Disunited Doings

The members of the Cabinet found themselves scattered and engaged in multifarious summer activities. The ten in order of rank came into, or stayed out of, the news as follows:

Frank B. Kellogg, Secretary of State, remained at his desk without public utterance, played golf.

Andrew W. Mellon, Secretary of the Treasury, accompanied by his son Paul, sailed for Europe last week on the Majestic to visit his daughter and her husband, David Bruce, now U. S. vice--consul at Rome. Mr. Mellon had just issued a statement saying that the pre-armistice debts contracted by France, Italy, Belgium were all actually canceled by the terms of the settlements made with the U. S., but that these agreements in no way affected peacetime or commercial loans. General Lincoln C. Andrews, Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in charge of Prohibition enforcement, talked, meanwhile, with Britishers in London concerning Anglo-American anti-smuggling cooperation. Charles S. Dewey, another Assistant Secretary, is in Berlin for pleasure and economic investigations.

Dwight F. Davis, Secretary of War, made a tentative contract with the Alabama Power Co. for the disposal of hydro-electric power at Muscle Shoals, to continue for 18 months or longer; approved of the use of Italian Carrara marble for the headstones to mark American soldiers' graves in overseas cemeteries, despite the protests of U. S. marble merchants whose bids were excessively high. F. Trubee Davison took oath of office as Assistant Secretary of War for Aviation; became acting Secretary of War when Secretary Davis and Assistant Secretary MacNider left Washington; flew over the Capital as his first official act; appointed two new brigadier generals for the air service.

John G. Sargent, Attorney General, caused trouble for Secretary Hoover. (See below.)

Harry S. New, Postmaster General, considered how to make his postal revenues equal expenses.

Curtis D. Wilbur, Secretary of the Navy, approached as near as duty permitted to the razed Navy Arsenal at Dover, N. J., where a few capricious shells were still frisking. Two investigations are under way: one to consider Government damages; one, civilian.

Hubert Work, Secretary of the Interior, went unobserved.

William M. Jardine, Secretary of Agriculture, listened to mutterings from the Corn Belt, which did not glorify the Administration's farm relief attitude; spoke before the American Institute of Co-operation in St. Paul.

Herbert C. Hoover, Secretary of Commerce, found himself stripped of radio-broadcasting control by a ruling of Attorney General Sargent and by the failure of the 69th Congress to agree on either the Dill or White radio bills. He predicted "chaos in the air," and was not surprised last week to discover that six New York broadcasting stations were jumping to new wave lengths. If the broadcasters cannot come to a gentlemen's agreement, the Department of Commerce intends to prosecute on the basis of "wilful or malicious" interference with radio rules. It is said that such prosecution would be legal, under the terms of the Wireless Act of 1912.

Secretary Hoover also found time to address the 33rd annual meeting of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, in Chicago.

James J. Davis, Secretary of Labor, spoke before the Industrial Safety Conference in Washington, D. C., urging an educational program to "reduce this wastage of life and limb that disfigures the otherwise marvelous mechanism of American industry."