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Show looking at Washington nufo Sum. The Pyramid s Spe-0W Spe-0W Washington Correspondent Xo Cut Power Rates Companies' Amazing Activity Acti-vity Senators Watch Kennedy Investigation Paid Operate Relief Canneries NRA To Be Permanent When Business Lost Heart gull at His Desk Reviving World Trade Task of Great Problems To Sell One Must Buy In an effort to secure cheaper electric rates for industrial, domestic domes-tic and agricultural consumers the president has appointed a special committee to develop a plan for unified un-ified policies for private and public pub-lic power interests. Several surveys are in progress and the new board will attempt to outline legislation regulating holding companies and Interstate trade in electrical current. cur-rent. Robert Healy, who has done splendid work as general counsel for the Federal Trade Commission in its prolonged investigation 01 the power companies is on the board. Meanwhile tho newly created Federal Power Commission is studying rates all over the nation, na-tion, with an idea of letting the people of various sections know the various rates being charged. In many places these are said to be excessive and creating a wide demand de-mand for entry by the Federal government into the power situa- Hon and the rapid development of municipal power plants. The ramifications of the leading power companies of this country during the past twenty years i a record of amazing activity, embracing em-bracing the; hiring of legislators, social leaders, editors, newspaper writers, and ethers in position to maintain the power companies hold on the territories that they serve. Through various corporate devices the power rates have been excessive and the effort to maintain the advantages ad-vantages thus gained has amounted amount-ed to practical corruption in many quarters. Joseph P. Kennedy, now chairman chair-man of the Stock Exchange committee, com-mittee, participated in a Wall Street pool which netted its operators a profit of $395,000, says a report of the Senate Committee which investigated in-vestigated the stock market. This was the reason for objection to his connection with the newly created agency and it is reasonably certain that his official conduct will be closely scrutinized by many senators sena-tors before he is confirmed at the next session. It may be intefle'fctinlg to note that the Stock Market investigation, investiga-tion, conducted by a senatorial committee, cost $250,000 and that, as a direct result of its disclosures, the Bureau of Internal Revenue has levied assessment; and penalties penal-ties exceeding $2,000,000. In addition, addi-tion, a great many income returns have been voluntarily amended1 and additional payments made since the public hearings began. So, it appear'., the $250,000 was not rquandered but produced a handsome hand-some profit to the government. Federal relief funds will be used us-ed in many counties to operate canning establishments for the purpose of packing meat, vegetables, vegeta-bles, fruit and fish. The idea is to allow the unemployed to do some work that will assist in handling the relief job. Cattle taken from the drought stricken areas to other sections will be slaughtered and canned when In proper condition. The meat canning idea has been Wed in Texas where 19 plants have successfully operated. Objections, coming from private business interest's, int-erest's, are met with the explanation explana-tion that none of the products will be sold commercially, that only temporary emergency canning was contemplated and that the pro-gram pro-gram would not materially affect rt',bUlng from prlvate sources. With General Johnson on a -speaking tour and the affairs of he NRA set-up for administration by commission the future of the organization is widely speculated upon Despite the sniping you may put it down that the code plan is going to be retained, largely upon the insistence of industry and business bus-iness itself. There will probably be readjustments and safeguards thrown around it to protect the cmsumer, who might be caught between the demands of labor and the necessity of higher prices to permit Industry to meet its bills. What most people forget is that the vociferous cry against "$zv-ei'nment "$zv-ei'nment in business" was dead and buried by business men themseelves when they assembled in Washington Washing-ton in the dark days of 1933 and went on their knees to the government govern-ment for help. Even the U. b. Chamber of Commerce, new passing pass-ing its judgment upon what has been attempted, was the headquarters head-quarters of despair as conservative business men, in 1933, bellowed for just about what they got. Most of the codified businesses are behind their codes, although probably looking for opportunities to take the consumer for a ride if they get a chance. General Johnson, who assumed a tremendous task in organizing the cedes, accomplished his work and while mistakes occurred few observers doubt but that the basis structure will be ratified by the newly elected Congress and continue con-tinue to function for years to ccme. It will be reorganized, perhaps, per-haps, readjusted and rVMorced, but industry itself will be on the aidilline rooting for it. The one code, now being offered all minor industries, is a clean up proposal, looking to the elimination of all abu-es of labor by voluntary action, if possible, but by mandatory regulation, regu-lation, if necessary. Secretary of State Cordell Hull has no p'.ans for a long vacation from his office this summer regardless re-gardless of the absence of many other officials. Besides the busy work of reciprocal tariff treaties there are many situations in the world that p-ssess possibilities of trouble. These include the developments devel-opments in Europe, especially Germany, Ger-many, the situation in the Far East and the war still going on in South America. However slight may appear the interest's of this nation any day may bring developments develop-ments that require quick and decisive de-cisive action. The hearing at Washington this week on the question of trade concessions to be written into a reciprocal re-ciprocal treaty with Cuba emphasises empha-sises the great change that the recent re-cent act effects in cur trade policy. The purpose of the act is to expand foreign markets for the products cf this country and bceause that seems to be impsible, under present world conditions, without concessions conces-sions on our part the President sought, and obtained, power to negotiate ne-gotiate treaties with other countries coun-tries en a give and take basis., Readers should understand that world commerce, including exporcs and imports of all countries combined, com-bined, dropped from 68.6 billion old gold dollars to 23.1 billions, or roughly two-thirds. Moreover, in this collapse the United States, by far the most important national economicunit in the world, was the only leading nation that has shown a marked decline in its share of total world trade while France and Russia, together with Belgium, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom have shown im-provement.Understand, im-provement.Understand, this last sentence refers to our share of world trade, expressed In per cen-tage cen-tage of the whole, not in money values. Experts assign various causes to the decline of international trade but all agree that one of the leading lead-ing reasons for it was the growth of trade barriers, which in the last few years have developed into a vast network of restraints upon international movement of goods. High tariffs, quantitative quotas, licenses, regulations and foreign exchange controls have been util-zod util-zod for the purpose ofp reventing imports in various countries To revive trade, however, it is necs-;ary necs-;ary to understand that one country coun-try s exports are another's imports and vice versa, and that international interna-tional trade to continue must provide pro-vide for both. The United States is leading the way in an effort to cut away some cf the restrictive barrier;, and 1uj mternational trade back to its former for-mer greatness, with the idea of se-curiny se-curiny n market for some of its farm products and of allowing o'h-er o'h-er nations to pay for these, and other pioduct: of our commerio, by sending into this c:untrv procii.cts whirbwe can reasonably nceep, without disproportionate injury to our own internal economic stru--Hire Naturally, th; process will require re-quire time, there will be some rtan-:.'e rtan-:.'e to si mebody and the air will be filled with howls before the reciprocal treaties are completed. |