Evening Star Newspaper, February 4, 1923, Page 27

TUG-OF-WAR IN RUHR SURE TO END IN DISASTER Rope Secured Upon Rocks of Finance. Memel Again Looms as Danger Point. BY OLIVER OWEN KUHN. ITH feet firmly implanted and every sinew brought into play, France and Ger- many continue their tre- Mmendous tug-of-war in the Ruhr. But the center of the rope is being cut, strand by strand, upon the rock of international finance over which it is dragged. back and forth, back and forth, in momentary advantage. When the rope falls both France and Germany will be catapulted back- ward, with the battle inconclusive, both exhausted and both left to emerge from the situation which in- dustrial, financial and- political con- Wflict today 1s creating. Germany's money has fallen into the almost absolutely worthless class. Bales are distributed for the slightest of necessities. With each increasing niove of the French to tighten the cor- don about the Ruhr and detach it from the rest of Germany, the mark Boes to new unheard of levels on the international eschanges. Germany has not only approached the abyss, #he has reached it. In so far as her money is concerned. It is a question whether a hundred years of conselen- tious eadeavor ever will bring about equilibrium, and particularly If the full results of the French adventure, as predlcted by statesmen and inter- national experts finally are achleved. Must Purchase Abroad. Germany is placed in position through French occupation of the Tinhr, where if she desires to keep her fndustries going thers must be heavy 1preign purchases. If her populations @re o be fed in case of long-drawn- out struggle food must be purchased abroad to feed them. If Germany sup- ylies even the barest necessities for lierself there must be some way of ohtaining the raw materfals from the +outs And Germany has no money, will have no money with which she can do business, after the final holocause which is as certain as the sun rises and sets. The French in large measure pre- dictate eventual success of their en- deavor upon their ability to bring about complete chaos throughout Ger- many. They apparently care little wheiher Germany undergoes rigorous suffering. if the first purpose, collec- tion of reparations payments is ac- mplished, a thing absolutely impos- sible now that industrial conditions Lave been made chaotic. F'rance, during the past week, drew the thumb screw tighter amidst the vociferous and almost agonized out- Lreaks from all over Germany. France cut off the coal shipments to the in- terior. and furthermore threatened that if_this proceduresdid not bring about desired results, she would cut Rhur products, thereby compelling yment of customs on fuel and the hole metallurgical output leaving the Ruhr, heretofore regarded as so essential in the maintenance of the social and economic life of the Ger- man nation. French Task Burdensome. However, the French are finding, that the costs of the occupational) forces of some fifty-five thousand men are growing burdensome. French in- dustries are handicapped as they are not obtaining Ruhr coal at a cost, credited on reparations, at about $2.50 a ton, a flow which, before the occu- pational period, reached 160,000 tons daily There is increasing idleness in the Lorraine reglons, while it is unless the French purpose and_succeeds quickly, the of France will be seriously within ‘the next three 1 Alsace deciared, succeeds industrie handicapped months, Whilé this is going on the value of the French franc is swiftly falling. The forced creation of a new currency the Ruhr and Rhineland which is eclared very likely through the turn of events, will place upon the French further financial responsibilities, o hich will not tend in the least to heighten the value of the Frane. With industrial conditions disturbed «nd Ruhr coal cut off indefinitely “rance eventually must import coal from England at col antly disadvan- tapeons figures. Living costs like- Wise are reported ascending in France Yecping pace with the falling franc. Thix much must be said for the ¥rench, they are courageous in their endeavor and though dissatisfaction {<"found with Polncare. it Is because le has not been rigorous enough and Tas not formally, publicly at least, announced a program of even more “As I See It” (Continued from First Page.) which repressed liberty of opinfon in the New York schools. Apparently e people of our largest common- Iwealth are back of the governor. He is fresh from the indorsement of the people. Gov. Small of Tllinols has taken a position parallel to that of Gov. Smith In pardoning political prisoners. Smith is a democrat, Small a republican. Party malkes no differ- ence in the attitude of men upon the | question of free speech. Clearly we have turned the corner in our thinking upon questions of freedom of utterance. Burleson and Palmer and Daugherty are out of the current—stakes on the marshes to show where the tide once flowed. , 1t is clear that the American peo- ms are coming to feel that the menace of suppression is worse for stable government than the threat of revelution. . We arc recovering from our blue funk at the poor boobs of bolshevists. We are coming to the conclusion that « jast government has nothing to fear from foois. This is a glorious discovery. It disarms the fools. The only danger we face Is anarchy and communism and all the well known hell's brow of European proletarian misgovernment begins when we clasp the poor fish in jail who talks the drivel that we dignify with legal dis- spproval. If the drivel has any merlt bars will not hold it. If it is mere ldiocy it cannot propagate in & happy land. Actlon is, of course, different from mere mouthing. The man who throws a bomb or a brick is quite dlfferent from the man who merely throws a fit. The freedom to throw bombs or hricks in any cause whatever, lar- ceny or anarchy, is equally reprehen- sible. And if the man who throws a fit influences & man to throw a bomb ow & brick, the thrower is a Weak- .aihg who would soon be in jail for vigorous reprisals against the Ger- mans. Perpetual Separat Planned, In the meantime it is declared the French government is vrocesdln: with elaborate plans looking toward the perpetual separation of the Rhine- land and the Ruhr from Germnny, it being realized by every fair-minded economist and close student