Evening Star Newspaper, December 7, 1930, Page 39

-BUSINESS HEADS DIVIDED ON CURB OF SOVIET TRADE Treasury Departme nt’s Bar on Convict Goods Approved as Forestalling Greater Loss Later. new barriers raised by the Treasury Department against im- ports into this country that are suspected of being the product of convict labor have elicited from importers and exporters engaged in the Russian trade some very bitter comments upon the Government's pol- fcy in this matter. These comments have in turn stimulated much discus- | sion in financial and industrial circles of the ultimate worth of Russian trade, bringing to light powerful arguments, | seemingly unanswerable, both for and against America’s venture into the So- viet Russian market. Within_a radius 6f a few hundred yards of Trinity Church it is possible to find heads of our greatest banking houses and industrial corporations who raise the Government's action in tak- ng a step likely to discourage our grow- ing trade with Russia as a timely curb upon “traffic with the enemy” and upon dangerous speculation which might, as credits to the Soviet Union mount up, some day let us in, without warning, for staggering losses. Within the same radius one can find equally high and sagacious authorities who deeply deplore the Treasury’s inter ference in a rapidly growing and in- creasingly profitable trade, which they insist Is on a sound business footing and which they are confident will go on growing, no matter what the changes in Russia’s political complexion may be. Effects on Depresison Pointed Out. The most powerful argument against what those involved in Russian trade consider a tactless affront to the Soviet Union is that if it halts Russian im- ports and calls forth reprisals as the European embargoes have done, it will have an immediately depressing effect upon manufacturing and employment out of proportion to the real importance the trade. ‘We have taken great pains to impress upon our industrialists that the exist- ing depression is traceable in part to loss of confidence in this country and in part to a falling off of our foreign trade because of turmoil in Asia, re-|unkn duced purchasing power in Europe and political changes in Latin America. Our business men have been per- suaded to take a lively interest in for- eign commerce, s0 & great deal of confi- dence and courage could be restored if they could be shown that China or Russia or the Argentine were about to start spending heavily and relieve us of large consignments of surplus manu- 11 . ‘There is bound to be a marked loss of courage, reflected in the employment market, if the watchful and now timid industrialist notes that any considerable item is about to be lopped off of our foreign trade. Investors in Russia like the Ford com- panies and the General Electric Co. can undoubtedly take care of them- selves and would not be greatly dis- turbed by the total loss of credits ex- tended, but scores of smaller firms, fol- lowing the lead of the big ones, have extended credits averaging about $100,- 000, and these would abruptly curtail &mdm:tlon and throw men in the streets they lost their investments. The actual losses would be relatively small, but the demoralizing effect would at this time, when industry is sensitive to every little shock, be disproportionately serious. The Treasury’s n may, in short, prove to be a very ill timed blow &t recovering confidence in this country. Chance for U. S. Technical Monopol, A second strong argument for nurs- ing along such trade as we have with Russia is t it is serving to introduce into that country huge and expensive plants, and with them Ameri- can technique, into which, if they are allowed to grow as they are being es- tablished, the Russian purchasers can introduce neither European machines nor technique without alter- ations almost equivalent in cost to com- plete replacement. Each such plant established creates & lasting demand for American ma- chines and machine parts, and if the trade were allowed to persist for some years further the greater part of Rus- sia’s new industrial equipment would be 50 American in character that neither the Soviet government nor its successors, if the Marxian experiment collapsed, could afford to jeopardize its trade relations with this country by de- nouncing its obligations to any Ameri- can creditor. ‘Working on this theory, several of our - greatest corporations, after toying gin- gerly with Russian trade for a number of years, risking credits to the extent of the estimated profits only, have ven- tured upon sales on long-term credits to the value of many millions, and are confident that the Soviet government not only will not but cannot repudiate its obligations. Yet there are other equally powerful eorporations which, after years of dick- ering and some profitable transactions, have pulled out of Russia altogether, and now announce that they are out for good because they are convinced that there can be no such thing as a safe investment in Russia. Their argument, to show how fundamentally