THE PRESIDENCY: The Hoover Week: Sep. 7, 1931

To all the emergencies President Hoover has had to meet this year, another was added last week. After two years of drought, North American waterfowl were distantly threatened with extermination. The President met this emergency with a proclamation reducing the shooting season on ducks, geese, brant and coot from three months to one (see p. 51). ¶Another White House proclamation: Fire Prevention Week (Oct. 4-10). ¶To his Rapidan camp the President took for a week-end outing Publishers Frank Knox of the Chicago Daily News and Warren Fairbanks of the Indianapolis News. There he left them to their own amusement long enough to discuss arms limitation with Assistant Secretary of State Rogers, anti-trust laws with Assistant Attorney General O’Brian. In circulation last week was a pamphlet published by the Virginia State Commission on Conservation & Development, handsomely printed, with maps, by Edward L. Stone of Roanoke and called “The President’s Camp on the Rapidan.” The text was a casual history of Madison County and the “Northern Neck” from the time of Lord Fairfax (1692-1782), its proprietor.

¶ For dinner, cigars, and discussion President Hoover last week had at the White House four important Manhattan bankers: President William C. Potter of Guaranty Trust Co., President Charles Simonton McCain and Vice President James T. Lee of Chase National Bank, President George Willets Davison of Central Hanover Bank & Trust Co. Also present was Governor Eugene Meyer of the Federal Reserve Board. They conferred on “the general business situation.” Two reports immediately developed: 1) the President was planning more banking aid to Europe; 2) he was arranging to protect mortgage issues from speculative manipulation.