Evening Star Newspaper, January 6, 1924, Page 31

" ENGLAND NOW PREPARES - FOR LABORITE CONTROL 'One-Time Political Ogres Are Found Conservative, Being Tempered by National Weal. BY OLIVER OWEN KUH) vears past England has been made to quake and shiver at the always, ever-ready, tory and lib- cral plant along about election time: “The laborites will get you if you: don't watch out.” Forthwith, the people of England, like all perfectly well regulated peo- | ple clinging to conservatism and| loathness to abandon semblance of | old forms, grew properly fearful, | went to the polls and through their ballots stayed the “onrushing men- ace” of a government dominated by interests allegedly inimical to capital, inimical to settled order, and, which| politiclans were prone to aver, rep- resented only those things designed to extract the very heart of British life and industry But since the days socialists raised their bugaboos and people generally saw political ban-! shees at_every corner, becausa of the | that British | radical purposes espoused by soefal- | #istic standard bearers, these leaders themselves have tended more and ) more (o conservative, constructive ¢ rather than destructive ideas of gov ernment. ¢ Tend to Conservatism. Once radical as the world now views radicalism, Ramsay Macdonald, Arthur Henderson, Philip Snowden and others tnnumerable of the labor party have suffered a change at heart. Today they represent a sane, ing, conservative schoo! in British po- litical life, and they well realize that England's interests are, after all, para- mount to party creed. With modific tion of precent, there is donviction that Yingland must continue to maintain ber prestige as one of the world's greutest | prowers, and b an instrument for the advance of mankind _generally. In other words, laborites have found by more intent study th 1l theory nnot always be rational adva think- onee 2pplic governing tens of milli their best interest. certain to infiltrate into al tem- dencies, modifying them. Rcsponsibil- ities of office and knowledge of the in- side wheels of uny governmental ma- chine of whatsoever political character work about the same. ple to ism i leaders of Eng- ewd sense of | a keen desire to nterests home hroad, differing only to some | hods of applying s firmly tmpressed with the d de- | features of communistic poli- | enunciated and practiced by Moscow. and therefore unwilling to pe mit jnroads of the ‘red” ¢ the - British part ebout decided that no harm of the ascension of Ramsay MavDonald 10 the premiership. England is prepar- | ing for that very thing without a quulin, Political circle disturbed, | but should the labor how real | s in construetl do- insidious 0 bor has | ies, there may to come popularity that will make the labor party really one of the two great parties in British political life. Prolonged tenure possibly will re- | sulf in but one thing, the emergence of | « tory-liberal group and the burving of hatchets which have been so vallantly | and forcetully wielded by the two par- Hes upon each other during the period of Britixh democratie political life Britain Now Reconciled. That B advent of a by the cal ceeptan nouncement that the laborites will make thelr test against the govern- and that on Jan- will be forced and ask | e potential ed a cab- after his m, expected tain reconciled to the | abor regime is indicated of the an- is to call Macdonald him to form a cabinet. T premier already has fra inet slate and within a d election this will be announced to the world—the very first laborite regime in_the history of the British empire. Liberals and conservatives have en- deavored to reconcile their differ- ences within the past te but, fin realizing the futility such | sts, have agreed to ler things | remain status quo and permit the borites to have their chas the | will see to | French | plunge, selling wore cheapl | suicidal | bring |an the best interests of the empire. As a matter of fact the older parties of England today rather welcome the test of the laborites. Should the lat- ter fail dismally asthe older parties claim they will, then the laborite sun will begin to'set iImmediately and laborite experiments of government will be eliminated, forever, as politi- cal force. There are mlillions of peo- ple in England, hawever, who are not as optimistic in the same way as the political _enemies of the Macdonald group and they anticipate a prompt settlement of many vexatious ques- tions, at least due consideration of them! main premier for an indefinite period unless he becomes the victim of some unforeseen political coup. $ Toreign Policy a Worrs. At the present juncture England's chief worry is in the readjustment of |ur\r forelgn policy in line with con- tinental prestige, and it _generally is regarded that Ramsay Macdonald it that there shall be initiated measures inclined to pre- serve British interest. Already it has gone out from Lon- don that Macdonald has no Intention of temporizing with the so-called “imperialistic” policies of Franae and Poincare. It is declared that among !the first demands his government will 1 make | funding, is the full payment, at least of France'ss war debt to In anticipation of this, the a wild Fngland. franc has started on don and clsewhere today than ever in history. 