WEEKLY NEWS BY JOSEPH W. LaBINE confiscated. od of Russia prepares to interne . U7 {ing Poles. Army mobilned, Nasi pe! engineers arrive fo ald In re organiting inefectusl Soviet induatry. Chamberlain, Daladier form supreme war council in ariraordinary secret & First reports of joint French. orn Front. Alles advance in Saar basin, Spain siressing neutrality, interne of belligerent ships not leaving port on 24 hours notice. Long-awaited rains bog down German front pressures forces with. P drawal of some Hel divisions Invasion. Wertern UMAnie worries, ruthes frontier rein Maly offers barter, ofies offer gold te win Ballas trade. States for Ger many, which demands pre wor contracts be filled despite probability of ron rent a CONGRESS: Emergency? Open for inspection this month is alies. Whether Franklin Roosevelt made third term capital out of Eu- rope’'s woes was only a guess, but the emergency war strange things to happen. of ly's words,” was the ‘ima brain trust.” Solidly whacked der presidential orders were Com- munists and Fascists. Brought $l-a-year emergency posts we un- ington has seen since Herbert Hoo- ver left town. Big business, the President's No. 1 foe, not only supported his “ and-carry” one of its representatives, Industri- alist Herbert Bayard Swope, said enthusiastically that “Mr. Roosevelt is going to keep us out of this war." Meanwhile the tradi- tional big business party, Re- publican ism, wascon- vinced the a New Deal's i hidde fry SENATOR NYE oor Aim “ ..better talk now ..." 4 troops to settle Europe's quarrel. Such Republicans as Ohio's Sen. Robert Taft and Vermont's Sen. Warren Austin plumped for cash- and-carry, as did many a lesser in- surgent Democrat who last summer hated all that Franklin Roosevelt represents, If this looked like harmony, ob- servers had another guess coming. They had not reckoned with North Dakota's Sen. Gerald P. (‘'Neutral- ity'’) Nye, with Idaho's lionish Sen. William E. Borah, or with Missouri's Democratic Sen. Bennett Champ Clark. As the call went out for special congressional session, voices like these were raised in protest and warning. Isolationism again reached the fore. Far from stubborn, Senator Borah merely wanted assurance of ade- quate debate on neutrality. He had no desire to “kill time,” but was sure cash-and-carry ‘will inevitably bring us into war.” More alarming was Senator Nye, author of the present neutrality law: “Americans had better talk now before the gags of a declared emergency are placed. 1 expect that from here on the administration will be contending that every voice raised in opposition . . . is at once a pro-Hitler voice. Be that as it may . . . there willbe . . . a com- plete demonstration to the Ameri- can people of what the President's wishes will lead America into.” What gags he had in mind, Mr. Nye did not say. But there was every indication cash-and-carry neu- trality, without gags, had a chance of getting through congress. Under proposed amendments any goods could be sold to a belligerent who bought it, paid for it and carted it away in his own ships. American ships would be prohibited from en- tering combat areas. (Incorporated in New York was an agency through which French and British governments could buy war materials and other goods from their $7,000.000,000 war chest set aside for purpose, Planned last spring, the agency replaces J, P. Morgan & Company, who acted in this capacity during the last war.) One other question facing the President was how to get rid of congress once it had changed neu- trality. Quite a case for contin- uous wartime session could be built from a Gallup poll which showed most Americans feel safer with con. gress «in session. Moreover, spe- cial interests began clamoring for non-emergency legislation. Califor- THE WAR: Behind Scenes “What kind of a war is this? The na tion is puzzled. It expected war to mean an immediate clash of arms . . . Instead, there is little news . . . Nineteen out of twenty persons ask therefore this ques tion: Are we making as decisive an at tack . . . as our strength allows?” Day after printing this editorial, Lord Beaverbrook's Evening Stand. ard had more news, not from the front but of carryings-on behind scenes. Secretly, Prime Minister Chamberlain and Lord Chatfield (minister of a. s defense co- ordination) flew the Eng- lish channel and met Premier Edouard Daladier and French Gen. Maurice Ga- melin some- where near Paristoform a supreme allied defense avoided one of the nations made in their BEAVERBROOK Well? council. Thus was mistakes those last war Next day Mr. Chamberlain, safely French meeting and Germany, but they Poland and liberate trounce rescue the Czechs. Significantly sile Hermann nt following Field Goering's blast gress must ‘‘correct the injustices New Everything like congress quite a spell. would sit for m y The Neutrals Biggest