The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1940-05-06

falls upward, speculative
whether saving Norway - still
problematical - was worth the
diplomatic risk entailed by pos
sible fiasco. Far better. they
counseled. to let Hitler hold Nor
way than to suffer a repulse that
might lead Mussolini to ally him.
self actively with Berlin. But the
brilliant, impulsive Churchill.
emulating Der Fuehrer. dictated
military policy.
A confidential memo prepared
for Henry Wallace on farm ex-
port prospects reveals American
agriculture as a major war casu-
atty. The figures for various
important crops paint a blacker
picture than our experts had
forecast when the Allies quit our
markets.
Here are the estimates of ex-
pected and prospective sales to
Great Britain for several cash
crops. The first figure repre-
sents normal purchases, while the
second shows the amounts TO be
shipped abroad in the current
years: Tobacco - $50. 900 600
versus 135,000.000 pounds; lard
-225, 100000 versus 125, 000, 900
pounds; cured pork-60, 900 900
versus 100000 pounds; wheat
25,000,000 versus 5000, 900 BUSH
els; fresh apples-5, 900, 900 YER
sus 1900, 900 bushels; fresh pears
So, 100000 versus 1900. 900
pounds. Cotton, rice and canned
goods are the only commodities
London will buy in volume COM
mensurate with peacetime pur-
chases. For France the figures
are even more pessimistic,
though they represent smaller
variety of products. In addition,
countries like Germany, Poland,
Czechoslovakia and now Scandi-
navia have been eliminated by
the blockade.
Negotiations with the British
French "appeasement mission"
have Topped, for this memo was
prepared after strenuous confer
ences witt Messrs. Ashton Gwat-
kin and Rist. They told Mr.. Wal
lace: THE Allies will buy within
their own empires and from coun-
tries where they can get some
thing in return. And the United
States stands last on that list"
James A. Farley has given no
sign of resigning as national
chairman, and so far there has
been no open demand that he
step out. But there will be a mad
scramble over his successor if he
feels that his presidential candi-
dacy makes retention of his post
embarrassing.
The federal reserve SYSTEMS
personnel has been quietly trans
formed under the regime of men
like Chairman Mariner S.
Eccles and Members Chester
Davis and Ernest G. Draper.
1t no longer consists of bankers
who look at America only with
the eyes of men deep in finance.
With only one exception-and
he is a holdover-the chairman
of the board of the regional dis
tricts are business men, indus
trialists, agriculture experts,
lawyers. Every advisory COM
mittee now contains a practical
or theoretical farmer wise in
the ways Of making money out
of the soil. Typical of the new
membership are Owen D. Young
and Robert e. Wood of Sears
Roebuck. They bring to their
assignment a broader under
standing of the nations prob
lems-in war, near-war or peace
than did the old-fashioned
bankers.
The change also represents a
definite saving in dollars and
cents. Formerly the board
chairmen received salaries rang
ing from $4,000 to $4,000.
Their successors serve for MOTH
ing, and they work at it, too.
At a recent board conference
Young gave instructions to his
office not to interrupt him with
phone calls under any circum-
stances.