SEEN and HEARD
around the l
NATIONAL CAPITALi
By Carter Field j
FAMOUS WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT
Washington.—Evidence increases
that there will be a real drive for
the 30-hour week when congress re
convenes. In fact, despite rhe flit
ter opposition of many business
men, particularly large employers
whose plants require continuous op
eration to obtain maximum efficien
cy and economy, the probability Is
that congress would pass the 30
hour week bill at this session if the
nnion labor leaders were sincerely
for It
Nearly every development is grist
to the mill of the measure's advo
cates. For example, the latest gov
ernment figures show that wage
payments—a rough way of stating
employment—have advanced to
within 71 pr cent of normal. But
production as n result of that em
ployment and these wages has
reached 01 per cent of normal.
It's technocracy all over ngnln—
the constantly recurring problem of
how to pass the work around—how
to keep enough consumers in funds
to purchase the products of the de
creasing number of workers.
Many experts still think that this
cycle, far more than the loss of
cash by the purchase of foreign
bonds that later defaulted, and In
finitely more than the stock market
crash, was responsible for the eco
nomic troubles which began in this
country in 1929.
No better Illustration of this
theory has even been advanced to
this writer than what he discovered
In Birmingham, in August, 1929.
Just a year before, the steel mills
of that district had employed 42,000
men. In August. 1929, they were
employing only 24,000 men. But they
were turning out more steel 1
Down the Line
In short, 18,000 well paid men had
lost their Jobs, had stopped buying
nt the local department store and
other stores, were wearing old
clothes and squeezing their pennies.
Newspapers were forced to cut ex
penses because the stores had been
forced to cut their advertising. And
so It went all the way down the
line—more than two months before
the stock market crash. And the
same thing wns happening In Pitts
burgh, Gary, Youngstown, Chicago
and Bethlehem. The same sort of
thing, to a greater or lesser extent,
was happening In every other Indus
try, which meant that the buying
power of the country wns being
dried up.
But virtually nobody realized It!
In the last session of congress so
much sentiment developed for the
30-honr hill that, In the early stages,
lender after leader told a group of
editors Inquiring Into the general
legislative situation that they ex
pected some modification of the 30
hour measure, If not that Itself, to
pass. It did not pass because union
labor leaders truded It for the \Vng
ner labor relations bill. They far
preferred that.
There are two major objections
to the 30 hour proposal, one by the
big employers, and the other by
some of the very people who believe
that the tyt»e of thing Illustrated
by the Birmingham steel mills not
only caused the depression, hut lias
held back the return of prosperity.
The objection of the employers Is
that It will disrupt their organize
’ tlons. Thirty hours a week Is only
live fl-hour days. Such a limitation
on work hours does not fit In readi
ly with shifts. And of course there
Is always the objection to a blanket
raise In wages, boosting production
costs. This last phase Is especially
true now because business general
ly la concerned over the resentment
of housewives In particular and buy
er* in general over advancing prices
Stock Rise Too Fast
The stock market has been rising
too rapidly to suit the administra
tion. Information to this efTect
comes from the same sources that
enabled the writer to make this
same statement In June, 11M3, when
it may be remembered, the admlnls
tratlon literally smacked the market
down and took considerable pleas
ure In the process.
The administration does not want
auy such crash at the moment. In
fact, all It wants Is a small decline,
and It does not want that until aft
er January 1.
The significance of this is that It
knows many business executives
plan their budgets around the end
of December and at that time lay
out their plans for expenditures and
expansions during the year. For
this process the administration
wants the business leaders of the
country to have all the encourage
ment possible. Hence It will make
no move to Interfere with the boom
so evident In the market until after
January 1.
Of course the administration even
then does not want anything ai>
proacldng a confidence-destroying
debacle. It would merely like to see
a decline set In which would carry
security prices, stocks In particular,
down to a level from which a slow,
creeping progress could be made
next summer and fall.
Politics Is behind all this. The
New Dealers fear If the present
boom continues, well through the
winter, there is likely to be the nor
mal setback In the summer and fall
The effect of this on the country
would be precisely opposite to that
desired.
The most encouraging sort of
stock market movement to the coun
try, the New Dealers figure, Is the
creeping advance. It Indicates Im
proving business prospects, not
speculation. But It cannot occur,
very well, after a big bull move
ment.
There’s the Rub
Now that Is where the rub comes
In. For despite all this talk about
"breathing spell" and reassuring
business, every one close to the ad
ministration knows that there nre
going to lie more taxes—after elec
tion—'and that these taxes, assum
ing the New Deal Is continued by
the voters next November, will fall
on business. Especially big business.
