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Show Merry-Co-Round By DREW PEARSON and ROBERT S. ALLEN WASHINGTON When able little Representative Represen-tative Joe Martin of Massachusetts took the floor last summer during the debate on the barter-cotton classification bill and urged approval ap-proval of a provision to ston 300,000 bales of government owned cotton in New England tha house rose aa one man and cheered him. The amendment went through to the tune of one of the most cordial bipartisan ovations accorded ac-corded a member of congress. It is doubtful, however, if the popular Republican floor leader would have offered his proposal If he had known what was going to happen afterward. Today those 300,000 bales, 3 per cent of the total government holdings, are the center of the bitterest undercover brswl in the career of the commodity credit corporation, custodian of the enttnn cotton. Cause of the melee is a deal which tha corporation cor-poration claims was made between James Joseph Jo-seph O'Donnell, New York and Boston cotton broker, and a group of New England warehouses for a brokerage commission on the lucrative storage fees. O'Donnell, who has powerful Washington Wash-ington Influence and lobbied for the legislation, lined up a number of warehouses and appeared on the high road to getting a 10 per cent commission, com-mission, when the credit corporation stepped into the pictun and upset his apple cart with two edicts: (1) That any cotton moved to New England would be allocated to warehouses purely on a competitive basis and (2) that no contract would be awarded to a warehouse that was under an agreement to pay anyone a tee on government business. Fighting Back Tha commodity credit corporation's action handicapped O'Donnell, but it didn't floor him. He returned to the fray, operating through friends on Capitol hllL One of the closest of these is South Caro- Una Senator "Cotton Ed" Smith, who, although he has yet to make his appearance at this session ses-sion of congress, sent a terse note to John D. Goodloe, vice president of the commodity corporation cor-poration instructing him to "please to see to it that the 300,000 bale of cotton an moved out promptly to New England." In this communication communica-tion Smith also referred to O'Donnell as "an old friend of mine." Other congressional Intimates also have been burning up tha wires in behalf of O'Donnell, but so far the commodity credit corporation hat stood its ground. Good Neighbor Tina A unique good neighbor experiment hat Just been arranged by the General Tin & Rubber company, which will set up a tin factory in Venezuela. Instead of going in as American oil companies compa-nies did in Mexico and owning the project itself, the tin company has gone into partnership with Venezuela. Venezuelans will put up half of tha capital, and will manage the factory. The engineering engi-neering supervision, however, will be in the hands of Americans. Venezuela .'will get cheaper tires, and tha General Tin It Rubber company will have an investment much less subject to Mexican" confiscation. con-fiscation. Chief sufferers, of course, will be Ohio rubber workers, who now will make fewer tires for Latin America. Smoothie Joha Hancock During the monopoly committee hearings on Investment banking Robert Lehman, brother of New York's governor, got appendicitis and wat unable to testify regarding the Lehman brothers' broth-ers' banking firm. So John Hancock, another Lehman partner, testified in his place. Hancock's testimony wss a masterpiece of toning down the assertions and implications of SEC Commissioner Leon Henderson and Committee Com-mittee Counsel Nehemkis. After the session was over Henderson shook hands and told Hancock: "Well, if Martin Dies calls me as a witness, rll get appendicitis and have you testify in my place." . Distributed by United Feature Syndicate, |