1934-02-03 — Page 11

CTORIAL SUPPLEMEN

WASHINGTON IN

Under the "new deal, Washing- ton is like a chemical laboratory, All sorts and conditions of material go into it, and once week or so an explosion is caused or a precipitate obtained in the form of a now personality,

The President, of course, is the dominating element. His whool- ed chair, propelled along the cer- ridors and through the always open doors of the White House, has the effect of an express train. Permanently scated, Roosovelt appears to tower above anyone standing beside him.

A Republican Senator told me how Roosevelt had handled a de putation representing one of the big trusts recently shorn. "They were about the toughest pro position I'd ever met and they weren't going to budge an inch. But in twenty minutes the Presl dent had 'em. The way ho manoeuvred that bunch was sight! Charm, I'll say he has it. There isn't a bird safe on Ita bough when that man's about."

П

Roosevelt knows what he wants and how to get it. He has been expending all his strength on the task of improving conditions. To- day, when Congress meets, he wBI have to convinco America that he has succeeded.

"If he can't put things right, nobody can," is the general opin 'ion of Mainstreet..

O. C. RECOVERY.

The President has been ably backed by General Hugh Samuel Johnson as Recovery Administra- tor, a gusty breeze of a man who rushes into action, caring no whit whether there is "a taint of legality" about his rulings or not.

He is a politician of the old sort using new tools, a barn-storming personality, ready for a fight, any fight, even the wrong fight, mighty talker borne headlong on

the rush of his own words.

He is at his most picturesque when he's "ribbing" (joking with) his associates In unofficial hours, matching nickela at cafe on Pennsylvania-avenue to see which shall pay for the lunch of turkey and ple, or when he is having à furious verbal battle with the Comptroller-General, McCari, whom he cheerfully stigmatises as a “tartar" and "an old mennie." SEES EVERY CHEQUE,

the workers' interests, hits the old. order in its weakest spots, Yatton- ing the pay envelopes of truckmen and track-workers, he is in effect revonging the client whose caso he lost 20 and more years ago.

DIRECTOR OF BUDGET.

Budget, is a brilliant Intellectual, Lou Douglas, Director of the a sound financier seeing no safety outside a balanced expenditure, a Liberal, honest to the core, the rubber dollar. deeply depressed by the antics of

and

ing, and we're going there a great "I don't know where we're go- deal too Inst," he says, his alert greying hair. contrasting with the clean-shaven face and smooth, careless appearance of Professor Warren, who wishes to treat tax- Payers like those hens to whom, at the cost of shortened lives, ho taught intensive laying in coops lghted by electricity.

BOY FROM SIDEWALKS.

Then there is Al Smith, not really of Washington, but hoping some day to bent the White House, Roosevelt's most determind oppon. ont In his own party. He doesn't believe in N.R.A.

"Have you ever watched anyone nail a squash plo to the ceiling and seen it stick there?" is his favourite comment.

1

Smith is hearty Catholic. Tammany to the bone. He has tremendous personal appeal and Hie "a million dollar smile," appearance is powerful and his Roosevelt tact nor attack direct. He has neither the the Roosevelt Kentus for expedients and experi-

ments.

his existence. An election to him Politics are the mainspring of

is like a gamble on Wall Street to most of his countrymen. The

now

boy from the sidewalks is hand in hand with Big Business and the struggle, billed as an im- personal one, is between the man who looks forward to new social conditions and the man who looks backward to that uncontrolled capitalist prosperity during which, according to Senator Borah, three- fifths of America were living on less than three pounds a week,

AMERICA'S MARGARET

BONDFIELD,

Washington would not be com- plete without its Frances Perkins, "Washington's meancat man," Secretary of Labour-the Brown- John Raymond McCarl is a com-eyed, brown-haired and quick- paratively permanent personality, witted Margaret Bondfield of the for he has held office since 1921. Cabinet. Ruddy-cheeked, short, neat and crinkly-haired, in the early fifties, wearing a flowing tie and looking like a stage parson, rather than a politician, the Comptroller-General amashed Johnson's opposition to Henry Ford with the ruling that the latter was legally eligible for Government contracts. He has emanshed a good many other things In his life.

He "down-thumbed a £3 Navy department expense account for an official wreath at a State funeral,

He

accused

Minister a

of

{

The Federation of Labour objected to her appointment in place of a union man, and it took Miss Perkins just two weeks to bring them round.With the utmost cleverness she has induced Labour and Capital to co-operate with her and she does it by listening.

"I believe I'm the best listener In the world," says Frances Per- kins. "I just go on listening until people get used to me and then, maybe, I put in a few words."

THE FIRST LADY.

The First Lady, on the contrary, extravagance because he gave a is a speaker, but then she is about porter is, to carry his suitcase.

the most active person in Washing He argued for months with a ton. Her daily engagements start at 8 a.m., and I don't believe they finish till the next day. plains, which is fortunate, because "I need very little sleep," she x- nobody else appears to think she needs any at all.

rallway over à 1s. 6d. claim and forced the company to refund it. He made General Pershing pay his own Pullman fare because "Black Jack" had lost his voucher. When a Cabinet Minister want- ed a

uniform for his official chauffeur McCarl retoried, "Buy it yourself."

