Evening Star Newspaper, February 26, 1922, Page 35

RUSSIA NOW WOOED FOR FINANCIAL GAINS Suspicion Put Aside While Nations Strug- gle to Gain Inside and ‘Favored Advantages. BY OLIVER OWEN KUHI it were not so awfully shock- _Ing, so terribly lacking In dig- nity and revealing a lack of Tespect for high-titled positions, one would be inclined to say that the statesmen of Europe today have donned pinafores and now ‘are ob- sessed by a frantle old-fashioned game of “button, button—whose got the button?" And diplomatic develop- ments would indicate that the “but- ton™ in this particular instance Is Russia. All statesmen are striving to determine toward whom Russian favoritism is directed. Or. to go further: A group of little boys, all neat and trim, with plastered hair, Polished faces and immaculate hands, Played together in the European sandpile, but, oh. so daintily. Then a wicked old genii trans- formed them into a group of awfully wicked, fighting little boy devils, the result of which hair becime unplas- tered, faces smulged and hands be- smeared. While the fight was at its height one little boy dropped out. Another wicked old genil came along and further transformed him. TUpon his head long hair sprang. The face was covered with bristling whiskers. One-time babyish notions of right and wrong crystalized into terrible mouthipes and far-flung edicts. The F the frulis of rehabilitation efforts and France might be excluded from par- ticipating in the rich harvest for many years to come. * ok kK Berlin gets excited and sees in D sible Franco-Russian agreements at- tempts to induce the Russians to ex- act further reparations of tne Ger- mans, sums which, in addition to |those already specifically “specified, ! would well nigh wreck the financial fabric of the German republic. Ger- many evidently overlooks the fact that in the agreement of London the German reparations paymenis wers definitely fixed. Should Russia share in these, then the allies would have to curtail or readjust their own por- tions. Now readjustment is not de- sired in France and Belgium. Bat what Germany does see and fear Is that French agreements may hinder in measure, at least prejudice, Ger many's ideas of infiltrating through- out Russia, thereby building up & | great outlet for German trade and | industrial ingenuity. | The Germans have counted in large | measure upon the Russian fleld as a I means of not only rehabilitating the industrial life of Germany, ®ut llke- wise building up tremendous political influence. Germany really fears cur- tailment of this more than anything, and, in the mearitime, German states men have set in motion active steps to woo Russian bolshevik €avor, and. little boy's shovel became a Sword |jpcidentally, rubles. At least it is and the transformed YOUNRSIeT.|hopeq to counteract the French. shouting _in _blood-curdling _fashion, e : charged his one-time playmates, who, having practically settled thelr own quarrels. had, as children do, settled back into a semblance of former complacency and smugness. The old comrade became, as he truly was. an ogre. The little boys were terrified, but could not forget that he had at one time many playthings which they long had coveted. For the sake of those trinkets they permitted him to exhaust himself in his own foam- ings, then invited him. wild whis- kers and all, to play in their sand pile. * kK K The little boys—the smug ones— are the powers of Europe. The be- whiskered ogre, which as yet has not met with benefactions from the good fairies, is Russta. And Russla has consented to play around a bit. But the powers of Europe still have not recovered from their first fright and are so terribly suspicious they really do not know just what they will do, but that they must do some- thing is taken for granted, for Rus- sia has the material things that go to make up community welfare. European powers can forget the bloody sword which threatened at one time a complete breakdown in modern civilization; they can over- look the terrible fright they suffered because they realize that Russia, evil as she has been painted, doctrinaire as she may be and dangerous as she yet may prove, temporarily at least. is essential to the working out of the financial, political and economic schemes which various nations have advanced for the general recovery of Europe. z ERE It s not without some degree of amusement, however, that close stu- dents of old world affairs hav: watch- ed developments in the past week or! ten days. - First of a@, France has! consistently declared that she never | would deal with the bolsheviks urless the old czarist obligations to France were recognized by the bolsaevist, regime and paid.- Howeves, today| sees France admittedly dealing with the bolsheviks by wireless and cou- rier, presumedly about famine relief. However, Berlin and London hear that the French are definitely striv- ing to heal the old breach that has existed between France and Russia and cause the bolsheviks to forget that the French were largely instru- mental in initiating the Kolchak Wrangel and other counter revolu tionary movements in Russia. At least the French are seeking to de- termine what the reds may or may not ask in the Genoa conference pnce that gathering gets under way. Fur- thermore, Premier Poincare declared previous to his assumption of office that If France pursued her policy of isolation she might see cther powers step into Russia and there gather MOST-FAVORED-NATION CLAUSES COMPLICATE TASK OF FRAMING BILL ¢ onunued from First Page.) the United States government holds that a third state s only entitled to obtain extension of the concession to itself by granting similar concessions. * % k¥ ‘What is the relation between “for- eign exchange” and the problem of formulating a tariff bill? Hitherto imports from foreign countrigs have been valued on the foreign invoice or value placed on them by the producer or importer, certified to by the Amer- ican consul or his agent. By an ex- ecutive order, dated November 13, 1919, the consular regulations