unsound all traffic with a Socialist state of doubtful | staying power must be, is worth marizing Under the Marxian system the gov- emment alone engages in foreign trade, snd its foreign agents, such as the Amtorg Corporation in this country, are &s much government instruments as our diplomatic and consular establishments sbroad. The Amtorg’s credit is there- fore just as good or as bad as the Boviet government’s credit. Its re- sources for foreign trade are Russia's resources, and if Russia goes into bank Tuptcy the Amtorg and all the Soviet's similar trading agencies immediately go into bankruptcy with it. Resources Called Unstable. Now what are Russia’s trading re- sources? Raw materials and food prod ucts only. With the exception of paatches Russia has no surplus and is tnlikely for years to have a surplus of manufactured articles. Whatever she buys abroad she must pay for out of the surplus products of her mines, for- ests, fisheries and fields Under existing conditions, it 1s argued, no one in Russia, much less #ny one abroad, can prophesy for more . than six months in advance what Rus- sia's Tesources for foreign trade are likely to be. A crop failure, an animal pestilence, a civil war, or a foreign war might have disastrous effect upon the Boviet’s whole foreign trade budget. Whatever the manipulators of Rus- sia’s credits in Moscow may know about the total of their pledges abroad, 0o one outside of Russia has the slight- est idea of their commitments, nor any Way of finding out about them. An in- tensive study of conditions on the spot sum- might persuade an American investor * that, given a good crop year, no foreign war, and a continued willingness on the part of the Russian people to do with as little food and clothing and as poor housing as they now get, Russia would & year hence have a certain approxi- mate sum to meet installments on pur- chases abroad. But the Soviet beau- rocracy would defy him to find out what proportions of that approximate | sun were already pledged to cover credits extended by British, German, Italian ln_ghlith!r exporters to Russia. American exporter who extends eredits to Russia therefore does business in total ignorance of the purchaser’s future resources and, lacking all diplo- matic support from his Government in dealings with an organization frankly at war on capitalism, he must have an almost sublime faith in Soviet Russia’s sincere desire to meet her fu- ture obligations more exactly than her d alco in the Mos- his past obligations, ©ow beaurocracy what its futu to over low the Ami Corporation i doing ability to foresee resources will be and almost no cash business. It asks for credits over a period of 18 months and | frequently gets them. Much American merchandise has been sold for 25 per cent of the purchase price with the con- | tract; the balance due in three equal | payments at the end of six, twelve and eighteen months. A local business man recently thought he had made a sale to Amtorg of $16,000 worth of goods and went to that insti- tution to close the deal. He was asked to extend credit on the terms quoted above; but instead of signing the con- tract he seized his hat and bolted, con- vinced that when the government of a great nation asked for long-term credit ni‘l 50 small a deal it was time to stand clear. ‘Taking these considerations into ac- count, the bankers and industrials who have dabbled in Russian trade and have withdrawn in alarm believe that, in view of the instability of the present government, the uncertainty of its abil- ity to keep the Russian people at work | on their present rations, and in view of the Communists’ past contempt for debts to the “capitalist,” small sales to Russia at 90 days' credit would be pleasantly precarious gambles for those who could afford it, but that the ex- tension of long credits for big sums by those who cannot afford to lose their stakes are reckless gambles. | From this point the conservatives argue that it would probably be better for American business if the Treasury's much abused action in embarrassing the Russian import trade were to cut short the Russian trade at this juncture, when no one is very deeply involved, than to let Moscow go on eliciting heavy American investments until, in some such emergency as a famine or civil war, we should be suddenly faced with the repudiation of another huge Rus- sian debt. ‘These arguments do not move the barkers who are consistently financing credits to Russia. They admit their validity. They admit that Russia’s ex- isting and future resources for foreign trade are unknown and must iown. ‘Fhey therefore admit cheer- fully that the long credits which they are extending are a gamble entailing certain risks, but these risks they re- fuse to belleve are heavy. They express the firm belief that Russia is not buy-!