Evening Star Newspaper, October 17, 1926, Page 57

. | EDITORIAL PAGE NATIONAL PROBLEMS SPECIAL FEATURES EDITORIAL SECTION Part 2—16 Pages he Sunday Stad | ANGLO-GERMAN MEETING SEEKS INDUSTRIAL UNITY Europe at Last Looking Forward, Not Backward Toward Ancient Hates, Says Sir Philip Gibbs. BY SIR PHILIP GIBBS. ONDON: Secrat gonferences ho- tween British and German in- dustrial leaders have heen held luring the last few days in the Foglish country house helong- ng to Col. Ashley, minister of trans- port in Premier Raldwin's govern. ment. Details of those private con versations are unpublished. but it known that their main ohject is to prevent cutthreat competition be tween England and Germany in heavy Industries and other trades and to control world prices by common agreement. An economic understanding he- | tween Germany and France. especially in relation to coal, iron and steel, has already heen formulated and accepted, Owing 0 individual rivalries of steel- producinz firms, England, Wales and | Great Britain were unable to join this| comhination of interests, although in- vited to do so by the German gov- ernment. Now, however, Premier Raldwin and his advisers are seri- sly perturbed by England's indus- | trial isolation and position due to for- | eign competition. failine markets and a severe depression at home. Broader Policies Necessary. Several great aunthorities, like Sir Rohert Horne, formerly chancellor of the exchequer, and Baldwin himself, wha is more of a husiness man than | politician, are convinced that England | cannot maintain her national strength | cut-throat mitting most of her ‘rlvals’ wares trade pride and prosperity have been roughly shaken during post-war vears | hy devastating unemployment and the |1oss of world markets by under- | cutting. During the period of worth- |less paper monev German industrial- plants. cheapened their costs of pro- duction, and offered goods at pric profit. Even now they are aceepting contracts which give only the barest margin above produetion costs. In order to.mect reparation pa ments under the Dawes scheme, Ger- many needs to export surplus goods, and finds herself halked by the neces. sity of selling so cheaply that na tional prosperity Is not advancing in relation to power and industry. Her astute husiness minds realize that this competition could he avoided by friendly arrangements and | co-operation with her leading rivals, so they may control prices and pool profits. RBasis of Conference. That is the idea which brought five leading Industrialists of Germany to the English country house, remote from journalists and publicity, there to discuss trade conditions with Rritish officials while they smoked and prosperity npon old, narrow and Insular lines. There is now a des- | nd urgent need for hig in- will which ’timula organize FEuropean trade. These men. who are supported by the zreat body of conservative apin- fon sve there should he an eco- nom pact among the industrial | powers of Enrope which should cor- | respond to the Loc ) "t in the| political world. Eveniually would | lead to an economic United States of Zurope, controlling zupplies and prices of raw materials and manufac- tured gonds and abolishing tariff walls | within Furope, while raising them, if | necessary, against the United States of America This idea, which is not of sudden | growth, but has long been discussed | hy great Industrialists in Germany, ¥rance and England. is causing alarm in Liberal minds hecause of the pos &ible dangers which may lurk in such international agreements, It is pos gible. for instance, that European democracy would be dominated by | immense international trusts. keeping | labor cheap and prices high. and | using its supreme politics influence | to stop the Kuropean system of in- | dustrial tyranny tar ahead. Chaos Painfully Apparent. | that is looking too Regarding Knrope at the present time. its industrial chaos of waste and | rivalry are painfully apparent and ut terly lacking in common sense. No Eooner ha the new nations obtained the independerce by the treaty of Yersailies thar little peoaples hurvied thems by their neighbors, + gronp of tortifie which is 1r de s in the ather islanders olls 10 admit within its own system which 1 immercial siag. | walls That is a to industrial and eat Britain stands alone in ad. | len. land adventur thelr cigars under the Autumn-tinted trees and carefully avolded all refer- » to past history. Europe is actually looking forward last and mot backward to ancient hates. During recent months, as at Geneva. there has been a distinct forward movement in- ropean minds leading toward that ideal United States of Europe for self-pro- tection and co-operation. ‘It not zone far, but the first steps have been made In a cautious, hesitating way. he truth is France. Germany and England are anxious about their im as mediate future. In each of those countries there are industrial and financial dangers which are very threatening. In each of those countries there are minds which realize somherly that if revolution. | hostility and hatred govern their relations, nothing bhut disaster and civil strife awaits the next generation or our own. Bold Adventure Ahead. Little, niggling national schemes of economy and reform will not avail To save Europe from inevitable de- cadence there must he hold adventu and_international co-operation. I land feels that in her old bones. F industrialist in England. after perate for some mew national vision The have Anglo German n born out of that spirit and ho They have ranged as far as Russia, which awaits reconstruction until that time when its dictato come into line with European eth: That conversation in Col. Ashley country house may change soclal hi tory in Furope hy creating a new economic systen of far-reaching but whether for good or ill I prophet _enough to am not \ in the: I sce many dange inter national combines, well as great ! advant They may make for | peace among nations, but strife be- tween classes (Copvright. 