only obstacle which they are likely to encounter on their. journey. Two years ago. the longest Saharan trip by autocars did not get beyond Tuggurt (the belle of the desert) and Ouargla, lying' amid a sandy plain with over 1,000,000 date palms. Motorists can now reach El-Golea, the most beautiful Saharan oasis, and continue their journey to the moun- tainous region known as the Hoggar, situated at the very heart of the Algerian Sahara, where the mysterious Tuaregs live, and even farther, down to the River Niger. Owing to these improved conditions in the desert two important automo- bile races are to be run next year under the auspices of M. Plerre Bordes, Governor -General of Algeria, ea ria to the Sudan. The more Fi x "of thé' two Will be known as the "Grand Prix du Sahara." These auto races will, undoubtedly, be alandmark:in this bistory of the great African desert; they will show the world how the actual means of communications across the sandy hills or 'along the endless stony wil derness, have been made easy. In fact, new tracks have been created and the old camel caravan ones great. ly improved. The tracks over the Algerian Sahara nofy cover a length of about 3000 kilometers, i i -- Diplomatis Gives Rules For Success N "gy, i , Alberta; caribou at Jas: per; Rocky Mountain sheep at Banff, while bear, cinnamon and black, for- age for food about the back doors of park hotels. Even the mountain goat, 'that most exasive of animals, can often be seen from the train win- dow, following. the cloudland trails. Increased protection of migratory birds through national and. interna- tional laws and the setting aside of breeding grounds where most needed are proving highly beneficial. At Columbia, for instance, where there were only a few nesting Canada geese in 1023, when the sanctuary was made, 400 were counted there last summer at one time. Jack Miner's Pond On Jack Miner's little pond at Kingsville, Ont, the visiting geese and duck literally darken the sky and blof out the water. Every care 13 being taken to prevent the extinction of the beautiful trumpeter swan, which have an unfortunate habit of; breeding within the borders of seottle- ments and ars easily molestsd, The whistling swan, a smaller variety. are still numerous, although, because their migration is generally by night and usually silent, they are rarely seen by even the most experienced sportsmen. Last spring a flock alight- ed on the Niagara River during a thunder storm and werd swept over the falls, many of them being destroy- ed. "+The chief 'Concern of the game authorities now fis the muskox. Not nly are they few in numbers and hose numbers scattered - sparsely over the arctic and sub-arctic regions beyond the haunts of man but their bovine disposition leave them an easy prey to their enemies. Movies of Muskox Taken Lat year the crew of the govern< ment ship Beothic spied a small herd onthe north coast of Devan Island and two bulls were brought to bay single dog so that still and moving pictures could be taken of them. This illustrites the ease with which this "| valuable animal has been exterminat- ed in many of the valleys along the eastern seaboard where it was form- erly plentiful. Through the ald of the northern in busi isd age and sustained energy," writes | Henry Morganthau, the well-known American diplo tist, in "The World ese qualities enable EN pPortuniiy wich 1 he sees her, and to gras; hor firmly 'when he pursues her. ese aitios are elements of character; and acter is t! a man to"recoj that attrac 0p- h of the Royal Canadian fos made to 8 the 'remnants, a couple of 2 ago a game preserve for muskox, 10,500 square miles in ex: tent, f Great Slave Lake, was H, spe Shs orthwest tertitorfes and Yukon Fah of the interior depart: | In surveying / Vaseaux Lake bird sanctuary, British | by the efforts of one Eskimo and my , dten--and ih with, or ! children ince (to Liza, who, o ourse, wrote it all), if we may trust the dedication of the play in the printed text, certain chil- dren had. a fair share in the making of it. Peter Pan has always been for the children, always peculiarly the children's play. And henceforth Peter Pan 1s to be for the children in another sense. The boy who was ever a being remote and shut off from his fellows is to help other children back to the warm contacts of general hu man life. The boy who would not grow up is to play a great part in con- triving that other children shall grow up to be healthy men and women. "The appropriateness of such a gift to help sick children 'need no em- phasis. Sir James himself, in the dedication of the published "play, has confessed his debts to certain chil: dren for it, It is the play which he has no recollection of writing; the play which was played so long by those children before it was written, He has talked of the laughter of those children (in which Peter came into being long before he was caught and written down.' He has confessed the large part the children had in the evolution of the fantasy, and even re- cords a sharing of certain small royal ties with one of them. "The influence of Peter Pan in a quarter of a century of public exls- tence has already been wide-spread, | a8 witness the author's own state. ment that the introduction of the | sprinkling of fairy dust as a prelimin- ary to being able to fly was due to the number of small people who came to grief by trying to emulate peter in their own bedroems. ~All that is left to the author of Peter he is handing over now in the interest of children in general." ---- ny Drawing an Empire Closer Quite recently the | the British Colonial Secretary was summoned to a room behind the Speaker's chalr in Parla: ment to answer a radio telephone call from Java. The incident, judged solely from the standpoint of distance, was not unique. = New York, for in- stance, has been in almost daily com- munication with. the Byrd Expedition at the south pole and points still more widely separated have been brought into instant touch with each ther 'by means of wireless. But rom the standpoint of colonial devel- opment the incident was striking, in dicating as it did the manner in 'which the empire of the future may be governed. There was a time when. the jungle of the East, the desert of Arabia, the forest depths of Africa were practi. cally a closed book to the West. That was not sufficiently developed. Now the whole system is rapidly chang- ing. An inyading tribe selzes part airmen, at little cost, clear the 'dis 'trict. Because of tribal Jashes much police Work is necessary in Irak, yet Britis expenditure there, which exceeded = $40,000,000, last 3,250,000, 'of the territory at Aden, and British