1f the mere hint that Mac- donald intends to make 2 debt set- tlement demand is sufficlent to war- rant this plunge then it may imagined what likely may happen when the request is officlally made. Strife Believed Certain. The settlement of war debts in con- nection with the relations of Britain and Franee is certain to bring strife enough, but it is belleved in well in- formed circles that when the poliey of the laborites in regard to French pansionist schemes on the conti- s to make itself felt, every to reconcile the entente for future i vears of usefulness may pass into the discard, The laborites of England, pro-so- cialist in sympathy at least. have joined with the socialist elements of other mations in their French action on the eontiwent, par- ticularly in the Rhineland and the Ruhr, on the ground that Polncare’s adventures are but laying the foun- dation of future wars. ng man of the world this would be Efforts huve been ailizeltly made in labor and socialist eircles to i modificatign of the Poincare policies and wtth a laborite govern- ment in England these demands may have more for The very hint of 2 labor regime already has tended to cause Pdlncare to soften his poli- cies. How much further he could N COMe g 50 under the demands of a British | yvernment, determined to remove remains to be scen, but Macdonald's very presence in 10 Downing street is certain to result in modification of the French policy, even though there be no immediate formul British de- | mands. Conference Is Likely. would not be surprising to see early conference between repre- sentatives of the French and British governments immediately on assump- tion of power by DMacdonald, that there may be effected understandings as to future governmental courses. France will want to know just how much Britain approves of France's erdeavors in the reparations matter and just of what she disapproves England may be expected to make some effort to preserve the entente, but with strictly British viewpoint given greater consideration than It has at any time since Llovd George stepped downs from power—a view- point that inevitably, however, will be tinctured somewhat by a modified in- ternationalism. The labor experiment will be of far- reaching interest and consequence on the continent and even may lead to a reorganization of the governmental scheme of things throughout the British empire. At least the func- tioning of conservative dominion It ever remaining on the alcrt to pre- vent undue departures reacting on ! regimes with the laborites in London will prove interesting. Political Clashes Aid Public, Says J. Ramsay Macdonald (Continued from First Page.) must be considered in relation to the | well-being of thé mass of the people. |1 From the political clash of these two opposing views we are to have a legislative and administrative re- sultant which will carry us over our dificulties to a better social state. But if the public are to have confi- dence in that method of settlement the clash must be in the open; the best that can be said on both sides must be said in the ears of the world and not around a private conference board and behind curtains; the elec- tors must not be presented with the results arrived at, but must see and hear the argument. Not only is the best possible de- pendent on the prevailing view hav- n& to stand the test of public discus- #ion; not only iy the truth invigorated and promoted by being hammered and fashioned by the blows of rival cham- Dlons, but if the political methods are to be accepted in preference to others which promise speedier results and more drastic effects, the country must ®s convinced that there is no humbug about it and must see the conflict in full operation, o that it itself is in a position to pronounce u verdict. As regards the working of the par- liamentary machine itself, one has to come to the same conclusion—that @ strong opposition is as essential as a strong government. Governments bave to be watched by men who will excuse nothing and condone nothing. Bills and proposals have to be scru- tinized by hostile eves searching for fallure to embody purposes and for looseness in expressing intention. Lapses in rectitudes, like the puffing of ministers by their own depart- ments, have to be challenged by a parliamentary section whose business it is to let nothing of a doubtful nature pass. 3 This can never be done by men whose fortunes are.in the keeping of government whips ahd whose actions Pproduced friction between themselves and the political organizations in which their pelitical’ fate reposes. One has to.regret that the compara- tively recent doctrine that the gov- ernment must always win on a divi- sion and that it must lose in prestige of bills of first-class bills upon whlch(lha best depart- mental and draftiig skill had been vished—as first introduced with the draft of the bills when they leave the house of commons to see the work of an opposition. In the pres- ent session the indemnity bill was so knocked about in fair debate that at one stage we had to suspend further discussion in order that the bill as it then stood might be printed anew, so that we might know what we were doing. As regards the housing and rent bills, although much altered by the criticisms of the opposition, amendments were rejected because the government stood upon Its amour Propre, with the result that loosely worded clauses were kept in and will now have to be interpreted in the courts. importance— Opposition the Watchdox. The accuracy and the fullness of legislation depend as much on a criti- cal opposition as upon the responsible government. Nor is that a complete statement of the case. It is the oppo- sition which makes the business of the house of commons. The govern- ment produces the chief bills of a session and casts them on certain lines, but it is the opposition that examines them, that puts the flail ‘of criticism on them. It {s the opposi- tion that has to keep an eye upon supply votes and, as a watchdog, to be as responsible for what is being done as the government {tself, though its responsibility is limited to that of criticism and inquiry. But, above all, it is the opposition that guards the liberty of parliament agalnst s natural enemy, the execu- tive. It is in the nature of the ex- ecutive to become a directory and to reduce the authority of parliament; it is in the nature of the opposition to malntain the supremacy of the house of commons. 