repercussion of war in the hemisphere was the con- ama City to safeguard neutral- further economic co-operation. i gest repercussions in the Far East were (1) shakeup of Japanese army leadership in China and Manchukuo to hasten an to the Chinese war, and (2) German-inspired ef- forts for a non-aggression pact with Russia, thus checking the growing Japanese sentiment in Britain's fa- vor. Though the government did not take these efforts seriously, there were expressed desires for a of Russo-Jap border end questions. But the biggest neutral news came from Europe, pleasant and other- wise. Moscow's allegiance to Ber- lin was more marked than ever. German engineers arrived to aid Russian industry, thus indicating be Adolf Hitler's storehouse. While Paris radio re- ported all Soviet merchant ships en route to England had been ordered home, thus indicating a coming breach, the Soviet joined hostilities by shooting Polish craft which vio- lated the frontier. Should enough such incidents occur, Russia might take revenge by joining Der Fuehrer in a new Polish partition. Com- pletely mobilized, the Soviet was capable of almost anything. Most intense activity came in the Mediterranean region. Andre ANDRE FRANCOIS-PONCET Things happened in Rome, Francois-Poncet, French ambassa- dor to Rome, allegedly notified his foreign office that Italian neutrality is certain, that Mussolini is angry over Germany's warlike settlement of the Danzig issue, and that all this may eventually work out to the al- lies’ benefit, Not only was Signor Mussolini making every effort to bolster his world trading position and thus wax rich, but he looked especially at the frightened Balkan states. There he saw puzzled tradesmen seeking any port in a storm, striving to stay neutral while Germany pressed for delivery of goods contracted before the war. This much was certain: Italy had more interest in her own future than in Germany's, and might even consider Herr Hitler a goodly menace should he win con- trol over the Balkans, But if Musso- lini could control Balkan trade, if he could meanwhile develop a prof- itable war commerce with France and Britain, so much the better, many was apparently busy pursuing war on two fronts. Food rationing was extended, all auto tires were confiscated and a contraband-of-war was decreed as a ‘defense against British blockade. In Paris, smart Premier Daladier formed a 21-man war cabinet which included all parties except Social- ist, whose Leon Blum refused to England learned for the first time that her troops and planes were fighting in France. With activities ports. vances en back. Nn were ariv- »d Germany SMIGLY-RYDZ AND WIFE The bald pate got wet counter offensive, but said the ground was recaptured and poilus were primed for an attack on the famed German West wall. Eastern War After waiting two weeks, Poland's Marshal Edward Smigly-Rydz final- ly got his bald pate wet. The fa- mous autumn rains started and Ger- man advance was slackened while the efficient Polish artillery went into action. Warsaw was variously reported falling and standing. Prob- ably it still stood, but it was evi- dent the Poles were taking losses elsewhere on the frontier to keep their major city intact. On the propaganda front, Poles (and even U. 8. Ambassador Anthony Drexel Biddle) reported Germans were bombing everything in sight, AGRICULTURE: Corn Woes From 1928 to 1937 corn production average was 2.310,- 000,000 bushels, Last year it was 2,542,000,000 bushels. 000 bushels already sealed on farms 2,450,000,000 bushels. But month Secretary Henry A. Wallace had to confess: Later figures boost. over. have 3,000,000,000 bushels of corn on hand for the coming season. Under AAA regulations, Mr. Wal. lace had to decide whether the inhdi- cated supply is more than 10 per cent above normal domestic needs plus export requirements. If so, he had to propose marketing quotas for next year and submit them to corn belt farmers for approval or rejection. If approved by two- thirds, quotas would require farm- ers exceeding their allotments to store excess grain or pay a pen- alty tax of 15 cents a bushel. Biggest factor working gaint quotas was last spring's a ally large pig crop, which Mr. Wallace gad would justify raising the quotas WASHINGTON.