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Show News Review of Current Events the World Over Elcclric Utility Interests Get Cold Shoulder From the Administration Vast Program Reported by National Resources Board. By EDWARD W. PICKARD by Western Newspaper Union. ELECTRIC utility companies of Hit; Lulled States, worried by the power program of the New Deal, appealed to President Roosevelt to ARMY mid navy ollicers ure concerned con-cerned by the attempts of Communists Com-munists to spread dissatisfaction, mutiny and rebellion anions the armed forces of the nation, and have asked the house committee on un-American activities to approve a law permitting punishment of those who urge any soldier or sailor to violate his oath of allegiance. Commander V. L. Kirkman of the navy told the committee that the Communists' campaign was planned and supervised from headquarters In New York city, and he submitted a number of pamphlets and leaflets circulated in the navy which, he said, "actually Incite to mutiny, sabotage sa-botage and assassination." lie described de-scribed how the propaganda work-is work-is carried on, good looking girls taking tak-ing an active part. IT MAY be the war in the Gran Chaco must be fought to a finish, fin-ish, for Paraguay has rejected the peace plan of the League of Nations which had been provisionally accepted ac-cepted by Bolivia. The Paraguayans, Paraguay-ans, at present victorious in the jungle contest, said in their note to the league that certain conditions would make it Impossible to discuss dis-cuss urgent matters like the return of Bolivian prisoners, "which by number and quality constitute an army very superior to that, which Bolivia now has In the Cliaco." SECRETARY OF WAR DERN is no less insistent on the necessity neces-sity of strengthening the army than is Secretary of the Navy Swanson abandon the movement move-ment toward pub-lie pub-lie ownership which threatens, they say, to deprive millions of security holders of their savings. The plea was presented pre-sented to the President Pres-ident personally by Thomas N. Mc-Carter, Mc-Carter, president of those sought by the National Association Asso-ciation of Manufacturers and the Chamber of Commerce of the United Unit-ed States, previously summarized in this column. The essence of It all is that government should attend more to its traditional functions and permit per-mit business to put men and capital back to work. SENATORIAL investigators of munitions mu-nitions and the War department clashed when Clark of Missouri suggested, sug-gested, in a committee hearing, that the war mobilization plans of the department, long held secret, should be laid before congress In peace time to be debated nt leisure. He held that, under the army's plan, the eight bills embodying the scheme to mobilize the nation's resources would be rushed to congress to "pass under whip and spur" without with-out proper consideration. War department witnesses replied that the war policies commission believed be-lieved certain legislation might be held unconstitutional In peace time, but legal in a war emergency. Senator Clark also sought to learn what degree of control was contemplated by the "censorship" plan of the army. This calls for an administrator of public relations who would mobilize "all existing mediums me-diums of publicity so that they may be employed to the best possible pos-sible advantage." He also would be charged with co-ordinating publicity, pub-licity, combating disaffection at home and enemy propaganda, "establishing "es-tablishing rules and regulations for censorship" and "enlisting and supervising su-pervising a voluntary censorship of. the newspaper and periodical press." Lieut. Col. C T. Harris of the army said he never heard of a plan to license the press, and Lieut. E. E. Brannan said nothing more than voluntary censorship was planned. PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT'S national na-tional resources board, appointed appoint-ed last June to devise "a plan for planning," with Secretary of the ; in the case of our naval defenses. In the first section of ! Ids annual report j Mr. Dern asks that ; the officer and enlisted en-listed strength of the army be Increased j to 14.(100 commis-! commis-! sioned ollicers and IO'iOOO enlisted ! men. Other recom- Interior Ickes as its chairman, lias submitted sub-mitted a long report re-port offering a program pro-gram covering 20 to 30 years, for development de-velopment of land, water and other resources re-sources at a cost of $10f),000.000.000. It surveys projects which presumably the Edison Electric T. N. McCarter lllHtIt,t0 Tlmt K(!I1. tleman promised that the utilities would effect the reforms In financing that Mr. Roosevelt has called for, and then req nested that the government govern-ment Join with the Institute in a suit to test the constitutionality of the Tennessee Valley authority. In the memorial bo lranded to the President, Mr. McCarter gave It as his own opinion that the government govern-ment In the TVA experiment Is exceeding ex-ceeding ils constitutional powers and Infringing the sovereign rights of the slate. He cited the Joint opinion opin-ion of Newton D. Baker, Democrat, and James M. Beck, Republican, that TVA Is unconstitutional and the "similar conclusion" of United States Judge W. I. Grubb in a recent re-cent decision. Mr. Roosevelt turned the memorial memo-rial over to Frank R. McNincli, chairman of the federal power commission, com-mission, and he and his aids speedily speed-ily prepared a sharp reply rejecting the proposal of co-operation In carrying car-rying the matter to the Supreme court. "In all the history of the American Amer-ican people," it said, "no parallel for such a proposal can be found. . . . The call Is not for the government govern-ment to halt, but for the industry to catch step and move forward along progressive lines." "The Edison Electric Institute has. of course," it continued, "a legal le-gal right to promote litigation to test the act creating the Tennessee Valley authority or any other stat-Xite, stat-Xite, but it will make no substantial progress toward placing the industry indus-try on a sound and permanent basis until It cleans its own house, reduces re-duces excessive rates to consumers and eliminates the malpractice and abuses which are responsible for its present condition." Attacking McCarter's contention that rates are reasonable, Mr. McNincli Mc-Nincli said Canadians pay on an average 2 1-5 cents for a kilowatt hour, while Americans pay 5 cents. He said the Canadian figures cover public and private plants, the latter supplying "40 per cent of the consumers." "It is the purpose of the administration," adminis-tration," he set forth, "to narrow this excessive gap between what the consumer 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 