Evening Star Newspaper, December 16, 1928, Page 47

ROAD LINKING AMERICAS IS NEARER President Coolidge Starting Project That Will Bind Western BL WILL P. KENNEDY. RESIDENT COOLIDGE looks for- ward to signing, before he re- tires from the White House on March 4, a bill binding the peoples of the Western Hemis- phere together in closer association and facilitating the interchange of com- merce by building of a wide inter- American highway through Mexico. Central and South America which will connect with the great radial highways to all parts of the United States. The President urged such a high- way in his annual message to Congress. It dovetails in with President-elect Hoover's _unprecedented ‘“good-will” visit to the peoples of Mexico, the Central and South American coun- tries. Mr. Hoover in public utterance and in conference with those fathering the legislation has emphasized that this is one of the great forward-looking projects of the moment. He has re- peatedly shown his interest in the e: tablishment of mail and passenger air- ship routes to South America. It is pointed out that a great highway, 200 feet wide, would afford a continuous landing field, as well as marking the route for aviators, through a rapidly developing country where Lindbergh had to pioneer his way on his mission as aerial ambassador of good will. Mr. Hoover's present trip lends mnew in- terest to the project which is soon to have strong congressional indorsement. Bill Is Introduced. Representative Cyrenus Cole of Iowa, @ newspaper editor and publisher and author of several books on political and historical subjects, yesterday introduced in the House a new bill authorizing an appropriation of $50,000. out of which fund the President is directed to co- operate with the various republics in- terested in any way that will be most helpful, and to the fullest extent. Chairman Porter of the foreign affairs committee is deeply interested in this legislation and, after a brief hearing for representatives of the State De- partment and spokesmen for the Pan- American Union, the bill is expected to be reported to the House soon after the Christmas holidays and to become a law at the present short session of Congress. In_his annual message to Congress the President reminded the legislative body that last year he expressed the view that “we should lend our encour- agement for more good roads to all the principal points on this hemisphere | south of the Rio Grande.” He declared | that his view had not changed in the meantime and that the Pan-American Union had indorsed it. On Conference Agenda. ‘The agenda for the Pan-American | Conference at Rio de Janeiro next July has this Inter-American High- way as one of the principal topics for discussion, and the future action of the | United States Government is de- pendent upon what is decided at that conference. The attitude of the United " States is not to try to force any| action which might be construed as an | effort to create a market for road- building material, automobiles and ac- | cessories, but to show the sister repub- | lics that the United States is ready to | co-operate to the limit in whatever de- cision they may make looking toward | the building of a great connecting | highway to promote closer acquaintance | and firendship and mutually profitable commerce. | President Coolidge told Congress that | “in some of the countries to the south | a great deal of progress is being made | in road buildinz. In others engineer- | ing features are often evacting and financing difficul:. As these couniries enter upon prcgrams for road building we should be ready to contributz from | our abundant experience to make their task easier of accomplishment. I pre- | fer not to go into_civll life to accom- | plish this end. We already military and naval advisers, an lowing this precedent. we could draw | competent men from these same sources :‘x;d from the Department of Agricul- re. Would Provide Aid. “We should provide our Southern neighbors, if they request it, wits such | engineer advisers for the construction | of roads and bridges. Private interests should look with favor upon all rea- sonable loans sought by thi countries to open up main lines of travel. Such assistance should be giver cspecially | to any project for a highway designed to connect all the countries on thi: hemisphere and thus facilitate inter- course and closer relations among them.” 8 | The President also pointed out that | the “friendly relations and the ex-| tensive commercial intercourse with the | Western Hemisphere to the south of us are being further cemented by the establishment and extension of air- mail routes.” In the last session Congress, through REALIZATION Hoping to Sign Bill| Nations. the House committee on foreign af- fairs, gave extensive study to the Inter- American Highway proposal, which is! also sometimes called the “Pan-Ameri- can Highway.” The first bill was pre- sented by Representative Clarence J.; McLeod, Republican, of Michigan, which proposed that the highway start | at some point in Canada and traverse the United States, thence through Mexico, the Central American states and the states of South America. After extensive hearings with the committee on foreign affairs, in hearti- est approval of the purpose, the ques- | tion of procedure arose, and the ques- ion of policy, procedure and a work- ing program was referred to a subcom- mittee consisting of Representative | Cole, Towa, chairman; Representative Temple, Pennsylvania, and Representa- tive O'Connell of New York. This sub- committee has held conferences with | representatives of the State Depart- | ment, since the subject was one affect ing relations with many other countries: with representatives of the National | Highway Commission, with engineers of the Burcau of Public Roads of the De- | partment of