The Waterbury Democrat., 1935-10-28


 central plateau, and have In reading all reports from the front, 1t is important to keep in mind the first report made to Mussolini by the Italian General Staff. It specified that the con- quest would require 100000 to 100000 men, would cost min- imum of about 750,000, 900 lire 8 month, would require minimum . of two years followed by guerilla fighting for an indefinite period. Mussolini had figured on only 10000 men and an expenditure of 250,000,00 lire monthly. Accord ing to confidential reports re- ceived here, when he received the General Staff report he tore 1t up.
 This was the reason for placing General di Bono, a notorious fire- eater not in sympathy with the General Staff, in charge of the Ethiopian campaign.
 Staff Was Right
 TO-DAY, however, Mussolini is in 8 position to realize that his General Staff was right.
 Already he has around 3OO,- 900 men in East Africa. Money is being spent at an unknown rate; but according to the Federal Reserve Board, the Italian gold reserve has dimin- ished from $519, 10000 to $379,- 100000 in the last few months.
 If the League can make sanc- tions only fifty per cent effective against Italy, and if Emperor Halle Selassie can retain the loy- alty of his chieftains for only a year, the Italian attempt at con- quest may die aborning.
 NOTE-Neutral military ob- servers disagree with the Italian General Staff in the matter of time. They estimate three in- stead of two years for the com- plete conquest of Ethiopia.
 British officials estimate that Mussolini will have exhausted his cash in fifteen months. American experts figure that he can't last that long.
 Address Unknown
 One of the most formidable ju- dicial assemblies in the country is the annual conference of the senior federal circuit court judges, presided over by the chief justice of the U. s. Supreme Court.
 It is held in Washington just before the. opening of the fall court term, and ordinarily 1t is a solemn and serious occasion.
 The session just terminated was opened by Chief Justice Hughes, who tapped his gavel for atten- ton and observed gravely:
 "Gentlemen, I have noted with much satisfaction the great amount of public inter- est in the proceedings of the Court this past year. I am glad that our citizens are so atten- tive, for there was 8 time, not long ago, when I thought we were in danger of being 0ver- looked.
 "As an earnest of this re- awakened public interest I hold in my hand 8 letter recently received. It is addressed to John Marshall, Chief Justice of the United States!"
 With continued judicial grav- ity, Chief Justice Hughes added: T have been in a quandary about where I should forward this letter, as I do not know the ultimate destination of our dis tinguished predecessor"
 NOTE-John Marshall, first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, died in 1885.
 Puzzle
 Last years hot argument on whether Big Jim Farley did or did not take the Postoffice De- partment out of the red is start ing all over again.
 Jim is claiming that he has another surplus. The Budget Bureau, says he has nothing o1 the kind. According to its books Jim really has a $63, ,00,000 deficit
 And to make the dispute more complicated, Comptroller General McCarl claims that both are wrong.
 Explanation for this delightful diversity is that each uses a diff ferent basis for his bookkeeping
 Jim has taken advantage of 8 law put through by Walter F. Brown, his republican prede- cessor, and deducted from pos- tai expenditures all subsidies to shipping, airlines and the cost of free mail under the franking privilege. By this subtraction he is able to Top off $75,OOO,0O thereby pull a surplus out or the hat.
 The Budget Bureau, however does not engage in this legalistit sleight-of-hand. It charges posta outgo, for whatever purpose, up te Jim Farley, with the result that on it's books Jim is up to his eye brows in the red.
 McCarl's varying calculations arise from the fact that he re- cords only the actual amount ol money withdrawn by the depart ment from the Treasury during g fiscal year. For practical purposes