Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1940-04-04

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quired Senate rati- I
fication for all flu ~ '&''A'
ture trade treaties. Ere this letter
appears in print the resolution ex-
tending the program for three years
will have been passed by Congress
and approved by the President.
1 am strongly opposed to the pres
ent method of tariff making. Granted,
that the old system was slow and
cumbersome, it nevertheless gave all
interested parties full opportunity to
be heard before anything definite was
done. Under the new system there
is no redress for anyone who feels
himself aggrieved.
The Treadway resolution to create
special committee representing both
the Congress and the general public
to formulate and recommend to Con-
gress a permanent tariff and general
trade program, to be administered by
an independent government agency,
appeals to me. That would be a con-
tinuing body that could make adj
justments in rates almost overnight.
Under the existing plan trade treaties
are made for three years, or until re-
pudiated by one or both of the con-
tracing parties which, of course, ties
our hands for at least that length
of time. AS have repeatedly pointed
out in former letters, when peace has
again been restored in Europe and
| Of
under arms return to productive work
our markets will again be flooded
with agricultural and industrial pro-
ducts just as was the case back in
| 1890, after the World war.
Well, What Then?
Station WCNY of New York, is on
the same wave length as WCCO and
is trying to take from the latter some
of its time, especially in the evening.
A hearing was held by the Federal
Communications Commission, last
Friday, at which Mayor LaGuardia of
New York city appeared in behalf
of his station During the course
of the proceedings he dramatically
asked: "What will happen if we go
on the air anyway without your per-
mission?"
Mayor LaGuardia is lawyer. At
the time of his admission to practice
law he took an oath to support the
Constitution and uphold the laws of
the land. He must realize that he is
setting bad example when he
threatens to flaunt the law that he
swore to uphold. The Mayor defines
himself as Progressive" served
with him in Congress. He was orig
inally elected in 1916 as a Repub-
lican; later he was elected as So
cialist, and then he came as plain
maverick without any label. He
loves the dramatic and he is not al
ways meticulous in his methods.
We have some rights out in our
section of the country and just be-
cause WCNY happens to be in the
great city of New York does not mean
that they can ride roughshod, La
Guardia or no LaGuardia, over the
rights that we in the Northwest have
There is altogether too much of this
cheap grandstanding on the part of
some public men these days but it
seems to make big hit with GER
tain type of our people. More is the
pity.
Would Tax Chain Stores.
A House Ways and Means sub
committee last week began holding
hearings on the interstate chain Store
tax bill. One of the first witnesses
to appear in its support was for
mer Governor Theodore Christianson,
now manager of the Association of
Retail Druggists. Mr.. Christensen
made an excellent statement, which
showed great care and thought in pre-
paration. He stressed the danger of
monopoly in our food supply, also the
possibility that once the chains Sc
cure full control of the food market
they could dictate the prices paid
by them for their merchandise.
can see merit to that contention.
Today the chains have 30-odd per-
cent of the market They have made
rapid growth in recent years and the
expansion continues.
1 asked Governor Christensen if
the Independents would be satisfied
with law that would freeze the
present set-up as was done in Switz-
erland several years ago. To this he
replied that he personally would be
satisfied with such an arrangement
but could not speak for the organiza-
tons for which he appeared.
A large number of cooperative
creameries have written to me in OPP
position to the chain store tax bill,
saying they market 80 percent of their
product through the chains and re-
ceive on an average one cent per
pound premium under that arrange
ment. Then, too, property owners
have written and expressed appre-
hension as to what would happen to
business property values if the bill
became law.
The tax is graduated, being based
on the number of stores operated and