| Show WEEKLY WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS ANALYSIS' BY JOSEPH w w. LaBINE Congress CongressI May Spree Out-Spree I i In Boosting Defense Budget 1 i. i Despite Year Election-Year Fears i I EDITORS EDITOR'S NOTE When NOTE When opinions arc are expressed In these columns they arc are those of or the news analyst and not necessarily of oC this newspaper Released by Western le Newspaper Union CONGRESS On On Guard Biggest item on the congressional agenda was Franklin Roosevelt's budget which the senate sen sen- ate voted to investigate via a joint join super But there was more talk than action While congressmen congressmen con con- gressmen f fumed med to bury their teeth in the defense program program program pro pro- gram major budget item they also hesitated watching developments abroad In an election year there must be economy talk but co congress gress may end up by sp spending more on defense than even the President President President Pres Pres- ident asked There were probes aplenty Even though the the- house might kill ill that unprecedented unprecedented unprecedented un un- s super committee four more groups groups were hard at it The house naval affairs committee began began began be be- gan by slapping newly appointed Navy Secretary Charles Edison The slap Pigeon-holing Pigeon a proposal that the President be given peacetime peacetime peacetime peace peace- time power to commandeer factories factories factories facto facto- ries materials and ships Next came Admiral Harold Stark chief of naval operations who opined 1 that the U. U S S. S now has no two-ocean two S l la a n. n 6 EDISON LEFT AND VINSON The committee was jealous navy Davy and 2 that ton battleships battleships battleships battle battle- ships wouldn't be a bad idea Now building are two with two Iwo more provided in the current bill Chairman Carl Vinson stepped in at this point with the weeks week's No 1 s surprise a proposal to boost naval strength 25 per cent the next three years through a added added added add add- ed appropriation W With th this suggestion suggestion suggestion tion Admiral Stark agreed in toto Another house committee appropriations appropriations appropriations showed neither spend- spend thriftiness nor laziness in okaying for immediate emergency emergency emergency emer emer- gency defense army navy coast coastguard coastguard coastguard guard and FBI The committee simply knew not where to turn But if the senate approved this fund the current years year's defense bill will be higher than next years Next day when Carl Vinson learned the appropriation appropriation appropriation ap ap- ap- ap committee might okay another to fort fortify y Guam he boiled over That question he insisted should first come to his attention attention at- at Said he This c committee is jealous of its prerogatives tives Two senate committees meanwhile meanwhile meanwhile mean mean- while got up ste steam m. m Foreign affairs affairs af af- af- af fairs looked suspiciously at Guam wondering how Japan would swallow TREND How the wind is blowing BANKING BANKING BANKING-At At San Francisco L. L M. M Giannini threatened to withdraw his Bank of America from the federal federal federal fed fed- eral banking system unless Secretary Secre Secre- tary tars of the w w V z W T Treasury rea sur y f l halts m- m perse erse erse- W cation of its IN Ji V l lI I I off officers 1 c e r s through the W J row r. r 1 Securities tie s I i i l I JI i. i x t. Exchange 4 commission commiss on r. r t fr N jj- jj S W which h IC h h has as mf Yo been examining examining exam exam- ining fining records o of f Trans- Trans GIANNINI america corpor corporation tion- tion owner of 40 per cent of the banks bank's stock Next day Henry struck back POLITICS POLITICS POLITICS-At At Washington it was indicated that Chicago can have both Republican and Democratic national national national na na- conventions for the asking providing the city posts a financial guarantee for each AGRICULTURE Although AGRICULTURE Although 1940 cotton marketing quotas were approved approved approved ap ap- ap- ap proved by 91 per cent of the farmers farm farm- ers voting it was estimated estimated esti esti- mated by the department of agriculture agriculture agriculture agri agri- culture that the election had been staged by only 38 per cent of all cotton growers AVIATION Within AVIATION Within the next year every major airline in n the U. U S. S will be flying lying four pas 40 aircraft in