North Carolina Newspapers

The alamange gleaner VoL LXIV GRAHAM, N. C., THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1938 No. 45 Weekly News Analysis AAA Supporters , Encouraged , Expect Little Change in Act By Joseph W. La Bine ? EDITOR'S NOTE? Wbon opinion ara oaproaaod in thou columns tboy ara tboao M the noma analyst and not noc warily oi tbo on wapapar. Agriculture U. S. cotton farmers having voted to impose taxes on any producer who markets more than his share in 1939, last spring's agricultural adjustment act seems destined for enforcement next year with little change. Not only the cotton elec tion, but three other signs have giv ?tn hope to AAA's friends: (1) - At New Orleans, President Edward A. O'Neal of the powerful American Farm Bureau federation told his convention that AAA, cou pled with the soil conservation act, the marketing agreements act and allied legislation "gives us the best all-around farm program we have ever had." Hitting criticism based on currently low wheat and cotton prices, he said: "Everybody knows FARM BUREAU'S O'NEAL " Compart . . . then say candidly . . the law was passed too late for wheat growers to comply . . . and everybody knows that the cotton surplus was produced in 1937, not 1938 . . . Compare the farm income this year with the 1932 figure, and then say candidly whether or not our programs have helped the farmer." The imjjortance of Mr. O'Neal's statement is that Farm Bureau opin ion could be a mighty force against AAA abolition agitation. (2) At Winnipeg, AAA Adminis trator R. M. Evans spiked rumors of drastic wheat acreage curtailment next year by pointing out that U. S. farmers could not be expected to accept such curtailment without similar action by other exporting -nations. Hoping that government subsidized exports need be only a temporary measure, Mr. Evans nev ertheless defended it as a justified step to give the U. S. a fair share of the export market. (3) At Washington, F. R. Wilcox of AAA announced sale of 5,000,000 additional bushels of wheat to the United Kingdom, adding to the 20, 000,000 bushels he had already sold. Having committed itself to sell 100, 000,000 bushels by next July, the U. S. was already well past the half way mark and had begun negotia tions for additional sales to China and Mexico. Though such subsi dized exports will help reduce the U. S. surplus, granaries will still be far too full next year. Europe The initial thunder of Italy's de mands for French colonies has died down, as has the German-inspired agitation for autonomy in Lithua nia's Memel district. Although both France and Britain promise one day they will give no more concessions, the very next day they make ges tures in that direction. Probably recognizing some Justice in Italy's complaint, France has re duced Suez canal rates to make Italian East Africa more accessible from Rome. Both France and Eng land remember that they promised to split African war spoils with It aly back in 1915 when the Treaty of London was signed. Since this pact was ignored at Versailles, and since Italy can now be a formidable ene my, the two democracies are will ing to make peace. British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, in a speech defending his policy of "appeasing" dictators, has led Italy to believe he will work for territorial concessions on France's part. Italy's demands in clude Savoy, Nice, Corsica, Tunisia and the East African seaport of Djibouti. Thus Europe has apparently emerged from another war scare into another period of diplomatic conversations, to be followed proba bly next spring by a German drive into the Russian Ukraine. Among the latest diplomatic moves is Ger many's effort to consolidate its ex port trade position in the face of strenuous international objection to Jewish persecution. Seeking to kill two birds with one stone, Dr. Hjal mar Schacht of the Reichsbank has proposed several plans for permit ting German Jews to emigrate with a portion of their capital, in the form of German-manufactured ex port items. Dr. Schacht's recent trip to London on foreign trade busi ness emphasizes Germany's anxiety over the United Kingdom's redou bled export drive. Congress Last winter Texas' Rep. Wright Patman offered congress a measure to tax chain stores out of existence. Its gist: To levy graded assessments from $50 per store on small chains to $1,000 per store on large chains, each store tax to be multiplied by the number of states in which the chain operated. Sample: A chain operating in 48 states plus the Dis trict of Columbia would pay $49,000 per store annually on each store over 500. Though boasting 73 co-sponsors, Mr. Patman's bill failed. Also de feated was a New York state chain store tax, which signified that chains had more friends than their foes had expected. But an apparently dying issue wms revived as congress ad journed, for Mr. Patman announced his bill would be introduced in Jan uary, 1939, as House Resolution No. 1. ^Battle lines since formed presage a bitter contest next month, as chains and anti-chain agitators re view their cases: Anti-Chain. Supporting