Agriculture, which the | President suggested could give valuable | technical and practical assistance in | road building problems, and with others | interested in the project. Substitute Resolution Passed. The foreign affairs committee unani- mously approved a substitute resolution drafted by the subcommittee in order | to bring the matter before Congress and | to take action in conformity with certain resolutions which had been led by | the Sixth International Confreence of | American States held at Havana, | Cuba. This resolution authorizes the President to utilize the existing agen- cies of the Government to gather data on the proposed undertaking. The agencies on which the President has pri- | marily depended are the State De- partment and the National Highway | Commisison under the Department of Agriculture. The project under consideration In- volves so0 many foreign governments that, in the opinion of the committee, the procedure should be by the co- operation of all governments concerned rather than by the action of any one of them. Fortunately the action of the Sixth International Conference of American States has formed a basis for such co-operation. | It is thought that by such action the United States can best express what is called its utmost interest in the project submitted at Havana, and also to co-operate to the fullest extent. Sentiment Is Strong. The construction of the proposed | highway, or highways—for they will naturally radiate in several directions, | especially in South America—may seem | like something dreamed of, Representa- | tive Cole points out, but without a doubs | this dream, vast as it is, will be re-| alized within a comparatively short time, leaders in Congress and both | President Coolidge and President-elect | Hoover believe. There is both strong pan-American sentiment in favor of it and an economic demand for it. Many years ago James G. Blajne, conspic- uously, proposed a similar project in the form of a pan-American railroad. But at the present time, leaders in Con: gress point out, the world is thinking in terms of motor transport, which has in part at least superseded railroad | transportation, and so the big inter- national project now naturally takes | the form of a highway. Not only will this highway be used | for automobiles and motor trucks, but | it_will serve those who in the future will travel and transport suppligs by air routes. With this purpose in mind, the proposed highway will be of such width that it will, at any point, and at any time, afford safe landing for airplanes that may be compelled to de- scend for safety. It will also serve as a marker for those who travel by air. | Col. Charles A. Lindbergh was able to | blaze hic own way across these track- | less spac -, but all other pilots cannot follow the guideless ways that this ven- turesome and intrepid young man pur- sued on his lone flight, Representative | Cole emphasizes. Government officials, including Presi- dent-elect Hoover, are particularly con- cerned about the good will and inter- netional unity among all the republics of the two American continents which may be promoted by the projected pan- American highway. Nations that are now separated will be brought closer together. People that now sometimes | misunderstand ‘each other may be brought into better mutual understand- ings. Along this highway there will be 2 constant interchange of ideas, as well | as interchange of commerce. High officials of-the Government and leaders in Congress declare that as an evidence and a promoter of good will 2mong the nations affected, this project will be worth all it costs and much more. | | Growth of Industrial Revolution - Of China Given (Continued From First Page.) officials, would become only an instru- ment for applying the screw to the in- spected factories. They decided col quently to take refuge behind the pri leges guaranteed to them by “extra- territoriality,” and to refuse point-blank all access to their factories to the * spectors” from Peking. A recent British Blue Book contains @ typically pompous phrase. It is from the British consul general at Hankow: *The British establishments have no reasons to fear the most searching in- spections, but cannot admit the right of the Chinese administration to inter- fere with their business.” Indeed, the certain incapacity and al- most certain corruption of the Chinesz{ inspectors justified every reserve. But a true understanding of the permanent interests of the foreign employers should have suggested to them generous free measures at the moment they were re< fusing their Chinese workmen the soi- disant Chinese guaranties. Not a bit of it. The following sentence is not taken from a labor inquiry, but from the last decennial report of the inspec- | torate general of the Chinese maritime customs, the most important and con- | servative citadel of British influence in China: “It cannot bg denied that the level of existence of”this class of the population (unskilled laborers) h: to the most cruel and painful It was at the the English newspapers in treated as “grolesque and unhe: the demand which formed the objcct of the latest strikes: Seats for the work- ing girls or young mothers—who were working 11 hours a day, with no break for meals. Indeed with the exception of the Japanese firms, foreign firms emplcy women and children under 12 in greater proportion than houses. These are the latest figures for Shanghai: Chinese factories, 46,000 workers, of whom 57 per cent are wom- en; European and American factories, 86.000, of whom 70 per cent are women Children under 12 come under a separate heading. American factories employ a few more than the Chinesc, while European factories employ more than three times as man: * The promulgation in Peking of a law for industrial workers coincided with a humanitarian movement