The Holbrook news., 1921-08-05

will see the wisdom of signing such a
 treaty without great delay.
 Meanwhile a movement for the re-
 call of the American troops in Ger
 many has started in the senate. MT.
 Borah introduced a resolution calling
 on the secretary of war for all data
 as to the size of the army of Occupa-
 tion, the cost of maintaining it and the
 payments of the German government
 for its expenses. The senate promptly
 adopted the resolution without roll call or dissenting voice.
 The tariff bill, having been passed
 by the house, is now before the senate
 but if present plans are followed that
 body will not act on it finally until
 legislation to revive taxes has been
 enacted This is in accord with the understood wish of the administration. The prospect for considerably lower
 taxes, however, was dimmed some
 what by the rayher startling state
 ments made by A. D. Lasker, new
 chairman of the shipping board. He asserted that his investigations have revealed the fact that the board
 operated last fiscal year at a net loss of $3S0,000,000, and predicted that dur ing the present fiscal year the loss from operations alone will be $15O,- 100000. MT. Lasker said the records of the board were in deplorable con-
 dition and that if 1t had been a private business concern the corporation would have been in receivers hands long ago. He indicated that appro- priations of S300,00O,000 would be needed for this year. but later he asked congress for only S125,000,0O0 for the next six months. The formal request for this sum was made through Director of Budget Dawes and with the approval of President Harding.
 Prodded to quick action by a pre- liminary report of the special commis- sion on soldiers relief, which scored the government for neglect of disabled veterans, the senate on Wednesday passed the Sweet bill without a dis senting vote. An amendment was adopted designed to transfer from the ex-service men to the government the burden of proof in establishing the origin of disabilities. In some other respects the bill as passed by the house was altered. As passed by the senate the measure provides: For the creation of veterans bureau, respon- sble directly to the President, consol- idating all soldier relief agencies; for the decentralization of the compensa- tiOn and insurance machinery now Op- erated by the war risk bureau, and for the liberalization of compensation awards so as to relieve any former sol dier suffering from ailments for which the war service was responsible.
 Director of the Budget Dawes has informed President Harding that 1t will be possible to save about $112,- 512,62S in the government expendi- lures for the current year. This will be done mainly through curtailing de- partmental forces and equipment, and the work toward this end already is well under way. The largest estimat- ed savlng-$30, ,342, ,119-wiH be in the Treasury department. In the Interior department it will be $19, ,S27, ,101; war risk bureau, $16.534. .523; War depart ment. S15.000,000; Navy department, $10,O47, ,S91; postal service, S1492O.- | 421, and so on through the list.
 Illinois provides a sensation of con- siderable magnitude through the in- dictment of her governor, Len Small, | and lieutenant governor, Fred E. Ster- | ling. These officials, together with | Verne Curtis. a banker, are accused of | fraud, conspiracy and embezzlement of | state funds, the alleged crimes being | committed, according to the charges, when Small and Sterling held the po- sitiOn of state treasurer. Briefly, it is charged that Small and Sterling made | loans of millions of dollars of state funds to Curtis sO-called bank, which | had not functioned as a bank since 1908; that Curtis purchased with the money shOrt-time notes of the Chicago packers which netted him about per cent interest; that the state received only per cent on the loans made to Curtis, and that the accused men shared the rest of the profits. Of course, both Small and Sterling pr0- test their entire innocence, the gover- nor laying the whole affair to the schemes of his political enemies. whose fight on him, both before and since his has been bitter.