The Bismarck Tribune Newspaper, March 2, 1925, Page 1

WEATHER FORECAST { For Bismarck and vicinity: Part- ly overcast tonight and Tuesday. ESTABLISHED 1873 WOULD KEEP N. D. GUARANTY COST IN BISMARCK FOR POLICE FIRE PROTECTION COMPARES FAVORABLY WITH OTHER CITIES ENTHUSIASTS ~ FOR BRIDGES ARE AROUSED Action of Senate in Indefinite- |, ly Postponing Bills Gives Them Scare REVISED MAY BE The State Senate this after- noon voted to reconsider and place on the table sfor stich fur- ‘ther action as it secs fit, bills appropriating funds to aid in constructing bridges across’ the Red River at Fargo and Des Lacs Lakes. ‘The bills had failed to pass last week. No March hare ir fiction or else- where could be much madder than Williams and McKenzie county leg- islators and lobbyists were as March was ushered in Sunday. The reason was that the, appropria- tion bills for bridges over the Miss- ouri river at Sanish and Williston which passed the senate Friday were Saturday afternoon considered, and were sent to the limbo of indefinite postponement, joining the appropria- tions for the Fargo and Des Lacs bridges which were defeated on the previous day. The bills were killed on a straight party vote, the entire Independent THE BISMARCK BISMARCK, NORTH DAKOTA, MONDAY, MARCH 2, 1925 TRIBUNE TIME CHANGE ‘S FAMOUS SET Author Finds Pop Flows Where He Wrote “Face on The Floor” BY GENE COHN NEA Service Writer New York, ‘March 2.— a goodly crowd was there, Which well nigh filled Joe's room on the corney by square—” bar- the There's a soft drink stand tojlay upon the scene of this most quoted bit. of verse. is an old man now, quite wealthy and he’s trying to put off death for a few years more by resting in Eur- ope. He still owns the building where j “the vagabond came slowly in andj posed upon the floor.” It’s a busy corner, just off Greenwich Village, and it's a far cry from the orangeade emporium, and gents furnishing store to “Joe's bar,” famed rendezvous for theatrical men back in the 80's. Hugh D'Arcy, who sprang into in-! ternational fame by writing “The Face on the Floor” as a sermon to Joe, revisited the scene for the first time in many years on the eve of his 82nd birthday and laughed heart- ily as he saw the throngs hurrying | by and the groups coming up to drink orangeade. “Well, sir,” recited the veteran Darcy, “I taught Joe Schmidt a les- son that he will never forget. But the funny part of it is that my poem became propaganda for the prohibi was a balmy summer evening, and | And Joe, who started | it all—Joe Schmidt was his name—| HUGH D’ARCY PROBE REPORT majority voting for indefinite post: |tionists, and all I ever intended it to | BEING DRAWN \ponement. Whether or not they will/be was a lesson to Joe to be kind toj be resurrected is stit! uncertain, but it is a more or less open secret that the attitude taken by the Nonparti- sun majority in the house on the ap- propri versity, agricultural college, and po8- sibly tHe staté and regional fairs is likely to be one of the determining factors. ‘ The Independents followed up their action on the bridge bills, by killing House Bill 122, which called for the withdrawal, of state recognition for ate and regional fairs. Senator tin of Morton and Olson of Bur- h voted with the Independent ma- however in knocking out this The motion for indefinite nost- ponement wes made by Senator W. 8. Whitman of Grand Forks. Pass Many Measures Besides killing: the bills just men- tioned the senate Se‘urday after- noon passed 14 measures, practically without debate. Among the bills passed was H. B. which fixes the salary of the ate commissioner of immigration at $2,500 per year instead of $3,000. number of the Nonpartisan senators voted against this bill. H. B, 22t fixing the fees of county surveyors on road work at $ per day was pass- ‘cd without serious opposition, as was ai. B. 149 providing for a new state board of accountancy, Two important appropriation bills were reported in for passage by the committee on appropriations, They were the budget for the state train- ing school at Mandan, which enrries 262,380, and that for the state tcver- sanitarium at San Haven near ith which as reported in today carries $130,000, There is a boost of $20,000 in the sanitarium budget over the figures allowed by the house, the chief part of which is due to provision for chil- dren’s ward at the sanitarium. The Bridge Fight The fight over the bridge bills came early in the afternoon. It be- (Cntinued on page four.) SWEATERS TO BE PRESENTED TO FOUR GIRLS AT “U” Grand Forks, N. D., March 