Evening Star Newspaper, March 16, 1921, Page 1

w OFSTBOOFUND FEEEEE PRESIDENT MAY ASK. WEATHER. Fair tonight and probably tomor- row, colder tonight. Tomperature for twenty-four hours ended at 2 p.m. today: Hij 1 p.m. today; lowest, 55, at Full report on page 19. ghest, 74, at 4 a.m. today. | Closing New York Stocks, Page 2?. - @he WITH SUNDAY MORNING EDITION hening Star. T the use for repul I credited 1o it Assocint paper and wlso t ights Y;nerdn.y;; het Circulation, 96,91 _——Tl ” Member of the Associated Press vd to exs ix exclusively en lication of all pews d thorwine credited e of ication of special lerein are also reserved. al news publich o i 4 No. 28,080. Entered as second-class matter post_office Washington, D. C. WASHINGTON, D. (., WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 1921 -THIRTY-TWO PAGES. TWO CENTS. KUTZ QUESTIONS W.R.E EXEMPTION Asks Why Maintenance of Way Should Not Be Charged on Reserve. UTILITIES COMMISSION | EXPECTED TO FIX RULE| — | London Approves | Col. George Harvey 1 | As U. S. Ambassador By the ) ciated Press. i NDON, March 16.—The | | | British government today gave | | | formal approval to the appoint- ! ment of Col. George Harvey as United Statex ambassador to reat Britain to succeed John W. Davix, who resigned. | =l | TAX REFORMS FIRST Some Senators See Disposi tion to Let Tariff Measure '| Ham Declares There Are No In- 1 . | structions as to Method of | Keeping Depreciation. | Declaring that the various public| utilities in the District follow differ-; ent methods of keeping their depre- ciation res ¢ funds, Col. Charles W.| Kutz, chairman of the utilities com- mission, announced today that the commission hopes in the near future finite rules to hold hearings and fix on the subject. The chairman made the statement at the morning session of the hearing on the street car fare question after he had questioned the action of the Washington Railway and Electric Company in setting up $258.000 as a depreciation reserve without making any charges against that reserve for‘ maintenance of way and structure! during the year. Says Instructions Were Awaited. A. G. Neal, controller of the com: pany, said the company was waiting for the commission to specify the method by which charges should be made against that depreciation fund. William F. Ham, president, inter- | posed that there are no rules at pres-| ent either of the Interstate Commerce Commission or the local commission dealing with depreciation on way and structure. but only on equipment. Col. Kutz told the witness that he could not_see why the company set up the $288,000 for depreciation if it did not expect to make charges| against that fund for replacement work done during the year. Seen as Part of Net Income. The colonel said_his conception of the matter is that if no charges were made against the amount set up for depreciation that sum should be treated as a part of net income. i Osborne 1. Yellott of counsel for the company asked Mr. Neal if the amount set aside for depreciation | last year was greater than the actual deterioration on the property during | the year. Objection was made to the question | in that form and it was decided to| get the des'red information by com- paring the amount set up for depre- | ciation last year with the amounts for the preceding years. which, the | witness said, he would submit later in the day. Hopes to Reach Standard. oS0t Kuts then made the n}nlnmenl A e went 0 101 nto depreciation q omw % several utility compatiles follow dif- ferent methods of accounting, and that the commission hopes to stand- ardize the rules in the near future. At this hearing the Washington Railway and Electric Company asks for continuation of the present rate of fare of four tokens for 30 cents, or 8 cents cash. ‘The-Capital Traction. Company does mot ask for a specific rate of fare. but tells the commission it could not | g0 back to 5 centg with 2 cents for| transfers, as contemplated on April 1, without loss, Clayton Makes Protest. At the opening of the hearing Wil- Ham McK. Clayton, representing the Federation of Citizens' Associations, | Protested against what he termed the | vagueness of the Capitat Traction | Company’s petition. He said he felt the public is entitled to a statement | from that company as to what rate | of fare it thinks it should have to earn @ reasonable return upon its invest- | ment. Col. Kutz ruled that that informa- tion could be developed in cross-ex- amination. Mr. Neal of the Washington Rail- way and Eiectric riad a statement showing that for the nine months ending January 31 last the Washing. ton Railway and_ Electric Company earned $665,235. Mr. Neal estimated that for twelve months on the same | basis the company's return would be 3$890.984.32. or 5.28 per cent on the ! value of the property. | A previous statement showed that for the twelve months ended Decem- | ber 31 the company’s rate of return Wwas 4.98 per cent on fair value. | After Mr. Neal had read the state- | ment as of January 31. showing @ return of 5.25 per cent, Col. Kutz ob- | served that it indicated a picking up! in business during January. i arles S. Kimball, engineer of the | Washington Railway and Electens | testified that the company has a mai tenance and repair program for 1 that contemplates the exper $1,700,414. e ot Among the items which this amount | included, Mr. Kimball name -1 Towing eser] Repairs to tracks on Nichols incident to street lmbruvt‘mrnl?venu‘: plesurfacing of Georgla avenue from | uchanan street to Military r | mer e ¥ road, now | Placing a draw span in th over Eastern branch. i des Reimbursing the District for on Rhode Island avenue northesar. 