The Wilmington morning star., 1941-01-05
Bruce Cations
In Washington
The Star-News' Washington
CORRESPONDENT

WASHINGTON. Nobody knows yet just
what will happen to C. I. o. President Phi
Murray's plan for putting %airplane production
on a 5oO-a-day basis by converting idle plants
of cars no longer manufactured, but it's al
least a cinch that the motion won't die fo1
want of a second.
1t has aroused intense interest in the Defense
Commission, and will almost certainly be Civ
en- a thorough study.
Weeks ago, when the whole study existed
largely in the head of Walter Reuther, of the
United Auto Workers, it was brought to Sidney
over in detail with Assistant Secretary of Wal
Patterson, who agreed with him that the study
should be completed, put into writing and sub
mitted as rapidly as possible.
Naturally, it's expected the project will draw
heavy opposition, especially from the estab'
lished aviation industry. In labor circles in
Washington the proposal is looked on as the
answer to Defense Commissions Knudsen's
demand for a speed-up, and there'n be a fine
row if any effort is made to shelve it.
Eye On Panama
The State Department is quietly watching
without too much anxiety to see what strange
turn is taken next by the government of the
republic of Panama under President Arnulfo
Arias.
Arias. strongly anti-Gringo,, is apparently
| eau vaguely Ill u1C VI sS1AA~ W.
of totalitarian state. First step was taken
when he got a recent plebiscite to approve his
PROPOSAL that any constitutional changes voted
by the Panama assembly need not Gas in the
past) wait until another assembly ~ratifies them
two years later.
Point of this is that Arias has some pretty
extensive constitutional changes in mind, In
Guiding extension of his own term and the
term of the assembly members from four to
six years. He also wants to appropriate for
eign-owned public utilities and to set up divers
business monopolies, and has a provision Civ
ing the. government power to deny special
civil rights to aliens, including citizens OF
the U. S. A.
There's no especial suspicion in Washington
of any Nazi influence here, even though Arias
is giving his administration a strong anti.
U. S. cast. In any case, this government isn't
much worried, simply because Panama is very
much under the gun. Panama's prosperity
depends pretty largely on U. S. spending in
and around the canal zone.
Inventors Heard
Probably for the first time, the ambitious
inventor who wants to equip Uncle Sam with
fancy new weapons is getting prompt and ex
pert attention as fast as he shows up.
The National Inventors Council, set up this
fall in the Department of Commerce with e
Sis, 900 expense fund from the President
emergency account, has qualified experts
ready to look at any and every proposition any
inventor wants to offer. So far, it has looked
at some 1000, and more are coming in at the
rate of about 1875 a day.
Some fairly woozy things have been suggest
ed, of course, but the council isn't saying what
they are, figuring there'n be time enough TO,
people to have a good laugh after the emergen.
cy is over. Meanwhile, the percentage oil
disable ideas is surprisingly ~high-much higher,
for instance, than in 1918, when the naval
consulting board had to pass on all new in.
v%entions. Nobody knows what caused the i'm
provement, unless it's just that Americans to-
day are more familiar with things like air
planes than they were before. !