—My faith in the tices when there had to be a choice Every fair mind- manufacturing, banking, transportation or any other—has had a terrific onslaught of cock- eyed arguments to meet in the last few years. To me, it is a distinct tribute to the profit system that we have seen as many businesses sur- vive the last five or six years as there are still operating. But, calling upon the these columns, 1 have without exception that there are crooks in business, and that the present administration ought to di- rect some of its venom at the crooks, rather than at business as a whole. And, so, this week, 1 want to write about this situation that has come to the surface as a result of the burst of flame that has engulfed Europe; they have shown again the true colors of their makeup and they have taken advantage of a situation in world affairs, without any justi- fication, to bleed the consumers of the United States, Almost with t gun the Eastern int minority of business rubbed the palms of ti record of contended he crash on Sung prices perfidy, 3 a waler d a counter- pane of lies th: vill react t ggainst all business, including the growers of raw m ! as the crops of the fields. by fficials well as the brigand {f busi b latter class is collecting an unseen (but deeply felt) tax from all of us who buy food to eat or clothes to wear. Hoarding and High Prices Due to Greed, Crookedness I have interviewed a lot of people in the field of business in the few days in an effort to ascertain where the cheating is going on. Moreover, 1 have investigated a number of business practices with the thought that these vide a clue to some of the price in- creases, and reasons for , with the results rhentioned in the para- graph above. There must be added, however, one additional conviction: hundreds of thousands of consumers have become frightened and have started hoarding — buying excess supplies because of fright. I still can not believe, however, that these hoarding tactics are completely re- sponsible for the kiting of prices that ha« taken place. Ruthlessness and greed, faithlessness and the or- dinery, garden variety of crooked- ness among certain elements of business must accept responsibility; for, from these things together with the campaign of misrepresentation which those elements have engi- neered come the fright of the aver age consumer. Hence, hoarding. In my study of the price situatjon on the regular purchases of a house- hold, I have sampled quotations and advertising in Washington and Bal- timore. Washington is somewhat different than any other city in the United States, but Baltimore is a large industrial area, fairly reflect- ing normal reactions of buyers. 1 as lant ASN te ee wiem stores and traced them back to wholesalers and jobbers, and to the Guilt attaches to a small per. centage in the retail lines, the av- erage store. There were instances found where the prices were boosted on commodities that had been on the shelves three months, articles that could not have been affected in any way by any possible change in manufacturing costs, added ex- distribution. And, incidentally, there is almost no record of any increases in those items of manufacturing and distributing costs. The department of commerce figures do not reflect them, nor do the reports in the hands of the department of labor show them. But the beady-eyed rats behind the counters of a small per- centage of retail stores will blandly tell you these things have happened. Some Wholesalers Are as Guilty as Sneak Thieves There are certain of the whole- salers who are as guilty as sneak thieves in the night, but, like the retailers, not all of them are re- sorting to price increases for plain profit. From my own inquiries and from all of the information that has been made available to me, I am inclined to believe there are more wholesalers—a larger percentagé of them-~who have advantage of the perils of the times than can be shown among the retailers. In- stances of actual sales and cancella- tions of contracts and refusal of de- liveries and delays in handling ship- ments were related, where added profit accrued to the wholesaler or jobber, that almost seemed too fiendish to believe. And worse, those fellows were constantly offering new suggestions that had no basis in fact in justification of their acts. We heard every one of the alibis of- fered during the days of 1917. And the manufacturers. A flock of those fellows, again, not a large percentage, were found to be hiking their prices on goods already manu- factured and ready for delivery. Now, I ask how on earth the prices on a finished product can be influ- enced by conditions that did not arise until after the work was done. The only answer 1 obtained to the question anywhere was that replace- ments would cost more, and there must be an inventory of sufficient size maintained to meet the demand. In other words, that limited group was taking the profit while the tak- ing was good. One can not examine the situation, as now presented without consider- ing the stock market—the buying and selling of securities. It is not hear that quotati boomed on every share of stock of a corporation that may id ed cargo overseas. fair to state, however, » of pure g: ations have ulation has fright of consumers wid by hold . People Are Frightened And Commence Hoarding gets are | , or what migh ther basis ple nevertheless were swayed by it. President Roosevelt has been talk- about the