| ing beyond her ability to pay, and con- fess to faith in her determination to pay. Russian Commerce Founded on Faith. Equally sagacious men around the corner admit that there has so far been no smirch upon the new Russia’s credit, ! and that credit business is profitable for those who engage in it; but they simply cannot cherish the same faith in the Soviet Government's good inten- tions. ‘The further one goes in pursuit of | authoritative opinions the clearer it be- comes that the whole Russian commerce is founded upon faith, and that the in- dividual's attitude is shaped entirely by his ability to belleve or disbelieve in Russia. About the character of the Treasury Department’s action there is, however, more unanfmity of opinion. It is generally considered arbitrary. In Washington, apparently, the most commonly held opinion is that in the export trade the Soviet government is an economic freebooter. Russia adver- tises a huge sugar or grain surplus sbroad to demoralize European and American markets, follows it by selling short and then actually buys in com- modities, as she bought sugar in Cuba, when she has depressed the market. | Russian ships come out of the Black Sea loaded with produce consigned to nowhere. They go from port to port,! peddling raw materials for which Rus- | sia has paid nothing but underfed labor, | always selling below the lowest market ! prices and always momentarily dislocat- ing the 1 market. Russia exports for four purposes, namely, to get credits to pay for her; imports, to get gold for the security of the ‘paper in which she pays her “conscript labor,” to finance the opera- tions of the Third International in cap- | talist’ countries and to throw capitatist markets into confusion and embarrass capitalist agriculture and industry. Since the balance of trade in this coun- try is against Russia 5 to 1, the only iniquitous purpose that she could serve here would be the last mentioned—the confusion of markets by dumping. ‘The damage that Russia can con- ceivably do in this way, say those in- volved in Russian trade, is trifiing when balanced against the profits derived from our exports. e done at this time, when confidence is unduly low and industry inordinately timid, more than offsets any profits that may accrue from the export trade when realized, say those opposed to the traf- fic. No one offers to produce any fig- ures to support his contentions on either side. Treasury Curb Called Arbitrary. Nevertheless, it is generally admitted that the Treasury’s conditions imposed | upon the import trade have come too | suddenly and are too arbitrary. Rus- sia is accused of importing raw ma- terials oduced through the use of | convict labor, so the Treasury Depart- ment rules, without specific reference | to Russia, that when the department, | sitting in camera, decides that certain |goods coming from certain areas are prepared by convicts, the importer must give a bond covering the value of the | cargo to land it, and then prove to the | department’s satisfaction that his goods | were not produced by convicts. | If he fajis the penalty is confiscation of the cargo and a possible sult under the bond. Against the department's | pronouncement that’certain goods from certain areas are under suspicion and | must be proven free from taint, there |1s no appeal in any court. Those par- | ticipating in the Russian trade express | the gloomy conviction that the Amtorg will interpret this action as a virtual | embargo on Russian imports and that the Soviet government will take the first opportunity to retaliate, as in Eu- rope, and cancel all orders for Ameri- | can ‘manutactures. \ ‘They believe that the Treasury an- | ticipated this and is ruthlessly indiffer- | ent to the fate of American investments in Russia. They demsand, therefore, to be told why the administration in | Washington, if it did not want Amer- ican citizens to do business in Russia, did not say so long ago. The oft-re- peated warning that American mer- |chants would trade at their own risk | was no adequate warning, they contend, of such action as this. It was a purely | perfunctory way of saying that no dip- { lomatic support could be given Amer- {ican interests while there existed no diplomatic relations, & fact which no exporter needed to be told. Even thcse who are “wholly out of sympathy with the high hopes and per- fect faith in bolshevist integrity of the ' Russian traders admit there is some ground for these plaints against the Treasury’s ruling; but they refuse to | believe that the Amtorg's feeling will be | hurt badly enjugh to prompt a breach of all commercial relations. When to all this discussion of the wisdom of credits, dumping and convict labor one appends even a brief survey of merits of the American Federation of Labor’s contention that all Russian ex- Ewru are the product of serf labor, of bor as rigidly dragooned, chained to ' the job and underfed as that on fl’le‘ estates of the czarist aristocrats, and | the Communist reply that, in the inter- est of the state, Socialist labor must al s be conscripted and mobilized in 'mergency, as we conscript and dis- cipline armies, an already complex sub- Ject for argument becomes bewilderingly involved. It will be seen, moreover, that facts and figures enter very little