2 ; Thus, in addition to the other func- tions of an opposition, it provides a training in the work%f government, ,heclllua it can do its duty only when its members are masters of parlia- mentary procedure and are familiar with all the processes of legislation if it listens to criticism is limiting far too much the usefulness of oppo- sition, and T hope that one of the very first changes made in parliamentarys practice by a labor government will be a return to'the freer methods which once were pursued. One has only to compare the clauses and administration. In a sentence, neither the conditions under which representative and constitutional de. mocracy can exist nor those under which parliamentary institutions work can be provided unless there is 'a recogalsed official opposition as well as a responsible government. * (Copyright, 19a3.) - They feel Macdonald will re- | in Lon-{ be | jthe sort of {once had, and suggests the reason | To the labor- | the seeds of future continental strife, | i | -Tort of Baldwin and his predecessors | | i saults upon | | out of the room, her handkerchief to THE SUNDAY BY HERBERT COREY. The most extraordinary thing about Wilbur J. Carr ie that he thinks he has been lucky. This theme having been established, the story promptly veers to a large city in Europe. The period was about the time that Carr entered the consular service, as ste- nographer, in order that he might | remain on pleasant terms with his landlady while he studied law at night. A newly appointed consul entered the office of which he was to be the chief in the large clty in Europe. He found a2 nice looking elderly ‘lady and a somewhat rummy clerk await- ing him. The consul, they sald, was out. “When will he be back?” Appointees’ Patience Wanes. “Very soon,” sald the elderly-lady | and the rummy clerk, in concert. “I'll wait,” said the new consul. He walted all that day. The next day. He waited that week. They used to hand him the morning paper and pull his chair around in’front of the window and act as though he were a favorite son. But they did not produce the consul. At last he showed his commission, along with a slight streak’ of impatience. The nice looking elderly lady staggered N her “face. Thé somewhat clerk saw that the Jig was up. grinned “Now." said the new consul, “pro- duce the consul, so I can take over. Where is he “He's tied to his chair” sald the clerk. “Upstairs. He's been nutty for three years.” : This perfectly true story fllustrates | a consular service we | rummy He why Wilbur J. Carr has been trying | to improve it ever since 1893, which | is only thirty years, and why there is a reasonable probability that the | Rogers bill will be enacted at this| winter's session of Congress. The Rogers bill proposes something of a dovetailing of the diplomaticand con- | sular ervices, |1t promises @ suf. | clent reward to keep the efficlent men . in the consular service and sets up a | graphic «tandard that wiil weed the inefil- clent men ont of the dipibmatic corps 1t has been in one form and another before Congress for twenty-elght & that time hundreds of | v€ been held by commit- ees on one aspect or another of {t. No Action Taken in Senate. Last year the House was so con-| vinced that it was worthy of passage | that less than thirty votes were peg- istered in the negutive against strength of the company in affirmative The Senate secms to have been | equally convinced, but it did not vote | :n the - bill, thanks to one of the| Je Senate’s own rules. It was broughtd” up for pasvage (hre times, but chen T time an objection was reglistered, to | They came its consideration, and it went over. from The cbjection was not to the bilk but | to its consideration at these particu- lar times. Consequently it was | caughtgin the end of the session | pressuf® and not considered again, | But there is every reason to be- | lieve that it will be made law this|a plan for year. Which diverts the thread of | sorvice. B this story back to Wilbur J. Carr, di- | SeFVice. Boi rector of the consular service. |appointmen He is a husky, square-shouldered, | only, with blue-eyed, warm-handed person of 4 | gyy. pecullarly placid disposition. When | °9% he came on from Hillsboro, Ohio, where he had broken th local steno. The Stor BY HENRY W. BUNN. HE following 1s a brief summary of the most important news of the world for the seven days ended January 5 FRANCE. It will be recalled how something over year ago M. Citroen crossed the Sahara with five caterpillar cars from Tuggurt (Touggourt) %o Timbuktu, a distance of some 2,000 miles, A glorious feat? True. It demonstrated the practicability of motor transportation for the desert? Not quite. An attempt was made with these same caterpillar cars to cross the stretch of 186 miles from Tuggurt to Toser (Tozeur, southern Tunis) and it failed. The caterpillars barely, with much ghoveling, reached the Oasis of El-Wad, sev- enty-five mlles from Tuggurt. From Tuggurt to Timbuktu it proved to be hard ground ex- cept for short stretches. From Tuggurt to Toser it s a country of ever-shifting dunes. But the other day President Dalpiaz of the Compalgne Generale Transatlantique crossed this dune country with ease with two cars of special construction. He did it in less than two days, whereas the camel takes from ten to twelve. The Dalplaz car has six pairs of wheels, four of them in rear and apparently can go anywhere. The stretch from Tuggurt to Toser is sald