5 The credit of the Washington Rail- way and Electric Company has been lost and that company must have the co-operation of the Public Utilit Commission if it is to rebuild iig credit, William F. Ham, president, told the commission When he took the stand. Mr. Ham said he wanted § 1 understood that continuation (:r“vrfi present rate of fares is not all that his company feels it is legally or morally entitled to. The company, he said, is not asking for more at this time, because it realizes the peculiar situation existing in the District of Columbia of another street car com pany being able to operate at a low er rate of fare. Mr. Ham then outlined on a map the large amount of suburban ter- ritory which his company serves as compared with a much smaller subur- ban area served by the Capital Trac- tion Company. —_— CLAIMS INTERNED CRAFT. MONTEVIDEO, March 16— Uru- guayan delegates on the reparations commission Will sustain the rights of Uruguay in eight German ships which were interned in harbors of this country during the war. This statement was made in a mes- sent to the opening session of s here yesterday by President Allusion made by the president to tie I of the leagu. of nations, and 1 the hope hat, owing to this work of the peace cenference would beceme & reality. Follow Later. | BY N. 0. ME: Some of the senators who attended ! SENG the conference with President Hard- ing last night over the precedence of taxes or tariff in consideration by Congress came away With the im-| pression that the President was dis- posed to favor taking up reform first. PRESIDENT VOICES DESIRE TOAID D.C. Mr. Harding Extends Hearty Welcome to Federation Delegation. President Harding today accorded a hearty welcome to members of the Federation of Citizens' Associations of the District, who called on him to pay their regpects and extend good wishes for a successful administra- W. B. Westlake, president of the federation, headed the dele; and spokesman. No requests of the President, but, in the felicitations of ‘the scal representatives, ne spoke of oo rent interest in the welfare of the city and his desire to do every- ! thing in his power to aid in its bet- terment President Harding has been request- ed to publicly indorse the movement in America to extend material reliet to Ireland. F. Edward Mitchell of the 3 of Irish Freedom and presi- dent of the Harding Democratic Club, and Daniel W. O'Donoghuc, chairma of the general committee of the Ame can committee for relief in Ireland, alled at the White House offic make this re They They admitted, however, that they had | no assurance to that effect, and, as the| position of the senators is known, the | wish may have been father to the thought. In the conference Wednesday be- tween the Senate committee on finance and the House committee on ways and means the senators were unanimously for taking up taxes first, while the ways and means committeemen, with jthe exception of Mr. Longworth and )_lr. Bacharach, were for tariff first. The President's wish, if he it, is expected to decide the i: ‘Taxes More Difficult. It is said that if tariff does come first, while the House is considering | it the Senate committee may go ahead | with hearings on tax reforms. The tax question is admittedly the more | difficult of solution of the two. In considering tax reforms, it is point- ed out that it will be necessary first to ascertain approximately how much re- turn will be yielded by the income taxes now due. 1t will be several weeks be- | fore the sum can be approximated, and even then there is likely to be wide dis- crepancy between expectation and ful- fillment, - Two important calculations are neces- sary to be made upon this income draft: First, the amount of the falling off in | income from excess profits, expected to ! be materially less this year, as well as | the loss of income from the higher sur- | taxes. Second, the amount of money which has been invested in non-taxable securities instead of in taxable invest- ments or put into legitimate business whose profits in the future would be subject to tax. Dumense Sums Diverted. It is knownm that immense sums have been thus diverted from the taxgather- er's outstretched hand. Wealthy men have been selling their holdings and placing the money in government, state, county and municipal from taxation. Estimated figures have. placed the totals at such large figures | bonds exempt. as to forecast a big slump in income tax revenues. The Home Market Club, which is behind the movement to change the method of valuation of imports—to value them on the basis of the whole- | sale price in this country, instead of | the invoiced price abroad—is circulat- ing the argument of Thomas O. Mar- vin, before the ways and means com- mittee, advocating the change. In his argument he sald: New Valuation Urged. “When our first tariff law was adopted, manufactures were but| slightly developed in this country and | possibly difficulty arose in establish- ing the American value of some of the