provide that when the invoice is expressed in a foreign currency which is depreci- ated as compared with the correspond- ing standard coin of the country’'s ex- portation, a currency certificate must be attached showing the percentage of depreciation. If the consul cannot tell the depreciation, and if the for- 1gn currency is exchanged for United frates currency at a rate lower than the rate proclaimed by the Secretary of the Treasury the consul shall at- tach a certificate showing the actual oxchange, and the collector of cus- toms in the United States, when the goods arrive, shall reduce the ex- change already made to the real ex- change prevalling in the United States. In other words, the collector or his agent shall correct any error made in the reduction of foreign cur- rency into United States currency. Four times each year the Secretary of the Treasury establishes the rate of exchange for the purpose of mak- ing this conversion of forelgn money into American money. In other words, the rate of exchange is re-established in the United States at the declared ratio. Until the world war this rate of exchange did not vary much.' Now, another problem presents it- self. In some cases this depreclation amounts to 50 per cent, in others to 90 per cent of the pre-war gold value Naturally, Russian trade is desired by England, but the British traders [ have not gone so far as to.completely ! abandon caution in their deliberations with the bolsheviks. England ha: naturally insisted on bolshevik repre- sentation in the Genoa conference, but if she has done this it is because England realizes that a chaotic Russia mn!)' eventually spell the same Kind of chaos throughout Europe. Russia at least can hinder swift progress to- d the day of general economic re- war adjustment. However, it is notice- able that the maneuverings of the Russian trade delegates in Hurope and the proposed political alllances of the bolsheviks have been closely scru- tinized, in order that the much-doubt- od theories of the bolsheviks may not be given root in unwelcome flelds through the medium of trade. * % % % As a matter of fact there is not a nation in Europe today that does not distrust the bolshevik regime in Mos- cow. This not without reason, for Europe has not in centuries seen SO tricky a crowd of so-called statesmen as sit in Moscow. And this trickiness becomes more and more apparent as the maneuverings and negotlations of the bolsheviks proceed. Everywhere there is doubt and misgiving. All na- tions want to get in at the feast when the Russian financial and economic pie is cut. Political theories, at least ideals, in so far as dealing with the bolsheviks, are passing for the expedi- ency of hastening economic welfare. The bolsheviks are certain to drive some sharp bargains ere Russia is opened to exploitation by other na- tions of Europe. The consortium methods of refinancing and rehabili- tating Russia has been suggested, but | this is opposed by the bolsheviks, who desire all nations to par- in development proj- ] H | are they ticipale equally — P : It is a noticeable fact that today any one of several nations of Europe is inclined to believe itself on the in- side track in so far as Russia Is con- cerned. It is more to be believed that the bolsheviks have a definite policy, and, in keeping all other powers in position of potential aids to recon- struction processes on the qui vive, Russia will better herself to an amaz- ing degree, with advantage resting with no one particular nation. = In the meantime the scramble to woo Russia, once hated, always sus- pected, continues, and chiefly for the sake of material gain to be derived therefrom. Thus again it is. proven | that political theories and idealism when placed under the acid test rest | basicly upon financial and economic | grounds. At least these are the pre- | dominating factors in the life of Eu- | rope of the moment. advantage In Invoice valuation, the President may incfease the ad va- lorem duty, not to exceed 50 per cent of the invoiced value of the mer- chandise. ’ The effect of this, if applied to one or more countries, would be to in- crease the import duties of certain specified articles If similar articles come from four or five countries, and epreciation of their currency Is gemter in one country than in an- he application of the Smoot amendment might impose different import duties on the sdme articles from different countries. The question is: Will such a law on the statute books be a Y\ol tion of the “most favored nation” clause in our commercial treaties? Wil such a law impose different duties on similar articles? This question may involve the whole problem of interpretation in commercial treaties of the “most-favored-nation” clause, and of the power of Congress to overcome _depreciation of foreign currency by arbitrarily raising the fariff rates by presidential procla- mation against countries having de- preclated currency. * x kK How far does the’ “most-favored- nation” clause gnter into this prob- lem? American statesmen have con- tended for equality of opportu but not for' identity of treatment; for the removal and preyention.of discriminations, but not for the same terms to all states at all times and in relation to all trade. Since 1890 the United States has employed the “most-favored-nation” clause less regularly than before th: date. In recent years the United States has made many commercial agree- ments wherein “most-favored-nation™ clauses have not been included, largely, perhaps, because of the difficulty over the interpretation of the clause. Will the “most-favored- natlon” clause in old treaties be in- terpreted as a block to preventthe United States from asserting its in- dependence and its power to solve new problems in the light of reason and self-determination? Will ancient commercial treaties be interpreted, for example, other, t to prevent Congress from pursuing any commercial or domestic policy deemed wise? Consideration of these important questions discloses the complicated of foreign currency. In many cases a he real depteciation I3 ot kmown. | DackEround of and oo e it Unable to ascertain this real depreci- ation, some countries have enacted laws providing that the conversion of uestion. The wisest counsel must prevail to secure the best results for the manufacturers, the producers and foreign currency into home currency | fhe wage-earners of the country. shall never drop below a certain level. Canada did this. This tended to main- tain the valuation of imported goods somewhere near the Canadian value, when expressed in Canadian dollars. * X K K Senator Smoot’s proposed amend- ment to the Fordney tarift bill Is designed to meet this situation. If NEW FLYING FIELD NAME. Special Dispatch to The Star. FREDERICKSBURG, Va., February 25.