A Vinculo Matrimonii

Sirs:

Your very accurate and complete story of Nevada's divorce facilities, p. 18, TIME of Sept. 15, must have been most interesting to the thousands of readers of TIME who have been granted a ''new freedom" by Reno's "Judgie" or who contemplate seeking freedom a vinculo matrimonii.

When you said that ''Monday at Reno is known as 'graduation day' because on that day divorces are handed," some grass-widows and widowers of Gotham must have felt slighted because you failed to mention "Wednesday matinee" in New York when the "Undefended Divorce Calendar" is called in our Supreme Court. Although adultery is the sole ground of divorce in the Empire State, our Courts have held that actual coition need not be proved, but that proof of the inclination and the opportunity is sufficient. Consequently the large audience which always attends the "matinee" has its curiosity sated by a continuous reiteration of the drama "The Time the Place and the Girl."

Apparently Nevada is not the only place where a divorce may be obtained expeditiously. I have just received "An open letter to lawyers and interested persons of the U. S.," from an Attorney and Counselor at Law, of Merida, Yucatan, Mexico, entitled "How to obtain a divorce fastly and at low cost." According to this "open letter," one of the grounds of divorce in the State of Campeche, Mexico, is mutual consent. "In mutual consent cases, both parties may appear before the Court by power of attorney, without coming here. ... In non consent cases, provision for service to a conciliatory hearing is provided for in the law. . . . After a decree of divorce both parties are free to contract a new marriage immediately. . . . Two trips to the Capital of Campeche are necessary, while the intervening time is spent in Merida, a modern City, completely paved and extraordinarily immaculate."

Whether a divorce procured in Campeche would be recognized in the U. S. appears to be problematical, for my learned correspondent says: "As to recognition of a local divorce in the U. S., I will say that I affirm the same has an identic statute as a divorce granted in one State of the U. S. to another State in the same country." Since no divorce has ever been "granted in one State of the U. S. to another State," there appears to be no precedent from which "identic statute" or the validity of a Campeche divorce can be determined. . . .

HARRY C. MILLER

New York City

Boy Scout's Pastime

Sirs:

I hate to see you so many years behind the times, in your knowledge of the modern methods of big game hunting (TIME, "Animals," Sept. 15).

I went fishing for lions two years ago and I learnt the art from Martin Johnson, who has used this method for a good many years.

Big game hunting on the African veldt is a pastime for boy scouts. The so-called African "Jungle" looks like Central Park, New York, and is just as dangerous. . . .

CARVETH WELLS The Explorers Club New York City.

Georgia Power Co.

Sirs:

On p. 16 of your Sept. 8 issue under the heading "Utilities--Public v. Private," you make the statement "Crisp County, outraged at the rates charged by Georgia Power Co., had bonded itself for $1,250,000, built its own hydroelectric plant on the Flint River."

The Georgia Power Co. has been serving Crisp County and Cordele, Ga., which is located in Crisp County, only since July first of this year. For a period of months prior to that date, the Georgia Power Co. had a connection with the service in Crisp County and Cordele due to the fact that they were served by the South Georgia Power Co. which operated as a subsidiary of the Georgia Power Co. Prior to the time the South Georgia Power Co. became subsidiary of this company, the Georgia Power Co. had no connection in any way, shape or form with the electric business in Crisp County or Cordele. The agitation which led up to the construction of the county-owned plant began several years ago and the plant was nearing completion when this company first came into the picture in Crisp County, so ... the rates charged by this company could have had no effect upon the actions of the county in deciding to go into the electric business.

In regard to your statement that the Georgia Power Co. cut its rates in Cordele because it was "threatened by public competition," this company reduced its rates in Cordele only after a prior cut in rates made by the Cordele authorities. The rates established by the Cordele authorities were not based on the cost of rendering the service or on any other proper basis. They merely took this company's rate schedule and made a horizontal cut of ten percent under this company's rates. Even the phraseology of this company's rate schedule was duplicated on the published rate schedule of the Cordele authorities. In addition to cutting this company's rates, political, social and economic pressure was brought to bear upon pur customers in Cordele. In reducing its rates in Cordele, this company moved to protect its investment and business in Cordele from unfair competition and not from "public competition."

