Evening star., 1934-09-11

TOT LQeSe reasons, anu Outlets, Tile
insiders expect the current investiga-
ton to amount to a publicity field
day-and nothing more. There is just
a vague chance that the disclosures
will frighten the foreign governments
and their arms men into making some
concessions, but that is admittedly an
outside chance.
1t is no news that the munitions
makers try to hinder international
peace conferences. The story about
their efforts to stir up war among
smaller countries is likewise an old
one. Even the revelations of specific
graft caused few eyebrows to be raised
here.
Nearly everyone able to read
knoDs that the oredStng OF palms
is still too common practice,
especially beloD the Rio Gr1nde.
1t is hardly secret that many
American business men, in more
prdisetDorthy endenDorS, haze found
that they are not considered "syn-
pdtico" in some parts OF Latin
America unless they carry black
sdtcheI along.
Governmental insiders say Henry
Ford started out a few years ago to
get South American business for his
automobiles on Sunday school basis,
but he did not get very far.
Japan Buying Oil.
There Is another angle to the in
ternational arms traffic yarn. Wars
are fought with more than weapons.
Only q chosen te1D know it, but
Japan has for years been building
up her oil reserves tDtth purchases,
mainly from one of our largest oil
companies. All the guns and am
munition In her nauy Mould be
Just so much scrap iron and tonste
without oil to run her Dessels, as
she has no domestic oil supply.
More openly, Japan has also bought
hedvtly OF cotton, steel and nj
trdtes. She has big stocks OF all
these products on hand to make
her otDn arms and ammunition.
All are sold freely in international
trade and are just as necessary to war
as guns.
Sea Practice Change Urged.
Seaworthy officials here cannot say
so out loud. but they believe some
thing should be done about revising
practices of the sea.
Captains Of commercial vessels too
often consider a dollar before they
consider life. Their primary respon-
sibility is to the owners of the ship
who pay their salaries, and only sec
ondarily to the people intrusted to
their care.
Frequently they delay the send
ing OF S o S signals until all hope
is gone. 1t costs money to send an
S o S, which diUerts traffic for
rescue uork. Commercial prestige
also is inuolued. LikeDiSe, they
seldom beach or abandon q ship,
because saludge ,Dork is expensive.
In thinking this way officials are
not talking particularly about the
Moro Castle disaster. They cannot
know the facts in that case until an
investigation is concluded.
That merely started them to think
ing about what should be done, al
though they have no idea that any,
thing will be done You cannot re-
peal the law of Nature.
No Big Tariff Deals.
You may have noticed that all
these recently announced tariff agree
ments were not with any large coun-
tries.
There is a general supposition
among the boys backstage that there
will not be any deals announced with
big countries until after the Novem-
Der election. There is a method in
that. When big trades are made
Of any ever are) they will have an
influence on domestic tariffs. These
little trades have little or no effect.