of the present enterprise that France never can collect on the reparations sched- ule prepared at the London confer- ence unless this is achleved. The sit- uation in Germany today is far dif- ferent than when the London confer- ence was held, Germany then having advantage of the busy Ruhr and the mines of upper Silesla. These now are denied her. The French say that they never will leave the Ruhr until Germany pays. Germany cannot pay, according to the present outlook. The moneyed inter- ests of the nation are not expected to have a change of heart and go to the government's rescue, a thing desired by France but improbable with the femper of the German people being as s, Therefore the French government is going about Its plans for a long stay in the Ruhr. But the thing most dreaded by Eng- land and other European neutrals who in one way or another are being affected by the French occupatfon. has | not yet occurred and that is a gen- eral strike with Its consequent chaos. There is some doubt that the Ger- mans will be successful in a general mine strike in the Ruhr because of | the fact that more than 200,000 Poles, jsympathetic to the French, are em- ployed there and may continue to la- bor while the Wesphalians renig. But the industrial chaos created by par- alyzing the railways, the telegraphs and posts, is certaln to inject the virous of resistance so firmly into the minds and hearts of the bourgoise elements that there will be a solidi- fied phalanx of hatred directed against the French at, sooner or later date. Reslstance Sure to Come. i ! It is not to be expected that the Germans will consent to permanent or even indefinite stay in the Ruhr and the Rhineland without by some means or other solidifying public sentiment to the point of open armed resistence to the French invading legions. Se- cret military forces, Washington al- ready has heard, are armed and ready but it is realized even by the most recalcitrant Germans that existent forces could not make any real head- way against Furope's greatest peace time army, and that to resist before Germany 'is ready to make headway would be futile indeed, Up to the moment the cooler heads have kept the lid upon the seething couldron, but how long they will ba able to do so remains in doubt. It they succeed well and zood from the standpoint of general European wel- | fare. “If they fall. nothing can be | surmised rave general conflict. ! One of the most dangerous features of the whole situation, as has been | pointed out, is the growing resent- ment of the Germans against their| own government and their desire to punish it. This, however, has not in | anyway abated or diverted general | hatred against the French or under- mined general national sentiment against the invaders. Nevertheless it would have far reaching affect upon the future plans of the French in case the Cuno regime should he over- thrown and & new set of Germans put in power to deal with, particu- larly if the counter revolutionists { skould gain power on the platform of resistance to the French. Match Struck at Memel, ‘ A match has been struck at Memel which may vet have far reaching ef- fect upon the whole situation. The allied council of ambassadors, pursu- ant to the policies of the supreme council, which it has supplanted in co-ordinating the policies of the al- lies, has demanded that the Lithuan- ans leave the Memel region. which | ostensibly is under the protection of the allies. until its fate finally has been decided. The Lithuanians who dared to battle allied forces there un- doubtedly will dare resist the allied dictates. The Poles, allied with France, and antagonistic to the Lith- uanian tenure, may be utilized In one capacity or another In ejecting the Lithuantans it military force finally is necessary. In this case It is con- | fdently belleved in Berlin, and Lon- ! don as well as Paris, that the match then will fall in the tinder, for the Russians are expected to act against ! Poland forthwith, utilizing the vast | fcrces which already are in readiness along the Polish frontier. In case Russia steps into the gen- will have adequate grounds for fear. eral meleo then Poincare in Parls H something other than politics. So why circumscribe fits and dignify them for the mere protection of | fools? If the red mouth wants to froth blood let it froth. Politics as we play it in this country Is the best cure for the evils of free speech. | Liberty Equality. HE country is witnessing a curi- ous flare-up of the fires of re- ligious liberty, and in every sec- tlon some preacher is making a stand for rationalism in religion. Every denomination knows some phase of the contest. Rev. Percy Grant of New York city is the gladfator of the moment in the coliseum. But his fame will be fleeting; another will appear tomorrow and another the next day and still another, But these men who are airing their views about the plan of salvation have not suddenly come to their con- victions. They clearly have held them for years—suppressed. And each contender for liberty has dis- covered a mellower and more toler- ant atmosphere than he found a few years ago. ‘The Governor of New York, in pardoning an anarchist, de- clared that he gave the prisoner his freedom not because the governor agreed with the prisoner's views, but despite his disagreement with those views. The President is gradually pardoning the political prisoners of the war. Senator George W. Pepper, successor to Boise Penrose, Is appeal. ing for pardon of these war offend- ers en bloc. Liberty has had a long tussle with equality in our national life. The tendency to scale down great men, great fortunes, unwield ideals to the standard size and to magnify the weak, the oppressed, the under- nourished and the cheap, the ten- dency to level down and uplift are all bubbles on the current of life, the tide of democracy. And now comes the first sure drift away from equality, standardization for common run of things, toward liberty. Liberty will givée us distinction, even as equality provided for our comfort. Perhaps to have distinc- tion justly we must first provide standards, levels, common rights and ! ordinary comforts for the mass. But liberty has thought of them. For 1iberty is of the Individual. Equality is of the socialized unit. But we seem to be setting out on a new adventure. e seem to be