LOWELL THOMAS -» ^UKOCO - FRIDAY. OCTOBER 19, 1934 AIRPLANE When dawn hits Merry England tomorrow morning, there will he a roar of motors and a whirl of propellers. The great­ est race in the history of aviation will be under way - the tremendous England-to-Australia speed dash, for twelve thousand miles and seventy-five thousand dollars in prizes. Flying from London to Australia has heen the most popular long distance sky stunt for the past fifteen years. The first one was staged in nineteen nineteen, and was a veritable epoch of thrills. I happened to be around the British Empire a good deal in those days, and saw quite a bit of those England-to- Australia flights. In fact had something to do with two of them. I had flown in Palestine with Captain Ross Smith who, * with his brother Keith, took the first prize of fifty thousand dollars* Ross Smith was knighted by the King for turning the trick, and all over Australia babies were named after him. He had to make the Jaunt in thirty days to qualify for the prize, and just barely crept under the wire. Today Anthony Fokker, the famous Dutch airplane designer, says that the winner of the race that begins tomorrow will probably do it in sixty hoursJ Bgff-8—" • - AIRPLANE - 2 But tomorrow's race will hardly be crammed with the thrills of that first one fifteen years ago, with the earlier but entirely thrilling aircraft equipment of that period. I remember how one friend of mine was piled up in the sensational crash on the island of Crete - Captain George Hubert Wilkins, now Sir Hubert, the polar explorer. And then ehre were two others whom I recall vividly, Raymond Parer, a little Aussie, about the size of a jockey, timid and shy. He took with him a hair-brained Scot named Macintosh, who had never flown before. Mac earned his passage by getting Dewar, the great Glasgow distiller, to put up the pounds, shillings and pence necessary to buy a second-hand, discarded army plane. In return they were to carry a quart of Dewar's Scotch in the plane and present it to the Prime Minister of Australia when they got there - if ever. But they did. They smashed everything else but saved the bottle of whiskey. They didn't have a chance to win a prize * yet their flight v/as the classic of all. They cracked up in almost every country along the route. They had a forced landing in the Arabian desert and fought off the Bedouin, They ran out AIRPLANE - 3 of money in India and had to do all aorta of stunts to get some rupees to carry them a few thousand miles farther. They cracked up on an island in the remote Salween River, north of Moulmein, renowned for Kipling’s pagoda, “On the Road to Mandalay.^ Their plane seemed hopelessly demolished there amid the jungles of Burma. But they fixed it up with jungle wood and old wire. Over Timor Sea, on their way to Australia, their plane cought afire, hut Parer did a clever, wild side slip that somehow blew out the flames, an old war trick. And on they went. As I remember, it took them over five months to finish the jaunt, till finally, before a cheering crowd of a hundred thousand, at Melbourne, they opened the hood of their plane and carefully took out that precious bottle of Scotch, and presented it to His Excellency, Prime Minister Hughes, of the Commonwealth of Australia AVIATIOIL In Washington a call was sounded for action to stabilize and coordinate theAair transport industry. "Take aviation out of politics" - was the slogan sounded by Captain Thomas B. Doe, Vice- President of the Sperry Corporation and former President of Eastern Air Transport. He was testifying before the Federal Aviation Commission. Captain Doe advised that a permanent government aviation commission should be established, so that the industry might be kept clear of mtfrsri establishment of a federal airport in Washington similar to the great government airports abroad by stating that Air transport could become self supporting in a £ very few years, with an airmail rate of five cents a letter, three at Croydon, LeBourget and Templehof. completed his testimony cents for a lettergram, and tv/o cents for a postal card. veterans cm* President Roosevelt was talking to an audience at Roanoke, Virginia today^ -Sirt reaXXy.his message was aimed at Miami, FXorida, at the American Legion Convention which wiXX assemble on Sunday. At Roanoke the President was presiding at the dedication of a new veterans* hospital, and he asked \eberans all over the country to withhold their, drive for cash payment of the Bonus. The Government must first take care of the disabled, the sick and the destitute^, he explained. He added the