organized in the Shanghai Settlement by a group of enthusiastic and zealous Englishwomen, ch as are always ready to espouse a sause with a sentimental side to it. o g e n- | the Chinese | Detailed Discussion Urged from within and from without, the Municipal Council (the supreme au- thority in Shanghai) appointed a child labor commission, which presented its | report two years ago. The report rec- | ommended a series of mild measures, nonc of which could have entailed any serious loss. Nobody contradicted the moderation of the proposals. But, all the same, this | happened: Since the land regulations, ' which are the Magna Charta of the | Shanghai Settlement, require a referen- | dum to the ratepayers of all measures of a general nature, the taxpayers were | summened to a meeting at which they were supposed to vote. The taxpayers | having the right to vote numbered only | 2,700, Chinese landowners and mer- | | chants in the settlement being excluded | from all electoral rights, either because or in spite of the fact that their con- | tribution in taxes forms 85 per cent of the whole. The English ladies’ committee set to work to insure a full attendance at the meeting, but less than 400 voters came to it. A quorum was lacking and the meeting had to be postponed. At the second meeting the attendance was even smaller. The opponents of the regulations silently gained their cause. 1t is only fair to add that these gen- tlemen are not very pleased with them- selves. They hide behind the poor rea- sons one usually finds in such cases. A leading member of the Shanghai Club— the great English club which prides | itself on having the longest bar in! the world and on having invented the | million-dollar cocktail—told me: “It was a movement got up by lunatic; women, of whom we have so many in our islands. How could we let ourselves | be ruled by them?” The good man was | trying to make anti-feminism his ex- | cuse. | { | | | l (Copyright, 1928.) . | 2 = | Piers to Be Built | For Largest Liner| } Plans have been formed to bulld piers |in New York Harbor long enough to lnrcommudate the new 60,000-ton ship | now building at Belfast for the White | Star Line. This vessel, according to | Lord Kylsant, chairman of the board | of directors of the company, will be clectrically driven and will be the largest liner in the world. Its length will far exceed that of the Majestic, longest liner now afloat, o e ik S MBS | to the Copservatives consider that the T - HE SUNDAY STAR, WASH INGTON. Dy DECEMBER 16. 1928—PART 2 - Britain to Strut Stage Empire’s Politicians Get Ready for General Election Consequences of Which May Be Far-Reaching. The writer of this article was born in Newcastle, New Brunswick, Can- ada, William Mazwell Aitken. He went overseas with the Canadian ez- peditionary jorce as an eyewitness in 1915, and became the Canadian government’s represeniative at the front in 1916 and in this year was created first Baron of Beaverbrook, New Brunswick and Cherkley, Sur~ rey. Having removed to England, he became a member of Parliament and chancellor of the Duchy of Lan- caster and minister of injormation. He became active_in politics and got control of the Daily Express. He also is the author of several books on subjects relating to the World War. BY LORD BEAVERBROOK. HE British general election will be due shortly. The public here has watched the presidential contest in America with marked interest. Now it is our turn to hold the political stage. In a general way, British political contests are not fixed, like the elections in the United States, by certain definitc legal dates. The time for a dissols tion remains, more or less, at the dis- cretion of the prime minister, who must be guided by circumstances. Flapper Vote Postpones Election. But this general election is going to be an exception to this rule. Its dale is fixed by iwo considerations. The present government must under the Parliament act go to the country by the Autumn of 1929, but it cannot do | so before May or June of 1929. The | reason for this is what is generally known as the grant of the “flapper vote.” When Mr. Baldwin passed a measure extending votes to all women between the ages of 20 and 30, he made it inevitable, according to constitu- | tional practice, that an appeal to the constituencies should be postponed until the new voters were on the voting list. And a new register cannot be compiled until the Spring of next year. The political experts who are opposed prime minister thus lost his chance of appealing to the constituencies while they were still in the mood to return | the Conservatives to power once more. | In any case, the fact that the date of | the election is certain to be within a few | weeks has turned men’s minds to the § o S T Upper, left to right—Lloyd George, Premier Baldwin and Winston Churchill. Lower, left to right—Ramsay MacDonald and Sir Oswald Mosley. coming campaign earlier than s usual | in British politics. When the electoral battle really de- velops, the outstanding figure on the Conservative side will be Mr. Churchill, chancellor of the exchequer. He will | lead the van and meet the Soclalist onset, for he is a popular platform fig- ure, and takes delight in the rough and tumble of democratic_electioneer- ing. On these occasions, Mr. Baldwin always fades into the background, be- | cause he is an uninspiring figure in bat- | tle. He possesses a certain influence | with those who might be hesitating | whether to vote Tory or Liberal, but his | personality has no effect whatever on | the faithful of the labor world. On the other hand, professed Conservatives always admire a steady-going, re- spectable Jeader. Ministers will not be without policies in appealing to the country, but none of their policies seem likely to be very effective as electoral cries. Constructive Plan of