2,—Four girls at the University of North Da- Kota will be presented sweaters by the Women’s Athletic Association of the institution at afbanquet in the near future, it is announced by Nes- tor Moore, of the department of physical education for women, { Dorothy Richards, of Dickinson; race Osborne of Emerado; Gertrude fiinson, of Buffalo, and Frank Me- Master, of Grand Forks, are the girls who will receive sweaters. They receive these awards because of earning over 800 points in athletics at the University. Cups will be awarded at the same time to twenty girls for earning 400 points in athletic HEALTH SERVICE MOVES FROM 1 LAND OFFICE The United States, Public Health ‘Service which has been temporarily occupying quarters in the United States Public Land offices’on the third floor of the Federal Building, vacated this morning to make room fo rthe records of the Dickinson Land Office which has been discon- tinued. The Public Health office hag been transferred to Dr. F. Rt ‘Smyth’s quarters in the Little block, 17 Mroadway. "Trt discontinuance of the land office at Dickinson marks the dis- appearance of the last but one of the headquarters for the sale of land which were once scattered through the state, and gradually dis- appeared asthe public lends were taken up. The Bismarek Land Office will now administer govern- ment lands for the entire state of North Dakota, With a) rds By \ for the ataté om file at that office. derelicts. “Certainly I never dreamed that it would bring me fame. Most people think I made a fortune off ilar. Everybody that could stole it, and they even changed the name to ‘The Face on the Barroom Floor.’ But that’s neither here nor there, n ‘What I want to tell you about is how it happened. There were five of us sitting in the barroom. And one ‘of ‘em was Frank O'Brien, the ‘mayor of Birmingham.’ Believe or not, a derelict came in just as I said in the verses. He was down and Jout for fair and he asked for a drink, O'Brien‘handed him his glass. Just then Joe saw what was going on, and motioned to Al, the bartender. Now in those days it wasnt’ uncommon for Germans to have. their wives and daughters at the cash drawer, after the fashion of barmaids on the con- tinent. “And Joe's wife was there. jpappened” in ‘the next few minutes cruel, particularly with a woman looking. on,,, Al grabbed thé fellow by the neck and shoved him out. They had a dog named Toby and Toby finished the scene by clamping his teeth in the poor fellow’s trousers, I had gotten a good look at the derelict’s face, It wasn’t the face of a common drunkard. . “Well, we atl rushed out into the street and rescued the fellow from the gutter, gave him another drink and put some money in his pocket. I went back: to give Joe a lecture, but Joe insisted that the man was an ordinary bum. That night I went home and wrote the verses. I }brought them to Joe the next day, and tears came to his eyes. He told me later that it had been a great lesson to him, And that’s why 1 have keyed most of my verses in pathos. I think it’s good for humans ‘to cry once a while. But I guess that verse has made more women cry than men. “How did the thing get famous? That’s a funny story. I sent the verse to a New York paper and Joe ‘bought a hundred copies. He sent 25 of them to friends in Buffalo Bill’s show, then showing in Eng- land. “A month later I heard that the piece was being recited in a half dozen shows and cafes. “Another funny thing is that I have met four men in my life who claimed to have written it. So I be- came famous, and that amuses me a lot now. “Oh, yes, I've got a birthday com- ing ina few days and then I’ll know where Joe is—for he never fails to send me a birthday message. No— he’s never forgotten ‘the face.’” The old man walked to taxicab and a new crowd of people rushed up to the sidewalk stand and ordered orangeade. i ——-——_____—__ | Weather Report —_____________4 For 24 hours ending at noo! Temperature at. 7 a. m. i Highest yesterday . 10} Lowest yesterday .... a Lowest last night .... oe: gree nitation ee aoe 0 ghest wind velocity . 0 WEATHER FORECAST For Bismarck and vicinity: Partly overcast tonight and Tuesday. Ris- ing temperature. * For North Dakota: Partly overcast tonight and Tyesday.