—The designation of Reid Flying Fleld, in Stafford county, a few miles from this city, has been changed to “Brown Flying_Field,” in honor of the depreciation of foreign currency | Ljeut. Walter V. Brown, the victim is more than 6. per cent below the|of an airplane accident gold value, thus giving foreign pro- | Beach June 9, 1921, and ducers and American importers an ficer of the fleld to be Ei_nmu' THE STORY THE WEEK HAS TOLD " THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C . FEBRUARY 2%, 1999_PART 2 BY HENRY W. BUNN. HE following is a brief sum- mary of the most impore tant news of the world for the seven days ended Feb- ruary 25: G United States of America.—While the Army dirigible Roma (con- structed in Italy) was out for a spin on Tuesday to test her new Liberty motors, she became un- manageable and nose-dived earth- ward, striking the live feeder wires of the Hampton roads Army supply base; explosion of the million cublc feet of hydrogen gas followed, and, of the forty-five persons on board. thirty-three were burned to death and one broke his neck in a par: chute jump, Investigation is try- Ing to determine the primary cause of the disaster: whether duve to inherent defect of the vertical con- trol mechanism, or that the mech- anism was put out of actlon by buckling, or whatnot. Had non- inflammable helium gas heen used {avallable, apparently. from the Texas plants, at great, hut not r.ro- hibitive cost) the loss of life might have been slight, or even nil. Tes- timony shows that the oficers zné. crew behaved with the conlness and Intrepidity characteristic of the service. - The bonus discussion continues, but somewhat languishingly. All ears are atremble for the voice of {he constituencies: Vox popull, vox The President has signed the co-operative marketine bill. The House has passed a bill to extend for one year the operation of the present temporary immigration act, until June 30, 1923. At Pawtucket. R. I, on Tuesday, a crowd of strikers was gathered in front of the gates of a textile mill. Their demeanor was threat- ening, they jostled the police. and blows were exchaneed. The mayor read the riot act. The police made three arrests. The crowd at- tempted a rescne and the police fired, killlng one and wounding seven others. At the three chief strike centers of the state Na- tional Guard units are now keep- ing the peace. A rort of a kind of aereement of alllance was on Washington's birthday adopted by representa- tives. of seventeen organizations of coal miners, railwaymen and longshoremen in a conference held In Chicago at the instance of President Tewis of the mine workers.. The seventeen organi- zations (whose combined mem- bership is in the neighborhood of two ll‘\{lllonl) include the United Mine Workers of America, the Big Four railroad brotherhoods, the railroad employes' department of the American Federation of La- bor, and the International Asso- sociation of Longshorsmen. The instrument of agreement charges the operators with unwarranted attacks upon the integrity of the labor organizations represented at the conference, and ‘‘unjust changes in their wages, schedules' and condi- tions of employment.” In its prescription of remedial measures, the agreement is as del- icate as the four-power treaty. “When it becomes. apparent that any one or a group of the asso- ciated organizations is made the victim of unwarranted attack, or its integrity is jeopardized, it will become the duty of the represent- atives of the associated organiza- tions to assemble to consider the Business Quietude Until Spring Probable; situation. Ways and means may then be considered and applied to best meet emergency. Action 80 taken is subject to approval by each organization represented.” (This last sentence is very like one of the reservations proposed for the four-power treaty.) The agreement creates an executive committee to consist of the chief executives of the associated or- ganizations, or their representa- ives, whose duty ft shall be to semble the‘full conference of assoclated organizations when conditions” - demand such action. The agreement becomes operative when ratified “by the constitu- tional authorities” of the several organizations. ‘The future of the triple alliance will be watched with interest, if not with apprehension. President Lewis of the mine workers stated that he did not ask for a sympa- thetic strike of rallwaymen and longshoremen should the miners go_out, as threatened on April 1. On Tuesday the Senate passed a bill which proposes to make eligible for retirement, under con- ditions of pay, etc., in force for retired officers of the regular es- tablishment, all non-regular offl- cers who served in the world war and In such service suffered a permanent disability of not less than 30 per cent. * k ok % Ireland—The two-day session of the ard fheis (convention of dele- \gates from all the Sinn Fein clubs of Ireland) resulted in a compro- mise agreement, as follows: The ard fheis to adjourn for three months. In the meantime no elec- tions to a new southern parlia- ment. The dail to continue during that Interval in being and func- tion, but to refrain from a vote implying confidence or lack of confidence in the provisional gov- ernment of the Free State. The constitution of the Free State, complete, to