ready for an adventure in liberty. THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHIN GTON, D. C., FEBRUARY 4, 1923—PART 2 The Story the Week Has Told BY HENRY W. BUNN. HE following is & brief summary of the most important news of the world for the seven days ended February The British Empire—On January 31 the British government cabled acceptance of the proposals (“suggestions” is, I understand, the official and more delicate word) of the Amer- ican debt-funding commission as to arrange- ments for funding the war debt owed us by Britain. A bill embodying the “suggestions” is to be presented to Congress within a few days. The principal features of the “suggestions” are (roughly) as follows: Interest at 4% per cent from the date the debt was incurred to December 15, 1922, to be added to the principal (certain Interest payments already made being properly credit- ed, of course) to form a new principal ($4,- 600,000,000). Interest on unpaid balance dur- ing the first ten years. commencing December 15, 1922, at 3 per cent, and thereafter at 3 per cent. Yearly gradually increasing pa: ments to be made on amortiziation, so that the entire debt shall be extinguished In sixty- two years. But apparently the British have the option of paying off the principal as rapld- 1y as they please. Whether the bill will be framed to apply only to the British debt or will propose amendment of the debt-funding act so as to provide for settlement with all the govern- ments which owe us war debts on the basis above outlined remains to be seen. FProbably the latter. The Irish republicans have been going in strong for arson of late. The other day they destroyed by fire Sir Horace Plunkett's house near Dublin. Sir Horace (now a senator of the Free State) has perhaps done more for Ireland than any other living Irishman. * ok ¥ %k The Ruhr.—On January 31 the French and Belgian governments sent a joint note to Ber- lin informing the German government that fuel shipments from the Ruhr basin to unoc- cupled Germany would cease at midnight, January 31-February 1, and threatening sterner measures ‘than those already set on foot, should German efforts to thwart the Franco-Belgian enterprise continue. The military cordon about the Ruhr basin having been made thoroughly effective, fuel ship- ments to unoccupied Germany ceased as an- nounced. That is the important news of the week from the Ruhr. It would appear from dispatches that the strike of German river and canal workers is complete, but that the French have substi- tuted a sufficient personnel of their own. The dispatches leave us in doubt as to the extent of the strike of the rallwaymen. Apparently no Germans have assisted in transportation of fuel to France or Belgium, and one sces no sign of German yielding on that issue. Ap- parently the German raliwaymen had planned complete cessation,of work (except for trans- portation of fuel to unoccupied Germany—a service now ended), and were proceeding ac- cording to plan. But the procedure aroused the wrath of the general Ruhr population, as it threatened to cut off the import and dis- tribution of necessary supplies. including food, so that (apparently again) the German railwaymen are now agreeing with the French to man trains, except those carrying fuel to France or Beigium, or directly serving the needs of the occupying forces, Apparently, once more, not much coal or coke has reached France or Belgium—a good many French blast furnaces are reported to have closed down for lack of coal. But, ap- parently (I must in honesty continue to use the qualifying word). the French are by way of completing a railway organization, with French and Belgian personnel, adequate to the transportation of fuel to France and Bel- glum (at least In reparations quantities) of army supplies and (should the necessi therefor continue) of food for the populatio: been the insuring of food to the Ruhr popu- lation, with resuit that the program of fuel shipments has been retarded. 1 cautlously venture the opinion that the French will soon have the transportation situation fairly in hand. There have been partial strikes in the tele- graph, telephone and postal services, but the strikers seem to be coming back. Should the strike become general the French can make- shift to get along on a reduced basis with their own personnel. The Germans would be the chief sufferers. According to an Associated Press report, the output of coal on the 2d was almost nil. 'But the miners have not struck. A probable ex- planation is that the dumps at the pit heads are full, and that mining is, therefore, im- possible. One report, however, alleges that the reason why the miners have not struck as a body hitherto is that coal has not been moving in appreclable quantities into France or Belgium; that as soon as the French get coal moving they will strike. We should soon know about that. It should be added that whatever the willingness of the miners to work from now on employment will be lack- ing for a large proportion of them, If only for the following reasons—refusal of German railvaymen to handle fuel shipments for France or Belgium, and shortage of coal trucks (thousands having been kept back in unoccupied Germany) It is reported that martial law has been proclaimed throughout the occupied areas on both sides of the Rhine. If so, it is belng enforced gently. 1If, however, sabotage in- creases, sterner measures for enforcement will be necessary. The magnates and functionaires continuc defiant and insubordinate, and, in consequence. a very considerable number of those gentlemen have been deported. The French, In addition to insuring the supply of food, have made extraordinary efforts (at the expense of French industrics) to keep the German industries of the Ruhr supplied with coal. But, owing to lack of raw materials and whatnot. many of these indus- tries are closing. or slowing down. The mark keeps falling, falling, while vrices keep rising, rising. Business is be- oming almost impossible. Money is getting scarce. There’s nothing left to do but get drunk. Wherefore, drunkenness is the ticket. And unoccupied Germany? Holland reports much warlike preparation, revival of illicit organizations, military or _semi-military— Orgesch, Einwohnerwehr, “Iron Brigades.” bellicose singing societies’ One hears that in soviet Russia the