\. Rising tem- perature tonight and east portion Tuesday. nie WEATHER CONDITIONS A large high pressure area, accom- panied by fair, cold weather, extends from the Plains States eastward to the Great\ Lakes region. A low pressure area, accompanied by warm- er weather, covers the northern Roc- ky Mountain region. Temperatures fare higher in parts of western Can- \da and Montana than in the south- ‘ern @lains States and lower Missis- sippi Valley, that | ion” bills for the state uni-}poem, but it never brought me a dol-! it. What | ~ BY COMMITTEE | Highway Commission Inquiry , Committee Will Report To Legislature | With announcement made by Chairman Roy Yeuter of the House Highway Commission — investigating committee that final testimony had jbeen taken in the committee's public inquiry, and work of preparation of a report begun, it was expected that a formal report would be submitted |to the House within the next da | two. The committee’s report is being prepared by Fd. Grahamy counsel, C, E. Lounsbury, assistant counse and members of the committee. It is expected that the report will severely condemn the administration of the y Commission in the last two | Highw: ‘A ‘struck mé a8 rather unnecessary and years, but it is also probable that a; minority report may be submitted by at least one member of the commit- tee, defending the Highway Commis- jon and declaring the investigation |has proved futile. | Members of the investigating com- mittee include Representatives Y: ter, Vogel and Thatcher, Nonpart Independent who voted for the inves- tigation, and Representative Halcrow, Independent. The last witness to appear before the committee was L. L. Twichell, Fargo lawyer and state representa- tive, who defended the settlement of the Richland county road projects, for which his brother, Treadwell Twichell, was contractor. The final award, made by a board of arbitra- tion, was attacked during the com- the subject of discussion in the com- mittee report. Whether the committee will extend its report to include a etlaration j against federal aid in road building :or a policy of state road building under a Highway Commission is un- certain. WARD COUNTY VET IS FOUND NOT GUILTY Minot, N. D., March 2—A Ward county man, John Harchanko, a shell shock victim of the World war, who answered “yes” to practically every question that authorities askef him, despite the fact that in so doing he was incriminating himself as an automobile thief, of which he was not guilty, has been ‘freed of a teharge of grand larceny, - filed at Minneapolis in Hennepin county, Minnesota. Harchancko resides on a farm between Sawyer and Benedict. The charge according to Attorney H. E. Johnson of Minot, counsel for Harshanko, who returned from Min- neapolis yesterday afternoon, was voluntarily dismissed by the prose- cuting officials in Minneapolis, after {he had presented many affidavits jand other information tending to substantiate the contention that |Harchanko was not guilty of the lerime charged against him, and that incriminating answers which he had given to .questions were not the truth. The American Legion, it is stated, assisted in. the assembling ‘of information tending to show that Harchanko’s health had been impair- ed due to service in the army in the Work War. Harchanko’s arrest on the grand larceny charge followed the appre- hension of an@alleged ring of auto- mobile thieves in Minneapolis, and ‘one of whom proved to be an ac- quaintance of Harchanko, with whom the latter had ridden to North Da- Harchanko took po part in the steal- iff of the machine.it has developed, despite the facet that he is alleged to have told authorities that he did, and in. no manner incriminated in ‘the crime. 9 Ribas tenia sans, and Anderson of Stutsman, an! | mittee inquiry and is expected to be, ‘PACIFIC FLEET STARTS OUT ON BIG MANEUVER 2 Vessels Move off Coronado Island for Play at the War Games BE’ FOR TO 10° DAYS “Black” Fleet Will Invade the Pacific Coast, Under the War Plan | al Base, San Diego, Cal., March 2—(By the A. P.)—Fifty-two vessels jof the battle fleet today moved to mobilization point off the Coronada |Island from where they will start Jone of the greatest games of naval istrategy ever staged in the Pacific |Ocean, as the Tirst step in a series of spectacular fleet maneuvers ex- tending two months, jhundred fighting ships will partic- jipate. | Under the ten day maneuver pro- ‘blem the great naval force, based \herelaatilevatronglacmeotitheUnited |States in the Pacific, moves off jshore in the role of an enemy fleet. jIt has become the “black” fleet and its mission is to invade the Pacific icoast and establish a base of opera> |tions as the first move in a war jagainst the United States. | "For the purpose of this problem ithe strategic base point ‘which this |mission seeks has been set in the |Pacifie Ocean at a point off the coast of