Evening Star Newspaper, December 2, 1934, Page 38

THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, DECEMBER 2, 1934—PART TWO. -2 OO ——_—_— -_— e — s s e didate of the National Revoluuomrylv:lued at $5,000 or under from tax- THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. — WASHINGTON,D.C. SUNDAY.....December 2, 1934 THEODORE W. NOYES. .Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office: 11th 8t. and Pennsylvania Ave. New York Office: 110 East 42nd 8t. Em“" Office: Lake Michigan 3uilding. uropean Office: 14 Rzfl;ent St.. London. England. Rate by Carrier Within the City. Resular Edition, The Evening Star... .. ..45cDer month The Evening and 8unday Star ndays' . . . .:‘gcur month (when a: . 65¢ per month The Sunday Star.. .be per copy Night Final Edition, ght Pinal and Sunday Star, 70¢ per month ight Final Star ... b5c per month Collection made at ‘the end of each month. Orders may be sent in by mail or telephone NAtional 5000 Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. aily and Sunday. .1 yr,, $10.00; 1 mo., 85¢ aily ony... . .1yr. $6.00;1 mo., 50c Bundsv only. .. 1vr. $4.00: 1 mo. 40c All Other States and Canada. Daily and Sunday. : Datly only. . 8Bindsy " onl Member of the Associated Press. The Assoctated Press is exclusively en- fitied to the use for republication of all tews dispatches credited to it or not other- wise credited in this paper and also the local news published herein. All rights of publication of special dispatches herein are also reserved = Republican Strife. Charles D. Hilles, Republican na- tional committeeman from New York, has added his voice to the chorus of old, regular Republicans who demand that the G. O. P. stand firm for the principle that private American citi- zens shall continue to own and control and manage American business. The Republicans, Mr. Hilles said, “cannot Imitate the New Deal, cannot vacillate between two opinions, cannot stagger toward the Left.” What Mr. Hilles intended to say, apparently, was that the Republican party cannot imitate the New Deal, vacillate and stagger toward the Left and remain a great national party. Yet that is just what many of the Republicans—and by no means only of the progressive, in- surgent type—are urging the party to do. ‘This group which is demanding a *liberalized” G. O. P., with the adop- tion of much that the New Deal stands for, is really composed of two groups. One is made up of the out-and-out progressives in the party who believe the G. O. P. should long ago have moved over to the Left and who be- lieve that it missed its chance. The other group is made up of more timid souls who have no particular love for radical measures and would be content to have things return to what they were, but who fear that unless they step along with the New Deal winners they may lose personally. The fight in the party is coming between the regulars, who believe as do Mr. Hilles of New York, Senator Fess of Ohio and Senator Reed of Pennsylvania, and those Republicans who are clamoring for a liberalized party and a swing to the Left. The regulars claim that to follow such a course would be merely to compromise with State socialism, and that if the G. O. P. undertakes such a compro- mise it will be as lost, certainly, as was the Whig party when it undertook to compromise the slavery issue before the Civil War. . The bona fide progressives in the Republican party reply that there must be no compromise in the re- vamping of the G. O. P. along liberal lines; that there must be an elimina- tion of leaders who have been identi- fled in the public mind with stand- patism and “big interests.” These progressives assert that to the ordi- nary voter the leaders personify the party, and until there can be a new picture presented to the voters they will fight shy of the Republican party. It looks as though the progressives are too late. The Democrats, under President Roosevelt, have not onlyl stolen all their thunder but they have gone beyond the wildest dreams of many of the progressive Republicans. Two liberal parties, two parties that stand for the same thing, are likely to result in the elimination of one and the growth of another. To Mr, Hilles and other regular Republicans of a conservative turn of mind there prob- ably seems no good reason why the Republican insurgents of radical tend- encies have not joined the Democratic party. In fact, Mr. Hilles has said as much in a letter calling upon the Re- publicans to stand firm and against new dealism. The struggle within the Republican party is not new. It has been going on for the past quarter century, with the conservatives continuing to have the upper hand, despite the revolt of the late Theodore Roosevelt in 1912 and of the late Senator La Follette in 1924. The conservatives still seem to have the upper hand. They had the upper hand at the Chicago meeting of the Republican National Committee last June to pick a new chairman. The conservatives are seeking to bol- ster their position by showing that the G. O. P. cast 46 per cent of the total vote in the recent elections, despite the big Government spending pro- gram for all kinds of relief carried on by the Democrats. If the G. O. P. “compromises” on the issue of private control of industry versus Government ownership and op- eration, it is entirely likely that a new, conservative party will arise in its place. While the American Liberty League maintains stoutly that it is in no sense a political party, it might of- fer a nucleus for a new political align- ment. President Cardenas. Mexico has just inaugurated a new President, General Lasaro Cardenas, who takes office as the forty-fifth chief executive of the neighboring repub- lic across the Rio Grande. At thirty- nine, he is the youngest man ever to occupy the chair, but previous to his election last July he had had five years' experience in various other government posts, in addition to fif- teen years of military service in the field, so he enters upon his new re- sponsibilities as a seasoned public official, despite his youth. The can- I party, he was swept into power by a landslide vote and assumes the presi- dency well fortified in popular confi- dence. General Cardenas