to be the worst in Africa; wherefrom it follows that complete survey of the Saharan region, the area of which exceeds that of the United States, is now feasible. No doubt tre- mendous changes in the Sahara are ahead; part of it will be reclaimed by irrigation. Mediterranean waters may be let in to form an inland lake. There will be airplane and motor routes; perhaps railroads. CZECHOSLOVAKIA, It is reported that despite excellent reasons, which the Czechoslovak government has for wishing to keep clear of definite commitment to support 6f French policy, it has actually so bound itself by treaty. If the treaty is of the character .set forth by the French press, It would seem to indicate that Benes the Czech- slovak foreign minister, the most astute and careful of European statesmen, has convinced himself that the French policy is assured of permanent success. ¥ MEMELLAND. The treaty of Versailles gave to the allies the right to determine the political status of the little district of Memelland, with its im- pértant port of Memel. A few months ago the conference of ambassadors at Paris, acting for the allied governments humorously recognized an assertion of the right of self-determina- tion by the Mellanders and gave Memelland to Lithuania, on the consideration that the Lith- uanian goverament would subscribe certain ar- ements intended to facilitate use of the Dort of Memel by nelghbor states, in particular Poland. But when & convention setting forth these arrangements was presented by the contercnce of ambassadors to the Lithuanian government for signature, the latter shied off. The ambassadors then turned over the matter to the council of the league of nations, and the latter is creating & commission to be com- posed of nationals of states which have no speclal ‘iptorest in uer:lul. to investigate the nd recommend. 5 A residency of the commission has been offered to Mr. Brand Whitlock. It s the opinion of some that a solution satisfactory to Lith- uania might go far to induce a general ac- cord between Poland and Lithuani GREECE. On January 2, the Greek comstituent assem- bly met and theirevolutionary committee and its obedient instrument, the provisional gov- ernment, formally surrendered to it their au- thority. - Col. Plastiras, head of the revolu- onary committee, made an “apology” for the eniust of himeelt and his colleagtes during the fifteen months, which was heartily applauded. Indeed the colonel and his asso- cistes have: deserved ‘well- of their country, re. }in | troduc ney Ty litical pull, { with the fill volum drunkards the | were really the | When they t g W man on tap. Tan | Washington, the consular serv. condition illustrated by the in- | y was demand had been given his p State | had to appeal to his senator and the | State Department was put in its place The tales of consular vagaries would competent clerk tayed there. !eling Americans used to turn purple quainted with a lection of around in the arc formation. Plenty of information was |draw our request.” | A man in higi position who did not the consular rervice ctually operated on the merit sys- | So-and-So be considered for appointment to a cer- Jones-Carr Consular Plan. Eventually That plan executive order by Fresident Cleve- Before putti ¥ WILBUR J. CARR. to law_in e was cords. study | Alling friends. the service President story. No particular effi- d of u consul. He ough po- and whenevef he differed Department he only | to pass the answers. Then One man found a and went hom Others were graff and plain thiev lago Dire men. old about the rapher in tne consula ashington n sihe had been i the service in | said., in effeet, charged with a | You are ries about consuls. | happen ck to the young |an outside und he dug|rule the boss?" s for further in-{ *You win," is wh as a Hillsbe | understand that nd Jones worked out the improvement of the led down, it provided for t and promotion on merit political influence ruled was promulgated in tem now, asked that tain post. LIl consider hi .consider every ma But your man ha a chance. When the calle ords and efficienc; the s e n it out, ho n tou | |he took the precautionary action of with his McKinley came and disregarded the Cleveland plan He did not revoke it. He merely paid no attention to it. Of 108 appointees | to the service, only one man failed' examination. man_simply could not remember Roosevelt |order under which the service is op- v |erating today. It still works, tor Carr was calle are friends of So-and-So," “We wish to urge that h | trausterred to a certain post.” They were men of the first import- ance. Mr. Carr replied that the young an was going to the post to which transferred. a business offic business men. What wou'd to your own organizations it could come in and over- said the men said Carr. in the n't got a ghost of His record is bad learned that rec- and not pull gov-|Lucky to have had the chance to STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, JANUARY 6, 1924—PART .2, turther. Ho wanted to the con- sular service made first rate, he sald, ltke every other American. He would do all in” his power to help. The first bill providing for the reformation of the diplomatic and consular services was introduced in 1895 by Senator Morgan of Alabama along the lines suggested by Carr and Jones, In the years that have elapsed much has been done under the execu- tive order of President Roosevelt. The weakness today is that while only men of first rate ablility are ad- mitted to the service, it is dificult to keep them. A man who has an in- como of bjs own and a real desire to {Berve 1s often found who is willing to | work for half pay. But the good men who are not so weil provided are com- pelled to leave after a few years. The