L« T, - SUHOCQ - WEDNESDAY. OCTOBER 25. 1935 good evening , everybody :- If you listened carefully today, you may have heard a sound like millions of marbles dropping; the noise of people taking their winter overcoats and furs out of moth halls. Winter slipped up on us last night. In fact the first snow of the season fell at Chicago today — not a heavy fall, hut there were several flurries. Along with the snow came a fierce northeast wind. Uncle San^s weather bureau says these flurries are local, not general. However, Duluth, Minnesota, is under a twelve inch carpet of snow. What do you think of that? The thermometer in Chicago showed four degrees of frost at six o*clock this morning. Here in New York and in Philadelphia where I spent part of the day it whs not quite so cold but the wind has certain­ ly been howling around the corners of the skyscrapers with cutt­ ing emphasis -- and a lot of folks have been chasing their hats. In up-state New York, the mercury stood at thirty above. All these temperatures establish a record for October. Usually the advance guard of Jack Frost doesn't show up so early in the year. What do you think? Is it going to be a hard winter or not? Will it help us fur farmers? Or had we better sell out and go into the orange business? ........... goi * d A bit of news for which the whole country, or rather the whole world, was waiting, was made public at Washington today* That was ^he price at which Uncle Sam is prepared to buy newly mined gold. The price fixed by Chairman Jones of the Reconstruct ion Finance Corporation, by the Treasury and by Henry Morgenthau Jr., head of the Farm Credit Administration, is #31.36 an ounce^ This is 27 cents higher than the current price in London. That ought to cheer up ray old pals in Cripple Creek and the lads who mine for gold, everywhere, from Honduras to the Klond ike, This gold will be paid in ninety day debentures of the R. F. C. Although this new gold policy is bound to have its repercussions abroad, the spokesmen of the administration said emphatically that its prime purpose is domestic. Incidentally, after the President»s address over the radio on Sunday night, no less than two thousand telegrams have poured in to the White House from all over the country. Later on I learned on good authority that (these govern­ ment gold prices will be announced dally, ]at any rate for some ..... --------------- -- time to come* They will be posted each morning between nine thirty and ten o’clock. : Si 1 Mm RELIEF With that cold wind howling about our ears there is an announcement from Washington by the Federal Surplus Relief Corporation that is particularly timely. You may recall that this government body has bought seven million bushels of wheat from the farmers, to be distributed to those who need it. The same corporation is about to buy also a large tonnage of coal. This will be distributed to the unemployed for use in their homes. BBC PRICES Some interesting facts are related in the Fairchild Retail Price Index^ issued every month by the Fairchild Publications. This shows that the increase of the retail prices of commodities at large in September was less than it was in August. Prices during the past month showed a gain of 4.2 per cent, which was considerably less than the increase in August. The survey of the Fairchild Publications indicates that the rise in prices is now showing a tendency to slow down. On this subject of prices there is an extremely interesting article in this week’s issue of the "Nation". It is written by James R. Martin, from the point^of a man who used to earn fifty dollars a week in 1929 and whose income ±xn is now only thirty dollars a week. The gist of this article is to show that the "Buy Now" campaigns of the if R A xsxx t are leaving the average consumer cold. The average consumer, says Mr. Martin, is buying just what he absolutely has toytakp, and no more. Although prices of commodities have risen and the N R A program has been successful to the extent of decreasing unemployment, the average income is still where it was about a year ago. On the other hand, Mr, Martin points out that certain corporations PRICES - 2 notatly the public utilities, continue their profiteering* Telephone rates, he points out, are the same as they were in 19S9. The stock­ holders are still receiving the high dividend of nine per cent, the bondholders are still getting the same interest. The executives and high officials of the Company had a temporary salary reduction of ten per cent, but today their pay is back to boom time levels, and the rates to the consumer are also at boom time levels. In short, says Mr. Martin, ”1 still pay nineteen twenty-nine boom time prices for mortgage—Interest, taxes, telephone, electricity and gas, bus and commuting fares, doctors, dentists, coal, tobacco, cigaretts and ice, and", he continues, "all these things cost us twenty dollars a week. They cost us the same amount in nineteen twenty-nine, but then I was earning fifty dollars a week and now I am only making thirty." And he concludes, "All these burdens make It impossible for us to "Buy Now". Fairchild and The Nation m CLERGYMEN Here^ an amajing fact that I never knew before. A writer in the magazine wGood-Housekeeping” has made a nationwide survey of the conditions in the churches. He finds that there are twenty thousand ordained clergymen unemployed. Many churches have closed their doors. Others have consolidated, thus doing away with the services of preachers. NBC i-m BUILD I MI ITEM V , ... - ■ - - - • - V/e hear a lot about what big cities are doing to ^about bring 