Motorist Moe

"My name's Moe Buchsbaum and I'm American, see?" was the truculent challenge of a person arrested for speeding in Evreux last week to the black-capped, white-whiskered French judge.

Ordered to pay a fine of 100 francs ($6.60), Motorist Moe gestured his disgust, called the French a race of welchers and flatly refused to pay $6.60 to any French court until President Roosevelt receives the total War Debt payment now due from Paris, $141.308.530.79.

Like many another Frenchman, the Evreux judge deplores his Government's welching, winces at the scorn of itinerant Moe Buchsbaums. Instead of ordering the prisoner jailed he snapped, "I will accept, Monsieur Buchsbaum, a photostatic copy of a check proving that you have paid the sum of 100 francs to the American Treasury for the account of France."

Promising on his word of honor as a gentleman to present Evreux with a photostat of the check, Moe Buchsbaum triumphantly left the court. In Washington next day Treasury officials said that four private contributions toward extinction of War Debts have been received. In each case the foreign government concerned is queried and only after receiving its O. K. does the Treasury wipe off the debt in question the amount of the gift. Biggest contribution thus far was from a Jugoslav who left his entire estate, all of it tied up in property, to vindicate Jugoslavia which has welched $825,000. Selling the property bit by bit, the Treasury had realized $1,100 up to last week. Next largest contribution: $1,000 from the estate of a Frenchman who died in Massachusetts.

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