imported articles. The situation has completely changed, however, and almost all imports are either of a competitive character or of a nature so well known that their value in the American market can readily be ascertained. It has been testMied time and again by tariff experts and | government officials that the difficulty | of ascertaining the honest foreign! valuation is much greater than any difficulty attending American valua- tion_of the article. | “There is a marked difference in| the cost of similar articles in for- | eign countries. The cost in Germany may be lower than that in England, the cost in Japan considerably lower | than that in Germany. Our system of estimating value on the market price in the country of origin gives a decided preference to the countries of low production costs.” These arguments are said by the moderate tariff men “to be all very well” from the viewpoint of those seeking the highest rate of protec- tion the tariff will bear, but are re- ceivad dubiously by those who fear that the new plan is a stalking-horse for the insidious application of rates that will be =0 high as to boost the cost to the consumers here at a time when all impulses are for Jower costs. oo s _mpunes are for lower costs. oday’s News : in Paragraphs Three thousand more to pay | " tax here this year. b p}f:::mll Both sides in the Hamon murder trial closed this morning and court took a | recess to allow preparation of the judge’s oharge. Page 1 Senators think President wants taxes taken up before tariff. Page 1 in foreign trade. Page 1 | City Club committee would drop $1,000.- 000 plan and start $350,000 building at once. Page 2 Pennsylvania railroad orders conferences with employes. Page 2 Kalorama citizens ask gun law and bet- | "ter lighting. Page 2 Diplomats guests of Secretary Wallace | at flower show. Page 2 rmany ordered to pay billios by March 23. "page '3 President has_selected four of se members of U. 8. Shipping Board. | Page 2 Two dozen arrests in raids to whisky, dope and gun-toters. Page 2 | Charities drive needs 6,667 more mem- | bers to “go over top.” Page 3 Secretary Hoover supports Irish reliet riv Chicago_police say $500 was pri for Killing of two ward politicians > C itish-Russian trad mcl’a‘e’, British-Russian trade pact e; be signed today. e Dr. Zayas sweeps Cuba in partial elec. tions. Page 17 The first task of the new Congress, it is stated, will be to pass the Army ang Navy appropriation bills. Page 17 Probable reduction in gas lighting jn D. C. was indicated at hearing before Utilities Commission. Page 17 Petworth citizens urge cut in car fares, Page 17| ster General Hays to shake hands with every employe in department. Page 11 | Postm, | 7 U. S. plans program to back merchants | 5! clean up | Page 4| letter from the aining the re- Secretary Chr general committee Y Tief movement and asking for his in- dorsement : Charles E. Hard of Portsmouth, Ohio, was today sworn in as appointment clerk of the White House, which posi- tion was held during the last admin- istration by Charles Swem, who also served as_private stenographer to President Wilson. Mr. Hard has been at work in the W House office since the day after inauguration. Former Gov. William S. Spry of ! Utah is understood to have been vir- tually decided on by President Hard- ing for appointment as commissioner | of the general land office. Gov. Spry has been indorsed for the post by Senator Smoot, republican, of Utah, and by a number of other wesiern members of Congress. As as- sistant commissioner the President is understood to have under consideration | R. C. Taylor of Boise, Idaho. Secretary of the Interior Fall, who was in conference with the President today, discussed with him various matters concerning the personnel of the several more important branches of his department, and following this conference intimated that the appoint- ment of an assistant secretary of the | interior would be forthcoming shortly, probably tomorrow. Fred E. Scobey of San Antonio, Tex., is understood to have been selected by President Harding as director of | the mint. Raymond T. Baker, present direc- tor of the mint, has not resigned and he said today that he had no inten- tion of resigning. He was appointed by President Wilson for a term ex- piring March 22, 1922. Mr. Scobey is a personal friend of President Harding and was host to Mr. Harding when the then Presi- dent-elect visited Point Isobel, Tex., after the elections last fall. Appointment of Guy D. Goft of Mil- waukee, Wis., as an assistant attor- ney 'general was’ recimmiiifor=1g President Har today. Tney Gener-l'l)lushér‘ty. 14.