1 DEMAND FOR SHIPS SO GREAT CARGO RATES Fleet Corporation Has Mo ARE ADVANCING re Vessels on Seas Today Than Since Collapse in 1920, With Others Being Reconditioned to Meet Growing Needs. BY HARDEN COLFAX For the first time since the post war boom in 1920, the demand | for tonnage s heavy at American ports that carge rates are | advancing. Uncle Sam, collapsed, ocean s0 an unwilling ship oper ator, wringing his hands In distress, while the major portion of a mam- | moth fleet built at high cost to meet | war needs rotted at anchor in quiet | waters, has more of his vessels steam ing the seas today than for vears. Thirty-five more ships are in com mission than at any time in two vears. | Despite sales to private owners of | choice vessels during that period, the | T'nited States Shipping Board s pre- | paring to recondition 25 to 30 others | m its reserve. It will place them in service if conditions justif | The Emergency Flaet Corporation | this week was forced to decline a | cargo. the first occurrance of the kind in many a long day. With 50 vessels ordinarily assigned to relief roles, the corporation found itself this week with only three unengaged. and these n waters far removed from the gulf. | a b 7il whence came the call f transport lumber to Rr ttom to The lum- her will he moved. on a delaved voy-| age, by various shifts, but the condi- tion is significant The North Atlantic conference re- | cently announced an increase in rates. | fimilar action has been taken hy lines | operating ent of Gulf ports. Thus | far. no increases have been made on shipments from South, Atlantic or Pa cific ports. The higher freight rates are not applicable to all commodities Cotton. for instance, which is of tre mendous importance to the South, i payving the same ocean rates as for- mer! | There is no hoom in shipping. The | American merchant marine problem is not enlved. The pic-ure is not one | of vivid splashes of color. but rather | ghows a brightening of the dull gray | of depression which has marked tha industry for many months. How long the more happy condition will exist is uncertain, but it is not too much to say that the present situ- ation in_ocean transportation along the far-flung coasts of the United States is the best since post-war infla- tion turned to deflation Ocean freight rates have been low since the armistice le’t a vast surplus of ships on all the seven seas. It has been the exceptional line which has _made monev. ‘That is true of all flags. The halls cf Congress have reverberated with the cries of over the losses of Uncle Sam ‘pm‘ operations, although these have = . [heen only relative to what many pri- | States. | cate corporations have suffered at the same time World competition for ¢ kept rates down. It s a fact that acean shipments are carried at prices only slightly in advance of those pre. vailing hefore the war. Forelgn ves sels, due mainly to lower es for thelr crews, operate cheaper than ships under the ['nited States flag thus controlling rates. Rut world commerce is more stab. ilized this vear than since the catas trophe of 1914, Grain. cotton, lumber, petroleum are rushinz from the | United States in heavy quantities. add. | ing to the normal which calls for ships. The increase in bulk exports since the first of July has been extraordinary. Enfoying a domestic prosperity which is making new records in many lines, the United States is drawing more heavily upon its wealth of products to supply the needs of for- export demand foreign shores in almost unprecedent | ed quantities. after havig lagzed in months this year 3R1.000 bales were exported, contrasted with 315,000 in the same month of 1925, and the movement continued throughout September early rels in tha same comparison. Japan is buying American wheat this vear. kerosene exported are ahead of la: vear. So are shipments of soft wood lumber, iron ore, copper, steel prod. commodities. New Religous Plan. To discover the religious problems which perplex the man in the street, Rev. F. L. H. Millard, vicar of the Church of St. John the Evangelist, Rrixton, London, is setting aside cer- tain Sundays when, instead of a meon., questinns will be asked by wor- shippere from their pews. The vicar also will question the congregation trom the pulpit. { without high tariffs. but her old free | Y | s man paralyzing coal strike, I8 getting des. | conversations | WASHINGTON 3 D. C,’' SUNDAY MORNING, OCTOB ER 17, 1926. France and Germany Still Far From Day Of Alliance or Even Entente Cordiale BY FRANK H. SIMONDS. ARIS.