be presented to the voters before the coming elections. At the invitation of the British government, members of the pro- visional government of the Free State are proceeding to London to discuss with the British cabinet the situation created by the action of the ard fheis. As above stated, the ard fheis agreement forbids elections to a new southern parlia- ment Inside of three months, and by implication assigns to the ard fheis determination of the date thereafter for the elections. The “Irish Free State bill of 1922,” now under consideration by the British parliament, calls for elections im- medlately after its passage. but that fact should offer no insuper- able difficulty. The clause to that effect may be altered or interpret- ed liberally. Lord Birkenhead told the lords that, though “the impli- cations arising out of the ard fheis agreement are a little diffi- cult to understand,” the British government does not interpret that agreement as adverse to the Lon- don agreement. Presumably the British cabinet will ask of Collins and Griffith as- surance that the latter- will not allow_indefinite postponement of the elections. From the point of view of the Irish supporters of the London agreement, there i{s much to be sald for as well as against the ard fhéls decision. Whether or not through the machinations of the opposition, heads were hot and the general situation in Ire- land was exploaive. A Sinn Fein division might have precipitated a break in the republican army, per- haps civil war. Moreover, there was the danger that through de- fection (there has already been one such) the slender majority in the dail eireann in support of the London agreement might be lost, and Collins had declared that the provisional government would re- sign In case of an adverse vote of the dail. Now the ard fheis agree- ment tells €ollins not to construe any vote In the dail as a denial of . confidence in his provisional gov- ernment. Collins has a breathing space of sorts. On_ the other hand, when the elections are held, two issues will be presented to the voters—that of the London agreement and that of the constitution of the free state. It certainly was the inten- tion of the British cabinet and hardly less certainly of Griffith and ‘Collins that these Issues should be kept separate. And how now Is the constitution to be framed? Apparently by the sup- BeE ol e anteior | il porters of the Lond ne re s having heard similar € London agreement | reports before, which preceded alone. It was exceedingly shrewd of De Valera to enginecr that While the supporters of the Lon- don agreement are devoting their energies to the framing of a con- stitution, De Valera and his henc men will be devoting their ener- gles to the preliminary election campaign. The Sinn Fein organi- zation has been neutralized. But already De Valera has his opposi- tion party machine in uperation. * ok ok % l:ermny;—fifl‘he British govern- ment has accepted “with certain reservations” Polncare's proposal to leave entirely to the reparations commission determination of how far the London schedule of repara- tion payments (i. e, 2,000,000,000 gold marks par annum, in install- ments, plus an amount equal to 26 per cent of the value of exports) shall be modificd for the easement of Germany; i. e., the amount of re- duction, the period during which the indulgence shall apply, the ex- tent to which payments in kind may be substituted for gold marks, etc. It remalins to see whether the British reservations (not vet made public), will be acceptable to the French. * 3k k X Italy—The Bonomi cabinet, which resigned recently, presented itself to the chamber, at the in- stance of the king, on the 17th, and asked for a vote of confidence. The vote was adverse, 295 to 107. The Catholic or “popular” party holds the balance in the camera. The socialists, communists and re- publicans form a block of 160 soats. The Catholic party has 106 sents. With the present chamber, the government must be supported eithcr by a coalition of Catholics and the bloc above mentiond, or by a coalition of Catholics, plus sun- dry “constitutional” groups. The government just overthrown was supported by a coalition of the lat- ter sort. As a matter of fact, the socialists do not want to join in the government, because to “carry on” they would have to repudiate their characteristic doctrines (in action, If not “in principle”). The task of forming a cabinet with hopeful prospects 10oks to be beyond any one's capacity. New general elections seem “indicated.” * ok kX Russia—~Snowstorms have block- ed the Siberlan railways, cutting off one important source of re- lief for the famine area. Apart from the great famine rea, in varfous districts of Rus- sla the shortage of food is ap- proaching or has reached the be- ginnings of starvation. The Crimea is officially designated as a famine district. All over Russia thé fuel shortage Is causing dis- tress with no rarity of deaths. 1f one may speak of grades and distinctions of woe in the Volga famine basin, then it may be said that the Mongoioid peoples have been hardest hit—the Tartars of the Tartar republic and the Kirg- hiz of the Kirghiz republic, There is a new epidemic of sleep- ing sickness in Russla, in Moscow alone 100 cases have been reported. The death rate of this disease is 76 _per cent. 1t i3 reported that the all-Rus- gian extraordinary commission (or “cheka”) has been abolished or transformed into a detective bu- reau under the control of the min- fresh exploits of the cheka Dispatches state that the cen- tral executive committee of the soviet government has passed a resolution empowering the minis- ter of justice to seize the wealth of all religious organizations’ in Russia—Christian, Moslem and Jewish—ostensibly, at least, for famine relief. Taking a leaf out of the Prus- slan book, Trotsky~would main- tain the morale of his reorganized red army by “teaching the men how to hate.” This army is esti- mated to number at present 1,600,- 000 men. % ok K X The Geona conferemee.