The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1938-12-05

publicity monographs to sing
about such successful disposal
Of 20 million bushels of wheat.
Not this time. The official hand
out was bare three sentences
without any detail, issued be-
latedly and reluctantly after
newsmen had picked up a tip
in London and forced the farm
3ixers here to say something.
Possibility that this recalci.
trance is due to modeSty may be
discarded. Washington mimeo-
grapherS have never exhibited
that particular emotion. More
likely it is due to the hoIier ex-
pected from Canada and the Ar
gentine-and also from the
u. S. if and when the price at
which we are selling is made
public.
incidentally, also, a State De-
partment official is offering $25
for any authentic information
as to what Mr.. Hull, master of
Tennessee mountain cusswordS.
said when he read the news
aboard ship en- route to the Pan
American conference which Ar.
gentina is attending.
All at Cut Rate
MINOR efforts are being made
WA here to pass the deal off as
involving only American ex-
porters and British millers.
These efforts will continue to be
minor. It is a matter of inside
fact that F. r. Wilcox, executive
vice president Of the Federal
Surplus Commodities Corpora
ton, happened to be in England
at the time. He will sell the
wheat to the exporters who will
sell it in turn to the British
millers, all at a cut rate below
world prices, with the U. S. Gov
eminent paying the difference.
Insiders in the wheat trade
have information that the price
this Government will get is
somewhere between 20 and %
cents a bushel. With wheat
around so cents in the world
market, this means Mr.. Wal
1ace's subsidy payment would be
In the neighborhood of % cents.
This assumption is not I'M
reasonable as the last quoted
subsidy on FSC flour got up to
$1.05 a barrel equivalent of Az
bushels Of wheat0
Hitler Method Similar
T EFT it not be suspected that
II officials here are ashamed.
Hitler is employing the same
subsid y-undersel1ing system
against us in South America on
all products. So are many others
in the scramble for trade. It
Is a new world export game in
which we hope to get rid of our
share Of SURPRISES.
But that will not make
Canada and Argentina like it.
British consumption is not in
creasing particularly. Our sale
will edge them out of that much
Of the British market.
Furthermore, these tactics are
expensive, they come at a bad
time (between the huzzahs over
the Anglo-American trade treaty
and the Lima conference) and
they do not fit into the Hull
good-neighbor, equal-treatment,
reciprocal trade treaty picture
very snugly.
Harrison, Lecturer
DAT HARRISON is up to some
i thing. The tax-tariff leader
Of the Senate, who has made
only one speech in six months,
Is going to make four next week.
He is making a lecture tour
Detroit, Chicago, Cincinnati,
South Bend) at a time, just be-
fore Congress, when most of the
other leaders are avoiding COM
mitments.
His friends think he intends to
appeal for commonsense COOP
Grafton at the next session, sup
preston of old animoSities, eau
tious action, because: This coun-
try is suffering from high eco
nomic blood pressure and needs
q more careful diet, more rest.
It looks like the first express
sion Of affirmative congressional
leadership.
Farm Talks in South
A GRICULTURE Department
"A bigwigs have been silently
hitting the Southern trail to
build up a big vote for the COM
ing cotton. rice and tobacco
referenda December 10 and I'D.
Gone to make the wind recently
q have been Wallace, Wilson,
Brown, Evans, Hutson, Duggan,
Bledsoe and Jarrett.
They expect to win all three
votes but consider a big showing
necessary in view of quota an
tagonism in the corn and wheat
belts.
OF Steel Wages
MO wonder Nine. Perkins
~ held back copies of her
contracts boards steel wage re-
port until after election. It
contains a minority report
claiming the minimum set for
steel wages will crowd small
steel men out of business. The
publicity announcement made
the Saturday before election