Space Race
Sir:
I congratulate you on your article in the Nov. 23 issue on the possibilities of life on the moon. It seems incredible that presidential candidates can discuss any other issue. I should be glad to have my taxes raised if I could be sure that this money would be spent on rocketry and missiles.
BRUCE A. HARRIS JR. Huntington, N.Y.
Sir:
It is unfortunate for mankind that the fast development of space technology is taking place under the auspices of rival nations instead of being pushed by an international organization under the United Nations. The victor in the present space race will have all nations at his mercy. The only way to induce Russia to collaborate internationally for the common good lies in the U.S. overcoming the Soviet lead in space and, subsequently, offering to share its knowledge, with, however, adequate safeguards.
H. U. HOEFFT Caracas, Venezuela
Man of the Year
Sir:
In my humble opinion, the man of 1959 was the Soviet scientist who gave the U.S.S.R. its greatest propaganda gains this year, put the first rocket on the moon, shot a rocket around the moon.
GRIEG ASPNES
Minneapolis
Sir:
The Russian Citizen. This unsung hero is a tough competitor in sports, industry and science.
PAUL H. DIAMOND St. Louis
Sir:
The Dalai Lama.
J. ELLRICH
Fairview, N.J.
Sir:
President Eisenhower of the U.S.A.
H.S.J. PEREIRA Bapco, Bahrein
New Star from the East?
Sir:
Have just read your impressive write-up on MGM's great epic Ben-Hur [Nov. 30], but could not help wondering why no mention was made of Miss Haya Harareet, Israel's talented up-and-coming star, who has made her first appearance in a U.S.-made film as Esther in that movie.
FRED BRAND New Britain, Conn.
P:I See cut.--ED.
Lumps on the Featherbed
Sir:
I have read the article "Loafing on the Railroad," which appeared in the Nov. 23 issue, and having done so wanted to express my feelings with respect to this fine piece of writing.
In a few concise paragraphs, you have outlined the railroad featherbedding issue in a manner understandable to all. "Featherbedding v. an Honest Day's Work" has become a matter of vital interest to the public, and your presentation of this situation is an excellent one.
DOWNING B. JENKS President Rock Island Lines Chicago
Sir:
Why is no comment made on the future of men who may become unemployed because their craftsmanship is no longer needed ? Make-work is not the answer, but surely management has a moral responsibility to assist such employees and place them in other jobs. Advances in technology cannot be stayed, but please observe that a willing worker unemployed cannot buy appliances, automobiles or even magazines.
EVERETT L. HARKNESS Fireman
Southern Pacific Railroad Eugene, Ore.
Old-Fashioned Virtues
Sir:
Thank you for the article on Secretary of the Treasury Robert Anderson that appeared in TIME, Nov. 23. It is high time that the ability of this outstanding person be recognized by the people of the U.S.
LESTER F. WEGNER Pierre, S. Dak.
Sir:
Thanks to the judicious choice for the heading--"The Economy"--I could assign your topnotch cover story for collateral reading to my Principles of Economics classes without sticking out my partisan neck. W. E. KUHN Assoc. Prof, of Economics The University of Wyoming Laramie, Wyo.
Sir:
Treasury Secretary Anderson, a dark horse with a bright record, would make a winning leader for the '60 presidential ticket for the Democratic Party.
GALEN O. GILBERT Tahlequah, Okla.
P: One stumbling block: Anderson, since 1955, has been a registered Republican.--ED.
Sir:
What I particularly like about Secretary of the Treasury Robert B. Anderson's prayer is that it gives thanks for our blessings and does not beg for special favors.
A. E. SMITH New York City
Thieves in the Night
Sir:
In the article on [the theft of six art masterworks from the Toronto Art Gallery --Sept. 28], you say "the thieves . . . dodged from room to room while Pinkerton guards made their final rounds before closing."
This is an inaccurate statement. We have done no work for the Toronto Art Gallery since July 31, 1959.
J. O. CAMDEN
Vice President and General Manager Pinkerton's National Detective Agency, Inc. New York City
P: The robbery occurred six weeks after the Pinkerton contract ended. TIME erred.--ED.
Cranberry Jam
Sir:
The cranberry scare illustrated the level of idiocy to which the American people have fallen [Nov. 23]. Cigarettes, long recognized as a possible cause of cancer, are still indiscriminately sold to people who can't think for themselves. But the minute that a possible cancer-causing chemical was thought to be on some cranberries, the whole nation went into pandemonium.
EMERY J. CUMMINS La Puente, Calif.
Sir:
In regard to the use of weed killer on cranberries, Health, Education and Welfare Secretary Flemming indicated that it caused cancer in rats. It occurred to me that the cranberry growers would have been happier if Mr. Flemming had simply made clear that cranberries should not be fed to rats.
JOHN R. PERKINS Wayne, Me.
Sir:
I would sooner eat a bushel of cranberry products that might be contaminated than smoke a cigarette.
KENNETH W. HILLYER, M.D. Portland, Ore.
The River Sea
Sir:
Congratulations on the absorbing and accurate account of present conditions existing in the Amazon River basin [Nov. 23].
As a resident high school teacher in Santarem, 400 miles west of Belem, for five years, with plans to return, I am delighted to refer those interested in my trip to your summary and (for me) nostalgic views of such colorful cities as Belem and Manaus.
BROTHER GENARD GREENE, C.S.C.
Brothers of Holy Cross Long Beach, Calif.
Sir:
The article on the Amazon contains the statement that there are 22,767 plant species in the world, of which 19,619 are to be found in the Amazon River watershed. How did you latch on to 22,767 as the figure? The one available to me is 340,000 species.
H. GLEASON MATTOON Assistant Editor Horticulture Magazine Boston
P:To TIME'S Amazon correspondent and researcher, each a copy of Fuller & Tippo's College Botany. Says Dr. Arthur Cronquist, curator of the New York Botanical Garden: the total number of plant species in the world is between 300,000 and 350,000; the number of classified species in the Amazon watershed is more than 20,000.--ED.
Down on the Farmer?
Sir:
Re your Nov. 23 story on Agriculture Secretary Benson and the farm subsidy program: I am a little sick of the farmer's being used as a political football on one hand, and having the finger pointed at him on the other hand as the recipient of much of our country's oversize budget. Would it make you Easterners happy to be told that every farmer is getting rich? I'm sorry, but that just isn't the case.
ROBERT FORD Geneseo, Ill.
Sir:
This year, after our study of wheat, I administered a test to my junior-high social studies students that contained the question: "What are three major uses of wheat?" One perceptive pupil answered: "Three major uses of wheat are for bread, cakes and Government storage."
FRANCIS G. ROST
Bertram F. Dodd Junior High School Cheshire, Conn.
Sir:
I'm tired of paying taxes through the nose so that prices can be supported so that I can pay through the nose again for the food I eat. The independent American farmers--nuts! They're a bunch of disgruntled rentiers pushing their snouts deeper into the public trough.
ARTHUR SCHWARZ
Baltimore
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