veterans are better off today than the average citizen. W&42. Yes, that^aimed at the American Legion Convention, where there is expected to be quite a bit of agitation for immediate payment of the Bonus The latest Literary Digest poll is interesting to check against a poll of the newspapers of the United States. The subject in both cases is the I'Jew Deal. The Digest's straw vote is a supplement following after their big Hew Deal poll last spring. That first avalanche of ballots in the spring gave President Roosevelt and his policies a powerful majority, more than sixty percent of the total. They have been having a series of these check and double checks. One in August diminished the majority for the Hew Deal* And now comes a third with the Hew Deal majority a mere shadow - only a little over 56 percent. Then there is the newspaper poll, taken among the editors and publishers of the country, seventeen hundred and thirty-three of them, and once more the Hew Deal gets a slight majority. The Democratic papers show a large majority "for11 —- although they are not unanimous. Neither are the Republican papers unanimous, although they show an equally heavy majority "against." The independent papers give a slight bulge for the Hew Deal FARLEY Postmaster General Jim Farley Is not wilting under the attacks shot at his shiney bald head. To the accusations of playing politics and patronage in the passing out of Government jobs, he remarks tranquilly:- "I have never been a hypocrite in politios.n When they level a blast at him because he holds the Government job of Postmaster General and the political job of Democratic Chairman, he points to a precedent in the administration of President Polk, when at that time too, a cabinet member, the Secretary of the Treasury, was also Chairman of the Democratic National Committee. Jim^^^s^at^hT^thjS^ thfi^D^o^atT^should get^ the jobs, or as he explains it — with a Farleyian^wpithat.*» "A good Democrat is like a good Indian. He stays on the reservation." *£.,* >'* - Apparently England is going to stay off* the gold standard, in spite of a strong international push to persuade John Bull to return to his faith in the yellow metal. The move originates in Belgium, where the financial situation is rather bad. Belgium is sticking to gold. They say she promised to keep in line with France, the principal gold country, in return for which France would throw various business advantages her way. 1 ... l a crisis threatening, Belgium called a conference of the gold uuuiibries - France, Holland, Luxembourg, Italy, Switzerland and Poland, all otil-l.on the gold otandar^ and immediately there was talk of inviting England to attend, though England *is off gold. However, before the invitation to join * was sent, John Bull refused, no doubt suspecting it was a move to get him to return to gold. nWefre ang’trr'gg going to keep the pound sterling independent^, declared John. Britain wants to keep her currency flexible so as to be able to meet any change in the value of the dollar on the part of the United States. JTREI.AND Tti6r6 are parts of XreXand. which, look as if they have been devastated by a Far Eastern typhoon - the roads littered with fallen trees and fallen telegraph wires. Even the railroad tracks have been torn up in places. The devastation along the roads is centered principally in the counties of Waterford and Kilkenny , the land of the Kilkenny cat. The trouble is over those Irish land taxes. Some of the farmers canft pay - some can but won1t, The government’s procedure is to seize their cattle, to be sold at public auction for the tax money. The farmers are fighting the cattle seizing^ blocking the roads. A»i-^ence the felled trees, and telegraph lines, and torn up railroad tracks - to keep the authorities from traveling about and driving off the cattle. In return the government is putting farmers in jail, hhj 4 an average of forty a day. germajjy Germany’s foreign trade is generally on tne down gr%def oo is witn most countries. There is one single exception — Palestine. Palestine, the homeland of the Zionist Jews is buying more and more goods from Hitler’s anti-Semitic Germany. This has been apparent for some time and has evoked all sorts of astonished comment. But now an explanation comes along. M^piy Jews have left Nazi Germany for Palestine, and their property has been seized by the Nazis* And there’s only one way by which they can recover even a small part of their confiscated possessions — that is by persuading the Palestinian Jews to buy German goods. So these Jewish Zionist exiles arc late travelling salesmen for the