The Waterbury Democrat., 1935-10-14

one or the 1IlOSC CTyalS pI' the Supreme Court.
 Although given no publicity, the case-United States vs. Hastings is due to be argued this week and is calculated by New Deal lawyers to tie the Nine Old Men up in knots. If they find against the United tSates they cause chaos to the cotton marketing system of the South. If they support the United tSates, they must virtually reverse their own findings in the Schechter sick chicken case which knocked the props from under the MIRA.
 NUB OF THE QUESTION IS: WHAT IS INTERSTATE CON- MERGE?
 The Hastings Case
 It arose when Fred Hastings, white man, allegedly induced 8 Negro to steal three bales of cot- ton from the Federal warehouse. Action was brought in the Federel courts for a violation of the Fed eral Warehousing Act.
 The Negro was sentenced to eight months. Hastings then filed a demurrer on grounds of uncon- stitutionality, and the District Court sustained him.
 HaStings's argument is that cotton in a warehouse is not in interstate, commerce. In the fla nous Schechter case it was arr gued that chickens sent to New York markets also were not in interstate commerce. In the Schechter case the chickens had arrived. In the Hastings case the cotton had not begun to move.
 However, lawyers generally agree that warehousing is inti- mately tied up with the stream of interstate commerce. Under the Federal Warehousing Act, re- ceipts totaling approximately $1,- O0O,0O0,0O0 are handled. Most of these are negotiable and are given the same care as Federal curren- cy.
 Banks lend on them and brokers trade on them. Should the Supreme Court toss the law out, it would seriously disrupt the trade of the South, making it dif- ficult to borrow on cotton and other staple crops, except at high interest rates.
 The Federal Warehousing Act was enacted during the days of Woodrow Wilson, has been Op- erating nineteen years and has been sustained by the courts in five previous cases. If the Su- preme Court knocks it out now, New Dealers claim that the en- tire South will support the President in his "hOrse e-and- buggy" criticism of the Court. Banquet Project
 WPA officials have decided to add 8 dictionary to their office equipment. It happened this way.
 In list of Work Relief projects received from Louisiana was an item calling for a banquet" h. dignant at the idea of calling for public money to be spent on a din- ner, they blue-penciled the pro- posal.
 But a sharp-eyed engineer, who had worked in the bayou state, checked them. He sent out for 8 dictionary. It said: BANQUET, a bank running along the inside of 8 parapet, the footway of a bridge when raised above the car- riage-way, a sidewalk"
 Further inquiries of the Lou isiana WPA director disclosed that he wanted money for a sidewalk, not 8 meal.
 Arctic Romance
 An inconspicuous item in the last War Department appropria- ton probably will result in one of the most fascinating stories of ad- venture and romance ever to come out of prosaic Act of Congress.
 It appropriated $10,000 to be paid to Vilhjalmur Stefansson, famous Arctic explorer, in com- pensation for a book to be writ ten by him of his experiences in the Arctic, particularly in the Northwest Passage. Stefansson is the only man who has gone through this hazardous strait, and detailed account of that area is expected to be of great benefit to the Army in charting future air routes.
 Military and air strategists consider this vast Arctic waste the coming short cut to Europe. But to date, it is about the least known area in the world.
 President Roosevelt recently wrote to Stefansson, asking him to proceed with the book.
 Alcohol Taxes
 The Government is going to have a tougher time than it likes to pretend collecting back taxes from the big alcohol and other companies which it alleges divert ed alcohol during prohibition days.
 The Glidden Company, from which the Government is trying to collect about three million, algeady has won out in two ma OFF THE RECORD