Evening star., 1939-10-27
American Members
OF i. S.-Canadian
Board 10 Be Replaced
President Will Act
To Save Salaries,
Perhaps Speed Treoty
BY JOHN C. HENRY.

sS'"0PS SPCSu IICuly
BY JOHN c. HENRY.
Contemplated replacement of all
three American members of the In
ternational Joint Commission, an
organization established by treaty
to negotiate United States Canadian
boundary questions, was revealed
today by President Roosevelt.
The action will be taken, he in
dicated at his press conference, un-
der the Government Reorganiza-
ton Act in the interests of econ
omy and perhaps of speeding up the
long standing negotiations on the
st. Lawrence Waterway treaty.
Each of the three commission
members will be replaced by a Gov
ernment official, Mr.. Roosevelt said,
with the $500 per year salaries
formerly paid the commissioners
being eliminated. Although dis
closing no selections for the COM
mission posts, the President read q
letter to one Of the present COM
missioners, Eugene Lorton of Tulsa,
Okla, in which he explained his
intentions.
Then, he said, word had been
received from the other commits
sion members of their readiness to
resign. Since then. former Gov.
John H. Bartlett of New Hampshire
and Mr.. Lorton have submitted
designations. while former Senator
Augustus o. Stanley of Kentucky
the third member, is expected to do
SO soon.
Treaty Question "Dusted on"
The st. Lawrence treaty, long a
matter Of great personal interest to
Mr.. Roosevelt and which he un-
successfully urged on the Senate
several years ago. he said was still
in a very preliminary stage. Add
ing that the question had been
more or less dormant for the last
year, he said it is now being taken
out and busted off"
The President also took occasion
to express dissatisfaction with the
progress of semi official American
group attempting to adjust de-
faulted Latin American debts. He
revealed his opinion of the work of
this commission. headed by Reuben
Clark, former United States Am
bassador to Mexico, in response to
a question whether he favored q
scaling down of the Latin American
debt to American citizens, estimated
in the neighborhood of 81 900 900 ,0OO
Appointed in 1888 as a private
bondholders' protective committee,
the Clark group has been under fire
previously from Government sources
and at one time invited suggestions
from the State Department and the
Securities and Exchange Commits
sion as guides to its further opera
ton.
recommendations were made and
the committee has continued its
efforts since that time. Today Mr..
Roosevelt said he did not believe
they had got very far and that he
was rather disappointed with their
work. He did not indicate whether
he contemplated any action.
Won't Enter Row Over Wallace.
Mr.. Roosevelt declined to be
drawn into the controversy over the
propriety of Secretary of Agriculture
Wallace's suggestion that wartime
conditions make it desirable he
should be elected to third term.
Yesterday White House Secretary
Stephen Early issued blunt rebuke
to the cabinet officer, with the sug-
gestlon that it would have been
kind and polite if he had consulted
the victim before he spoke"
Asked today if this might also ap-
ply to earlier third-term proposals
by Secretary of the Interior Ickes,
Mr.. Roosevelt countered by asking if
discussion hadn't better be confined
to news.
He declined also to shed any light
on the meaning of a song about
Vice President Garner heading for
the White House gate" when a re-
porter asked which way the Vice
President was travelling. Instead,
Mr.. Roosevelt recalled a story that
had former President Coolidge re-
marking the sight of Senator Borah
on horseback as one of the most in
teresting in Washington, because
the Idaho rebel was actually going
in the same direction as his horse.
No Defense Estimate Yet.
Under questioning about the size of
next winters defense budget, Mr..
Roosevelt said he could make no
estimate of the total at this time
because conversations thus far had
dealt only with maintenance and
operation of the existing military
plant rather than with its expan-
sion. The latter question will not
be taken up until near the first of
the year, he said.
The President made this statement
when asked about reports that the
administration contemplated a 81
600 100000 defense program next
session.
At another point, Mr.. Roosevelt
expressed the belief that every one
wanted a stabilized prosperity with
out increased prices.
To a request for comment on
statements by various industrialists
that they preferred a steady recov-
cry rather that war boom, the
Chief Executive said that was sort
of vague. Bue, he added. he thought
that all wanted stabilized pros
perity and all wanted profits, but
no one wanted prices to 60 up.
Girls Advised