1BM2X better times. But after all, most of the people in this country live in small towns and on farms. Clarence Smith -/iites me as follows:- A. f,I just want to tell you what a small burg of tv/o thousand Inhabitants Is doing to help-out the unemployment situation. Mo sherrystown is the place, eleven miles from Gettysburg, in Pennsylvania. At present v;e have five dwellings under construction and a large Knights of Columbus home costing about twenty-five thousand dollars." If every small town In the country did the same9 It certainly v.ould make a lot of difference. L.T. Personal correspondence And incidentally I hear that the first time in three years construction throughout the country is picking up Dodge Corporation, which issues reports on building operations, has discovered that from October 1st to October 15th, construction in the thirty-seven states east of the Rocky mountains amounted to almost sixty-five million dollars. This is a conspicuous increase, because in the first half of September the figures were some fifty-five million dollars odd, while for the same period last year it was only fifty-four million. ROOSEVELT The President again stuck to his private quarters in the Ydiite House today and did not go over to the executive offices. The official pny sician of the administration says that though Mr. Roosevelt still has a cold, he is not running a temperature and will probably be back on the job tomorrow. that the President will positively take no sides in the coming election in New York City. He will vote, but he will not go to New Jfork to do it. He will send in his irta-tei ballot by mail, and he resolutely declines to make public whom he will vote for. speech, £9^ McKee said, nA vote for LaGuardia is a vote against Roosevelt A vote for McKee is a vote for Roosevelt.” So «*«rt?statement was made -- 'N. public at the White House to off-set what Mr. McKee claimed. Incidentally, the White House repeated the emphatic declaration This statement was issued from the White House as a retort to something said last night McKee. In the course of the - \ - ROOSEVELT The President again stuck to his private quarters in the White House today and did not go over to the executive offices. The official physician of the administration says that though Mr. Roosevelt still has a cold, he is not running a temperature and will probably be back on the job tomorrow. ;i 111 Incidentally, the Waite House repeated the emphatic declaration that the President will positively take jio. sides in the coming election in New York City. He will vote, but he will not go to New york to do it, He will send in his wtefei ballot by mail, and he resolutely declines to make public whom he will vote for. si This statement was issued from the White House as a retort to ’^TnJlqp date^Jc something said last night by Candida te^Toe McKee. In the course of the speech, McKee said, MA vote for LaGuardla is a vote against Roosevelt, fa A vote for McKee is a vote for Roosevelt.So ta t enien^^w^^made public at the White House to off-set v/hat Mr. McKee claimed, mum NBC GIFT President Roosevelt received an interesting gift today. Rather I should say* received a gift in an interesting and novel manner. It consisted of a consignment of potatoes sent by citizens of Caribou in Ards took County* Maine, The bags of potatoes were strapped in passenger chairs and released while the plane was flying over Hoover Field at Washington. These passenger chairs are a safety device invented by one* Harry Trusty* a former resident of Caribou, In case of afcsftap to the plane* there is a special parachute device which can be operated by the pilot in such fashion that all passengers are brought safely to the ground* sitting in their chairs^ t&JL That sounvis like one of the most invaluable gadgets yet ! i!:j invented for airplane traffic. Incidentally* this inforination comes to me from my colleague* V.. R, Robbins* editor of the ^Ar os took Republi* can*' at Caribou, Robbins :i I: ; Chase National BanR^ is in viie news again today, You may recall dur-" ing his examination by Ferdinand Pecora, before the Senate Committee on Banking and Currency, Mr, Wiggin admitted that although he has retired from all activity the bank, he was in receipt of a pension of a hundred thousand dollars a year, Mr. Pecora now makes public a letter from. Mr. Wiggin, saying that because of the criticism aroused by this news he has given up his hundred thousand dollars; he has asked the Board of Directors to stop it. And the Board of Directors accordingly had a meeting today and voted to do as Mr. Wiggin has asked. ' j- STRIKE Iney had a regular battle In the streets of Los Angeles today, a battle in which striking women and cops were involved. This of course had to do with the strike of garment workers in souther Califor­ nia. After the riots were over, three women, pi eke ter s were in jail and two strike breakers were in the hospital. No men took any part in the scrap whatsoever, it was started by the women. They went to it with scissors• ^ Ltr* This occurred at a most unfortunate time, because when the fight broke out labor union leaders were holding a peace_conference with employers. In fact, they are afraid that the riot may upset the negotiations. Meanwhile, further north, in Fresno, California, there was a meeting between official arbitrators, cotton growers and striking cotton pickers. This followed a conference in which Governor Rolph of California, George Creel, California head of the N R A, and Tim Rdordan, State Industrial Director, took part. It is expected that the differ­ ences of