Mrs. Roosevelt has a sense of humour. "I know a lot of people are appalled by my activities," she told me, "but an invisible and inaudible President's wife, a sort When a Congressman on official tour lingered a

of ghost cloistered in the White week in House, isn't going to do New York for a spell of Man-any good. We've all got to work hattan madness, he found those these days, and the First Lady seven days carved out of his first of all." expenses account.

AR

anyone

"THE" HONGKONG TE

H SATURDAY

THE MELTING POT:

POT: BY ROSITA FORBES

H "ERE is the first photograph made of President Frankila D. Roosevelt

and members of his cabinet, seated in the cabinet room. The Prest dent is at the extreme left. In the back row, left to right, aro Witam H. Woodie, treasury secretary, now on leavo: Nomer S. Cummings, "at- torney general; Clauds A. Swanson, secretary of navy;; Hlenty A. Wal laco, secretary of agriculture, And Frances Perking, secretary of labor, Front row, left to right: Cordell Hull, socretary of stato; George II. Dera, secretary of war; James A, Farley, postmaster general; Harold L. Ickor, secretary of interior, and Daniel C. Roper, sócretary of commerce.

AMERICAN INDIANS TACKLE UNEMPLOYMENT

than ever these days as a result of American Indians are poorer the Great Famine visited upon the white man when the bottom fell out of the wampum market.

But now it appears that thou- sands of these indigent people in Oklahoma are at least going to be able to eat. And that is a great blessing-indcod-at-a-time-when- there is no maize in the skin-sacks and no venison hanging from the lodge poles.

were re-

Of course it is no novelty for many of the Original Americans to be unemployed. More winters ago than you can count on the leaves of a venerable tree they dis covered that there is no virtue in when, Federal troops toll,, as such. Even in the days quired to keep braves on their reservations the government was trying to teach them civilized vo- cations. And as the plains coun- try was built up schools catablished and Indian Agency re- presentatives. were stationed through the territories to aid in education,

were

WATCHFUL WAITING.

Some Indians went to school Mrs. Roosevelt ja neither and some didn't. Those who fild Entrenched in the dinglest office agressively feminine nor equally learned one of the white men's She is trades, and how to sing the Star in the oldest federal building, aggressively the reverse. McCarl has the whip hand, for he charming to look at and wears Spangled Banner and how to may sees every official cheque from charming clothes. She is per- football. Diplomis in have many one cent to one thousand million suasive as well as determined. So of them went back to the reserva- dollars. And if the amounts on

tion, but on a blanket and sat she takes the natural middle course in a land where women are keeus- down with traditionally stoical

"disallowed."

American Indians are going back to the soil to solve their own unemployment problems, as these photos from Oklahoma indicate. At top a group of Redmon are asen harvesting a crop and below, grading and sucking turnips.

selves haven't changed much. Government officials have come to the conclusion that although some Indians are not fitted by training or ability for vocational work, all of them make fairly good farmers when they're provided with tools by officials of the Five Civilized and instruction. The plan devised Tribes (Cherokee, Creek, Semi- nole, Choctaw and Chickasaw) is caled "subsistence farming," the grow enough to cat.

"We were not sure that, such n programme would work when we started it back in 1930," A. M. Landman, superintendent of the

colonies, now, meet each week to learn the white man's art of agri- culture.

THIS YEAR OF COWARD

BY HERBERT HARRIS.

The American millions who saw "Cavalcado" watched the tragia and;; 'Joyous vicissitudes of the last half- century of British history ........ America understood. The film caught the British atmosphere, spirit and psychology to such an extent that its audiences rose to their feet when the British Nas. tional Anthem burst forth at the ond.

It remained to a thirty-three- year-old genius named Noel Coward. so to strengthen the link between the tive greatest nations of to- day..

For this triumph along 1989 might be nicknamed “This Year of Coward." But Coward has other claims to the honour.

UNPRECEDENTED SUCCESS.

A little while ago he could sit back and say: "I have two first- rate Hollywood productions running simultaneously In the West End- 'Cavalcade' and 'To-night is Ours." The Press is at the same time an- nouncing the film of 'Bitter Sweet' and the making by Hollywood of Design for Living This is prob ably unprecedented,"

When Noel Coward saw "To- night is Ours" (from his play. "The Queen was In the Parlour"), he saw also that the screen announced him as the author in gigantic lat- tors, and he must have realised that his name meant as much as that of the star. Hollywood, with its ni- mirable capacity for recognising

That is where America is smart.

Colony farms for these indi-genius, realised it too. gents are now in operation in every soction of the Five Triben area. Indians living in northeast She gets more out of British brains ern Oklahoma attend the farm in- than Britain itself can get.. struction unit in Delaware county.

