Show WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS BY JOSEPH W labine german peace drive eclipsed by war threats in near east politicians hold Us S interest in these columns they are expressed EDITORS NOTE when opinions and not necessarily of this newspaper are those of the news analyst I OM newspaper union B 1 TtO Ite eased leased by western on the washington scene POLITICS in the background since congress reconvened presidential politics stole etole the show again when the democratic national committee selected chicago as its convention site republicans public ans who scheduled their meeting later in the hope that democrats would set a convention date were outfoxed out foxed this resulted in minor dissension among G 0 P leaders who debated whether to set a date immediately or keep stalling since third termites dominated the democratic meeting observers there would be a strong fight to president roosevelt in the city where he was first chosen in 1932 As chicago became a political focal point so did illinois there were signs that both president roosevelt and vice president garner would be entered in the april 9 preference primary while in new york the G 0 P backers of young torn tom dewey challenged bob taft and 4 ACCUSER HOOK he apologized other republican hopefuls to a contest in the same primary UN americanism ended was the episode in which rep bep frank hook charged that martin cun un american ism dies was working in cahoots with william pelley leader of the anti semitic silver shirts when pelley surrendered and admitted that letters used as evidence were forged hook apologized on the house floor it if this had been a campaign to smear irrepressible EUROPE rumors while the western front remained quiet and while finland c continued making a shambles out of dussias Rus sias vaunted armies two diametrically opposed offensives were taking shape one for war the other for peace peace drive berlin denied it but reports persisted that would offer the allies a settlement via the league of nations economic committee at the hague terms 1 no reparations 2 return of ex german colonies 3 nazi retention of and the polish corridor 4 an austrian plebiscite neutrally managed 5 restoration of czech polish and slovak states if the denials were sin sincere observers wondered why herr hitler tried so hard to minimize minimize his relations with moscow arch foe of the democracies no military pact exists said the reich nor will germany help russia fight the finns peace gossip only increased when berlin called home i its ts envoys to finland and russia would germany try to settle this wara war if so was it a prelude to peace in in the west war drive overnight the balkan states mobilized their armies to full strength members of the little entente backing rumania against the territorial demands of hungary hugary italy was seen joining them the M across TREND how the wind is blowing BONDS at chicago barcus kindred company surveyed the municipal bond field and found 1939 had brought a drop of or 24 per cent under 1929 in total bonds issued among reasons 1 I 1 pay as you go financing 2 diminishing birth rate which requires fewer schools RATION britain announced that meat would world be rationed effective march 11 already rationed are butter sugar ham and bacon RISKS because eur Eu ropes war I 1 has steered clear of pa pan n ameri can waters marine underwriters have lowered war risk insurance rates in tha tarea WHEAT twice as many farmers have taken out federal all risk crop insurance on wheat for 1940 com compared pared with last year SKIRTS the U S census bureau f figures short skirts have snipped one million bales off the cotton farmers annual market martin dies it had only served to strengthen him and the cause of his ism committee next day FBI rounded up 12 persons charged with recruiting americans for service with the communist forces in spain CONGRESS the house continued lopping millions from president Pret ident Roosevel ts budget and the senate continued restoring them the senate voted down a cut in civil aeronautics authority funds bringing the independent offices bill back to i 1 but it was still 55 millions under budget estimate provid ing a go good start on the millions congress s hopes to save by way of avoiding new defense taxes meanwhile the house slashed away at the state justice commerce department appropriations bill LABOR john lewis C 1 I 0 which has been striking at the new deal lately turned a partial about face defending the national labor relations act against A F of L inspired changes before the house NLRB committee CIO s philip murray read a statement in which lewis charged reactionary and anti labor corporations are dictating A F of L s proposed amendments at miami A F of Us Ls executive board was also getting hostile toward the new deal urging encouragement coura gement of private enterprise and charging the administration with trying to place labor under its thumb the entire labor govern ment picture was pretty complicated S IRAN OCT not NEW TROUBLE SPOT but bug uzal the allies attack first the black sea turkey concentrated troops on the russian frontier iran and afghanistan doing likewise one explanation was that russia planned a drive into this british sphere of influence see map another explanation was that the allies planned a deliberate attack on russian oil wells in the caucasus region thereby drawing soviet troops from the beleaguered beleaguer ed finnish front and cutting off nazi petroleum sources observers asked themselves whether this was the reason french authorities ties had raided the russian commercial office in paris deliberately inviting soviet reprisals also was it the reason turkey a british french ally unceremoniously seized thi the german owned ship yard in the the wars lars W in the west france reported the quietest period since the war began almost six months ago and nazi raids on north sea shipping were slackened perceptibly in the north finnish troops repulsed one soviet attack after another