JT EEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS BY JOSEPH FT, LaBlISE
Administration Prepares Fight
For Reciprocal Trade Treaties
In Face of Senate Opposition
(EDITOR'S NOTE—When opinions are expressed in these columns, they
are those of the news analyst and not necessarily of this newspaper.)
* Released by Western Newspaper Union. __________
COMMERCE:
Trade Battle
Just before Christmas the state
department found it wise to an
nounce that no concession on copper
tariffs will be made in its reciprocal
trade pact with Chile. This set a
precedent, because never before has
the department divulged such infor
mation about an anticipated recipro
cal pact before the treaty is con
summated. Official reason was
“widespread public interest," but
behind it lay the vocal protests of
copper producing states who would
otherwise _
Join in tne
hue and cry
when the re
ciprocal pro
gram comes
up (or re
newal in con
gress next
term.
Basis of
opposition is
the claim
that Secre
tary of State
Cordell
CORDELL HULL
Will he win?
Hull s trade program breaks down
tariff walls and permits foreign
products. Under the "most favored
nation” clause a concession on wheat
from Argentina, for instance, would
be granted all other nations holding
reciprocal pacts with the U. S.
It was rumored in Washington this
month that President Roosevelt is
girding himself for the toughest con
gressional fight of his entire admin
istration, if necessary, to extend the
act. It was even reported he would
attempt to beat Republican critics
to the gun by taking his fight to the
country before the G. O. P. can
make an open issue of it.
Entirely aside from the trade act's
influence on U. S. economy, observ
ers noted it was not without im
portant political significance. Since
reciprocal agreements are not sub
ject to senate ratification, a lucra- |
tlve source of legislative logrolling
has been forfeited. Proud of his
work, Secretary Hull maintains he
Is working to benefit the entire na
tion, not any small section. Wheth
er his admittedly sincere policy will
prevail Is among the most impor
tant issues facing the new congress.
AGRICULTURE:
Anschluss
Hungry (or (arm (unds (see be
low) Secretary o( Agriculture Hen
ry Wallace has looked covetously
on the well-tended $2,000,000,000
Farm Credit administration (und su
pervised by its governor. F. F. Hill.
So conservative was Mr. Hill that
there still remains a $600,000,000
FCA lending power which Mr. Wal
lace thought should be used to bring
FCA's benefits to drouth sufferers.
FCA’S HILL
No longer . . .
Alarmed,
Mr. Hill
pointed out
that the
$1,400,000,
000 ia bonds
which he has
sold to banks
and private
investor s
might be
Jeopardized
by a “loose”
policy of
lending
money that
might never be repaid. Wall Street,
calling the Wallace plan "inflation
ary,” was equally alarmed.
But Henry Wallace was boss. In
late December, Franklin Roosevelt
found himself called upon to write
Mr. Hill a letter: "In accepting your
resignation, I want to express my
very real appreciation of your
i services ...”
I Speculation on FCA’s future im
mediately became rife. Under its
new administrator, Dr. A. G. Black,
the agency will no doubt lose its in
dependence, tie in closer with the
department of agriculture and pro
vide a measure of supervision over
the farm operations of its borrow
ers.
Farm Money
■ It is no secret that the adminis
tration is feverishly seeking to cut
the corners in 1940's budget to
make way for a $500,000,000 boost in
defense expenditures. Most care
fully scrutinized item is agriculture,
whose parity' payments have cost
$225,000,000 annually. The treasury’s
plight is further complicated by con
gress’ failure to provide revenue
sources for its farm appropriation
the past two years.
Several weeks ago the treasury’s
Secretary Morgenthau met with ag
riculture's Wallace and a host of
fiscal experts to iron out this prob
lem. While the President told his
press conference he would ask con
gress to dig up the money it "owes”
the treasury for past farm pay
ments, Messrs. Wallace and Morgen
thau talked over the certificate plan,
under which farmers would get their
parity payments from consumers
rather than the treasury.
How Mr. Morgenthau reacted to
this plan was indicated a few days
later. Although reports persisted
that the President would ask con
gress to provide $1,050,000,000 in new
revenue next year, his keeper of the
exchequer started a mild rebellion
that may burst into flames when the
budget is finally announced. Said
Mr. Morgenthau: “I haven’t
changed my views on consumer
taxes; the taxes are now a little
over 60 per cent and that’s high
enough.”