Government. The great constructive plan the gov- ernment is putting forward at the polls is their scheme for the reform of local or municipal government, coupled with a redistribution of the burden of rates in favor of agriculture and productive industry, which involves assistance from the national taxpayer. Unfortunately for the ministry, this program, what- ever its merits or demerits, is not a vote-getter. It is almost impossible for the man in the street to understand it. On the other hand, it is fatally easy for the opposition, Liberal or Socialist, to put their finger on aspects of the scheme which are unpopular, or at least difficult to justify. Briefly, the plan includes a rebate on-rates on manufac- turing plants, and the revenue neces- | sary to make good the deficit is being coliected by an additional tax on petrol. The middle-class man owning a small car resents this. He does not see why he should pay more taxes to assist pros- perous industries like Courtaulds to a reduction in their rates. The fact that the brewing industry, now uncommonly industrious, should also benefit under | the government, scheme is likewise re- | sented. Finally, since the financial im- | plication of the scheme to the rate- payer himself is rather obscure, many small householders, particularly in the seaside resorts, fear an increase in their rates as a result of the plan. The next main issue the Conserva- British iron and steel by a tariff. The government is in a dilemma here, be- cause its own supporters are divided on the question. It would appear that Mr. Baldwin will recommend that the mat- ter should be decided by a committee appointed by the new government after the elections have taken place. By this solution the premier gets the worst of both worlds. For the protectionist fears that the committee will not declare in favor of a tariff for iron and steel, while the free trader is afraid that it will. Consequently, there is no enthu- siasm to be got for the Conservative other. Churchill Indicates Battle Cry. Finally, Mr. Churchill has already | given an indication of the electoral ery | he intends to use. Speaking the other |day he said: “The question at the election will be whether the men who managed the general strike are going to be his majesty’s ministers or not. I the Socialists are returned to power, which happened at the general strike will follow.” If the government really wanted to use this cry, their time to dissolve was 1926, not 1929. In effect, it is an at- tempt to raise again fhe old Red Let- ter and Moscow revolution business, which swept the Conservatives into pow. er four years ago. not so repeat itself; Mr. Churchill's ery will not go down. The worst symptom of the Conserva- tive party is the lack of morale among its leaders. " (Continued on Fifth Page) The Story the Week Has Told BY HENRY W. BUNN HE following is a brief summary { of the most important news of the world for the seven days | ended December 15. * Kk kK Great Britain.—The King fights on, but the latest reports are disquieting. The Prince of Wales reached Ibndon.; returning from his abridged African tour, on the night of December 11, having made the 6,425 miles from Dar- Es-Salaam to London in about nine and one-half da; wonderful time. The fastest of British cruisers carried him from Dar-Es-Salaam to Brindisi, | Ttaly, and special trains specded him thence to Boulogne. The prince would‘ have flown part of the way but yielded to Premier Baldwin's entreaty not to | do so. On December 13 the House of Lords resolved that “it is desirable that early | steps be taken to reduce the number of members of this house,” in other | words, the government was reminded that it were well to reform the House of Lords before the dissolution of the present Parliament, against the possi- bility of a Labor party at the coming elections. With a payment of $94,200,00 on De- cember 15, payments of Great Britain to us on account of her war debt total | about $1,000,000,000. The remaining total is $4,453,000. * K K K | Ttaly.—Just before passing into limbo | on December 8 the Italian Chamber, last of the old democratic type, passed the bill incorporating the Fascist Grand Council with the constitutional edifice, and the bill embodying the Fascist labor charter. Il Duce, dressed in the black shirt, made a Mussolinian speech and received an ecstatic ovation, while Cavour turned in his grave, the shade of Caesar winked at the shade of Mac- chiavelli, and the angels wept. He spoke of the Kellogg pact a lit- tle slightingly. “That treaty,” said he, “has been described as ‘sublime.’ Per- haps it is really that, although to some people it has appeared not trans- | cendental but descendental.” i This is a sufficiently characteristic | specimen of the Mussolinian wit. Sev- eral midriffs were burst in apprecia- tion. Il Duce declared that Italy did' not wish to disturb the European, equilibrium, but “must bring her mili- tary forces up to the mark.” He de- clared that economically Italy was “in full convalescenc ich may or may not be true. Certain recent reports ! justify worry. | He ended thus: 1 “The truth is that the whole world, is again arming itself. The number of bayonets and cannon is constantly increasing, yet everybody speaks of peace. We are all for peace, and, if tomorrow other Kellogg treaties were in view, we would hasten fto sign them.” In which brilliant peroration | the many American admirers of Mus- ' ;olini will doubtless find their admira- | iion justified. i * ! | * ok Bolivia and Paraguay.