The Hope pioneer., 1921-03-24

strike is threatened. The earning
sheets Of the railroads show that they
need more revenue. There Is pro-
nounced opposition to obtaining it by
an increase in freight rates, as much
Of the current business depression and
low, rail earnings is said to be due
to high freight tariffs which discour-
age shipments.
Railroad officials contend that re-
lief should start with lower pay rolls.
Naturally, the employees cannot see
it. Union officials claim that the rail-
roads are purposely loading up the
railroad labor board with complaints
and cases so that there will be a
long delay in adjudicating the present
question, while in the meantime the
roads get the benefits Of the wage re-
ductions ordered. The whole thing is
SO acute and at the same time so in
volved, that 1t Is very likely to be a
subject of congressional action at an
early date.
President Harding has announced
that he will call the sixty-seventh con-
gress into extraordinary session April
II. The tariff and tax programs have
not been definitely mapped out, al
though the statement is made from au-
thoritative sources that the President
approves the proposal of Republican
congressional leaders to pass a bill
preventing the dumping Of cheap for
eign goods in the United States. A
feature of this legislation will be
section or special bill placing the
valuation of imports on a domestic
instead of foreign basis.
Any tariff legislation is almost GER
tain to be of preliminary nature as
the vast number of schedules to be
dealt with in permanent bill will re-
Quire many weeks consideration
probably into the middle Of the sum-
mer. One of the talked about fea-
lures of the preliminary bill is an
emergency tariff on agricultural prod
ucts. The administration has not
been authoritatively committed to this
provision although 1t has strong sup
port in influential Republican circles.
In response to the demands of busi-
ness. tax legislation will come up for
consideration; Immediately after, if
not before the temporary tariff bill.
Secretary of Commerce Hoover has
started out on the program of accom-
plishment, the "do-things' plan, which
his friends predicted he would inaug-
urate. One of the first problems he
has tackled is that Of broadening the
possibilities of American manufacture
ers in foreign countries, a necessity if
Uncle Sam's ships are to be kept in
employment. Mr.. Hoover has been
meeting with the directors Of the
Chamber OF Commerce of the United
States, an affiliation of chambers of
commerce and boards of trade all over
the country. with view to closer CO.
operation between his department and
the various trade and commerce or
Of the secretary to create an advisory
committee for each Of ten or twelve
chief groups of industries. 1t will be
the purpose of each committee to form
direct connection between the par
ticular industries and the foreign
agents Of the Department of Com
merce.
Beyond the fact that Bavaria has
defied the allied powers in refusing
to disband Its civilian military Or
ganizations and that the Berlin
reichstag has tabled the order de-
signed to coerce Bavaria. there has
been little change in the German situ-
alton. The action of the Bavarian
leaders and the reichstag was taken
despite reports rnat France intends
to occupy Frankfort and possibly 9TH
er important cities If refusal to CON-
ply with the order persists.
The whole German attitude to the
unfulfilled terms OF the Versailles
treaty, the reparations program and
the allied occupation is that, Eve are
damned II we comply and damned if
we don't" The difficulties of either
course are 80 pronounced that the
leaders are in quandary and prob
ably disposed to let the questions solve
themselves along present lines of al
lied action. In the inability of the
German government to map out a
clear course. Its leaders seem inclined
to accept conditions as they are and
assume an attitude Of martyrdom
while they make feeble protests to the
League of Nations and continue prop
uganda In the hope Of affecting other