THE CABINET: Mint Lady

President Roosevelt made another deep bow to the ladies last week. He had already made Frances Perkins the country’s first female Cabinet member by appointing her Madam Secretary of Labor. He had made Ruth Bryan Owen first U. S. woman envoy by appointing her Madam Minister to Denmark. Now, to be the first Madam Director of the Mint he chose, and the Senate confirmed. Nellie Tayloe Ross, hardy Wyoming plains-woman who in 1925 had the distinction of being first U. S. woman Governor when she filled the vacancy left by her deceased husband. Madam Director Ross has been a potent Democratic lady ever since she joined the Smith forces in 1928 and became vice chairman of the National Committee in charge of women’s activities.* Salary of her new job will be $8,000 a year, minus the 15% cut ordered by the President for all government employes. She will supervise all three U. S. mints, seven assay offices, issue a quarterly estimate for the Customs Service of the value of foreign coins. The man whom she relieves, Robert J. Grant, had held the job since 1923. He will sail for Shanghai, become mint adviser to the Chinese Nationalist Government.

<FOOTNOTE* In hot demand are jobs for husbands of Democratic women workers. Emily Newell Blair, Mrs. Ross’s predecessor on the National Committee, got her husband Harry into the Department of Justice as a special assistant. Minnesota’s Annie Dickie Olsen is looking for a diplomaticberth for her husband Peter. Uxorial efforts are also being made by Mrs. Harrison Parkman, vice chairman of the Kansas State Cimmittee, Mrs. June Fickel, vice chairman of the Iowa State Committee and Mrs. Marie Proctor, secretary of the Washington State Committee.<FOOTNOTE/>