opinion between the growers and the strikers will be compro­ mised, the strikers getting seventy-five cents a hundredweight, Mr, ( S1K1KE - Z s' [ I } E I I I . i f r i iI I I I I I i i i . Creel, on behalf of the Federal Government, announced that the Federal Land Bank in BeifCeley, California, will loan a million dollars to make this increase in wages possible. Then, again, the farm strike in the middle west seems to be simmering down. I learn from Des Moines that everything is comparatively quiet in Iowa. The leaders of the Farmers Holiday & kxx Association are going to work peacefully, trying to get the cooperation of farmers in general in their movement to keep produce away from the market. So far as IOWA is concerned, there is not much picketing and only a few significant squabbles have been reported. However, it is not quite so peaceful in Wisconsin. Several truckloads of milk hStishs*® dump^PafK? one or two other disturbances As ^ M ■ - . took place. - he dairymen who supply Milwaukee and Chicago with milk have so far refused to cooperate* NBC FRANCE Ahi It's all set^about the new French Cabinet* so you can make your bets how long this one will last. As was predicted yesterday* the new Premier is Mf. Albert ^arraut. He is no netffVommer to cabinet life* as he was formerly the French Minister of the Navy, The invitation to form the Cabinet was sent to him today by President Lebrun of the Republic* Monsieur Sarraut accepted and announced that he would "notify ■any mx oembers of the retiring cabinet to help him. What is more* he intimated that he may not need the support of the Socialist Party, which is ajouumtx exceptionally powerful in France. And by the way, they were checking up the casualties fr>m that accident yesterday to the Cherbourg-Paris express. The final reports show that it was one of the wors^*railway disasters that ever occurred in Europe. The official total of tom dead is thirty-two; and the injured eighty-six. Investigation developed the fact that the express was traveling at a rate of seventy miles an hour over a stretch of track that was 'Under repair at the time. LINDBERGH Here’s something from the Lindberghs. The Colonel and his lady arrived at glorious Inverness in the north of Scotland today. They announced that they had had a tough time flying across the Irish Sea from Galway, The Colonel said he had piercing winds to buck against all the way over. Colonel and Mrs. Lindbergh are going to make another trip tomorrow but they do not eay where, Kaybe the Lindberghs are bound for the land of the IcebergJts. LEHMAN Appendicitis seems to be running in the family of Governor Lehman of New York, The Governor was suddenly seized with an attack recently, was rushed to the hospital, and underwent an operation. He is still in the hospital. Last night his cousin, Harry Lehman, a banker, came down with the same illness. So he was taken to the same hospital and likewise had an operation. So now the Governor has compeny. .And I learn that ^ago the Governor* s daughter was operated on for appendicitis. NBC r ■ BwmmwB __ _ CHIGE l ER One of the fningL accomplished by N R ^ has been to sharpen the wits of the dishonest, those who want to get the benefits of N R A^at 4 the same time « d violate the code, Grover Whalen, Qhairman of N H A in New York Gity, ^ instance of one trick that is being used to get around the clause which forbids too long working hours for women. This scheme was devised by the owner of a women1 s dress shop, who employs a lot of girls, A complaint filed with Mr. Whalen says that this man furnished all his feminine employees with wedding rings. He told them that if anybody came around to investigate and found them working late at night, the girls were to say they were the wives of the bosses of the establishment and had dropped in to help out. hra 5 If I quake Another earthquake in Los Angeles. It does^Wt seem to^S^ -to 'wdL* .. , . boon an eire^odingrty—aeriour onoi, bgc^ucem tHe damage was trifling. One woman broke her arm loping out of bed; the plaster in a police station was cracked; and the shelves of a few stores were upset. Outside of that no casualties. It was a short, sharp shock, occurring about eleven o*clock last night. It is attributed to a settling of the earth, a follow-up of the big quake earlier In the year TALL, oTORY A distinguished professor at the University of North Carolina sends me a tall story. "I have become interested," different languages over the world, often exactly as they are told by the mountain folk here." Then he adds, "If you tell this, it might be wise to omit my name for a hobby like tall stories might not coincide with the idea the public has of professorial dignity." stories are folk lore - perhaps the jolllest form of scholarship. They have a dignity of their own, for dignity can be Jovial and merry. an old mountaineer with a muzzle loading gun who saw some wild geese. He vras out of caps and had nothing spark to set off his powder charge. So he hit himself in the nose as hard as he could, and set off the gun with the sparks he saw. which are told in many Well, I think you are wrong, professor. Tall JWSS^linywey, the professor's tall story tells of This/concludes the professor, is almost as extraordinary as a North Carolina farmer who had soil so rich >v i ____ TAT.L STORY - 2 [ that his pumpkin vines grow so fast they wore the pumpkins out dragging them along the ground. So the pumpkins were dragging along the ground in North Carolina -- and, they are dragging me away from this microphone, so - he^l Walt a minute! SO LONG UNTIL TOMORROW. Proeper