munitions factories are working feverishly. turning out ordnance for Germany (a4 pinch of salt 1s recommended). At Koenigsberg and Frankfort-on-the-Main they threaten French members of the inter- allied control commission, and a French officer is hurt. At Koenigeberg the patriots break into the French consulate and smash the fur- niture. In Munich Hitler and his national s cialists (Bavarian “fascisti”) “demonstrate” from morn to dewey eve. while “Deutschland Ueber Alles” is sung by all the people and played by orchestras in all the open aquares all ‘the time. Berlin shows no signs of yleld- ing—has no money for reparations, but ©nough to finance any and all strikes in the Rubr to the end of the chapter; money, too, to purchase British coal. To be sure, there's not enough Eritish coal available for export to take the place of Ruhr coal, even If the Germans would offer gold values. But it bucks one up to pretend that one can do without Ruhr coal. But when the bins are empty—what then? That is the guestion The issue, of course, is doubtful, but I think it may fairly be said that in the struggle of the past week the advantage has inclined to the French. * ok ok ok ausanne.—On Monday Lord Curzon handed Ismet Pacha the allied terms in treaty form (the formal presentation was on Wednesday). declaring them, with his most overpowering Jovian air, to be final and unalterable, except for minor technical details, and announcing that, whatever Ismet might decide, he would be leaving Lausanne not later than Saturday (he has since changed the date to Sunday). The next day the French government notified Angora, London and Rome (or so at least the dispatches say, though the texts of the French communications have not heen made public) that it did not regard the allied terms as remain at Lausanne in conference with the Turks just as long as the latter might desire. “Here's a pretty how d'ye do!” shouted a considerable section of the British press. ‘The French at their near east tricks again. repudiating ‘allled agreements.” There is something very singular about the business. Can it be that Lord Curzon was acting on his own hook in presenting the allied treaty a an ultimatum, driven headlong on by his wel known passion for ultimatums? Or did the French government, in desperate apprehension as to the consequences of a rupture of the Lausanne negotiation, repudiate its repre- mentative at Lausanne, considering the ex- treme danger of the situation to justify a procedure that at first.blush wears none too honorable a face? Finally, since we have not the text of the French message to Angora, iw it not possible that that message was of an import quite different from the one ascrib- ed to it in dispatches—that it, in fact, urged Angora to accept the allied terms as generous and the best obtainable? However all that may be, Ismet Pasha has in his hands the allied treaty terms, and it remains to see what he will do—what Angora will instruct him to do. It seems certain (if the fragments given in the dispatches are authentic) that Angora will not accept the treaty without very considerable modifica- tions. Lord Curzon then, as I see it, must climb down or definitely break with Angora. Will he climb down once more, or has he at last achieved the goal of his ambition, a really ultimate ultimatum. Never was a kituation more dublous or more fascinating. Two con- ventions embodied in the proposed general peace treaty have been separately signed by the Turks and Greeks. One provides for ex- change of prisoners of war and hostages; the other for compulsory exchange of populations. Moscow has made the interesting offer of an asylum in Russia for the Anatolian Armen- ians. ~ Obviously it would greatly help to an understanding of the Lausanne situation to have in hand a complete authentic text of the allied terms. but evidently “open covenentas openly arrived at" is a practice not approved 4t Lausanne. * ok ok ok United States of Ameriea—Senator Borah has again offered the resolution which he pro- viously offered as an amendment to the naval appropriations bill, but withdrew for reasons sufficiently well known. The resolution, the reader will remember, proposes that the Presi- dent call an International conference to con- sider world economic problems and further limitation of armaments. Secretary Mellon has written a letter to the chairman of the Senate finance committee pre- senting urgent reasons in disapproval of the Bursum bill, which proposes a credit to Ger- many of one billion dollars for purchase of foodstuffs in the United States. It is the Treasury Department's policy, he says, “that forelgn governments desiring to find finance in the United States should appeal to the in- vesting public and not seek government aid.” He knows of “no reason for taking any more favorable position with respect to the Ger- man government that toward forelgn govern- ments assoclated with us in the late war.” The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Judge Sanford to be associate justice of the Supreme Court. It is reported that, as a result of thorough Investigation, President Harding has decided to reinstate all but one of those officials of the bureau of engraving and printing to whose dismissal he gave assent last March. * ¥ ok X Mincellaneous—The council of the league of nations has decided to summon a confer- ence of representatives of the naval powers which are not parties to the Washington ar- mament conference treaties, with a view to their adoption of the provisions of these treaties applicable to them. The council (which has been in session at Paris since Monday) has put the finishing touches on its plan for the rehabilitation of Austria. Sun Yat Sen did not, after all, sail for Can- ton January 27. His return to that city has been postponed indefinitely. In Canton there is confusion worse confounded, sundry fac- tions having fallen out for the spoils. President Harding has formally accepted the office of arbitrater in the Tacna-Arica dis- | the socialist. The chief object of French solicitude has final, and that the French delegation would pute between Chile and Peru. Theories of Capitalists and Socialists Growing Daily More Nearly in Accord Corresponaence of The Star. WELLESLEY HILLS, Mass, Janu- ary 30—There may not seem to be any direct connection between