competition or strangulation,' " DR. HUGH S. MAGILL, president of the American Federation of Utility Investors, entered the utility controversy 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 in-to the electric light and power business busi-ness through such efforts as the Tennessee Valley authority. The smoke screen, he declared, was the pronouncement of the commission com-mission to the effect that public utility util-ity companies had boosted pre-de pression prices in a market in which investors afterward lost millions of dollars. "The clamor for the government to enter private enterprise," said Doctor Maglll, "enjoys the sponsorship spon-sorship first of the Communists who have no regard for private property, second of those influenced by socialistic so-cialistic propaganda to believe that the production of electric power under un-der government ownership would be in the interest of public welfare, and lastly of the spoilsmen in politics poli-tics who see the tremendous opportunities oppor-tunities such a system would offer for added power and political spoils." rUSlNESS leaders of the coun-try coun-try who met in conference at White Sulphur Springs, W. Va., drew up a long lis. of things they want the government to do or not to do, and then crei.ied a "business conference committee" that will have headquarters in Washington and maintain "liaison" with the administration. ad-ministration. The conference's recommendations recommenda-tions to the government are phrased In Inoffensive language and the idea Is conveyed that the business men earnestly desire to co-operate rather rath-er than criticise. The things they ask are substantiullr the same as mendation include : Secretary Purchase of GOO Dern , airplanes over a period pe-riod of three years to give the air corps 2,320 serviceable planes, as urged by the hoard headed by Newton New-ton D. Baker, which investigated the air corps and its needs. Allocation of sufficient funds to complete the army housing program at home and abroad. Construction without undue delay of a War department building to bouse all its activities under one roof instead of in 17 buildings, as at present. Enactment by congress of legislation legis-lation to improve the promotion system, sys-tem, so as to give a more uniform and satisfactory flow of promotion without necessitating heavy addi tional expense. Increasing the pay of officers, par ti ularly In the lower grades, when the condition of the treasury warrants. war-rants. Mr. Dern praised highly the efficiency effi-ciency 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 mail service serv-ice last winter. CARRYING on its anti-crime cam paign, the Department of Jus tice caused the indictment and jail ing of two attorneys on charges ol. complicity in the kidnaping of C F. Ursehel, Oklahoma oil magnate, in 1933. The two men represented the defendants in the kidnap trial They are James C. Mathers of Ok lahoma and Ben Laska, veteran member of the Denver bar. The men are charged specifically with handling part of the $200,000 ran som loot that went to Albert Bates, one of the actual kidnapers, who Is now serving a life term at Al catraz island prison. Both the lawyers were released on bail, and Laska replied Informal ly to the accusations by offering $50,000 reward to anyone who can prove that he passed any of the Ursehel ransom money. IF ANY doubt existed that Japan 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 unani-mously recommended abrogation of the pact to Emperor Hirohito, whose speedy approval was expected. Baron Kiichiro Miranuma, vice president of the council, read the report to the emperor and afterward after-ward said to the press: "The imperial im-perial government desires continuation continu-ation of clauses of the Washington treaty relating to limitation of fortifications for-tifications and naval bases in the Pacific ocean, but, if such clauses are terminated, the government is prepared to cope with the situation." situa-tion." In plain words, then, Japan wants equality on the high" seas with the United States and Great Britain, but wants the United States to remain restricted as to Its Pacific ocean defenses. WOULD-BE lynchers of a negro ne-gro youth, and National Guardsmen fought desperately In Shelbyville, Tenn., and two members mem-bers of the mob were killed and others wounded by bayonets and bullets. The infuriated crowd, do-scribed do-scribed by a deputy sheriff as "crazy drunk," dynamited and burned the courthouse when It was learned that the negro had been disguised in militia uniform and gas mask and spirited out of town. include the admin-Harold admin-Harold L. istration.s reMef lckes and public works program for the immediate future, these being: 1. " Improvement of highways and the elimination of grade crossings. 2. National housing, including slum clearance, subsistence homestead, home-stead, rehabilitation, and low cost housing projects. 3. Water projects, including water wa-ter supply, sewage treatment, flood control, irrigation, soil erosion prevention, pre-vention, and hydro-electric power development. 4. Rural electrification. Secretary of Labor Perkins, a member of the board, has said that if its recommendations are carried out, all unemployment will be eliminated elim-inated for the next 25 years. These, she says, are the results that might be expected : 1. Provide a much greater development devel-opment of water resources. 2. Stop menace of floods. 3. Stop soil erosion. 4. Remove all marginal or sub-marginal sub-marginal lands from attempted production. pro-duction. 5. Stop waste of mineral resources re-sources and substitute a national policy of conservation. 6. Create great new recreational acres. 7. Assemble basic data for mapping map-ping public finance and population, necessary for national planning, with a middecennial census in 1035. 8. Co-ordinate socially-useful federal, fed-eral, state and municipal public works. 9. Provide for continuous long-range long-range planning of land, water and mineral resources "in relation to each other and to the larger hack-ground hack-ground of the social and economic life in which they are set." MRS. MARY HARRIMAN RUM-SEY. RUM-SEY. who fought valiantly but not altogether successfully to protect pro-tect the interests of the consumers against the contentions of Industry and labor, is dead in Washington. Always Interested in sociology and public affairs, this daughter of E. H. Harriman and Inheritor of some of his millions, took an active part In promoting the New Deal and was made head of the National consumers' board of the NRA. Two men of note who died were Eugene R. Black, former governor of the federal reserve board, and Martin W. Littleton, New York lawyer, who appeared in many sensational sen-sational cases and for a time served as congressman. |