ls at speeds more than 50 miles per hour faster than a at t pres present nt The ships Douglas DC and Boeing V the fortification plan See Sec ASI ASIA A. A Appropriations under Colorados Colorado's Alva Adams wanted to junk the emergency defense fund and probably probably probably ably would What would eventually happen most observers were willing to guess Investigations will probably string along several months until Europe's war gathers steam Then overnight congress will shoot the works and forget that its it's an an el election election elec elec- c- c tion year Also in congress C I. l The house hous passed Rep Joseph Gavagan's D. D N N. Y perennial lynching anti-lynching bill imposing fines on county or st state te officials who fail Cail b by negligence to prevent mob killings The bill went to the senate semite which customarily defeats it two years ago by a sponsored South-sponsored filibuster C. C L The h house ways and means committee committee committee com com- heard Secretary of State Cordell Cordell Cordell Cor- Cor dell Hull HuB defend his reciprocal trade act which expires June 12 unless renewed Score Ten Republicans against it most of 15 Democrats in favor But on the floor it will face greater opposition probably being renewed only on the condition that the senate shall ratify all pacts Meanwhile doughty Sen Bill BiB Borah of Idaho inferred that the breakdown breakdown breakdown break break- down of trade talks with Argentina and Uruguay was a plot to win continuation of the act Q Adolph l Sabath of Illinois chairman chairman chairman chair chair- man of the house rules rule committee said he opposed any more money for Martin Dies' Dies un-Americanism un I committee Reason After all Mr Dies has had enough publicity for any and all purposes and perhaps perhaps per- per haps laps he will be still in demand for public speeches and writing magazine magazine magazine maga maga- zine articles ASIA Naughty U. U S. S By mid-January mid the U. U S. S was giving jiving Japan so much trouble that the he cabinet of Gen Nobuyuki Abe was ready to fall It was not enough that Tokyo's emissaries had been unable to win a new trade treaty replacing the pact being abrogated this month by Washington Japanese also learned 1 That the senate foreign affairs affairs af- af fairs airs committee was was wa talking again of imposing an embargo on war material shipments to Japan Leader Lead Lead- er of the move is Nevadas Nevada's Sen Key Pittman committee chairman Such s Yellow Sea f China Sea Mt MI V WANGS WANG'S EMPIRE IPIRE IN BLACK What would an embargo do a step would sound the death knell of Japans Japan's war in China 2 That Washington was again talking about a big navy See CONGRESS CON CRESS CHESS The Guam fortification plan pigeon-holed pigeon last year when Japan objected was making news again Tokyo papers were warning warning warn- warn ing ng that the U. U S S. S would soon be No o. o 1 offensive defensive power in inthe inthe the he Pacific But the public suffering from rom an internal stomach ache was unexcited It seemed likely meanwhile that the Abe cabinets cabinet's sole accomplishment accomplish accomplish- ment and last act would be to launch aunch the puppet government of Wang wei Ching-wei over Japanese-dom Japanese mated sections of China se see Wrap map But if the U. U S. S embargo falls lack of military supplies will make it hard to preserve what Japan has already won PEOPLE Outstanding Stass Stassen At Chicago the U. U S. S Junior Chamber of Commerce chose Minnesota's Minnesota's Minnesota's Min Min- G. G O. O P. P Gov Harold Stassen Stassen Stas Stas- sen sea as most outstanding young man L Off OiT to Australia from Shanghai went Clarence E. E Gauss U. U S. S consul consul consul con con- sul general just named the first American minister to Canberra C. C At Washington chief Man G-Man J. J Edgar Hoover told a house committee commit commit- t tee e why he needed a special 1475 fund to fight saboteurs and spies Revelation Plans for Cor an army bomber were stolen from an aircraft aircraft aircraft air air- craft plant but recovered by FBI C. C l At Baltimore dethroned gangster Al Capone left the hospital where he has been treated for a brain ailment ailment ailment ail ail- ment taking up residence in a quiet fashionable section of that city Cl 41 L Introduced by Tennessee's Democratic Democratic Democratic Demo Demo- cratic Rep K Kenneth McKellar was wasa a measure to cancel the rest about of Finland's war debt |