—Returning to Paris after a certain time spent in Berlin, in Geneva and along the old frontier of Alsace, nothing is more striking than to see the almost unbelievable lengths to which the press of Paris | and of the world at large has carried the dis- | cussion of the consequence of the Geneva meet- | ing itself, and of its actual climax, which was not the entrance of Germany, but the lunch of Briand and Stresemann in the foothills of the | French Jura. ists, working with cheap labor. im- Fibnee Sniiste ondl Greanising | Is a new age just dawning? Are a thousand genius, enormausly extended their| Vears of hatred and strife to be terminated as the consequence of words spoken at a brief luncheon? Or, as one clever Frenchman put it which did not pay them in real to me. “Has the di v . X plomacy of the lunch re- money. Th captured the British Vi A imerien s e e A ish | placed that of the embassies? Above all, what does this present episode mean. what is real, what is imaginary, what is possible?” To begin at the beginning, it is necessary to lay aside all false conceptions as to the ex- act status of the proposed Franco-German en- tente, not to use the word alliance prematurely. i Nothing has heen done, nothing agreed to, noth- | ing has happened except that two foreign min- isters—only the German actually all-powerful 1n his own country—have over their coffee cups agreed that it would he good for their two coun- tries, for the two worlds, if the past and present difficulties could be liquidated. * K % ok Now the basis of possible bargain is almost too obvious. France has the right under the treaty of Versailles to maintain troops in Ger- many and between the Rhine and the French frontier for nine years more. She has also the | right to insist upon a plebiscite in the Saar area | to decide whether the people of the region wish to he German, French or independent under League tutelege. Finally, France owns all the coal mines of the Saar outright. Germany desires to free her own soil forth- | with, to avoid the delay and vexation of a | plebiscite, although every one knows it would &0 her She wants to he master in her own territory at once, and she holds that, now | that the Locarno pacts are established, now ’ | that French security is guaranteed by Britain, Germany and measureably by the League itself, i the presence of the troops is superfluous, is in ! reality a deflance of the spirit of Locarno. | Ougnt not the troops to go without discussion? | Or might it be possible, given the present sit- | uation of France financially. to find a way of | mobilizing eventual reparation payments under the Dawes plan and turning this money over to ¥rance at once? . * ok ok k The transaction is all here. (‘an Germany find a way to provide France with funds which will let France, win clear from her present financial crisis and stabilize her franc? Would | France, against such contribution, agree to end her occupatton of the Rhineland, and in return for a price sell to the Germans the coal mines of the Saar and abandon the Saar as well? In 1870 France hastened her payments of the Ger- indemnity and Germany hastened her of French territory; there is the | | | i i evacution | precedent. | Three things certainly would press the | French toward such an arrangement. First, | profound weariness and universal desire for peace. Second, the gravest sort of disfllusion- ment and even resentment toward the allies of vesterday, particularly the United States and Great Rritain, hecome the exigent creditors of today. Were it possible to escape dependence upon British and American loans and credits by a bargain with Germany, perhaps the public opinion of France would advocate it. Finally, if Gernfany could supply the money, then there might be an énd to this permanent nightmare of the slipping franc. to the enduring agony of inflation. to uncertainty and patent peril. But one has at once to discriminate nar- rowly between the mere question of a transac- tion, of a bargain, which carries with it certain clear but limited conditions, and the far-wider proposal which has filled the press of the world, namely, the proposal for a Franco-German gl- liance, a combination, political. economic, finan- clal, an entente on the lines of that entente be- tween Britain and France, which was made 25 years ago on the morrgw of the Fashoda crisis. * k X X Let us recognize at once in this discussion that the more ambitious proposal, for all the apparent intimacy of Briand and Stresemann and all the beguiling atmosphere of Geneva, remains a very remote and entirely nebulous thing. The Anglo-French entente was not the work of a luncheon; it represented months and even vears of careful negotiation carried on in secret ‘and divided Into two totally different phases: First, the discussion of the many dis- tinct points of difference, and, second, the as- sembling of the various proposed agreements to strike a balance hetween the give and take of the whole transaction. 1f it were'concelvable—and it is at least con- celvable—that France and Germany might reach the same kind of liquidation of past ran- cors and continuing litigations, the process would take vears, it would demand all sorts of expert discussions, economic, financial and po- litical; it would constitute one of the most in- tricate of all bargains. It may come: there is no one save conceivably the spokesman of one of the extmeme nationalist groups in either of the two nations who would venture to pro- nounce it to be impossible and to use the word never. But there is today nothing of this eort in existence, no_plan, no program, nothing except the enthusiasm of M. Briand, based upon his Geneva experience, and the apparent willing- ness of Dr. Stresemann. The question of a Franco-German entente or alliance is not on the calendar. Newspaper discussion, League of Nations enthusiasm, have gone far heyond any concelvable facts. The whole transformation of Franco-German relations at the moment rests upon no firmer foundation than that of the menu of the lunch at Thoiry. * ok ok K There remains the second and far more lim- ited field. Can a bargain, relatively immediate, be struck on the question of French evacuation and German advance payment? On the sur- face this seems easy, but the facts are hardly satisfying. In the first place, how can Germany herself provide money? Obviously she cannot, for the simple reason that she does