For your information, the average rate of this company is 23.8% lower than the national average rate. This company's residential rates are lower than the national average residential rate, its industrial power rates are among the lowest in the nation and its rural rates are among the lowest offered anywhere in the U. S. . . .

P. S. ARKWRIGHT

President

Georgia Power Co. Atlanta, Ga.

Japanese Noses

Sirs:

All power and all success to Hideo Takahashi, TIME, Sept. i, but the nose-wiping campaign in Japan was actually conceived in 1912 by Frank Putney Haight, Waukesha, Wis., and Edward C. Jones, Portage, same state, both employed at that time on editorial staff of The Japan Advertiser.

Hordes of children swarmed the streets, the parks, the stores, the street cars. They were (Continued on p. 8) everywhere, and every nose was a perpetual source of unsightliness.

An old temple, cherry blossoms, a dancing geisha, a beautiful shrine, outriders heralding the Emperor's approach, all lost their beauty and romance through being viewed across a sea of dripping noses.

Approaching one T. Nakamura, bright young interpreter on the newspaper staff, Writers Haight and Jones beseeched him to become one of his country's benefactors.

It would be simple. A few impressive slogans. and an organized campaign for a Better Nose Week, all of which would receive free publicity in the columns of the paper.

But Nakamura failed to enthuse over the matter of noses, said it would be "a feverish business," to risk insulting practically every parent in Nippon. Though the project fell through, some credit should be given Writers Haight and Jones for their pioneer work in the movement.

We are sending to Okuyama, c/o The Japan Advertiser, a shipment of paper napkins, much better for nose-wiping purposes than the pieces of shimbun (newspaper) being distributed by Citizen Takahashi.

HELEN H. HAIGHT

Tujunga, Calif.

Gale & Breese

Sirs:

I note by TIME for Sept. 15 that Zona Gale is married to William L. Breese. I suppose only a couple of hundred other bright persons will write you about it, so I modestly forbear even to suggest a fitting caption. . . .

HARRIET B. WOOLFENDEN

Dearborn, Mich.

A couple of hundred other bright persons also forbore.--ED.

Contact Glasses

Sirs:

In the Aug. 18 issue of TIME we note the article "Contact Glasses" on p. 52, and in due justice to the progress of American optical science we believe it of interest to summarize briefly the progress of the art in this country.

Contact Glasses have two applications in ophthalmology; first, in the correction of defects of vision and, second, in examinations of the eye wherein they permit the physician to obtain a view of certain portions of the interior of the living eye-ball which could not otherwise be seen. In the first application they have been used almost exclusively to give useful vision to persons suffering from conical cornea, a disorder in which the front of the eye-ball takes the form of a cone. Such a defect renders the patient's vision practically useless and the trouble can not be corrected with the ordinary spectacle lens. In such cases, contact glasses restore fair vision for as long as the patient can wear them. This may be only half an hour per day, possibly longer but apparently no one has ever been able to wear them for many hours at a time.

Consequently, the utility of the contact glass is so extremely limited that the demand over the U. S. is exceedingly small. In spite of this small demand, however, our company has been making contact glasses for at least ten years and we believe that you will concur with us that it is no more than just to American optical science to bring this fact to your attention.

BAUSCH & LOME OPTICAL Co. Rochester, N. Y.

Minnesota Glue

Sirs:

During the vacation period of TIME'S "Accuracy Staff". . . .

Page 38, issue of Sept. I, under Business Section heading: "Glue Retrenchment":

Sale of part of American Glue Company's abrasive business was to MINNESOTA Mining and Manufacturing Co., office and plant in Saint Paul . . . not Minneapolis Mining and Manufacturing Co., as reported.

Thank you for the correction.

F. H. CAMP

Yarnell-Camp Inc. Minneapolis, Minn.

Welcome.--ED.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.