—Bolivia and Paraguay have broken off diplomatic | relations, and war between them is threatened. The cause is exacerbation | of a dispute, which goes back to the | establishment of these republics, over a border district of one hundred or so square miles in the fork of the Paraguay and Pilcomayo Rivers, claim- | cd by both. The dispute languished until the discovery of oil in the di vuted area. About a fortnight ago a clash took place between border troops. In which some 30 casuallies occurres !each country, of course, charging th: other with the first shot. Both countries are members of the League of Natfons and both have sub- | scribed to the Kellogg pact. Ergo, if you please, there should not be wnr.‘ On December 10 the International Con- ference of American States on Concill- ation and Arbitration opened at Wash- e LAY e ORI YOI S voted and dispatched to La Paz and | Asuncion expressing the hope that me} dispute would be settled by pacific means, and inviting the attention of the two governments to the fact that “nations under circumstances such as the present have at their disposal or- ganisms and means adequate and efficient to find solutions which har- monize the preservation of peace with the rights of state.” Moreover, & com- mittee was appointed which should “report to the conference with respect to the conciliatory action which, if necessary, it might render, co-operating | with the instrumentalities now em- | ployed in the friendly solution of the | problem.” ‘What are the “instrumentalities” al- luded to? We? Well, in the first place, | of course, there’s the League. Now it might almost seem like an arrange- | ment of Providence that the League Council should be meeting and the ‘Washington conference should be meet- should be opening at this particular time; as though a test were being pro- vided, on a minor scale, and under the most favorable conditions, of the in- strumentalities for peace and of the temper of peoples, when the general peace problem is in a peculiarly critical phase of discussion. The report that_Paraguay has In- voked appropriate action by the League seems incorrect; but, of course, it was up to the Council to do something. But there was a dreadful bugbear astride the obvious course of action, “more felt than seen"—to wit, the Monroe Doc- trine. The councilors huddled to- gether. One member quavered that nothing must be done to give umbrage to Washington. Alone, ' M. Briand dared greatly. He recalled the glorious episade of three years ago when, under circumstances curiously similar to the present ones, the Council by stern posi- tive action averted war between Bul- garla and Greece. Yes, the South A Lesson From Luigi BY BRUCE ERE is*a recipe for living a hundred years. It is not based upon any theory of mine. If it were it would be worthless. For | have not lived a hundred years. But Luigi Cornaro lived to be one hundred and two, and “died painlessly, s one who falis into sweet sleep!” The formula is his. At 36, the doctors said to Luigi: “Make your will; you have only a fcw months to live.” At the end of the few months they came back expecting to sign his death certificate. To their surprise, they found him well. What had Luigi done? Taken medicine? No. What he did was the simplest thing in the world. He merely stopped eating. Instead of three heavy meals a day, he substituted three very light ones. Instead of getting up from the table with a feeling of fullness, he got up feeling still hungry. Instead of half a dozen differ- ent dishes, he ccnfined himself to one at each meal. And each day he ats the same dish, at the same time, and in the same amount. ; Year after year he continued to grow stronger. At 70 he was thrown from his horse, and again the doctors sa “No man of 70 can stand such'an accident; you will die” But so strong was Luigi that he was out of bed in no time at all. In his years of careful eating he made some important discoveries. He discovered, first, that the rule, “Whatever your appetite craves is good for you,” is a bad rule. Many foods of which he was very fond proved bad for him: and some others which he had never liked proved to have just the nourishment that his system required. (Copyright, ] BARTON. He discovered that “a man cannot be a perfect physician of any one save of himself alone.” In other words, that no physician could prescribe for him offhand a diet as w:'l suited to his needs as he could prescribe for himself, after years of careful study of his own requirements. All women have an idea that men ought to eat a great deal. If a man is feeling badly, a wom- an’s remedy is always to make him sit down to a large, ap- petizing me: Luigi’'s woman-folks were no different from others. When he was about 80 they gathered around him and persuaded him to increase his daily food al- lowance from 12 to 14 ounces a day. As as result he nearly died. Then he went back to his 12- ounce diet, and lived 22 years longer. . “Most men,” said a philoso- pher, “dig their graves with their teeth. Diogenes, seeing a young man going to a banquet, caught him and took him home, and re- joiced as if he had saved him from some great danger. “If | were to assign any one thing as especially conducing to long life from a study of the habits of centenarians,” says Sir Henry Thompson, “it would be semi-starvation. emi-starvation”—the word makes you gasp, but have no fear. You can cut down your eating a long way below where it is now aad I(i“ be in no danger. Luigi’s granddaughter reports that “during the latter part of his life the yolk of one egg suf- ficed for a meal and sometimes two.” f you would live long, eat very temperately of a few pure foods. This is one of the wisest les- sons you can ever lear: It is a lesson from Luigi. 1928) ‘L . ' D : g a |ington and at once a resolution was|ing and, the Washington conference | American affair was very similar—yet, | yet (here the noble voice sank to a whisper, while all shifted their gaze fearfully, this side and that) differen’, so different. speak the dread name. | sufficlently to draw up a resolution to | be forwarded to La Paz and Asuncion | expressing their conviction “that the two states, which by signing the cove- nant have solemnly pledged themselves to seek by pacific means a solution of disputes arising between them, would have recourse to such methods | would be in conformity with their in- ternational obligations and would ap- {pear in the actual circumstances to be | most likely to insure together with the maintenance of peace a settlement of | their disputes.” Wtk The League.