most activity being bein g confined to the area around lake ladoga cadoga finnish military observers estimated that reckless use of manpower had cost the reds dead and wounded in a single week nevertheless increasing rhythm of soviet attacks was wearing the finns down a situation that disturbed the allies increasingly following a meeting of the british french war council it was announced concrete aid would be rushed at once prime minister chamberlain told the house of commons as much while r france nce kept relaying italian warplanes war planes which germany refused to let cross the reich how italy is cooperating with the finns was revealed in rome by finnish minister eero who ho reported italian volunteers volunteer volun tee rs have been turned down because no visas visas were available but hundreds have been granted too headliners HEAD LINERS here herc mid and abroad 0 appointed pennsylvanian Pennsyl ex gov george 11 earleas earle as U S minister to bulgaria florida Flo s david gray as minister to eire C L threatened irish premier eamon de valeras government because he still fights the outlawed irish republican army two of whose terrorists were executed executed by britain I 1 R A s aim seizure of ulster L enthroned supreme court justice frank murphy president Roosevel ts fifth appointee C defeated earl browder communist leader convicted of passport fraud who ran a poor third in a new york congressional by election 41 filed tax liens for against howard C 3 hopson II opson head of the giant associated gas i electric oct octopus L 0 pus and several of his relatives WOMEN in ill the taie news at paris the duchess of windsor was credited with inventing a new knitted trench mitton mitten with zipper attachment to free a s 0 I 1 d i e rs t trigger r i g e r finger in the frozen klondike campaigned mrs BI r s nor N 0 r man black one of cana THE jug DUCI DUCHESS SS das d a s two women parliament me members bers seeking votes in the forthcoming special election at baltimore mrs robert A tatt taft announced she would hit the campaign stump trail for her senator husband who hopes to win the G 0 P presidential nomination at new york averry bierry Fal fahrney irney patent medicine heiress shed her fourth husband neutrality aid to finland early this month a gallup poll showed the majority of U S citizens 58 per cent favor a nonmilitary loan to finland same day as the survey was released the senate began consideration of a bill to double the export import banks capital permitting an additional nonmilitary non military loan to the finns they already have the same gallup poll showed 61 per cent of the nation opposes a loan to finland for purchasing war supplies day after the survey was published prentiss ss brown proposed in the senate that au all of Fin lands war debt payment should be made available for munitions purchases there was a good chance the brown measure might pass the senate did adopt 65 to 3 a resolution asking the securities and exchange commission to expedite regise registration ration of any government bonds which finland may try to sell private U S investors prompting factor was secretary of state cordell hull s revelation that russia had violated two avo pledges of its recognition agreement with the U S 1 I 1 permitting communist interference ter ler it UKI ith U S affairs 2 failing to safeguard V U S citizens rights in russia still a congressional effort to break relations ui 11 ll the ac soviet failed ailed meanwhile the state department was rubbing noses with britaina Brit ains smooth working ambassador lord lothian recipient of many a fiery protest in recent weeks in exchange for better treatment of U S ships at british contraband ports the two governments decided to keep future quarrels quiet one reason recent strong U S notes to london have stirred up too much american opinion against britain to adolf hillers Hit lers benefit JAPAN one way out As war in china entered its thirty first month northern forces reported they had entered distant province for the first time in the south armies were locked in bitter battle near kingsun Wing sun province two more discouraging signs for japan were 1 a naval spokes mans warning that chinese planes may soon begin braidi raidi raiding ng japan and 2 the report that jap troops were killed when chinese artillery sank a transport on the yangtze river mostly however troubles were with the western powers immediate source of trouble was a combined U S french protest against jap bombings of the kun ming hanoi railway in southwestern china both protests were rejected and the japanese parliament found itself seriously considering two drastic steps to avoid future protests first it was suggested japan should junk the nine power treaty guaranteeing chinese territorial integrity second foreign minister hachiro arita admitted japan is asking U S citizens to leave china probably as a threat to make the V U S renew its expired trade treaty agriculture cotton for stamps having successfully disposed of surplus foods through the stamp plan secretary of agriculture henry wallace announced this system will be adopted to help solve his no I 1 farm problem cotton exports having decreased since britain stopped taking U S surpluses under the barter arrangement cotton will be offered under the stamp plan experimentally wit within hin a few weeks pla plan n relief clients purchasing 1 worth of cotton goods a at t retail stores will be given 1 worth of cotton stamps free other farm news i C L the weather bureau announced frost damage to truck crops in southern states from januarys Janu arys unexpected cold snap had been overestimated although losses were heavy all the way from florida to texas fl 41 U S farmers watched with interest and mixed emotions as th the e house ways and means committee approved a bill renewing the ad 1 ministrations authority au authority thorit y to negotiate reciprocal trade agreements bially the amer american ican farm bureau ap proved national grange di dissented scented |