into it; it 1s almost wholly a matter of con- viction. Knowing clearly enough thatgye want / | | Tiall SUNDAY SIAR, WASniivugiUN, D. C, DECEMBER 7, 1930—PALKT \ TWO, Lost Figures of Fame Many Women Should Be Noted Today But Are Practically Unknown—Solution Is Suggested THE BY WALTER B. PITKIN. LECTION over, and we ask what part women pfayed in it. Let's see! Mrs. Pratt won out, but for every woman who was elected to public office fully 100 men got: in. How about the women who didn't’ run for something? They got out and worked for the men. Mrs. Dwight Mor- Drs VARIETY AND SCOPE OF FEMININE ACHIEVEMENT ARE ASTONISHI row stumped New Jersey for months on | ter College, Where she feaches. Ruth behalf of her husband. Ruth Hale went | Hale settles back to whatever she settles gut and hollered for Heywood Broun. | back to. And so do millions of others. rs. Franklin D. vel e fleld for her husband. And 50 on, from | g of Farny e e T Pean, the coast to coast. River, you behold 69 busts of the most Election over, and Mrs. Morrow goes | eminent Americans and among these back to tell the cook what to have for | only seven women. The men get the tomorrow’s dinner. Mrs. Roosevelt re- | fame nine times oftener than the sumes commuting from Albany to Hun-' women. And ’twas ever thus. Adam all of Fame, high above the Harlem | for The Sunday Star by S. Delevante. started the vogue when he took all credit for the Original Sin. Eve sneaked back into the kitchen and oblivion. There she stays. If you doubt it look ai the new “Who's Who in America.” which came out a little while ago. In spite of the tremendous increase in the number of women engaged in creative and constructive work of high order (Continued on Fourth Page.) The Story the Week Has Told BY HENRY W. BUNN. HE following is a brief summary of the more important news of the world for the seven days ended December 6: * oK oK K GREAT BRITAIN.—On December 1 practically all the coal miners in Scot- land (some 94,000) went on strike. You see, new arrangements gespecting pay and hours have been necessitated by the going into effect on December 1 of the new mines’ act. Temporary agree- ments were made between the owners | and the miners of England and Wlks!‘ (there are 160,000 miners in South | ‘Wales) pending the result of negotia- tions. A national conference of miners’ delegates on December 4 appears to have accepted a compromise for the entire industry of the realm (which I shall explain next week). The Scotch miners are expected to resume work tomorrow, ending & ghastly menace. On December 2 the House of Lords passed, 74 to 10, a vote of censure on the government’s participation in the imperial conference. This is of more or less importance. In a parliamentary by-election the other day in Whitechapel (a very citadel of labor) the Labor candidate won, but by a plurality of 1,009 votes only, whereas in the previous election for that seat the Labor candidate's plurality was 9,180. In accordance with the ruling of the late imperial conference that dominion governors general should be appointed solely on recommendation of dominion governments, the government of Aus- tralia has proposed Sir Isaac Alfred Isaacs to be governor general of Australia in succession to Lord Stone- haven and King George has made the appointment. This is the first instance of a native being the governor general of a dominion. Sir Isaac became chief Jjustice a few months ago. * K K K FRANCE.—On December 4 the Tardieu government was defeated in the Senate, 147 to 139, on a question of confidence, and forthwith resigned. Presumably Tardieu's fall is mainly ascribable to the opportunity of bludg- eoning afforded the Left by the Oustric financial scandals of & bouquet re- sembling the Hatry business in Great Britain. Though no one has suggested any personal association of Tardieu with the speculative enormities, rumor, not the less effective for being vague, com- promised members of his government. At any rate, the government was all too slow in taking up a scent obvious to the least sensitive olfactories. Anyway, Tardieu is out. * kK Xk GERMANY.—On December 1, two days before the meeting of the new Reichstag, President von Hindenberg signed a’ decree promulgating, under the authority of article 48 of the Wei- mar constitution (the famous “enabling clause), Chancellor Bruening's program of fiscal and financial reforms. The chancellor had hoped to have the pro- m y, party leaders caused him justly to ap- prehend destructive modifications and, foreign trade very badly, indeed, and that we cannot afford to ink any credit item lightly off of our books, we have to decide whether or not Russian trade at any rate, a delay that might be fatal. couraged Bruening’s Gordian solution. Such dictatorial invocation is, of wurle," On November 29, as the DO-X lay at highly regrettable, but even the most | Lisbon, & short circuit in an electrical | ardent champions of constitutional | connection exploded the gasoline on a| liberalism are disposed to concede that, | small tank in the left wing of