not possess it. She can turn in rallway shares for sale on the world market. That is clear, but to sell any’ amount necessary to furnish France with the minimum of required cash, resort must bhe had to the foreign market, and, above all, to the American market. But would the American market at once ab- sorb a vast issue of Germany railway bonds? Would the United States Government, which frowns upon all direct loans to France hefore the debt settlement is ratified, agree to' this in- direct touch? Probably not. Thus in the end the —question returns to its original position. The solution which has been sought through a German agreement is not a solution, hecause Germany alone cannot provide the means. Bear in mind always that the real enthusi- asm for the proposed Franco-German bargain, for the halancing of French evacuation with German payment, is nothing more nor less than an effort to escape from the control of the I'nited States without complying with our terms. The thing which at the outset recom- mended the thing to the general public was only partially and for the minor part cof- nected with the idea of peace and reconcilia- tion: it was primarily that the mass of French- men thought that M. Briand had found a way by which Franee could free herself from Anglo- Saxon financial domination, that she could stabilize her currency without American loans, “that she cocld regain her freedom. “If Germany can give us the monev to stdbilize; if Germany can, in fact, free us, why then the question of freeing Germany from our oaccupation becomes discussable.” This was the first poputar French reaction. But the thought- ful. as contrasted with the general public, per- ceived almost immediately that from this point of view the whole project was an illusion. France might withdraw her troops and obtain German railway shares in return, but what &ood would the shares be if they could not be sold in the one market capable of absorbing them? Germany, obviously, would get all she desired, but what would France have in return? * %k ok % Rut in official circles other objections arose. Despite all ‘public declaration, the question of German disarmament has not been completely settled to satisfy the allied commission. There are new forts and new guns at Koenigsherg, o it is alleged. There i an even more practical question growing out of the fact that as a con- sequence of French reliance upon the period of occupation not a single step has been taken to fortify French frontiers, the new frontiers. The svstem which covered the old frontiers hefore 1914 was obsolete then and has de- teriorated since. The German fortifications in Alsace-Lorraine were directed against France and open on the German side. - Can any French government take the responsibllity of evacua- tion while the road to Paris remains open? At least there is a question. Reyond and behind lie a whole mass of far more technical questions, questions of coal de- liveries, questions of detail or of large impor: tance which have arisen or will arise under the Dawes plan. None of them is perhaps too seri- ous for solution, but every thoughtful French- man percelves that the cards in his hands will have been fatally diminished, if he postpones negotiations on these points until after evacua- tion. Finally, there Is a general objection which at the moment gains welght throughout France. The rather incomprehensible speech of Stresemann at Geneva, just before he left, certainly roused an instant storm in France. It was a clear and definite catalogue of Ger- man expectations. Germany expected evacua- tion of the Rhineland, she expected suppression of the Saar plebiscite, she expected French as- sent to the repurchase of Eupen and Malmedy from Belgium. There were other quite obvious hints which could not be mistaken. “But,” sald the observant Frenchman, “this is no more and no less than the total destruction of the treaty of Versailles.” Nor was there less disquiet and protest at the bold words of Stresemann, which announced that the admission of Germany into the League was in itself testimony to the fact that the enemies of the war had abandoned the 0ld charge written into the treaty of Versailles that the responsibility for the war was German. (Continued on Fifteenth Page. \MARIE’S (JOMING—FOCUSES NEED OF RUMANIA IN POST-WAR FIGHT| I {Writer Sees Happy Augury for Peace of Europe i If America Accepts Queen in Proper Spirit. BY HERBERT ADAMS GIBBONS, Everywhere there is a spirit of hope- fulness and feverish activity in the 8 INHUMANITY IDEA ON POISON GAS DUE TO NOVELTY OF MEANS New Method of Slaying Arouses Public Abhorrence of Death Anew When First Introduced. BY EDWIN E. SLOSSON. Diractor Science Service. dead as any man has been killed since, and no more ingenious means es has | In Angust | | | | Author and Traveler. | “The woman who has the hest rec- | ord of any woman in the World War." | is the way Lady Astor, M. P. de-, | seribed Queen Marfe of Rumania when she was commenting on the | Queen's intention to visit the United There is no doubt about the | welcome that will he accorded every- | where to the picturesque Balkan sov- ereign during her tour through the United States. Her name has long heen famillar to us. Not her war record alone, but her personality and | her versatility have made newspaper ! copy for many vears. And she her- self has made newspaper copy! First |in interviews and later in signed ar. | ticles, Queen Marie revealed herself ' as a woman more deeply Interested | in the homely problems of every-day life than in international politics. Rut in honoring the woman who has been ahle to arouse the interest and enthusiaem