—It is re- ported that the Italian government has asked the other gevernments which jolned in issuing the invita- tions to the economic conference to agree to postponement of the opening date, the political situa- tion in Italy making it out of the question to open at Geona on March 8. Llovd George has never formally replied to Poincare’s note of Feb- ruary 6, in which Poincare ad- vocated postponement of the Genoa Cconference and made certain sug- guestions as to the agenda and other matters connected With the proposed conference. He _has, however, arranged to meet Poin- care over the week end at Bou- logne to discuss certain political questions raised in the note. The technical questions will be dis- cussed by experts representing France, Great Britain, Italy and perhaps other nations, in London during the coming week. There is a certain amount of talk of holding the conference mot at Geona, but at Geneva, and with the assistance of the machinery of the league of nations. Such talk presupposes abandonment by talk- ers of the hope that the United States will participate, as even a moron can see. It is rumored that at the eco- nomic conference Lloyd George will propose a ten-year truce agreement, -to be signed by every European = government, pledging the nations for the truce period to respect each others frontiers, to abstain from agression, to devote themselves to the work of re- habiliation, to reduce their land armaments according to a plan made part of the truce agreement. But a portion of the French press declares that France could consent to drastic land arma- ment reduction only on condition that the league of nations have an army. Period of Waiting Not One of Despondency BY ARCHER WALL DOUGLAS, Chatrm: Committee on Statistics and Standards, Chamber /of Com- merce of the United States. USINESS Is more or less in a state of hibernation, and quiet times are likely to. continue until the spring comes. This is the conclusion I reached after traveling from the endless prai- ries of the great plains states to the financial capitals of the east, all with- in the space of a week. One the one hand I founda finan- cial atmosphere tense with world- wide problems, great constructive plans and fraught with all manner of hopes and doubts and fears; and on the other the short and simple annals of the countryside, where similar great problems are silently and in homely fashion working themselv out under your very eyes. * Kk X K You learn from those you meet that the farmer is really after an equality of opportunity rather than special privilege. In ways financial, in times past, he was distinctly handicapped as to borrowing money, rather by cir- cumstances than from the fault of any one in particula: Likewlise, in faraway and remote sections or in districts off the railroad he suffered from lack of adequate and economical transportation whereby to market his products. Want of educational facili- ties and opportunities was the worst of all. Often one-room schoolhouses, with scant equipment, educational or sanitary; poorly paid teachers, chil- dren walking miles to school through snow and ice and mud; the high school usually a long way off in some large town; country roads that were clouds of dust in summer and im- passable in winter. was the story, and those who stuck: to the farm _under- such circum-( stances did so because they could-not| | | i nity, | get away, or because they loved na-|car to the railroad station. ture rather than the ease, comfort and social life of the city. So now that there are many good roads and many more bulldings, bet- ter transportation, more equitable di- vision of the state’s money for edu- cation and constantly easier and more accessible borrowing facilities, nat- urally the farmer is doing all Be can to improve his condition; if; per- chance, he should “slop over’. some- what in seeking class privileges, we need not wonder, since we set him the example in ways political by special tariff, and the cl legislation, all in the specious guise of being for the general good. Nor need we be great- 1y concerned by any such divergences on the farmers’ part, should they oc- cur, in view of the prevailing sane, sober sense of the man next to the oil. and the popular sensitiveness against class privileges for any set of men. It is truly the case today that the things that the farmers’ move- ments_are most concerned. in are the very- things that will soonest bring us back to better conditions. * * x % One ‘also learns what wrong con- ceptions we get from those solemn fictions which tell in engaging graphs and curves how the cost of living de- clined so many decimal points in the past month, and yet the “average price” received by the producer of farm commodities advanced so.many decimal points during the same thirty days. -Here is something I ran across to i{llustrate what these same statistics fail to record in many ] thousand - instances. A farmer had some_corn to sell, but could find no local demand at 25 cents & bushel or all the rs around were the same ' Such - too often | pe, This map, put out by The Nation’s Business, official publication, Chamber of Commerce, shows actual business conditions throughout tiie country in February i as seen by Archer Wall Douglas, the noted business authority. the United States | having raised more corn than they could sell or had livestock to feed to. The nearest market of any conse- quence was a large city some 170 miles away. The freight and com- mission and other charges to this city summed up about 15 cents a bushel for all expenses on the corn if ship- ped in carload lots. "Also the farmer was oft the railroad some little dis- tance. On this basis he could get 33 cents r bushel for his corn, from which was further to be deducted the eost of shucking and hauling the 800 to 900 bushels necessary to make up the 1f, how- ever, he had to ship in less than car lots, which is not usually donme, the increase in freight rates would be so great that after all shipping and oth- er charges were paid he would have gotten 8 cents