Lower California, The '“black” fleet's function is to convey {a great train of supply ships in order |to capture this point and establish thereon a stronghold for operations jagainst the United States. \'"The backbone of the navy’s major {power, nine great battleships, form jthe striking corps of the “black” fleet. These first first dreadnaughts jare supported by thirty destroyers junder the flag of a first line cruiser, lthe Omaha, three aircraft tenders and nine of the slow moving train of supply ships. This “black” fleet will move out linto the Pacifie Ocean to the west in order to assume the position of a fleet invading the :Pacific~ Coast. Then it will in battle formation strike eastward for the point desig- nated in the problem as the object- ive base. Meunwhile the defense forces of \the Pacific, the scouting fleet which has come from its Atlantic station, lis wheeling into position from the ‘Panama Canal with orders to seek out and destroy the “black” fleet. It is known as the “blue” fleet. There are some 58 craft in this defense fleet, its first line strengthening in eight speedy first line cruisers. FIGHT FIRE AT "STOCKYARDS ;Much Equipment Is Concen- trated in Chicago Chicago, March 2.—The_ greatest concentration of fire fighting appar- atus called to a Chicago fire in years was necessary late yesterday to sub- due flames which attacked the old beef house of Morris and Company, now owned by Armour and Company in the Chicago stockyards. 57 en- gine companies were called by a quadruple alarm. | For a time it appeared that the en- tire yards were endangered although the fire was finally confined to the jone building. Loss was estimated at $300,000. Scattering lard burned several firemen and three were injured slightly. HELD IN JAIL, HIS VICTIM IN SERIOUS SHAPE | { Williston, N. March 2.—Ben {Miller was held in the county jail {here today while Helge Helgerson, McKenzie county farmer, was in the hospital in a serious condition. Hel- gerson was shot by an unknown as- sailant when he answered a knock jon the door during the night and he lis expected to recover although his left ear was shot off and he will lose the sight of one eye. Authori- ties are holding Miller for question- ing on the theory that he is the man ‘that went to Helgerson’s home ten miles south of here during the night and shot Helgerson, his former em- ployer, in a jealous rage because jthe latter’s daughter rejected his lattentions. According to the story told by the family Helgersan went to the door in reply to a knock and received a full charge from a shotgun in the face. He laid unconscious all night. His sixteen year old daughter and young n, alone in the house, were too frightened to summon aid until day- light. He was taken to a hospital here. others The “grain side” of a leather belt transmits more power than the “flesh side,” recent tests have shown. The use of a continuous jtread [Stactor drive in. winter-timé . has: made possible regular motor car [postal service in Finnish Lapland. More than a) BARTHQUAKE'S CENTER FIXED AND OVER LAKES Seismograph Expert . Gives His Opinion of Tremor | Saturday Night \ CITIES Editor's Note: This is anoth- er of a series of articles upon the fiscal affairs of the city gov- ernment for the guidance of the voters of Bismarck, Figures tak from official records of the al en city | The most important function of aE 74 government is the protectjon of life, AFFECTED persons and property. ‘Phis is true jot cities, states and tions alike. 3 __ |For this reason expenditures in the Police Reserves Ca'led Out in) smailer cities more close {proximate these of the — larg- New York as Citizens ey communities when et ‘ed on a per capita basi Are Frightened is especially true of poli tion, though not so true of fire pro tection because the larger cities are obliged to ntain fully paid fire departments, whereas the smaller get by with either a volun- jally volunteer depart ;ment. While the cost of both of ; the: rvices together make a total per capita charge of $3.29, neverthe- lesss the figure is about 50 cents higher than it ought be, due largely ito what appears to be an abnor charge for hydrant rental. This Three Rivers, Que. a Mrs. Eugene Bureau of Ste. Anne da la Parade, twenty-five miles from here, fell unconscious of shock caused by the earthquake Saturday night and died before medical aid could reach her. @ persons are rumored to have died from fright or being ‘struck by falling debris at points along the south shore during the earthquake, although no con- firmation could he obtained. Washington, March 2.