Still unsolved was agriculture’s
No. 1 problem. Other problems:
C. Condition of crops in the winter
wheat area, where an unprecedent
ed drouth remained unbroken, was
officially stated at 55 per cent of
normal. This would bring a crop
the third smallest on record.
C The bureau of agricultural eco
nomics estimated the farmers’ in
come from his products in 1939
dropped to $7,625,000,000 from $7,627,
000.000 the previous year.
C. Although 5,782,000 bales of cot
ton and cotton products were sold
abroad under the export subsidy
plan between August 1 and Decem
ber 15, less than half of it has been
shipped because of a shortage of
ocean freight space.
PAN AMERICA:
Neutrality
High sounding was the 300-mile
"neutrality belt” thrown around the
Western hemisphere when Europe
went to war last September. Chief
sponsor was the U. S., whose Under
secretary of State Sumner Welles
promised his nation would take the
lion's share of patrol du«y. But by
Christmastlde the U. S. was feeling
less altruistic.
Buried at Buenos Aires was Capt.
Hans Langsdorff, who killed him
COLUMBUS' DAEHNE
. . . at Uncle Sam's expense.
self after scuttling his shell-battered
pocket battleship Graf Spee off Mon
tevideo. British ships, cheated out
of the kill, sailed off for other illegal
conquests. Roosting at a Florida
port was the Nazi freighter Arauca,
driven to shelter by a British cruis
er. At New York’s Ellis island
were 577 survivors of the scuttled
liner Columbus, whose Capt. Wil
helm Daehne charged a British boat
had fired across his bow.
By this time Pan America was so
aroused that Washington had its
choice of enforcing neutrality or sac
rificing prestige. With 20 other na
tions, the U. S. signed an ineffectual
protest to the belligerents. Mean
while Sumner Welles prepared for
U. S. participation in the forthcom
ing Pan American conference, but
Washington’s enthusiasm was wan
ing. While the state department
said as little as possible, while the
navy remained unenthusiastic about
its job of patroling a 3.000-mile
coastline, Captain Daehne and his
crew had a merry Christmas as Un
cle Sam’s guests.
THE WARS:
In the West
Germany’s eighth railroad acci
dent since September 1 killed more
people (52 dead, 30 injured) than
were lost in several days on the
western front, where an undeclared
Yule truce held sway. As usual,
there was more activity in the North
sea. Britain, which was reported
building a speedy fleet of "super
planes,” adopted the Reich’s trick
of laying mines from the air. As
the year ended, various forecasts
had it that: (1) The next 12 months
will bring a raging war; (2) the
Netherlands will be invaded by Ger
many after its canals are frozen
over; (3) Britain and France are
planning a big naval drive on the
Nazis.
In the North
It was an unhappy Christmas for
Russia's atheistic Dictator Josef
Stalin. Even unhappier were two of
his stooges reportedly purged for
failure on the Finnish front: Gen.
K. A. Meretskov, Leningrad military
district's chief of staiT, and Otto
Kuusinen, Finnish Communist who
organized the "people’s” govern
ment the day Russia began her ill
starred invasion. While Helsinki was
evacuated in the face of a threat
ened Christmas air raid, the Fin
nish high command claimed its foe
had been routed on all fronts.
NEWS QUIZ
Know your news? Perfect score
i* 100 and deduct 20 for each ques
tion you miss. Any score above 60 is
good.
1. Above is the British cruiser
Orion. How did she violate V. 8.
neutrality off the Florida coast?
Z. What important European
dictator just celebrated his six
tieth birthday anniversary?
3. Pope Pius XII decided to
pay a state visit outside the Vati
can during the Holidays, the first
of its kind in 69 years. Who Is
his host?
4. Choice: Louis (“Lepke”)
Buchaitcr of New York made
news because he: (a) climbed up
the outside of the Empire State
building; (b) was convicted for
conspiracy to violate the narcotic
laws; (c) announced he will run
for New York district attorney
to succeed Thomas Dewey.
5. True or false: Although U. 8.
acreage planted to grain crops
(wheat, corn, oats, rye and bar
ley) was smaller in 1939 than in
the previous year, total produc
tion was higher.
(Answers at bottom of column.)