‘ off was named for the Shipping Board by President Wilson as a recess ap- pointee and before that was general counsel for the board. Among the latest names mentioned in connection the post of commissioner of pensions is -that of Col. Washington Gardner of Albion, Mich., who was sec- retary of state of Michigan twice and served six terms in the House of Repre- sentatives and is a former national com- mander of the Grand Army of the Re- public. Col. Gardner is well known in Washington because of his long service as a member of the subcommittee on appropriations of the House committee on the District of Columbia. “Gen.” Jacob S. Coxey was a celler at the White House offices today. He said afterward that Secretary Chris- tin, with whom he talked, will ar- range an audience -with Mr. Harding later. The “general” is anxious to place before the President a number of plans which he is convinced will better the conditions of the nation. The President was invited to be the guest of honor to make a speech at the annual banquet of the Ohio Bar Association to be held in Cin- cinnati next September. The invita- Nicholas Longworth of Ohio, Mayor Galvan of Ohio and August Herr- mann, the base ball magnate. Other callers upon the President today were Frank B. Noyes, president of the Associated Press and presi- dent of The Evening Star Newspaper Company, whose visit was purely to extend his felicitation and good wishes; former Senator Joseph Bailey of Texas, who wished to pay his re- spects. Texas Lumberman to Call R. E. Creager of Brownsville, Tex., who is reported to be slated as the next United States ambassador to Mexico, arranged with the President for an interview with John H. Kirby, a prominent lumber operator of Hous- ton, Tex. Mr. Creager said he has been anxious for a long time to have "Mr. Kirby meet Mr. Harding. According to him, Mr. Kirby, who is looked upon as one of the best lum- ber and forestry authorities in the country, and who has been for some time president of the Southern Pro- tective Tariff Association, has been a lifelong democrat, but since Mr. Harding’s nomination he has been showing a leaning toward republi- canism. He voted for Mr. Harding in November, and Mr. Creager be. lieves that after meeting and talking with the President Mr. Kirby wili join - the republican ranks as an avowed party man. It is considered likely that the President will ask Mr. Kirby's views on various matters, particularly those concerning refor- estation and conservation. Mr. Crea. ger made it very plain that Mr. Kirby is lnot seeking” appointment to any post. Backing Louls Einstein. Louis Einstein of New York. | has served in various capaciies 1q ! the consular and diplomatic service | of the United States, Is being urged | by Senator Wadsworth of New York important consul generalships | nimself_on several occasions during | the war while he was st e ationed in —— “NO IDEA OF ABDICATING,” SAYS KING CONSTANTINE | Greek Ruler Declares Reports of Quitting in Favor of Son Unfounded. By the Associated Press. ATHENS, March 15—King Constan- tine tonight declared there was ab- solutely no foundation for reports I published in the U, he was considering abdicating in fa- vor of his son, Prince ¢ | "“On, let me have I tine exclaimed when asked if the { reports were true. have no inten- tion of abdicating in favor of George or any one else” | Constan- tion was extended by Representative | for appointment to one of the more! | ministerial posts in Europe. Mr. Ein. | i stein is said to have distinguished | nited States that| I8 ANY i | 1 KEY BRIDGE READY BY NEXT DECEMBER New Potomah Span Pro- gressing Fast Under Favor- able Building Conditions. Two Days Next Week Because oY operations on the Virginia side of the Key dge, necessitating changes on the Aqueduct bridge, the iatter bridge will be closed to vehicn- lar trafe Thursday and Friday of mext week, though pedes- trians will be lowed to cross ‘wual, it was anneunced to- y. h | | Aqueduct Bridge j Closed to V ehicles | \ | | . With a continuance of favorable building conditions, the Key concrete ‘bridge across the Potomac at George- town, which is designed to supersede the ancient Aqueduct bridge, will be available for general trafiic by the ond of the present calendar year. That is the confident expectation of Maj. Lunsford E. Oliver, the Army engineer in direct charge of the work. About 250 men are employed in the work of construction and they are being pushed to the limit in order to complete it as_soon as possible. Ow- ing to t there was practically mo _interrup- tion of operations durg the winter. It was necessary dufing the cold spells, however, to heat the concrete used on the piers and arches. The latest progress report shows that the two land abutments and the four river piers are practically completed_and that the two piers between K street and M street are two-thirds completed; that the con- crete arch between piers No. 2 and 3, in the middle of the river, is com- pleted with the exception of the spandrels and floor of the bridge; that the middle ring of the arch be- tween the Georgetown abutment and pier No. 1 is in place and the two side rings partly completed; that the steel centering on which the concrete archgwill be laid is in place between piers No. 1 and 2, and that the ele- vated approach at Rosslyn is well under way. Arches to Be Started. Preparations are being made to start the construction ‘of concrete arches over K strect and the Chesa- peake and Ohio canal, and between plers 3 and 4 and pler 4 and the Virginia abutment. Prospective operations on the last mentioned arch involve the reconstruction of a small section of the Aqueduct bridge at the Virginia end, which projects over the Jine of the new bridge. To permit of the continued use of the Aqueduct bridge until the Key bridge is ready for traffic changes will be made in the Virginia approach to the old bridge by the installation of an ap- proach girder. Will Close Old Bridge. An arrangement has been made with the District Commissioners, who have control of