| Show weekly news new analysis administration prepares r 7 fight 11 for reciprocal trade treaties I 1 by joseph W lassine labine EDITORS NOTE when opinions are re expressed in these columns they are re th those 0 se of the sews news analyst and not necess airily of this newspaper COMMERCE trade battle just before christmas the state state department found it wise to announce that no concession on copper tariffs will be made in its reciprocal trade pact with chile this set a precedent because never before has the department divulged such information about an anticipated reciprocal pact before the treaty is consummated sum mated official reason was widespread public interest but behind it lay the vocal protests of copper producing states who would otherwise join in the hue and cry when the reciprocal cipro cal program comes up for f 0 r r e newal in congress next term B basis a s I 1 s 0 of f opposition is the claim I 1 I 1 that secre cordell CORDE HULL BULL tary of state arul he wm win C 0 r d e 1 1 hulls trade program breaks down tariff walls and permits foreign products under the most favored nation clause a concession on wheat from argentina for instance would be granted all other nations holding reciprocal pacts with the U S it was rumored in washington this month that president roosevelt is girding himself for the toughest congressional fight of his entire administration it if necessary to extend the act it was even reported he would attempt to beat republican critics to the gun by taking his fight to the country before the G 0 P can make an open issue of it entirely aside from the trade acts influence on U S economy observers noted it was not without important political significance since reciprocal agreements are not subject to senate ratification a lucrative source of legislative logrolling has been forfeited proud of his work secretary hull maintains he is working to benefit the entire nation not any small section whether his admittedly sincere policy will prevail is among the most important issues facing the new congress agriculture An hungry for farm funds see below secretary of agriculture henry wallace has looked covetously on the 66 well tended farm credit administration fund supervised per by its governor F F hill so conservative was mr hill that there still remains a lending power which mr wallace thought should be used to bring benefits to drouth sufferers alarm alarmed e d M mr r H hill I 1 I 1 I 1 pointed ou out t t that h a t t the h e 14 0 00 0 0 in bonds which he has sold to banks and private investors might be jeopardized by a loose HILL policy of no longer 1 lending e n d I 1 n g money that might never be repaid wall street calling the wallace plan inflationary kas was equally alarmed but henry wallace was boss in late december franklin roosevelt found himself called upon to write mr hill a letter in accepting your resignation I 1 want to express my very real appreciation of your ftc ices speculation on future immediately in became rife under its new administrator dr A G black the agency will no doubt lose its independence tie in closer with the department of agriculture and provide a measure of supervision over the farm operations of its borrowers farm money it is no secret that the administration is feverishly seeking to cut the corners in budget to make way for a boost in defense expenditures most carefully scrutinized item is agriculture whose parity payments have cost annually the treas plight is further complicated by congress failure to provide revenue sources for its farm appropriation the past two years several weeks ago the treas secretary met with ag ri cultures wallace and a host of fiscal experts to iron out this problem while the president told his press conference he would ask congress to dig up the money it owes the treasury for past farm payments wallace and talked over the certificate plan under which farmers would get their parity payments from consumers rather than the treasury how mr reacted to this plan was indicated a few days later although reports persisted that the president would asli ask I 1 congress to provide in new revenue next year his keeper of the exchequer started a mild rebellion that may burst into flames when the budget is finally announced said mr 1 I changed my views on consumer taxes the taxes are now a little over 60 per cent and high enough still unsolved was agricultures agri cultures no 1 problem other problems C L condition of crops in the winter wheat area where an unprecedented drouth remained unbroken was officially stated at 55 per cent of normal this would bring a crop the third smallest on record athe C the bureau of agricultural economics estimated the farmers income from his products in 1939 dropped to froma the previous year C CAl although though bales of cotton and cotton products were sold abroad under the export subsidy plan between august 1 and december 15 less than half of it has been shipped because of a shortage of ocean freight space PAN AMERICA neutrality high sounding was the mile neutrality belt thrown around the western hemisphere when europe w went ent to war last september chief sponsor was the U S whose undersecretary of state sumner welles promised his nation would take the lions share of patrol duty but by ft t C G U P M i ki Z JANUARY 6 adm james 0 richardson takes command of U S fleet raising his pennant over flagship pennsylvania JANUARY 8 democrats throughout the land meet at annual jackson day banquets to raise party funds JANUARY 23 john lewis united mine workers meet at columbus plan opposition to reciprocal trade agreement program JANUARY 26 U S abrogates 1911 trade treaty with japan on this day FEBRUARY I 1 temporary national economic committee investigating U S business to make final report to congress christmastide the U S was feeling less altruistic buried at buenos alres aires was capt hans langsdorff who killed himself after scuttling his shell battered pocket battleship gral graf spee off montevideo te british ships cheated out of the kill sailed off tor for other illegal conquests roosting boosting Ro at a florida port was the nazi freighter aranica arauca Arai ica driven to shelter by a british cruiser at new yorks ellis island were survivors of the scuttled liner columbus whose capt wilhelm daehne charged a british boat had fired across his bow by this time pan america was so aroused that washington had its 0 1 11 1 A IV X COLUMBUS DAEHNE at uncle sams expense choice of enforcing neutrality or sacrificing rif prestige with 20 other nations the U S signed an ineffectual protest to the belligerents degn meanwhile sumner welles prepared for U S participation in the forthcoming pan american conference but