Show I Rw N NR R BE EN Washington D. D C. C UTILITY SENSATIONS r The hitting hard-hitting Truman committee commit commit- tee hasn't got around to the matter yet but some hot sensations are in hi store when the committee digs into the year man handling handling handling han han- of the thee power phases of the war production program For years one of the hottest issues in Washington has been the power lobby It has been repeatedly investigated investigated hives hives- and several years ago after after after aft aft- er fierce legislative battles the federal federal federal fed fed- eral power and holding c company laws were enacted to curb the lobby The Truman committee has confidential confidential confidential con con- information that today this lobby is more powerfully entrenched in the capital than ever before For months it has been operating directly inside the government formulating formulating formulating for for- and run running ing the power policy policy policy pol pol- icy of the which was until last week the key war production agency The power division is not only manned with utility officials but they are still on the payrolls of private power companies In other words while presumably working for the government they are actually actually actually actu actu- ally paid employees of the utilities After being deluged with complaints complaints complaints com com- plaints that the utility-ruled utility power division was secretly aiding independent rural power ops co-ops the house appropriations committee questioned J J. J A. A Krug head of the division on these charges Krug defended his staff but the committee unconvinced ordered him to submit a detailed report on onh h his s dollar dollar-a year dollar year assistants includIng including including ing the amount of salaries they are drawing from utility companies while working for the government Two months have elapsed since Krug promised to produce this important important important im im- im- im information and so far he has not done so All the committee has received was a cagey letter from John Lord OBrian O'Brian former corporation attorney attorney attorney ney who is general counsel giving a list of the power divisions division's personnel but has nothing about their private salaries However the little information OBrian O'Brian did disclose disclose disclose dis dis- close speaks volumes It shows that no less than 18 key officials in Krug's division are dol dol- dol- dol year lar-a-year and without compensation compensation compensation com com- men who are still on private utility payrolls Note Appropriation committee members estimate that the total pay these men draw from power companies companies companies com com- is more than a year War Production Chief Donald Nelson has privately indicated he will houseclean Krug's unit I j I c I I 1 I 1 I BAD FILMS FOR GOOD NEIGHBORS Young Nelson Rockefeller who on the whole has done a good job for Pan American cultural relations has bogged down badly on films for our Pan-American Pan neighbors His Museum of Modern Art which was supposed to do this has been laborIng laboring laboring labor labor- ing for nine months at a cost of per month to the govern- govern ment and ment-and and finally has brought forth fortha a mouse Rockefeller and Jock Whitney are getting a large dose of criticism about this because they personally are interested in the Museum and have permitted an amateur group to run the show show into into the ground Without benefit of competitive bidding bidding bid bid- ding or any system of checks and balances amateur after amateur in inthe inthe inthe the Museum has tackled the job lob of deciding what kind of films should be sent to Latin Here is a across across across cross section of the results so far Better Dresses Fifth Floor A AChIld AChild AChild Child Went Forth The City and Power and The Land Land all all utterly unsuited and without objective for South America Some reasonably good commercial commercial commer commer- cial films have been donated such as U S. S Steel Greyhound Bus General Electric Excursions in Science Science Science ence and The American Can Company's Silver Millions Also Hollywood has handed over a group of pictures such as Eyes of the Navy Soldiers of the Sky The Battle which are the best pictures that have gone to South America Meanwhile the amateurs continue to chatter and muddle over uplifting the films for our Good Neighbors- Neighbors all at the expense of Uncle Sam c I I I MERit ROUND MERRY ROUND Y-GO-ROUND C. C l Navy Secretary Knox has a bust of Theodore Roosevelt on his desk C. C l Bakers in the thc army quartermaster ter corps are experimenting with tomato bread made by adding tomato tomato tomato to to- mato juice or canned tomatoes rich richin in vitamins to the baking dough fl Q l New York air raid wardens are rire complaining that every order they receive is countermanded five minutes minutes minutes min min- utes after it is given C. C l E. E B. B Craney Montana radio man who is a close friend of Senator Wheeler recently promoted financed and successfully completed a Red RedCross RedCross RedCross Cross relief drive netting over 60 in 24 hours C. C l Rep William S. S Hill of Colorado tried to drum up trade for pinto bean growers during his recent visit to Britain He look took with him a n large bag of the beans benns and distributed them among British officials I II hoped they might include pintos in lend lease lease orders Hill grins but the British still prefer their white beans I |