of millions who never | have seen her, and who know little | about the country from which she comes. let us not forget that she is the Queen of Rumania. Queen Marie | herself would be the first to. deplore | a purely personal triumph in the long- heralded tour, and she would be un- happy if its result were merely to make her better known and to satisfy eign nations, which themselves, in most eases, are In a better position | the curiosity of Americans to see what -e they are able to buy. royalty really looks like. A queen Jast coast shipping has been dis- | owes her influence and commands | upted in recent weeks by the demand | homage primarily because she rep-! of the Rritish Isles for American | resents a nation. The object of this {eoal. This, of course, will end with | royal visit is to make Rumania bet- settlement of the long.drawn strike. |ter known, and to awaken interest Cotton, low In price, is moving to|and sympathy in this country for the | country from which Queen Marie | comes, H Queen of Wonderful People. ! 1t Queen Marie had a wonderful | war record it was because she was | queen of a wonderful people. Nothing tood out in Wheat has been goinz out of the | that she did in the war { country heavily in the last three | contrast to the deeds of her fellow | menths, 28984000 bushels of grain!countrymen. Rumania met with dis- being exported in August. compared aster and humiliation. and bore it | with 7.425.000 in the 1925 month. The spirit of the people was not Flour shipments increased 000 har- | broken, despite their sufferings. | Even | Their faith in the destiny of their| | country was not shaken. despite the Crude petroleum, gasoline and | necessity of signing a treaty dictated | by the conqueror. After the R sian revolution. when the Rumanians were cut off from their allies, and | ucts, machinery and a host of other | were under the heel of the German armies, they bore their lot with forti- tude and dignity, and the attitude of ! their King and Queen was simply | that of all the people. And then, when the victory to which we so powerfully contributed, came to allied arms, bringing with it the [mwrulinn of the Rumanians and a sweeping reversal of their national fortunes, they were not dazzled by it. They put themselves to work prompt- Jv and efficiently to create and to pro vide for the defense and evolution of greater Rumania. Last month I took a long motor trlp through Rumania, noting the great changes of the last few years. herculean task of rebuilding after the invasion and of welding together into | The American Constitution in pro- | one hody politic regions inhabited by [ hibiting “cruel and unusual punish ! : Y | ments” - used adjectives that are people of the same blood and language | MERiET | usel BCIRCURES REE T who had for centuries been politically separated. Rumaiiia Is Poor. Rut the country is poor, and there unusual method of punishment or weapon of warfare strikes us as unusually cruel, even | though it may turn out to be less so than those to which we have become mon mind. Any is a great variety in the degree of |inyred. Our instinctive reaction education and political experience and | against any novel means of killing or | of economic independence among the | wounding our fellow men is merely Rumanians, our natural repugnance against the The Rumanians need American |act iteelf, which strikes us afresh capital, closer trade relations with | whenever an unfamiliar agency comes | us. and their government can do | to our attention. |little in economic evolution without | The aversion to “villainous salt | our willingness to assume that the | peter,” the stink-pot of the Malay frontiers of greater Rumania Will | pirates, and the Greek fire which stand as they are taday. What can Queen Marie accémplish afong these lines? Nothing. if we re- gard her as a curiosity, and do not know or care ahout the problems that affect vitally not only Rumania, but, through Rumania, the peace of Eu- rope. saved Constantinople from the Mo- hammedans. is at bottom the same as the abhorrence excited by submarines, airplane bombing and poison gas in the late war. It is essentially a re- action against war itself. The modern weapons of warfare are more efficient but not more deadly or more cruel than the old. Cain Kkilled Abel as (Copvright, 1926.) ] | | 7 BY BRUCE BARTON Are there children and a woman waiting for him somewhere in the sub- urbs? " A faithful little woman, tak- ing off the baby's shoes and saving every time the whistle of a train is heard: “Do you think that daddy- is | on that train?" HOULD you ask the captain of the traffic police to refer to his records, he could tell you almost exactly how many men and women will he Injured on the streets on any particular day of the vear. Moreover, he conld tell von at Wwhat hour of the day the probability | Is this the picture that is in his | of accident is greatest. mind at the critical hour? Or has he | T saw only recently in a medical | telephoned that he “is kept down- | magazine a study of the figures for | town by business and won't be out until late"? Does the twilight that draws its veil across hie work lift the man higher than the level of the day’s nccupation? Or does it sink his thoughts lower, to meaner occupations and baser jovs? It seems to me if I were hiring a man I should like very much to know what thoughts are in his mind in that critical hour. I should like to know whether, if one could look into his soul. as through a window, the man would stand straight with pride under that scrutiny or blush with embarrass- ment. i the city of New York. The early | morning hours are comparatively ‘safe —the