, 1935-08-18
WASHINGTON
Nv Raw Tucker

BY Ray Tucker
CutG-PreSident Roosevelt packs
a hidden wallop against the private
utilities which may prove more
crushing that his iva yardStick and
his attack on holding companies. It
Is almost ready for delivery, but
the White House expert on timing
wort let 1t 90 for q while.
Under q senatorial mandate the
Federal Power Commission has
been prying into the cost Of dis
t-sbuting electricity TO large and
small consumers. For years the
utilities have striven 70 keep these
figures dark and TO make them too
complex for the layman TO under
stand. Many companies cannot tell
themselves how much Of the ma
tons annual $4,000. 900. 600 electric
ity bill goes into this item. It Is an
~Undeveloped field OF accounting.
III Is roughly estimated that
81, COO. 900 900 a year Is spent on
distributing juice after generation.
But what lis not known-and what
the power experts at Washington
Will charges that S500.0OO.O00 OF
his sum Is sheer, unnecessary waste
paid for BY the consumer. The report
VII point straight to a drastic and
immediate cut in rates from Maine
to California.
COmedy-Although Herbert Hoo
yer reaped a harvest OF headlines
on his recent trip TO New York. an
incident involving two republican
hIgher-ups reveals how unpopular
the ex-president L. with the prac-
tIcal politicians.
While at New York Mr.. Hoover
conferred with Ogden L. Mills,
Theodore Roosevelt and ex-senator
David A. Reed Of Pennsylvania. To
the casual reader IL may appear that
influential politicos had rushed TO
nav homage TO Mr.. Hoover, unless
you remember that his trio Of us-
itors quit politics by popular re-
quest. All three went down In the
Roosevelt landslide OF 1882.
Downstairs In the same hotel
during these So-called political
conferences were two young and
active republican leaders Rep.
Chester Bolton OF Ohio and Rep.
Robert l. Bacon OF New York. They
happen TO be. respectively. chair
man and vice-chRirman Of the
republican congressional committee.
Though they heard Of Mr.. Hoovers
presence a few flights up. they wenS
10 see a musical comedy.
Inside - Anti Roosevelt conServa-
tlves on both sides Of the senate
aisle had their fingers crossed when
trey jeered at the soak-the-ricn
bill Actually they are glad TO lay
a measure which apparently salts
files nobody on the doorstep OF the
White House.
They had to make faces on the
F.ooa but they went out OF their
way 10 step aside. Millionaire Jesse
Metcalfe OF Rhode Island was the
KEY figure IN the plot. Mr. Metcalf
held two republican proxies when
the Senate Finance Committee voted
on reporting the soak-the-rich or
the soak-the-poor rates-thoSe OF
Hastings Of Delaware and Keyes Of
New Hampshire. But he forgot TO
vote his proxies. and thereby ne let
the administration forces reverse the
committees earlier vote In favor Of
tire LaFollette schedule. Two con-
sentative democrats-Walsh OF Mas
sachusetts and Gore OF Oklahoma
also stepped aside on the plea Of
Pat Harrison.
Mr.. Hastings. who has q lot 20
learn about politics. berated Mt.
Netcalf when ne learned OF the
incident. But wiser heads explained
what was I'D. IF the democrats want
10 raise taxes on the eve Of elec-
ton" they told him. "let EN- 90
t." That's the inside story Of the
1898 tax bill.
OFI-Although the administration
has promoted the Guffey coal bill
as n means OF keeping industrial
peace and salvaging NRA gains
there Is a strong suspicion In Con-
eressional circles that 10 may turn
out TO be d boomerang for the min
e=s.
There Is a healthy belief on Cap
itol Hill that powerful oil interests
are keen for the proposal 70 become
law. With competition In the home
heating field growing fiercer every
dav. oil producers are known 20
feel that the bill viii eventually
hoist the price Of coal and thus In
crease the market for their product.
Some coal operators have advanced
this argument at their private con
fprrnceS.
Chief opposition 10 establishment
or a bituminouS NRA has been It's
supposed unconstitutionalitv The
administration did not place the
measure on its must" list until
after the supreme court upset. II
has had rough enough shedding
without this new complication.
Initiation - President RooSeveltS
unexpected approval or the Spanish
FwY.- w.~&nwmnwg wanefr. restoration