the superstructure of the Aqueduct bridge, by which that bridge will be entirely closed to vehiclar traffic on Thursday and Friday of next week, while that work is in progress. Means will be provided, however, for the passage of pedes- trians. Traffic on the Chesapeake and Ohio canal will be shut off for a few days also during the construction of the concrete arch over that waterway. That work involves building a tem- porary timber trestle from the bed of the canal now clear of water at that paint. The estimated cost of the new Key bridge is $2,100,000, being more than double the cost. of the Connecticut Avenue bridge across the valley of ! Rock creek. Both are concrete struc- tures of massive proportions.” While the Key bridge is larger than the Connecticut Avenue bridge the great difference in cost is due mainly to ithe advance in prices of labor and I material. MATEWAN MURDER TRIAL IS NEARING CONCLUSION | Evidence All In, One of Seventeen Defendants Being Freed—Jury to Receive Instructions. WILLIAMSON, W. Va., March 16.— Taking of testimony in ‘the Matewan gun-ight trial was concluded this Mmorning. Immediately thereafter, on motion of the state, the jury was in- structed to return a verdict of not { gullty in thé case of J. C. McCoy, one 5% the seventeen defendants. Insuffi- Cient evidence was given as the rea- n. 50%.dge R. D. Bailey, presiding, next asked counsel to preparc instructions and announced that he would receive them at 4 p.m. A recess until that bour was ordered. } & -l VEELL, IM , 7 ABLE To TACKLE PROBLEM Now he mildness of the weather | 7 7\ Wi | 1921 Girl is Kind Despite Lipstick, Dean of Women Says By the Associated Press. CHICAGO, March 12.—The ex- tremes ndopted by the modern girl whould mot be judged too harshly, said Mary Roas Potter, | dean of women at Northwestern | University, lant night at a meet- ing of mininters’ wives. “There ix nothing wrong with. the girl of today because she uses na lipstick and a litte rouge and n dab of powder,” waid Dean Potter. “Of course, the dress of the | mirl of today—sakirt to knees al- | mont, flimxy stockingw, fllmsy everything—in not the drems of mother’s generation. Neverthe- Jexn, she in aweet and good an kind at heart. She has an inde- pendence that did not belong to her mother's day, but sueh is the apirit of the times. It in the | result of the war.” 3. T0 JOIN HANDS WITHBUSINESS MEN President Approves Course Designed to Aid Great Export Trade. BY DAVID LAWRENCE. i President Harding has approved a course of action that may mean more for the prosperity of America—its business revival and permanent de- velopment—than anything else that has happened since the close of the European war. American_business men are to be mobilized through their respective trades and_indusWies. The United States government is again to render a measure of co- cperation with private business which made possible during the war the ! building up of a huge export trade, but which since then has been allowed to lapse, partly through the dissolution of war agencies and partly through the failure of the American govern- ment to proclaim a definite foreign policy toward Europe. Thorough discussion by President Harding and his cabinet of plans iwhich will be largely in the hands of Herbert Hoover, Secretary of Com- merce, has led to the conviction that America must have foreign markets as the way out of her industrial and agricultural depression, and that the American government must adopt scmewhat the same attitude of help- fulness toward private business as liuropean governments are adopting. Wil Call Representative:. Secretary Hoover will, therefore, call to Washington the representa- tives of all trade and industrial bodies. The leather manufacturers, the shoe dealers, the lumber men, the grain men—indeed, all who have any- thing that can be sold’ abroad—will ibe summoned here in an effort to bring about an agreement in each in- dustry So as to benefit the whole trade. The establishment not merely lof permanent committees to co-op- erate with the Department of Com- merce in Washington, but some- thing even more far-reaching than that is contemplated, namely, Amer- ican export houses abroad. The trou- ble about the whole question of for- eign trade heretofore has been that American firms either have not been permitted to combine or have been unwilling to do so because of com- petitive conditions on this side of the Atlantic. The effort of the United States gov- ernment will be to secure combina- tions not in restraint of individual trade, but in_promotion of all Amer- ican trade. The government of Great Eritain, for instance, says to its mer- chants: “You, of course, do not know the'_ credit standing of the mer- chafts in Czechoslovakia; through our government agencies we can find that out and take the risk—go ahead and trade with Czechoslovakia and we will back you up.” U..S. to Back Merchants. Under such conditions the European merchant has had his own govern- ment back of him. The new plan of the Harding administration, just ap- proved, is to put the United States government back of the merchants and the former, and, of course, the exporter. To do this there must be the closest kind of co-operation be- tween trade organizations and .the units of American industry. There must also be financial co-operation. While the Harding administration means to use the War Finance Cor- poration in this project, it is really Intended that the private corpo: tions organized under the Edge law shall be the basis of the export ef- fort. Herbert Hoover's desire to make a real department of commerce was, to be sure, not the incidental re- Quest of a cabinet member. It was made_because he knew_ the Depart. . < S, 6\‘5,1\ ’,> i / P —— —— — Come vax Sadvor srees o2 N\ BOTH SIDES CLOSED | l | {argument; INHAMON TRIAL Court Takes Recess for Preparations of Judge’s Charge to Jury. By the Associated Press. g ARDMORE, Okla., March 16.