The Waterbury Democrat., 1935-10-23

WaSuIIlRCO1 OcDOpeT Zs embarlxs from the Houston facing him will be the dis Relief plan to put 3, 800, 900 | This chaotic condition is an open book.
 Known to only a few insiders, however, is the fact that the much -ballyhooed program for the elimination of railroad grade crossings is virtually at g dead halt.
 Out of the S2OO,OOO,OO0 to have been spent, only $2,OOO,OOO has even been aIl0cated.
 First snarl was the ruling that $1,14O must be spent per man per year on works-relief jobs. This left insufficient funds for mater ials. After weeks of delay the or- der finally was modified. Joker Slipped In Then it. was discovered that a joker had been slipped into the works-relief bill by the railroad lobby exempting the carriers from bearing any of the cost of grade-crossing elimination.
 This put the entire financial burden on state and federal governments.
 The states share was fixed as the land necessary for grade crossing projects.
 The result has been 6 chaos of haggling between state author ities, property owners and rail- roads. To date, only Ohio and . Texas have succeeded in getting under way solely because they were able to persuade. some of the railroads to put up 8 part of the cost.
 NOTE:-The railroads are anx- ious to keep secret their coopera- tive attitude in Ohio and Texas because they fear if it became known, other states would de- mand similar concessions.
 Naval Base
 One reason the French were so reluctant to pledge British use of their naval bases in case of war in the Mediterranean, is the fact that Toulon, their chief naval station, is only 140 miles from an Italian air base.
 British vessels in Toulon would be a tempting excuse for an Ital- ian air raid which the French don't want to risk.
 Sanctions
 Behind tempestuous European debates over 8 naval blockade against Italy is one all-important fact. Geneva has just begun to realize that sanctions mean noth- ing without a blockade to enforce them.
 For years the League of Ma tions has been humming blithely along, pointing with pride to its machinery for imposing economic and financial boycotts against an aggressor.
 But only within the last few days have the Geneva statesmen suddenly realized that, in order to enforce such boycott, most nations require special legislation.
 President Roosevelt, for in- stance, could not have declared his arms embargo had not the senate rushed through the neu- trality act during the closing days of the last congressional session.
 Argentina, for instance, as a member of the league, started to apply sanctions; then found she had no laws empowering her president to cut off trade with Italy. Her congress has adjourned, so it will be next April before . law can be pass cd permitting Argentine sanc- tions against Italy.
 Many European nations are in the same fix. Furthermore, par liaments are notoriously inclined to think of reelection rather than world peace. And if sever- ance of trade relations with Italy is going to harm local industry, cause unpleasant political rever- berations, new legislation may wait even longer than April.
 MEANWHILE MUSSOLINI MOVES ON IN ABYSSINIAl
 Absent Treatment
 Harry Hopkins has hired M. R. Werner, New York author, to write a running account of what progress works-relief is making. 'I don't expect to so out in the field much," says Werner. 'T can see the works from Washington. wrote the life of Barnum without meeting him, and the life of Bryan after meeting him only once as a kid.
 Before finished my book