Show I 1 news lu review of current events the world over electric utility interests get cold shoulder from the administration vast Pro program 0 grani reported by national resources board by EDWARD W PICKARD 0 by western newspaper union E ELECTRIC utility companies of the united states worried by the pow er program of the new deal appealed to president roosevelt to abandon the movement toward public ownership which threatens they say it to f i 1 deprive millions of so carity holders of their savings the plea was presented to the president personally by thomas N mccarter president of the edison electric institute sti tute that gentleman promised that T N mccarter Mc Cartei I 1 the he utilities would effect the reforms in financing that mr roosevelt Boo sevelt has called for and then requested that the government join with the institute in a suit to test the constitutionality of the tennessee valley authority in the memorial be handed to the president mr mccarber Mc Carrer gave it as his own opinion that the government in the TVA experiment Is 13 exceeding its constitutional powers and infringing the sovereign rights of the state he cited the joint opinion of newton D baker democrat and james II al beck republican that TVA Is unconstitutional and the similar conclusion of united states judge W 1 I grubb in a recent decision mr roosevelt turned the memorial over to frank R chairman of the federal power commission and he and his aids speedily prepared a sharp reply rejecting the proposal of operation cooperation co in carr carrying SIng the matter to the supreme court in all the history of the american people it said no parallel for such a proposal can be found the call Is not for the government to halt but tor for the industry to catch step and move forward along progressive lines the edison electric institute has of course it continued a legal right to promote litigation to test te st the act creating the tennessee valley authority or any other statute but it will make no substantial pro progress gress toward placing the industry on a sound and permanent basis until it cleans its own house reduces excessive rates to consumers and eliminates the malpractice and abuses which are responsible tor for its present condition attacking Mc Carters contention that rates are reasonable mr ble said canadians pay on an average 2 15 1 5 cents for a kilowatt hour while americans pay 5 cents he said the cana dlan dian figures cover public and private plants the latter larter supplying 40 per cent of the consumers it Is the purpose of the administration tra tion he be set ta ari beaw n what what toe con on a fasmer u mer pays for electricity in this country and what canada has proved it can be generated and sold for this program does not involve either destructive comp competition edtion or stran strangulation ula tion R HUGU HUGH S MAGILL president of D DR the american federation of utility investors entered the utility controversy tro versy with a hot attack on the federal trade commission charging that it Is throwing out a smoke screen to befog the public mind in its desire to win approval for the entry of the federal government into the electric light and power business through such efforts as the tennessee valley authority tho rity the smoke screen he declared was the pronouncement of the commission to the effect that public utility companies had boosted depression pre prices in a market in which investors afterward lost millions of dollars the clamor for the government ro enter private enterprise said doctor magill enjoys the sponsorship first of the communists who have no regard for private property second of those influenced by socialistic propaganda to believe that the production of electric power under government ownership would be in the interest of public welfare and lastly of the spoils men in politics who see the tremendous opportunities such a system would offer for added power and political spoils s senatorial investigators of munitions and the war department clashed when dark clark of missouri suggested in a committee hearing that the war mobilization plans plan of the department part ment long held secret should be laid before congress in peace time to be debated at leisure he held that under the ardys plan the eight bills embodying the scheme to mobilize tile the nations cat ions resources would be rushed to congress to pass under whip and spur without proper consideration war department witnesses replied that the war policies Pol icle 3 commission believed certain legislation might be held unconstitutional in peace time but legal in a war emergency senator dark clark also sought to learn what degree of control was contemplated by the censorship plan ot of the army this calls for an administrator of public relations who would mobilize all existing mediums of publicity so that they may be employed to the best possible advantage ile he also would A be charged charge with coordinating co publicity combating disaffection nt at home orne and enemy propaganda establishing rules and regulations for censorship and enlisting and supervising a voluntary censorship of the newspaper and perl peri press lieutenant colonel 0 T harris of the army sald he never henril heard of a plan to license the press and lecul E E crannan brannan said nothing more than voluntary censorship was contemplated B le leaders of the country who met in conference at white sulphur springs W va drew up a long list of things they nant the gov to do or not to do and then created a business conference corn com that will III have headquarters to in washington and maintain liaison with the administration the conferences recommendations to the government are phrased in inoffensive language and the idea Is con ayed that the business men earnestly to operate cooperate co rather than cariti else cise the things they ask are substantially the same as those sought by the national association of manufacturers and tile the chamber of commerce of 0 the united states previously summarized in this column the essence of it all a 11 la Is that government should attend more to its traditional functions and per permit cliff business to put men and capital back to work optional RESIDENT ROOSEVEL TS na 1 resources board appointed last june to devise a plan for planning ning with secretary of the interior ickes its chairman M j as ihly has submitted a long report offering a program covering 20 to z 30 years ye its for development of land water and resources at a an n j expenditure of it surveys projects which presumably incle include de the administrations administration s relief and public harold L L works program tor for the ickes immediate future these being 1 improvement of highways and the elimination of grade crossings 2 national housing including slum clearance subsistence homestead rehabilitation and low cost housing projects 3 water projects including water supply sewage treatment flood control irrigation soll soil erosion prevention and hydro electric power developments 4 rural electra electrification flea tion secretary of