WHITE HOUSE:
Message
To Pope Pius XII, Franklin Roose
velt transmitted his Christmas
greeting, his hope that men will “de
cline to accept, for long, the law of
destruction forced upon them by
wielders of brute force,” and his an
nouncement that former U. S. Steel
Chairman Myron Taylor had been
named U. S. representative to the
Vatican. Said the letter, also trans
mitted to Dr. George Butterick of
the Federal Council of Churches,
and Rabbi Cyrus Adler, president of
the Jewish Theological seminary:
“I take heart in remembering that
in a similar time, Isaiah first proph
esied the birth of Christ.”
The President also:
«, Reportedly authorized the paring
of about $700,000,000 from war and
navy department estimates to hold
next year’s national defense cost to
$2,000,000,000. Meanwhile the house
naval subcommittee asked the navy
for estimates on 65,000-ton battle
ships, bigger than any yet built.
Minnesota’s Rep. Melvin Maas,
dreaming in even bigger figures,
wanted them 80,000 tons each.
C. Took time off to celebrate Christ
mas with four generations of the
clan Roosevelt.
ASIA:
Ungrateful Recipient
Official Washington was still si
lent at Chrlstmastide over Japan’s
"present,” the announcement that
China’s Yangtze river would soon
be reopened to foreign traffic. Miss
ing were the whoops of delight that
Tokyo expected from American
newspapers. Missing, too. was en
thusiasm among U. S. business men
in China.
Nevertheless many an observer
wondered if the U. S. shouldn't be
a bit more receptive. Japan’s ges
ture was significant in that it rep
NOBUYUKI ABE
If his cabinet falls . ..
resented an attempt to patch trade
relations before the abrogated trea
ty expires January 26. Should the
gesture fall short, Premier Nobuyu
ki Abe's "weak sister" cabinet is
apt to collapse.
Danger lies in the fact that Nip
pon’s American-hating army would
seize control if the Abe government
falls. Once that happens U. S. busi
ness men might as well pack their
bags and go home.
News Quiz Answers
1. By shooting at the German cruis
er Arauca. which was driven to cover
at Port Everglades.
2. Josef Stalin of Russia. (The army
high command had promised to con
quer Finland by that day. as a birth
day present).
3. King Vittorio Emanqele of Italy,
at the Quirinal palace which no pope
has visited since the unification of
Italy.
4. (B) Is correct. "Lepke” still
faces bribery charges.
5. False. In 1938. production was
4,868,000.000; in 1939 it was estimated
at 4,626,000,000. But barley, winter
wheat and corn showed much bigger
individual acreage yields. (So did cot
ton. tobacco and soy beans.)
Uncle Sam Prepares Old Age Benefit Payments
First old age benefit payments to be made by the federal government under the social security act are
belated holiday presents to thousands of men and women throughout the United States. Treasury department
officials estimate that 80,000 persons will receive benefits during the coming year. Left: Check signing machine
which will handle 25,000 checks a day. Center: Addressograph machine which stamps the name, address and
amount of check at the rate of 5,000 per hour. Right: Two applicants for benefit payments being interviewed
in one of the many branch offices throughout the nation.
Chicken Embryos Help Battle Dread Horse Disease
Good news to {.be nation’s farmers came from the United States department of agriculture recently with
the announcement that a cheap, extremely effective vaccine against almost always fatal sleeping sickness in
horses has been developed. The vaccine has been produced by use of chicken embryos in their shells. Left:
The live 10- or 11-day old embryo of a chicken is innoculated with sleeping sickness virus. Center inset: When
the chicken is about to break out of the egg the embryo is removed. Right: The vaccine, made from the em
bryo, is injected into the skin of the horse’s neck, making him immune. The virus-tilled embryo is extremely
dangerous to handle and workers are equipped with rubber gloves.
War a Minor Problem to French Poilu
Maybe this bearded French Poilu was window shopping for Christmas.
Or maybe he just wished he had a razor and a piece of soap. Anyway,
he’s gazing wistfully in the window of a perfume shop which is located,
of all places, at the front lines. The French censor forgot to explain the
front line perfume shop. It has been a rather unusual war, and maybe the
soldiers have time for life’s finer things.
. __
Italian Cyclists Start New Travel Vogue
Bicycles don’t use gasoline—that’s why they're so popular in Italy.
Here’s a new design. The high wheel bike is reversed and the saddle is
placed between the handlebars, which steer from the back. Notice the
pedal arrangement on the bicycle at the right. The pedals do not make
a full turn, but propel the vehicle by special gears.
