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Show MERRt-GO-ROUHD Jti W& ROBERT AiTLiN WASHINGTON. It is interesting to note the manner in which certain congressmen have consistently squelched attempts to investigate the state department's co-operation with the British tin trust and certain U. S. business firms to prevent the United States from acquiring sufficient suf-ficient supplies of tin. With Japan now able to seize the Dutch East Indies and the Malays, the United States may have her tin supply cut oil in a few weeks' time. Yet up until recently, the state department played in with the British tin monopoly, did nothing about the situation. Now Sol Bloom, energetic chairman chair-man of the house foreign affairs committee, has introduced a resolution resolu-tion to investigate the tin situation. But he faces the vigorous opposition opposi-tion of Representatives Cochran of Missouri and Faddis of Pennsylvania, Pennsyl-vania, both Democrats. Interesting fact is that Congressman Congress-man Faddis comes from Pennsylvania's Pennsyl-vania's twenty-fifth district, in which is located the Standard Tin Plate company, which is tied up ' with Continental Can and long has done business with the British monopoly. Also Representative Cochran comes from St. Louis, where the National Lead company operates the I St. Louis Smelting and Refining company. com-pany. National Lead owns part of J Patino Mines, which is the keystone of the British tin monopoly. Until recently National Lead has lobbied against all efforts to establish tin smelters in the United States, thus making this country independent of the British tin trust. JOIN THE ARMY ' With the biggest ballyhoo in 25 years, the war department is entreating en-treating young men to join the army. By bil'boards, radio, movies, every conceivable publicity device, even including paper matches, the department depart-ment is spending $28 a head to get recruits for the fighting forces. And this will continue, regardless of the new conscription measure. This recruiting is for the regular army, to bring it up to a strength of 375,000. Conscription, on the other hand, aims to get roughly a million men for a one-year training period, to form a trained reserve. The publicity drive is getting results. re-sults. It yielded 23,444 in June, a new record for peacetime. The July figure surpassed the June figure, and August, in turn, surpassed July. The cost of $28 a head for enlistments enlist-ments is low compared with other years. In 1930, the department paid $56 for each recruit; in 1931, the figure was $66. Today recruiting is on a "mass production" basis, also a lot of the publicity is obtained free of cost. For instance, express trucks, railroads rail-roads and chain stores are carrying posters free of charge, while 350 trade associations are making a gratis display of preparedness slogans. slo-gans. Radio stations are donating free time for transcribed "join the army" programs, and 15,000 billboards bill-boards are pasted with recruiting posters at hali price. Most novel device is the mobile recruiting station, a truck and trailer trail-er specially designed to carry a recruiting re-cruiting sergeant and staff about the countryside, park in the town square, and sign up youngsters for the army. Twenty-seven mobile "stations" are built or building, two or three for each corps area. Result is that voluntary enlistments enlist-ments are proceeding at the rate of about 8,000 a week, which should mean that the regular army will fill its quota of 375,000 men before snow flies. GETTING TOGETHER Bushy-browed John L. Lewis and shrill-voiced William Green still are glowering at each other, but the A. F. of L. and C. I. O. members of the Labor Advisory committee, commit-tee, appointed by Defense Commis-I Commis-I sioner Sidney Hillman are co-operating with real harmony. Their weekly Friday afternoon meetings with Hillman are like a happy family. The labor chiefs address ad-dress one another by first names and lean over backward to iron out differences between their organizations. organ-izations. Illustrative of the good feeling feel-ing is their sly jesting about A. F. of L.-C. I. O. peace. At last Friday's conference, R. J. Thomas, head of the C. I. O. United Auto Workers, happened to take a seat on the A. F. of L. side of the table. Wisecracked Dan Tracy, energetic en-ergetic A. F. of L. electrical workers' work-ers' chief, "Aha, pulling a little peace stuff on us, eh!" All the laborites joined in the laughter. MERRY-GO-ROUND Friends of Henry Wallace think he may come back into the job as secretary sec-retary of agriculture between election elec-tion day, November 5, and inauguration inaugu-ration day, January 20. This means Claude Wickard would step down again. In the senate conscription debate Sen. Alex Wiley, Wisconsin, isolationist, isola-tionist, gave this thought: "We don't have to take any ideas from the Nazis. They may have their blitzkrieg, but we have our intuition." |