—The center | Targe part of the United States cat. ROUNDUP PLANS _ BEING MADE urday night probably was in one of) Killdeer, N. D., March Sam the Great Lukes, Father Torndorff, "ge of the seismograph peoeclaretl Rhoades, the owner and active man- lager of the Killdeer Mountain Round- up, is preparing to handle 15,000 peo- TU Iple at the 1925 Roundup which has OT Leen set for Thursday, Friday and July 2-3-4, in the heart of er Mountains. About the first of April the pz 2. to- F y of the tremors corded by the Georgetown ment could not be accounted merely on the grounds of thei he seve! { ni Shocks as clo: rs ago, resulted in @!Jocks will be removed from the record here, he pointed gites which separate the rens, out. Chutes, alleys, ete., and all necessary All indications are that the earth-/fixing and repairing will immediate- quakes reached a point of great in-j1y be attended to. tensity at their center, according to the priest, Who is one of the coun-} fact that no reports of really serious ! quakes have been received indicated | do ‘so. mographers cannot tell wheth- the readjustment in the earth which caused the hquake + completed, or whether it! that the greatest shaking of the| earth was under the waters of the] Greut Lakes, he said, ‘Tidal waves might | f said, although they do not al er crust has been will continue, causing further shock 000; Origin of: Fire Is according to the Georgetown scien- | Unknown | tist. | N. D., March 2. | quaKE fee aa Mandan, A fire of UTES, RECORDS SHOW undetermined origin about five w York, March New /o'clock Sunday morning caused a first eartha| loss estimated at from $20,000 to . m. Saturday w {$25,000 in the plant of the Mandan tremely violent proportion,” but was,Daily Pioneer. Two linotype ma- without “after tremors,” which show|chines, a large stock of type, adver- that a repetition of the shock that/tising records, office supplies and drove thousands into the streets and; ous The instrument's needle/other publishing houses of the two jumped 6 inches. icities, the paper was able to make The police records show that re-{its edition on time. The plant of serves were dispatched to numerous | the Bismarck Tribune was placed at sections to quiet terrorized citizens jthe disposal of The Pioneer. : who had fled to the streets and stood| The loss fully covered by in- huddled into groups ‘while the build- ;Surance. ings about them rocked. Furniture | SSS (Cntinued on page four)" |MAY OBTAIN WILTON MAN. DAILY ROUTE GOES AFTER | Hazelton, N. D., March 2.—If the {month of February holds up in num- STOLEN AUTO}:.. of pieces of mail distributed over {rural route No. 3 out of Hazelton, it Wilton, N. D., March 2.—Dr. R. C.|stands a good show of being made a Thompson was in communication with | daily route the authorities of Plentywood, Mon-/a week route. During December and tana in regard to his Studebaker January more than five thousand sedan, which was stolen from his pieces of mail were distributed by garage early last summer. From in-|the carrier each month, and Febru- formation received a gang of auto- lary has been holding up to the rec- mobile thieves had been rounded up lord in good shape, although it is the in Montana with a number of cars |shortest month of the year. in their possession. The following item was published this week under a Minot headline. ‘Tyree North Dakota autos mere in- cluded in six ‘additional stolen cars recently found near Plentywood, Mont., bringing to 19 the total of such machines recovered in the last few months near that point, accord- ing to Deputy Sheriff W. C. Rustad of Minot, who has returned here from Plentywood. The North Dakota cars are Willys Knight sedan, stolen from G. W. Twiford of Minot; a Studebaker sedan stolen from Dr. R. C. Thomp- | son of Wilton and a Ford touring | car stolen from John Moore of Mi- Died After Fall Downstairs Mandan, N. D.,- March 2.