Bomberette
A woman member of the Soviet
red army air corps pictured in the
gunplt of a bombing plane, operat
ing the gun mount. Finns report
a woman was among the crew of one
of the first Soviet bombing planes to
be shot down while attacking Hel
sinki. Thousands of Russian women
have been trained for war-time
work.
—
1 Queen of Roses
.•.•.iKfy.v-v.wiwrv '*Tv^ 'va4nHV*r v» T Vflli ": '■
Queen of the Tournament of Roses
at Pasadena, Calif., is Margaret
Huntley, 18, Pasadena Junior col
lege coed. Six other college girls
comprise the royal court. Queen
Margaret is five feet five inches tall
and weighs 112 pounds.
Star Dust
★ 3% Hour Picture!
★ Logan Gets a Part
★ When Johnny s Wanted
— By Virginia Vale —
IN THE midst of all the ex
citement of giving “Gone
With the Wind” its premiere
showing at Atlanta, David O.
Selznick, the producer, took
time out to think of all of us
who couldn’t be there. Before
leaving Hollywood he had
held a pre-view for the crit
ics, and their opinion of the picture
convinced him that it ought not to
be cut.
He had thought that anyway. But
the picture runs three hours and 45
minutes—the average film only 80
minutes. Despite his long experi
ence as a producer, he couldn’t be
sure that the public would sit still
that long for any film, no matter
how good it was.
The California critics did, and if
they would, anybody would. So, on
arriving in Atlanta, he announced
that it would be released at its pres
ent length; perhaps at the end of the
first year it may be cut so that it
will run only two hours and a half.
-*
Ilona Massey is off to a good start.
The lovely blonde Hungarian, who,
according to one critic, "looks like
Dietrich, talks like Garbo," and
sings like the former, has proved
ILONA MASSEY
that she is stellar materia!. In
“Balalaika” she did her share to
give us a good picture and revive
musical films. Of course, she
was ably aided by Nelson Eddy,
Charles Rugglos and Frank Morgan.
Now she is slated for “Old New
Orleans,” perhaps with Clark Gable
in the leading male role.
-*
Stanley Logan, who for the past
six years has been one of Holly
wood’s leading dialogue directors,
has had to turn actor. He tested
four candidates for the role of a
colonel In the British army, for the
Edward Small production, "My Son,
My Son,” and then was himself se
lected for the part,
_it:_
Harry Carey, who won fresh lau
rels In “Mr. Smith Goes to Wash
ington,” is going on tour with his
son and daughter in a stage skit
which he wrote for himself. They
will give the first performance in
Dallas, Texas, and then tour the
South, Midwest and East.
-*
Those bits of music that you hear
as background for the “Hobby Lob
by” program are written by Dave
Elman, its director. He used to
write “blues” tunes with W. C.
Handy, and just can’t stop writing
music whenever the opportunity of
fers.
-*
There’s a chance that Olivia de
Haviiand may get out of those fancy
costumes at last. She'll have a
chance in "Married, Pretty and
Poor”—at least, that’s the present
title of the remake of “Saturday’s
Children,” which was filmed way
back in 1929 after it had been suc
cessful as a play. She and John
Garfield have been given the lead
ing roles.
-*- (
Half an hour before “Your Hit
Parade” goes on the air the studio
looks as if a walking marathon
were being staged. Barry Wood
walks the fastest, striding about
among musicians, sound crews and
members of the cast, rehearsing his
lines. Bea Wain walks in a circle
—never knew she did it until some
body mentioned the fact to her.
Mark Warnow, the conductor, is an
exception—he just sits.
Say "Johnny’s wanted on the
phone” at a rehearsal of CBS’s
"Johnny presents” J(nd you’ll think
you’ve started a riot. No less than
four males will rush for the wings.
They’re Johnny Green, the orchestra
leader and master of ceremonies;
John Johnstone, dramatic producer;
Johnny the Call boy, and Johnny
Call, a yorung actor who plays in the
dramatizations featured on the pro
gram.
And one of the studio page%is on
the brink of a nervous breakdown,
trying to distinguish between "Call
for Johnny Call” and “Call for John
ny the Call Boy.”
-*
ODDS AND ENDS—Tyrone Power
has signed for three years more with
20th Century-Fox; his next picture will
be “Dance Kith the Devil* . . . Clark
Gable would like to direct pictures;
doesn't want to be an actor all his life—
but the public probably won’t lei him
stop!
(Released by Western Newspaper Union.)