—Int: duction of testimony in the trial of Clara Hamon, charged with the mur- der of Jake L. Hamon, was completed after a brief morning session and court was recessed until 3 p.m. to per- mit Judge Thomas W. Champion to prepare his instructions to the jury. Each side was allotted five hours for arguments, and it was said that if the judge had prepared his charge by the time court reconvened they will be begun immediately. The court will charge the jury on thres points: Murder, whieh, upon convietion, would carry a sentence of dedth or iife imprisnment; first-de- #ree manslaughter, the sentence of which upon conviction would be from four years' to life imprisonment, and second-degree manslaughter, with a minimum fine of $1. 8. Prince Freeling, state attorney general, in charge of the prosecution, said that H. H. Brown, special prose- cutor, would make (he' opening argu- ment’ and that he (Freeling), close for the state. ons Arrangement of Argument. W. P. McLean of Fort Worth, Tex., leading ‘counsel for the defense, an- nounced three of the defense corps of six attorneys would ak. James H. Mathers of Ardmore, county attor- ney of Carter county, who was re- tained by Clara Hamon before he as- sumed office, will make the opening Joe Ben Champion, twin brother of the presiding judge, will speak next and Mr. McLean will close. Mr. McLean said that the defense had submitted a proposal to the state ocounsel to permit the case to go to the jury immediately after the judge read his charge and without argu. ments, but that the state had declined. T;:Il-el'ol Reports of Threats. ere were numerous reports about the county building this morning of threats made against state counsel and the jurors should a verdict of Builty ‘be returned against Clara Hamon. Sheriff Buck Garrett said, however, that no such reports had reached him, with one exception, that of a letter written to a member of the defense counsel in which a warn- ing was given of possible violence to the defendant should she be acquitted. H. H. Brown, special prosecutor, i}l& ::[ng}vurounbthreals had been made m, buf 1890 detatln. t he would not 80 Death Penalty Not Asked. Attorney General Freeling pointed out that in his opening statement .he had not referred should Clara o2 S 0cath penalty and sald he would ask Wwhich the jurors “in their judgment find Ait.”” He said he wauld from that in his lrgument.noz Sl There was much doubt ready with his instruction at 3 p.m and it was thought probable an ag. Journment until tomorrow morn, at 9 o'clock would be taken. e Hamon's Letters Ruled Out. The defense formally rested when Judge Champion ruled that letters written by Col. Hamon were inadmis- sible as evidence. The defense noted €: ption to the e Tuling of the Sam Blair, newspaper man, tained an interview with Clara fiomen at Chihushua City, Mexico, was callea y the state as its fir: Ll 'St witness in re- Blair said he saw Clara Ham on first on the night of Dece and twice later. s hee Asked regarding any statem el tl defendant may have made coneerning a will left by Hamon, Blair said he brought up the subject and that Clara said she believed there was a will and that it was being kept hidden until after she might be tried. Blair asserted the young woman had in substance said what A g he had re -S. Prince Freeling, state atty general in charge of the prosecution, offered as part of the trial record a copy of a newspaper containing the interview obtained by Blair. The de- fense objected, however, and was sus- tained. Erwin C. Daniels, a Denison, Tex, service car driver, said he had driven Clara Hamon from Denison to Dallas and that on the trip he had seen a pistol in the defendant’s handbag. Nurse Contradicts Dunlap. Today seemed quiet and draggy a penalty after the startling developments of | yesterday, which piled on in rapid succession. Miss Rose Cannon, a nurse at the hospita] where Hamon died, was re- called to the witness stand. She said she had not told Errett Dunlap that she had been surprised to see Clara Hamon come te the hospital, as she Hamon be found guilty, | WAR SECRETARY PUTS . SALES AND CLAIMS | UNDER SINGLE HEAD 1 i Secretary Weeks ordered today | the transfer of the sales branch. | Army supply division. the War | Department claim board and the | foreign claims section from the | meneral stafr to the jusisdiction | of Assistant Secretary ~Wa wright, who was also designate to excercise War Department pow- | ers confe in connection with | the United States Liquidation Com- | mission. i | The orders n conformity with the poli ntralizing procurement of munitions and su plies and liquidation of surplus property under the assistant sec- retary. MORE . C. LIGHTING DEENED ESSENTIAL |Commissioners to Take