The Waterbury Democrat., 1935-10-08

One is that the President is still running the State Depart ment, even though on the high seas. A constant flood of radio grams goes back and forth be- tween the State Department and the Houston.
 The other is that the President definitely believes in playing ball with the British. The call which Ambassador Straus made at the French Foreign Office last week to suggest, automatically, that the United States would like to Sc close Franco-British coopera- ton, was done on the explicit instruction of the President.
 According to those with whom he conferred before de- parture, Roosevelt felt that France could tip the scales one way or the other-with the British, for early peace; against the British, for prolonged war.
 This was behind his instruc- ton to Straus.
 Munitions Control
 Homer Bone of Washington is the only Senator who championed the Neutrality Act during the closing days of Congress and then stuck around Washington long enough to see how the State Department was carrying 1t out.
 He found the Munitions Con- troller Green was keeping a rec ord of all arms and ammunition shipped to either Ethiopia or Italy, and that total shipments to the latter since January 1st were four sporting rifles and $418 of sporting cartridges. There were no shipments to Ethiopia.
 Not satisfied with this, the Senator began poking his nose into other diplomatic corners, found that actual Italian muni- tions purchases averaged about $125,0 900 weekly.
 This included so many mules and horses that the National Guard in the southern states has had to send west for its re- mounts. It included fifty lathes for the manufacture of shells costing about $50,000 each. It also included brass and copper gadgets which Connecticut plants are turning out in three shifts per day, and which, as- sembled in Italy, become shells.
 The difficulty with the State Department, Senator Bone found. is twofold.
 First, it's definition of muni- tions is narrow. It concludes only a handful of the obvious munitions of war.
 Second, it has no power to com- pei manufacturers to report their exports.
 So far, Italy has been paying for it's munitions in cash and short term credits. However, her rapidly-dwindling gold sup ply soon will be exhausted. After that will come the test of wheth- CT the United States will once more run up 8 huge war sales debt, and be left holding the bag. Labor Party
 The A. F of L. convention, just opened in Atlantic City, faces what will be a big surprise, even to most of the assembled labor moguls.
 For the first time in more than twenty-five years the Federation will be formally confronted with a demand that it form a Labor Party.
 Sponsors behind this maneu- yer are keeping tight-lippcd silence, but it is known that they are leaders from the tex tile, needle trades and garment workers unions. The State Fed erations of New Jersey and Washington also havev0ted ap- proval of 2 Labor Party.
 The proposed resolution does not condemn the New Deal, but declares that both old parties no longer can command the con- fidence of labor. It warns of the growing danger of Fascism and attacks the Liberty League. Only Salvation
 Finally, the resolution asserts that Labor can meet it's prob-