the ®aft | if ever the national exigency may be and soon the wing was consunged. All allowed to override constitutional ortho- | but five of the crew were on shore leave, doxy, here's a case. The Reichstag | but those five by really heroic action may or may rot acquiesce in the fait | overcame the blaze with fire extinguish- accompll. The general expectation is| ers, else the main tanks would have ex- that 1t will. It is gven thought that| ploded and so good night. It was the party leaders, desperately embar- | thought that the damage could be re- rassed by party exigencles, rather en-'paired within two weeks. Whether We Feel That Way or Not BY BRUCE BARTON FRIEND of mine tells me that he has re- cently added to his income by working in the eve- nings as a press agent for an amusement park. It was his first contact with that great industry which has grown up out of the rather ggthetic eagerness of folks to happy—to have their minds diverted from their work and worries. He said: “My job has been hard work, but it taught me one thing that is priceless— how to look pleasant whether I feel that way or,not.” It reminded me of a con- versation I once had with the press agent of a circus. In describing the freaks in the side-show, he remarked: “Every so often we have to send them away. They get sucker sore.” “Sucker sore!” I exclaimed. “That’s & new one on me, What's the meaning of sucker sore?” He explained that, in the parlance of the circus, a customer is a sucker. It is not a derogatory term, merely the conventional phrase. “The freaks sit there on their raised platforms, listen- Ing to the comments of the suckers who press around is poked at with umbrellas, and kidded by smart young fellows who imagine that their wise cracks are some- thing absolutely fresh and new. “Day after day the freaks put up with it, smiling patiently. But every day the strain of their suppressed emotions grows greater, until finally they want to jump down off their platforms and bite the customers. Then we have to send them away for a rest. They are ‘sucker sore.’ ” Most of us can sympathize with the freaks; we, too, have been sucker sore. There have come days when our tired nerves rebelled against the demands of the customers who give us a living; when we grumbled at the job for which we should have been grateful; when it seemed that all interest had gone from our work, leaving only dull routine. It is wise on such days to pull down the desk and wall out of the office, and say: “I will not be back until tomor- row.” But even this cure does not always work, or can not al- ways be applied. Soon or late we have to face the fact that life is a fight, not a picnic. And one of the ele- is going to be worth what it may pos- sibly cost; and if we g0 to Wall Street for guidance we come away with a mass of sincere and ably expressed convic- tions, as diametrically opposed, on about as much as the views of rival religious sects on tal dogmas. them all day long,” he said. “The living skeleton hears the same rude jokes a hungred ments of victory, in the words of my friend, is the capacity to “look pleasant, whether we thousand times. The fat y feel that way or not.” (Copyrisht, 19%0). AUSTRIA—The Vaugo In minority government, of Austria, representing a coalition of the Christian Social party and the Heimwehr party, recognizing (though, one suspects, not with good grace) the will of the Austrian people as declared in the recent elections, hav- ing resigned, President Miklas invited Dr. Ender, Christian Socialist, to form a government. After considerable difficulties Dr. Ender effected a coalition of his party with the new Economic party headed by that Dr. Schober, who, the other day, was ousted from the chancellor- ship by the unholy machinations of the Heimwehr, The Economic party has only 19 members in the new Parlia- ment, but it holds the balance of pow- er and receives 3 of the 10 portfolios, including the exceedingly important one of minister of the interfor. Dr. Schober is vice chancellor and foreign minister, The great Mgr. Seipel’s name does not appear, but it is a little per- turbing to find Herr Vaugo In minister of war. With the exception of Vaugo In all the ministers are reputed moderates. It is understood that Dr. Ender has se- cured pledges from the parties to the coalition to give priority to economic over political questions. Let us hope that Austria is now pointed right. The coalition, however, has only, & very slight majority in Parliament. e RUSSIA—For some weeks Alexel Rykoff, premier of the Soviet Union, has been away from his desk at Mos- cow. There is a deep mystery about it. It is plausibly stated that he has been in the Caucasus for a rest. The cau- casus is & bully place for a rest, if you like scenery; unless you're a Prometheus in the bad graces of Zeus. Rumor has it that Prometheus Rykoff is in the bad grace of Zeus Stalin. Rykoff, ‘tis said, thinks Stalin is driving the Russian people too hard; that he should take it easier with the five-year plan both for the people’s sake and indeed, in