enthusiasm was waning while the state department said as little as possible while the navy remained unenthusiastic about its job of patrolling pat roling a mile coastline captain daehne and his crew had a merry christmas as uncle sams guests THE WARS 1 in the west germanys germanas Germ anys eighth railroad accident since september 1 killed more people 52 dead 30 injured than were lost in several days on the western front where an undeclared red yule truce held sway As usual there was more activity in the north sea britain which was reported building a speedy fleet of super planes adopted the trick of laying mines from the air As the year ended various forecasts had it that 1 the next 12 months will bring a raging war 2 the netherlands will be invaded by germany after its canals are frozen over 3 britain and france are planning a big naval drive on the nazis in the north it was an unhappy christmas chrisom s for dussias Rus sias atheistic dictator josef stalin even unhappier were two of his stooges report reportedly effly purged for failure on the finnish front gen K A Meret skov leningrad military districts chief of staff and ot otto to kuusinen finnish communist who organized the peoples government the day russia began her ill starred invasion while helsinki was evacuated in the face of a threatened christmas air raid the finnish high command claimed its foe had been routed on all fronts WHITE HOUSE message to pope pius XII franklin roosevelt transmitted his christmas greeting his hope that men will decline to accept for long the law of destruction forced upon them by wielders of brute force and his announcement no that former U S steel chairman myron taylor had been named U S representative to the vatican said the letter also transmitted to dr george butterick of the federal council of churches and rabbi cyrus adler president oi of the jewish theological seminary 1 I take heart in remembering that in a similar time isaiah first prophesied the birth of christ the president also 41 reportedly authorized the paring of about from war and navy department estimates to hold next years national defense cost to meanwhile the house naval subcommittee asked the navy for estimates on ton battleships bigger than any yet built minnesotan Min rep melvin maas dreaming in even bigger figures wanted them tons each C L took time off to celebrate christmas with four generations of the clan roosevelt ASIA I 1 ungrateful ingrate ul recipient official washington was still silent at christmastide over japans present the announcement that chinas cainas yangtze river wo would uld soon be reopened to foreign traffic missing were the whoops of delight that tokyo expected from american newspapers missing too was enthusiasm thusia sm among U S business men in china nevertheless many an observer wondered it if the U S be a bit more receptive japans gesture was significant in that it represented an attempt to patch trade relations before the abrogated treaty expires january 26 should the gesture fall short premier N nobuyuki 0 biyu abes weak sister cabinet is apt to collapse danger lies in the fact that nip pons american hating army would Z S h NOBUYUKI ABE 11 his cabinet falls seize control if the abe government falls once that happens U S business men might as well pack their bags and go home POLITICS third party sen burton wheeler was among the first democrats to see the danger of a conservative candidate his warning concerning the potent midwestern farm vote their natural tendency has been with the republican party and they would see no reason to change it if a conservative democrat is nominated what senator wheeler want apparently was the middle of the road type of candidate many democrats are seeking the same type of candidate is being sought by republicans public ans some of whom were recently reported flirting with wis conkins con sins progressive sen robert lafollette and minnesotan Min farmer laborite sen henrick thus would conservatism and liberalism be counterbalanced counter balanced thus too would each party have the same type of candidate A hint of concern concern about this very subject came out of the white house I 1 know your news perfect score is and deduct 20 for or each question you miss any score above 60 is good n MIM 1 above is the british cruiser orion how did she violate U S neutrality off the florida coast 2 what important europ dictator just celebrated hv 1 bieth birthday anniversary 1 1 3 rope pope rius pius XII decided to pay a state visit outside the vatican during the holidays the first of its kind in fa 69 years who is his host 4 choice louis Lep lepke kell buchalter of new york made news because he a climbed up the outside of the empire state building b was convicted for conspiracy to violate the narcotic laws c announced he will run for or new york district attorney to succeed thomas dewey 5 true or false although U S acreage J planted to grain crops wheat corn oats rye and barley was smaller in 1939 than in the previous year total production was higher 10 1 answers at bottom of column recently with new yorks mayor fiorello laguardia a progressive republican said he to reporters we himself and the president discussed the necessity of giving the people the chance to vote on real issues in the event that the two parties take siamese twins cut them in two and each take one half for a candidate more such third party talk came from other quarters who disclosed that he too had been talking with bob lafollette observers wondered whether laguardia roosevelt ickes liberalism might not merge with the progressive third party bob LaFollett es young brother phil began last year PEOPLE J journeys journey s end at new york died anthof i G fokker who in world war days was germanys germanas Germ anys youthful airplane designer who later became the first man to make a million dollars in that industry release at berlin it was learned two petitions seeking release of martin lutheran minister held prisoner since july 1937 have been handed fuehrer adolf hitler by high german military officers reverend was a world war U boat commander news sy 1 by shooting at the er arauca araica which was driven to cover at port Evem everglades lades 2 josef stalin of russia the army high command had promised to conquer finland by that day as a birthday present 3 xing king vittorio Vitt orlo emanuele of italy at the quirinal palace which no pope has visited since the unification of italy 4 B Is correct lepke still faces bribery charges 5 false in 1938 production was in 1939 it was estimated at but barley winter wheat and corn showed much bigger individual acreage yields so did cotton tobacco and soy beans I 1 I 1 released by western newspaper union |