—Then there's the old instrumentality of mediation. Despitz certain reports, it is very doubtful that a formal offer of mediation has been made by any government, though no doubt there have been discreet ap- proaches in that sense. On the other hand, a plausible dispatch asserts that President Irigoyen of Argentina, a strong man, stands ready to intervene peremp- torily, should other “instrumentalities” clearly prove.inadequate. It will be recalled that a Pan-Amer- | lcan Conference at Santiago, Chile, in 1923, adopted a convention (later, I be- lieve, ratified by the states participating in the conference) by which the signa- tory and ratifying states are pledged not to go to war with one another until an international committee shall have mvestigated and reported on whatever matter may be in dispute, provision being made for two permanent com- missions, one at Montevideo and one at Washington. My understanding is that Bolivia did not participate in the con- ference and has not_adhered to the convention, but that Paraguay has in- voked action by the Montevideo com- mission. The Washington resolution cited above states the truth. The means at hand toward a pacific settlement are ample, and it would, under present circum- stances, be peculiarly discouraging to world hopes should war be joined. Ha! a new development! On Decem- ber 14 the Washington conference re- solved “to proffer its good offices to the interested parties for the purpose of promoting suitable conciliatory meas- ures with the aim of preserving the principle of conciliation and arbitration as a solid foundation of international life,” and the proffer was telegraphed by Mr. Kellogg, chairman of the con- ference. It is uhderstood that, prior to the vote on the resolution, the Ar- gentine government (as having espe- cially interested itself in the contro- versy) was courteously sounded, and that it cordially assented to the pro- posed move, failure to which seems almost unthinkable. Happily the Bolivian government seems to have appreciably receded from its originally uncompromising attitude. It may, however, seem rather curious \ that the Kellogg pact has been so little mentioned in the present condition. The population of Bolivia is in the neighborhood of three millions, that of Paraguay about a million. It may be pertinent to add that that of Ar- gentina approaches nine millions. * ok ok ok United States—President-elect Hoov- er arrived at Buenos Aires, Argentina, on December 13, having crossed the South American continent by railway (Including the ascent and descent of the Andes) from Santiago, Chile. To- day he is being taken by an Argen- tine cruiser to Montevideo. After a brief visit in Uruguay he will board the battleship Utah for Rio de Janeiro. On December 14, the Senate passed, smm 11, the Boulder Dam bill some- what modified from the form in which (as passed .l;- the last session) it went tives have to face is that of protecting | fiscal policy from one section or the | warn you that if at the general election | a period of political violence like that | Electoral history does Too many of the members Not even Briand dared to | At last the: councilors pulled themselves together as | . iR DEMOCRATS TO SUPPORT HIGH-TARIFF SCHEDULE Greater | ) BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. i HEN the Seventy-First Con- gress is called into! special session by President Herbert i Hoover some time in 1929, it will be_ the scene of a po- litical miracle. It will witness the unprecedented spectacle of Democratic | | Representatives and Senators actively | co-operating with Republicans in re- | vising the American tariff upward. Representative John N. Garner of Texas, ranking Democratic minority | member of the ways and means com- mittee, is likely to be found in the fore- | front of that movement. Specifically upporting Mr. Hoover's pre-election dvocacy of higher tariffs on agricul- .ural products, Representative Garner eclares that his Democratic colleagues ‘are in hearty sympathy” with that wroposal and would like to see it :nacted into law “at the earliest pos- | sible moment.” As to higher rates on | ; inanufactured products, the Texas Representative asserts he ‘favors pro- | tecting American labor at the custom | i house.” Dixie Needs Protection. 1t is the Democratic South which will be in the van of the tariff revision program, although Democratic mem- bers of Congress from the industrial North and the agricultural West will probably be marching shoulder to shoulder with them. It is not generally | realized that Dixie nowadays is almost | as dependent upon protective tariffs as New England. North Carolina, for in- | stance, has largely superseded States | like Massachusetts and Rhode Island as | the textile center of the country. The Carolinian tobacco manufacturing trade, too, finds protective rates vital to its prosperity. = Alabama, with a vast and growing iron and steel industry, has | the same interest in tariffs defending it from foreign competition as Pennsyl- vania has. Louisiana wants its sugar industry fortified by tariffs against the danger of ruinous rivalry from abroad. Sensation of Campaign. The Manufacturers’ Record of Balti- more has recently polled Democratic members of Congress regarding their | views on the tariff question. The Record based its inquiries on the ad- vanced ground Gov. Smith took at Louisville in favor of a protective tariff. Later Chairman Raskob