Although this Is absolutely clear
to anyone, no matter how remote
from touch with the White House,
who cnrefully studies the Presi
dent's ofliclal utterances (he pointed
out In the "brenthlng spell" state
ment that no more taxes should be
Imposed on the little fellow, already
burdened by processing taxes, etc.),
It lias not been generally appreci
ated.
But by next summer, the New
Dealers figure, the gentry who buy
and sell securities In large quanti
ties, and therefore come pretty close
to controlling prices, will realise It.
Hence they will be inclined to liqui
date their stock holdings. If stock
prices at the time happen to be
high.
It is well known that slwck prices
are controlled by what the buyers
and sellers regard ns future pros
pects, rather than past performance.
Hence the conviction that the cor
IKirations must shoulder a much
greater load of tnx burdens will not
be helpful to better dividend pros
pects.
Hangs on Farm Plank
The must significant point about
the recent poll taken by the Amer
ican Press association, which shows
a considerable fading of the Itoose
velt popularity, Is the clear dem
onstration, by putting certain un
stated points together, that the agri
cultural plank of Roosevelt's oppo
nent may decide whether the New
Deal Is to have four more years,
or Is to die on March 4, 1037.
Most Important In the poll Is not
the fact that the Northeast has
turned against President Roosevelt.
This has been known for some time
—been generally accepted since the
Rhode island by-election. Nor is tho
fact that New York state Is Includ
ed. The big point Is that the poll
shows sentiment against the Presi
dent, apparently strong enough on
the returns so far In and as of to
day, to Indicate the President might
lose the electoral votes in Kansas,
Nebraska, Minnesota and South Da
kota. Also Wisconsin.
To appreciate the significance of
this, n resort to electoral votes Is
necessary. In these dispatches some
months back It was pointed out that
Roosevelt could lose every state
north of the Mason and Dixon line,
and the Ohio river, and east of the
Mississippi, except Wisconsin, and
also lose California, Kansas and
Delaware, and still have 3(10 elec
toral votes, or three more than
enough.
In short, he could lose all New
England, New York, New Jersey,
Delaware, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indi
ana, Illinois, Michigan, Kansas and
California, and still win.
At the time this table was pre
sented by the writer largely to show
the tremendous Importance of New
York, and hence the possibility that
Tnnuuany Hall could re-elect Roose
velt by straining every nerve to get
out the vote, or defeat him by mere
apathy. This was on the theory that
upstate New York would probably
be about the same In sentiment as
Its neighboring states In New Eng
land.
Loses New York
This emphasis on New York Is
abundantly Justified by the recent
poll, which Indicates New York Is
against the President, Also two of
the trans-Mississippi states Includ
ed In the anti list In these dis
patches—California and Kansas.
So that the Important new point
la really Involved in the additional
Middle Western states—Iowa. Ne
braska, Minnesota and South Da
kota. Wisconsin may be left to one
side. No political observer believes
that Wisconsin will buck over the
traces If the I,a Collette organiza
tion sets out to deliver it to Roose
velt. Further, no one has much doubt
at the moment that the La Collettes
will do Just that. If there should
he any sllp-up there, and there
should he no material change other
wise In the lineup, it will he just
too bad for Roosevelt It would
make the New Deal battle line so
long and vulnerable that breaks
would be sure to occur somewhere.
But these farm states in question,
from Nebraska up to Minnesota,
may be depended upon to go as the
Intelligent self-interest of their farm
population determines.
Copyright.—WNU Servlcl.
"G i b" *<-* Malta
A Street in Valetta.
Prepnrod by National CleoRraphlc Society.
CWaahltiKton, D, C.—WNU Service.
I Bit ALTAR, western gateway
to the Mediterranean, and
Malta, the mld-Medlterrane
au sentinel, both British-owned,
have been brought into the news
spotlight because of the Italo-Ethl
oplau political situation.
The fortified rock of Gibraltar,
long the symbol of strength, rears
Its lofty summit above the north
hank of the 14-mlle-vvlde Strait of
Gibraltar. It Is known to every
school child; yet there is, at its
base, a city named for the rock,
that Is, perhaps, known to but few.
Gibraltar Is a British city If the
traveler coniines his observations
to British soldiers who are every
where, British “Bobbles" who ap
pear as If they had Just emerged
from a London police station, Brit
ish flags that top the masts of mu
nicipal and government buildings,
and British warships and commer
cial vessels that outnumber nil oth
ers anchored In the harbor.
But u glance at the street crowds
and the city's buildings reveals a
strange mixture. Most Gibraltar
buildings are Spanish in design.
