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About The frontier. (O'Neill City, Holt County, Neb.) 1880-1965 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 18, 1937)
SEEN and HEARD' arounc/ the \<s NATIONAL CAPITAL! By Carter Field ^ FAMOUS WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT J Washington—Tightening of one of the very few New Deal laws aimed f at federal regulation of wages and hours—and incidentally of child la bor also—the Walsh-Healey bill— which is not under constitutional at tack In the courts, is planned by the administration. The plan is to reduce the present exemption under the law from $10, 000 to at most $2,500 and possibly only $2,000. It is also planned to add some other restrictions aimed at preventing the evasion of the t purpose of the law through present loopholes. The law as it stands provides that no concern can be awarded a gov ernment contract which does not comply with certain restrictions as to hours, wages and conditions of labor. Broadly, these restrictions ar very similar to the provisions of the old NRA codes. But the law applies only to contracts amounting to $10,000 or more. Lots of bidders have been getting around it by the simple expedient of making bids for only a part of any proposed order—the part never exceeding $10,000 Government pur chasing agencies have eagerly aided in the process of getting around this law. They were not particu larly enthusiastic about the law any how. As a matter of fact, most gov ernment purchasing agents are far from liberal; they are just as hard boiled as any corporation purchas ing agent. A good deal of the publicity about bl« corporations refusing to bid, in cidentally, has been incorrect, ac cording to officials of the procure ment division at the Treasury de partment. For instance, all the talk about the navy not being able to get any bids on copper. No Bid on Copper It is perfectly true that the big copper companies did not bid, Treasury officials admit. But it is also true thej would not have bid even had there been no Walsh-Hea ley law. There are two answers. One is that most copper has been ■old for years through agents. This eliminated the necessity of the big copper companies maintaining sales organizations of greater size than they wished. The other reason is that most dealers in copper have been convinced for some time that the rise in price of copper—still far below its 1929 level of 18 cents— had just started. Thus they were afraid to commit themselves to con tracts which would bind them to de liver copper at a price specified now over a period of time in the fu ture. The war scare demand in Europe alone was enough to account for this, in the opinion of Treasury officials. The new twist in the law would hit a great many little fellows— chaps who have been buying in quantities from the big producers and then retailing their purchases to the government in less than $10, 000 quantities. They have been skimming a nice little profit out of the unwillingness of the big com panies to subject themselves to the Walsh-Healey bill. The profit has been much greater in some instances than the esti mated additional cost to the manu facturers using this intermediary method of selling their goods to the government. The reason for this is that the manufacturers in many in stances are not convinced that all the troubles wrapped up in the Walsh-Healey law would be confined to the additional cost. In some in stances no additional cost at all, the manufacturers concerned assert, would be involved. But bidding under the terms of the law would subject them, they fear, to all sorts of government checks—some of them started by disgruntled employees, some by discharged employees, but all in all amounting to a big bundle of trou ble. So they cheerfully allowed mid dlemen to skim a little profit rather than run the risk. Farmers Scream What with the flood this year, and the drouth last year, not to mention piling up of surpluses in Europe against the danger of war, it has been more than two years since there was any real need for some artificial method of curtailing crops in order to keep prices up. But to hear the farmers scream to the old AAA offices—now the soil ero sion offices—one would think that Old Debbil Overproduction was right around the corner. In the nature of things, the farmer looks ahead. He does not trust the new soil protecting scheme. Hints that it is really intended to be a crop curtailing plan—hints such as the ruling classifying corn as a soil depleting crop—do not satisfy him. He wants something more definite. He got to understand AAA pretty well before its demise at the hands of the Supreme court, and he liked it. It was the first time in his recol lection—or in all the folk-lore he had learned at his mother’s knee—that the farmer had ever got something for nothing—the first time he had ever done anything except come out at the little end of the horn in his dealing with the city folks. There were some sectional twists also, as particularly in the South, where the politicians made much of the fact that this was the first time the folks in that region had gotten anything from the North since the Civil war. So, despite Secretary Henry A. Wallace’s