alter- nating electric currents and human emotions. That the two are governed by the same basic laws, however, is again evidenced by the fact that Dr. Charles P. Steinmetz has turned his genius from things electrical to the problem of human relations. This “little glant of Schenectady” has forsaken an apparatus just com- pleted that generates an electric cur- rent of one million volts, actually marufactures real lightning, to the working out of a new industrial sys- tem. His plan is outlined in com- plete form for the first time in a statement to Babson Institute, Wellesley Hills, where leading think- ers are pooling their energies that ! the disastrous booms and panics— perfods of wild prosperity and then periods of bread lines—may be les- sened if not neutralized in American cconomic life. Capitalism As Socislism. “True capitallsm and true socialism are one and the same,’ begins Dr. Steinmetz, and that 1is a startling statement from a man who has been a political fugitive because of his so- clalistic and supposedly anti-capital- | ist beliefs. “Originally capitalism meant indi- vidual control.” continued Dr. Stein- metz, devil take the hindmost. Originally socialism meant communistic control with property under common owner- ship. Changed conditions have, ho ever, changed the aims of both cap italism and socialism. Both of these apparently opposite groups have grad- ually been coming together. Where formerly aims and methods, they now are agreed as to alms and differ only as to the best method of bringing about this mutually desired result. We make the mistake of thinking of cap- italism and socialism as they existed a generation or more ago and not as they are working today. Capitalism once was synonymous with indlvid- ualism and hence the capitalist hated Now conditions have changed, and capital is as keen for centralized control as are the most advanced soclalistic leaders. “The representatives of both cap- jtalism and soclallsm are today seek- ing the same things—namely, the uni- fieG control of industry by a small group who make such work their 1ite’s speclalty. do not agree are the conservative union labormen led by Mr. Gompers and the radical politicians led by Mr. La Follette. The orthodox union la- bor leaders are merely traders think- ing primarily of their own immedi- ate iInterests, unmindful of the pub- lic’'s welfare or the union’s welfare in the long run. They think in terms of wages and bonus rather than in terms of production and commoditie: hey depend for their gain on bar- gaining and striking rather than on efficlency and usefulness. Their poli- cles may be necessary ‘war’ meas- ures, but no real prosperity can be built upon such a fickle foundation. 1 believe in labor unions, but not in the purposes underlying these unions. Generation Behind Times. “The typical radical is just as bad. ‘with each for himself and the | they disagreed both as to| “The only parties who | He calls himself a ‘progressive.’ Sci- entific analysis clearly shows him to be one generation behind the times. He is attempting to set back the hands of the clock and stem the tides of progress. Why? Because prog- ress demands consolidations; because efficlency in production and distribu- tion requires co-operation rather than competition. ~Wasteful competition is the basic reason for high costs. Cost in production has heen reduced by the developing of larze units and cutting out wasteful competition. One reason why the cost of distribution is today so great is because this co- operation Is just beginning—through the chain stores—to be applied to dis- tribution. “The radicals are ttying through legislation to break up these large and efficlent organizations. They are blind as the union labormen who are trying to get richer by produc- ing less. Mind you—I'm not criticiz- ing labor unions per se. Labor has as much right to unite in unions as have investors to unite in corpora- tions; but both should be subject to the same laws and have for their purposes production and distribution. Wage workers should not give up| their organizations, but they should justify the existence of such organi- zations. Working Along Same Linex, i “Only the capitalists and the social- | ists are working along sane lines, and | these two groups are coming more closely together every vear. In fact, they are joining hands today in a de- sire for ~organized production and dlstribution compared with merely a desire for more of the spoils of in- dustry. The real fight today i between employes and employers, but rather between those who want to produce and those who want to get something for nothing or at least to give in return for living as little in effort as they can get away with. It is true that this latter group includes both rich and poor, but it is a large group and a very menacing one to- ay. “Personally 1 do not worry about either the capitalists or the socialists Only the orthodox union leaders and the radical politician worry me. Both capitalists and the socialists are in- terested in increasing production and facilitating ~distribution. Both sys- tems depend for their authority on the consent of the governed. Both can continue to retain control of industry only as they truly serve the producer. Almost all of us are producers in some form or another. Hence, when ex- amined under the microscope, there is found to be only very little difference today between capitalism and social {sm. Both are alming at the same thing, although both are attacking the problem from different angles. Only the future can tell which angle is the soundest. It cannot be now de- termined by argument, by force or by votes. The wise man will respect both the leaders of the capitalists’and the leaders of the socialists.” To Replace Competition. Turning from political theory to practical business organization, Dr. Steinmetz outlines a new way based on production rather than profit. “There can be no permanent pros- perity,” he says, “with industries com- peting with one another and with a Earth Beneath National Capital Is Rich in Fossils of Forest Study of geologic formations al- ways Is disturbing. It makes con- tinents seem but shifting sands and the Seven seas little pools that will presently vanish under Demogorgon's scorching breath. For instance, a stanch F. F. V. or Carroll of Carroll- ton would almost