The Waterbury Democrat., 1935-03-06
THE NEW DEAL WASHINGTON
Lobbyists Moan in Anguish at Belgian Tariff Treaty Wallace Decides to Let Us Know the Worst MIRA Defeats are Discounted.

Washington, March ,6--When an administration bites lobbyist, that's news.
 This one sank it's teeth into sev- eral lobbyists when 1t signed the new tariff treaty with Belgium. Their yelps of dismay coincide with astonished gasps from any cynics who had been saying that pressure had stymied Secretary of State Cordell Hulrs dearly beloved pro- gram of reciprocal tariff treaties.
 Tariff lobbyists who used to get their log-rolling done by congress must now vary their technique.
 They being, when suspecting that duties on certain foreign products are likely to be reduced by treaty with another nation in return for similar concessions, by spreading propaganda indicating that the en- tire duty will be removed-though law limits Roosevelt to a 50 per cent change.
 Then they attempt to contact in- dividuals in the state and com merce departments who are pre- pairing the treaty. If they can estab- hsh social relations, so much the better.
 If they haven't any channel into the White House, as some have, they try to get congressman to take them there-as California con- gressman recently took lobbyists for the wine industry who were worried over possible treaties with Italy and Spain.
 uno ovyvy D~ncc.,~n TY0nl Heavy pressure came from the cement and glass industries prior to the Belgian treaty. They were represented by J. B. Colburn, for mer tariff commission lawyer, who is associated with @ New York | firm, one of whose partners was once a government lawyer hand | ling customs cases. Each country cut duties on about 50 of the others commodities, in cluding an American reduction of 33 1-3 per cent on plate glass, 25 per cent on cement, and 15 to 25 on certain steel products. Thus the administration took a nibble at building materials indus tries accused of monopolistic prices. More than 90 per cent of domestic glass is controlled by two com panies which export, but have al- ways demanded a high duty. You can expect to hear more l frequent outcries in Congress, in- spired by lobbyists, which will be directed at the whole tariff treaty program, designed to stimulate American exports.
 Wallace Tells the Worst
 Last fall the AAA adopted a pol icy of suppressing forecasts by it's economists as to forthcoming boosts in food prices asra result of drouth and AAA programs. | The idea was that such publicity would lead to price increases by middlemen and retailers before those increases would otherwise occur.
 The policy was dropped when Secretary Wallace suddenly told correspondents that Louis Bean his chief economist, had figured out that food prices would be II per cent higher in the first half oI this year than the last half of las: year, and 12 per cent in the fol, lowing six months, with a 32 pel l cent boost for meat. Abandonment of the old policy was haphaZard. Beans figures happened to be on Wallace's desl when the secretary didn't have much to tell a press conference They had been prepared only fol departmental circulation. It wa! as if Wallace had suddenly said t himself: "Oh, what the heck. Le 'em know the worst"
 Somebody asked if he could sug gest cheap menu and Wallace suggested:
 Every Wednesday, eat whateve you like" ,.. But if you write the Bureau O Home Economies in Wallace's de
 partment, it will send you som, low-cost diets.
 MIRA Defeats Discounted New Deal lawyers aren't espe cially worried by decisions oi judges in Delaware and KentuckJ that MIRA is unconstitutional be. cause production is intrastate rather than interstate, and hence can't be regulated by Congress.
 It is fair to report now that De- partment of Justice attorneys had little hope of winning the Weirtor case involving Section "a before Federal Judge Yields at Whining. ton or the coal code case before Judge Dawson at Louisville.
 They whispered all along that they were only building cases which would stand up on appeal with the supreme courts ultimate attitude most in mind.
 | Federal lawyers by now have l most federal indDes classified as