Show weekly news analysis new crisis crisi s looms as germany and poland mobilize troops by henry W porter EDITORS NOTE wio when opinions iOni til re expressed in in cheso lies columns they re atte stase of el the tee sews news analyst sad and sol dot D necessarily of the newspaper EUROPE week of crisis peace or war renewed activity both military ry and diplomatic indicated that this question may be answered one way or the other before this week of crisis ends concentration of more than a quarter of million german troops fully equipped for war along gakias border with poland followed closely upon a conference between hitler and count stephen csaky hungarian foreign minister after which it was announced that hungary and the reich had become firmly allied both of these moves were regarded as a part of the german plan to encircle poland and as a buildup for hillers Hit lers making a final offer to poland on his demands for danzig and a link with east prussia through the polish corridor to meet this armed threat poland began sending troop reinforcements toward her frontiers facing germany and slovakia as a precautionary measure measure against any eventuality however there were indications that poland feeling this military pressure might advance some plan for settlement of the danzig question by negotiation there were equally strong indications that she would resist armed force with armed force and count upon great britain to back her up whether or not her confidence in that backing is well placed will become apparent if prime minister chamberlain who interrupted a vacation in scotland to return to london issues a statement after his conference with foreign secretary lord halifax war minister leslie hore balisha sir john simon chancellor of the exchequer sir samuel hoare home secretary and malcolm macdonald colonial secretary significant was an editorial in the london times which often reflects the views of the british government ern ment it said that great britain had given poland a specific pledge from which it will not and can not recede it had given no such pledge to czechoslovakia czecho slovakia meanwhile if negotiation rather than armed force is used to solve the danzig question the impetus for it may come from rome af after ter his conference wi with th hitler count csaky flew to the italian c capital a p I 1 t a I 1 for conversations with mussolini COUNT and his foreign A go between minister count clano ciano after which he returned to budapest no official announcement of the result of this conference yas was f forthcoming but it is considered likely that the axis powers hope to make csaky a go between for negotiations between berlin and warsaw since hungary has been on friendly terms with poland and with the axis powers especially italy the hungarian foreign minister would fit well into this role what effect the recently proclaimed trade agreement between germany and russia will have upon the resumption of negotiations for a three power mutual as istance agreement between great britain france and ana the soviet is still undetermined this agreement which will probably give germany access to much needed raw materials may so strengthen her hand in Eu ropes power politics that it may have a very decisive effect upon negolia 11 31 jr world attention was focused early this week on the little town of shown above strategic railway center of slovakia where german troops were reported to be concentrated after the reich had bad taken military possession of the slovak republic which was already under german protection from more than a quarter of a million were deploying along a mile front facing the polish border eions over danzig if that problem is to be settled by negotiation the latest move toward maintaining peace by negotiation was made by belgium king leopolds government has invited the ministers of six small powers to rush to brussels by airplane and join with belgium in a peace plea to the larger nations those who were invited and who are said to have accepted the invitation were the netherlands luxemburg sweden norway denmark and finland FAR EAST japan says no insisting that the economic questions at are purely brit ish japanese the japanese foreign office has rejected a british suggestion that other powers be called in to discuss the question this rejection was Nip pons answer to british rejection of the japanese contention that chinese silver deposited in foreign concession banks should be turned over to japan and that british support of chinese national currency be withdrawn the british had advanced the view that since economic questions concerned 0 ther other nations all parties to th the e nine power and other treaties must be given an opportunity to express their views although the japanese statement rejected this suggestion it was careful not to close the door to further discussions of issues grow growing ing out of japans blockade of the concession meanwhile the killing of two pro japanese chinese policemen and the wounding of six others by a british policeman in shanghai threatened to develop into another major incident in japanese british relations announced the japanese embassy we take a grave view of this affair POLITICS stop spending 9 calling upon the roosevelt administration to take the lead in a cooperative effort by business labor farmers and others to stimulate production the american federation of labor in its monthly survey of business declared that an expansion of industry is necessary to forestall a further demand for government spending with its danger of inflation and consequent losses to wage earners it said experts contended that production increases could be planned for the country as a whole but that businessmen were not likely to lead in the expansion because business risks were greater and profits smaller than in years defeat of the administrations lending bill was cited as evidence that congress had rejected the pump priming theory of stimulating recovery and by so doing had placed pla c ed the responsibility on business this suggestion of a farmer labor business government get together er following close upon the heels of a similar suggestion by philip murray C 1 I 0 vice president is regarded as evidence that the A F of L is not only trying to bring a labor peace but will probably side with business in the 1940 campaign against a roosevelt backed candidate unless he be discards his philosophy of spending as a method of recovery LABOR gag on ford the ford motor company has notified the national labor relations board that it would not comply with an order which the board had issued against it reaffirming its earlier ruling that the company was guilty of violating the wagner act 1 73 7 r A ll 11 va