the upshot, for the plan's sake. The ques- tion—one which has inspired so much transcendental mendacity — is again thrown into bold relféf of the relations between the government of Russia and the Comintern (Communist Interna. tional). Is or is not the latter the real government of Russia? I am inclined to think it is, but won't go into the question, not pretending really to un- derstand it, not being an adept in the mendacious mystery. But it is a devel- opment to waich and perpend. Nikoll Bukharin and Gen. Galents (of Chinese fame, reputed descendants of the marshal, a capable fellow) dared to speak up for Rykoff. Bukharin seen fit to recant and is again in quasi- favor, ‘but they do be saying that the general is in quod, h: d,\lll’ance vile. * * UNITED STATES.—The Seventy-first Congress met on December 1 for its fina short session. ‘The President’s message deals mainly with the economic depression, its causes and grand manifestations and the measures of relief %st::ukd or in con- templation by the Nation: local governments and private organi- zations. Such relief largely takes the form of reduction of unemployment through extension of construction work and betterments in anticipation of the . _“As a contribution to the situ- ation, the Federal Government is en- upon the greatest i waterways, harbor, flood control, public building, highway an ment in our history.’ favors still further expansion of such activities during this Winter, but sug- gests to the Congress, which will confronted with no end of relief pro- posals, that “there are common- sense limitations upon expense of con- ITALIAN WED DING STIRS BALKAN SPECULATIONS Italy, Representing Dictatorsh p; Lining Up Allies Against French Democracy. ‘Nationalism Again in Saddle. BY FRANK H. STMONDS. HE still recent marriage of the King of Bulgaria to an Italian princess has loosed a vast flood of speculation as to the ulti- mate effect of this matrimonial alliance upon the various European com- binations. For Bulgaris it is clear that this marriage offers an escape from an isolation and consequent weakness which has endured ever since the close of the World War. Hemmed in between Greece, Rumania, Jugoslavia and Turkey, all of which took territory from Bulgaria either in 1913 or 1919, this little state has been in a condition of helplessness for more than a decade. Now, inevitably, Bulgaria passes into the Itallan orbit. Her chief enemy is Jugoslavia, which took Macedonia as a result of the second Balkan War and regained it at the close of the World War. As Jugoslav interests clash with those of Bulgaria in the Valley of the Vardar, they conflict with Italian all along the shores of the Adriatic. Italy thus acquires a useful friend in case of eventual hostilities with Jugoslavia. Mussolini Attacks French Interest. Moreover, Mussolini has obviously pushed his Balkan policy one step fur- ther. This policy aims at the breaking down of French influence in all the Danubian and Balkan area. French influence is based upon the Little Entente, made up of Jugoslavia, Rumania and Czechoslovakia, Italy has striven steadily to construct a rival co- alition including Albania, Hungary, Bul- garia and even Austria. It is this purpose to break French predominance which explains the fre- quent declarations of the Duce in favor of the revision of the peace treaties, for Hungary and Bulgaria are equally reso- lute in refusing to accept as permanent the territorial settlements of Paris. ‘What Mussplini has found a little awk- ward is that Austria, also demanding revision, seeks to regain the Upper Adige territory taken by the Italians after the war. At the moment when the Bulgarian marriage strengthens Mussolini’s hand at Sofla a hitter struggle is going on at Bucharest between the French—who are seeking to hold Rumania to her asso- clation with her partners of the Little Entente and thus to the French orienta- tion—and the Itallans—who are taking advantage of the return of King Carol to attempt a new campaign. French ‘Have Upper Hand. For the present the French seem to have the upper hand, because Rumania is desperately in need of a loan and Italy is a borrower, not a lender. states of the Little Entente, loans which enable them to equip their armies and at least begin navy bullding in the case of Rumania and Jugoslavia. Rome and Paris are also watching with keen interest the election in Aus- | tria, ‘The success of the German Fas- cists has-served to persuade the hith- | erto 1inconsiderable group of Austrian Fascists to make a vigorous campaign, and it is far from impossible that they may hold the balance of power after the present campaign. And in Austria, Hungary and Ger- many the extreme Natlonalists are not only, in the main, supporters of the | Fascist_principles, beginning with that |of torship, but they are very frankly ready to strike hands with Mus- solinl, who is the high priest of the | Fascist faith, as Stalin is of the Com- munist. ‘Two ints taking place. structing s system of Italy is at work con- alliances to bal- And since | More- | over, France is making loans to all the | movements are thus the extreme nationalistio Ind Itallan Fascism are nlmn‘mmund.m Thus in an odd fashion Italy and France are not merely rivals politically, but are the protagonists of two funda- mentally different conceptions of gov- ernment. France remains the champlon of democracy, Italy the missionary of dictatorship. France is defending the political and territorial status quo, Italy is seeking to modify both. of course, Soviet Russia is seeking to es- tablish a third form of government, which is Communism. Germany True Battle Ground. Moreover, the true battle ground is Germany. If Fascism wins the day in | the Reich and produces s dictator, either Hitler or a soldier like Gen. van Seeckt, then the chances are very strong that there will be a political alliance between Germany and Italy, and the fi‘l‘l‘pt:yn for the revuldon of the treatiss e on & new and graver Then Europe is likely to dlmb two great coalitions, as it did in the years preceding the World War—France, Belgium, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Ru~ mania and Jugoslavia in one camp; Italy, Germany, Hungary, Austria and | Bulgaria in the other, with Russia in- | clining to the German orientation, but | actually working for the ruin of both democratic and Fascist systems and the triumph of Communism. This unmistakable tendency repre- sents the obvious peril to all conuvma of co-operation and association. In & word, it is the antithesis of the prinei- | ple and spirit of Locarno. It is & away from the internationalism years since the war, and particularly since 1925; an abandonment of the League of Nations, and a frank snd unrestrained pursuit of national aims. Beyond all else, it is a direct turning away from the ideal of a new Europe to the forms of the old. Economic Factor Is Check. Only one factor favors international- ism, and that is the economic. While peadtical interests divide Rumania and Hungary, France and Germany, Bul- garla and Jugoslavia, economic con- siderations cut right across political Thus, while the politicians are busy playing the national game in each of these countries, the financial, business and agricultural groups are working all the time for cartels, common or pref- | erential tariffs and all sorts of cities. And such hope as exists of European co-operation must be based upon the | economic factor. Internationalism as a moral force has, for the moment at least, lost its weight. Nationalism is in the saddle almost everywhere in the Continent. Fascism continues to gain St Sl T outs 8¢ Kot super: while it sf olds out, at o ficlally impregnable, in’ Italy. T But peoples which seem unable to live peacefully together are condemned to trade extensively with each other or g0 _under_together. | rents of business, finance and economic common sense working. Meantime it |is a significant fact that even so rela- |tively an unimportant event as the Bulgarian wedding should have rope to talking just as it before 1914, when anything pened in the Balkans most actual haj ppening were (Copyright, 1930.) total decrease of activities from 1928 of from 15 to 20 per cent. ‘The total of those wholly out of em- loyment_seeking work was determined the A&l"lol census to be at that time ut 2,500,000. The Department of Labor’s _investigations indicate some improvement_since. The average price of farm produce is only 80 per cent of that of 1928, but the situation is really desperate only as to wheat and cotton, which have slumped to 60; for other commodities the average is 84. And, in perpending our woes, we should com- pare. So doing we shall find that “the price levels of our major agricultural commodities are higher than those in other principal producing countries. Note is taken of the severe drought and of the measures in the ease, as re- duction of nflwn{ rates and extraordi- nary credit facilittes extended by the Federal Farm Loan Board. ‘The President briefly reviews the fiscal situation. A surplus of about $123,- 000,000 was_originally estimated for the current fiscal year. Present estimates by the Treasury and Bureau of the Budget indicate a fall in receipts below the original esti- mate by about $430,000,000 ($75,000,~ 000 due to tax reduction, $355,000,000 to the depression). Moreover, legislation l:!v Congress. since submission of the budget, by way of construction work in relief of un- employment, for increase in veterans’ services, etc., has increased expenditure beyond original estimate by about $225,000,000. Add these items together and you find the budget conduction in- ferior to the original estimate in a sum of about $655.000,000. However, “this large sum is offset by the original estimated surplus of about $123,000,000 by the application of $185,- 000,000 of interest payments upon the forelgn debt to current expenditures by arrangements of the Farm Board through repayments, ete. in conse- quence of which they reduced their net cash demands upon the Treasury by bout $100,000,000 in this period and by about $67,000,000 in economies and