Evening star., 1925-11-15
Current News Events
Summary of Important National, Foreign
and Local Affairs Specially Arranged
for the Convenience of Students.

given to Italy as a sign that the
American Debt Commission may
loosen up" bit as regards her debt.
The proposal given the French COM
| mission when it visited Washington
has evidently proved unacceptable,
| and France intends to reopen the
question in the near future.
The French financial plan, revised
TO meet the demands of the Social.
lists and to stave off another govern
ment's resignation. il considered in
| many quarters as a first step toward
| national specialization. The plan pro-
vides. among other things. a mora
torium on short!term bonds, a levy
on capital. and for the state to share
in the profits of industry and com.
merce. Such n plan has the indorse-
| ment of the French Socialists. Their
failure to agree on n financial pro
gram would undoubtedly have meant
the resignation of the government
and confusion added to that which
has characterized efforts of the
| French TO unite on some scheme for
| the last year. Aristide BRAND, the
French foreign minister. says of the
plan: 1T must not at any cost ap-
pear to have political character: 1t
must aim only at being just" This
! sentiment is shared by the moderate
politicians. 1t is stated.
The annual report Of the Governor
of the Canal Zone shows that 4,673
| ships. exclusive of those exempt from
| toll, passed through the canal the
| last nscal year, bringing the Govern
| ment gross revenue from this
source alone of $21. .400,523. Some loss
| in revenue was shown because of a
| slump in oil shipments from Cali
| fornia.
| A dispatch last week from a cor
respondent in Moscow reports that
| the first Russian Soviet merchant
ship, flying the red flag, to sail for
the United States since the revolution,
eight years ago. will soon dock in
| fhlladelphia with a cargo of exports
| Numerous American trading vessels
| nave entered Soviet trading ports in
| the last three years, but no Russian
! snip has sailed for the United States.
With gratifying tendency to wipe
| away party lines and to Cooperate
| peacefully on the important measure,
the members of the House ways and
/ means committee finished its work
| OF cutting the various items of taxa
tlon from the present revenue bill.
ana got to work I'm earnest last week
on the new bill which will be present
ed TO Congress on its opening day
| AS 1t stands now the bin will mean
a saving of at least S30S, 900 900 annu-
any 10 taxpayers. The income tax
rate has been reduced. gift taxes
abolished. taxes on inheritances re-
duced. and the bothersome levies on
| aulomobiies and accessories reduced
The committee was reported 10
have approved the form of the new
| revenue bill almost unanimously.
Whlch indicates that its passage
through Congress will be expedited.
When Congress last year raised the
salary Of postal workers, II had 70
| create revenue, to meet the additional
expense involved. and this was done
! by raising postal rates The new
rates nave fallen short of meeting the
aooeo expense of higher salaries by
about one-half. Postmaster General
| New last week told a congressional
| committee which has been holding
hearings IN various parts of the
country.
rev persons are unfamiliar with
the famous dollar down and n dollar
d week plan of selling merchandise
or every conceivable nature in the
United States. But it seems there are
TWO schools of thought on the uues-
ton OF whether the scheme is fun
damentally sound. Those who op-
pose 1t say that 1t runs up expenses
ana encourages extravaganza, while
those who believe in II maintain that
1t stimulates trade. promotes better
hVlng and tends to put the family on
a budget system. Which of the two
theories Is correct may be an inter
esting problem. but the fact remains
that from two to eight billion dollars
year is being spent in the install.
ment plan of buying
Radio has grown up. 1t has come
to be a vital force in American life.
and this growth has developed prob
lens which must be solved with Gov.
| ernment cooperation. These facts
were emphasized by Secretary of
Commerce Hoover last week in open.
, Ing the fourth national radio confer.
ence, composed of national and inter
national interests in the radio field.
J Four hundred delegates were in at
tendance and important policies were
| adopted.
|, Summarized. the legislative recon-
, mendations of the conference are
that the administration of radio leg.
islation be vested in the Secretary of
Commerce.; that the doctrine Of free
speech be held inviolate: that monop-
oily in the industry be prohibited and
, that licenses to broadcast be granted
only to those who, in the opinion of
the Secretary, render beneficial serv-
! ice to the public. One of them limits
: the number of broadcasting stations
J to those now in operation, by asking
that no licenses be granted new
plants to broadcast until the number
in existence is reduced. One hundred
| and seventy-five such applications for
: licenses are now on file at the De
} partment of Commerce.
, / D~E-s-