Its narrow streets are crowded with
bustling throngs from many parts
of the world. Scotchmen In kilts
brush past turbnned Moors from
the other side of the strait; Span
iards from Madrid, Malaga, nnd Ca
diz mingle with sturdy Greeks;
ruddy-skinned Hindus and Egyp
tians Jostle Levantine Jews In ga
berdines; and dusky Senegal ne
groes rub elbows with Chinese from
Canton. And weaving In and out
of the human mass ure hundreds
of foreign seamen from boats that
come to Gtlbraltar for fuel, trade,
and repairs. The mixture of races
has become even more noticeable in
recent years since Gibraltar has In
creased In popularity ns a pleas
ure resort for European and Amer
ican vacationists.
The shops also present an Inter
national aspect. On their shelves
the truveier finds carved Ivory or
naments from Ceylon nnd the Af
rican east coast, trinkets from the
cramped factories that line the nar
row streets of Foochow, China, ob
jects of carved teak from Burma
and bolts of cloth from Manchester
and New York. Baghdad, Samar
kand. Baltimore, and Timbuktu also
are represented In the display of
merchandise.
Town Climbs ths Rock.
The town begins at the shore of
the hroud bay and rises ‘2,r>0 feet up
tiie north side of the rock. Long
flights of steps lend to the upper
portion of the town, making wheeled
traflic Impossible on many streets.
The Mediterranean, or south side
of the rock, ts almost n sheer cliff.
Fishermen have built, however,
small villages in the few recesses
which are reached by narrow paths
Between Spain and the British
territory is a narrow strip of land
called the neutral zone where trav
elers get the best land view of the
rock. The giant mass of stone was
one of the Pillars of Hercules of
ancient times.
The rock’s highest point Is more
than twice the height of the Wash
ington monument or about 100 feet
higher than the world’s tallest
building. Since the Moors tirst oc
cupied Gibraltar centuries ago, its
face has freouently undergone
‘‘treatment.” A fortliied castle dat
ing hack to Moorish occupation still
stands in one of Its recesses, sharp
ly contrasting with the more mod
ern British ramparts. Tunnels have
been bored, paths dynamited and
In places its rough "countenance”
has been given an application of ce
ment upon which rainwater is
caught and drained Into reservoirs
of the town. In natural caves In
the rock live the famous Gibraltar
| monkeys, probably the only mon
keys In Europe that were not
brought there by men In modern
times. The animals are protected
by law nnd are fed by the British
army.
The city took Its name from the
rock, which was called Mount Abyla
or Apes Hll] In ancient times. It
was once owned by the Phoeni
cians and fell. In turn, to the Car
thaginians, Homans and YMsigoths.
In the Eighth century the Moor
ish chief, Tarik Ibn-Zeyad, landed
on the rock and called it Glbel
Tarik or Mountain of Tarik, of
which “Gibraltar’' is a corruption.
The Moors had held Gibraltar for
six centuries when In 1309 the Span
ish seized it, but 24 years later the
Moslems regained possession. It
became Spanish territory again In
1402. The British have held the
rock since 1704 when they defeated
a combined Spanish and French
fleet. Since, the British have had
frequent wars oveifcGIbraltar’s pos
session. One Spanish siege lasted
four years (1779-1783).
Malta a Strong Base.
For more than a century Malta
has sheltered powerful British war
ships guarding sea lanes to Medi
terranean ports, and, In more re
cent years, to India, Australia, and
the Far East via the Suez canal.
Now it Is a strong aerial base as
well.
Malta deserves attention, how
ever, for other than military or
strategic reasons. On the little is
land an ancient race still lives and
speaks an otherwise extinct tongue.
Recently Great Britain suspended
Malta’s constitution to combat a
movement to turn Malta to the Ital
ian language In preference to Eng
lish! or the Islander’s own unique
speech.
Planted by fate at a strategic
point on one of the world's great
marine highways, this drab piece
of land, less than a hundred square
miles In aren, has been called to fill
an Important role In the history of
the world.
Malta and Its satellite Islands
were once linked to Africa and Eu
rope by a land bridge. With the
sinking of this link, the Islands
were left standing like sentinels
between the eastern and western
basins of the Mediterranean, 58
miles from Sicily and 180 miles
from Africa.
Malta has been called the step
child, as well as the "stepping
stone,’’ of the Mediterranean. Since
the dawn of its recorded history,
many nationalities have ruled It,
beginning with the Phoenicians, and
running a range which includes
Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans,
Arabs, Normans, French, and Brit
ish.
Maltese a Race Alone.
But though always under a for
ein flag, the Maltese retained their
racial Identity. Handsome, good
humored, and sturdy, they are be
lieved to be remnants of the great
Mediterranean race which peopled
the shores of this storied sea long
before the rise of Greece and Rome.
Their present speech is derived
from the language of the Phoeni
cians, whose ships more than 3.000
years ago flouted in Malta’s harbors
as do the Britisli men-of-war today.
Among the upper classes and the
younger generation it is being re
placed by English and Italian.
Weaving a pattern of mystery
over the island are deep parallel
lines In the solid rock, believed to
be the tracks of ancient cartwheels.
Some plunge beneath an arm of
the sea and reappear on the other
side—testimony to the comings and
goings of a people who dwelt here
before the land assumed its present
shape. Neolithic temples also have
been found.
BRISBANE
THIS WEEK
Something About Billions
Earthquakes
Marvelous New Cars
News From Ethiopia
Silas H. Strawn, once head of fhe
American Bar association and pres
ident of the
United States
Chamber of
Commerce, says
the country Is
spending $7,000
a minute, and
thinks It Is too
much. Your
small boy will
tell you how
much $7,000 a
minute makes In
one year. CJpce
"all the world
wondered," or at
least we uia,
Arthur Brisbane when there was
talk of spending one-quarter of a
billion on the Panama canal. Now,
any professor could spend that, aft
er three minutes’ thinking, and news
that the nation’s deficit has in
creased fifteen hundred millions in
the past few weeks startles nobody.
The wTorld has passed through
earthquake week. Earthquakes in
Montana, greatest sufferer on this
continent. Severe shocks are re
ported in Siam.
Earthquakes in Buffalo, N. Y.;
Ottawa, Toronto, Guayaquil, Ecua
dor; a busy seismographic week.
And the inoon is partly to blame.
Its power of gravitation exercises
a strong pull on the earth, as it
shows In lifting the ocean tides.
Or. Harlan T. Stetson, of Harvard,
says the moon causes "sub-surface
adjustments of the earth.’’
The new cars of 193(5, now on ex
hibition, are so extraordinarily
beautiful that every American
should see them, regardless of in
tention to buy a new car. Most en
couraging is the determined energy
that business men and engineers of
the automobile Industry have shown
in fighting the depression, while im
proving that which seemed beyond
improvement.
Rome gives confirmation of the
slaughter of six thousand women
and children by Ethiopian warriors
taking vengeance on the fathers of
the children who deserted to Italy.
Rome also reports the killing of five
hundred Ethiopians by Italian bomb
ing planes, “an attempt to as
sassinate Haile Selassie by an un
named American negro.”
Haile Selassie of Ethiopia has
“flung the last available man into
the battle line,” relying on old men,
young boys and women to run his
government, reminding you of the
late czar’s announcement that he
was going to send "his last monjik.”
He did not live to do that.
The national effort to “buy our
selves out of the hole” encounters
difficulties. The President, to make
his four billions cash spread as far
as possible, announced top wages of
$93 a month. Rut union lnbor says.
“No; yon must pay us full union
wages,” and New York may have a
state-wide strike to back the de
mand. President Roosevelt, It is
said, refuses to concede that public
relief is a branch of union labor,
and, even with 10.10 looming ahead,
may Insist thpt two governments in
the country are one too many.
Greece is ready to take back her
king and many Greeks nre growing
“spike” mustaches like his. Many
Germans grew mustaches, curling
upward, to imitate their former kai
ser. There is not much in imitat
ing mustaches. .
You wonder why the Greeks can
not find a Greek for king, if they
must have a king. In days of “the
glory that was Greece” it wasn’t
necessary to go outside among “bar
barians” to find a ruler.
You may want to know that In
England, where good times have
really come back, the Tories have
made heavy gains at the present
election and the Labor party sus
tains heavy losses, ltamsay Mac
Donald, head of Britain’s first La
bor government, rejoices openly at
labor’s downfall. His work ns
prime minister seems to have
changed his opinions. Experience
often changes our minds.
“It Is a very great rebuff for la
bor,” says MacDonald. “The peo
ple are not being taken In by wild
and reckless prbmlses which they
know cannot be carried out, in mu
nicipal or national government."
Ed Howe, an able writer of Kan
sas, is expected to "put aside his
pencil and pen forever," because
his doctor warns him thut blind
ness is approaching.
Perhaps Mr. Howe will tell his
doctor: "Milton did much of his
important writing after he was to
tally blind, and I can do the same.”
Mr. Ilowe can use a dictating ma
chine. whereas Milton dictated to
his daughters, who, uneducated,
found It difficult to write down his
Latin dictation.
C Kins Features Syndicate, Inc.
WKU Servlca.
Useful Laundry Bag
an Inexpensive Gift
By GRANDMOTHER CLARK
If you want to make up an inex
pensive useful gift, here Is a laundry
bag that will answer very nicely.
This bag, when mude up, measures
15 by 20 inches. The embroidery de
sign is stamped on muslin materinl
ready to be embroidered gnd sewed
up. You will tlnd a wire clothes
hanger about the house somewhere to
sew Into the bng. This stamped piece
No. 1003 will be mailed to you for 15
cents. Hanger and crochet cotton are
not Included.
Address—Home Craft Co., Dept.
A—Nineteenth and St. Louis Ave., St.
Louis, Mo. Inclose a stamped, ad
dressed envelope for reply when writ
ing for any Information.
Farmer Makes Home of
Tomb, Fears Only Rats
Back in 1880, Linus Smith designed
and built a mausoleum near Medina,
Ohio, to hold the bodies of his entire
family. But only the remains of
Smith’s father, mpther and younger
brother ever were placed In this
tomb. Soon after the body of the
younger Smith was placed in the
vault, the door at the entrance was
broken down and the body stolen.
An unsigned note offered return of
it for $200. A neighbor youth was
suspected, confessed the ghoulish act
and returned the body. This occur
rence turned Linus Smith against
mausoleums and he transferred all
three bodies to a cemetery. The
vault, empty for years, now is occu
pied by Charles Bitter, bachelor
farmer, who finds it quite a desir
able place in which to live, cool In
summer and warm in winter.
A chimney was built and a stove
Installed which Ritter uses for cook
ing and what heat he needs in win
ter. Ritter says he doesn’t fear
ghosts nearly as much as rats that
like to share Ills strange home with
him.—Capper’s Weekly.
Eavesdropping on the
“Monticello Party Line”
“The Monticello Party Line" is a
radio program recently begun on a
series of middle-western and south
ern radio stations. The radio listen
er is asked to imagine that he is
eavesdropping on the party line of
Monticello—and in this way he dally
hears all the activity, the gossip, the
fun, and the occasional trouble, that
marks life in Monticello.
All the people in this program are
thoroughly natural, everyday folks.
The setting is that of a real town—
Monticello, Illinois—the home-town
of Dr. Caldwell’s Syrup Pepsin, ttre
product that sponsors this new and
different radio show. “The Monti
cello Party Line’’ Is broadcast ev
ery week-day except Saturday.—Adv.
Life’s Surprises
Life is always opening new and
unexpected things to us. There Is
no monotony in living to him whc
walks even the quietest and tamest
path with open and perspective eyes.
The monotony of life is monotonous
to you, is in you, not in the world.—
Philips Brooks.
Age of Yellowstone's
Springs 14,00C Yean
Because Yellowstone park's hot ^
springs deposit travertine, n lime- ^
stone like substance containing minute *
quantities of radium, it is possible to
ascertain their ages, according to
Prof. Herman Sehlundt, of the Uni
versity of Missouri. The amount of
radium varies according to the age
of the deposit.
Professor Sehlundt has determined
the extinct springs atop Terrace
mountain to be 14,000 years old-.
Liberty cap, the cone oi an extinofr
hot spring, is about 2,,'jOO years old,
and Hotel Terrace about 3,200.—
Literary Digest.
Don’t
Guess But
Know
Whether the “Pain”
Remedy You Use
is SAFE?
Don’t Entrust Your
Own or Your Family’s
Well - Being to Unknown
Preparations
THE person to ask whether the
preparation you or your family
are taking for the relief of headaches
is SAFE to use regularly is your
family doctor. Ask him particularly
about Genuine BAYER ASPIRIN.
He will tell you that before the
discovery of Bayer Aspirin most
“pain” remedies were advised
against by physicians as bad for the
stomach and, often, for the heart.
Which is food for thought if you
seek quick, safe relief.
Scientists rate Bayer Aspirin
among the fastest methods yet dis
covered for the relief of headaches
and the pains of rheumatism, neu
ritis and neuralgia. And the experi- T
ence of millions of users has proved
it safe for the average person to use
regularly. In your own interest re
member this.
You can get Genuine Bayer
Aspirin at any drug store — simply
by asking for it by its full name,
BAYER ASPIRIN. Make it a
point to do this — and see that you
get what you want.
Bayer Aspirin "*
Precarious Interlude
Until war is outlawed and over
come, civilization is ever a precari
ous interlude between catastrophes.
FREE!
New Book
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SEARS, ROEBUCK and CO.
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Name...
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U6WJ41
I'U. SHOW
MY WIFE I
CAN COOK
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^oh/oh/
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I'M NOT
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_I