resent the fact that some aeons ago his ancestral estdte was but part of the murky primal slime. And his ancestors—where and what were they? We dare not say. It would be lese majeste. And long before the days of the Senate there were fosslls Imbedded where the itol now stands. c‘\%‘hue most of the petrified relics of former ages that have been discov- ered in America have been found in the west, many interesting finds have been made in the east, some of them in_Washington. ‘When the excavations for the Brightwood reservoir, at the southern end of the Soldiers’ Home grounds, ) were made, a veritable fossil forest was unearthed. Again, in cutting streets through the sand and gravel east o fthe National Zoological Park, anothter sectlon of this forest of aeons past was unearthed. Upon this premise one might say that the whole of the National Canlo tal rests upon the remal of greal Dr.hll!oflcp wood. While the fossil trees unearthed were minus bark, which had evidently decayed before the process of petrification set in, the government scientists were able to ascertain, through examination of cross sections of the trunks, that these anclent forest monarchs had belonged to the family of “conifers.” It was like digging up a glant col- lection of Christmas trees, em- balmed by nature’s peculiar method. Several of the speciments found are now on view in the National Mu- seum’s hall of vegetable fossils. The trees found near the Zoo have been silicified—that Is, particle by parti- cle, the wood has been replaced by silica. Although these specimens lack the marvelous colors to be found in the petrified trees brought from the west, they hold a peculiar inter- est for natives of Washington. Another interesting formation found in_the east is the fragment of a reef of fossil seaweed which grew and flourished in the anclent Ozar- kian sea and was discovered near Clear Spring, Md. These seaweeds were of the variety termed “calcar- eous algae” because of their power of secreting lime from the sea water. They grew In such great numbers that they sometimes formed large reefs similar to our coral reefs of to- day. The specimen shown in the mu- seum was discovered by Dr. and Mrs, Charles D. Walcott in 1915. The original vegetable matter has com- pletely vanished, leaving only the lime formations which gathered around the soft tissue of the plant. half dozen little shops in every block | as at present. To eliminate the hills and valleys fo the Babson chart there must be more co-operation and less competition. When industry is erly organized and controlled th are in a position to eliminate unem- ployment and business depressions. The trend of capitalism is to bring such a condition about. It also shoulq be remembered that the leaders in either a capitalistic or socialistic form of government must work in the in- terests of society at large in order to hold their positions. Unlike the poli- ticlan, they hold their positions only as they make a success of their work. This s why the ablest men of both groups are working for a living wage for both those who perform the laboe and those who supply the capital.” Not for Government Operation. “Business men make a great mis- take,” continued Dr. Steinmetz, “in thinking that socialism means gov- ernment operation. Only the labor leaders and the radical politiclans are talking government operation. Neither the intelligent capitalist nor the in- telligent soclalist wants government operation. Nor do the labor leaders and politiclans want government operation for the benefit of the com- munity, but rather for their own self- Ish purposes. Ask any ten men Wwhether private or government opera- tlon is more efficient, and nine will at once answer that private operation is more economical. Apparently every thing favors public operation—low in- terest charges, no dividends to pay, no legislation ‘to fear—and yet gov- ernment, state and municipal opera- tion is a failure. Successful govern. ment operation of industries, rail. roads or public utilities is inherently impossible under a a i {mpomuible urde emocratic form A New Form of Government. Turning from business to political theory, Dr. Steinmetz fuses the two and produces a picture of the ulti- mate government, a government with all the efficlency of the modern busi- ness organization, yet a government that will satisfy the broad social de- mands of the most exacting humani- tarlan. “Our present democratic form of government,” says Dr. Steinmetz, “Is probably only a tramsition stage between a monarchy and the ultimate system. It has been apparently suc- cessful in the United States, largely because America is 5o rich in natural resources that it can afford to be ex- travagant and wasteful. We have been successful here in spite of our form of government, rather than be cause of it. Do not misunderstand me. Democracy s a tremendous im- provement over the absolute .mon- archy of the old days. It does not necessarily represent the highest or- ganization. It has its decided weak- nesses when studled from an unprej- udiced scientific point of view. “It cannot help but be wasteful and inefficient,” brings out Dr. Steinmetz, “as long as positions are filled through election rather than through promo- tion. In a business corporation there is no change of officers so long as they perform their work well. This insures a_continuity of service, epe- clalized ability and the filling of va- cancies through the promotion on merit. These extremely valuable fea- tures are ing- In_our democratic form of government.” GOVERNMENT PAPER MILL URGED AS AN ECONOMY Public Printer Carter Pressing Congress for Action Provid ing for Converting U. S. Timber Into Pulp. BY WILL P. KENNEDY. UCLE SAM 1s considering seri- ously the establishment of a paper mill to supply the gov- ernment printing offl and other branches of the federal service. For the last seven years bills providing for a government paper mill have been before Congress and acted upon favor- ably several times by committees. The public printer, George H. Carter, again is pressing Congress for actlon. The proposition is simply this—that government timber could be cut into government pulp wood for the making of government pulp, the ald of government water power thére could be manufactured govern- ment paper upon which to print govern- ment publications by