labor perkins a member of the board has s said a id that it if its recommendations are carried out all unemployment will be eliminated for the next nest 25 years these she says are the results that might be expected 1 L provide a much greater develop ment of water resources 2 stop menace of floods 3 stop soil oil erosion 4 remove all marginal or lands from attempted production 5 stop waste of mineral resources and substitute a national policy of conservation 6 create great new recreations recreational acres 7 assemble basic data for mapping public finance and population ne cesary for national planning wit ii a census in 1935 8 coordinate co ordinate socially useful federal state and municipal public works 9 0 provide for continuous long range planning of land water and mineral resources in relation to each other and to the larger background of the social and economic life in which they are set sel and navy dicera dicers are con alternet Alter lerned ned by the attempts of communists to spread dissatisfaction mutiny and rebellion among the armed forces of the nation and have asked the house com committee mittLe on un american amerlean activities to approve a law permitting punishment of those who nho urge any soldier or sailor to violate his bis oath of alegi allegiance le ance commander V L kirkman of the navy cavy told the committee that the communists ts campaign was planned and supervised from headquarters in new york city and he be submitted a num her of pamphlets and leal leaflets lets circulated in the navy which he said actually incite to mutiny sabotage and assassination lie ile described how the propaganda work is carried on good looking girls taking an active part parl T MAY be the war in the gran chaco I 1 IT must be ought fought to a finish for paraguay has rejected reject eil the peace plan of the league of nations which had been provisionally accepted by bolivia the paraguayans Paraguay ans at present victorious in the jungle contest raid in their note to the league that certain conditions would make it impossible to discuss urgent matters like the return of bo livian prisoners which by number and quality constitute an army very supe bior to that which bolivia now has in the chaco CARRYING on its fill antl anti crime cam palen the department of justice caused the indictment and jailing ol of two attorneys on charges of complicity in the of 0 F P urschel oklahoma oil magnate in 1011 3 the Thet two women dpn represented the defendants in the kidnap trial they are arc janios jaines 0 Sl mathera athers of oklahoma and lien anska veteran member of the denver bar the men are charged specifically with handling part of tile the ransom loot that went to albert bates one of the alie actual kidnapers who Is now serving a life term at alcatraz island prison coth both the lawyers vere nere released on hall bail and laska replied informally to tile the accusations by offering inojo reward to anyone who hn can prove that he fassl passed it any of the urschel ransom money moncy F FINAL INAL estimates of this years crops just released by the department of 0 agriculture show that agricultural wealth based on farm prices december I 1 of the he leading grain crops exceeded that of last year by deselle the fact that total production of these chef e crops was bushels less than in 1033 1933 and the smallest in 40 years estimates for production of wheat corn oats rye and barley total 2541 bushels compared with bushels ast year and the five year average 1027 1927 31 of bushels aggregate farm value of these crops Is 13 given as as compi compared with in 1033 1933 the extensive destruction of crops last summer by the treat heat and drouth Is forcibly illustrated by the fact that total production of the leading grains this year was bushels smaller than the corn crop alone in 1932 BE lyn chers of a negro youth and national guardsmen guardsman Guards men fought desperately in shelbyville Shel byville tenn and two members of the mob were killed and others wounded by bayonets and bullets the infuriated crowd described by a deputy sheriff as crazy drunk dynamited and burned the courthouse when it was learned that the negro had been disguised guised in militia uniform and gas mask and spirited out of town I 1 IT IT ANY doubt existed that japan 1 would denounce the washington naval treaty it was dissipated by the action of the privy council that powerful body of statesmen meeting with all ceremony unanimously recommended abrogation of the pact to emperor whose speedy approval was expected baron kiichiro vice president of tile the council read the report to the emperor and afterward said to the press the imperial government desires continuation of clauses of the washington treaty relating to limitation of fortifications and naval bases in the pacific ocean but if such clauses are terminated the government Is prepared to cope with the situation in plain words then their japan wants equality on the high seas with the united states and great britain but wants the united states to remain restricted strict ed as to its pacific ocean de fences OF WAR DERN Is no S SECRETARY less insistent on the necessity of 0 strengthening the army than Is secretary of the navy swanson in the case of our naval defenses in the first section of his annual report mr air dern asks that the officer and enlisted 4 strength of the army be increased to commissioned officers and enlisted men other recommendations ions include purchase of airplanes over a period secretary of three ree bears 3 ears to give dern the air corps 2320 serviceable planes as urged by the board headed by newton D baker which investigated the air corps and its needs deeds allocation of sufficient lelent funds to complete the army housing program at home and abroad construction without undue delay of a war department building to house all its activities under one root roof instead of in 17 buildings as at present enactment by congress of legislation to improve the promotion system so as to give a more uniform and satisfactory low flow of promotion without necessitating heavy additional expense increasing the pay of officers particularly ticul arly in the lower grades when the condition of the treasury warrants mr air dern praised highly the efficiency and morale of the regular army the national guard and the organized reserves and defended the work of the air corps in its brief operation of the air mall mail service last winter MARY HARRIMAN RUMSEY ia who fought valiantly but not cot altogether successfully to protect the interests of the consumers against tile the contentions of industry and labor Is 1 dead in washington always interested in sociology and public affairs this daughter of 13 01 II 11 narriman and inheritor of some of his millions took an active part in promoting the new deal and was made bead of the national consumers board of the I 1 two men of note who ullo died wore acre eugene it black former governor of the federal reserve board and martin W littleton new york lawyer who ho appeared in many sensational cases and for a time served as con |