Evening star., 1935-12-30
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

ment Of John v. A. MacMurray as Am
bassador to Turkey. The Angora gov
eminent has Just approved Mr. Mac
Murray's designation. He will succeed
Ambassador Robert P. Skinner, foreign
service dean, when the latter retires in
February on account of the age limit.
There was a fear that political expe-
diency might cause the post to be be-
slowed upon some deserving Democrat.
MacMurray is one of our seasoned diplo-
matte veterans, with nearly 80 years
experience in the State Department and
abroad to his credit. He has been an
Assistant Secretary of State and Min
lister to China. Having resigned in 1929
to become director of the Walter Hines
Page School of International Relations
at Johns Hopkins, he returned to his
professional calling in 1888 when ap-
pointed Minister to EStonia, Latvia and
Lithuania. MacMurray, who rates as
one of the worlds Far Eastern authori-
ties, is native of New York State, a
Princeton man and 54 years old.
Gov. Landon's prominence in the Re-
publican presidential picture is a strik-
ing Illustration of the fact that Amer
ican public opinion has advanced a long
way from its deep-rooted prejudices of
10 or II years ago against all and Sundry
connected with oil. While Teapot Dome
was a stencil in the national noStrils
it would have been almost preposterous
for any party to think of nominating
an "oil man" for high Office Landon
escapes all petroliferouS odium for the
reason that he has always been an
independent operator and wholly de-
tached from the interests" brought into
disrepute by the famous Senate inves-
tigation of the naval oil leases.
Alfred H. Haag, chief of the division of
research of the United States Shipping
Board Bureau, reports to the American
Merchant Marine Conference that ma
Jority OF our mercantile ships are dis
treSSingly old and outmoded. The re-
suit is that about SIS 100000 is added an
nually to the cost of operation for fuel
oil alone. Roundly. 90 per cent of the
fleet is more than Is years old, Mr.. Haag
says. He estimates that a replacement
program of nearly $4,000 gross tons an
nually for the next seven years is re-
quired to bring the merchant feet to its
proper level, divided among $4,000 tons
for foreign trade, 27l 900 for domestic
traffic and 3o2 900 tons of tankers. In
total tonnage, such as it is, we rank
second among merchant marine powers.
Great Britain is first. with over four
times our strength, counting only vessels
of 1000 tons or more engaged in interna-
tional competition.
Having made tariff peace with the
United States, Canada has followed up
the Mackenzie King-Hull reciprocal
agreement with somewhat similar ar
rangement between the Dominion and
Japan, ending an economic feud which
set in last July and threatened to de-
velop into bitter warfare. The high spot
Of the agreement is the mutual abolition
of so per cent tariff surtaxeS. Trade in
both directions was heavily reduced while
hostilities lasted. Gains by Canada will
partially accrue through changed COM
putation for the devalued japanese yen,
whereby it will be reckoned for customs
purposes at its current exchange value
Of about 20 cents.
Copyright, 1889