a government plant that has been In operation at gov- e ernment expense for more than sixty vears. Still more simply, to convert government forests into government paper for the use of government de- | partments, Vast Cost of Paper. Public Printer Carter, who was for- merly clerk to the joint committee on printing, in showing the vital fm- portance of the cost of paper to the total expenditure for public printing and binding, directs attention to the fact that twenty-seven cents of every dollar spent in the government printing office last year was for paper stock alone, and the preceding year, when paper costs were abnormally high, it was thirty- seven cents to the dollar. The big gov- ernment printery uses from 40,000.000 to 50,000,000 pounds of paper « year, which if cut into octavo books _and placed in a single stack would make a, pile 500 miles high in one year. Paper is now the only material, aside from cover cloths, entering into the production of a book that is not made by the government printing office. All the type, electrotypes, stereotypes, type metals, inks, rollers, glue and paste used in government printing are manu- factured there. An increasing quantity of machinery and equipment is being designed and manufactured or recon- structed to meet the special needs of the plant by the carpenter, electrical, | ‘machine and metal shops, which are among the most efficient In the govern- ment service. The government printing office soon will begin the production of line-cuts and half-tones for the illustra- tion of government publications, includ- ing the Patent Office Gazette and the millions of farmers’ bulletins which are becoming more attractive and instruc- tive with the extensive use of suitable illustrations. Great Timber Tracts A Consequently, Public Printer Carter and many men in Congress who are most familiar with the printing job of the federal government believe that the addition of a paper mill is needed to complete the equipment of the govern- ment printing office for its tremendous task of spreading printers' ink (of its own manufacture) over o.ne 135 square miles of paper every year. With vast forests in Alaska, California, Idaho, Montana and other western states con- ble. Uncle Sam has set up in the Depart- ment of Ccmmerce a world trade directory for the guidance of Amer- ican manufacturers and exporters, which already approximates and prop- {year en we | Yo which is destined to rival the elabo- {rate commercial intelligence service {ot the British department of overseas trade in London. As a result of re- organization and improved detail |work already well started, this serv- beginning with the new fiscal July 1 next, under a special appropriation, granted for the first {time, will be able to give American business much more exact and valu- able guidance along commodity lines. This world trade directory isn't & Look like a city directory. It con- Iststs of printed forms, filled in on a {typewriter, giving just that specific and detailed Information about thou- sands of firms, in all parts of the world that the manufacturer and ex- orter in the United States wants to Enow before he makes his overseas connections. “Briefly, it gives him impartial, reliable information as to what firms or agencies are in the best position to serve his interests.” says Herbert W. Gruber, who was selected by Secretary Hoover to head up this important work. Information Checked Up. The information typewritten into these forms is supplied by the con- sular offices of the State Department after personal investigation in each case. This information is checked up against reports received by indi- vidual American concerns from their commercial representatives and again with the experiences of American ex- jporters, so that it represents the “low down” and “inside stuft” on practi- cally every trader or firm through- out the world, in all countries, who is looking for an opportunity or who is fitted to do business with American overseas traders. This world trade directory repre- sents the work of the consular service of the State Department and the com- mercial intelligence division, since it puts American firms in touch with forelgn buyers. To this commerciul Jintelligence division all of the com- modity divisions in Secretary Hoover's scheme of reorganizataion and all of the district and co-operative offices of the bureau must go to get for any American firm a report on any concern in any part of the world on any Indus- or commodity. i u:lzhe commercial intelligence division 1ast year received 20,000 of these spe- cific ‘reports on_individual concerns. To date there has been more than 45,000 received and they are coming in at the,rate of 400 or 500 & week. After these reports are received on {ndividual concerns they are assem- bled by commodities and mimeo- graphed, so that an exporter of lum- ber, for example, can receive from the department a list of the reliable houses all over the world prepared to handle lumber shipments. Lists Being Expanded. Having prepared such commodity lists with the limited information available, the commercial intelligence division is now expanding these lists to carry such further detailed infor- mation as would prove of the most value to Americans dealing In those commodities. For example, the first hese commodity trade lists is on ::t;n:ouv: products, giving the name and address of the dealer in any country, his nationality, the vehicles handled, the seliing organization, storage facilities, service facllities, vulcanizing facilities and side lines. This work on automotive products is well under way, with more than 1,000 reports in carrying this detailed in- formation. Similar reports on the lumber industry are being received i fice, from which with | taining millions of acres of timber suit- lnhl« for the production of wood pulp, it is pointed out that the government has only to erect & mill on one of its won- derful waterpower sites to have the best ipaper and pulp mill in the world, and | which can be operated at a cost far less | than any private plant. i Of course, Public Printer Carter has | pointed out to members of Congress in- terested in this big efficient-economy { proposal, it would not be practicable to manufacture in a single mill all the various kinds and grades of paper. But one mill could, experts