Show I Washington Round Merry-Go-Round Pearson By a Drew W The diplomatic diplomatic diplomatic diplo diplo- matic grapevine grapevine- reports that inter-allied inter relations with Russia are going pretty well now This is certainly true on the surface and while some irritations have occurred below the surface both sides have shown a real tendency to try to get along Most serious subsurface irritation irritation irritation tation was over the Mediterranean Mediterranean council through which Russia the United States and Britain were to confer regarding Italy North Africa and the Balkans The Russians snubbed earlier in the summer regarding preliminary preliminary preliminary pre pre- Italian armistice terms took the Mediterranean council seriously and appointed as their representative Andrei Andret the famous prose prosecutor in the Russian purge trials is a nan man of national stature capable of making Mediterranean decisions without consulting Moscow But to represent represent represent rep rep- resent the United States on the Mediterranean council Secretary Secretary Secretary Secre Secre- tary Cordell Cordeli Hull sent Ed Wilson Wilson Wilson Wil Wil- son U. U S. S ambassador to Pana Pana- ma Wilson is a thorough-going thorough competent diplomat who can handle any routine job and handIe handle handle han han- dle dIe it well But almost no one outside diplomacy or Panama has heard of him He has no national national national na na- na- na stature and he cannot act on his own Immediately it developed that Wilson was to act as a glorified messenger and report everything back to Washington The British BritIsh British Brit Brit- ish representative was to do the same In other words Ch Churchill and Roosevelt were to make the decisions and the much publicized publicized publicized pub pub- Mediterranean council was to be a mere reporting agency This immediately roused Russian Russian Russian Rus Rus- sian wrath They had welcomed the council appointed a top man So for a moment they considered withdrawing However However However How How- ever for the sake of allied harmony harmony har bar mony they y stayed on and are giving giving- the giving the Mediterranean council council coun coun- cil a trial Discussion is going on in Jn Mexico Mexico Mexico Mex Mex- ico City which will determine whether or not two U. U S. S railroads railroads railroads rail rail- roads will lose workers The men are Mexicans brought into this country by agreement between the United States and Mexican governments as track laborers on the Southern Pacific and Santa Fe railroads But when they found themselves working side by side with North Americans getting nearly twice as much much money they decided the good neighbor policy had been sidetracked They threatened threatened threatened threat threat- ened to strike Under such circumstances a astrike astrike astrike strike had the making of an in international international international in- in incident so officials in both Washington and Mexico City jumped into action They were able to prevent a walkout but unless the current discussions discussions discus discus- in Mexico City are satisfactory satisfactory satisfactory satis satis- factory the men will ask for tor their passes and start a homeward homeward home home- ward trek a across c r o 0 s s the Rio Grande The difficulty arises from the fact that the Mexicans are employed employed employed em em- directly by the railroads whereas U. U US U.S. S. S workers engaged in the same types of jobs are employed by contractors who in turn make their arrangements with the railroads The formal agreement between between be be- tween the two governments promised Mexican workers the same wages being paid for similar work in that area But when this was translated into an individual contract between the workers and the employers the language proved to be different Instead of being g guaranteed ar t the e same wages in that area they were promised the same wages paid by the same employer This gave the railroads an put out Since they were not directly employing employ employ- ing the U. U S. S workers workers who who were being employed by the contractors tors the tors-the the Santa Fe and Southern Pacific railroads railroads- were legally free to pay the Mexicans a lower wage So the wage was set at 46 cents an hour as against 86 cents being paid the North American workers Repair and maintenance operations operations operations oper oper- on these two railroads in inthe inthe inthe the states of California New Mexico and Arizona are dependent dependent dependent de de- de- de pendent on this army of men But it seems pretty clear that the labor army will go home unless the current discussions in Mexico City give them an equality of wages with their North American coworkers The liquor industry is shaking shaking shaking shak shak- ing a warning finger at Secretary Secretary Secretary Secre Secre- tary Henry If If you increase that excise tax on Imported imported im Im- ported alcohol it says well have rum running on a scale we never dreamed of What they fear is rum running running running run run- ning from Cuba and Mexico Today Today Today To To- day the tariff plus excise tax on alcohol from Cuba is 8 a gallon of proof Reduced to proof the alcohol carries a tax of 1520 a gallon So if you can bring it in without paying the tax you have a handsome profit From Havana to Miami is only an overnight voyage and a small sailing salling schooner can bring in a cargo of alcohol large enough to tomake tomake tomake make a small fortune in one haul Even easier is the importation tion across the Mexican border more than a miles long T. T Treasury department 1 proposes proposes to increase the excise tax still further thus increasing the temptation to rum running |