Noel Coward cannot but be wor Other Indians living in the Chero-shipped by Uncle Sam's children. kee and Creek districts receive. He is such a colourful character. thir Instruction from the head- A man who can write a brilliant quarters located at Core, Okla., play, compose the music and lyrics while the Indians of the southern part of the state gather at the sub for it, and then play the leading sistenco unit located near the Lives" Coward did just this. His -port is a superman. In "Private" Jones Academy.

Walter V. Wohelke, field reprehim was so good that Robert Mont- handling of the big part allotted to sentative under John Collier, com- missioner of Indian affairs at before playing the same part in the gomery watched him and took hints Washington, estimates that this

alm. programme will save the govern- ment thousands of dollars a year. PROVING SUCCESS.

A phenomenon of this nature gets the U.S.A. where it lives. "Heretofore the government has Then learning, too, that this borne the brunt of expense of feed- amazing young man sings his own ing and clothing, these indigent songs on gramophone records, has Indiana," Wohelke said here after produced his own plays, and is an a tour of the Five Tribes area. artist In his spare moments, the "The Indians of eastern Oklahoma American emits a Schnozzle-lika will sit back and starve rather wheezɑ of ecstasy and crles. "Bov. than ask for help. Their tradition | oh, boy, is this guy natural?" inherited from their forefathers have made them a race of people whose pride keeps them from ask- Ing for help. they really need. The, government feola that If these In- dians could be placed in colonies where an instructor could super- vise their gardens, that they could be taught to raise their own food. "The tribesmen who lived in the Indian Territory 30 years ago were a smart race of people. The lead- era spent thousands of dollars a year on educational facilities and at one time had a much better teaching system than the early pioneers to this district.

"The coming of the white man, however, crowded these Redmen off thir réservations until to-day they own less than 1,500,000 acres of land as compared with 15.mil- lion acres 30 years ago. This in- thing else combined to break vasion has done more than every-

Five Tribes explained. "Had the plan failed we would have drop-down the morale ped the matter as we have dis- carded many others, and tried something else.” BACK TO THE SOIL.

the Indians."! is proving with such success that The programme for the Indians

a group of Muskogee real estate men are working on a similar pro-

Every week a now Coward Joko tive for the Five Tribes in charge depression.

grammo for thrifty Oklahomans is told; they recur liko Scottish, V. C. Smith, fleld represonta- who have been victims of the plumber and mother-in-law Jokes. of farm promotion, was sent. to Mr. Paul Philpin, real estate lions and lionesses with subtle cuts, Like Shaw, he can thrash social every settlement in the 82 counties leader, recently returned from a and be loved for it. The wit in his of eastern Oklahoma to determine trip to the cast which took him plays is also present in his every both to New York and Washing: day conversation. He is said to take toward the plan. When it ton, where he conferred with have told a woman who was boast was found that they expressed nagricultural leaders of willingness to farm, other fleld nation, and as a result plans have of her house that his own place the Ing of the fine "porlod decoration" representatives were added and been outlined whereby funds can was "late Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer," hundreds of Indians, grouped in be secured for the movement.

the "swindle-sheets" seem to him tomed to use the power given them patience to walt for the next oil idea being that they at least can what action these tribesmen would excessive, his blue pencil writes by their vast federated organisa- royalty cheque. Some of those tions controlling innumerable who were not blessed with bil votes, and whore, under the "now | lands sat down and just waited. deal," they are beginning to have The oil business is not what it authority as well.

used to bo, although Indians them

THE POET LAWYER..

Of an entirely different type is A. Donald Richberg, crusading Inwyer and author of the original N.R.A. His career began when, LLA a budding lawyer, he was nasigned-"The State's farewell gift to the doomed" to defond a man who had enshed somebody else's one pound postal order by mistake and without criminal intent.

in

It happened that the judge was abad-temper, In spite of 'Richberg's eloquence, his client received a two-year sentence, and out of that court walked one un- necessary criminal and ono

rusading reformer,

When thin poot-lawyer, happiest with a violin tucked- undor his chin, a song on his lips, a mug of Boor on the table and a problem in Aho air, wins spectacular battlos

or organised labour,

defeats þderal Injunctions inimical to

This picture Hilustrates one of the big schemes of public works now under way in the United States. It shows the start which has been made on the Norrla Dam, a mammoth barriar 225 fest high, that will impound water in a lake of 83, square miles, a vital link in the great Muscle Shoals expansion scheme,

STILL A BACHELOR.

Noel Coward has nover married, Probably he could never find the time. What an eligible bachelor: a cross between Bir Gerald · du Maurier and Douglas Fairbanks, Junior, with no limits to physical: and mental fitness, a pot of

an entertainer, both conversatio ly and musically, a wealthy "man, a good sport and still y young

A duni personality as well? In 1028 two of Coward's films went the rounds, "Easy: Virtue" and The Vortex (now to be refimed in Hollywood by M.-G.-M.). In the former ware Ian Hunter, Imbal Jeans, Franklyn Dyall, Dorothy Boyd and the late Robin Irvino; In the latter, Ivor Novello, Frances Doble and Julle Sucdo. Both wore of a serious naturo, unlike the frothy "Private Lives" or the llit- Ing "Bitter Sweet,"