stated that 75 | per cent of the Democratic Repre- | sentatives and Senators and candidates {for Congress had signed a statement | indorsing the 1928 Democratic platform | plank on the tariff and Gov. Smith's { interpretation of it at Louisville. The | apparent scrapping of their ancient low | tariff views by the Democratic party | was one of the sensations of the re- ! cent campaign. That action is now on the verge of being translated into deeds, as will be shown when the new Congress comes to grips with tariff revision. View of Mr. Garner. Representative Garner, who will be responsible for the Democratic tariff policy in the incoming House, has set forth his view in a letter to a Texas | newspaper. It reads, in part, as follow: “The Democratic position, I am sure, will be a helpful one. When we criti- cize we hope to offer some constructive remedy. Only where the majority may offer legislation violating the principles on which our Government is founded will we offer opposition without remedy. In other words, as a party, we hope to serve the country in a constructive way and thereby better serve the interests i {Political Miracle Will Be Worked in Next Congress—Dixie Favors Rates. ests of this country should be protected from the ruinous competition of foreign cheap labor, thereby mnlnmminfi the present American standard of living and level of wages.” Representative Henry D. Moorman, Democrat, of Kentucky declares: “I think there should be some dawnward revision, as well as upward revision, and also that there are some other articles that should be included. T! tariff should be regarded as an ec nomic, and nat as a political, measure. I shall support, if the opportunity be mine, protection for some agricultural and some industrial interests of the country.” Representative John Mc- Sweeney, Democrat, of Ohio says: “I know of but one free trader in the House. The other Democrats are all in favor of a reasonable and equitable tariff, and I assure you that tho legitimate interests of our country will be as safe in the hands of the present minority party as in the hands of any other group of patriotic citi- zens.” Others Wro Support Tdea. Representative Loring M. Black, jr., Democrat, of New York writes the Manufacturers’ Record: “During the campaign, I informed the Democratic national committee that I favored the protective tariff.” Representative Emanuel Celler, Democrat. of New York states that he would “support any tariff measure that seeks to equalize differ- ences between costs here and abroad.” Mr. Celler thinks that many are clam- oring for higher rates who do not de- serve them, “and that only meritorious claims should be honored.” The Brook- Iyn Congresman desires to be “counted as a friend of honest protection.” Senotor Lawrence D. Tyson, Demo- crat, of Tennessee reflects Southern tar- iff views when he says that he regards the tariff as “an economic d not a political measure,” and adds: am not a high tariff man. But, in view of the fact that we have had a tariff now for more than 60 years and the country has established itself, its business and val- ues and labor conditions upon a protec- tive tariff, it would not be right, in my judgment, to revise the tariff in such a way as to interfere with the American standards of living and level of wages.” The one discordant Democratic tariff note is struck by Representative Henrv T. Rainey, of Illinois, a long-time mem- ber of the ways and means committe:. Mr. Rainey contends: “There is a strong element among the bankers of the country opposed to any more upward revision of the tariff. Our investments abroad are developing into a tremendous factor; high tariffs are not compatible -with our present position as a creditor nation and we will commence to find that out about the time we ar: in a position to seriously attempt an- other tariff revision.” (Copyright. 1928.) o Modernism Invades Paris Conservatory Added to the remaining strongholds of tradition being invaded by modern- ism is the Conservatory of Music and Dramatic Art in Paris. Within the hon- orable walls of this nursery of nearly all the great artists of France and of some other countries will pour out strains from the long-despised phono- graph. But the voices will be those of the students. Though knowing everything about the art of acting’and singing, the professors in the conservatory, them- of the party organization. <Of course, the entire tariff schedule should be re- | adjusted. Some items need to be in- | creased, especially agricultural products, rates are entirely too high. | “So far I recall, there was no material criticism of the Democratic platform adopted at Houston. I ex-| pect and hope my Democratic colleagues | will all join in attempting to carry into ! ! force and effect the pledges contained | in that document. We expect to offer a | program based upon such an idea, al- | ways hoping that the majority will | offer a program themselves. that will be | of service to the country and one in | which we, as a party, will join as far as possible.” Support Protectionist Idea. Representative Charles R. Crisp of Georgia, another Democratic member of the ways and means committee, in- formed the Manufacturers’ Record that he “never had been a free-trader and had always favored tariffs sufficient to equalize the cost of production in this country and abroad.” Representative Whitmell P. Martin, Democrat, of Louisiana said that he “is and always has been a protectionist,” and, while disapproving tariff duties which might romote monopolies, believes that _“bo!h; the agricultural and industrial inter- | —_— up from the House. It now goes to conference. Expenditure of $165.000,- | 000 is contemplated by the bill as amended; $40,000,000 more than was| contemplated by the bill as received from the House. Notice of the budget (the eighth budget of the