light is good in those hours: | men and women are clear-headed from the night's long sleep and traffic is not so dense. Gradually through the morn- | | ing the accidents increase, and in the afternoon the figures mount alarm- ingly. until, in the late afternoon, be- tween 5 o'clock and 6, the highest point is reached. That is the hour of crisis—when the day's work is over and men turn away from their benches and their desks. The critical hour, the experts | "In the whirl of the business day, [ gallit, and they haye named it well. | when the routine of things carries us | tricks with the bodies and the souls of | fa ne: eemimt mrotenrer W o are moe men. 3 . : i so interesting then. But the clock m-lmn\!':'rh;o:d'«';, ";,";," it :‘f"'“_‘ sit | gtrikes 5 or 5:30 and we are no longer n-m n the fifteenth floor and | cjerks or plumbers or millionaires, but watch the lights going out® one-after | man'" ou 'thoughts set free. What do :{::th';vl;;‘_"l-;‘ hfll'fl" b""d'"'fl’! OPPO- | wwe think of then. at the critical hour, | site. Fvery light snapped off means | patween 5 and 6, when we are hurry. a desk pulied down and a man start- | jng away from our work -the heur ing away from hiss work. What | hen the lights are glaring and, out- thoughts are in his mind as he turns | side our souls and in, the accidents u: his overcoat collariand steps inte | oceyp? the street? b (Copgright., 1926.) of inflicting suffering have heen in- vented than those employed b Nebuchadnezzar in his campalgn. Further advance of the art of war in this direction is forever impossible. At the first Hague conference the representatives of the [United States alone opposed the clause ruling out “the use of projectiles, the sole ohject of which is the diffusion of asphyxiat- ing or deleterious gases.” for Capt Mahan argued that “until we know the effects of such asphyxiating shells there was no saying whether they would he more or less merciful than missiles now permitted, and that it was {llogical, and not demonstrably humane, to be tender about asphyxiat- ing men with gas when all were pared to admit that it was allowable to blow the bottom out of an ironclad at midnight, throwing four or #f hundred into the sea, to be choked by water." Capt. Mahan's argument proved to be well founded. On April 22, 1915, the Germans turned loose chlorine on the British trenches, not indeed from the prohibited *‘projectiles,” but from cylinders of ‘the compressed gas, which was worse, and before the war was over hoth parties were using the most “‘deleterious” compounds that the chemist .could concoct. These proved to be most effective weapins in knocking out soldiers and making positions untenable, vet the percent- age of those who suffered fatal or permanent injury from gas attacks | was considerably less than those who were killed or incapacitated by ex- plosives. During the war we were often told that the Germans were likely to win because they relied upon chemical warfare. On the contrary, as we know now, the Germans lost the war because they did not rely upon chemi- cal warfare. On three distinct occa- sions, at least, they might have struck a decisive blow if they had made use of the advantage they gained by em- ploying novel methods of attack which the allies were totally unable to meet. The disconcerting feature of this new weapon of warfare is that it is a con- cealed weapon. The most effective form of preparedness is a scientific research and Industrial development in general. And peace treaties are not likely to be effective se long as a war spirit prevalils. (Copyriht. 1926.) gy Berlin Beggar-Ridden. As a result of the World War and the subsequent impoverishment of Germany there is a swarm of beg- men peddlers, street musi- . house and street acrobats, who ply from house to house through the German capital. So great are their numbers that the police are somewhat powerless against them. A local news- paper has said that one ont of avery thousand Berifners is a beggar. . i completed at centers in various parts of the coun- try, the scene now shifts to Washing- ever conducted by the United States Government into this phase of Amer- jca's transportation faciliti The hearings which will open be- tore Commissioner Esch and Exam- iner Flynn at the Interstate Com merce Commission on October 25 will mark the climax of a long series of similar “courts” before which prac- tically every leading shipper and every interested group has appeared during the past few months, presenting their facts. views and opinions, so that leg- islation—if it is deemed necessary— will he intelligent, comprehensive, equitable and salutary in effect. Two Distinct Phases, The Washington hearin may bhe dlvided into two distinct phases. First, there is the strictly local aspect, and, secondly, the national viewpoint at the hearings in other large centers. those to be held here will he con- cerned in no small degree with prob- lems affecting the city and surround- ing territory. In that respect devel- opments here may hear some marked differences when compared with the San Francisco or Chicago hearings. Fundamentally, however, it is expect- ed that their characteristics will be quite similar. Furthermore, since Washington i the National Capital, and since these hearings are the concluding ones, it is only natural that they should he looked upon, in a measure at least, as something of a summation of what has gone before, and therefore as- sume a more national and a basically broader significance than the othe: This may be only a state of mind, yet it is =0 vronounced that it cannot be overlooked in any analytical discus- sion of the whole question. On