takes the reins in a Mexico which is tranquil compared to conditions which have existed in other times, but the country’s eco- nomic and social conditions are far from normal and will require sa- gacious consideration if they are not to flare into a more critical situation. the burning issues. Upon the policies the new administration adopts in dealing with them mainly depends the question as to whether peace or domestic strife is to be Mexico's des- tiny in the immediate future. Public opinion has favored the movement to separate church and state, but there is strong protest against an inclina- tion to use either the schools or the churches for promotion of purely po- litical interests. Although President Cardenas heads the National Revolutionary party, the name of which suggests extreme rad- icalism as its ideal, Mexico has lat- terly made certain definite economic progress, and the hope is that the government which has just taken office will concentrate upon preserv- ing the gains achieved in the fleld of business instead of embarking precip- itately upon a program of drastic po- litical reforms. The United States’ relations with Mexico are once again of the friend- liest character, and the American people, in wishing President Cardenas a successful administration, sincerely hope that his six-year term will be distinguished, with other things, for a solidification of the Mexican- American entente cordiale. —_———te— The Rising Toll. ‘The rising mortality toll from auto- mobile accidents is a fact about which thoughtful people must be vastly dis- turbed. A report from the National Safety Council, Chicago, shows that October witnessed a greater number of fatal mishaps than any previous month since records first were kept. The total count for the thirty-one days was three thousand five hundred and sixty deaths. By way of explana- tion the Council cites “increased travel, increased drunken driving and increased speeds,” and a sidelight is thrown on the problem by a supple- | mentary statement to the effect that drunken driving arrests have risen “at least fifty per cent” in many of the leading cities of the country. But it is useless to argue the reasons for the slaughter of the highways. Pedestrians, in any case, are tired of academic discussion. Time was when there was no special risk in walking a city street or a rural road, but that time has passed and the average pedestrian now has adopted a fatal- istic attitude concerning his rights on public thoroughfares. He no longer expects much consideration at the hands of motorists; he is learning that he must watch out for himself, take | care of himself, and that if he fails to do that, he can hope for scant mercy. The responsibility which originally was the driver's has been tossed back to the walker. And woe be to the in- dividual who does not realize the cir- cumstance. Certainly, there still are pedestrians ‘who resent the loss of their freedom of movement. To these, it is an insup- portable aggravation that the automo- bile should so dominate traffic. But there is little efficiency in protest, especially when it awakens little sym- pathy from the authorities. Unless people are willing to connive at their own destruction, they must sub- mit to conditions as they are and use the streets and the roads only with | inordinate caution. The alternative | 1s injury or death. As for the motoring portion of the community, it would seem that present trends eventually will force revision of the bad driving manners, the fool- hardiness and the speed mania which have made the automobile a menace to all parties. Perhaps the surrender of the pedestrian to his fate will con- tribute to the solution of the difficulty. Motorists, sober as well as drunk, have wanted the highways for themselves. ‘When their greed has been accommo- dated it may happen that they will take cognizance of their own short- comings. Hitherto they have been so busy complaining about walkers that they have had no leisure to consider the faults of drivers and riders. The “Tax Revolt” Continues. A recent Associated Press survey of the results—in the past election— where tax questions were voted on by the people of twelve States indicates that the “revolt of the taxpayer” be- gun when the depression made dol- lars more scarce has not abated. Of the five States, for instance, which voted on constitutional amendments to levy State income taxes, three of the States turned down the proposal outright; Montana's vote merely con- firmed the Legislature in having en=- acted an income tax some time ago and in Huey Long’s Louisiana the income tax amendment was favored although other taxes were eliminated or reduced as a partial offset. Texas, Michigan and Washington defeated the constitutional amend- ments levying a State income tax. In Louisiana, which approved an in- come tax, the people eliminated the poll tax as a voting requirement and cut the minimum automobile tax ex- actly in half, The action of some other States on tax proposals was interesting. Ar- kansas restricted its Legislature to a maximum of $2,500,000 bi-ennial appropriations, except for debt serv- ice, Confederate pensions and high- ways, and forbade further tax in- creases except by three-fourths ma- jority of the Legislature in an “emer- gency.” In addition, tax delinquents were given four years in which to re- deem without penalty and penalties were reduced from ten to three per cent. Florids has exempted homesteads ) Church and school questions remain | ation other than special assessments and exempted motion picture manu- facturing. plants from taxation for the next 15 years. Minnesota gave the Legislature au- thority to exempt household goods and farm machinery from taxation and defeated a special land tax de- signed to finance a rural credit de- partment. Oklahoma rejected a pro- posal permitting cities and towns to levy taxes for peace officers’ pensions and West Virginia refused to make women voters pay a two-dollar poll tax. Ohio cnd Michigan voted down proposed maximum limitations on gasoline taxes, and Texas, in addition to defeating the income tax, defeated an occupational and poll tax. —_——————— Love of Home. ‘The depression, it is said, has