United States) for the fiscal year ending June 3, 1930, and of the President’s message transmitting it to Congress, was crowded out of the last issue. Expenditures are estimated at $3.780,719.647 and receipts at §: 841,295,820 (these figures not includ | ing the business of the postal depart- | ment): a favorable balance, therefore, | of $60,576,182 is forecast as against the present forecast of a favorable bal- ance of about $37,000,000 for the fiscal year 1929. The estimates, as to both income and outgo, do not greatly differ i from those for the fiscal year 1929. With so small a margin to the good, there is small prospect, remarks the | President, of further tax reduction in the near future. The expenditure of { the Army and Navy Departments com- | bined (exclusive of all non-military | items) as estimated at $648,511,300. | The expenditure direct and indirect for | aviation is estimated" at $140,631824. | The President observed that the five- | year aviation program for Army and Navy is being properly realized, and | that by the end of 1932 the Army | should have a well balanced fleet of | 1,800 planes, the Navy one of 1,000 by | the end of 1931. | I think we must all be agreed that the current episode of the New York stock market is one of the most noi- some and ominous episodes in the his- tory of the Nation. An International Conference of Amer- ican States on Conciliation and Arbi- tration opened at Washington on De- cember 10, twenty nations being rep- | resented and Argentina being conspicu- | ous by her absence. WP Notes—On December 14 the French Parliament passed the 1929 budget Estimated receipts and expenditures 1 nearly balance at about forty-five and one-half billion francs, a surplus of about forty-five millions being fore- cast. Provision is made for raising the salaries of members from forty- nine to sixty thousand francs; the new figure being by no means exorbitant. Wilhelm Miklas has been installed as Second President of the Austrian Re- public, succeeding the venerable and much beloved Dr. Michael Hainisch. }{err Milas is an opponent of Ansch-| uss. ‘The Peasant party headed by Juliu Maniu, the new premier, appears to have won a sweeping victory in the general elections just held in Rumania. The American consulate at Nanking, closed since the attacks on foreigners In that city on March 24, 1927, was reopened on December 15, | | 1 and a number of items in the pr:sent' selves famous singers and mostly actors | will introduce this means of reflect: | the development of voice as motion pictures do acting. ilms have already done much to re- | veal awkward gestures. stiff walking, | lack of ease and errors in mimics. But for the voice, the tone, the heat and th~ intentions, all so vital in portraying a role, the conservatory students hereto- fore have had no genuine reproduction to indicate to them the effectiveness of their voices in training. So, with re- cording instruments and phonographs to re-echo their own expressions and renditions, the pupils will have no ex- cuse, as La Fontaine put it, “to place cne’s own defects in a back pocket and other people’s in front. Milan Is Building Port for Seaplanes Milan has been an important ecity from the days of ancient Rome and it | does not propose to fall behind in this age of airplanes. The commercial. financial and industrial importance of Milan grows out of its splendid geo- graphical situation, lying as it does on important lines of communication to | the north, south, east and west. It is far, however, from the sea and from important bodies of water suit- able for hydroplane landing places. ‘Taking cognizance of the rapid devel- opment in Italy and in Europe of aerial communication by means of hydro- planes, Milan is protecting itself against | possible decadence by building the larg- est artificial water landing field in Eu- rope. The landing field is 600 yards long. On the south side it is 220 yards wide while at the north the width is 330 yards. The average depth is 20 feet of water. ‘When the landing place is completed it will have a road of 16 yards around it on which will face hangars and buildings for offices and hotels. These structures will not exceed two stories in height so as to allow space of 350 yards without obstacles. The project will be completed in 1930, but the basin is al- ready complete and in case of neces- sity a hydroplane can land with safety at Milan today. Bulgaria Is Ous Commune Propaganda o g Bulgarians are busy cleaning up & recent attempt to spread Communism among the troops in the barracks. This time the propagandists were making an effort, rather futile, of winning over the troops. They scem to have thought the way to power was through Bulgaria’s small army. Two committees were operating, one in Vienna and one in Sofia. Moscow i3 supposed to have financed the propa- ganda at the rate of $7,000 a month. Many arrests were made, and a largs quantity of propaganda material was seized. To check the Communist propa- ganda the Bulgarian government has prohibited the importation of a long list of Russian books and pamphlets. . ‘Alsacian Costumes May Be Abandoned Will the pretty girls of Alsace, until now faithful to their traditional cos= tumes, be obliged to adopt the uninter= esting, but cheaper, modern dress? It seems that their silk kerchiefs and aprons, fine embroidered bodices and ribbons, can be obtained only from Ger- many, and what with the heavy import duties no shop in Alsace will keen a ! stock of them. Before the war of 1870 | between France and Germany, thase silk fabrics used to come from Lyons, and the collections kept of the costumes and headdresses of that time show now | plentiful ' and beautiful they w Friends of Alsace and of regiona! tumes are urging the Lyons factorizs ‘o reinstate the old patterns and wea again for “the castern girls.” ' e s r.