—Mary Dworshak, aged 70, blind and in the city for treatment for her eyes, fell down a stairway at the home of her sister here Saturday afternoon and died two hours later. from the shock occasioned by fracture of both hips and of one arm. Funeral services ‘were held today at Timmer, N. D. She is serrived by a husband and dren. minutes, North Dakotans are beginning to take pride in their state. No sooner had an advertisement a |@ppeared in a national magazine, in- |serted by a radiator manufacturing company, headed “Its cold in North Dakota but— gives them radiator warmth,” the letters were started to Commissioner of Immigration J. M. Devine by several North Dakotans protesting against the advertise- ment. Mr. Devine took up the cudgell, d in a letter to the company wanted to remove false im- h pressions about North Dakota. “We note that your— ‘damper is working just right, that it feeds to the fire in the right amount, in the proper way at the exact time, all things are lovely and the rooms warm and comfy,” wrote Mr. Devine. “We are delighted to know this, since it is a restful thought to North Dakotans to realize that at last the millions who have shivered through Jong, chilly months are now immuns ap-j | -| ter item is a charge against fire pro-| Estimated at $2C,000 to $25,-) presses were ruined by the} instead of a three day) | tection ser FINAL EDITION PRICE FIVE CENTS FUND HOUSE BODY TO URGE SENATE | BILL'S DEATH es though not a cost of the fire department in sel The matter of hydrfant rental will be ex- . amined fully in a later article. Onf yyy ; the other hand, th» data supplied by] Would Indefinitely Postpone the census bureau with respect te] Measure Providing For fire protection does not alway an absolutely accurate basi parison, This is due to the fac some cities fail altogether to n 1 for hydrant ren- any provision at t budgets, They steal the the in th from tal municipally owned they are from four to seven times er and have fully paid fire de- partments. Also, that the larger the pl parison will be had by taking fifteen (Continued on page 4) JAM FACED BY "CONGRESS NOW /—NBARING BND | {One Important Bill, Rivers and Harbors, to be Rushed Through, Plan SOME WILL FAIL | Muscle Shoals Bill, MeFadden } Banking Bill, Among i Those Doomed i | PASS HOSPITAL BILL “Washington, March 2.—A bill to appropriate an additional $10,000,900 for hospital fac’ for world war veterans was pass- ed today by the House and sent to the Senate. MUSCLES SHOALS FAILS | Washington, March All prospects of getting Muscle Shoals legislation enacted at this session disappeared today when managers of. the conference re- port on the Underwood leasing bill agreed not to attempt to call up the report for Senate consid- | eration, caused numerous small panics {heat and ice which formed in the} py an overwhelming vote the throughout the city, is not to + be; ten degree below zero weather! i oise toda eda ntadieyeererolicinn feared. The fire started in the basement |aeciaring it the “sense” that Pres. Father J. O'Connor of Fordham jand ate into the main office with ident Coolidge should ‘appoint Pt univeysity, seismograph _ expert, 'the result that the office fixtures} ition to study the Muscle Shoals whose instrument recorded the shock {and supplies were badly - "problem, z here, is authority for the statement,/Despite the fire the Da e 6 which should set at rest the fears of|was publishing as usual. The large| wachington, Ma With the New Yorkers. jnewspaper press was not seriously | prospect of only remaining appro- The seismograph record if the quake |damaged, and through the courtesy priation measures and minor bills shows that it continued for four full}of F. A. Young, a local printer, and! oueezing through the legislative ;jam before sine die adjournment at Inoon Wednesday, the Sixty-Eighth Congress probably already has writ- ten its record in enactment of major | legislation. |. The one important bill on which jleaders expect to get final action in the waning hours of the ses: i the rivers and harbors authorization bill which went to conference for ad- justment of scores of amendments after its passage Saturday by the Senate. Although a last minute fight is looming over reclamation projects in the Interior Department appropriation bill, leaders believe this can be put through along with other regular supply bills not yet sent to the White House. Important measures which appear doomed to failure include the Under- wood Muscle Shoals leasing bill, the Crampton measure to reorganize the prohibition unit, the McFadden bank- (Cntinued on page four.) NORTH DAKOTA PEOPLE ARE TAKING PRIDE IN STATE, DEVINE LEARNS from the biting winter cold in the great state of New York. That sure- ly is a consummation for which to be devoutly thankful. We congrat- ulate you, therefore, and your radi- ator, that New York state’ can at last face winter self-poised and un- Given the average iter conditions usual to our state, and that—of yours functioning perfectly, and a North Dakota family would, believe, be obliged to dig up th discarded B. V. D.’s, Palm Beach suits, and turn on the switch of the electric fan.” Mr. Devine added that “seriously speaking,” he wanted to