Evening star., 1935-04-05

In addition to unreasonable cherry
blossom weather. Washington's Spring
time visitors have run into an uncom-
monty dull spell in Congress. Hope
full of New Deal fireworks, they find
current proceedings in both houses
incredibly tame and unexciting. They
are particularly disappointed about the
Senate, always the magnet for tour
lists at the Capitol. The galleries were
crowded all this week, but soon emp
tied when the wayfarers from the
provinces encountered nothing more
thrilling under discussion that DR..
Copeland's pure food, drugs and cos
metics bill. Those who fingered did
so mainly in the hope that Huey
Long might suddenly put on SHOW,
but even the Kingfish failed to de-
liver, so that the out-of-town Gus
toners feel on the whole that, as far
as Congress is concerned, they've had
no run for their money. The best the
Senate could do in the way of furnish
ing entertainment was to clear the
galleries on April 2, only to discover
that the noise which was disturbing
proceedings was made by Senators
themselves and not by the proletariat,
which came to be inspired and re-
mained to be bored.
X X
Rising food prices, particularly for
meats, are q matter of growing and
Nationwide concern, according 10
many indications reaching Washing
ton. Nobody seemS to know just
what can be done about it, II any
thing. Politicians are reluctant TO
initiate any movement that might
result in injury to the farming COM
munity. But If existing conditions
continue somebody in either House
or Senate may demand that one OF
those consumers advisory boards"
in N. r. A. or A. A. A. get busy on
food price gouging and profiteerins'
If such there be, ere roast beef, STEAK.
pork and lamb chops vanish from the
American family's bill Of fare. House.
wives. facing more and more dim
Guilty in making budget ends meet,
are in the van of the folks back home
who are letting themselves be heard
from. Women spend the vast bulk
of the money that goes into house.
hold upkeep.
Department of Agriculture ofncials
will tell YOU that, despite sharp ad-
vances in food costs, they are still
relatively below other prices; also
that as a group the advances are
about over. Between July. 1884, and
mid February, 1885, all food prices
rose IL per cent, including meats,
II per cent; dairy products, Is per
cent, and eggs, nearly 40 per cent.
Cereals advanced only per cent,
while fruits and vegetables declined
S per cent. After this Spring, Sec
retary wallace's people say, any fur
ther advance tendency In meat prices
will be offset by lower prices Of
other products, unless the unprece-
dented drought repeats itself. Fur
thermore, they claim, the higher level
of food prices already attained this
wear affects only about 80 per cent
Of the things consumers buy at re-
tail. With other items in the cost
of living remaining practically un-
total cost of living during 1885 will
be only about to 4 per cent higher
than in 1884, and, given business
improvement, will be more than taken
care of, as far as townspeople are
concerned, by expanding income.
Food prices are ofiicially described
as still low, compared with other
living costs.
Il
Senator Millard e. Tydings, Dem
ocrat, of Maryland is the target Of
many bouquets from congressional
colleagues and other quarters for his
recent sledge-hammer attack on the
New Deal, and on what he dubbed
those twin "monstrosities, N. r. A.
! and A. A. A., In particular. IT'S many