Evening star., 1937-12-01

brains department Of Republican Ma
tlonal Committee headquarters asked
the telephone company to assign him
MS house number. This was done. but
with the suggestion that Castle would
DO well to wait while before using il.
When he inquired the reason for delav.
ne was told that it was designed to avoid
interruptions of his sleep, because North
22o0 used to be the telephone number of
one OF the most popular bootleggers in
Washington!
Japan's foremost labor leader. Bunpi
Suzuki, who is one of the REPRESENTATIVES
OF his class in the Toxic Parliament is
now IN Washington. He is understood
10 crave an opportunity to defend
Japans side of the war with China
before meetings of United States work
ers. AS far as the American Federation
OF LABOR is concerned, though Mr..
suzuki has for years been in fraternal
contact with its leaders, he isn't likely
10 receive much encouragement. At it's
recent annual convention in Denver
the federation by overwhelming vote
urged labor to boycott japanese goods.
Inc National Consumer News announces
tne result OF Nationwide check among
American housewives of average-income
homes, revealing an 8-to-2 vote in favor
OF boycott. Eighty three per cent said
they would refuse to buy Japanese goods
even II cheaper or better. Eighty-six per
cent did not consider a boycott unwise
on grounds that it would be better not
to interfere In the Far Eastern conflict.
Seventy-three per cent would refuse to
buy things made in Japan" even in the
absence Of boycott.
1t isn't only cur British cousins with
whom a joke is no laughing matter.
Even Senators of the United States get
that way. At one of the brilliant parties
periodically given by the Soviet Embassy,
Senator Vandenberg of Michigan, sur
veying the glittering scene, recently re-
marked to friend: by gosh. if this
is Communism, I'm for it, A few days
later the quip was repeated to a certain
Midwest colleague Of Vandenberg. 1t
failed to register, but, when Senator
- recovered consciousness, he whis-
pered, conf1dentially: But Arthur isn't a
Communist"
Authorities warn the country not to
build aircastles out Of the $4,000, ,O00, 900
Roosevelt housing plan, as far as i'm
mediate results are concerned. Fore
cast by men Of Unconditional opinion is
that industry may experience moderate
upswing from the building program next
spring, which will mount still higher
next fall, but that broad results cannot
be expected for another year, or longer.
The psychological effect of the projected
movement Is nevertheless 100 per cent
to the good, and should manifest itself
steadily and progressively from now on.
One Of the flies in the ointment is the
fear of labor demands for higher wages
in the near future. Administration
housing people are confident they can
bring about q substantial reduction In
construction costs, as far as building ma
terials are concerned, but are far less
hopeful of comparable concessions In
union wage scales.
4 &*
Attorney General Cummings address
in New York this week on "The Un-
solved Problem of Monopoly" suggests
that one cause of delay in Federal trust
busting is the blindness Of the law. IT
you look at the statutes" he asks, "do
you find the law? Not at ALL Only the
simple expect to fnd the law in the
statute books. The law must be searched
out, as If it were quarry in the
tangled underbrush Of an almost i'm
penetrable forest. The courts have in
terpreted and reinterpreted the law and
have, from time to time, laid down doc
trines of q modifying and even self
contradictory nature. It IL q case Of
confusion worse confounded.'
s>s4-e (copyrtsht, 1e37)