per bushel net for his corn. The farther away the farmer is from a railroad or from a market where he can find a sale for his products, the more the prices he gets for his commodities remind you of the attraction of gravitation, which decreases inversely as the .square of the distance, and of the limited re- semblance they bear to those gravely quoted as the “average” figures that : price when every one expected it to the agriculturist receives for hlx‘lype products. * ok ok Winter wheat sections in the west and southwest are having rain at this writing, but it comes too late to re- pair some of the harm already done, or to seel the already abandoned acreage. The general volume of business still hangs on hand-to-mouth buying, for futures find slow sale. Yet the sentiment of the many is not dis- couraged, as it has already discount- ed the quiet of times that await us| till spring opens. gotton, with itsj usual contrariness, went down in | go up, but the gains are showing sustained strength, which is discon- certing to those speculators who prophesied lower figures as the re- sult of so seriously reducing specu- lative activity in futures. i Lumber is waiting patiently for re- ductions In freight and for that in-| creased building in the coming spring which all the factors in con- struction are gradually tending to make a certainty. The shoe industry continues to hold its own, especially in the production of less expensive PLAN FOR COLUMBUS MEMORIAL TOMB REVIVED IN SANTO DOMINGO By the Associated Press. SANTO DOMINGO, . February 18.— Consideration of the plan of William E. Pulliam, recelver general of cus toms of the Dominican republic, to erect a great tomb and lighthouse here in honor of Christopher Colum- ‘bus, was resumed last night. A group of prominent Dominican leaders met with him_and discussed plans for-a forma] organisation to carry out the project. A number of speeches were made describing the projected monument as a noble pan-American memorial to o g s e 'ominfcan press and pwlblic generally. 2 The movement’ Zor the ereéction of a Columbus lighthouse memorial in Santo Domingo, where it is contended by many historical authorities the remains of Columbus lie, was origi- ated before the war by Mr. Pulliam and his wife, but the project was temporarily abandoned on account of the war. There has been much discussion a: to where the remains of Columbus really lie. Many authorities, particu- larly those in Spain, have contended { that the bones were remo Santo Domingo to Havana in 1795 and, thence in 1898 to Seville, Spain, but ‘Wage adjustments are helping the situation in New England. Textiles are doing well on the whole, more especially when com- pared with some other industries, say iron and steel manufactures, which are still but partly employed. There is a little more activity in lead and zinc mining, but the Banquo's ghost which hangs over the situation and ‘will not down is the still large sur- plus above ground in this country and across the water, especially in Australia. This is another phase of the irony of the prevailing economic situation that our chief trouble lies in too much actual wealth on hand for which we are unable to find de. mand. More hopeful matters in cop- per are reflected in somewhat higher prices and rather increased activity in mining in the southwest and north- west. Alsp stocks on hand showed appreciable reduction during the past twelve months. Despite much cold weather in northern latitudes, coal mining is in a parlous state, with a much reduced output in the bituminous field, with spring coming on, and no great indus- trial revival yetsin sigh. Prices of oil are on again, off again, after the; fashion of the immortal Finnegan. Some increased production resulted in small price declines. But no onz doubts what the future holds ‘or those who can hold on and can play a long-range game that is an immor- ;Al tl:;lnch.lk It IIJ no place, however, or the piker. ust now the Mexia, Tex., field has the lead. = FLEET OF DANUBE SHIPS TO CARRY GERMAN GOODS Edwin C. Kemp, American commis- sioner at Budapest, reports to the De- partment of Commerce that, owing to numerous obstacies to the expeditious ' handling of rail traffic through the succession states, the Stinnes group of Germany is reported to be placing or- wved from |ders for barges of 800 to 1,000 tons ‘both in Germany and abroad for use in transporting German goods to other historians, with whom Mr. Pul- | states bordering on the Danube. It is liam has declared himself in agree-|a1so reported that a shipbuilding firm ment, sa; either of that these were the remains | of Budapest is working to full capac- Columbus’ son Diego or his!ity on orders for' Rumania and Csecho- grandson Luis, and that a leaden |slovakia, for whom twelve bargesand casket unearthed in the cathedral of | four cargo steamers are said to have Santo. Domingo in 1877 containing hu- | been completed during last summer. B e i e Y . of lxln on the Danube. The opinion is expressed that the Stinnes group will shortly have a fleet .Rapid Strides Being Made Under Govern= IATRPLANES POPULAR IN SOUTH AMERICA ment Auspices in Development of Commercial Flying. BY BEN M'KELWAY. OUTH America promises to be- come the field for a rapid growth in the use of the air- plane for commercial trans- portation as the result of keen com- petition between manufacturers ot aeronautical equipment in the United Stats and Furope to make aviation a part of the Latin American pro- gram of development. Virtually every government in South America has shown a sympathetic interest in the modern uses of the airplane and by generous appropriations they are encouraging every effort to make its commercial adaptability practical. It is interesting to note that at a | time when the United States, with its vast resources and tremendous op- portunity for the development of commercial aviation, is considering dispensing with its acrial mail ser ice, Latin American countries are go- |ing steadily forward with the estab- lishment of air-lines for the