made people home-conscious. In more pros- perous times folks have too many out- side interests to be properly mindful of domestic comforts and pleasures— they prefer to be “on the go,” seeing things and doing things, spending time and money in the pursuit of a noisy, extravagant, hysterical shadow of happiness. Then comes an eco- nomic slump and under the compul- sion of its dictation men and women rediscover the joys of their own fire- sides and the luxury of each other's company. Perhaps there never was a period when the multitudes were more deeply concerned about homes. And even if the vast enterprises planned and underway by the Govern- ment had not been launched there would have been a great development of home-consciousness, A depression is a threat to the family, and a natural reaction to any such peril is an in- tensification of resistance in the mind and in the heart. One of the durable results of the troubles and trials of humanity during these years of stress and struggle will be a new evaluation of home in all that the word means— a renaissance of the home-making and the home-maintaining spirit which once was an outstanding characteristic of American civilization. A symptom of the trend is the Bet- ter Homes Exhibition now going on at ‘Washington Auditorium. The show has drawn crowds—deservedly so, since its attraction is fundamental. The old question of the priority of the chicken or the egg arises in new form. It is undecided whether some of the movies are responsible for crime or whether crime is responsible for the movies. —_—— e A bureaucracy is objectionable only to the extent that it may turn up one of those old bureau drawers con- taining documents that might better be forgotten. ——————————— ‘Threat of a volcanic eruption in Hawali creates a panic liable to leave the beach strewn with abandoned ukuleles. —_— e SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Interruption. He tried to be From rancor free, And methods find To aid mankind. His studious way Weant all astray— He had to stop And call a cop. A gangster gun Was pulled in fun. A gangster's jest Brings great unrest. Ideas bright Can’t work out right When you must stop To call a cop. Literary Discrimination. “Do you like poetry?” “Yes,” answered Senator Sorghum. “A piece of verse helps to round out 8 speech. But some of those old rhymsters had such positive opinions that you have to be exceedingly care- ful about which poet you quote.” Jud Tunkins says there’s no use of arguing with a millionaire who al- ready has his mind made up. Underworld. Said Satan, “My ill-favored glory Depends, if you will analyze The facts concerning my sad story, On my attempts reformatory When men grow wicked, but too wise. So, in my mundane exploration, I'm often tempted to resign As T observe, in contemplation ‘That brings me frequent consterna- tion, Your underworld is worse than mine.” In Effigy. “I understand you are going to have a town hall in Crimson Guich,” said the traveling man. “We are,” answered Cactus Joe. “Everybody will be privileged to ex- press his opinion of anybody else.” “Where are you going to locate it?” “In the shooting gallery. We'll set up portraits so that anybody who gets excited can relieve his feelings by blazing away at a photograph in- stead of a live citizen.” “Art is influential,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “My friends at home would perhaps understand you better if you would try to teach them music as well as religion.” Vanishing Freedom. Call him a fascist if you choose, A propagandist full of news, A radical, a socialist, A communist or anarchist. Our speech can't be Entirely free, For like a fortune teller calm With silver we must cross his palm— He wants to see A lecturer’s fee. “Santa Claus is comin’ around as usual in December,” said Uncle Eben, “tryin’ to bring along enough good cheer to beat de tax collectar.” . “THE HOUSEHOLD OF GOD” BY THE RIGHT REV.JAMES E. FREEMAN, D. D, LL.D, D.C. L, Bishop of Washingion As we study the development and growth of the early church it is inter- esting to note the directions given by its leaders. The most notable of these was St. Paul, who after establishing the church in certain cities, wrote letters or epistles giving specific in- structions concerning their adminis- tration. In his letter written to the people of Ephesus, which was one of twelve Ionian cities in Asia Minor, the city in which stood Artemis or Diana, the goddess, he says: “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreign- ers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God.” He reminds them that their household, the church, is built “upon the founda- tion of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone.” He then goes on to in- dicate the essential place that each member occupies in a “building fitly framed together.” The analogy he uses is that of the citizens, implying thereby that the duties of those who constituted the church’s membership are clearly de- fined and specific. Each one was a constituent part of the whode fabric. From being aliens and strangers, separate and apart from the church, they had now become its active and potential members. The implication of his message is that there can be no such thing as an ordered and orderly society without a constituency that duly recognizes the duties and re- sponsibilities of membership. The “household of God,” if it is to be a continuing and efficient factor in the social scheme of things, must have its clearly defined organization, an organ- ization in which every member occu- pies his distinct place and discharges his well-defined obligations. What was true of this ancient church is equally true of the church of our time. We frequently hear the observation that one may live a con- sistent life apart from church mem- bership; that virtue and wholesome living are not necessarily determined by affiliation with any religious organ- ization. It doubtless is true that there are those whose moral qualities are well sustained by reason of their in- herent strength of character. We re- call a striking illustration of this that came under our observation in a con- versation we had with an outstanding public man several