| Show Round Merry By DR DREW DREV W PEARSON and ROMERT S. S AL ALLEN EN WASHINGTON Diplomatic circles were last week at t the out blue mystified condemnation condemnation condemnation con con- of civilian airplane bombing issued by bythe bythe bythe the state department The bombing of civilians has taken a tragic increase since the statement was issued but just justat justat at that time was no io worse than during several previous months Therefore diplomats were at ata ata ata a 10 loss s to understand the state departments department's sudden sudden sudden sud sud- den concern Here is the inside explanation Just two days before civilian bombing was wasco co condemned the British had indicated to the state department informally that they were going to invite us to join jn in investigating it So knowing this official invitation was coming corning coming com corn ing the the state department decided to beat the gU gun Partly to test out public public- opinion partly also to avoid being accused once more of aping British initiative the state department issued its condemnation of bombing statement on June 3 On June 4 Sir Ronald Lindsay came i in with the official British British- invitation n to R participate in the investigation of the atrocities which which- the day before before before be be- fore we had so heartily condemned Anglo-American Anglo teamwork smiled the dip dip- Crowned Reading Clerk Roger M. M Calloway Galloway is wondering wonder wonder- ing lag if it it wouldn't be safer to wear a tin hat during turbulent sessions of the house of When the chamber flares into an uproar which is often Speaker Ban Bankhead head wields his gavel with might and main Recently the gavel suddenly came apart and the head went crashing crash crash- ing lag into the unsuspecting cranium of Calloway Galloway who stands facing outward below the speaker Calloway Galloway s sagged under the blow but re re- re- re covered Despite the toe solicitous urging of Bankhead Bankhead Bankhead Bank- Bank head to take time out he continued his work But for the rest of the day when Bankhead hammered for order he did SQ so with the head of the new gavel gayel in his hand Note Note During During every every- session of ot congress presiding presiding presiding pre pre- pre pre- siding officers of oft the house break an average of two gavels a month Disappointing Council Senator isn't saying much about it but ut his colleagues are twitting him on the report of the advisory council on social security You probably haven't heard much about this report because it is technical and and- has escaped attention in the press But it represents the views of 24 outstanding business men and experts on the social security act and is considered extremely extremely ex ex- ex- ex important The joke on is that he was primarily primarily marily manly responsible for the creation of the council Early in January 1937 the ambitious Michigander opened a drive to re reduce reduce re- re duce old-age old pension assessments asserting that they needlessly create a fiscal and economic menace His was so effective that the senate finance committee finally appointed a subcommittee to study the matter together with an advisory council of business leaders and experts As a member of this subcommittee Vanden Vanden- berg personally approved every selection for the council Among those named were Walter D. D Fuller president of the Curtis Publishing company com corn pany M. M Albert Linton president of the Provident Provident Provi Provi- dent Mutual Life Insurance company E. E R. R Jr chairman of U 11 S. S Steel and Gerard Swope president of General Electric proudly acclaimed the council In In my judgment he told the senate it itis is the finest group of advisers that has ever been named and assigned to a technical problem of this kind t Too Confident And obviously confident that the council would see to eye-to-eye with him on his assess assess- reduction ment-reduction demand wrote Arthur Arthur Ar Ar- thur J. J Altmeyer chairman of the social security security security ity board urging immediate action along this line The old-age old pension taxes could be re- re reduced he contended and still leave the pension pension pension pen pen- sion system on a sound actuarial basis if it we frankly abandon the needless reserve full-reserve system tem tern and proceed on a you pay basis Altmeyer sent the letter to the advisory council for its consideration And here is what the 24 business men and experts advised in their report It It is the consensus of this council that no reduction in n the current tax rates under Title vIII of the social security act should be made at this time The members of the council regardless regardless regardless re- re reI I of differing views on other aspects of the financing of old-age old insurance are of the opinion pinion that the present provisions regarding the investment of the moneys in the old-age old reserve account do not involve any misuse of these m moneys or endanger r the safety of these funds Senator Note Senator has had nothing to say about the fitness of the council since it made its report Copyright 1938 for The Telegram Jf 4 |