ph A X HENRY FORD denied free speech by refusing to reinstate 24 men said to have been discharged tor for union activity the new labor board decision retained ta ined the disputed section of the earlier ruling which required the firm to cease and desist from interfering with its employees in the exercise of rights guaranteed in section 7 of the act by circulating distributing or otherwise disseminating semina ting among its employees statement of propaganda which disparages or criticizes labor organization the board referred mainly to the famous Fordi sms as written by henry ford the quotations contained antiunion anti union sentiments in replying to the labor board P E martin ford vice president denied that the company had discharged members of the united automobile to workers of america or oth berwise intimidated them and charged that the right of free speech was being denied ford agriculture milk parley As the result of renewed violence in upstate new york marked by more milk dumping and some skull cracking when police and state troopers clashed with milk plant pickets mayor florello fiorello laguardia of new york city this week called farmer and distributor representatives into a conference to seek a peaceful solution of their dispute the mayors action came after the dairy mens strike had cut the usual supply available to the metropolitan area from quarts to quarts although both sides had given assurance that hospitals public institutions and other needy customers would receive an adequate supply the farmers dairy union which claims a membership of dairy farmers and which is supported by the C 1 I 0 called the strike in an effort to force distributors to pay them a hundredweight or 47 quarts for all classes the present price for such blended milk which is used for manufacturing as well as drinking purposes is a hundredweight hearings in syracuse and new york city to discuss the price structure have been ordered for this week by the united states department of agriculture ARMY iron horses to front while a group of foreign observers including military attaches from germany france great britain and half a dozen other european countries looked on the crack mechanized seventh cavalry from fort knox ky swung into action tor for the first time in two battles in which regular soldiers and national guardsmen guardsman Guards men were engaged this week in the war games near plattsburg Platts burg N Y A day of rain that soaked fields and highways gave uncle sams iron horses a real test of their usefulness in modern war before the second phase of the games began gen hugh A drum commander in i chief assembled officers on an the parade ground to present a few facts publicly scorned was the suggestion that his troops fight at paper strength i e with imaginary armament the army hopes some day to secure the general demanded a campaign of reality to bring home the actualities of our state of preparedness only in tanks he said is the he t army up to strength streng th other deficiencies manpower 77 per cent machine guns 67 per cent trucks 83 auto matic rifles 57 said he 1 I do not intend to belittle the advantages of speed but mobility off the battlefield cannot compensate for inefficiency in the conduct of a fight what we need to learn leam is how to fight DOMESTIC bund immorality back from washington where she had told the dies committee that she had quit as a german ameri can bund youth leader because of immorality in their camps went 19 year old helen to her home in brooklyn As she sat in a restaurant an eight year old boy handed her an iodine bottle label on the back of which was penciled in shorthand goodbye life the boy who delivered this death threat is said to have identified a photograph of a prominent bund member as the one who handed the label to him with instructions to give it to the girl in the black dress nor was this the only development in the inquiry into un american activities tivi ties in this country by nazi and other groups early this week john harvey Sli erman president of tam pa fla university testified that a high german consular official had offered to donate books to his uni vers itys library this officer he said was baron edgar freiherr spiegel von und zu peckelsheim consul general at new orleans who told him that this was a practice that was followed to encourage the th study of german in american co colleges the offer was rejected most important witness thus far has been bandmaster Bund master fritz kuhn after hearing his life story representative senta tive starnes of the committee asked kuhn if his organization intended to establish a nazi government in the united an absolute lie he a flat liel lie shouted kuhn flaming with anger joe starnes jumped to his feet shoving reporters and photographers aside he strode toward the witness crying dont call me a biarl when capitol policemen had put an end to these fighting words the aim 9 3 f 1 1 wa M 4 HELEN goodbye life committee got down dowd to more serious work with calm deliberation illinois rep noah mason drew enough in information formation from the witness to make german american distasteful when faced with the accusation cusa tion that his bund is a moneymaking racket based on the credulity pf af the american people kuhn countered by listing these strange objectives 1 to unite the ger man american element 2 to fight communism 3 to give the german element political background RELIEF stamp platt plan acting on the reports of the success of the food stamp plan which w was as begun three months ago on an experimental basis secretary of agriculture henry A wallace has begun setting up a nationwide nation wide organization to establish the plan as a major government program for placing farm surpluses in the hands of the nations millions of needy the program will be installed and administered in 75 to cities bya bg wi next spring the stamp plan halle haile V J as a stimulant to private business as well as a part solution to the relief and farm problems has been approved by president roosevelt regional offices have been set up to handle expansion of the plan in western and middle western states during the next few months it will be extended only to relief clients low income privately employed persons will be included later if an experiment among such groups in shawnee okla is successful extension of the plan to rural relief families in pottawatomie county of which shawnee is the county seat also is being tried as an experiment privately employed families having an annual income of 1000 or of less may participate in the shawnee experiment extension of the plan to these families on a national bary bar y would affect an estimated persons released by western newspaper union |