years ago. He was & distinguished district attorney in one of our metropolitan centers. At the close of a discussion concerning a matter in which we were commonly interested, he spoke of his long con- tinued indifference to the appeal of the church. He was intensely sincere, and observed that his growing children were beginning to ask him questions concerning his unresponsiveness to the church’s appeal. Going with their mother week by week to the church of their preference, they were asking him why he commended the practice to them while he consistently ignored it. “What do you think I have lost by reason of my indifference to the religious appeal?” he asked. We re- sponded by suggesting that there was another way of looking at the matter. “What do you think the church has lost by reason of your protracted ab- sence, and what do you think has been the effeci of your indifference upon those who hold you, especially the youth, in high esteem?” He quickly responded that this had not occurred to him and that he believed in the church as an institution and felt that its influence was indispensable to the individual, and society in general. “I shall resume my relations with it im- mediately,” he added. He realized with readiness that an organized body designed for the common good could not exist without an organization in which every member played his con- sistent part. If we are to transmit to our chil- dren and to those who follow us a society whose high purpose is the bet- terment and enrichment of human society, in rine, if the church as an organization is to render the whole- some service for which it is designed, it must have its organization as well as its recognized place in our thinking and practice. We have reached the stage in our modern life where, in certain places, an open and violent attack is being made upon this an- cient institution. The very validity of its worth and work is being chal- lenged. While we of America believe that what the church stands for is indispensable to wholesome living and that it is an essential factor in pre- serving to us those elements that contribute to decency in our individual and corporate life, many of us are treating it with scant consideration and in doing so are threatening its security and permanence. The “household of God,” if it is to continue to be what its divine Founder designed, must be maintained by those who consistently exemplify its pre- cepts and principles. Small Business Seen in Grim Fight Trying to Conform to U. S. Activities BY OWEN L. SCOTT. This is to be the story of a small city business man. He had been a boyhood friend of the writer, who ran into him accidentally during the past week while the visitor was in Wash- ington seeking & direct loan from the | Government. The N. R. A, the A. A. A, the R. F. C. and the Federal Reserve banks were all very real to him. They had come to represent to him something verging on economic life and death. His experiences during the past year and a half show how happenings in Washington can tie in directly with the affairs of the man in business, and deeply influence those affairs. Government under the New Deal, he found, is something more than a re- mote and intangible power, felt only at income tax paying time. This man left college to enlist in the Marines at the start of the war. He went through all of their engage- ments in France and returned to enter the department store in which his father was a partner. The busi- ness had been very successful for a quarter of a century. Since then his father has died and he has become head of the enterprise. Located in the heart of Middle Western farm territory, the store’s business was largely affected by the buying power of farmers. Things didn’t boom in that part of the coun- try even during the 1920s, but the| store, which was one of the largest| in the community, weathered suc- cessfully the years up to 1930. By drastic economies it kept going on an | even keel until early in 1933, although | inventory losses cut into working capital. * K ok x Then came N. R. A. with its Blue Eagle, and the start of real trouble for this particular business man. His costs shot up sharply. The number of employes jumped from 100 to 150, | as hours were cut to comply with the code. Wage increases added further to expense. Thousands of dollars were added to the cost of doing busi- ness. That was all right, however. The employer was glad to enter the prosperity procession and throw his reserves into the pot, on the gamble of benefiting in the end. But events did not work out as scheduled by Gen. Johnson. Prices of goods at wholesale rose rapidly. That took more working capital to keep the shelves stocked. Also, it re- quired that retail prices be advanced, and there needed to be a bit more of a margin to take care of the wages of the new workers. Either that had to happen or volume of business had to increase if loss were to be avoided. The hub of the story is that volume didn't go up and buyers resisted price increases. Farmers took a dislike to the Blue Eagle, or at least to what they re- garded as Blue Eagle prices. They turned to buying more of their goods from mail-order houses. Also, store owners in small towns, exempt from N. R. A. restrictions, began to under- sell the city stores. The result was that goods had to be sacrificed to move them. That cut further into working capital. * * * * In good time, when there were siz- able profits, the excess either was plowed back into the business or put into real estate in the town. Now, with the pinch being felt, the store- owner tried to borrow on real estate, but without success. He sought to borrow from the banks, but they re- fused anything but 90-day commercial loans on the ground that national bank examiners would throw out the notes otherwise. So he then sought to induse N. R. A. to let up somewhat on its restric- tions. A prominent young N. R. A. official finally went out from Wash- ington. The figures were put before him, but, according to the business man’s story, the official brushed the papers off the table with the remark: “I never was interested in figures.” Nothing came of that. Instead, as- sessments began to come for the sup- port