Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-14
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS

with an overnight stop en- route on the
Island Of Jamaica. If emergency arises
he can get back to his desk at the
White House in similarly quick time
But If not sooner recalled, he plans to
spend a week at the Isthmus and then
cruise northward in leisurely fashion
aboard a United Fruit steamship, get
ting back to Washington the first of
September That Mr.. Richey is tax
ing this brief leave of absence now is
rated as a pretty good sign that "all
is quiet along the Potomac" Incl
dentally, the secretary is one of the
most recent converts to air travel, and
in a jiffy became tremendous en-
thusiast.
When Vice President Curtis suddenly
Cancelled his visit to Massachusetts late
last week he had little idea of the havoc
he was raising with the social and po-
litical life Of the State. particularly the
fashionable North Shore colony. Mrs
Jacob Leander Loose, wealthy widow of
Washington and Kansas City, who was
to have been the hostess of the Vice
President and sister Dolly had to recall
$50 invitations to q reception to have
been staged on her North Shore estate.
besides several dinner parties. Senator
Walsh Of Massachusetts cancelled q
luncheon and 50 on through q long
calendar of events. The Vice Presi-
dents telegram of regret was received
only few hours before he himself had
been scheduled to arrive. Bay State
newspaper accounts said, among other
things, the most tantaliAng feature
in the sudden upset of all these plans
was the lack of explanation beyond i'm
portant personal business which requires
individual attention Mrs. Loose has
never had anything like this happen TO
her in her long and brilliant social
career and she was much upset by the
situation"
Twice in the space of a week Walter
S Clifford, president of the American
Telephone Co, has been an unsched-
uled visitor at the White House been
closeted with Mr.. Hoover and has de-
parted without either the financier or
the President VouchSafing any informa-
ton other than the statement of the
obvious. namely. that business condi-
tons were discussed" AS U. S. Steel
has come to be regarded as the bell
wether Of the stock market speculator,
SO has American Tel. e. Tel over a
long span OF years achieved a premier
position in the affections of the rank
and file of the American investors as
the acme of stability A cut in its
dividend, an eventuality so far avoided,
would have admittedly wide repercus-
slons. Recent market weakness of this
stock was said to foreshadow dividend
reduction. but this was met with au-
thorltative denials that any change in
dividend was imminent. 1t is easy to
deduce that Mr.. Clifford has reason to
be intensely concerned with the pro-
gram OF the administration for help
ing business upgrade, and that Mr.
Hoover has reason to be intensely con-
eelned with the dividend. wage and ex-
panslon policies OF the American Tele-
phone Co. because of its position of
leadership in industry and finance.
&
Every cloud has a silver lining so Il
Is said, and the silver lining to the cloud
that overhung Uncle Sans brand-new
l0,O0o-ton, S-inch gun treaty cruisers"
when II was discovered that they rolled
so III seaway as to be almost unman-
ageable. was the fact that the new
/ cruisers run from 200 to TOO tons per
! ship under the maximum treaty allow
able displacement This tonnage lee
way gives the Navy Department the
| chance 70 add snti-rolling fms. COM
pensating ballast tanks. and further
weight on deck to raise the center of
gravity, and other devices calculated to
overcome the pernicious rolling propen-
sites, without having the cruisers dis
qualif1ed as over the weight limit. THE
admirals have been Somewhat more
perturoed about this trouble with the
new cruisers than they have cared to
publicly confess.
tcopyrisht 1917