Nazis* It’s all according to plan* The emigrating Jews are given accounts in the Reichsbank for the amount of their goods that were seized, and they can draw against their accounts only by showing receipts for German goods sold in Palestine. ■ a " Tt'l\ •fcnA Armistice Day is three weeks hence — and today cosies the news of the death of Field-Marshal Alexander Yon Kluck. Remember that General Von Kluck whose name wi i in the headlines twenty years ago, Commander of tha lerman right wing which swept in that helter-skelter ^lamina A. movement all the way to the gates of Paris. He got a good deal of the blame when his whirl-wind attack was stopped at the Battle of the Marne. From then on he lapsed into obscurity, was wounded on a visit to the trenches in 1915 and then soon retired from military service. JAP All In Totcyo ^iisre’s a loud eotio over tlie newest trouble in Manchuria - and the echo is a rumor that Prime minister Okado and his Cabinet may resign. The prestige of the adrainistration has been hit hard by resignation of the whole police force in the Manchurian territory of Kwantang. The army heads persuaded the Premier to name a military officer as head of the Japanese Kwantang police. Police are frequently inclined to be prejudiced about taking orders from soldiers* So rather than accept an army officer as their ^ boss, the Kwantang cops resigned. Even in his own Cabinet, some of the members are kicking against the way the army runs everything and navy. So the rumor factory not only predicts the resignation of Premier Okado but also names his probably successor - Viscount Ishii, former Japanese Ambassador to Washington, sttrricane 11^*3 bad enough thau they had a typhoon in the Philippine Islands a few days ago - but now they*re waiting for another one. A big one is coming from that spawning ground of typhoons - the China Sea, and they're waiting for it to strike. The fury of the wind last weekend took seventy-five lives and caused three million dollars worth of damage. So the government of the islands is active and on the job to ease the terror of the expected howl from the China Sea. Food supplies are being stored at threatened points, and Governor ■^otnr-Frank Murphy, former Mayor of Detroit, has radioed the A A American Red Cross at ToByo to be ready to send swift aid if the wild wind should come kidnae Reports still keep popping of a hot trail in the btoll kidnapping case* Robinson^ the abductor* seems to be in a wild flight from one city of the Middle West to another. The clues indicate the frantic haste of the fear-haimted fugitive — helter skelter here and there, doubling his tracks, turning off at tangents. Government agents-are picking up the trail at a rapid rate, a trail studded by bits of ransom money turning up here and there, bank notes, the serial numbers of which are on record. Reports from Chicago persist that gangsters may catch Robinson before the police do. The underworld, they say, is agog with the information that the fugitive has most of the fifty thousand dollars ransom money on him and the racketeers are out to get him, get the money. This sinister underworld angle is serious enough to be set forth officially by the Chicago police. ^ --------- Mew York* s kidnapping case has ended with loud volumes of silence. The Louis Espositd is home, and kidnap - g % when he talks he says nothing. All along his family with desperate insistence refuse to give any information — even to the police. And now he has returned the kidnapped man insists that no ransom was paid for his release,which leaves the case quite mystifying — wreathed in silence. The latest Literary Digest poll is interesting to check against a poll of the newspapers of the United States. The subject in both cases is the wew Deal. The Digest's straw vote is a supplement following after their big Hew Deal poll last spring. That first avalanche of ballots in the spring gave President Roosevelt and his policies a powerful majority, more than sixty percent of the total. They have been having a series of these check and double checks. One in August diminished the majority for the Hew Deal* And now comes a third with the Hew Deal majority a mere shadow - only a little over 56 percent. Then there is the newspaper poll, taken among the editors and publishers of the country, seventeen hundred and thirty-three of them, and once more the Hew Deal gets a slight majority, ’’’he Democratic papers show a large majority "for" - - although they are not unanimous. Neither are the Republican papers unanimous, although they show an equally heavy majority '’against." The independent papers