Smoke & Mirth

Day after day, month after month, clouds of oily, aromatic smoke billow up from the dumps on which Brazil's Government continues to burn coffee in a frantic effort to support its price. Last week the Government announced that since June 1931 over 14 million bags (containing 132 Ib. of coffee each) have been destroyed-- the greatest wilful, peacetime destruction of property on record.

From now on, declared Brazilian efficiency experts, coffee must be burned faster and at less expense to the Government. By July 1 another 9,400,000 bags at least must have been destroyed.

Results thus far barely permit Brazilian statesmen to say: "Our wholesale burning has prevented a greater drop in coffee prices than might otherwise have occurred."

Today Santos coffee sells for around 8-c- per Ib. It sold for an average price of 10 7/10-c- in 1932 (partly because of the favorable effect of Brazil's most bloody revolution), fetched in 1931 not quite 9-c-.

By no means downhearted or broke, gay Brazilians have just spent an estimated $7,000,000 on their uproarious three-day Mardi Gras Carnival (Feb. 26-28). celebrated amid sizzling, record summer heat by nearly a million merrymakers.

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