salaries are so small that it {s not {possible for any consul to save money, and there s no rewrement pay pro- vided. As soon as a consul thoroughly learns his business some commercial |company *always offers ‘him " more imoney. In justice to himself and his family he is often compelled to ac- cept.” Troubles of the Diplomats. A somewhat similar condition ex- ists in the diplomatic service. The |social demands made upon even the lowersdiplomatic ranks are so great land so constant that no man can hope | that his pay will more than half pay his way, even with the most extreme economy. Consequently appointments {in the diplomatic establishment have |been automatically restricted to rich {men or the sons of rich men. Many of {them are admittedly unfit, for one or {another reason. But the State Depart- iment ha# been obliged to keep many of them because of the difficulty of finding better men on & pay-your- own-way basis. Carr Discusses Rogers BilL “If the Rogers bill becomes a law,” said Carr, “t will help us retain the best men in’ the consular service. | They will not feel themselves com- | pelled to seek other employment to {provide for the future. Their effi- |clency will be increased because of | the spur to their ambition. The im- | mediate superannuation of twenty or twenty-five faithful servants will {Tower the age average and increase {the hustling capacity of the corps.” | “Another Immediate result will be a | i weeding out of the white-spat boys in the State Department. That is what cruel people call the young men who are diplomats by reason of a generous father and a set of lovely thes. Those of the white-spat sort own ! who remain will find themselves ele- in | vated on their toes by the sudden ne- | cessity of competition with a line of {lively voung consuls. The thoroughly | “while young men in the diplo- establishment will presumably welcome their changed status. No one says more unkind thinge about the mental capacity of some young diplomats than other young diplo- mats. - thirty years ng to this- end. The poor the issued the ot long on’ by Carr has been He began by they e reformation, As he progressed in rank he mef the pressure of the poli- ticians at a time when political prea- sure was almost all-powerful. He was made director of the consular service in 1905, and since then has been busily weeding wrong ones out and. coaxing right ones in. He is the final authority on everything that consuls should know, and they are presumed to know everything and be able to do anything. He has given his time and energy unsparingly to those who have been sufficiently in- torested to join him in the work of attempting fo improve the service. It {and when the diplomatic establish- ment is put upon a basis of matter- of-fact efficiency the change will have been due to Wilbur J. Carr more than any other man. He has had one of the hardest and most unpleasant Jobs in the government service. And he thinks he has been lucky. “This," he Ve with- P service. y the Week Has Told though one could wish the judicial murders had been omitted. The colonel having perorated, the liberai republican deputies fell to wrang- ling over the speakership, and the business quickly got so hot that, to avold bloody sconces adjournment was taken to the 5th, when Venizelos would be on hand to exercise a refrigerating influence. Venizelos arrived in Athens on the 4th, ‘ RUSSIA. A new communistic institution called “Octo- brization” (after the October revolution) has been devised to replace baptism. The ceremony was performed for the first time on December 18, last; Kalinin, himself, president of the .soviet republic, participating as “goodfather” scene; a communist hall of meeting filled with 100 per cent reds. A chairman in place of priest. The infant is placed on the platform in a red cradle, a guard of honor of children disposed around it. A name is voted and formally an- nounced, and an orchestra plays the “Interna- tional.” Little Valdimir is now Octoberized. Speeches follow and thereafter, a *non-sacred” conce A decree has been issued forbidding teach- ing of any sort except in communist schools. A new statute for the governance of communist schools forbids punisnment of any sort. The anti-religious celebrations of Christmas weelk are officially reported to have been a great success. The Russian natfon has been standing on its head a long time, but the posture is of- ficially declared to be agreeable. PERSIA. The Persian government has granted to the Sincjair Oil Corporation the exclusive right of oil explditation in four of the five provinces of northern Persia for fifty years, on condi- tions which include an American (private) loan of $10,000,000 to be negotiated by the Sinclair people. The concession requires rati- ficatioa by the Persian parliament, which, how- ever, s regarded as certain. Thus ernds a long struggle jn which the protagonists were the Anglo-Persian Oil Company, the Sinclair Com- pany and the Standard of New Jersey. The Anglo-Persian Oil Company is the oil conces- slonnaire for the southern provinces of Persia. An American, Dr. Millspaugh, is adminis- trator general of the finances of Persia, and another American, R. A. Philpot, has been chosen to head the government Bank of Per- sia. The Persian flsc is doing nicely under Dr. Millspaugh's direction. The budget bal- ances. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. The Mdxican government requested our gov- ernment to. sell it certain war material, to include small arms, rifles and ammunition, artillery with ammunition therefor, airplanes and two cruisers. “In view of the importance of maintenance of stability and orderly con- stitutional procedure in the neighboring re- public.” » * Our government assented, in part, and has already sold to the Obregon govermment five - thousand Enfleld rifies, with five million rounds of ammunigjon therefor, and eight airplanes. As all this material is surplus, presumably the planes are obsolescent ones of which we are well rid, but which may serve Obregon's turn, ending their ‘briet’ careers with a crowded hour or two of more or tess fi\o"lfl“' life. Our government will not sell crusiers for two rea- sons: One, that we have no cruisers to spare, the other, that such sale would be a violation of the Washington conference naval treaty. The Secretary of War, announcing the sale, re- marks: “The articles do not cover the entire list requested, but the Mexican government finds they will answer its present requirements.” Obviously our government would limit its sales to minimum requirement: According to the general Interpretation, the action of our government in this matter is based upon the “principle” that political questions aris- ing In this hemisphere should be decided by the ballot and not by the bullet, and the further “prineiple” that it Is our business to see that + decisions are so effected, The second of these (supposed) “principles” is widely challenged. and the ~government's present action has started a Logomachy in this country, com- pared with which the Mexican hostilities seem tame. On January 3, a resolution was offered i the House, whereof the following is the most important paragraph: ‘Any sale of any war equipment of any kind or nature whatsoever, including machines, by the United States or any department thereof, to any foreign power or to any in- dividual or individuals without proper guar- antees that such supplies are not to be trans- ferred to any foreign power, is hereby pro- hibited. It is, I believe, in view of our administra- tion that sales of limited quantities of surplus war material to recognized Latin-American governments for the suppression of insurrec- tion are in quite a different category from those sales to “foreign powers” which Pres- ident Harding forbade in his famous letter, the object in allowing sale in the one case being the same as the object in forbidding salo "In the other—namely, to discourage bloodshed. Sir Auckland Geddes, having resigned his post as British ambassador at Washington Lecause of eye trouble. caused by gassing in the war, Sir Esme William Howard has been appointed to succeed him. Sir Esme belongs to the regular Britisi diplomatic establishment, and has had a die- tinguished career therein. Since 1919 _he has been ambassador at Madrid. He served with conspicuous gallantry in the South African war. He is a member of a junior branch of the ‘Great Roman Catholic House of Howard, and his wife's connections are, no less Patrician, Presldent Coolidge has written let- ters to Julius H. Barnes, president of the Chamber "of Commerce of the United States, and Samuel Gompers, president of the Amer- ican Federation of 'Labor, asking the co- operation of the organization headed by them toward finding employment for rehabilitated war victims. There are still about 70,000 in training under the direction of the Veterans' Bureau. about 3,000 being “graduated” weekly as ready for work. KADIUM. s Radium deposits were discovered in Ferghana some ten years ago, and some of the ore was sent to Petrograd before the war for lab- oratory experiment, its composition being dif- ferent from that of any radlo-active ore previously known. A method of isolating the radium was discovered in 1917, but owing to the war, exploltation of the deposits was mot resumed until recently. It now appears that the deposits are more extensive than any previously known, and ticher in radium content. This fs good news, as the therapeutic use of radium has been nar- rowly restricted because of the extrome meagerness of the supply and the terrific cost. The world's present supply of radium is only about eight ounces, of which the United States possesses about three, Britain somewhat more. There 15 not enough radium on hand in the world to_treat one cancer case in twenty. About three and one-half ounces has been produced in the United States, mostly in Colorado, but the Colorado industry was knocked in the head by the discovery in the Belgian Congo of richer ores. It is said that under institu- tional conditions of.use radium reducés itself by half through radiatlon, in 1,800. MISCELLANEOUS. The new Italian fascisti militia has shown great gallantry in the recent fighting against the rebellious tribes in Tripoll. On December 31, the grant (under pressure) by the Italian chamber, to Premier Mussolin{, of full financial and bureaucratic powers lapsed, and by the same token constitutional government was restored in full. The military situation in Mexico continues obscure. The wheat production of the world, exclusive of ‘the United States, averaged in 1823 about 8 per cent above that of 1922, while that of the United States fell off § per cent. One hears of 1923 bumper crops of rye, barley and oats all over the planet. The 1923 wheat crops of French Morocco, Algeria and Tunis, were double those of 1932. By mixzing a_little rye or potato flour with ‘wheat flour, France can do without importls ‘wheat from outside her empire until the n barvest, - hing the dope on which other | men_were able to urge his plan for | ISSUES NOW IN TEAPOT INVOLVED DOME LEASE Causes of Fight Over ‘Oil Fields, Which Has Brought Senate Investiga- - tion, Are BY G. GOULD LINCOLN. EAPOT DOME—officlally desig- nated as naval ofl reserve No. 3, Wyoming—has been more or less in the limelight since its lease by former Secretary Fall of the Interior. Department to the Mam- mouth Oil Company, of which H. F. Sinclair 1s