Evening Star Newspaper, October 28, 1923, Page 29

. EDITORIAL SECTION . - NATIONAL PROBLEMS S’PECIAL ARTICLES Part 2—18 Pages REORGANIZATION OF U. S. WORK UP TO CONGRESS bepartmental Adjustments Held Neces- -sary to Efficient and Econom- ical Administration. BY WILL P. KENNEDY. EORGANIZATION of the ex- executive departments, which has been under discussion ever since President Taft ap- pointed his commission on economy &nd efficlency in 1911, has now reach- ed the stage for congressional action and should be disposed of by the in- coming session of Congress. A joint congressional committee has oW been in existence several years. Sut has been inactive, with the plea that it was awalting recommenda- tions from the President, at the re- Quest of the late President Harding. These recommendations were submit- ted several weeks before Congress ad- Jounrned. The administration has thus done 1ts part and it is now up to" Congress to pass upon this matter, which s censidered of such great importance in the efficiency-economy administra- tion of federal affairs. Has Two Plans Before It. This joint committee has two plans before it—one the so-called Presi- dent's plan, compiled by Walter F. Brown, the personal representative of | President Harding, who, at his re- Quest, was made chairman of the joint committee, and a very similar plan submitted by the Institute for Govern- ment Research. With these two plans before it, the joint committee Is ex- pected to hold hearings at which interested parties and assoclations, such as the American Public Health | Association, the National Educational Assoclation, the American Council on Education, the engineering societies, the Chamber of Commerce of the United States, the American Federa- tion of Labor, and, of course, the heads of the services affected by the proposed changes, will be given an opportunity to state their case. On the basis of such hearings the com- mittee will report its plan for gen- eral reorganization. It is expected by those in closest touch with reorgani- Zation plans that these hearings will 'start very soon after Congress meets | and that possibly definite action may be taken on the committee report at the incoming session, Every member of Congress Is to receive during the coming week a bound copy of “The Reorganization of the Administrative Branch of the Na tional Government,” published by the Institute for Government Research, which has independently made a very detailed Investigation of the subject since 1916, In this connection it is interesting to remember that the Institute for Government Research rendered valu- able assistance to the special com- mittees of the House and Senste when the budget law, which has proved such a successtul piece of legislation, ‘was being put through Congress. Designed to Give Ald. ‘This report of the institute on re- organization is intended primarily to assist members of Congress and oth- ers in getting a clear understanding of the issues Involved in reorganizing the government service. The specific jand certain other minor services. recommendations that it makes are not to be taken as a plan antagonlatic to the plan of the President, which has received the indorsement of the cabinet. In point of fact, it Is significant that the conclusions reached by two inde- pendent authoritles are in remark- able agreement with regard to the fundamental changes which it fs deemed-tesirable should be made. The institute’s report may almost be looked upon as a document support- ing the program that has been worked out by the President and his advisers—especlally does it support the position taken by the President that a consolidation of the War and Navy departments is desirable both as a matter of economy and efficiency in operation. There has been much misconception relative to the proposal. It does not contemplate in any way a merging of the military and naval establish- ments. It merely means that these two establishments would be brought under the unified direction and ad- ministration of a single department {of national defense. From the busi- ness side the operations of recriiting, equifbing and generally maintaining forces In the fleld, whether military or naval, are the same, and the same business services back of the line coulg with great advantage attend to the needs of both establishments. Monst Important Difference. Probably the most important dif- ference between the institute's rec- ommendations and those of the Presi- dent consists in the recommendation of the Institute for the establishment of a separate department of public health. The extent to which the national government malntains separate serv- ices for the performance of actlvities having to do directly with the protec- | tion of public health is not generally known. In addition to the public health service in the Treasury De- partment, which in itself is almost of departmental scope In respect to the variety and importance of its activ- itles, there are the meat inspection service ang the pure food administra- tion service of the Department of Agriculture, the division of vital sta- tistics of the bureau of the census It is, moreover, certain that the activ- ities of the government in the fleld of safeguarding public health will steadily expand. The President’s plan contemplates setting up a distinct branch