Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-25
Washington Ticker
BY CLINTON COFFIN,
Associated Press Financial Writer.


A proposal to connect the automobile
road system of the United States with
Alaska by a highway constructed
straight through British Columbia is
being supported by Western members
Of Congress for action at the present
session and has some chance of get
ting approval.
While there are the usual number of
obstacles in the path of action, the
House roads committee has approved
the preliminary measure, which insti-
tutes a commission of inquiry, to be
composed of representatives of the
Federal Bureau of Public Roads of the
Interior Department and of the Alaska
Road Commission, to treat with provin-
cial officials of British Columbia.
while this is naturally a matter
that appeals very greatly to my con-
stituents," said Dan A. Sutherland,
Delegate to Congress from Alaska
Territory, road organizations in the
United States, particularly those located
on the Pacific Coast, are heartily in
favor of the extension We have a
rough estimate that a highway could
be put through from the American
boundary to Alaska for about $4,000
900, traversing territory along the east
slope of the Coast Range. Contrary to
the superstition of a good many people
such a route would be disable most of
the year and would have both economic
and scenic value.
IT am hopeful that with the present
trend of public opinion favoring needed
public construction we can get a vote
on the proposal this session. 1t is to be
anticipated that hearty cooperation
will be given the plan by the British
Columbia government, which controls
most of the territory through which
construction must be undertaken"
Business Committee.
julius H. Barnes, chairman Of the
Presidents National Business Survey
Conference, thought unable to attend
the executive committee session with
leaders of that organization, which was
held earlier this week, has since gone
over the data compiled for them, which
was also covered in reports taken to,
the White House. While he agrees en-
tirely with the views formulated by the
group of executives of the country's
major industrial, commercial and
transport enterprises, to the effect that
the country has overcome the posi-
bility of encountering serious depres-
sion this year, he considers that the
emergency organization created at the
Presidents suggestion should still be
kept in existence.
ut must be agreed that conditions do
not retain the threatening aspect toward
national prosperity seen last Fall"
Chairman Barnes remarked in q dis
cussion Of the outlook, land that there
are definite signs of normal business
progress. At the same time, 1t Is not
our intent to relax any Of the policies
which 1t has been decided to develop so
far as cooperation between business
and Government can carry them for
ward.
THE executive committee will meet
again In March, probably in Washing
tom for discussion and review of buSi-
ness trends as they may be apparent
at that time. There may be no specific
action to take then, but there will be
opportunity to consider the matter In
all its aspects"
BrOOkhart's Bill.
Senator Brookhart, Republican, iowa,
who loves nothing about the general run
of Wall Street methods, has decided
to launch another onslaught on specu-
lation. He has introduced bill which
would withdraw from short sellers either
Of stocks or of commodities on ex-
changes the right to use the United
States mails. The proposal has been
consigned to a Senate committee for
study, and it is sometimes the fortune
of Brookhart proposals to die in COM
mittee.
Though the Iowa solon has devised
somewhat novel method of attacking
short selling, the general idea Of re-
pressing such speculative activities is
a very old one, and in the long history
of stock and commodity exchanges there
have been several experiments in the
way of restricting or banning it en-
tirely. Some of them have resulted
disastrously, and all OF them have been
abandoned in modern times. It is the
standard economic view that "he who
sells what isn't his'n" does perform q
risky but valuable service in the stabili-
zation of the whole fabric of prices.
Most commentators attribute the
shocking extent of the 1929 stock mar
ket debacle in part to the fact that the
prolonged speculative uprush of prices