of the code authority. There were two of $1 for each employe and last week a third assessment of 62> cents was levied. The business man is regularly paying the assessment. But, it was suggested, aren’t em- ployers simply ignoring the codes when they pinch? That’s the story frequently heard in Washington. Not out in that country, he an- swered. There is a State compliance director in the town drawing $8,000 a year and an assistant at $6,000, and they try to earn their salaries. ‘What about A. A. A. payments to farmers and Public Works Adminis- | 4 tration expenditures? help revive things?” * x x X Both would help greatly, he re- marked. But Government checks were promised to hog farmers for de- livery about 10 months ago. They haven't arrived yet because a county agent in the county told the farmers that this would be a good chance to mulct Uncle Sam of some extra cash by kiting their figures. But Uncle Sam wouldn’'t mulct, and so $600,000 that should have gone into the region is unpaid. As for public works, two big proj- ects were planned. One was a high school addition. Bidding for the con- tract was on the basis of the then prevailing wages for skilled labor at $1.10 an hour. But about time action was to start an A. F. of L. organizer came on the scene and said nothing would be done at a wage of under $1.50 an hour for skilled workers. So more Government money is waiting to come into the region for spending, but hasn't arrived. Up against an acute problem, the business man closed down two of five floors in his store, let out clerks until his employes number fewer than 100 and settled down to fight it out. He reported that October showed a profit. * x % X But there still is need for capital. The employment gains that came early in N. R. A. have been wiped out. There is offered a situation of the type that must have been in the mind of Donald Richberg, No. 1 as- sistant to President Roosevelt, when he said the other day, speaking of N.R. A “Unless these measures to provide new and permanent opportunities of employment are speedily made ef- fective, we may soon find that shorter hours, increased wages and increased production costs will not relieve, but on the contrary may increase the problem of unemployment, which must be solved.” ‘While this particular business man's troubles were caused in part by the requirements of one Government agency, the writer found him trying to solve those troubles through another Government agency. He was look- ing for credit. With him was a banker who was willing to extend that credit if the Government, under legislation passed by the last Congress, would underwrite it for 20 per cent and allow the loan to be classed as liquid. He wanted that so book examiners would not class the loan as “frozen.” * ok ox % ‘The store owner had been trying since July 15 to get that direct Gov- ernment loan, which Congress in- tended to make available to employers in his position. He had started with the Federal Reserve bank in his district. He had filled out the intricate application form. His collateral had. been put into shape. The application went up in July and little was heard until Sep- tember. Then he went to the Reserve bank, 300 miles away, to get & hear- ing. The governor of the bank greeted him—so he said—with the remark: “What have you to say for your- self? We will give you five minutes to state your case.” Since the case was stated in the greatest detail in the application, the business man saw little that he could add in five minutes. He got no action, but did learn that with $24,- 000,000 in applications this bank had made $200,000 in loans and its officials were reported out of sympathy with the whole idea. So he turned to the Reconstruction Finance Corp. in Washington. It is authorized along with the Federal Re- serve banks to make commercial loans for periods up to five years. At the R. F. C. he had found a sympathetic reception and was making progress. He had seen Jesse Jones, chairman of the board, and was on the way to getting an answer of yes or no, to his application. * ok x % In case the answer is “No,” he may be faced with the necessity of shut- ting up shop. m’l‘hhbuunmmnisnutupsetby experiences. But the question raised by Mr. Richberg and others is whether a community is better off when it is supporting & larger number of its members on some sort of wage, than when it has some members on & socially desirable wage and others on relief. Also it raises the question whether there should not be greater flexibility in N. R. A. to adjust its requirements to different communi- (Copyhight. 1934.) 2 Didn't they [ Capital Sidelights BY WILL P. KENNEDY ‘The United States service is about to lose one of its grand old men, who for 40 years has been proud of his job as in the days when “Knighthood Was in Flower” had he been “in the King's command”—John 8. Beach, who on January 1 will be retired for age. He will be 70 years old on Tuesday. In the retirement of this man all Government employes lose a tried and true friend, who has been known as “the father of the retirement law” and who for nearly 15 years has worked earnestly and effectively for the betterment of each of them. During Mr. Beach’s incumbency as chief of the Retirement Division, Bu- reau of Pensions, and chief of the Retirement Subdivision, Veterans’ Ad- ministration, covering a period of a little more than 14 years, there were 64,506 employes retired, of whom 19,030 were dropped for death or other causes, leaving 45,476 annuitants on the rolls August 31, last. When Mr. Beach was selected by the commissioner of pensions as the chief of the Retirement Division, im- mediately following the passage of the original act of May 22, 1920, he had only a desk and a copy of the law to begin with. From that humble start has grown an activity where now there are 109 employes engaged upon retirement work. the past year or two Mr. Beach's health has not been good, due in part to advancing years, and also to the fact that he has worked were in the Government service. After his retirement on January 1 he plans to spend several months in Florida recuperating and then go back to his native State, New York, and establish a residence with his