of the proposed department of education and welfare to handle these matiers. In the opinion of the Institute for Gov- ernment Research a proposal to es- tablish such a department does vio- lence to one of the fundamental prin- clples that should be followed in re- organizing* the departments—that, namely, of making each department, as far as possible, unifunctional, or, to state this in another way—that each department shall as nearly as possible have to do only with activi- tles falling in a distinct field. Guarding Yellowstone Game Uncle Sam’s Vital Winter Job Now the summer boarders have gone, bag and baggage, from Uncle Sam's biggest farm, and the hired men are patciiing up for the winter. They've finished with the haying. They've stocked up with salt pork and bacon. They are polishing their rifles for prowling wildecats.- . In fact, the field force at Yellow- stone National Park are just getting down to real work with the end of the tourist season, according to Har- ry F. Franz, former Washington newspaper man, who is representing the Washington office of the national parks service on the big reservation. Need Care in Winter. The wild stock, the deer, the bison, the elks and the moose in the world's Kreatest game preserve require care G keep them alive during the winter as well as their barnyard brothers. This year over 1,000 tons of hay have been harvested as a reserve food sup- ply, when snow drits over the graz- ing places. The government learned an expen- slve lesson four years ago. There was a devastating storm early in the winter. This sent many animals, par- ticularly the elk, hurrying to lower areas outside the park in search of feeding grounds. Thousands were slaughtered by unscrupulous hunters. Other thousands were saved by emer- gency arrangements for which prevented them from leaving | few years, require especial care dur- ing the winter. The herd, numbering around 250, leaves the park area where feeding conditions are not fa- vorable and grazes on the sweet sage in ranges to the north. Throughout the winter the herd is guarded con- stantly by two rangers, who protect not only against hunters, but against coyotes and wolves. As a result of this careful nursing, last year only five antelopes were lost from old age and all other causes, and there was an Increase of fifty head, Fight Predatory Animals. Besides the emergency feeding grounds there are other problems in the care of Yellowstone animals. One of these Is the elimination of preda- tory animals, ‘which feed on 'the young of elk, deer and antelope. Last winter two hundred and seven coy- otes and twenty-one wolves were shot or trapped by the rangers. The offensive will continue this winter. The mountain lions In the park prac- tically have been eliminated. It is believed there are not more than three or four left. Protection against poaching is an- other important task of the rangers. There are many valuable fur-bearing feeding | 3nimals in the park, such as beaver, marten, otter and ermine, which are the park bounds. To prevent the re- |8 continual temptation to trappers. currence of any such disaster hay |The rangers’ winter patrols must in- now is grown regularly within the |clude even the most isolated sections. park. Even under normal conditions | Nineteen winter stations and snow- approximately 2,000 elk will seek a8hoe cabins are maintained in the government hay ration late in thePark. @edson. Teer Also Demand Food. ‘Deer also seek the ald of man to subsist through the winter. Besides the hay eaters there are about twenty *peggar” deer, which llve in part on back-door hand-outs from residents. The her@ of tame buffalo, number- ing nearly 700, grazes until the nat- The snowshoe cabins are stocked in the fall with provisions for seven months. In the bleak, lonely months of mid- winter Yellowstone Park is very dif- ferent from the smiling region known to summer tourists. Deep snows cover the entire area, and travel is possible only by skis or snowshoes. Last winter the use of dog sleds was attempted, but did not prove succe: ural feed is gome and then goes tolgyl because the snow does mot pack the buffalo ranch for hay feeding. The wild herd of buffato, numbering eighty head, lives without being fed. The mountain sheep look entirely to thelr own welfare through the win- ter. The moose, scattered throughout the park, also largely are independent and the bears hibernate through the ©old season. + ..The antelope, whose preservation bas been one of the chief game prob- Jams of the country-during-the ‘last hard enough. One of the most encouraging re- ports received by the national parks service is that of the increase in the beaver colony. A sclentific study of the beavers, begun in former years, was continued by Edward R, Warren, nat- uralist of the Roosevelt wild life experi- ment station at Syracuse, N. Y. . The animals have increased to a point where it may be necessary to kill some of them off. : Sy Shar. WASHINGTON, D. _BY N. O, MESSENGER.. RESIDENT COOLIDGE’S “successful enforcement of the nationdl pro&ibi tion enforcement law will bring him the support of Henry Ford, according to a reputed statement by the Detfoit manu- facturer last week. This announcémentcre- ated deep interest in political circles, where there is a great deal of speculation about Mr. Ford’s intention regarding