Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1920-12-27

according to is.-estinnate Of the reA.
condolences of the price.
EVENTS OF A WEEK..
BY 4 vote iii. which party lines were
ignored the House Of Representatives
has passed tho emergency tariff bill
lcvying duties on importadons Of .
small fine Of Agricultural products.
Willie tho bill polled . large majority
OF the votes cast, vigorous disapprov-
d of it's TERMS wac expressed by
MARY. members. and the bill was
r6undly, denounced ~ crudely drawn
and utterly ineffective for the pur-
pose Intended. The bill is NOT to
have the easy passage in the senate
that it had IN the house. Members
Of the upper chamber have declared
their intention in the senate may
easily be q matter Of weeks or
months.
The business situation hat been
marked b. a continuation of the pro-
cess Of deflation. Reports from the
great Wholesale centefs indicate not
so much further reductions in prices
which had already been reduced -
additions to the number. Of lines In
Guided in the downward trend. Wheat
prices have undergone no. marked
char,gs for some time. There have
been lamentations from day to day rs
the placing Of export orders gave the
market an upward flop, or favorable
crop reports from abroad tended to
depress it. But the general price re-
mains substantially what it was three
weeks ago.
A good many eastern factories have
been closed or placed on short time,
the explanation being that retailers
are not buying, ana the nfauufActur-
ers do not wish to stock up with new
goods which may have to be sold At a
loss. One feature which applies quite
generally IL the tendency toward
downward wage adjustments. This
|is observable through = long hne OF
industries, 20 per cent reductions be-
ing apparently about the average.
Boston clothiers have re-established
the piece work. system, using as 4
standard the average production of
experienced workers in given lines,
and fixing a basis of wages from 10
to 20 per cent lower than the high
point of last summer, but from 20 to
SO pc cent higher than the scale of
February, 1919.
The national House Of Representa-
tives will in all probability have its
membership increased from 43s, the
present number, to 483. This decis-
ion was reached by the Republican
aucus which considered various re-
superintendent plsns for re.adjustihe
the apportionment on the basis OF
thesnew census, Under this arrange
ment IS states will have their rep
reese htation increased, and none will
suffer q reduction. There 10 . very
strong opinion that the membership
of the house, is already a. large. % il
consistent with effective work, but the
reluctance OF states to suffer any loss
Of membership has governed in this
case as in the past.
Senator Harding has continued hin
conferences with prominent men OF
all sorts Of opinions. There has nat
uraaly been considerable gossip in the
press about cabinet possibilities. Al
one time the runlor was. started that
the position Of secretary4of state had
been offered to Hon. Charles r
Hughes former Justice Of the supreme
court, and Republican presidential
candidate in 1916. The report wa
fatty denied by Mr.. Harding, who
said that no such tender had beer
made. Nothing was said as to th<
possibility Of its being made later.
The League Of Nations has continued
to be a principal subject Of discussion
at these conferences. Every shade 4ea
opinion has been represented. sen.
ator Harding has sought to make Il
clear that he has no patent aaytce o1
his own which he wishes to put owe,
but that he is seeking Information
from every available source in orAs,
that put OF the conferences there ma,
be developed a plan OF intsfnationa
desperation for peace which viii a
once be effective and workable ant