, 1935-06-30
WASHINGTON
Nv Raw Tucker


Inert - American business men
seeking foreign markets are boiling
with resentment against Dan Roper.
The politlcally-minded Secretary
Of Commerce Is charged with neg
lecting opportunities for develop
ment Of foreign trade. With no real
protest from him personnel and
facilities useful TO business and
industry have been cut In half.
Lighthouses, for instance, account
tor % per cent OF his departments
annual appropriation. His COM
mercial pioneers are allowed only
8 per cent.
The S~ecretary'S lack OF concern
cCincides with a slowly rising de-
mand for American goods abroad.
IL also comes at q time when Sec
rotary Hull is staging q drive TO
regain markets in other countries.
That may explain why the State
Department has assumed many
duties handled BY MI. Roper'S
predecessors.
velvet-Harold Ickes and Jesse
Jones are putting on an act which
ought 70 be Scenarioed by Holly
wood under ina title Of The Art
OF Horse Trading"
Secretary IckeS wants TO sell
$500, 200. 900 worth Of municipal pub
lie works collateral through the RFC.
Of course he wants any profit which
may accrue. But Broker Jones in
sistS that profits or bonds selling
above par are his. He also refuses
70 dispose OF those which have
gone temporarily sour. The eSti-
mated profit on the batch Is about
So 1000, 000-a sizeable total even TO
these handlers OF billions. They
don't talk about 1t for publication
President Roosevelt. incidentally.
has increased the value Of Mr..
Ickes' holdings. BY urging taxation
o! future municipal issues Mr..
Roosevelt has boosted the price Of
the ~tax-eXemptS which the Secre-
tarv OF the Interior has IN his
portfolio.
Parliamentary firms which OBJ
tanned government contracts before
Vic SAEANAA4N GOAAN0 0AAAA-ANAN4A
decision may make a tidy and un-
expected profit. Government law
yers are staying up myths TO dis
cover a solution.
These contract awards were based
on code prices and code wages.
They contained a clause requiring
the contractors TO abide by all
NRA provisions. But then came the
courts blow. Now, If the contractors
chiSel, reducing wages and extend
ing hours, they car perform the
job for much less than they origin
ally contracted for. The difference
will be so much gravy"
In some departments lawyers
have held that the code provisions
IN the contracts are still binding,
despite the courts destruction Of
the legal basis for those clauses. In
other departments there Is q ten
dency TO abate code claims on
negotiated contracts. All new ones
will be based on code hours, wages
and conditions. however.
AvaIIabIe-Although II Is rather
early to talk opposition candidates
the three leading contenders for
the COP presidential nomination
a year in advance Of the convention
are Senator Dickinson Of Iowa,
Frank Knox OF Chicago and Sen
ator Vandenberg Of Michigan. The
prediction is based on Republican
exchanges at regional meetings, at
washington and elsewhere.
The three represent different
types OF attack. II the Republicans
intend TO rake the New Deal ruth
ieSSly, Dickinson Is their man. He
has not compromised. If the O.. o.
p. picks and chooses between what
IL considers the virtues and evils OF
the Roosevelt program, Mr.. Van
denberf would fill the bill. If It
wants q nominee who has had TO
say Aye or mo" on great public
questions, Publisher Knox answers
that description
Dickinson stands out above the
other two today. He is a western
conservative. fitting the picture
geographically and economically. He
looks-and acts-like a president.
He has made fewer enemies than
potential rivals. But don't lay any
lets yeti
Defenses - The demand for forth
fication OF the shore along the Co
lumbia River has attracted little ma
tional attention. But it's a live issue
among Congressman from the North
west and has elements which may
make It a popular one.
Construction OF the Bonneville and
Grand Coulee dams may transform
this region into a great industrial
section - into an American Ruhr.
Many products and foods necessary
IN war time may be produced there.
In Ease Of conflict its protection
against a foreign foe would be q vital
probelm OF national defense. But
the river is open to attack from the
coast into the interior.
The nearest military and naval