the other hand, there is definite reason for regarding the Washington hearings as of somewhat greater im- portance, perhaps, than the earlier ones. Opened New Field of Inquiry. When the Interstate Commerce Commission entered upon this investi- gation its detailed working knowledge ited. There had never heen a wide- subject of regulation, and consequent- Iy there were no authorities to take off library shelves. The information had ‘o be acquired in the field from actual contact. Since those who con- Aucted the hearings were diligent and earnest seekers after facts which no one before had acquired, it was nat- | ural that as the hearings progressed | the stors of data became larger, the objective became more clearly defined, | with the result that the Washington | hearings, by virtue of being the last, must he regarded in a newer light. This is by no means a far-fetched as- sumption, but a quite natural and ob- vious develdpment. terested groups, presenting prohlems of a definitely lncal nature, will he prominent at the hearinzs here. | classes or groups vitally concerned with the question of regulation will {come hefore Commissioner Esch and Examiner Flynn to present their arguments for or against regulation. for limited supervision or for a score of other phases of the subject as it shapes up when viewed both in the large and in detail. Then. in addition. | the naticnal viewpoint will be injected by the representatives of other groups. Situation Here Unusual. While It is not intended or necessary here to go into details of Washington's shipping problems, it should he point- ed out that in considering the local situation the fact must he horne in mind that an unusual condition exists in the District of Columbia, the like of which is found nowhere else in the United States. And this condition will have to be cared for in any regulatory legislation. The situation mentioned is that a great percentage of Wash- !ington truckage and bus transporta- | tion is Interstate, the nearness of two States, Maryland and Virginia. While in many States interstats truck haulage i but, sav, 5 per cent of the fotal business, here it may be 85 ger cent. Returning to the whole broad prob lem, it has been developed by the | hearings—and this doubtless will { come out at the inquiry here—that there are three classes of truckers. They are as follows: (a) Common carriers—those operat- | ing between fixed terminals and over regula® routes—for hire. (b) Contract carriers—those operat- ing exclusively for one or more large firms in the distribution of their com- modities. (The Supreme Court has held that contract carriers ard not common carriers and cannot be regu- lated as such.) (c) Private carrlers—those using the truck for distribution of their com- modities. It I8 quite generally agreed that this form of haulage is not sub- ject to Federal regulation. i Sentiment Favors Regulation. i | 1t 1s indicated by the trend of the | hearings held at other centers that | bus: that the business of transporting passen { gers, but there is less united thought on the part of truckers for such a law, It appears to be true. in other words, that there {s considerably more desire for bus regulation for the protection of franchises than for truck control. For nne thing, the bus owners, par- ticularly in the Western sections of the country, are more closely knit in thought and action. and the structure is made up of a relatively small num- ber of large operators. The truck owners, on the other hand. are com- posed chiefly of smaller operators, and in many cases—this is particularly | true in New York and the other great centers—these small operators for- merly were teamsters. They desire no regulation of any kind, and there is feeling that such operators need little, if any, supervision. They may run a truck from New York to Jersey City and back again. Regulation un der such cireumstances would be dif- ficult, and perhaps serve no very fmportant end. Might Mean Monopol It can be said safely that the larger operators—or some of them, at any rate—desire Federal regulation be- cause it might mean—and in some in- | BY W AM ULLMAN. ITH Interstate Commerce | Commission hearings on | the motor bus and truck | ton for the final act of the most sig-| nificant and far-reaching investigation of the problem was more or less lim- | spread survey such as this on thé| Washington shippers and other in- | All | nated due to the small | | area of the District of Columbia and | this effect: they already have achieved | there s distinct feeling in favor of | discussions, | regulatory legislation for the motor | yuy. the vehicle engaged in ( | {and virile indust BUS HEARINGS DEVELOP DESIRE FOR REGULATION Nation-Wide Survey, Shifted Here, Gives I. C. C. New Insight Into Problems of Latest Form of Transportation. nopoly for thelr lines: or if not a monopoly. at least a virtual one. Suppose there existed regulatory legislation, with pover vested in the Interstate Commerce Commission to administer the law passed by the Congress. Suppose a powerful com- pany, operating a fleet of fast and safe busses over a given route be tween two cities, offering top-notch service, attracted competitors to the field. 