give a slight bulge for the FARLEY Postmaster General Jim Farley is not wilting under the attacks shot at his shiney bald head. To the accusations of playing politics and patronage in the passing out of Government jobs, he remarks tranquilly;- "I have never been a hypocrite in politics.w When they level a blast at him because he holds the Government job of Postmaster General and the political job of Democratic Chairman, he points to a precedent in the administration of President Polk, when at that time too, a cabinet member, the Secretary of the Treasury, was also Chairman of the Democratic National Committee. the jobs, or as he explains it — with a Farleyian^apd thstr- "A good Democrat is like a good Indian. He stays on the reservation." Apparently England is going to stay off the gold, standard^ in spite of a strong international push to persuade John Bull to return to his faith in the yellow metal. The move originates in Belgium, where the financial situation is rather bad. Belgium is sticking to gold. They say she promised to keep in line with France, the principal gold country, in return for which France would throw various business advantages her way. With a crisis threatening, Belgium called a conference of the gold JhJL/J countries - France, Holland, Luxembourg, Italy, Switzerland and Poland, \ ail -etHl on the-gold otaiadardy and immediately there was talk of inviting England to attend, though England 'is off gold. However, before the Invitation to join x was sent, John Bull refused, no doubt suspecting it was a move to get him to return to gold. *'Wefre going to keep the pound sterling independent", declared John. Britain wants to keep her currency flexible so as to be able to meet any change in the value of the dollar on the part of th United States. TREL a ND Thsrs are parts of Ireland, which look as if* they have been devastated by a Far Eastern typhoon - the roads littered with fallen trees and fallen telegraph wires. Even the railroad tracks have been torn up in places. The devastation along the roads is centered principally in the counties of Waterford and Kilkenny , the land of the Kilkenny cat. The trouble is over those Irish land taxes. Some of the farmers canTt pay - some can but wonft. The government's procedure is to seize their cattle, to be sold at public auction for the tax money. The farmers are fighting the cattle seizing^ blocking the roads. A*i*k-^jenee the felled trees, and telegraph lines, and torn up railroad tracks - to keep the authorities from traveling about and driving off the cattle. In return the government is putting farmers in jail, xssA an average of forty a day. germamt Germany's foreign trade is generally on tde down gr^de, ae-*^ is witn most countries. There is one single exception Palestine. Palestine| the homeland of the Zionist Jews is buying more and more goods from Hitler's anti-Semitic Germany. This has been apparent for some time and has evoked all sorts of astonished comment. But now an explanation comes along. Mqny Jews have left Nazi Germany for Palestine, only one way by which they can recover even a small part of their confiscated possessions — that is by persuading the Palestinian Jews to buy German goods. So these Jewish Zionist It's all according to plan. The emigrating Jews are given accounts in the Reichsbank for the amount of their goods that were seized, and they can draw against their accounts only by showing receipts for German goods sold in Palestine. and their property has been seized by the Nazis. And there's exiles qtt ) tni-imi 1 nte travelling salesmen for the Nazis. VOS KLUCK .r>n r^mTtg ilnv nft.nr tomorrom. •&ni Armistic© D©y Is three weeks hence —— and today cosies the news of the death of Field-Marshal Alexander Yon Kluck* Remember that General Von Kluck whose name was blazoned in the headlines twenty years ago, Commander of that hleelng German UnXj right wing which swept in that helter-skelter blaming K f moTement all the way to the gates of Paris* He got a good deal of the blame when his whirl-wind attack was stopped at the Battle of the Marne* From then on he lapsed into obscurity, was wounded on a visit to the trenches in 1915 and then soon retired from military service JAPAN In Tokyo there’s a loud echo over the newest trouble in Manchuria - and the echo is a rumor that Prime Minister Okad© and his Cabinet may resign. The prestige of the administration has been hit hard by resignation of the whole police force in the Manchurian territory of Kwantang. The army heads persuaded the Premier to name a military officer as head of the Japanese Kwantang police* Police are