statement a few days ago that he was temporarily abandon ing his production control policy, and his statement over the radio that it would be "wise for us to pro duce as abundantly as we can this year,” there is a drive forming for a new AAA. Nor is there much en thusiasm among the farmers, if one can judge by letters pouring in on members of the house and senate, for the ever normal granary plan so dear to the hearts of President Roosevelt and Secretary Wallace. Normal Granary Idea Many of the letter-writers doubt that enough wheat or corn or what not will be bought in by the gov ernment for this reserve stock to hold prices at what seems to the farmers to be a fair level. Some are even franker. They insist that when a crop is short and would nor mally produce high prices, the farmers ought to get the benefit of that situation. How else, they de mand, can they ever have what Is really a “good year.” The bald truth is that they want the government to protect them against the low prices inevitable with overproduction, but they do not want the government to protect the consumers against the years of underproduction. Which is human enough, and no one can blame them for trying to have such a plan worked out. But it is not the President's idea, and it is not Mr. Wallace's. The ever normal granary idea fits in perfectly with many of Mr. Roosevelt's other economic the ories. He would like to straighten out the curves in manufacturing and trade of all sorts. He would like to have all years fair years, with none "good" in the sense of bonan za, and none "bad.” His tax the ories are a part of this theory. Compulsory Arbitration Congress is not expected to pass any drastic legislation with respect to the automobile strike. Most of its members would not vote, for ex ample, to legalize a sit-down strike, and a huge majority could be rolled up against compulsory arbitration. There is much to be said in favor of compulsory arbitration, theoreti cally. Practically it finds few friends. In theory it is in the in terest of the public—in the interest of all the people as against the very small minority comprised by the two sides in most strikes. Assum ing that a body of judicial charac ter with intelligence, fairness and with no leaning either to the side of labor or capital could be found, it would seem an ideal solution. But try to find some labor leader who is advocating it! If there is one thing that the Committee for Industrial Organization and the American Federation of Labor agree about, it is that they do not want compulsory arbitration. There may be exceptions, which seem to prove that this is not so, but they only seem to do so—they are not actually exceptions at all. The classic instance, of course, was the Adamson act of 1916. This was the so-called eight-hour law, affecting the four railroad brotherhoods. This was a decision imposed by congress, on the surface, but actu ally it was nothing of the sort. It was the demands of the brother hoods incorporated in a law, which was passed by congress, signed by the President, and approved in a five to four decision by the Su preme court. The labor officials’ theory is that it is all right to have the govern ment intervene on labor’s side, that it is even all right to have the gov ernment force the employers in any given controversy to arbitrate—but it is distinctly not all right to have any government agency determine what the conditions of settlement are to be. That would impinge too much on the value of the functions of the labor leaders themselves. It might even lead to government su pervision of the amount of union dues exacted, or government regu lation as to how those dues could be spent! Not that anyone at the moment expects any such a move by the government, but the gentlemen at the head of the various labor organ izations have never been accused of being stupid about the possibili ties of any given line of govern mental action, once started. They are rather keenlj alert to anything which might later on prove an em barrassing precedent. Much discussion right now is go ing on under cover about the pos sibilities of the sit-down strike. If put to a vote in congress tomorrow, no such legalization would probably be voted. Senators and representa tives are just a little shocked at what some regard as a flagrant vio lation of property rights. But the whole thing has not been thought through, even by the labor leaders. C Bell Syndicate.—WNU Service. Hawaii’s Sea-Going I WM Shipping Cattle in Hawaii. THE only sea going cow ponies in America are believed to be those used by the ranchers of Hawaii island, 200 miles southeast of Honolulu. With the same ease that ponies on the western plains handle a troublesome steer, these island mounts handle cattle in deep ocean waters. The 4,015 square miles comprising that island contains many cattle ranches, one of which is rated as being among the largest in the en tire United States. On the island only one harbor has dock facilities whereby cattle destined for the Hon olulu market can be loaded direct ly onto steamers. At all other ports the cattle must be driven into the sea, tied to small boats and carried to the steamer anchored a mile or so off the shore. It is this unusual