daughter, near Albany. If his health permits he would like to en- gage in writing articles dealing with his experiences in the Government service, and particularly with the subject so dear to his heart—retire- ment of Government employes, in which he took such an active part. Mr. Beach became identified with the Federal Employes’ Union almost immediately after its organization in March, 1916. He was elected a mem- ber of the first Executive Committee. Subsequently he was made chairman of the Committee on Retirement and in that capacity was instrumental in drafting a retirement bill which was introduced by Senator Wadsworth of New York in the Senate and Repre- sentative Dale of Vermont in the House, in February, 1917. From that time until the original retirement law was enacted. May 22, 1920, he was most active in support of the proposed legislation. Mr. Beach was detailed from the Bureau of Pensions to the Congres- sional Joint Commission on Reclassifi- cation of Salaries, and served as a statistical clerk from June 16, 1919, to March 12, 1920. Following the termi- nation of this detail he returned to his regular position in the Bureau of Pen- sions. In addition to his Government serv- ice Mr. Beach was for many years ac- tive in organization, civic and fra- ternal work. He was made a Mason honor in the fraternity, notably as high priest of Mount Vernon Chapter, No. 3, R. A. M, and commander of ‘Washington Commandery No. 1, K. T. He is a non-resident member of the Cornell Hook and Ladder Company of New Baltimore, N. Y. —_— et Speculation Still Rife Over Naval Conference BY A. G. GARDINER. LONDON, December 1—In view jof the stalemate which has been reached in the London naval conver- sations, I make no apology for re- turning to the Anglo-American- Japanese question. For below the surface, and in spite of such prob- lems as those of the Saar and India, no subject is the theme of more anx- ious thought and discussion than this. It is taken for granted that the Japanese rejection of the British pro- posal of a “gentlemen’s agreement” means that the Washington treaty— which, as the New Statesman remarks, is “one of the few great instruments of peace devised since the war’— must go. To be quite candid, no one expected that the “gentlemen’s agreement” would save the treaty. That proposal was too obvious a face-saving formula on which to build a stable under- standing, and no tears are being shed because it has been brushed out of the way and Great Britain and the United States are faced with the naked demand of Japan for parity— a demand which, in view of the rela- tive obligations of the three powers, neither Britain nor America can con- cede. * ¥® x ¥ It is not assumed, however, that the denunciation of the Washington treaty and the breakdown of the con- versations is the end of the matter. As the London Times points out, the framers of the treaty inserted the wise proviso that even if it were de- nounced the signatories were to meet in the following year to negotiate a new treaty. And though the new treaty, if implemented, can only be a pale shadow of the old, it need not be valueless. Even Japan will be anxious that it should renew the clauses of the present instrument. is owing to these that no new naval bases have been established in the Pacific within a 3,000-mile radius of Japan, and a competition in naval bases would be as ruinous and provo- cative as a competition in battleships and cruisers. Moreover, by the time the naval conference meets, much may hap- pen. “The almost certain prospect of an utter disorganization of her na- tional finances,” says the London Daily Telegraph, “may yet prove a powerful counterpoise to Japanese na- tional pride when the ultimate deci- sions have to be found to which these conversations are but preliminaries.” * ok kX But, putting aside these specula- tions, what happens if the Washing- ton treaty goes, and with it the 5—5— 3 ratio? “If Japan builds, it will be & mira- cle if the United States does not build, too,” says the New Statesman. “We are confronted thus with the grave menace of a new race in naval arma- ments. What, then, is the British attitude?” The New Statesman observes, “in the long run, to recognize Manchou- kuo and to look for friendship with Japan at_the risk of a deterioration with the United States would prove & foolish and tragic blunder.” The suggestion, made by a member of the Federation of British Industries Commission to Manchuris, that Great Britain might renew her alliance witn Japan, has been strenuously denied on behalf of the British government. If it is true that there was ever a movement within the cabinet in the direction indicated, it has been ef- fectively scotched. Japan's policy of creating a cleavage in the Anglo- American front, in order that she may to further adventures in Asia, is too obvious to deceive the British lnuhllc. (Copyright. 1934.) L) for more than 50 years, of which 40 | in 1887 and filled many positions of | “non-fortification” | It : | Beneficial results already are being ]felt as the result of the negotiation of the first of the special trade agree- ments fomented by Secretary of State { Hull. Ever since his entry into the | cabinet, Secretary Hull has preached the doctrine of economic salvation through the breaking down of arti- ficial barriers to trade. It will be recalled that this was the chief point of his program at the London Con- ference of June, 1933, the conference which failed because of inability of the powers to act in concert. Largely at the instance of the Sec- retary of State, the President urged upon Congress a new tariff policy, producing greater flexibility in trade arrangements. Congress provided the necessary legislation. Cuba being so near a neighbor and one of the more important of our customers, it was natural that the first treaty under the new policy would be made with | that republic and now it appears, according to a special study made by C. F. Wells of the Bureau of Agri- cultural Economics, the American farmer is an outstanding beneficiary. The treaty did not take effect until September 3, but the very first work- ings of it indicate that, during its agreed three-year term, it will stimu- late the