testify, make all the newsprint, machine-finish book and some of the coarser papers required by the government. The House committes on printing In a report six years ago recommended the erection of a fifty-ton mill as ample to meet this requirement and estimated that the cost of such a plant in 1916 would be approximately $1,000,000, based on fizures then sub- mitted by experts in the paper industry. Proposed Mill Near This City. Congress 18 now considering the sug- gestion that it might be well to locate the finishing paper mill near Washing- ton, along the Potomac River, while setting up the pulp mill in or near some | western forest reserve. In this way the pulp instead of the finished product could be shipped across the country to the National Capital. This plan has the advantage of placing the paper mill where {t would be under the immediate supervision of the government printing | office and accessible to paper experts in { other branches of the government. | Aslde from the great saving and othe: jbenefits to the government printing | office of a government-owned and oper ated mill, such a plant would be of fr-* estimable value to the entire paper in | dustry, it is urged. eepecially to news | papers. It would afford opportunity for i practical and thorough tests of varions fibres and other substitutes for pulp wood, which the Federal Trade Com mission says is *“a public necessity against the day when the rapidly dimin ishing supply of suitable pulp wood be comes exhausted. Experimental tests have been made by the laboratory mills of the U. S. Forest Service at Madisor Wis, and by the Burcau of Standarde in Washington. The government has spent many thousands of dollars in | those tests. They have only demon- strated the need for further trials on a production basis, such as the p osed mill would afford and which private paper-making plants will not undertale Centralized Purchasing Agency. It is also being urged that Congress should give early conslderation to cen tralized purchase of paper for govern- ment workshops, to have one house for all paper stocks and standardization of government pape: The proposition is that substantially all paper, except distinctive paper for the printing of the currency, be purchase on one schedule according to a sing standard of specifications, Inspected in @ uniform manner and stored in a cen- tral warehouse for issue to the various branches of the government service, At the present time there are numerous government agencles engaged in th purchase of large quantifies of pap and thus the government frequentl competes with itself in the purchase of paper from the same contractor and no infrequently different agencies pay v rious prices for substantially the sa grades of paper. ware- Up-to-the-Minute Information For American Export Traders and reports are just commencing come in on the léather industry At present the office is arranged o a regional basis, covering the traders of the world in which American manufacturers and exporters are in- |terested by geographical divisions Beginning July 1, the devision will be reorganized on'a commodity basis, |with a large increase in personnel }Thl! is being done so that closer co- operation can be had with commodity |experts in the various commodity |divisions, representing chinery, textiles, petroleum, automo! prod- ucts, shoes, paper, etc. As the commercial intelligence di- vision has been operating during t last two years, a clerk has been | charge of the reports from each re- |glon, preparing these various com- modity lists on Industrial machiners. |textiles, paper, etc. Under the com- {modity reorganization plan one clerk will specialize on each commodity knowing the changing conditions all over the world, keeping trade lists current and co-operating with the specialists in the particular com- modity division. A Recent Development. This entire service has been devel oped within the last three years. Be- fore the war this government had no |system for investigating the forelgn firms regarding thelr business stand- ing and importance in each country |Before this service of collecting de- tailed information was started the only i{nformation that the Department of Commerce was able to give Amer- ican business men was a list of for- eign firms and addresses taken from directories, but with no definite in- formation about them. Now the American manufacturer and exporter can be put directly in touch with those concerns who are in a position to import, to meet obligations and to furnish exceptional service. This is a great help in the selection of for- eign_agents. During the war American exporters had to apply to the government for the names of foreign firms to whom they might seil thelr merchandis In order to carry on this work prop erly It was necessary to compile a large fund of valuable data concern- ing the business, organization, na- tionality and financlal standing of individual firms. After the war was over it was decided that this was just the kind of service needed by the |government in times of peace to in- telligently aid exporters in develop- ing a foreign market for our surplus products. Co-Operation Worked Out. Aftera number of interdepartmental conferences an order was issued call- ing on all consular offices to prepare and summit world trade directory re- ports on all important firms in tneir respective districts. American manufacturers are also deeply Interested in the sources of supply of such commodities as are not produced in the United States, such as rubber, tropical foodstuffs. tropieal lumber, sisal, flax, etc. 'To meet this need the commercial intel- ligence division is collecting up-to- date reports from experts in all the countries, o &5 to show where such raw materials are now being bought and where the potential supply for the future is to be found. Secretary Hoover has been prompt- ed to concentrate on this service for bringing the American manufacturer and exporter into touch with foreign buyers, and the biggest commercial organizations in the country have {ven their best co-operation to this oover program, because they have visioned the fact that the expansion of American overseas commerce 13 dependent largely upon the ability of the government to maintain just such a sgfvioe as is now being given oy !the commercial ntelligence division.