the possibil- ity of himself seeking the presidential nomi- nation. : The first speculation advarced iwas whether Mr. Ford is thus finding 2 way to Iet himself out easily from further talk about his running as a third party candidate.: To declare himself for a principle and to stand by the Chief Executive who is committed to the same principle and intends to see if ap- plied in practice, wéiild, the politicians argue, tend to give Mr. Ford great prestige as a citi- zen and enroll him with the republican party. * ok ok ¥ e The women’s section of the democratic national committee has set out upon a tre- mendous “drive” to arouse the woman voiers of the country to alleged violations of : principles of civil service by the republican administration. The committee ha 3 lished a thirty-five-page pamphlet attac ng the republicans and comparing the alleged record of the republicans with thé claifned record of the late democratic administration, The statement goes after the republicans rough-shod and does not mince words. Nat- urally, it is a partisan brief, and makes as- sertions intended for partisan effect. In the foreword of the pamphlet it is threatened to make civil service a leading issue in the presidential campaign, saying: “In: fact, so aroused are the woman voters of thé country at the bold and continued attempts by fe- publican officials at Washington to: reintfo- duce the sordid spoils system in the adminis- tration of public office that a wave of protast is now sweeping through their ranks that may well thrust the whole subject:of civil service to the front as an important issue in the next presidential campaigr.” The committee goes on to say: “Women don’t like the game of trafficking in votes. fl C, They don’t like the bartering of public of- fices. : They don’t like the illegal distribution of public patronage as payment for services rendered. They believe that men and women in public office ‘should be chosen for their fit- ness rather than for their political affiliations or party services.” * %k % % Senator Underwood has started his cam- paign for the democratic presidential nomi- nation. Quite appropriately, he begins in the south, where he must first obtain his “nest egg” of delegates before beginning his ef- forts to.gain suppotrt in some of the big northern state - delegations. He tells the southerners that it is “coming to” Dixie to have.a presidential nominee, since the south has not had one for eighty years. Politicians will follow with interest what success he will have with the hard-boiled democrats of New York, New England and New Jersey with this appeal. * ok ok * ; Senator Magnus Johnson is on the war- path again. In an address he threatens that if the republicans and the democrats each nominate a standpatter, the farmer-labor party will put up a third ticket. He does not clessify President Coolidge as a standpatter, but intimates that “he has his-eye on him,” and that the President must prpve himself a progressive. That is regarded as easy for President Coolidge, whose friends know him to be a progressive, but he may have a hard time to measure up to the farmer-labor-Magnus Johnson specifications of a progressive. * % k k i Who will control the Pennsylvania dele- gation to the republican national convention, and will it go instructed for Gov. Pinchot as a “favorite son,” or go uninstructed? This is the question now agitating the “regular” republican organization in the Keystone state, including Senators Pepper and Reed and Secretary Mellon. A conference was held in Washington last week among these, together with State Chairman Harry F. Baker. Senator Reed predicted that the del- egation will be uninstructed, but in harmony with the organization. If Gov. Pinchot’s supporters insist upon sending an instructed delegation, and dele- gates are sought to that end, it will be taken SUNDAY 'MORNING, OCTOBER 28, 1923 as evidence that he entertains serious inten- tions about the contingency of his entering his candidacy for the presidential nomina- tion. * k % * In the meantime, his “platform”—enforce- ment of the national prohibition enforcement law—is being “swiped” by President Cool- idge, who is, in fact, enforcing and who, is likely to be “on the jol forcement. of increasing en- * k ok ok Right here, at the seat of government, whence will emanate the strict enforcement measures, the wets are planning a monster demonstration some time in January. They propose a mass meeting of enthusiasts in favor of repeal of the cighteenth amend- ment, and their cry will be “enforce or re- peal.” The answer in governmental circles will be in the nature of “Sorry, we are out of re= peals, but we have a nice line of ‘enforce- ments which might interest you." * X %k k The advocates of repeal have opened headquarters in Baltimore, and Washing- tonians. are receiving requests for contribu- tions to be used in propaganda for the move- ment. Politicians are at a loss to understand what practical lines the would-be repealers will work on, since it is now considered a foregone conclusion that the two old parties, democratic and republican, will virtually compete with: each, other in their national platiorms to see which will take the strong- est stand on enforcement. And not only will there be no hint of repeal, but there will be no mention of modification of