frequently inclined to be prejudiced about taking orders from soldiers. So rather than accept an army officer as their boss, the Kwantang cops resigned. Even in his own Cabinet, some of the members are kicking against the way the army runs everything and navy. So the rumor factory not only predicts the resignation of Premier Okadc but also names his probably successor - Viscount Ishii, former Japanese Ambassador to Washington, . Ijj ^4P»hr! btir RICANE \k It’s bad enough that they had a typhoon in the Philippine Islands a few days ago - but now they're waiting for another one. A big one is coming from that spawning ground of typhoons - the China Sea, and they're waiting for it to strike. The fury of the wind last weekend took seventy-five lives and caused three million dollars worth of damage. So the government of the islands is active and on the job to ease the terror of the expected howl from the China Sea. Food supplies are being stored at threatened points, and Governor "J’OTm-'Frank Murphy, former Mayor of Detroit, has radioed the A A American Red Cross at Tokyo to be ready to send swift aid if the wild wind should come. kidnap Reports still keep popping of a hot trail in the Stoll kidnapping case. Robinson, the abductor, seems to be in a wild flight from one city of the Middle West to another. The clues indicate the frantic haste of the fear-haunted fugitive — helter skelter here and there, doubling his tracks, turning off at tangents. Government agents-are picking up the trail at a rapid rate, a trail studded by bits of ransom money turning up here and there, bank notes, the serial numbers of which are on record. Reports from Chicago persist that gangsters may catch Robinson before the police do. The underworld, they say, is agog with the information that the fugitive has most of the fifty thousand dollars ransom money on him and the racketeers are out to get him, get the money. This sinister underworld angle is serious enough to be set forth officially by the Chicago police. A --------- Mew York* s kidnapping case has ended with loud volumes of silence. The Louis Esposita is home, and ^Ppppii when he talks he says nothing. All along his family with desperate insistence refuse to give any information — even to the police* And now he has returned the kidnapped man insists that no ransom was paid for his release,which leaves the case quite mystifying — wreathed in silence t . ttmcheon In New York hommage to the gastronomic art was paid at a four hour luncheon given to one of the great French epicures. Monsieur Dumaine, proprietor of a renowned hostelry in tue old country of Burgrtndy, where the wine comes from. It was given by Monsieur Orteig, proprietor of New Yorkfs Hotel Lafayette, who is a great figure in Franco-Ameriean culinary relations, also aeronautical relations. It was he who donated the historic trans-Atlantic prize which Lindbergh won when he made his first great cross-ocean flight. To do honor to the great Burgundian epicure was assembled the elite, the creme de la creme of New York*s connoisseurs of food and wine - headed by that master connoisseur, Oscar of the Waldorf. n My own epicurean tastes run to corned beef and cabbage and ham and beans, but I observe •fcfrarfc with awe and admiration that the gastronomic ceremony included such ecstatic delicacies as plovers eggs, crawfish, and a sauce compounded of the souls of lobsters — meanitig .......... the inwards of lobsters. And then .there was^beautiful <yiwn^ pillow^ a dish of partridges and woodcocks. And the ecstacy was made complete by an Armagnac brandy, bottled in sixteen sixty-five, when New York was only ten years old. mentality It seems that boys are smarter than girls - in the mentality tests. College freshmen commonly have their brain power measured, and at the University of Chicago they*ve been making the tests to discover who showed up the best - male or female - the freshmen or the fresh girls. Among the first ten highest on the list there wasn*t a single girly fresh or other* wise. All ten of the top rankers are men. Well, maybe the girls are smart enough to figure that those mentality tests are not so important as an arched eyebrow or a low sweet voice. --------------- 0 -............. . I observe jtkai also that Robert is a bright boy. <{ if- Robert who? Why four different kinds of Robert. Of the ten at the top of the mentality list, four were named Robert, two were named Frank. None were n>3ined Jimmy. And as far as I can find out, none of them were named either Lowell or Thomas - which leaves me where I was before at the foot of the class and, SO LONG UNTIL MONDAY,