de- ferments brought about in Government, thus reducing the practical effect of the change in the situation to an esti- mated deficit of about $180,000,000 for the present fiscal year.” ‘The President recommends comple- tion In short session of “practically completed legislation in respect to Mus- cle Shoals, bus regulation, relief of con- gestion in the courts, reorganization of border com¢rol in prevention of smug- gling and law_enforement of the Dis- trict of Columbia.” Here are, sald the President, “a number of quesaions which, if time does not permit legislative action, I recom- mend should be placed in consideration by Congress, perhaps through commit- tees, with a view to preparation for subsequent action,” among which he cites the following: Effective regulation of interstate electrical power, railway | consolidation; the working of the anti- trust laws, inquiry being indicated to determine if certain evils incident to such working can be remedied without sacrifice of the fundamental purposes of those laws; the income tax on so- called capital gains, an inquiry being indicated to determine whether or no they “have reason” who contend that the effect of the tax is to enhance speculative inflations; revision of the immigration laws, care of veterans and vocial service, particularly in respect of the health of children and the stamp- ing out of communicable disease. ‘The tone of the message is emphati- cally hopeful. “Our country is today 8 r and r in resources, in stronge: riche: juipment, in skill, than ever in its Sy LB, ¢ oy legree self-: . We over- come world influences, and will lead the march of ity as hitherto.” Dr. ler Hutchinson, famous inventor, especially of electro-mecha; cal devices, announces the invention of an Wi according to his claim, will “e ‘the, deadly fumes of earbom monoxide gas fromgity streets, increase the efficiency of airpMnes more e-1 save the Nttlgfl We are told that the im vestigations resulting in device cams from the death in an sirplane crash in 1928 of Mr. Hutchinson's second son. If he is correct in describing it as infallible means of eliminating guesswork of carburetion,” the world & immensely 'his debtor; its name is “moto-vita” one hears that a famous fiyer reports a saving of 40 Eer cent in gasoline consumption through its use. On December 1 Miss Ruth Nichols landed from an airplane at s Calif, having supra-volated the conti- nent from New York in 17 hours’ flying time, beating the women’s record recent- ly established by Mrs. Keith-Miller of Australia, by nearly 9 hours, and only about 2 hours slower than Capt. Hawks. Miss Nichols now proposes to beat Mrs. Keith-Miller's eastward time (Los An- geles to New York), of about 22 hours. . Foreign Rest Room Put In Buddhist Temple The Zojo-ji, a historic Buddhist temple in Shiba Park, Tokio, is estab- lishing & foreign style rest room to ac- commodate the many foreigners who visit the institution, and it is the first temple in Japan to make any special provisions for alien visitors. The rooms, furnished in the Western manner in which visitors may rest and order tes, are part of a famous mansion that used to be a private residence and which is being dismantled and moved from its original site'three miles distant to be restored in the temple com d. Prince Takatsukasa formerly occupled the mansion, a two-storied strue richly furnished and decorated. It was purchased several months ago by & ‘wealthy Tokio business man who pre- sented it to the temple. The 'Afllfl. authorities appropriated 150,000 yen for the purpose of moving it. The f rooms, on the ground floor, will con expensive furniture which was zhlg:v- erty of the late Field Marshal int Terauchi, one-time premier of Japan. {; w’llil be completed some time next arch. to the in- Chinesewkcfl:‘;i’njg Modern Hygienics ‘Three auto trucks have been fitted out and have been circulating ti the Chinese concession not long ago educating the populace into ac free vaccination against cholera. ers and handbills have been stuek up and have been distributed, whereas thousands of Chinese of the poorer classes have accepted treatment. The result has been practically no cases of cholera during one of the worst seasons experienced here. In addition to services of this sort, the munie offi- cials of the two foreign concessions of the Chinese districts grant free vae- cl‘l:nhlonwlnd lnnoc‘ulnlons n.:id distrib- ute posters warning against typhold, mosquitoes and half a dosen other Asiatic and non-Asiatic _diseases. Re- cent visits to the Far East of League of Nations' health officers have done much to encourage the €hinese into ac- cepting lt.hg :inmlkln‘ dlocmu dfl personal and civic cleanliness, there is a long way yet to mvd% the clties, towns and villages become model cxamples. 1,790 Tokio Persons Declared Homeless ginning showed total of 1,790 in Tokis who have neither home nor lodging or the money to obtain either, according to early figures announced by the thorities. This compares 344, the total of 1925, when a munici- pal census was taken, and is