The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-12-30

WOA4N INV CASSAOANN AAS~SAOAAS$A the value of their new emergency plants inside of five years, for taxation purposes.
 The Packard Motor company, which received a large order of Rollys-Royce engines after the Ford company turned down the order, argued for several weeks over the new tax bill, while the Curtiss aeroplane company had some pretty vigorous things to tell the Treasury about taxes on the emergency plants it was to build for government orders.
 In the end, William Knudsen, Secretary of War Si..nson, and other national defense chiefs told Congress that it would be im- possible to get the national de- fense program moving unless a provision was written into the new tax bill permitting capital in- veStments for national defense to be written off within five years.
 This was agreed. It was also agreed that certificates of neces- sity" would be issued to companies working on national defense or ders, and that these certificates would give them the much de- sired tax benefits.
 To handle these certificates of necessity, the War and Navy Departments hurriedly set up elaborate organizations to handle the expected flood of applica- tiOnS from business. So did the Defense Commission, which must approve the certificates be- fore the Treasury will allow the tax charge-Off.
 They expected at least 10000 applications. But months have passed and less than 200 appli- cations have come in.
 All of which is a big puzzle to the Defense Commissioners. Also it is the inside reason for their recent warning that February is the last date on which applica- tions for certificates of necessity" may be filed.
 Privately, Defense officials are concerned. They don't like the prospect of going back to Con- gross and asking for an exten- sion of the February 5 deadline. For they know what a howl against business will go up from Congress and how many em- barrassing questions will be asked.
 One of the most ticklish ques- tions will be why business doesn't take advantage of the benefits which it demanded so vigorously; and why, in such case, it would not be just as well for Congress to repeal the benefits.
 BRAIN TRUST vS. BUSINESS
 Brisk, plain-talking William L. Bait, $1-a-year Defense Commis- sion consultant, is one of Amer ica's leading business. men, head of the great s. K. F. (ball-bear- mg) company and director of other corporations. Defense Com missioner Leon Henderson is a New Deal brain truster, and eyed with great suspicion by business.
 Nevertheless the two men are good friends and work closely to- gether on defense matters. At a recent meeting Batt was ques- tioned about 8 certain business situation and repeatedly admitted he didn't know the answer. But each time, Henderson spoke up and supplied the information.
 '.Leon," finally remarked Batt, ''how did you learn all that?"
 'sBilI," replied Henderson with mock severity, ''the trouble with you brain trusters is that you don't know the practical prob lems of business. You ought to get out of the government and learn what 1t means to have to meet a payroll" ARGENTINE AAA
 Argentina, that country of open spaces, bumper crops and heavy exports, is on the verge of doing a Henry Wallace. Never before have the Argentines admitted that there was any system better than growing all the wheat you could get out of the soil, and all the flax and ell the barley.
 They have long been the greatest grain exporting country in the world, and they have become so by sowing, reaping heavy, and fill- ing outbound vessels to the matches with grain.
 But now the outbound vessels arc foW. and the graln ia hacklnR