Up Question—Present Situa- tion Held Aid to Crime. Better street lighting, particularly in the suburban sections, as an aid in preventing crime and traffic accidents is one of the District’s needs slated for early consideration by the new board of Commissioners Warren B. Hadley, electrical en- gineer of the District, in his last an- nual report, declared that as an aid in keeping the peace the District's light- ing needs are not adequately met. He tated, however, that Washington is | not the worst lighted city in the coun- try by any means and, in fact, is far above the average. The Commissioners already are re- ceiving suggestions from citizens’ as- sociations that because of the epi- demic of gun-toting the question of better lights in the outlying areas should be considered immediately. The next appropriation act, which be- comes operative July 1, carries an ap- propriation for street lighting of $430,000, which .is an increase of $15,000 over the amount allowed for the current year. It is assured this fund will be stretched to the limit to make possible the placing of lights in places where they are now badly needed. For the next estimates, which are being prepared, the Commissioners, it is believed, will ask for a larger lighting appropriation. Association Makes Plea. The Kalorama Citizens’ Association, last night adopted a resolution favoring hetter lights, one of its members declar- ing that a 50 per cent increase in the candlepower of lamps would be fol- lowed by a 50 per cent reduction in crime. Mr. Hadley today said he did mot consider a general 50 per cent in- crease in candlepower to be neces- sary, although he would favor in places. Fifty thousand dollars would make possible far-reaching benefits, he said. - The total number of mantel gas lamps connected June 30, 1920, was 10,556. Mr. Hadley points out the lumination of these lamps could not, be increased exactly 50 per cent, but it could be greatly increased if the spacing of the lamps was revised or two mantels instead of one were used. On June 30 last the number of in- | candescent lamps in use was 8,125. | Few of these lamps are under sixty- candlepower capacity. All of them could be increased to 100 candlepower, and man if doubtless will be so in-| creased this year with the additional funds that are to become available July 1. [ power Inereased. In fact, the electrical department, department, within the past few months, has changed the candlepower of lamps from 60 to 100 candlepower in a dozen lor more cases, the most recent being | the lamps installed at the intersections of Butternut and Dahlia streets and Georgia avenue, and Military road, Piney Branch road and Gforgia avenue. The department also is considering instaking lights on Bancroft place east of 234 street northwest and on Shep- herd street west of 12th street north- ! cast, where building operations are to be undertaken shortly. These lamps will not be installed, however, until the streets become sufficiently built up to Justify their need. 3 The electrical department estimates that to increase all the incandescent lamps from 60 to 100 candlepower would require $8,500 more annually for their operation. No estimates have been ! Tiade as to the cost of increasing the umination of the gas lamps. —_— TWO GIRLS GAS VICTIMS, UNCONSCIOUS 120 HOURS One Opens Eyes, Closes Them and Tries to Smile—Brain Dead at Times, Say Doctors. LOUISVILLE Ky., March 16.—Miss Dorothy Smith, overcome by natural gas fumes more than 120 hours ago, was still unconscious early today, and her chance of recovery is slight, ac- cording to physicians, pneumonia hav- ing developed yesterday. The girl, with her roommate, Miss Carolina Zurschmiede, were discov- ered in a gas-filled room shortly before noon last Friday by their landlad: Both were unconscious at the time and have been continuously simce then. Miss Zurschmiede is believed to be slowly regaining consciousness. A nurse at the hospital saw her slowly open her eyes yesterday and spoke ! to the young woman. She got no | reply. “Close your eyes if you understand.” the nurse said and the eyes were closed. “Now smile,” Miss Zursch-{ miede was ordered. A faint smile| came over her face. | "It was the first indication that her brain is functioning. And yet, physi- clans said, she is unconscious. Her | {brain is dead at times, physicians; claim. TAKEN FROM SENATE. Army Nominations Withdrawn | Owing to Court Decision. Adjt. Gen. Harris of the Army has | announced that all nominations for promotions in the Army which dated from November 24, 1920, and subse- quent thereto, have been withdrawn from the Senate. in view of the re- | cent decision of the Supreme Court | of the District of Columbia in the | Olses of Col. John W. French and Col. William F. Creary, to the ef- feet that such cases require the per- sonal approval of the Presidont be-' fore retirement or discharge from the service becomes effective. Col. French was placed on the re- tired list_and Col. Creary was dis- tharged from the Army under sec- tion 24-b, Army reorganization act, June 4, 1920, and renominations to il their vacancies will not be made had believed Clara had departed from | yntil the cases of those officers are (Continued on Page 2, 6). (Continued on Page 2, Column 5.) finally disposed of. creasing _the illumination at certain | | sale