exist- ing law. The advocates of repeal are certainly en- countering a strong head wind and a choppy sea in efforts to get repeal of the eighteenth amendment into politics. * k %k ¥ And old-time republican politician out west complains to headquarters that there are “too many blocs in Washington giving orders to the voters.” He says that in stirring around to sound political sentiment he gets replies that “Washington” sends out orders to guide their course; the farm bloc, the bonus bloc, the labor bloc, the railroad bloc, and so on. Rail Construction, Coming to End, Gives Nation Big Problem to Face BY EDWARD F. ROBERTS. HILE oceans of ink and tons of paper aré being used up to prove this, that or the other thing about the financial condition of the Amer- ican railroads, what is happening to the roads themselves, the actual tracks, trains and engines on which literally depend our existence as a na- tion? One thing at least: Railroad con- struction in the United States steadlly coming to a full stop. That is the big central fact which stands out of the mass of statistics and official reports supplied to me by Julius Kruttschnitt, chairman of the board of the Southern Pacific Company, when I asked him the above question. I told Mr. Krutt- schnitt that I was looking for plain, cold, unadorned facts and was not interested in arguments. “Well,” he said, “if you want the story In a nutshell, this chart will give It to you,” and he handed me a little graph about the size of an ordinary letter sheet. The chart gave the bald facts about rallroad con- struction In America from 1840 to 1922, ' K Peak Reached in 1887, Starting with a few hundreds of miles in 1840, the line of construc- tlon moved steadily up into the thou- sands until the peak was reached in 1887, and then started downward is ‘The economies to be effected by con- solidation would be far:less than the average man thinks of that the ad- ministration dreams akout. What the JU1{US KRUTTSCHNITT SAYS: “Railroad construction is steadily coming to a full stop in the United States. “We built about the same num- /ber of railroad tracks last year as - we did in 1840, when the popula- tion of the country was about 17, 000,000. “If the present policy is main- tained, we are headed straight for government ownership long before another twenty-five years elapse. “The economies to be effected by consolidation are far less than the average man thinks or that the ad- ministration dreams about. “Railroad labor costs will not come down, and it is futile to talk about it. The only answer to the Present situation is increased effi- ciency on the part of the railroads.” HOUSE ' APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE RIDDLED public wants is lower rates and not fewer transportation facilities, and the only way it can get lower rates Is by reduced costs of operation. railroads are doing their best in that direction by striving for higher effi- clency, but they are badly handi- capped by the unfair competition of transportation facillties, created wholly or in part by government, which pay no taxes and make their own wage scales.” Trucks as Feeders. “Why do not the railroads go into the trucking business themselves and use it as a feeder for their freight lines?" “Because they could not compete with private concerns in the matter of labor costs. The Railroad Labor Board fixes the wage scales for the rallroads and private concerns could operate at a lower cost and make competition impossible. The Southern Pacific spent millions building elec- tric feeders, which were simply smothered by carriers operating on roads built with public money.” “What about the farmer's com- plaint that rallroad freight rates form one of his heaviest burdens? 1 asked. “I will answer that question with another,” replied Mr. Kruttschnitt. “Would the farmer be satisfled with an 8 per cent increase in the present market value of his products?” “Why, no.” “Well, that is all he would get it the entire sum collected by the rail- roads for transporting ' agricultura! produets in 1922 was returned to him The and kept going until 1922 it was back to the point where it started from elghty years previously. “In 1840, elucldated Mr. Krutt- schnitt, “when we had a population of about 17,000,000, we built about the same number of railroad tracks as we did in 1922, when our popu- lation was 110,000,000, That, how- ever, does not tell the whole story. The rallroad mileage in the United States actually diminished last year to the extent of 352.68 miles. There were 324.09 miles of new tracks built, but there were 676.77 miles abandoned, of which 3221.7 miles were actually torn up.” “Was that condition peculiar to last year?” I asked. Roads Political Foot Ball. “It was not. For twenty-flve years the railroads have been the foot ball ot politics, with the result that rail- road construction has fallen year by year, both in mileage and with re- spect to the needs of the population. The Census Bureau and Interstate Commerce Commission reports show that in 1910 there were 2.61 miles of railroad for each 1,000 population, and that proportion steadily fell year by year until it was only 2.34 mil in 1921." “Then in another twenty-five years?" I began to calculate. “Ol interrupted ~ Mr. Krutt- schnitt, “if the present policy is main- tained, we are headed