Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-03
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS

Tariff bartenders in the Senate were
unsuccessful in their efforts to mix up
new form of cocktail, the essential
ingredients of which were to be
sugar, sawdust and oil: but the basic
idea Of such brew attracted so many
Senators that for q brief time it APP
peared that the whole tariff situation
might be upturned. The advocates of
elevating the duty on sugar and the
advocates of taking lumber and shin
giles from the free list and putting them
on the dutiable list, and the advocates
OF putting q duty on petroleum oil, en-
tered into pact to stand all for one
and one for all Premature publicity
Is blamed for the failure of this coup.
The lumber tariff amendment first of
the three to come to vote in the final
round Of the Senate tariff battle, failed
to carry by narrow margin, and with
its defeat the deal collapsed. The
petroleum oil duty amendment failed
by a similarly close vote. Sugar will
be UP for vote this week The sugar
Senators have not entirely lost heart
and are still battling to secure a re-
versal of the earlier Senate vote on
sugar, and still hoping to bring the
duty up to the rate carried in the
House bill. Meantime Mr.. Hoover,
though appealed to from all sides, con-
eAAAASo SWANbAy ASNNoA'
\ 4 X X
The Mediterranean fruit fly pest
which invaded Florida a year ago is
the rest of the country. Already up
ward OF six million dollars has been
expended by the Federal agencies in
vain efforts to eradicate the pest, while
Florida fruit growers have labored
under embargo as well as local destruc-
ton of fruit and trees. Now Congress
is asked to authorize new measures and
further moneys for this work, with
estimates that the cost may run to
twenty-five million dollars or so, and a
delegation from the House appropria-
ii S committee has departed for two
week sojourn in Florida to make a per-
sonal inspection and to hole hearings
right In the heart of the orange groves.
The Representatives who are engaged
in this mission under sunny skies
famed by warm breezes and lulled by
ripping waters are Messrs. Wood of
Indiana, Cramton of Michigan and
Simmons Of Nebraska, Republicans, and
Byrns OF Tennessee and Buchanan Of
Texas, Democrats.
X X \ 4
The new chief engineer of the radio
commission, Dr. G.. B. Joliffe of West
Virginia, though only SO, rs a recognized
expert in the radio field. Graduated
from West Virginia University in 1915,
with a Phi. D. from Cornell in 1922, he
served as professor of physics at the
West Virginia institution and as a
teacher Of this subject vt Cornell prior
to entering the Government service
eight years ago. Since 1922 ne has
headed the radio section Of the Bureau
Of Standards. He succeeds Capt. Guy
~
has been serving temporary assign
ment as engineer to the commission.
4 X \
The sweeping reorganization of the
narcotic division of the Prohibition Blu
reau promulgated last week recalls a
Sidelight story long current in the serv-
ice, but not heretofore put into print.
Some half dozen years ago New York
newspapers featured sensational charges
OF dope trafdcking in that territory, with
the intimation that Federal narcotic
agents there were either incompetent
or corrupt, or both. There was much
hue and cry, and Washington ordered a
thorough overhauling of the New York
office. The agent In charge there acted
with precision and dispatch. He called
meeting of his corps of agents He
gathered them around table. He asked
them to lay their hands on the table. OF
the two dozen odd, approximately every
third man was wearing diamond ring.
The resignation of every diamond
fingered agent was demanded and Sc
cured on the spot.
\ 4 4 4
Mr.. and Mrs. Frank W. Stearns Of
Boston last week celebrated their fiftieth
wedding anniversary, which may be a
sufhcient excuse for once again noting
that Mr.. Stearns, as flFure in con-