KUTZ T0 CONTINUE AS ENGINEER HFAD Knowledge of Public Utility Situation Strong Factor in Decision Made. CHANGE OF THREE POSTS CONSIDERED UNDESIRABLE Snowden Ashford, City's Architect for 26 Years, Will Resign Place to Enter Business. Tol. Charles W. Kutz, Engineer Com- missioner of the District, ix not slated for immediate transfer, and probably will continue in his present assign- ment for eral months least, was indicated authoritatively today the War Department. Because the District has two new civilian Commissioners—Cuno H. Ru- dolph and Capt. James F. Oyster—the W Department, it is learned, be- lieves that the best interests of the District would not be served if a third new man were added to the board in the person of a new Engineer Co missioner. Utflity Matters Important. Col. Kutz's knowledge of the public utility situation and the hearings tha it have been held by the Public Utiliti Commission is one of the - princip: factors, it ix understood, that weighe h y in favor ‘of the decision tha has been practically reached to con tinue him in the District service. Commissioners Rudolph and Oyste: have not yet agreed upon a division of the municipal departments ove which they will exercise special su- pervision. It is assumed., however that Capt. Oyster will take the polic. and fire departments and that Mr. R dolph will direct mainly the depart- ments of which he had charge wi he finished his first term as Commix sioner eight years ago. Snowden Axhford to Resign. Snowden Ashford, municipal arci tect of the District for twenty-si years, will tender his resignation 1t the Commissioners in the next fev days. He has had the step in con templation since last fall, when he in fcrmally communicated his_intentio: to Engineer Commissioner Kutz. Mr. Ashford will form a privit: business connection in Washington ‘The Commissioners have not declde upon his successor. The municipal architect's voluntary retirement will relieve a situatio, that has caused considerable specula- tion in view of the long-standing feud between himself and Commissioner Oyster. Their differences arose at the time the Commissioner was serving as president of the board of education. Mr. Ashford stated today, however. that the appoi: nt of Capt. Oy to the Commissienership in no way in- fluenced him to hasten the carrying out of his decision to leave the Dis | trict service. Work He Accomplished. Coming to the municipal architect’s office in May, 1895, Mr. Ashford has directed the designing and construc- tion of every school building and other District - government - owned structure built since that time. The value of these structures is estimated to be between $15.000.000 and $20,000,- The principal buildings erected un- der his supervision are the Central High School ang Dunbar and Western schools; the Eastern High School, now in course of construction: Gal- linger Hospital and the buildings in- cluded in the workhouse and reform- atory groups at Occoquan, Va. He has directed the construction of about seventy grade school buildings at a total cost of about five and a half million dollars. Mr. Ashford is a member of the ‘Washington Chapter of the American Institute of Architects and the Soci- ety of Natives of the District. He has been an active worker in the Federa- tion of Citizens’ Associations. DOMORETOPAY 0. PERSONALTAY Total Collected Here Expect- ed to Far Exceed $3,000,- ! 000 Last Year. Three thousand more Washingto- nians will pay a personal tax this May than last year, Assessor William P. Richards estimated today with the close of the period in which appeal could be made from assessments. Last year there were 42,000 per- sonal tax accounts, netting the city approximately $3,000,000 in revenue, inclusive of bank and utility taxes. This year, Mr. Richards stated, there «#3e 45,000 accounts and the taxes col- .wcted will reach a larger aggregate tnan last year. 12,000 Appeals Heard. In the five weeks ended Monday the board of personal tax appeals heard 12,000 individuals who questioned the assessment placed on their tangible and intangible property. This num- ber, however, was only about 50 per cent of the 26,000 notices sent out. About 2,000 of ‘the notices were re- turned as undelivered mail. Out of the 12,000 that did not come to the District building to appeal, As- sessor Richards estimates about half will pay the tax in May on the assess- | ment as fixed, and that a majority of the remaining 6,000 will pay at inter- vals during the year. Of the $3,000,000 in taxes mentioned above a little more than one million is from the banks and utilities, about a million from tangible property and the same amount from intangjble. Chatham M. Towers, collector of taxes, yesterday opened the annual of real estate on which last year's taxes have not been paid. There are about 10,000 lots and parcels to be sold, and the sale will continue all week. Approximately $60.000 in delinquent taxes was collected as a result of the first day of the sale. The personal tax bills payable in. May will be mailed by the assessor. CARNEGIE PLANT TO CLOSE. SHARON, Pa, March 16.—Notices of a complete shutdown beginning Saturday, March 19, and continuing for an indefinite period, have beem - posted at the Carnegie Steel Coj pany works here. Three thou: men will be affected by the suspems sion. Ri * INDISTRIGTOFFE