Cuban market for American farm products as well as being of assistance to exporters of such Cuban specialties as sugar, tobacco, Winter vegetables and many other items. | At the end of the three-year term, either nation can denounce the | | agreement on six months’ notice. | Opinion now is, however, that so much will be done for both Cuban land American recovery during the | three-year period that no effort will be made to restore the barriers which, | it is claimed, have worked hardships to both countries. Cuba has always been an inviting market for American food products. It may seem an anomalous thing that a country so situated that the people may almost live on what grows wild should import food. Such, neverthe- less, has been the case because of the intense preoccupation of the Cuban population with one crop—sugar. Cuba does raise cattle and grain, but sugar has been the great source of agricultural wealth. With prices | at all good, Cuba can export vast | quantities of sugar, produced at low | labor cost, and make so much money that other crops have seemed not worth while. Cuba Goes Broke. This was all very well so long as | the price of sugar remained fair. But | all the world had been producing sugar since the war, the beet crops as { well as the cane, piling up unbeliev- | able surpluses. In Cuba, for exam- ple, the crops were so huge that there was not sufficient sheltered stor- | age space and one saw tlons upon | tons of sugar piled in sacks in the open fields with nothing but tarpau- lins for cover. Sugar that had sold up to 25 cents a pound in the United | | States in war days, could be pur-| chased for less than 1 cent a pound. This situation deprived the Cubans jof their normal income. Cuba was the sugar bowl of the United States | and exported to other countries as, well. Crop diversification was not racticed. With the large amount of | American cash received for her sug- | ar, Cuba purchased food from the | United States. Imports of flour, lard, meat, canned goods—all manner of | Cuban Treaty Helps Agriculture BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. things—were enormous. When the price of sugar sank there was no more money with which to buy these things. American sales to Cuba fell 75 per cent. Cubans had a less varied diet and American farmers lost a large market. It has long been Secretary Hull's belief that tariffs kill trade with an insufficient compensating benefit. Whatever might happen in other trades, in the Cuban-American trade that seems to be true. The trade agreement which went into effect in September will give Cubans $24,000,000 a year more to spend merely in saving of sugar duty, for that much has been removed. ‘The agreement grants Cuba lower duties on sugar and tobacco and this means that Cubans will be able to pocket this saving. The price level in the United States is rising rather than falling now but the duty will not, as heretofore, have to be shaved off what the Cuban exporters receive for both sugar and tobacco. To be sure & quota of 1,902,000 tons has been set on the Cuban imports, but the very fact that there i1s a limit will prevent dumping and price-breaking. The same s true of tobacco. Helps Flour and Lard Sales. The agreement, reciprocally, pro- vides for a reduction of the Cuban duty on imports of American flour and lard, two important farm prod- ucts, and also two vital staples of Cuban diet. While these are the out- standing items, the Cuban rates also are lowered on American vegetable oils, beans, fresh and canned vegeta- bles and fruits, dried fruits, nuts, canned meats. These are all agricul- tural products and a number of others also are included. There are some 75 items of agricultural origin in all. That, with what they save on the American tariff on sugar, tobacco and other items, the Cubans will fail to purcnase what they desire from the United States, is not to be expected. Although some effort was made, dur- ing the depression, to induce Cubans to diversify their crops and grow more of their own foods, the habit of depending on sugar and, to a lesser extent, tobacco is a hard habit to break. A single crop is easier to con- centrate upon and the Cuban is a fanatic on the subject of ease. Perhaps he is not greatly different from the American cotton planter vho, generation after generation, | plants only the cash crop, cotton, and although surrounded by fertile acres, continues to buy canned and other food from the North. Nor is the per- sistent wheat farmer in any different category. [Even where Cuba has stimulated the growth of Winter vege- tables, they have been grown, not for local consumption, but as a cash crop to be sold in the United States. When Winter cold has killed the market gardens of the Northern States, fancy vegetables for the tables of New York, Chicago, and other big city hotels move by the ship load and train load from Cuba as well as from Puerto Rico, Florida, the Gulf Coast and the Southwest. There have been such tariff concessions on the imports of these Winter vegetables that another source of income is provided the Cubans. They will sell their broccoli in Philadeiphia and buy canned pork and beans to eat themselves. While the farmer appears as the principal beneficiary of the Cuban agreement, sales of non-agricultural goods also are expected to increase as a result of the enhanced Cuban pur- chasing power. Trade Associations Viewed Under N.R.A. | BY HARDEN COLFAX. | A Federal Government official re- marked the other day that if any- | thing at all resembling Fascism ever came to reality in the United States it would probably have to work itself out through some orderly development | i of our trade associations. In this con- nection it is interesting to look at these associations in the light of what N. R. A. has accomplished. A critical observer of just what has been happening to trade associations and other commercial organizations | since N. R. A. began to function has | compiled a list of “hindrances” and | “helps” which—since it is indorsed as | generally accurate and justified by | Federal Government experts—is sig- nificant. i * Kk ok X | The list, made public this week, in- | cludes on the minus side a number {of points which the associations | themselves are emphatic in setting | down as “losses.” | | It is realized that, when Congress | | meets in January, many New Deal | policies will be overhauled, certainly | i the national industrial recovery act. Then it has been said that na single unit in our business structure is to be | so vitally affected by what is done by Congress as the trade association. In- quiry among a large group of associa- tion executives and business leaders as | to what they think has brought out some interesting points. ‘Trade associations have been harm- ed, we are told, in a number of ways | by the operations of N. R. A, but benefited in others. Summarizing the | points of injury it was said at the Commerce Department that the great- est single harm seems to have been in diverting groups from many of | their accustomed worthwhile activi- ties. N. R. A. codes almost imme- diately absorbed all the attention of | business groups and their money as well, to the detriment of trade pro- motion, education and other work. This caused the death of some of the weaker associations, while the code authorities absorbed many activities from others. ‘Then came thinking,” groups to abandon traditional co-op- erative methods for the code pro- gram; that is, compulsion under law. * X X X ‘This frequently caused bad feeling inside the groups. The associations also lost in dues. Then, it is said, in many cases N. R. A. has turned trade associations into little more than complaint bureaus, while, in some in- dustries which had no trade associa- tions, “racketeering association execu- tives have been able to sell them- selves as saviors.” Some antagonism has been created between Govern- ment and business which has hurt the trade associations, while in some cases the big fellows have been strengthened against the little men. On the credit side it is admitted that the N. R. A. has tended to in- crease trade association membership, has helped toward a sounder financial condition, has made the entire co- operative movement look better to business in general, and has forced some associations into work they had heretofore avoided to their disadvan- tage. It has created and set up asso- ciations in industries in which they never existed before, has popularized the gathering and use of commercial statfistics, has exposed many ques- tionable practices, and has given the | Federal Goveynment a more realistic view of what trade associations can do and have accomplished. It has made more likely a review of the anti-trust laws, has demonstrated the need for good professional associa- | tion executives and has shown the |in yesterday's Star. | including representatives of the press, “a lot of unsound | leading these orgmued; usefulness of a better geographical distribution of membership in the as- sociations. o Fifty Years Ago In The Star The following story in The Star of December 5, 1884, tells c® the plans for Completing 1%, {Tihe come pletion of the the Monument. N esbington Monument: “The capstone of the Washington Monument, which is now suspended in the air over the place where it is to rest, 500 feet above the ground, will be set tomorrow at 2 o'clock. This event will be the occasion of a little ceremony. The stone will be placed in position by Col. Casey, the engineer in charge, and his assistants, as stated A few persons, have been invited to witness the cere- monies from the platform at the dizzy height of 533 feet from the ground. “There never before has been a ne- cessity for constructing a marble roof similar to that of the Washington Monument. An iron roof could have been built much easier to crown the Monument; but as it was desired to have the entire face of the Monument of exactly the same appearance in all weathers and circumstances, a marble pyramidion was erected in the novel manner which has been heretofore de- scribed at length in The Star. “In order that the public may enjoy the magnificent view from near the | summit of the Monument, eight win- dows, or portholes, were left, two on each side of the Monument, about four feet above the 500-foot level. When these windows are open the ap- pearance of the Monument is by two black holes on each face. To obviate this blemish on the milk-white surface, and also for the purpose of protecting the structure from the weather, marble shutters, about two inches thick and weighing 140 pounds, will be constructed to fit exactly these portholes. These can be opened dur- ing visitors’ hours and closed at all other times. In order that the outer faces of the shutters may always be kept perfectly clean, a very ingenious contrivance has been devised. An iron crane arm will extend for each shutter from the arch rib in the interior of the roof, which arm will swing the shutter back against the rib. There will be a separate guiding rod, which will re- volve the shutter as it is swung back so that its outside will face the wall. On account of the slanting position of the roof stones, the shutters when swung back will not fit the perpen- dicular arch rib. They will come in contact with it only at the bottom. An iron hood will project from the arch rib in such a manner as to pro- tect the outer faces of the shutters when swung back. “The windows on the east face of the roof are three feet wide and two feet high. The other four are but eighteen inches high. Those on the east side were made higher than the others to permit of easier handling of the roof stones. Below one of these windows an aperture was left by omitting to place one of the roof stones in position. This aperture has been used in getting the roof stones to the outside. When everything is com- pleted this outer stone will be placed in position like a shingle from the out- side. The platform which will then remain can be taken apart and passed through the window and be followed by the last workman. The iron beams running through the wall which sup- port the platform and upon which the last workman stands until he is through, will be pulled in from the interior, and the holes through which they passed will be plugeed up with exact fitting stonss. The face of the Monument from base to capstone will then not have a defect.” .