straight for government ownership long before another twenty-five years elapse. “What can raflroads do to help themselves? I asked. “Increase their efficlency,” replied Mr. Kruttschnitt promptly. “Labor costs will not come down. It is folly to talk about it. Wages never do come down. The only remedy is greater efficiency in operation.” “How about’ the plan for consoll- dationT was my next query. “'Sounds well, but that is about all. HE incomizg session of Congress, whose principal business is the passage of appropriation bills to: keep the wheels of government moving, finds this im- portant work . handicapped at the start by the fact that the House ap- propriations cdmmittee, where such legislation almost always originates, “all shot to pieces. Ordinarily subcommittees of the j House appropriations committee start work “unofficially” upon the supply bills before Congress opens up, get: ting the estimates “In confidence” from the Secretary of the Treasury in the old days and from the budget officer: in these later days. But this time ‘the appropriations committee will have ten or twelve vacancies to fill, and several of those who do not return were chairmen of important subcommittees. 5 This means that, since the appro- priations committee is rivaled in im- portance only by the ways and means committee—the taxing committee— there is going to be something of a scramble for these vacancies, which ‘will result in a general upset of com. mitteés all through the list. The chairmen of a number of committees will strive to get appointed to the | appropriations committee. Probable Situation. There is a very prumising situation which strengthens the hope that a strong appropriations committee may be selected. Representative Martin B. Madden of Illinvis is chairman of the appropriations committee. He is also successor to Representative James R. Mann of Illinols as repre- sentative of that state on the com- mittee on committees, which adjusts the rival clalms of members for com- mittee appointments. and generally x; up the slate for committee membership. Representative Madden is expected to also succeed the late l l Representative Mann as chairman of the committee on committees. A= he is a veteran of elghteen years' con- secutive service he is not only fa- miliar with the special qualifications of the House members who are anxious to get on tne appropriations committee, but has an even more in- timate knowledge of the particular requirements for membership on the appropriations committee. The fllling of vacancies on the ap- propriations committee undoubtedly will be the first job tackled by the committee on committees, so that the subcommittees may be reorganized and get to work as soon as possible on the appropriation bills. Budget Important Task. ‘The handling of the budget by this committee presents an unusually im- portant task for the Incoming. ses- sion, because for the first time a new schedule of salaries for practically all the employes of the government—or at least for some 175,000 of them— is comprehended. The reclassifica- tion act, passed in the closing days of the last Congre: provides for the reclassification of some 54,000 federal and District of Columbia employes in the National Capital, and orders a survey made of the field force, apply- ing as far as possible the same sched- ules as for the National Capital, with a report and recommendations to Congress. Chairman Madden claims that no further legislation) is necessary for reclassification of the fleld forces, ex- cept to appropriate the money neces- sary to pay .the salaries. After a conference of officlals. Brig. Gen. Her- bert M. Lord is (tentatively at least) Including reclassified salaries for the flelq force in the federal budget which 18 now being drafted, as well as re- clustified palaries for the employes in the ‘bisirict of Columbia. All of this (Continued on Third Page.) [THE PASSING SHOW IN POLITICS That is not guesswork. It is a fact Which can be proved by movermment statistics. The Interstate Commerce Commission estimates the total rail~ road revenue for transportation of agriculture products last year to be $715,973,000. In the saime year the Department of Agriculture gives the total value of farm crops as $8,961,- 000,000. The rest is a simple sum in arithmetic. Now, I do not suppose that even the most radical farmer Wwould propose to pay no freight rates at all, yet while continued reduction in rates would bankrupt the railroads, it would mean but slight relief to the farmer. Up to -the People. “The whole railroad situation,” continued Mr. Kruttschnitt, “can be reduced to very simple terms. We must have railroads, whether they are operated by the government or by private companles. If they are privately operated, they must be al- lowed to give & fair return to their owners, for no man is going to run any business that is not profitable. At the present’ time railroads are not profitable to thelr owners. That is a simple statement of fact which does not require' argument. The Inter- state Commerce Commission has set the figures which it considers as a falr return for class 1 roads. The actua] ‘revenue of these roads last year was $334,679,000 lefs than that sum, or a return of 4.09 per cent on the Invested property. No busine: can be permanently run on that basis. I have stated the alternative and the decision rests in the hands of the American people.” - Editor's Note—This s one of a series of articles in' which some of the most vital problems at U. S. AND GREAT BRITAIN ARE- DRAWING CLOSER Chief Result of Reparations Negoti- ations to Date—France Con- tinues to Hold Key. BY OLIVER OWEN KU NGLAND and the United States have been drawn closer, polit- ically and spiritually, war- ranting prediction that in con- sideration and settlement of future great world problems they will be found standing shoulder to shoulder more and more, thereby exerting great moral pressure on nations tak- ing viewpoints and courses not de- signed to enhance the safety and Pprogress of the peoples of the world. This, in brief, is the outstanding Tesult of the efforts of Secretary Hughes and Lord Curzon, foreign minister of England, to bring to an end the impasse on reparations which is speedily working for the disinte- gratlon of the whole of central Eu- rope and its consequent disastrous effect on the financial and commercial equilibrium everywhere. America is Approached. Alarmed at the swiftly flowing cur- rents of disintegration, belleving that herculean efforts are necessary to stem the conflicting politicai cur- rents of Europe if there Is to be na- tional upbuildirg, and believing that America’s Is the one voice essential to undermine that suspicion which hazards any strictly European effort to bring order out of chaos, Lord Curzon, during the past month ap- proached Secretary Hughes, solicit- ing reiteration of America’s stand in regard to fixatlon of Germany's abil- ity to settle the vast reparations exacted of her through the treaty of Versailles. Secretary Hughes reit- erated his government's readiness to be represented on a commission of oxperts to decide Germany's financial and ecnomic status, he restating the advisability of pursuing expert methods in attempts to reach set- tiements, forestalling. Germany's complete incapacity to pay. These statements and apparent agreement as to the wisdom of future courses have been hailed in both Washington and London, but as a matter of fact, even though France, Belgium and Italy, interested powers, have: ac- cepted the idea of a close study of Germany's present situation, with the view of permitting it to have bearing upon the whole reparations question, France still holds the whip hand and will continue to. Must Be Change of Heart. Only a change of heart on the part of Poincare will make possible any effective action. Should the French premier remain adamant in pursuit of present pol- icles, then the committee of inter- national experts might as well never ve called, for, with its decisions going to the reparations commission for consideration, a body which France controls by virtue of necessity of unanimous decislon as to future courses, if by no other way, the ex- perts' work can be thrown into the liscard at any juncture. Just as the sb-called Morgan com- mittee of bankers was spurned in its financlal analysis, so can any fu- ture committee of experts be shunted iside in case verdicts are contrary to fixed French natlonalistic policy. Consent to the naming of an expert commission is one thing. Agreeing to abide by its decision is another. And, with political trends in France ag_they are, it is believed that Pre- mier Poincare will commit political hara-kari if he in the slightest modi- fies the two dominating policles of the French government, namely, collec- tion of at least 90,000,000.000 gold marks from Germany in the way of reparations for France's account ilone, and the disintegration of Ger- many to a point. where the future safety of France will be insured, Diseciple of Blood and Irom. Premier Poincare won his present exalted position as the result of his long continued bitter assaults upon Clemenceau and Briand, whom he de- clared had vascillated in handling the whole German problem. France must pursue a course of blood and iron in order to wring from the detested Teutons every farthing provided for in the treaty of Versailles, he argued. Every move of previous French gov- ernments designed to follow more moderate courses—policies inciden- tally suggested by the strong, firm hand and farseeing vision of Premier Lloyd George of England—were as- sailed by the at present premier. He went into the highways and the by- ways preaching the gospel of forcing the Germans to pay—with the might of French arms if necessary. When it appeared that Briand was about to adopt an extremely moderate course, Briand fell under Poincare-inspired attacks in parliament. Poincare was called to head a ministry. Backing his pledges he proceeded to handle the German situation from strictly a French nationalistic view- point and the chasm between Down- ing street and Qual d'Orsay grew broader, it being absolutely. impossi- ble to reconcile the policies of Eng- land and France, insofar as methods of exacting payment were concerned. Disintegration Sets In. After much milling avout then came the French and Belgign occu- pation of the Ruhr. Briefly put then| set in the disintegration of Germanic industrial and economie life, with the result that Germany today is finan~ cially and physteally bankrupt, with every indication that soon she will be dismembered into separate states, all of these contingencies having been foreseen by Lloyd George and voiced repeatedly in the days' when he ar- gued for a thoroughly sane course in making Germany pay. He repeat- edly pointed out the possible ¥ailure of all allies to collect reparations of whatsoever character. in case of Ger- manic collapse. Lloyd George, when he stated that Germany would never be able to pay if civil strife were permitted to develop, has been vin- dicated. But French natfonalist purpose as voiced by Marshal Foch, In the peace conference, and looking toward the disintegration of Germany has becn achleved to @ point where it is seri- ously debated in the chancellories of Europe, whether the French desire reparations more than they do the physical and financial bankruptey of Germany. Continued Franco-Belglan ald for Rhineland separatists in their effort to pull away from the reich, is confirmation, in the minds of close students of the situation, that France really prefers the disruption of Ger- many to payment. In some quarters it is insisted, reparations are merely used as an issue to bring about eventual cancellation of France's debt to England and the United States. In Dictatorial Position. Whatever purposes. attributed to France, it nevertheless remains a fact that France is in a predominate dictatorial position as a result of the fruition of Poircare’'s political policies on the continent. Should he consent to move a whit or jot away from his present position, unless there be compensatory gains, such as the cancellation of France's great foreign debts, Poincare knows and his enemies in France know, that he then and there would seal his political doom. And Poincare does not lack shrewdness in his political manuver- ing. When the French premlier consents to ‘a commission of experts to be named by the reparations commission to act in purely advisory capacity, he knows of his power within the reparations commission and his ability_to null all suggestions. Question of Fixing Sum. England hopes that an expert com- mission, America participating, might fix an amount of reparations which Germany reasonably can be expected to pay. This power the French con- test. The commission merely must make suggestion as to the ways and means of Germany's carrying out payments provided in the treaty of Versailles. Torn as Germany is the Frenck know and every other forelgn office in Europe and abroad knows, that the reich in its present state of disintegration cannot pay 231,000~ 000,000 gold marks as scheduled. Germany can scarcely pay more than the interest, if that, and particularly as long as the very heart of indus- trial Germany, the Ruhr, is in alien hands. Prospective work of a commission of experts is nulled before it takes up its work by the almost certaln retusal of France to permit reduction, unless the debt cancellation question be considered along with that of reparations. Secretary Hughes has made it plain that there can be no such consideration, as the two ques- tions are in no-wise related. Poincare takes a contrary view. He knows all the while that England still may be induced to shave the amount of her loans to France in desperate hope that out of chaos there may emerge some degree of progress for con- tinental Europe. Humble Step Forward. However, there is every likelihood that the business of agreeing on a commission of experts to fix the ca- pacity of Germany to pay will grow wpace. It is, after all, a step forward, though a humble one. England and the United States, by their concerted drive for an end to the present impasse in regard to Germany. may be able to build up public sentiment the world over, in the face of which Polncare will not dare fly when the opinions of the experts are once made known. But it is more likely that the underlying hope of Lord Curzon when he ap-~ proached the American government, was eventually to bring about a gov- ernmental parley, at which there would be general consideration and revision of the terms of the treaty of Versailles, which, admittedly, are prolonging disorder throughout Eu- rope, and which have worked so dis- astrously against the peace promul- gated by decree in solemn assembly at Versailles. Much or little may come from the present negotiations, but in the final analysis it still remains within the province of France to decide what the eventual outcome shall be. Unless backed by world public opin- ion, the United States and Great Brit- ain stand shoulder side by side in im- pressing upon the French govern- ment that there must be a change of policy reacting to the interests of the world as & whole, and not to par- ticular nationalistic policy, little can be gained. In the meantime, friends of ultimate American-British rapprochement in world affairs see a long stép toward this goal. Electric Locomotives Used in California For handling fast freight trains on the Sacramerito Northern railroad, two sixty-ton electric locomotives have just been delivered to that roa by the local works of the General Electrlo Company. ~ They are the heaviest and most powerful locomo- tives the road has ever had. Both are rated at 600 to 1,500 volts, Iine capacity, and have a continuous haulage capacity of 1,550 tons trail- ing load. They were sent to Sacra- mento on their own wheels and are now in service there. ————— In the south of France. the produc- tion of lavender oil is a pleasant in- dustry.