Mr. Pat man is a once-potent nftional trend (now questionable) which caused 21 state legislatures to enact chain store taxes. Another state, Colorado, last month rejected a referendum to kill a similar levy. Having won passage of his Robinson-Patman act, also an anti-chain measure, Mr. Patman bases his new attack on familiar charges that-ttfiains (1) force inde pendent merchants out of business; (2) cause low farm prices; (3) take money out of the community. Pro-Chain. V. S. census figures show a decreasing number of chain stores and more independents, while federal trade commission statistics credit chains with distributing $8,000,000,000 in goods at an average 10 per cent saving to consumers *^f the Patman bill passes, resultant taxes (with the Great Atlantic St Pacific Tea company, they would total more than half 1937's gross WRIGHT PATMAN Feictr notet than lost y*or. sales) would destroy practically all chains, would reportedly wipe out 30 per cent of the farmer's market, throw nearly 1,000,000 chain em ployees out of work and force a sharp rise in retail prices. Chains point proudly to their two-year cam paign of helping farmers move sur plus crops like lamb,, beef, walnuts, apples, and canned grapefruit juice. Anti-Patmanites include the Amer ican Federation of Labor, speaking for its 5,000,000 members (who charge the measure would increase living costs and unemployment), and the National Association of Retail Boards, which termed it "vicious." Counting- noses on the eve of con gress' opening, Mr. Patman finds his 73 original co-sponsors dwindled to 32 through election defeats, while another (New York's Caroline O'Day) has withdrawn support. If the Patman bill succeeds in reach ing the house floor, political observ ers wonder whether continually mounting sentiment will sot bury it in ? protest vote. FORECAST CANCELLATION of the 1933 concordat between Germany and the Vatican, to precede enact ment of Nazi laws directed against the Roman Catholic church. RE VITAL IZATION of Japan's drive north and west of Canton, to strengthen Tokyo's position in the event of a Russian war (?* ASIA). INCREASE In lending power of U. S. Export-Import bank to ex pand trade with Latin America. CANDIDACY of Franklin D. Roosevelt for the Presidency, not in 1940, but in 1944. REQUEST by small business men for congressional creation of a system of credit banks to meet the needs of "little business." Atia The possibility of a major Par Eastern crisis involving Japan, Chi na and Russia becomes more immi nent each week. Far from denying it, Japan has taken new hitches in her economic belt and settled down for a struggle which may begin shortly after January 1. Having made supplementary army-navy ap propriations of $1,634,400,000, Japan faces a probable Russ-Chinese alli ance forcing her to desperate meas ures to protect what gains she has already made in China. Having penetrated deep into the vast Shansi province, Jap troops are confronted with guerrilla attacks which in 10 days cost 6,000 lives. Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, who is* already getting supplies from Russia, promises the guerrilla war fare will continue. That Japanese are at a disadvantage fighting so far from their base of operations is evidenced by Chinese recapture ol several key towns near Canton. Two clashes with Russia form the basis for a new war scare. The first concerns Japanese fishing con cessions in Russian waters. Though Russia refuses to renew the con cessions, which lapse January 1, Tokyo threatens to continue fishing even though an armed patrol is needed. The second dispute cen ters on Sakhalin island, where the Japs charge Russia is seeking to expil Nipponese oil workers. For her part, Moscow is demanding Jap anese payment for the Russian in terest in the Chinese eastern rail road. Meanwhile Japan has substantiat ed the belief held by observers for many months, that China's "open door" ? guaranteed by the nine-pow er treaty ? is about to be closed. Seeking to liberate Japan and China from dependency on foreign mar-" kets, finance and raw materials, Tokyo has virtually dictated what Great Britain and the U. S. can henceforth expect in the way of trading privileges. Shrugging its shoulders over still another treaty broken in 1938, the U. S. state de partment has called home Nelson T. Johnson, ambassador to China, to see what can be done about it.. Since Ambassador Joseph P. Ken nedy has also been called home from London, it is thought the U. S. may solicit British support for a uni fied protest against Japan's econom ic activity in China. Probable re sult: nothing. Espionage ? In New York, Hairdresser Johan na Hoffman and other members of a Germany spy ring had just been sentenced. In the Panama Canal Zone, the government was busy try ing four other young Gennans ac cused of photographing Mortifica tions. Commented their attorney: "I venture to say that there is not a single construction or equipment for defensive purposes in the Canal Zone, details of which are not now in the possession of any foreign gov ernment desiring the information and willing