transportation problem of Hawaiian ranchers that has brought about the development of specially trained ponies for ocean service. The result is a type of mount as much at home in the boil ing ocean surf as on the driest part of the range. These Ponies Know Their Work. No horse lover could watc1' these ponies work without a thrill of ap preciation for their stamina, train ing and initiative. The moment a lariat slips over the neck of a steer, the pony goes to work. With no ap parent directions given by the rider, the horse heads the balking steer toward the water, gives a quick last-moment pull to the lariat and the steer is dragged into the surf. Nor does the pony stop its efforts there. Swimming with easy powerful grace, the pony guides the steer out into deep water, ranges it along side the small boat to permit a cow hand to tie it up. The moment the steer is securely tied, the pony turns about, swims back to shore and stands ready for its next assignment. Hawaiian cowboys, too, are in a class by themselves. The late Will Rogers rode the range with them during a visit to Hawaii. Will showed them his bag of rope tricks, each of which was immediately duplicat ed by the various native cowpunch ers. When Will had exhausted his repertoire, his island friends showed him an entirely new bog of stunts. “Boy!” Will remarked, "they told me Hawaiians were‘great swim mers but they’re the greatest bunch of ropers and riders I ever saw.” Cowboys Won Prizes at Cheyenne. Will was then told about a bunch of cowboys from Hawaii who had read, a few years ago, of the won derful roping and riding of cowboys on the western plains. Being anx ious to see these highly touted riders, the island boys visited Chey enne. One look at the riders and the broncos was all they needed. In stead of being merely spectators, they became entrants, pitting their skill against the men they had come to watch. When the final events were over, the Hawaiians who had come to learn had become teachers. They had walked off with most of the major prizes, including a couple of world championships. Hawaiian riders and ponies have to be among the best in America to fill their difficult jobs. Cattle ranges run from sea level to the mountain tops, across great jagged fields of lava which years ago poured from the volcanoes, through dense forests and drouth-stricken plains where some cattle, it is said, never have an actual drink of water but secure the necessary moisture from the dew on plants. People in Hawaii have the most unique rodeos in America when cat tle are being transferred from shore to ship. Of course, they don’t call them rodeos despite the fact they pack more thrills in a half hour than the usual rodeo does in its entire program. They merely call it a job that has to be done. WNU Service. One of the Sea-Going Ponies at Work. This Steer is Going for a Swim. Cameroons Fit the Average Man’s Mental Picture of Africa The Cameroons, former German West African territory almost as large as Germany itself, have been mentioned in news reports with dis cussion of the possible return to Germany of her pre-War African possessions. The area is now ad ministered under mandates, the greater part under French control, but with a narrow strip of the north western edge governed by Great Britain. “The average man’s mental pic ture of Africa comes to life in the Cameroons,” says the National Geo graphic society. “Spreading fanlike inland from the sharp angle in Af rica’s west coast, they have lush lowland jungles, tangled rain-forest, cool, high grasslands, pygmies, el ephants, lions, gorillas, rubber, ivo ry, and mahogany, and in some regions the blighting plague of sleep ing sickness spread by the tsetse fly. “Most visitors arrive in the French portion of the Cameroons through Douala, low - lying port on an inlet from the Gulf of Guinea. Here are attractive homes of the few European residents, and a sprawling trading center with native villages nearby. In the dry season Douala is hot and breathless, in the rainy season drenched in an almost continuous downpour, with an average rainfall of 13 feet. From here are shipped a large part of the Cameroons’ products of rubber, ivory, ground • nuts, palm oil, almonds, hides, timber and cacao. "Once away from the railroads, t avelers find that bridges are wov ' en of vines in the Cameroons, or one may cross a river by sitting on the head of one negro porter with hands and feet resting on the cra niums of four others—as long as the stream is no more than chin-deep. “Back 01 the hot jungle of the coastal lowland lies a high and fertile plateau, covered with grass or open woods, and boasting a cool and healthful climate despite its proximity to the Equator a few hundred miles to the jouth. Farm ing is done with hoes only, for plows and draft animals are still unknown to Cameroon agricultural practice, at least in the interior. "Still farther north is Ngaoundere, largest all-native city in the Cam eroons, where the ruling sultan boasts an orchestra of 100 pieces, wears robes of white velvet encrust ed with gold on state occasions, and has thousands of vassal horsemen at his command. “From this city southward, for 500 miles, runs an automobile road to Yaounde, the seat of government