correct the afraid. or Vermont. @ big, goed state.” [| be justified by the reserve | Production statistic false impression that North Dakota was the ultimate in snow and ice, and suggested the same of the state at the head of the advertisement be chagged to New York, Massachusetts He sent to the firm a copy of a radio address, adding that “we want you to be reliably inform- ed regarding our people, climate and The Repealing of Law OTHER ACTION TAKEN er plant and let the water con-| House Committee Would Also sumer foot that bill, generally be- use he does not know that he is Kill Two Other Senate ing for ant rental in th ‘i 7 Ehajietatinehended (raseetFACGH | Banking Bills The average cost for 107 cities with population of between 30,000 The House of Representatives and itants for the ser-}banks and banking committee today vice above is $4.57 per capita, or] voted to indefinitely postponed Sen- $1.28 more than for Bismarck, It/ate Bill No. 215, which provided for must be remembered however that} repeal of the Depositors ‘Guaranty Fund law of the state, under which state banks are assessed to pay de- positors of closed banks, after De- the higher usually is the per|cember 31, 1925. It was expected the pita cost for reasons already ex-]report would be unanimous, although ned. A more satisfactory com-|one member indicated he might op- pose it. Representative Vogel, a member of the committee, said he thought the law ultimately would have to be re- pealed, but thought the legislature should wait two years at least be- fore considering the matter. There was little discussion on the bill in committee, The committee indefinitely post- poned Senate Bill No. 290, which provided that banks would be requir- ed to carry one-fourth of their prof- its to surplus account until the sur- plus equalled 100 percent of capital stock. The view of Mrs. Minnie Craig, chairman of the committee, was that it would force bankers to have a bigger investment in capital stock. The committee also voted to kill S. B. 279, which provided a penalty up to $500 to a banker who made an unauthorized set-off to deposits to cover debt. Senate bill No. 239, providing for an increasé in reserve of state banks, and Senate Bill No. 210, restricting pledging and sale of collateral, were recommended for passage. \ The first bill provides that from January 1, 1926 to January 1, 1927, the state banks must maintain a reserve of 15 "percent of demand and 10 percent of time deposits, and after January 1, 1927, 20 percent re- serve and 10 percent demand depos- its. The law now is 10 and 7, and national bank reserves are 7 and 3, committee members L The new law, however, provides that one-fourth of the reserve may rried in United States certi- of deposits or bonds and any « of North Dakota bonds. ASKS PROBE OF OIL COMBINE Federal Trade Commission Makes Report to Coolidge Washington, March 2.—Investiga- tion by the department of justice of the results of the Standard Oil dis- solution decree was recommended by the federal trade commission in a report sent to the senate by Presi- dent Coolidge. While companies which were mem- bers of the former combination now “less consistently as a the commission’s report said, some of the more important members “are fortifying themselves by acquir- ing control of independent and en- tering new branches of the industry as integrated and dominent units in the territories in which they oper- ate.” Threatened Domination Former standard units found to threaten domination of their sales territories included the Standard Oil companies of New Jersey, California, Kentucky and Indian: The last named, with the Prairie Oil company, another former subsi- diary of the Standard Oil group, was asserted to dominate “in a substan- tial degree” the price of crude oil and of gasoline in the midcontineat area, which is the barometer of the petroleum market. Independents were declared by the commission to “keep in touch” with these two com- panies and to oppose, through their various associations, any effort at price cutting. The commiss'bn’s report was sub- mitted in response to a resolution by Senator Trammell, Democrat, Flori- da, requesting the president to trans- mit it “if not incompatiable with pub- lic interest.” The Florida senator charged that the recent increases in the price of gasoline amounting in some locali- ties to six cents a gallon, could not j Pply of SPECIAL RATE - IS ANNOUNCED St. Paul, March 2—The Northern Pacific Railway Passenger Depart- ment announced today a fare reduc- tion from points in Minnesota, Wis-