1Is it logical to suppose that the Interstate Commerce Commission, or any other regulatory hody would ghe nlimited right for others to come in and operate over the same route? The one company would he sufficient: another would be a nuisance. For this reason the large operators—or at least some of them—are strongly in favor of giving the Interstate Com- merce Commission the power to regu- late the bus lines of the Nation. Of course, regulatory legislation would have the effect of bringing ahout the more widespread use of safety devices, and so on. on all hus conveyances. It Is true that the newer husses are equipped with such devices, bhut regulatory legislation probably would make it essential tI every possible step be taken by ever compans operating busses, new. lanking toward complete safety for passengers. Attitude of Railroads. It is plain, from the tenor of tha hearings, that the railroads of the country faver regulatory legislation for hoth the moto®hus and the motor truck, giving the Interstate Commerce Commission power over these units similar to that which it now exercises over the rail carr The attitude of the raflroads gener- ally toward the motor hus and the mo- tor truck as a practicable means of transporting goods and passengers has been one of the most interesting phases of the whole question since its earliest inception. At first a majority of the roads regarded the rubber-tired vehicle as an enemy: as a dangerous competitor: a_factor to he guarded against and, if necessary, to be met in open combat. That attitude grad- ually changed, and now is in the pr ess of re-formation. Some railroads failed to see the value of the truck and bus until a relatively short while ago. These now find real short-haul competition on their hands, while others, more farsighted, today are reaping the rewards of their own pro- gressiveness In putting the smaller units to work for them as feeders or general subsidiaries. There are railroads in this country Possessed of a comprehensive net- work of truck and bus lines, either acting as main arteries or as feeders for the railroad. They are payving lines, and the railroads are henefiting vastly. There are other railreads in the United States now trying to buy out prosperous bus companies which have grown up heside them while they have buried their respective heads in the sand. The bus, truck and rafl- road are the most logical friends. They are made to work in conjunc- tion’ with one another. The railroad executives br enough to see this eventually fiv more Years ago now are resting somewhat easier than their more dogmatic colleagues. Hearings Prove Effective. The " hearings which will be termi by the Washington sessions now looming have proved an educa- tion for the Interstate C‘ommerce Com- mission and for the nation as a whole. These hearings have built up a basis of knowledge upon which to work, and mark the beginning of a vast store of understanding on the subject of this newest phase of America's land transportation problem. They have provided a_real starting point for in- telligent discussion of a question which has heen agitated, often not o intelligently, for a number of vears. Tt means that from now on there are persons who can speak with authority on the significant angles of the proh- lem, and Congress is provided with an agency to which it can turn for defi- nite data when it azain attempts to formulate legislation There has been a inng-standing need for crystallization of opinions, views, statements, facts and statisties in this connection, and these hearings will have the effect of bringing about 7 least a partial eataloguing of various phases of the problem. In fact, it can he said that they met only “will have™ it in an important measure Although it has been herein ind! cated. it should be stated definitel hat an amazing degree of interest was displayed throughout the country in the progress of the hearings. in the facts developed, and that at each center an unexpectedly large group of inter- ested agencies and individuals ap- peared to testify. This was true not only in the great centers of popula- tion, such as New York, Chicago and San Francisco, but at such points as Dallas and Asheville. Constructive enthusiasm was everywhere displaved, whether in faver of regulation or op- posed to it. The whole tenor of the proceedinga indicated in a very sub- stantial fashion the fact that the country at large ia alive to the prob- lem and Is desirous of seeing a sta made toward its settlement, Hearing to Be Representative. It e¢an bhe anticipated that the Washington hearings will bear out the fundamental and sic trends e tablished at a majority of the othi sessions. Obviously, certain diffe; ences will arise, certain local prob- lems will he given precedence in tha certain attitudes will but In the main the hroad view- point. it 18 expected, will shape up in {the same general form as has heen evident heretofore. Preparations have heen made by local interests to pre- | sent their views in a comprehensive | tashion, and the group which appears | hefore the commission will be a repre- | sentative one, Using a broad-gauged tape line as a measure, the Interstate Commeres Commission’s most recent transporta- tion hearings are important as plo- neering steps into a new and a grow- ing fleld—a field in need of intelligent and eareful attention: attention based on facts rather than fancy, and to be cuitivated, if the term may be used in a regulatory sense, with a fine un derstanding of the economic values involved. These hearings are mile- posts in the development of a great an industry which cannot be handicapped by blundering and careless notice; an industry which ‘must be allowed to attain its full growth with the aid of whatever agencies it can enlist. It cannot be emphasized too often that the present Federal investigation was opportune. It furthermore cannot be emphasized regu- lation must be sound, equitable and fair. That it will be so if the Inter. state Commerce Commission's present attitude is maintained Is virtnal stances probably would mean—a mo- certainty. A St