to pay." Hardly had this shock penetrated before the West coast, hotbed of espionage, reported its latest spy scare. In Los Angeles government agents arrested Mikhail Gorin, > So viet tourist agent and Hafis Salich. native Russian who became a Berkeley police officer and was lent to the naval intelligence because he could speak Japanese. The charge: That Salich supplied Gorin with confidential navy department infor mation regarding Japanese military affairs. How the U. S. (which claims to operate no counter-espionage agency) secured its Japanese se crets, was not told. MUcelUmy Invalidated, by the North Dakota Supreme court, that state's $40 min imum old age pension plan approved 'in the November election, because 1937 legislative appropriations can not be used to pay pensions more than $30 monthly, also because the measure exceeds "reasonable as sistance" aa outlined in the state constitution. ?fc Bruckart's Washington Digest Legislation Against Chain Stores Will Come Up Again Danger to Independent Store Operator Will Be Theme of Discussion; Question of General National Policy Needs Thought; Sane Regulation Is Possible. By WILLIAM BRUCKART WNU Service, National Presa Bldf Washington, D. C. WASHINGTON. ? The politician who is a demagogue? the fellow who has nothing on the ball and gets into politics on his gift for gab ? al ways must have a bogie man, a hobgoblin. There must always be an immediate threat, like the sword of Damocles, hanging over the heads of the dear pee-pul. If the political demagogue doesn't have that sort of thing, he is utterly lost, because usually he can not talk about fundamental issues. The favorite bogie man of fellows like former Sen. Tom Heflin was "Wall Street." Day after day, ole Tom would drag Wall Street onto the floor of the senate and shake the gizzard out of it. There were others like Tom and there were other hob goblins. The chain stores, for a number of years, were the meat and drink of the demagogue and many an otherwise punk got elected to of fice because he could talk for 10 hours about the evils of the chain stores. We always have had onr trust busters, the baiters of corpora tions. One bogie dies and another takes . its place and the thing goes on until presently one of the old and and almost forgotten bogie boys is brought to life again. As pre-session plans take shape, it appears that the country is going to be told again about the evils of the chain stores. There is going to be an attempt to legislate them out of existence. Many a shout will ring out on the floors of the senate and house about the danger to the independent store operator, the man at home. The bill, whatever form it takes or whatever it proposes to do, will serve as a vehicle for a shouting mob of representatives and senators. As usual, they will offer no new argument, but they will send copies of their speeches back home and make a great howdy-do over themselves. Should Give Thought to General National Policy Because of this prospect and the existence of several other things like it, there ought to be some thought given to the question of a general national policy. In other words, 1 am of the opinion that the congress and the several state legislatures ought to keep their feet on . the ground instead of jumping off the deep end when there is no boat in which to ride. I see no profit in cut ting off my nose just to spite my face. There is just as little sense to that as selling out to the "vested interests." There-!? something to the argu ment in favor of regulation of great chains of stores. It can be truth fully said that they exert a lot of pressure on the independent! They deny this, of course, and answer that there is no pressure. Their statement may be true insofar as it may mean that the chain store has made no calculated plan to drive the independent out of existence. Yet, their very bigness is, of itself, a pressure because they can buy in larger quantities and obtain lower cost prices than the individual who buys a few cases of canned goods at a time. When they buy at lower prices, they can sell at lower prices and the independent finds himself hard put to meet the competition. That sort of thing happens in ev ery community where chain stores are in operation. It will continue to happen, because there is not a man nor a woman who will say honestly that he or she will pay a higher price simply because the store at home is owned by somebody who is a local citizen. I am old fashioned about it. I will go to a chain store many, many times, be cause I save money. It is my mon ey (hat I am spending and I am going to get the most for it that I can. The fellow who owns a local store is in business to make a profit and I am willing that he shall have a profit, provided he can give me the same value for what I spend as does some other store. Sane Regulation of Chain Store ? Can Be Accomplished It the chain store* are abusing their power, a power they have sole ly because they are big, the con gress and the several states surely ought to take notice. There can be sane regulation of them. They can be made to correct any