The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-12-27

jobs Of the year.
 For 1t was he who put a quasi. New Dealer at the helm of one of the biggest and most bitterly anti-New Deal holding companies in the country-Assoeiated Gas and Electric,
 Homer did It with the help Of three women.
 The threo women are the sisters of Howard Hopson, dominating power behind Ad&E. HopSon is the Shndowy figure who eluded the Hugo Black Senate Investigating committee four years ago, and who has vigorously opposed the New Deal,
 Now iii, and virtually out of the picture, Hopson has been in dis- agreement with his sisters, who own . large part of the companys stock, They have felt that one Of the largest utility companies in the United States should not Do wrecked merely to satisfy a grudge against the New Deal
 So through pr. Daniel Starch, former Harvard professor and huS. band Of Amy Jane HopBon, the three sisters approached Homer Cummings. At first Homer fe. fused. He said the Associated Gas and Electric mess was too inextrieable for him.
 But he was approached a second time, and finally consented to represent the three sisters in re- vitalizing the company,
 It was Cummings who selected Roger Whiteford, director of the Acacia Mutual Life Insurance company, t0 head the giant utility. WhItef0rd is Q g0lf- ing partner of presidential sec. retaFy Steve Early and . RoOse- welt supporter. although by no means . 100 per cent New Deal. CT. Significantly, he is being paid by the month, not the year reported stipend, Si0,OOO monthly.
 Presumhble reason for re. organization is that Associated Gas and Electric faces heavy bond payment in the spring and has been trying to borrow REC money to meet it. SEC experts, however. doubt If Ad@IE can meet that hurdle. and predict that it may be ono Of the first 70 fall victim to the Holding Company Act,
 McNUTT AND FARLEY
 It is no beeret to Paul MeNutt or 10 most politicians. that POS master General Jim Farley hnB no great love for him. Jim has taken absolutely no pains t0 con. ceal 1t.
 In a different category ara Fas- ley'S relations with Cabinet ecl' league Harold ickes. Ths two men are great friends, though Farley frankly doesn't agree with E0iDe of fckes' fortnight, liberal speeches
 The other day, however Ickes kaid something which FM'ey most heartily approved, IL was the famous statement cracking down on MeNutt aB lacking the support of liberals.
 Later Farley telephOned Ickes in unc0neealed giee. What do yOu mean," he wisecracked, ''bushWacklng against our eah. didate?"
 CHRISTMAS PROTOCOL
 Peace on earth was the theme Of the Christmas broadcast given by the children of Washington diplomats last week, but back stage there was not much peace among the children's mothers. Un- willing to forget prestige and pros tocol, they wrangled about whose child should have the preferred position before the microphone
 Should the son of the Nor- wegian minister have tO follow the daughter of the Secretary of the Finnish Legation just be- cause N comes after N in the aIphabets Or should the daugh- ter of the Yugosiav minister come last because Y is at the end.
 NEG officials thought they had prevented wrangei by asking State Department advice in ad- vance. The Departments proto- col officers had suggested that the children appear In aiphabeti- col order.
 But when the mothers in tho