~ QCQ - WiiiPi^oDiiY f li^CEiaBaK ____ -^7. 1^^. GOOD EVi^naG, EVERYBODY: Tht big thrill in todayTs news is an airplane flight. It was no dazzling record of speed for speed*s sake, but a wild drive through a stormy sky to save the life of a small child. The child*s parents live in Houston, Texas. She is a baby girl only five months old. Late yesterday afternoon her condition became critical. The doctors told the parents that only a prompt operation could save the child* s life, an operation of a peculiarly delicate kind, which would have to be done by a specialist at Johns- Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. ^ It was a question of getting that baby to Baltimore in time. Only airplane service could do it. And that bedell. ^ put it up to Jim is the speed wi|zard who won the coast-to-coast race this year. It was learned that was staying at his grandmother*s home at West Columbia, Texas, shooting ducks. They sent fair an urgent message and WBDniL.Ii - 2 lie responded immediately, taking over the controls of the plane at Houston. Nearly all thejS«c**w in that ^plane were engaged, but one gave up his place to enable the child1 s parents to fly. The passenger bears the historic name of Hohenzollern. He is Prince A — Louis Ferdinand, grandson of the former Kaiser. So Jim^edell, with the ailing baby aboard, took off and v/ent winging through a raging blizzard. He drove -A, ^ through ytTjr~- and gale for fourteen hundred miles, and averaged a hundred and fourty-five miles an hour. There were times when he was going a hundred and sixty, in spite of the howling wind. He landed in Baltimore after one of the most thrilling flights on record. The Baltimore surgeons today say the child has been resting comfortably and that they will operate tomorrow. The little patient has an excellent chance to recover - thanks to Jim^Wedell'^ui. ^ NBC ViAoHI TON jl Tne Presideiit today received a lot of visits - not that i this v;as a presidential "at home" day. It was a matter of bus­ iness — that always ominous, business called the budget. All I I IF sorts of lieutenants, advisors, heads of departments and what-not, : called at the White House with reports and suggestions. All this -jll I was preliminary to getting busy on the Presidential message and 1 a the budget for the year which will be put before Congress when the t|| boys assemble a week from today. You will have an opportunity to hear the Presidents message,as read by the clerk because itfs going to be broadcast /v -------- — all feno promptly at noon January 3rd. The taxpayers are shaking in their shoes.stx ^hey're afraid that budget is going to hit them square in the pocket book, n f It was learned at the White House that no definite figures are to il be given out yet. At the same time, the wise boys 01 the govern— ill ment are admitting that the deficit will be even more than the i one billion dollars with which weTve been threatened* In xact it will be quite considerably more. -x- -x- -x- i:: g ': o i, - r. Another problem rutting wrinkles in the Presidential concerns the railroads. wlxat do the raili0ads need? Why help, as usual. ‘I'he Chairman of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation says that several lines will have to have some as— sistance from benevolent old Uncle Sam, so as to be able to refinance some of their bonds which mature next year. * -!f * * Grover Whalen, who was one of the visitors at the White House today, was the bearer of some optimistic information Mr. Whalen is Chairman of the New York City Compliance Board of the N.R.A. He sees that the boys obey the codes — a kind of code-copper. He reported to the President that the Recovery Program has been working out nicely. He said business over the holidays was far beyond what the roost hopeful merchants had ex­ pected, and that folks in general seem to be in a buying mood. 4fr X- X- * The Bureau of Internal Revenue kicked in with a report concerning money. Up to November 50th, Uncle Sam collected nearly ninety million dollars in processing taxes under the Agricultural Adjustment Act. Another bit of holiday cheer from Washington is that by January lst5 ninety-seven per cent of the bank deposits in the U. S* A. will be guaranteed by insurance. DRAWBRIDGE A young bricklayer from Virginia was about to drive his car over the Potomac River into Washington. Just before he reached the bridge^ a couple of cops waved at him and shouted information to which he didn!t listen. What they were hollering about was that the drawbridge was open. The young Virginian continued gayly on his way and all of a sudden, bingot He disappeared! Were those cops astonished? They were, but for a different reason from what you may suppose? The car instead of taking a header into the Potomac, was hanging by its VI- hind wheels. Theffe, in some extraordinary fashion, had caught on an iron pipe and peas? hung suspended, driver and all, until the cops rescued him with a rope. But that wasn*t the end of the episode. After they rescued him, they arrested him and threw him into the calaboose for reckless driving. BBC LEGACY A man who died in Los Angeles yesterday left a re­ markable Will. In this he bequeathed one thousand dollars to Comrade Stalin of the Soviet Republic and one thousand to President Roosevelt. To each of his four children he left- one dollar^ a-c.yi mg r.Vif. _f hi mrvr;—M-for-.a■ reason- they aid— know0 . SIAM We are going to have another visit from his Majesty, King Prajahipok and Queen Ramhaibarni. That is, the U.S.A. will have the visit, not you and I personally. You remember them, don’t you? The King and Queen of Siam. The last time his Majesty was here he came to undergo an operation on his eye. King Prajahipok is coming again to consult a surgeon. His first visit will be to Washington, where he and Queen Rambaibarni will stay at the Siamese Legation. They will of course visit the President and Mrs. Roosevelt althought maybe not you and me. WEATHER Bob sled and skating enthusiasts can take unto themselves some encouragement from the Weather Bureau. Though the snow storms stopped today? the dope is that they may reaime tomorrow. As we were warned last night, it turned cold with a vengence today. In Mew York City late this afternoon it was eight degrees above zero. In Chicago it was ten belo?