trans- portation of freight, mail and pas- sengers. And those who have studicd the situation at first hand in Latin America today report a woeful lack of characteristic Yankee enter- prise in the face of a rapilly in creasing European competition in jputting airplanes on the market. Re- of | porting recently on the arrival French, Italian and British avistion missions in Argentina, which hLeld public demonstrations of their ma- chines, an American government of- ficial states that “outside the aero- nautical aocomplishments gained by the demonstrations, they make ex- cellent commercial propaganda in impressing the natives as to the pro- gressiveness of the nations repre- sented, and it has become a common question in the minds and prints of the people, “Where are the Ameri- can planes? * % % % Americans are not unrepresented on the fleld, for American planes have been sold to Latin American governments, and American aviators have made favorable impressions in thelr demonstraticns. But in the greater undertakings toward estab- lishing large aviation projects, it would seem that European competi- tion—British, Italian and French particularly—is winning out. Nearly every commercial report cabled from South America to the Department of Commerce here shows the applica- tion of some foreign convern for right to establish an aerial transpor- tation line; or the consideration by some Latin American government of a European bid to furnish govern ment aeronautical equipment. Rarely is found mention of American avia- tion activity. In a study of what Latin American republics are doing in aviation Bra- zil and Argentina stand out par- ticularly as showing marked pro- gressiveness. For some time now Brazil has been entertaining a project advanced by a British concern for the establish- ment of an air-line system connect- ing the principal cities of the country, by which mail, passengers and a lim- ited amount of freight would be carried. and it is a big undertaking, but one which promises success. The gov- ernment itself is planning to connect two systems. one to follow the coast. equipped with hydroplanes, another to pass inland through the most im- portant political, industrial and com- mercial centers, airplanes being used. The ministry of marine of Brazil has announced the expenditure of a large sum duting 1922 for aviation, and European manufacturers are dou- bling thejr efforts to sell their prod- ucts. * k k% The state of Sao Paulo, Brazil, re- cently purchased nine American planes to be used with its state police force. Brazil now maintaines a large school of military aviation in Rio de Jeneiro, where French in- structors are retained. In addition to this school, a British company maintains a civil school for the ia- struction of civilian pilot: Italian capitalists have reached an agreement with the Argentine gov- ernment for the establishment of an aerial mail and passenger service be- tween Buenos Afres and Montevideo. Caproni planes will be used and if the line is successful it will be ex- tended to other Argentine cities. The Handley-Page Company of _Great Britain is to operate an air-line for mail and passenger service between Buenos Alres and Pernambuco, machines to fly by day and stop by night at points where passengers will put up at hotels, owned and operated by a British concern. Brit- ish, Itallan and French aviation missions recently visited Argentina, displaying and demonstrating _dif- ferent types of commercial and mill tary airplanes. Great Britain h kept up interest in a tion by ad- vertising a projected “blimp” flight from London to Buenos Aires. Argentina has two aviation schools | for the army and navy. A speclal budget for aviation development was Brazil is a large country ! Rio de Janeiro and Porto Alegre by | the | jrecently recommended by the govern- ment. 5 There {s reported to be intense terest in Uruguay in the possibilities of commercial aviation, an interest, iawakened by the recent visits of Itallan and British aviation missions. Uruguayan business men are being itold” how. by means of airplanes, they will be able to visit and return from points in a day which now re: quire from three to eight days’ | journey to reach. Aviation development in Peru has been confined mainly to military pur- poscs. ll of which falls directly un- der the government, aithough a serv ‘!ll‘l\. mainly for pleasure, if main~ tained by a Peruvian corporation be- tween Callao and Ancon, a distance of about twenty-five miles. Peru re- cently purchased twelve French olanes for military use. * % ¥ % An example of how airplanes are. so0ld in some cases is furnished by a recent instance in Peru. American, British, Italian and French salesmen were demonstrating for several days. Because of his daring “stunt” per- formances, the American aviator and his plane became very popular, and ' an “American Aviation Club” was or- ganized by some enthusiasts, to show heir preference for the American machine. A French plane crashed. kiiling some passengers. This added to the popularity of the American plane until one day a Peruvian avia- | tor. without the American's knowl- | €dge. took up the United States plane. piloting some passengers. and he . crashed. Al the blame for the &c- cident was put on the American plane’s construction, and the British ¢ company, which had avoided accident, won out.” The reputation of American planes suffered in consequence. Paraguay is considering the estab- lishment of a government aviation school, with hangars and all neces- sary equipment. The government of Ecuador is taking a great interest in aviation and has established an avia- tion school, purchased a number of planes and contracted for French and | British aviators as instructors. An ! Italian aviator has sought permission for the establishment of an air line between Guayaquil, Quito and Cuenca. The Chi'ean government has alw: taken a keen interest in aviation for: military and naval uses, and now the commercial fleld is receiving its close attention. The Chilean government now has under