president, in the spring of 1922, It is particularly in the public eye teday because of the investiga- tlon of that lease by the Senate com- mittee on public lands, which began October 22 and is still continuing. The supporters of the lease insist that the controversy over the lease is il a tempest in a teapot. They say that the lease is designed to give the navy an ofl reserve in tankage on the Atlantio and Pacific coasts, where it can be obtained,quickly when it is most needed, They say, too, that it the Teapot Dome oil area was not developed under Aease, with the Navy sharing in the development, eventu- ally a great part of the oil wodld be drained away by wells on terri- tory contiguous to the naval re- Berve:: that the gas pressure would be 80 reduced as to make it fmpossi- ble to obtain the oil, etc. Contrary View Takem. The contrary view is taken, how- ever, by the critics of the - lease. These critics contend that the great oil reserve set aslde for the use of the Navy when it needs fuel ofl, gasoline and lubricants In the future, and particularly in case of future wars, are being depleted without an adequate supply of oil being pro- vided. They maintain that the lease of Teapot Dome—as well as the leases of the naval ofl reserves Nos. 1 and 2 in Coliforpia—is in the in- terests of the oil producing com- panfes and not of the Navy. The controversy, therefore, in- volves a question of policy, in which geological questions are involved. Expert testimony has been given on both sides. Should the government have undertaken to conserve its naval oll reserves underground; should it have undertaken to develop the oil reserves itself, bullding the ssary tankage and pipe lines ry, or should it have {leased the ofl reserves—as it has { done—on a royalty basis, the govern- | ment paying for storage facilities out of the ofl it received? Teapot Dome, or naval oil reserve No. 3, contains approximately 9,300 acres. It has been variously estimated that there are from 12,000,000 to 26, 000,000 barrels of crude oil in the re- serve. The figure 25,000,000 has been generally used In recent weeks as the probable amount. Under the lease to the Mammoth Oil Company, the gov- ernment recelves royalties on oil pro- duced ranging from 12% per cent of production to 50 per cent, according to the average daily production per well for the calendar month. The government so far has been receiving about 17 per cent of the oil produced as rovalties. The critics of the lease figure that the Navy is going to have a very small oil reserve when all is said and done. U. S. to Get 5,000,000 Barrels. For example, they say that the tes- timony brought out in the hearing now under way shows that the cost of tank construction to the government is about $2 per barrel; that the crude oil issuing from the wells in Teapot Dome 1s worth about §1 per barrel— the present rate is something less than that—and that it will require two barrels of oll to provide one bar- rel of tankage Estimating the oll content of the reserve at 25,000,000 barrels end the rovalty the govern- ment will receive from the Mammoth Company at 20 per cent, which is 3 per cent more than it has been re- ! celving, then the government will get out of the reserve 5,000,000 barrels of ofl. If two-thirds of this amount is used to pay for the tankage, then the total dmount that the Navy will have stored out of the total possible pro- duction of 25,000,000 barrels will be 1,666,000 barrels. The naval oil reserves wers set aside, it 1s contended, to provide an Business Raises Revealed. |ofl supply when vitally needed. The lease of the Teapot Dome reserve and the others in California is not going to provide an adequate reserve, it is said. What the government wanted |for the Navy was oll, perhaps at a time when the cost as represented in dollars and cents would be the least important item. Oil is a prime essen- tial for a first-class Navy under mod- ern conditions. It is required for speed, and Navy boats must be speedy Under the plan now adopted, the Navy will receive as royalties from the leases fuel oil, which will be stored In the tanks. But the develop ment of the Dlesel engine and others may revolutionize the Navy vessels: it may be that not fuel ofl but gaso- line I8 the greatest need of the Nav in the future. The fuel oil provided will have had the gasoline removed Certainly, it is pointed out, the service will need gasoline and no: fuel ofl, Navy Would.Have Had More. The claim has been made that th ofl fn Teapot Dome would be drained away to a very great extent by the wells on adfacent property. But it now appears that the government ls obtaining from the wells profiting by the dralnage varying from 25 to 50 per cent, as against 17 per cent realized under the Mammoth lease. Two jexperts employed by the Senate com- mittee have testified that that por- tion of the reserve lying north of u great fault which cuts across the structure would eventuslly be se- riously affected and it ought to be leased. One of the experts on exam- ination by the committee did not de velop any Jjustification for leasing the part of the reserve south of the fault, in which he estimated there are 10,000,000 barrels of oll. Of the 16,000,000 barrels north of the faulr it was estimated that 25 per cent, o- 4,000,000 barrels, would have been los: if the reserve had not been leased |1f there had been a loss of 4,000,00 ibarrels from the total reserve th ywould still have been left 22,000.000 ibarrels of crude oll, it is contended, for the future use of the Navy, in- stead of a probable 1,666,000 barrels of fuel ofl in tankage along the coast While the investigatlon was brought about by the leasing of raval reserve No. 3, it has been showr that the whole of naval ol reserve I!