/. Up at Malone, Mew York, which is known as the icebox of the United States, the thermometer registered twenty-seven below. FOREIGM Echoes of dark and devious plotting are suggested in reports from abroad, reports that concern that most sensational Christmas assassinaion of the Armenian "Archbishop in church just as he was on his way to the altar. There are v suggestions of Asiafe^olitical feuds and international machinations worthy of the pen of a writer of fantastic mystery yarns. Right now the French police are wkth investigations in the Armenian colony in Paris. They, are trying to sleuth out some Parisian angle to the murder of the Armenian Archbishop in Hew Xork. They suspect the thing may have been plotted from aoroad. The Armenian colony in Paris is numerous and includes many political exiles of the Armenian nationalist oarty•^They^ deny any connection with that strange affair in New Xork. The assassination of the Archbishop is accepted as a political crime, one having to do with the struggle among the Armenians against Bolshevik domination in a part of their native country, NBC foreign A celebrated Russian died today on the French Riviera, Tovarish Lunacharsky. In the early days of the Soviet government he used to he what corresponds to the Secretary of the Interior. In fact they called him the right hand man of Leninr but of later days he dropped out of prominence. FOREIGN - 2 -^-nd the new Russian Ambassador to the United States is on his way to take up his job. This first Ambassador from tne Soviet Government to America, Mr. Alexander Troyanovsky, will come by way o± Paris, where he hopes to meet our Ambassador, Bill Bullitt. ihe two envoys will probably cross the kh ocean on the same steamer. The Soviet representative will be at the Ritz-Tower Mciwtib in New York next week. eni The victims of that French railroad accident y ™ . given a national funeral. -Lhe President of the Republic, X the entire French Cabinet, and most of,the high officials of the government, attended the memorial services^ Among those who sent messages of sympathy were King George oi England and President. 'I] | Roosevelt. The total dead amounted to two hundred and one. That made it the second most frightful railroad disaster of all II timeif. The worst of all happened .in Scotland, near tne romancic village of Gretna Green, Happen -x- -x- -ft -:<■ F0REIGN - 5 ^eamvLiile, more than three hundred Spaniards were attending the funeral of Colonel Macia, the first President of the Independent State of Catalona. Tne government of Holland has intervened in the case of the Dutch communist sentenced to death for the burning of the Reichstag, the German Parliament. A formal petition was handed to the Hitler Government today by the Dutch Minister in Berlin. This petition pleads that the sentence of Van der Lubbe fcjc be commuted to imprisonment. } -;e -;f -x Another bit of news from Berlin Is the resignation of the Commander-in-chief of the Reichswehr, the German army. The dope is that this general was not sympathetic to the Hitlerites -X X X X Rumors have been freely scattered over Europe that ARXHMRxM Arthur Henderson, President of the Disarmament Conferanee at Geneva, was about to resign. Mr. Henderson took occasion today when to deny those reports. He will be on the job those peace delegates resume their chattarings at tgeneva next month. NBC FOREIGa - S Meanwhile, more than three hundred Spaniards were attending the funeral of Colonel Macia, the first President of me government of Holland has intervened in the case of | the Dutch communist sentenced to death for the burning of the Reichstag, the German Parliament. A formal petition was handed to the Hitler Government today by the Dutch Minister in Berlin. j This petition pleads that the sentence of Van der Lubbe by be | commuted to imprisonment. * * x -* Another bit of news from Berlin is the resignation of the Commander—in—chief of the Reichswehr, the German army. The dope is that this general was not sympathetic to the Hitlerites the Independent State of Catalona. x -x- -a- # Rumors have been freely scattered over Europe that JffiSHJiRxH Arthur Henderson, President of the Disarmament Confernnee at Geneva, was about to resign. Kr. Henderson took occasion today when to deny those reports* He will DC delegates resume their chatterings at NBC He will be on i .joH those peace sneva next month. PEACOCK BALL The entire automobile world today is on its toes, preparing for the big week of the year, the National Automobile Show in New York* The snow will be preceded by one of the swagger social events of the year, the Peacock Motor Show Ball, which will be held a week from Friday evening in the grand ballroom of the Waldorf, This Peacock Motor Show Ball this year is to be given with the cooperation of General Motors Company for the benefit of the Association for Improving the Condition of the Poor, And talking about swagger social events of course there’s the opera that opened in New York last - the glittering Metropolitan, Tomorrow afternoon at the Met a performance will be given that will be interesting for at least two reasons - an unusually promising new tenor Mini Martini makes Ms debut in Eigoletto for the benefit of the world famed Grenfell Mission on the Labrador - the Eskimo and fisherman. FISHERMEN O iib o l cii 0 uni or t>tins. c6 cons eQUsncss of yos'tsi’d.a.y * s storrc didV^t” come to light until today. ' Two fishing tugs capsized in the terrific seas of Lake Michigan, and eight fishermen were lost. Four others barely escaped with their lives when they ran from the storm, drove their tug through the breakers and beached it. One of the boats that capsized went over within a hundred yards of safety in the Harbor of Michigan City. Ifeelre coast guardsmon have been—searching all day^ for—-the—bodies erf—tb©co— q irfii.L f 1 ^hfitTehi NBC SWEEPSTAKES One topic that is agitating the English considerably is repeal. Not prohibition repeal, but the repeal of the ex- ceedingly strict lottery laws. The English are perturbed over the amount of pounds, shillings and pence snipped over to Ireland for hospital sweepstakes. So one of the Scottish dukes devised a scheme by which he thought he had successfully evaded the lottery laws. The scheme was carefully worked out and put into effect and his Grace took in several hundreds of thousands of pounds. Unfortunately, his belief that he had successfully got around the lottery laws was mistaken. A police inspector went all the way up to Scotland to interview his Grace and eventually the Duke found himself in the dock at old Bow Street Police Court. They had a typical English trial. Even the prosecut­ ing attorney said that there v.ras no intention to impune the integrity or good intentions of his Grace. The magistrate, in pronouncing judgment on the Duke echoea thest, sentiments. It was all very English and formal and polite. Nevertheless, his Grace was found guilty and sentenced to pay a heavy fine. SWEEPSTAKES One topic that is agitating the English considerably is repeal■ I^ot prohibition repeal, but the repeal of the ex­ ceedingly strict lottery laws. The English are perturbed over the amount of pounds, shillings and pence shipped over to Ireland for hospital sweepstakes. So one of the Scottish dukes devised a scheme by 'which he thought he had successfully evaded the lottery laws. The scheme was carefully worked out and put into effect and his Grace took in several hundreds of thousands of pounds. Unfortunately, his belief that he had successfully got around the lottery laws was mistaken. A police inspector went all the way up to Scotland to interview his Grace and eventually the Duke found himself in the dock at old Bow Street Polled Court. They had a typical English trial. Even the prosecut- ing attorney said that there was no intention to impune the integrity or good intentions of his Grace. The magistrate, in pronouncing judgment on the Duke echoed these sentiments. It was all very English and formal and polite. Nevertheless, his Grace was found guilty and sentenced to pay a heavy fine. SWEEP STANCES - 2 Now a great many people are protesting against John Bull’s rigid lottery laws and some people are even demanding that they be repealed. Of course, the church element is equally vehement, insisting that the lottery laws stand. This question has aroused my curiosity. I wanted to F.ASY COME, EASY GO, OH YEAH? wliat happens to all these fortunes won by folks who have a ticket in the Irish Sweepstakes or the famous Calcutta sweep! There Is an old theory that if money comes easy, it goes in the same way. Well, quite radio listeners have been sending me clippings from the Boston Herald, which investigated. The Herald reporter hunted up one lady who had won over a hundred thousand dollars, a year previously. Now she and her husband still have the money; they still live in the same two-family house. The only difference Is they have installed a new electric refrigerator, a new radio, and the house has been painted* The reporter found this Mrs. Lavery baking a pie. Another man, Thomas Hogan, had wron fifty-five thousand dollars. He was a day laborer. What did ne do with all the money? Why, he went back to Ireland to marry his boyhood sweetheart, an Irish colleen. And then there was Joe Kennedy, who won a hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Of course the get-rich-quick swindlers tried to take it away from him. And of course Joe EASY GOME. EASY GO, OH YEAH - P. gave up his 30b as a day laborer; but the curious thing about .0 it is, he moved back to his native island of Jamaica so that he wouldn't have to pay out a lot of the money for taxes to Uncle Sam. Jtna: He invested his money in real estate, 'and I understand he is well on his way to becoming a millionaire. That1s a real human interest story TRIAL Probably the swiftest jury trial ever heard of in the United States was just finished in San Francisco. A young man nelo. ud a. ibeaLie tnree weeiis ago and murdered the treasurer. One week later, he tried it again, this time staging a raid on a b^ank. He was caught after a dramatic running-gun-fight . v/ith the cops. With the memory of the San Jose lynchings fresh in everyone's mind, public opinion In the Golden Gate demanded swift action. So that robber was brought to trial within eight days his MSBrinc arrest, fhe trial was rushed 4 through and at one o’clock this morning the jury turned in a verdict of guilty and voted A It is believed &a£t this constitutes a record. NBC In an English periodicals there was an article giving full instructions on how to start an amateur glee club, A writer in the famous SPRINGFIELD UNION suggests that what is needed is not instrtictions on hew to start an amateur glee club but how to stop one. And that item stope me, and SO LONG UNTIL TOMORROW. LITERARY DIGEST,