Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-14
KEEN WATCH KEPT
ON HAGUE FARLEY
U. S. Business vitality Inter-
ested in Result of World
Conference.
BY JOHN +. SINCLAIR.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK, August 1.-THE Hague
financial conference, after o few days
rest, gets down to business again this
morning.
At the table will sit Aristide BRAND
the French premier, and his popular
finance minister, Henri Cheron; Philip
Snowden, chancellor Of the British ex-
chequer, and Arthur Henderson, Brit
aims easy-going, but astute, foreign
secretary Gustav StreSemann, Ger
manys foreign minister, will also be
there, as Will Antonio Mosconi, the
italian finance minister. Italy's voice,
however, will really be carried by Signor
Grand. officially Italy's undersecretary
for foreign affairs, In reality the close
and very intimate representative OF
Mussolini.
Their Job is to work out q plan, II
possible, for putting into operation the
Young plan, which 1t Is hoped VIII
take the place of the Dawes plan on
September next.
Mr.. Snowden's demand-backed by
Premier Ramsay Macdonald and every
shade of British political and business
opinion-for the ALLEGATION Of o larger
share Of reparations to Great Britain
before the Young plan Is officially ac-
cepted caused an acrimonious Discus
sion last week which nearly broke up
the conference. France objected to
Mr.. Snowdens demand and so did Bel
GUM. italy remained neutral. Ger
many naturally took no side.
While the conference seemed on the
verge of collapse when Mr.. Snowden
made his position clear. several post
ponements of the official session have
served to bring about the hope that q
way to surmount Great Britain's objec-
tons may yet be found.
This hope, coupled with an intimation
that a plan for the evacuation Of the
Rhineland Is In sight. makes today's
session Of the conference OF worldwide
importance.
1t Is particularly important to Ameri-
can business men since continued pros
perity in the United States is largely
dependent upon the ability of Europe
to absorb American goods. Should q
stalemate develop at the last moment
business in the United States would
feel 1t Immediately.
However. the outlook for settlement
Of the reparations problem Is far better
than 1t was last Saturday.
So much has been written in an
optimistic vein Of the possibilities Of
the st. Lawrence waterways-how 1t
WILL uclp IIiC BICdt ClIlCS u SkklCdBO,
Duluth, Minneapolis, Cleveland and all
other inland water ports which now
have little access to the sea-that the
study of Dr. Harold @. Moulton. head
Of the Institute Of Economies at Wash
ington, is worthy of very close study.
DR.. Moulton has embodied his study
in a book called 1.-THE st. Lawrence
Navigation and Power Project" In
brief, as a farm-relief plan, he doesn't
think much of 1t.
AS against q cost Of $3.50 ,000, 900, es-
timated by the engineers. he estimates
the figures at $712,000.000 This Is for
q 27-foot depth. But at that depth
only S per cent Of the tonnage Of pas
senger-cargo ships now carrying Amer
ica'S foreign trade and only 80 per cent
of the freight ships could get through.
How about shortening the mileage7
To ports in Northern Europe, yes, about
800 miles. To South America, the West
Indies and even to our own Atlantic
Coast the st. Lawrence waterways 10
O longer route.
The Moulton analysis assumes 10
year period to complete the work. He
allows so per cent growth In tonnage
meanwhile. but the final estimate Of