, 1935-02-21
WASHINGTON
BY George Durno

by George Durno
Meat-Secretary OF Agriculture
Wallace's AAA has slipped a report
to President Roosevelt which should
make most Of the country's farmers
feel better.
II forebodes a city customers tear,
however. TO match each rural smile.
Wallace has advised the White
House that farm cash income IN I'D
AZ per cent In the last two years
with livestock prices s%houldering the
load at the present moment. This
means much higher prices for steaks
and chops a. the housewife already
well knows.
LaEgard - Beef, lamb and pork are
way up - thanks to the drought and
the AAA program Of defamation.
Washington's two biggest chain
stores In the last two weeks have
started carrying quantities Of fish
daily instead OF on Friday only in an
effort TO meet the situation.
Experts In the Agriculture Depart
ment predict that meat prices r
still TO reach their peak.
Meanwhile Wallace tells the pres
ident his big problem is to restore
an internal balance between the va
rious farm products. Certain regions.
notably the Northeast and the Far
West haven't responded 70 treat
ment as well as the rest OF the cOun-
try despite benefit payments. etc.
Dumping - The pressure on Pres
ident Roosevelt from within his own
Official family TO chart a definite
course for our future international
trade relations Is getting somewhat
On the one side Is Secretary OF
State Cordell Hull. On the other Is
Foreign Trade Adviser George Peek
Hull won the last round when FDR
announced that Peek's deal to I'M
load three-quarters OF a million bales
Of cotton on Germany In a straight
barter negotiation was a dead tur-
key because the goods we would have
to take in exchange would violate our
anti-dumping law. Peek's office has
kept its mouth shut on this decision
but a Congressional source reports
government legal experts ruled the
cotton deal would not have run
counter 10 the letter Of the dump
ing law. What II would have done TO
the spirit Of the act Is clear.
Time - Those close TO Peek say
the White House rebuff has not in
clined him 70 offer his resignation
in a huff. Rather he plans to sit
tight in the belief his formula even
tually will have 10 be accepted.
Secretary Hull's activities have
been directed 10 a preservation OF the
most favored-nation clause whereby
all nations agreeing have an equal
shot at any foreign market.
Hull's economic adviser, Herbert
Feis-a Felix Frankfurter nan who
first entered the State Department
In the Hoover adminiStration-ad-
vises that II the most-favored-natio
rule Is discarded the race for inter-
national trade will devolve into a
chaotic scramble. Feis urges that
from 3 70 S years be given the State
Department TO work out commercial
agreements embodying the clause.
Veteran - Peek's men say they
have no complaint against. this for
ward-looking program but they fore
see the United States losing many OF
its markets forever In the 3-to-5 year
interim.
The barter plan is advanced by
Peek as a recognized makeshift de-
signed temporarily AT least to help
tighten the domestic unemployment
load and hold some OF u rapidly
falling markets. Currently he Is
twiddling his thumbs while Hull pro-
ceeds with negotiation for new COM
mercial treaties.
Cordell Hull, in addition to being
No. ! man OF the Roosevelt cabinet.
Is a veteran Of senate politics. He el-
ready has scored In one major en-
gagement with a fellow New Dealer
Ray Moley-and most OF the Official
family have given him a wide berth
since.
Gyps - The Post office Depart
ment has felt itself called upon TO
warn all poStmaSters against a maya
zine solicitation enterprise In which
at least one member OF congress Is
said to be involved.
A name which sounds intimately
identified with the democratic party
was trademarked for the publication
and agents we're sent ont n Get SUBJ
Scriptlons at the rate Of 81 a wear.
Very shortly complaints began COM
ing into Washington that postmas-
tiers had been approached with the
rather urgent suggestion they take
a half dozen subscriptions. Now p.
NJ. @. Farley asks all postal people to
nall the gyppers and help put EN- In
the Jug.
Taxation - Whether the bonus bill
goes through or not a slight" in