The Waterbury Democrat., 1935-10-15

tude last winter.
 At that time the first Italian move across the Ethiopian border had caused Emperor Halle Se- lassie to submit the dispute to Geneva. British observers, on the border during the dispute. had submitted report severely con- demning the Italians.
 Nevertheless, Captain Anthony Eden at Geneva threw his weight with Mussolini. Not wishing a showdown before the league, he acted as intermediary between the two disputants and then told Ethiopia it should accept the Italian demands for an apology and indemnity.
 The demand was refused by Tecle Hawariate, Ethiopian dele gate, who then threatened to carry his case on to the Council.
 But you cannot" interpOsed ( Captain Eden. 'It is provided that no dispute can be sub mitted to the Council when di- rect negotiations are in prog ress."
 But they have broken down."
 That is a statement by you which I will not admit before the Council" replied Eden, fill ing his pipe.
 Timid Council
 Hawariate then made person. al poll of the Council. Benes of Czechoslovakia, famous cham pion of the League of Nations, excused himself on the ground that larger European considera- tions" were involved.
 All of the others gave negative answers. The Argentine, Chilean and Mexican delegates replied that they were too busy trying to settle their own war in the Chaco. Senor Madariaga of Spain replied that his government had instruct ed him to quit fighting lost caus- es. Even Maxim Litvinoff, con- sistent champion of small na- tions, turned down Hawariate.
 Not one member of the League Council was willing to vote against Italy.
 AbOut-Face
 Obviously the two most import ant reasons for the leagues about face were the stiffening of the British and the high-handed mili- tancy of Mussolini. Of the two, the attitude of the British prob- ably counted most.
 Now new behind -the-scenes factor has just been reported in confidential cables received here. In the middle of last summer the British military in- telligence made some startling discoveries in Egypt.
 There, 8 group of over-enthusi- astic Fascists had matched a plan to alienate the Egyptian govern ment from the British. They &C., tually won over two or three members of the Egyptian cabinet.
 A friendly Egypt is considered essential to the safety of Suez and the British lifeline" to the Orient.
 The discovery was followed al- most immediately by the concen- tration of the British fleet in the Mediterranean.
 Uncle Sam, Chiseler
 An active chiseler on wage and hour standards since the demise of the MIRA codes has been none other than the United States gov- ernment itself.
 This embarrassing revelation was hurled at Secretary Frances Perkins and several of her lieu- tenants at the national confer ence of state labor officials at Asheville, N. c.
 The meeting was for the pur- pose of discussing measures for developing uniform laws on wages and hours throughout the coun- try. But the state authorities bluntly informed Miss Perkins that it was futile to talk about standardizing laws as long as the federal government made 1t dif- ficult for them to enforce the laws already on their state stautt books.
 One example thrown to Miss Perkins follows:
 New Hampshire has a law fix ing minimum wages and maximum hours, thus causing higher costs to New Hampshire laundries.
 The eco camps in the state have . sizeable laundry job that Is let by contract under cOm- petitive bidding. But New Hampshire Iaundries were un- derbid by Maine compositions ts4