abuses, but I can not And any legitimate ex cuse for destroying them. I. am in the role of a consumer, and every legislator ought to consider that his constituents are consumers and that they must be given consideration. I have been told by men in the government whom I believe have a general understanding of the prob lem that destruction of chain stores will raise retail prices of the things they sell by as much as 20 per cent. Who is going to pay that? You and I and everyone who buys for consumption. If I can get my cigarettes at two-for-a-quarter, I am not going to pay 15 cents. So, if con gress or the state legislatures find it necessary to protect the independ ent, that policy should be adopted. j But the extreme position of taxing them out of existence or destroying them some other way is utterly silly. | It is, as I said earlier, rather like cutting off my nose to spite my face ? and I have a beak of which no one could be very proud! This chain store bogie man is just another of the many tlyt are used by politicians to build up them selves. Once before, in these col umns, I expressed the hope that some time I would like to see an honest politician. I think it would be refreshing to all of us. I heard lately, too, of a movement against those people who sell direct to the consumers. There are cer tain types of them that ought to be locked up. Most of them, however, have a legitimate product and they are making that product to sell to consAners. The movement that is now said to be spreading has evolved into what is called the "Green River ordinance," a munici pal law which is designed to prevent any house-to-house canvassers. Problem of Separating Crook s From Honest People Now, there may be sound reasons for a city council to bar' anybody from selling direct. At the moment, I do not know of any. Yet, accord ing to the reports received by the federal trade commission, there was a small town out in Wyoming which actually convicted some boys from the neighboring farms and sen tenced them to jail because they vio lated the city law, by selling direct to the householders in the town. That town ought to have a very red face, it seems to me. I said that there were certain types of canvassers ought to be barred. I refer Jo the racketeers who scour "the country in crew's, selling this or that or the other; who are here today and gone tomor row, and who many times leave a wake of dishonest dealings, insults and sometimes plain thievery. Of course, there ought to be punish ment of that type. But why punish the honest ones by placing them in the same category as the crooks. The problem becomes one of sepa rating the crooks from the legiti mate people, but your demagogue will not do that, whether that dema gogue be a member of congress, a member of the state legislature or a member of the city council. He would not be able to bleat so long if he attempted to analyze the real situation. All Facton in Situation Need Careful Consideration I suppose that some of the things I have said in this analysis of a na tional problem will make me as pop as a skunk with some local merchants. I believe, however, that there are two sides to the argument and that there must be moderation in dealing with the hobgoblins that are built up for selflsh reasons, either political selfishness or for monetary gain. Hence, I argue that the country and its legislative bodies must look at all factors Involved in the situa tion. Hysteria and demagogue ry go hand in hand, with the demagogue leading and capitalizing on the cir cumstances he has created. If it can be shown where the brush sales man or the salesman for the floor sweeper or the home remedy sales men are wielding a bad influence upon the life of the nation, prohibit them as is done many places with the saloon. If it can be shown that the vast majority of the people get no benefits from chain stores and that the chain stores damage the na tional life, get rid at them or regu late them closely. My thought con tinues to be, howerer, that there must be moderation in legislation. ? WMtera Newspaper Union. Speaking of Sports Jacobs Plans Banner Sports Shows for '39 By ROBERT McSHANE Mike Jacobs, sports promoter who boasts the "fastest click ing set of store teeth in the United States," is not completely satisfied with his 1938 income. With more than $2,0M,M* crossed from his virions activities daring the past year, Mike has decided to promote a show wherever there's a chance to ears an baaest dollar. The number of fights and the she of the rates hasn't been satisfactory to him, and he hopes to remedy the sitaatlos daring the cominc year. "Next year," declared Mike, "I'm going to put on some kind of a Mike Jacob* sport*, show wher ever there is a chance to make a dollar. I even hope to have two or three running at the same time. For instance, if I put on a heavy weight show at the San Francisco fair, and I undoubtedly will do that very thing, I may have another fieht coins on in New York the same night." Admittedly Mike has do iveraian to making money. He's shrewd, aad on top of that has all the lack in the world. That