\'o. 1, in California, has also been leased to the Pan-American Petro- leum Company. controlled by the Do henny Interests. It appears also that this compan | has securea a contract for the cox i struction of tankage at Pearl Har- bor, Honmolulu, adequate to hol 1,500,000 barrels, to be paid for fn crude oil from the naval reserve to the amount of 4,000,000 barrels, cluding appurtenances in the way of docks and wharves, etc. This com- pany eecured a further contract for the construction of tankage to be | paia for in oll estimated to call for | about 15,000,000 barrels. Further, a {plan has been outlined in the Navy Department looking to the construc- tion of tankage costing about $103,- 000,000, to be paid for in royalty of! | Leasing Brings Criticlam. For many years the Navy Depart- ment resisted efforts to bring about the leasing of- the oil reserves, ex- cept In cases wherc drainage was destroying the reserves. The admin- istration of naval oll reserves was, during the Harding administration, turned over to the Interlor Depart- ment, and former Secretary Fall ne- gotlated the leases of Teapot Dome to the Sinclair interests and of raval reserve No. 1 to the Dohenny terests. This course was criticized imm diately by many members of Cor gress and by a number of the nava officers who had given particular at tention to the naval oil reserves. 1° was defended by Secretary Fall and by Secretary Denby of the Navy. Tho fnvestigation by the Senats committes has covered a wide range. and is not yet completed. When i is, majority and minority reports ma: be expected, it is said. in- Voice Against Compensation Insurance Plan EMBERS of the Senate and House District committees are recelving many letters from business organizations apd individual business men all over the country who are afliated with the Chamber of Commerce of the United States protesting against the “monopolistic” workmen's compensa jtion finsurance legislation fathered by Senator Jones of Washington and Representative Roy G. Fitzgerald of Ohlo. They are also having referred to them letters which are being re- celved daily by other members of Con- gress attacking this proposed legis- lation, which was defeated in the Sixty-seventh Congress, after having delayed for months action on other important District measures, and which has been reintroduced with a few changes. A’ circular letter went out by Jullus H. Barnes, president of the Chamber of Commerce of the United States, to organization members suggesting that they individually make known their position to members of Congress as opposed to such legisiation and as favoring “less government in busi- 1s quoted in a numbes of pro- tests, criticising features of the Jones-Fitzgerald bill as follow: 1. A monopolistic insurance fund supervised by a federal agency, the United States employes compensation commission,.and .initially financed by a federal government appropriation. By “monopolistic’ we mean that pri- yate insurance compantes lrgnlcl::g- lutely debarred from any pa: - Hoe'Tn this business. The bill appiies to the protection of employes in pr vate business concerns in the DI trict, not in any way to public em- 2 3 The freedom of contract is taken from employes in the District of Columbia, as far as it relates to insurance, All forms of workmen's compensation insurance excepting the monopolistic state fund are excluded —including self-insurers and mutual lations. . The commission, under this bill, dotermines the rate and amount of premiums, takes care of the collection of premiums and deelfln,&{u amount and the payment of compensatios but all without any check upon de- cisions and actions, cxcept as men- tioned in point 4 below. “4. This commission reviews its own decisions, with right of appeal |to courts only on matters of law. “5. Employers are forced to take government insurance. In the event they should not do so, they cannot avail® themselves- of the following common-law defenses. namely, the fellow servant rule, the defense of assumpticn of risk or the defenss of contributory negligence. . The treasurer of the United States is charged with the responsi- bility of taking care of and invest- ing all funds, which, in the opinion of the commission, are not needed for current requirements.” President Barnes argues that “the enactment of these principles would definitely commit the federal gov- ernment to a policy of encroachment upon matters properly within the jEcope of privats business endeavor.” He advises the organization memb ship that the national chamber definitely committed against govern- ment interference in business,” and that on three different occasions its membership has gone on record to this effect. In explaining the views of the national chamber that this question, although the bill directly affects onl the District of Columbia, is “not local, but applies to the whole coun- President Barnes say voring state insurance as t insurance as a private busi- ness endeavor—whether stock or mu- tual—or self-insurance, are concen- trating their efforts on the passage ot this bill in the District with the thought that if passed by the United States government for the District of Columbia it can be used with author- ity as a model for legislation n tne several states. “The national chamber, in oppos- ing the bill, is not opposing work- men's compensation insurance, but submits that government monopoly of the type provided in the pending. measure may only be justified by proot that insurance has failed un- der private direetion to fulfill its function, and no snch proof has been submitted.. Furthermore, we see no object in the use of federal govern- ment funds to install the government in the insurance business.”