Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-11-17
STABILIZED PRICES
WOULD AID TRADE
Economist Says UnempIoy.
ment Situation Requires
Five-Day Week.
BY JOHN F. sINCLAIR.

BY JOHN r. SINCLAIR.
Special Dispatch to The star.
NEW YORK, November IL. - The
telephone activities Of Theodore Gary
OF kansas City cover the world. Be-
cause Of his vast connections, asked
him this question:
Can there be general recovery OF
business until the price level Is stabi-
lied, not only in the United states, put
throughout the world?"
Mr.. Gary replied: mo, in my opin-
ion, there will be no general recovery
until the world price situation Is cor
rected."
Then I asked this question: What
should be done TO alleviate stil Iurtner
the unemployment distress? Do you
favor an Unemployment plan supported
by industry and supervised. by the
state? Would a five-day week, or
sinorter one, help?" a.,
an NV opinion" Mr.. Gary said, "a
ave-day week, or even shorter one,
would materially aid the Unemployment
Then asked this question: Would
q modification of ANTITRUST laws DC OIL
especial value now? p.
allowed that some Of the larger bust
ness leaders are beginning to modify
their views upon this question-Views
which were so popular snort time ago
at do not believe that any modinca.
tion of the antitrust laws would De OF
snv value at this time. There Is TOO
v,1,sch Capitalization now. WHAT Is
r"Sdad in INV opinion, is more con-
acisnce by the owners Of big businesses"
Davis Successor.
Now that James j. Davis, secretary
of Labor In the cabinets OF three resi-
dents, has been elected Oniteo 49, 49,
6e11t probably will be swamped with
recommendations regarding MS sue
The movement in favor of Miss Grace
Abbott. now chief of the Labor Depart
n1ent,s Children's Bureau, Is grow
ing rapidly. Miss Abbott, Ior
great many years: O was 8 I Tnss11e Of
ChicaQo. Before that, she worked rs
Executive secretary of both the Massa-
chI,setts and Illinois Commissions on.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. Both by reason OF ner
experience and her writings, she Is con-
sidered an authority on the subject OF
immigration.
E,It Miss Abbott has been so busy
NTH her real work that she has had
No time to build up political following.
This Is her weakness at the moment.
THE British government has woman
..crefarv of labor - Miss Margaret
Bondfieid. why not give Miss ADoost
fhe ouportunity to be the first woman
who ever sat IN an American capinet,
not because she is q woman, put Pc
cause she is 50 well cualtfied Tor tne
position?
Employee QuestiOnnaire.
when the Chemical Bank d Trust
~ ~ New York sent o searching. ex-
haaistiye QUESTIONABLE to its employees
a few weeks ago many OF them were
el,ocked at the intimate personal ques-
lions asked.
More than 100 questions were on the
list and the personal, social ana imam.
rial life of each individual was covered
IN very close detail.
some employees naturally resented IT,
They felt that it was an Infringement
On their personal liberties to be asking
them so many questions. But the vast
majority of them accepted the Ques-
tionnaire In good spirit upon the theory
perhaps that no other form Of business
required o closer knowledge OF employees
than banking.
"Tn my opinion, the recent action Of
the Chemical Bank e. Trust Co. is q
step in the right direction toward rails
highest possible plane" said Herbert l..
p-ceIiff, New York investment
DnnA-r. In view of the larger number
Of persons who are employed by the
great financial institutions Of New York
and elsewhere, it would seem that other
banks would do well to exercise the
same diligence"
Manganese Imports. -
When the American Manganese Pro-
ducers' Association filed its latest petit
ton with the Treasury Department for
an embargo on the importation Of
Russian manganese, It showed that
there is q fight on between this aSso-
citation and the American Iron 81 Steel
Institute upon the question Of allowing
Russian manganese to enter the United
States.
The American Manganese Producers
Association wants the importation Of
manganese stopped. The powerful
Iron and Steel Institute wants it con-
tinued. The association declares there
has been an understanding between
Soviet Russia and the American Iron
and Steel Institute which. according TO
the associations petition, Is sitting the
development Of domestic manganese"
Russian steel production in the past
four years, says the association, has
increased ITO per cent. In few years
Soviet Russia win be the big COM
petitor Of American steel In the world
market. Then the United States viii
face exactly the same situation in
regard to Soviet dumping" of steel as
American manganese producers face
today.
By a strict enforcement Of the anti
dumping act the association declares
the United States viii assist materially
- mnlTyfyaN q
tends that it costs $23.7S TO deliver q
ton Of manganese ore from Russia to
the United States ports. without the
tariff duty, but that this ore is now
being sold at $3.50 per ton in order to
break down the American industry.
Thomas J. Doherty of the American
Iron and Steel Institute thinks that
Russian manganese IL necessary TO
make ferro-manganese and that Amer
lean manganese cannot do it. But the
American Manganese Association denies
TINS contention Of Mr.. Doherty. So
there YOU are.
Perhaps the whole Russian American
policy will be centered around the
problem Of manganese. The problem
Of the future policy Is an important one
Tor American business.
Keynes Views.
John Maynard Keynes, British econ
omist, went afoul of orthodox British
opinion five years ago by suggesting
that Great Britain should make nc
effort TO bring the pound sterling back
to par ($4.S75), but rather should
stabilize It ut the then prevailing level
about rs per cent under par
Recently. in . letter TO this column
one economist, commenting on thu
Keynes episode, says:
Incidentally, some years ago a verJ
acute thinker in England by the namt
Of Keynes pointed out exactly wha'