eombinatioa has made him an outstanding sneeess in sports promotion. Mike was accused of pulling ? boner when he introduced the an cient basque game, jai alai, to Broadway without the mutuel ma chines which have made the games so successful in Havana and Miami. The wise boys figured it couldn't make the grade without the added attraction of gambling. Bat Mike called his shot. The game has done so well in New York, even without betting, that he Intends to keep it running through until Au gust. He Intimated that ha will pat the game in Boston, Hollywood aad Chicago, bat only If the legislatures in Massachusetts, California aad Illinois take action that will insure installation of betting machines. Dirt-Track Czar CPEED kings like to gather 'round ^ when John A. Sloan Jr. of Chi cago, the "Judge Landis" of the dirt-tracks, talks over old times. In his own words: "I'm the second generation of SJo?ns in the race business. In IMS mj dad began presenting speed kings. He brought out Barney Old field, Louis Disbrow and Sig Bang dahl. Now we stage dirt-track races all bnt three months in the year. It's a big business. We plijrM before two and a half million people this past summer at fair grounds from Montana to New York and Florida. St. Paul is THE dirt-track town ? a crowd of 171, MO saw our races on La box day. "We haven't had a fatal accident in six years while staging 2,730 races ... we don't sacrifice speed either. Emory Collins, the dirt track champion, holds the record of 90 miles an hour on la mile track. They only average ? little bettei than that on the big, banked brick track at Indianapolis. We get top drivers because we give 'em regu lar work? some of 'em make as high as $10,000 a season. There's ? little more security at tached to dirt-track racing. They don't have to gamble for their mon ey. Drivers are given a percentage and the prise money they can win. Don't Curb Liberties CCGGESTIONS that the liberties of baseball players la the off season be curbed received a set back recently from Connie Maek, baseball's "grand old gentleman." Scores of "viewers-with-alarm" have proposed all kinds of far (etched measures to protect baseball players from acci dents ? and to re lieve them ot per sonal freedom. Most of the proposals came following the tragic accident ot Monty Stratton, Chi cago White Sox pitcher, whose leg was amputated as the result of a hunt ing accident. Connie Mack "Suppose we Old tell tue players they eoaldn't go imlif, flyinc, or go over Nlarara Falls la ? barrel? Ia the end the player weald rise Bp and ask: 'What am I? A slave, bound hand and foot? My life Isn't my ewa by any standard.' " "We might put all kinds at clauses in their contracts," he added, "but they'd probably do what they want anyway." Basketball Rules CEVERAL important changes in national basketball rules were made recently by basketball coaches and officials from western and mid-western universities and colleges. - Western conference teams will concur in the rales drawn ap by the National Collegiate Athletic as sociation more completely than to any recent meetings Principal deviation from the coda for the Big Ten is the decision to continue the practice of permitting two minutes for each time oat. The code allows only one minute. Tho rules this year extend the number of time-outs without penalty to frra for each team. The coaches agreed when a field goal has and a foal called the goal, that sal permitted before attempted and that will not eout as a The player with touches the center Hne, n sidered to be in the hack he may pass hack to a court touched by was forfeited to the defense. Olympics Again Q FFICIALS of the American Olympic committee rcccnUf voted to accept Finland's invitation to the games of the Twelfth Olym piad, to be staged in July and Aa gust of 1940. and at the same time lent its indorsement to a bid by the city of Detroit for On 1944 games. Sport Shorts TP HE highest scoring college f*?* on record saw Georgia Tech crush Cumberland (Tern.) icim sity 230 to A in 1917 ta a guns shortened to 45 minutes . . . ra??.i?n will send 275 athbrte* hv nlrn Burleigh Grimes Finland tor the IMS Olympics . . Play en on the KncxviOe. Iowa, high icbool basketball "team (truck because they were asked to pay regular student ad mittance fees to play . . . Dutteigh Grimes win manage the Montreal Royals of the International league for the next two years . . . At football games during 1938 rose 11 per cent over the '37 total . . . Italy's sport vocabulary has been pureed of all foreign words and expression. Pocket Billiards By CHARLES C. PETERSON President. National Billiard AssociaQai of America and World's Trtc* Shoe Champion Lesson Ne. 1* This diapu shows mother Ida break shot from the Uble center. As in some at the previous kin shots the outstanding point it that the balls must be carefully spotted as shown in the diagram ? every ball frozen. Cue your ball at absolute center and do not try to break the cluster of balls with your cue beJL Let the object ball do that The stroke for this shot should ha medi um hard, and be aura that yea (al low through.