of the French mandate. “Driving along this road, a trav eler may see primitive tribes who wear no clothes, but he probably will see no wild animals, though they are all around him. Lions, leop ards, hyenas and baboons abound, but they keep well out of sight. “South of Yaounde, the Camer oons are almost all jungle — the home of gorillas, great herds of elephants, and little known pygmy ! peoples. Here the natives live on a plane far below that of their neighbors on the healthier northern uplands. This is the region of the tsetse fly, which harbors sleeping sickness and spreads the disease by its bite. Authorities estimate that this plague has taken a million lives in the last 50 years. Other diseases, such as malaria, rickets, dengue and elephantiasis also are widespread in the region. The French authorities have established hospitals at Ayos, however, and are making important progress against the disease with a new medicine. Tryparsamide.” Luxury Spread That Is Yours With Thrift Pattern 5738 Companion squares in filet cro chet make the loveliest household accessories. A square at a time made in spare moments—time you’ll never miss—and tefore you know it you’ll be ready to join them for a cloth or scarf. As a bedspread, too, this design will be a winner. Use string—it’s easy to work with, inexpensive, lovely when done, and wears like iron. If it’s gifts you’re thinking of, use a finer cotton and make a pillow top, vanity set or other small ar ticles that take but a few squares. In pattern 5738 you will find in structions and charts for making the squares shown; an illustration of them and of the stitches used; material requirements. To obtain this pattern send 15 cents in stamps or coins (coins preferred) to The Sewing Circle Household Arts Dept., 259 W. Fourteenth St., New York, N. Y. Write plainly pattern number, your name and address. "Quotations" It is not possible to conduct a modern war if the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth is told.—Sherwood Eddy. Aviation has brought a revolution ary change to a world already stag gering from changes. — Charles A. Lindbergh. A great point in acting is the “listen.” It’s more important some times *o know how to listen than how to speak.—Ethel Barrymore. I5$- Price Now of Famous Cold Remedy 1. Take 2 BAYER ASPIRIN (ablets end drink a full glass of water. Repeat treat ment in 2 hours. 2. If throat is sore, crush and stir 3 BAYER ASPIRIN tablets in glass of water. Gargle twice. This eases throat rawness al most instantly. t Genuine Bayer Aspirin the Thing To Take for Fast Relief Instead of buying costly medicines for a cold, try the way nearly any doctor you ask will approve as the modern way — BAYER ASPIRIN. It is perhaps the most famous and most widely used of all cold remedies today — yet costs only 15/ for a dozen tablets or two full dozen for a quarter anywhere in the United States. Virtually 1/ a tablet. The way you use it is this: Two BAYER tablets when you feel a cold coming on. Take with a full glass of water. Then repeat, if necessary, according! to directions in each package. This will act to fight fever, and pains which usually accompany colds. Relief comes rapidly. Get the genuine BAYER ASPIRIN by asking for it by its full name: not by the name “aspirin” alone. 15c FOR A DOZEN 2 FULL DOZEN FOR 25c VIRTUALLY lc A TABLET Read Our Advertisements Hooray! \ A LETTER , FROM SALLY' HOPE SHE'S GOING TO / THE DANCE / WITH ME > / OH-oh! she says SHE \ NEVER WANTS TO SEE . ME AGAIN/ WELL-- f JUST THE SAME — I'M X GOING TO HAVE A TALK J WITH THAT GIRL/ CHAR.es i .♦! .. . UNDER STAND/ WHAT J HAVE I DONE?/ /OH, I DON'T KNOW AND X DON'T [ CARE/MY HEADACHES— AND V I NEVER SLEEP NIGHTS -- \PLEASE LEAVE ME ALONE] WELL--IP YOU'D DO AS THE DOCTOR^ SAID YOU WOULDN'T FEEL BAD- J OR BE SO CROSS AND MEAN ^all -THE time / _ HE SAID COF-FEE • NERVES CAUSED YOUR- HEADACHES AND SLEEPLESSNESS TOLD you TO QUIT COFFEE FOR 30 DAYS AND DRINK POSTUM INSTEAD. WHY DON'T DO IT I "7. _ __ fCHEESEl t IT' ^ > GLOOMS Y WE'RE ^LICKED 30 PAYS LATER. | SHE'S BEEN A changed womans SINCE SHE GOT < RID OF HER / HEADACHES < AND 3 SLEEPLESSNESS^ MeP —SWITCHING TO >POSTUM SURE DID HER_^ SA WORLD OF OOOD/WJ /VOU&. MONE^ BACK •**\ ' IP SWITCHING TO ROSTUM J i^DOESN'T HELP YOlJf^^ 0*1 If you are one ol those who cannot safely drink coffee...try Postum’s 30-day test. Buy a can of Postum and drink it instead of coffee for one full month. If...after 30 days...you do not feel better, return the top of the Postum container to General Foods, Battle Creek, Michigan, and we will cheerfully refund Copr. 1937. King Features Syndicate, G. F. Corp. Licensee the full purchase price, plus postage! (If you live in Canada, address General Foods, Ltd., Cobourg, Ont.) Give Postum a fair trial...drink it for the full 30 days! Postum contains no caffein. It is simply whole wheat and bran, roasted and slightly sweetened. Postum comes in two forms... Postum Cereal, the kind you boil or percolate...and Instant Postum, made instantly in the cup. It is economical, easy to make and deli cious. You may miss coffee at first, but after 30 days, you’ll love Postum for its own rich, full-bodied flavor. A General Foods product. _ (This offer expires June 30,1937.)