consideration a_pro- posal from German and French in- ., terests for a contract embodying ex- | clusive rights in commercial aviation | for fifteen years. British, Italian and { German aviation misgions are report- ed to be considering a visit to Chile. Proposed aviation routes would con- nect Valparaiso and Santiago, end | | important mining towns in the in- terior with coastal cities. The Colombian government has?’ granted an air-mail subsidy to & . | Buropean _corporation _for weekly service between Barranguilla and | Bogota, a distance which can be cov- s ered in twenty-four hours by airplane, {but which takes in some seasons weeks to traverse by river steamer. Five hydroplanes are in the service. They carry passengers and mail. Stamps for this mail are sold by an agency to American business men in . New York. 2 Little has been done commercially in Venezuela for developing the use ° of the airplane, although the govern- ment engaged a French mission to instruct a selected group of army officers in military aviation. * % ¥ % Chilean enterprise and the fact that the sun is shining brightly and warm- * Iy in Chile when the snow is driven {by wintry blasts in New York and Washington, are contributing to make v a venture recently launched by way of experiment in Chile interesting for . its possibilities in the United States. About & year ago a shipment of fruit was started on its way from Chile in the middle of the winter for New York. Accompanying it were two Chilean ~fruit _experts. The fruit _ reached New York undamaged and the two experts started on a tour of *' inspection to study American methods. , of raising and packing fruit for ship- . ment. The Chilean commissioners, who were backed ‘by their govern- ment, went back home with the con- . viction that the best way to dispose of their fruit would be to adopt Amer- ican standards of quality and trans- portation methods for the same fruit. which {8 found in the United States. To this end an organization for the * | regulation, grading and packing of - i fruit was created in Chile, while in . |the Tnited States a firm Which has been closely connected with other ™ Chilean enterprises, was put in charge of the marketing end of the business. The first shipment of fruit from " Chile under the new arrangement will'* arrive in New York today or early in: the week. Regular steamers will con- | tinue the transportation of the fruit " until early fruit in the United States » is ready to supplement the late fruit,, from Chile. : The _distance from Valparaiso ‘to”’ New York is less than the trip~+ through the canal from San Francisco , to New York, and fruit is shipped by this latter route regularly. It is said | that Chilean peaches, grapes and mel~ | ons received in New York last winter were as fresh and edible as those * received at the same time from Cali- fornia, which ‘came across the con- , |tinent in refrigerator express trains. . Rays of Light Converted Into ... Sound Enable Blind to Read:imi By the Associated Press. NEW YORK, February 25.—Rays fof light converted into harmonious musical sounds were demonstrated to be a medium by which totally blind persons may read newspapers, mag- azines and books. Describing the test, which took place in Jersey City, the New Yorx World, declared that Miss Margaret Hogan, a blind girl, read the front page of a New York newspaper by means of an “optophone,” the inven- tion of Prof. E. E. Fournier d'Albe, former instructor of physics at the University of Birmingham, England. Ten years have elapsed since Prof. d'Albe first brought his optophonetic idea before the London optical con- vention. It was announced today that Miss Hogan had proved the practi- cability of his machine. The optophone projects light by means of a tiny photographic lens through five rows of oblong perfora- tions in a revolving disc and reflects it back to be transformed into sound by selenium cells. These rays of light, to the untechnical observer, appear the five parallel &asis of a2 musical staff, producing, as they pass over each letter, five notes of the musical scale—sol, do, re, ml and sol again on a higher key. So delicate is the registration made that even the smallest of type can be read. Explaining_her impressions of the optophone, Mis: when she first listened to the sounds she thought them beautiful, butcould not interpret them and became dis- couraged. Finally, she said, she re- allzed that she was distinguishing the sound characterizing the letter every time she heard it. “Then,” she continued, I distinguish other sounds tried to read & Hogan sald that n.'q?“m‘: on my Braille typewriter as I listened and learned when some one told me that I had made several mistakes, dut s had recorded the full sense of the. sentences. = . “Soon I could take fifteen words &'* minute. igtee “I believe that any one could be taught to use the optophone. It is 2 Godsend for the sightiams™ - \SHIP’S OFFICERS COAL - STEAMER AS €REW QUITS Bring Vessel Out of Hongkang,, 125 Boats Tied Up. By the Associated Press. ” =) VICTORIA, B. C.. February 25—t was only with the ship's officers hands'> ling shovels in the stokehold anda sweating over the work of the decamped Chinese crew that the steamship Prot-'" ; esilaus, which was here today from the:'; | orient, got clear of the seamen's si [in Hongkong, officers of the veasel | aiom i3 ke s lared. ¥Four blue-funnel ships left” the ™ i same “morning, the few white memi aboard naviguting them to Junk bay. . . Chinese brought down from Shanghsl’~ ‘were picked up at Junk bay, the transe fer being made with a fleet of palice, , boats standing by. Hovering m& were dozens of Chinese junks armed:: with anclent muzzle loaders, used.. ordinary times for protection from pi- rates, but on this occasion primed Wwith™ ball shot for use in the cause of the strikers if opportunity had arisen; itH e 'l-;hlll{fl‘. 8 & A e nal crew of the Protesilays was ashore two hours after tha Tessels arrival at Hongkong by strikets Toipe and 10:000 men ile whon Toavary " &l _:fl'gnno - e e ngkong.