dangers that exist, how we must them in order to stay out of the European cataclysm. Heads of government agencies everywhere have been echoing the sentiment. There can be no argument: this nation must stay out and must help to keep all of the nations of North and South America out of the stream of molten lava that is spreading through the belligerent nations. It may be a necessary evil then, an unavoidable phase of world affairs, that people are frightened and seek to hoard. The tragedy of it is that the un- principled element I have referred to is in a position to capitalize upon Such a circumstance. But to get down to cases, let me repeat that there has been no in- crease worth noting in wages, in the costs of raw materials. There has been no increase whatever in trans- portations costs. There has been no increase in overhead expenses of grower or producer or manufacturer or wholesaler and jobber or retailer. All of these may come, and prob- ably will come some time, but they have not arrived and when anyone attempts to justify profiteering prices, that individual should be asked to show how and where those increases have had their origin. My guess is that, for the time being at avoid are due largely to racketeering. Public Sentiment Is Only Force to Work Effectively they would react on all business, good business as well as the rats. about it. Public sentiment tively, and public sentiment ought to exert its pressure. There will be a lot of talk about government control and there will be half-baked, and even quarter. baked schemes offered in abund- ance—all with a serious desire to break the grip of the small ele- ment that has started this wave of fright, higher prices and more fright. Of course, it is unlikely that there will be any legislation result, because as far 4s I can find out there is no sound and workable method by which government can reach the scoundrels responsible. Yet, there will be efforts made and there will be investigations, and the demagogues without any more idea of what to do than your runt pig will shout and harrangue and create new doubts as to any and every kind of business practice. And hav. ing as many crackpots in places of responsibility as we now have in the federal government, you can be sure that those boys will give birth to ideas in quintuplet quantities. So, when one sums up all of the data, it is made to appear that all honest and fair-minded business men had better get together and use their own type of blackjacks on the elements within their ranks that constitute a cancer on trade. CLASSIFIED DEPARTMENT BOWE AND ARROWS op UALITY Bend for pried ist, AJOR ARTHUR BLACK. BURN . 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Baltimore, Mad. vr BABY CHICKS BRED FOR PRODUCTION: HAISED FOR FROFIT: BOLD BY QUALITY: Turkeys ETARTED CHICKS Pullets MILFORD HATCHERY Rockdale Md. ikenville P. ©. Ducks Chicks FEMALE HELP WANTED GREETING CARDS Beautiful cards for al) o sions st Whole. sale. 100% profit. Se cards 1'4e 2000 vie rieties. Free samples and catalog. MARIE MERLE, 735 Walset Si, Phila., Penna. HELP SUPPLIED White and Colored Help sups eis, restaur ed 10 bomes, mines, mills and eonty setors Fredervick-Phillips Ageney, 1837 Druid Hil Ave. Baltimore, Md. INSECTICIDES BE RID OF ROACHES! Rarris Famous Roach Tablets break up nesting pinees. Clean, odorless, safe to Une anywhere "Bossands of satisfied cusiomers. Bend $1.00 for a ue package mailed In plain wrap oney back 1 Bot entirely plessed. Address PF. HARRIS MFC. 407 W. Lombard, Baltimore, Md, AGENTS WANTED A few union territories still open Things Are Looking Up “Good m Twister,” said the vacationist., “I've a room reserved here.” “Let me see now,” landlady; “which room promise you?” “You said it was the room with the heavenly view.” “Ah, yes! Jane, show this gen- tleman the room with the sky- light." Mrs replied the did I Obliging Fellow “Does your company allow you to take tips?” “No, lady, but if they asked if you gave me one, I'd lie like any- thing to save you.” It takes a man, on an average, 18 minutes to buy a hat. A woman may hunt for three weeks before she finds one to suit her. And then—hats being as they are now- adays-—it won't, Willing to Pay It “How much do you still owe on your car?" “Only a grudge against the man who sold it to me.” Wrong Number “Jones isn’t too pleased he's got twins. He only wanted one child.” “Well, what do you expect? He married a telephone girl.” : A pr AY TT — By 22 Ry 50 Cups for ” FET EE Give a Thought fo MAIN STREET ture prices—these matters vi affect our livin, NCES vist is ably covered in advertisements. + Smart people who like to be upo-the-minuie in living end current events, follow advertise. ments as closely as headlines. . know what's doing in + « « and they also know where money buys most!
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers