Evening Star Newspaper, February 4, 1922, Page 4

P/res'ide’n} 'dnd “Gen. = ‘Meeting Point A direct saying of more than $104.- 600,000, accomplighed in less than six months through thé operation of the co-ordinating agencles of the budset buresu, was announced by President Harding end Gen. Dawes, director of the budget, at the second business m tlnr of the government, held at Memorial Continental Hall yesterday afterpoon. Prgrident Harding's ad: dresp was printed in full in The Stur yesterduy. ‘Gen, Dawes enlivened the meeting, ‘which was attended by officiais from all the departments and independent establis.ments, by stamping on the floor, pounding the: historic arms par- | ley table with his_flst, apd waving aloft new brooms, which he used to illustrate & point. > Brooms Without Cost. | “There is your broom ‘that meets; Navy spacifications,™. he . shoute Waving one of the brooms, *‘and h he cried, seizing another broom, “are ms that” do not meet those specifications, ‘but sweep just as wel The Navy bought 18,000 of its sp fication brooms, when it could ha had 350,000 Army brooms for noth- ing. f)echrmg that co-operation in the work of saving in the government is %8 per cent - perfect, Gen. Dawes warned the 2 per éent- of obstruc- tionists that the workings of the budget byreau were the operation of routine business principles in gov- ornment, after the policies had been decided upon by the. legislative and e heads. ative and executive heads of the government “determine how the skLip sails,”%he said, “but the budget; bureay determines how far she Nalle" , CO-ORDINATORS SAVE MONEY. Detailed Reports From Various Boards Are Submitted. >. Along with his ewn report to the President, jin which he briely told of the aecomplishment thus far by the “o-ordination ‘bf routine busincss of the government, in pursuance of eco- nemic policies cnunclated throygh the lureau of the budget, Brig. Gen. Charles G. Dawes, director “of the budget, yesterday transmitted detail- ed “reports -of the chief co-ordinator and ‘the chairmen of the various co- ordinating board These reports, which cover practically every aclivi under the fodernl government, show in great detail economies in tie new pollcien adopted. some &f which are wctual savings in dollars and cent: While in others the savings are mea ured by the definite elimination of; wastage on the part of governmental agencies, which, Gen. Dawes reporied, “without the service of co-ordinat.on the separate agencies are of lhem-! selves powerless to remove.” One. of the great problems, accord- ing to Gen. Dawes, was the disposal of surplux stecks accumulated oyt of she war. He reported that the net re- sults of this great undertaking have shown “In six months an average monthly increase in disposals of more than $40,000,060. 3 __Another substantial saving js shown in the detailed report of the surveyor general of real estate, whose board ‘passed upon the purchase and rental of all property for the use of the fed- eral government outside of the Dis- triet of Columbia. During the few months it has heen In operation it has appraved 250 leases at a saving, the amount of which is not given in the report, The syrveyor general of resl estate saved the Post Office Depart-! ‘ment alone, in the matter of rentals, something in .the neighborhood of $65,000. In supplying motar trucks not being usgd by the Army ft saved | this department more than $50,600 in | additional tryck hire throughout the | country during the last Christmas mail rush. Co-ordination . in Distriet. ‘Within the District of Columbia the | co-ordination of motor transportation, | under the diraction of Col. €. C rill, has resulted between September | 35 ‘and December 15 in a saving to the government of $35.000. This in-! cludes the taxi service furnished by | the War Department for the confer- ence on limitation of armaments, which alone effects an estimated sav- ing of $20.000 as compared with cost of the s=me service from ou The estimated saving withi the District of Columbia alone is| 32‘,’.‘5"’“‘"“ at a rate of $100,000 per | Regarding the work of the federal specifications board, of which Dr. S. W. Stratton of the bureau of stand- | ards is chairman, the report states:!| “The work of this board, being car- | ried on under the direction of Dr. S. WW. Stratton, possesses prospects of ‘the greatest benefit to the commer-. cial world as well as to the federal| government. The board itself is in! ‘the clogest contact with similar boards representing the Industrial and scientific societies of the country. The advisory boards for the technical committees already formed represent memhers of the. following associa- tions of national-importance: Amer- Jean Engineering Standards Commit- tee, Amerjcan Society for Testing Ma- terials, Independent O} Men's Asso- ciation. Society of Automatic Engi- neers, West Petroleum Refiners® Asso- | ‘ciation, National Petroleum Associa- : tion, American Petroleum Institute. | .#AS the federal specifications board | extends its activities it will include | in its advisory boards all technical associations and commercial interests familiar_with the particular subject that is being considered. Telpphone System Survey. his board is busily engaged in #king a survey of the government lelephone system, which. when com- leted, is expected to result in greater “eficiency and a considerable cash ¥aving in the apnual phone bill, At the present time, under the gen- erul direction of the bureau of stand-! ards, there is being conducted a survey having for its objective the provision of effective_telephone seriee at a minimum ! cost.- Within the District of Columbia ihig survey has progressad to.a con- widerable degree, and it is estimated that without in any way curtailing service ‘and by a scientific rearrangement of trunk Jines, switchboard service and othet technfcal factors within the tele- phone system, savings ranging from $200 to severai thousand dollars per an- ‘jlum may be effected in each of the sys- ‘{ems where modification is found to be “dvisable. When the number of activi- tlea- within the District of Columbla is given consideration, the saving that may he made as & result of the work of the s of the bureau of standards wiil ve-to be a_considerable item. “The same character of study is being carried on 'In other Jarge citics wliere ‘government telephone service ‘is of suf- ficlent volume to warrant.”” Federal Trafic Board's Work. Regarding the federal traffic board's Work the report states: “Tt has been estimated by traffic ex- verts qualified to express a techpical opinion of value that no single source of wastage in the government busi- ress offers so great an oppartunity for the saving of government moneys as does that of traffic.” The efforts of the l.;?flk: board_were early produetive of eftective results. Incidents of flagrant svastage as they appear in the recerds of ‘the rate board of the controller geperal’s office could be cited page n page. The caiuses which led to these wastages have been the subject of consideration by the trafic board since Its incéption, In the brief perioa of two mbnths-dduring which it has ‘been in existence it has brought about the establishment of traffic depart- ments in-three of the principal de- partments of government, has adopt- oljcles gnd initiated the necessary steps “for - carrving them out that when fully effectuated “will be the m™eans of saving to the gevernment amany ‘hundreds .of ‘thousands of dol- lars smpuslly. - t analysls of | | S:SAVES 104 MILLION BUDGET METHODS Co-Ordination. | ment, some of which, of course, are , tory service to all the departments Dawes at -Business to Results of i traffic costs of the past fiscal year, aggregating over $200,000,000 indi- :ate unnecessary losses to the gov- ernment, due to faulty classification and other causes, variously estimated at from ten .to fifty million dollars. 1t is this wastage the traffic board aims to eliminate. It has effected a renewal of the equalization ngree- ments of the railroads of the south- eastern territory of the United States, and has brought into a closer rela tionship and greater harmony all th traffic personnel of the various gov ernmental departments. It has al- ready accomplished direct savings in the sum of $73.000 and indeterminate savings estimated in excess of this amount” & 1 In each of the nine corps areas of| the Unifed States and in the District of Columbia the chief co-ordinator is! represented by a-deputy who bears the title of area co-ordinator. The activities'of these deputies are car- ried on in conformity with a policy of complete decentralization. ~ The policies of the Fresident of the United States with reference to the routine Lusiness of government, as conveyed | to the chief co-ordinator through the burcau of the budget, are conveyed to the area co-ordinators and by them executed in accordunee with the re- quirements of local conditions and the operating policies of the chief ¢b- ordinator. 'The success of this plan is indicated by the fact that no un- toward incident has occurred attrib- uteble to faulty understanding or lack of judgment during the period; that it has been in effective operation. | Col. €. O. Sherrill is in charge of the corps area for the District of Colum- . Least Favorable Conditio: According to the veport of the fed- eral purchasing board, of all the sep- arate activities of government that of purchuse has grown up under con- ditions least favorable to interde- partmental co-ordination. “For the most part,” the report says, “purchases within the departments themselyes were without eentral di- rection or supervision—a condition that requires departmental correction before any department can reach a position from which to co-ordinate with other departments. There is one notable exception so efficient in its purchase machinery that I'may, with- out seeming to cast reflection, make mention of the bureau of supplies'and accounts of the Navy Department. Others have of themselves taken steps to bring about interior improve- ment, and the federal purchasing board. making use of its experienced members} has completed s*udies of the purchase organizatton of two depart- ments and has made suitable recon- mendation to the department chiefs. “In conjunction Wwith the federal liquidation hoard, -the purchasing board has perfected the routine. of checking the requirements of one de- partment against the surplus of other departments o as to eliminate a large portion of the paper work with out prejudice to the object sought the statutes. In addition, it Is at present engaged in studying the con- ditions surrounding the procurement. delivery and use of ten items of basic. raw and strategic materials with u view of determining whether pooling of intercats in these items willer2sult in material advantage. Some pre- limlnary work has been done in the matter of standardization of eontracts and procurement routine. This suh- ject will be turned over to the board of contracts and adjustments when the latter is ready to receive.” Moter Transportation. Col. Sherrill, in his report regarding the plans. for efficient and economical motor transportation for the govern- ment in the District of Columbia, said: “At the present time there are in the Dintrict of Columbla approximately 945 government-owned . vehicles, of which ! approximatsly 800 are in daily opera-{ tion. There are 61 different makes of cars in use, housed in 69 separite ga- rages, holding from % to 125 cars each. The total rental now paid to private rs for garages amounts to $30,000 annum. “When this office was organized it} was realized that there was consider- able waste due to the unco-ordinated | tems of control, but it wus also alized that changes must proceed .owly and surely and only after a com- piete survey had been wade of all dif- ferent activities. - With this in view, immediately after the office was or-| sanized questionnaires were sent out i to all departments and establishments calling for full information in. refer-} ence to their motor transport services, | including garage and repair.service. A { study of this information is being made and from<ime to time gmall economies have already suggested themselves, and | steps have been taken to put them into effect through the co-operation of the heads of the departments and establish ments concerned. t “Frem the data collected it has been | found that the general average cost to the government to maintain and operute a vehicls with chauffeur is| $200 per month, or without a chauf- | feur, $110 a month. This covers all the varlous classes of passenger and tryck vehicles owned by the govern- i low In cost of operation and some are | high, “To sum up, .it may safely be said that mootr vehicle. transpartation is | not_being operated on a businesslike | basls, and in order to correct this| situation it is planned in the near ! future to submit to the director of the bureau of the budget, through the chief co-ordinator of general supply, a complete plan for placing the motor transportation in the District of lumbia on “a_seund, eflicient basis, which will save the government sev- eral hundred thousand dollars a year and should result in a more satisfac- and establishments concerned. Principal Operations. “The principal’ co-ordination so far| effected by this office has been to ar- range for'the supply of motor trans- port as called for by any of the gov- ernmental agentles without the ne. cossity df hiring from private "cor. porations, except in a few cased. “This_ office has also been able to arrange for the removal of a number of vehicles from privately owned ga- rages and to place these vehicles in government-owned garages at a nomi~ inot moderate west and northwest winds, | GTED ASFACTARS INBJ Mr. Hoover Sees Betterment in Reduced Freight Rates ~-and'Railway Expangion. Reduction of freight rates-and re- sumption of railroad expansion are the two.sources from which the coun- try may get its strongest {(mpulses toward ‘economic betterment, Becre- tary Moover declared yesterday ‘appear- ing . as a ‘witness in the Interstate Commerce Commission ipvestigation | of transportation charges.. The first, he sald, depends on a rednction of operating \costs, and the second on ! restoration of railway credit. Transportation earnings, now " ously ‘close to bond Interest,” BMr. Hoover ‘said, make it impossible for. the commission to give “immediate important rate relief,” but he de- clared , that improving conditions would dllow downward revisions dur- ing the present year. ‘Should Apply to Needs. ‘When such revisions were made, he said, the commission should apply them first to the primary basic com- modities—agricultural products, coal, metals and timbers—even if passenger rates, elass rates, and less-thun-car- load shipments had to be -charged more to protect rallroad revenues. This coyrse should be adopted, he argued. because the Series of hori- zontal percentage increases by which the rates were advanced had distorted the existing fabric of commerce in the United States, and “way moving in- dustry as @ whole toward its sources of raw materials.” Incidentally, rail wages should not be expected to go back to pre-war levels, he =aid. but should “follow downward step "by step the cost of living,” and the rate decreases shquld be so applied as to maintain railroad revenues, and re- store the eonfidence of Investors in uitimate railroad earning power. More J by Aiding Ralls. “We talk glibly of giving billions of credits to foreign countries, to in- crease our farm exports,” Mr. Hoover said, sponsibility for the statement, that a billion dollars spent upon American railways will give more employment to our people, more advance to our industry, more assistance to our farmers, than twice that sum expend- ed outside the frontlers of the United States—and there will be curity for investors.” There is danger that in the pres- ent period of low earnings and little trafic the needs of the railroads in new construction, equipment. bet- terments and muntenance will be neglected, Mr. Hoover added, with re- sulting breakdown of transportation when a full load is put upon them by industrial resumption. Thig should be averted, even by the extension of government indorsement on railroad securities whose sale would give funds for expenditure and equip- ment. The commission's efforts should be devoted, he gaid, to a policy of “maintuining public control of monopoly, and at the same time maintaining private initiative ™ Questioned on Bond lssues, For_shippers und agricultural ore wanisations Clifford Thorne took up Mr. Hoover's statement on €ross-ex- amination, asking him first if he thought railroads had a greater pro- portion of bond issuex as compared with their property now as they had ten years ago. Mr. Hoover replied that the bond is- sues.are too high for flexibility and financial strength, adding that “we would be better off if the bond issues representing debts of the railroads did not exceed 30 per cent of the to- tal capitalization of the propertive.” Mr. Thorne challenged Mr. Hoover's represcntation pf the difficulty rail- roads have encountered in secyri new capital, and likewise questio; Hoover's sugxgestion that less carload rates be increased if necessary In order that the rates on primary commodities might be low- ered. The Becretary insisted that this method would result particularly to| the benefit of the, agricultural com- munity. THE WEATHER District of Columbia—Falir tonight, with lowest temperature slightly be- low freezing: tomorrow increasing cloudiness, followed by rain tomor- row night; gentle to moderate varia- ble winds. Maryland — Fair tonight: tomorrow i inereasing cloudiness, probably fol- {fowed by rain in western Maryland: | much change in temperature; becoming variable. Virginia—Fair tonight; tomorrow ncreasing cloudiness, probably rain n west portion; not much change in temperature; moderate westerly winds, shifting to easterly Sunday. West Virginia—Fair tonight; to- morrow unsettled and warmer, prob- | ably rain or snpow. Records for Twenty-Four Hours. Thermometer—4 p.m., 48; 8 p.m., 44 36 noon, 30.12." High- est temperature, 61, occurred at 2:15 p.m. Yesterday; lowest temperature, 34, occurred at 1 a.m. today. Temperature same date Jast year— Highest, 55; lowest, 32. Condition of the Water. Temperature and_ condition of the water at 8 a.m.: Great Falls—Tem. perature, 34; condition very muddy. Tide Tables. (Furnished by United States coast and geodetic survey.) Today—Low tide, 7:18 a.m. and 8:05 p.m.; high tide, 12:44¢ a.n. and 1:13 p-m. Tomorrow—Low tide, 8:04 am. and 9 p.m.; high tide, 1:30 a.m. and 2:03 p.m. The Su d -Moon. Today—~Sun rose, sets, 5:32 p.m. ‘Tomorrow—Sun rises, 7:12 a.m.; sun sets, 5:83 p.m. ’B\lnon rllell.lll:ol a.m. utomobile lamps to be lighte - half hour after sunset © Hong ‘Weather in Various Citles. nal cost to the department concerned |~ and without any cost to the govern- Tempernture, ment. 32 58 ¥ “Steps have been taken toward co- b3 I’ ordinating the purchase of spare| giaoss. 5 23 PRmuuer parts and the. repairing of vehicles, 2" §F Weather. including the pressing on of solid Rl tires on trucks, by existing govern- 3 2" s 4 ment agencies well equipped to han- e dle these items. A considerable sav-. I"F to the agency securing the.service | Abilene, Tex. 29.86 56 48 Wwill yesult from this arrangement. |Albany ... 2000 38 .. “It |8 estimated that the actua a 2 saving to the government due to the 8 operations of this office for the three @ months, from September 15, 1921, to 16 ow December 15, 1921, resuliing from . Hostan - 30 ... Ptcloudy the furnishing of ‘motor transport. services, including personnel and ma- terial, te one establishment by an-! other, is $34,520.33. This includes: the taxt service furnished by the War Department for the conference on_limitation of armament. i “The estimated annual saving- to the government resuiting from. the furnjshing of motor transport by one government agency to another, with. out recourse to outside agencies, is at the rate of $100,000 per vear. Th 18 '3 saving now in effect as a result of the establishment of this agency and does not include the saving that can be effected by the adoption of a | comprehensive plan. of motor “trans. port shortly to be suggested by th: office. “It is desired to express the ap- preciation of this office to the various departments and establishments for thelr- hearty co-operation in the ef fort ta put into effect a businessli administration o of - motor transport, The War Department has furnished the: greater part of the service to other departments; next in order of service rendered comes the Navy Des partment, but all departments have shown an: entire willingness. to co. operate” in this werk." ’ - ¥ Buffajo 28 = Charleston 84 Chicage bl Partlane 8. Lake Ran Antol ineinnat| 3 2 Cleveland .08 - 34 Denver . 34 Detroit .. .06 26 2 Fase..... 2990 00 o Galvestan ,, 28,90 684 Heleoa ..... 2074 82 Jacksonvilie. 3032 64 Kansas City. 20.04 40 Los Angeles. 30.14 b8 Touisville 118 é4 mi, ¥ .12 80 New (Orleans 20.98 70 New York... 998 42 okia. cley..2Joz 82 Philadelphis. 30.04 46 Phoenix, 10 o6 2 38 38 4 28 7 56 54 “© 18 “ BB.UBZREEEEERBERINESI TR NS @ 2, RESIGNATION IS ACCEPTED, The Prealdent has nocepted the resig- the f Lieut. in Buchalter, st~ i o the U, B b Eagle i e, ® SNESS LT Zon AMERICAN LEGION CHIEF ON NATION-WIDE {the American Legion. an ke vislts di {mll over the United Staten. H | ehief was wounded himself in jek | epmpenxation for the Special Dispateh to The Star. WINCHESTER, Va., February d.— Resolutions and ordinances have been ipaxsed by the city council to reach some transient citizens. a number of whem contracted smallpox reeently. ‘The matter was threshed out last night. A man and woman, quarantined in “1 wish to say, with all re-l,nq hoyse, it .was brought out, had'mountain dis ‘run_up a grocery bill amountng to |nearly $35 in one week. They had ireceived five pounds of meat daily iand three pounds of coffce in one week, an abundance of bread and other necessities, as well as some lux- uries which, members of the council Breater $¢- |q,iq they rarely had on their own also were notified (o d tables. % It was when the council was asked to appropriate $3.360 for the health d and 0 for the poor NIGHT SCHOOL ROLL Second Semester Starts Off With Business High Leading. Phenomenal increase in enrollment in ! the night high school marked the begin- . ning of the second semester in these in- | stitutions, it was announced today by { Walter B..Patterson, director of special schools. The greatest increase in the enrollment was reported at the Business High School. Tech High night school | also registered a large number of new students. | ¥ ihro iment figures in the white night schools, elementary and seniar, comptied today by Mr. Patterson, show a total of {4,847 wtudents. Of this number 2,601 are | aitending the Business High School and 1025 at Tech. Eastern High night school nas an enrollment of 247 students. In the elementary night schools the enrollment 1% as follows: Walluch 112: Henry, 67; Park View. 67: Nort east Industrial. 40; Smallwood, Jefterson, 24; 218 3d street northwe 28, and the Americanization, 599. 1t was pointed out that the recent snowstorm. which tied up the car Service, dld mot materially affect the attendance in the night high schools. { An aimost normal attendance, he said, was reported throughout the week. The storm, however, caused a falling oft in the attendance in the graded night schools, particularly those in the outlying sections. plbcintiinns i DISPOSE OF ESTATES, i }Wills of Three Theater Crash Vic- tims Filed for Probate. The will of Leroy Lehmer, manager of the Indiana Flooring Company, i killed in the Knickerbocker disast has been flled for prohate. Ha '~ his entire estate to his wife, Eliza- {beth M. Lehmer. Mrs. Lehmer w.o, lost herlldifl: in the wreck of the the- ater building. By the terms of the will of Chris- tian Fiege, another viotim of the dis- aster, all his property is left to his wife, Katherine Fiege. Mr, Fiege was a member of the orchestra at the i theater, The will of Miss Mary Ann Forayth, who died January 20, following’ in- juries sustained in the wreck, also has been offered for probate. She gives a life interest in premises 1302 Belmont road and 806 1st street north- west to her brother-in-law, D, Car- roll Digges, On his death ths prop- erty goes to her brother, Willlam J. Forsyth, who also takes the remaining estate. i 7:13 am.; sun Abe Martin SaYS: Who recalls when we used t’ take our coats an’ hats an' um- brellers out o’ th’ hall an’ put 'em in .a safe place an kecp open house on New Year's day? Sometimes we missed a vase or photergraph or book after it wuz over, but it'was a sweet ole custom at that. Joe Lark bought a pair o shoes t'day, with some money he|. had left from th’ Wilson admin- istration, ot (Copyright Notlonal Nowspaper Serviee.) “How goes it, buddy ™ asks Hanford led WINCHESTER WILL ELIMI : PATIENTS WHO LIVE IN LUXURY SHOWS BIG GAINS TOUR TO'LOOK AFTER WOUNDED BUDDIES commander of ur of hoxpitals The legion for higher Ma ex-woldiers on a n here ut Allentown ce. His program d and prompt payment. ATE fund that the jmprompty investiga- tion developed. Hereafter orders of the hoard of health_ for grocerics will he ignored, and the council's poor committee or the District Nurse As- | sociation will first investigate. | Council held that the promiscnous | provisioning_ of smallpox patients | must stop. Numbers of people, it was | sald, hearing it was eusy.to “get by" tin Winchester, would move in from ricts late In the fall, rent a shanty somewhere, and then sit down, to be fed and clothed until isummer returned. Most of the con- | tageous diseasex reported by health |authorities were discovered umong | that class of residents. Compulsory | vaccinstion was ordered. and. police mand a bill |of particulars from such wx have no visible means of support. If not sat- isfactory, a move-on order will be issued, wak sajd URGES CONTINUING OF BUILDING PROBE iUntermyer Says Most Im- portant Work Still Unfinished. By the Associated Pres:. NEW YORK, February 4.—Samuel Untermyer, counsel to the Lockwood leglslative committee, issued a state- ment last night urging the pubilc to support continyance of the commit- tee’'s investigation which, he de- clared. was threatened "by powerful influences. “If the people Lave not sufficient gratitude to the Lockwood «committee for the powerful enemles it hgs made” he said, “nor enough of the instinct of self-prescrvation to make their voices penetrate the political consciousness of the ‘powers that be in no uncertain terms and instill the fear of a day of reckoning the com- mittee will come to an end with its most important and remedial and constructive work undone. “The same m: n influences that are able to destroy it in_the very zenith of its usefulness will slaugh- ter or 50 masculate the remedial and constructive legislation affecting the life, fire and casualty insurance com- panies as to render that branch of the inquiry worthless.” Cost to Untermyer Heavy. Mr. Untermyer said the work thus fer had cost him personally more {than $500,000 in time and money, and had been a drain on his heaith. The end of the committee, he asserted, would be nothing short of disaster. “From the very first day I took up this work,” he added, “I have again and again given wasning of just the sort of fight we would encounter it our work proved really vaiuable, and have never Jost the fear that these mighty forces of evil that work in the dark and that are ever wakeful and alert would prevail over the public interest. The test has come and we shall sec which of these forces will prevail.” The interests that are bent upon destroying the commiitee, the attor- ney declared, will have to find a bet- ter pretext than economy. “Their next crv.” lie continued, “will probably be ‘business disturbance' or ‘corporation baiting’ or ‘unfair meth- ods.’ which has been the complaint of every man indicted and in prison, from Brindell to Hettrick, all the way up and down the line. “The splendidly eauipped lobbies of the fire and casually companies. whose monopolies are “in peril, and of the Prudential and #tutusl Life Insurance companies—investigations into whose invcstments and why they profer Wall street securities to real cstate mortgages are still under way | —of profiteerinz landlords and in- numerable other powerful interests are on the job night and day. Their Iying propeganda bureaus are being Worked overtime to poizon the minds of honest legisiators, as they tried to poison the public mind last year in order to prevent the committee from continuing.” Cites Foster Conviction. Mr. Untermyer said the conviction vesterday of Robert Foster, head de- tective of the structural steel com- binatlon, for refusing to produce cer- tain reports, was a fair indication of the unfinished state of the investis gation. “Phe structural stesl crowd had been the most defiant of all” he added. " am sure the steel trust con- siders the committee an unnecessary expense and an all-around nuisance whose life_should be choked off, as does the General Electric Company and all the other Morgan monopolies that are preying upon the public. “It i a hard combination to beat, anpd 1 expect nothing but abuse for having the temetrity to make the ef- | I shall of this if they enough enough to make the fight, stand by until the last gun superb lobby has been fired. don't want protection badly to fight Yor if, I am satisfied. “There {s far greater reason today for continuing the life of the com- mittee than there wag for appointing it. The extent of the violence of the opposition accurately shows the nec- essity of extension. INSPECTOR OF ATRCRAFT. Lieut. Commander Victor D. Horbster has been detached from command of the naval air station at Coco Solo, Panama Canal Zone, and assigned to duty as eneral inspector of naval aircraft, east- ;,m district, Garden City, Long Island, ————— SERGT. LANGDON RETIRED. Langdon, Quarter- at Camp Fustls, Va., placed on the retired list n of the Army and will proceed to hiy home. =) ) fort, but if the people want me badly | DISABLED OPPOSE ABANuONED CAMPS Ex-President Sends Letter of Greeting to National Con- ference of Veterans. The national conference of the Dis- zbled Veterans of the World War went on record yesterday afternoon jat the La Fayette Hotel as opposing the policy of training disabled for- mer- service men in abandoned can- tonments. The conference also advo- cated establishment of tubercular sanatoriums in convenlent locations und rest homes for convalescents and for vocational training school stu- dents in poor physicial condition. Con- gress was asked to investigate needs of the War Department to make ayall- [able Army service records for con- sideration with disabled men’s claims. A message from former President ‘Wilson, read by Judge Robert 8. Marx of Cincinnati, national commander of the organisatton, cheers. It was as follows: "1 hope You will have an opportunity to con- vey to the meeting of representatives of my friends and war comrades, the disabled veterans, my very warm greetings and an assurance of my deep interest in everything that af- fects their welfare. Only my physi- cal weakiess prevents me from giv- ing myseif the pleasurc of greeting them in berson. “It must be not only a solace, but an inspiration to them to remember that for our greater cause they have suffered.” A resolution adopted declared that thore is inefficiency and indiiference on the part of medical men in the s y Veterans' Bureau and ates public health serv- ¢ and urged that the so-called efficiency system be extended to ap- ply to surgeons and medical men in the bureuu’s employ. Assistunt Secretary of the Navy Roosevelt addressed the conference. A banquet was held In the La Fayette L nignt, Speakers included Ray- nd A. Lasance of Cincinnati, na- tional adjutant; Judge Robert S. Marx of Cincinnati, national com- mander; Representative Fitzgerald of Ohio, and McSwaln of South Cavolina. REFUTES VETERANS’ CHARGES Editor Says R. §. Marx’s Letter to President Is Incorrect. Refutation of the charges contained in & memorial to President Harding January 16, by Robert 8. Marx. national commander of the Disabled American Veterans of the World War, B | patients at Longview Hospital, In Cin- cinnati, were being mistreated, were made in a letter to the President yes. terday by 8. Lovenbein, editor of the Disubled Veteran Magazine. Mr. Loven- bein sald he visited the hospitals in Ohio “and found al] patients in those institutions under government care re- ceiving the best possible treatment.” Statements in Mr. Marx's memorial that the state ‘was profiteering in the maintenance of these men were de- clared by the magazine editor as “ri- i diculou. Instead of making a profit, he said, “no doubt tae state I3 suffering a financial losa” ;However, the writer said he found on his investigation at the Longview Hospita! a local political issue and that the disabled ex-service men cared for there are being exploited for political purposes. “As a rerult of these conditions,” he 1said, “the disabled e: rvice men are being done immeasural harm, not only in the state of Ohlo, but in other states, through these misrepresentations.” TRAVELERS’ AID SOCIETY IS WARMLY GOMMENDED Rev. Dr. Kerby of Catholic Univer- sity Speaks of Its High Mo- tives and Purposes. Commendation of the Travelers’ Aid Society and its needs was given today in a statement by Rev. Dr. William J. Kerby of Catholic University speaking of the public servic plished bdy l‘he organization, which now needs §10000 to carry on i work for the year.: AR “The Travelers' Aid Society is ani- mated by motives and purposes which commend it to all right-minded men,” Dr. Kerby sai *“Only these i who are familiar with the confusion and moral danger, which, in the past. confronted the young woman who was compelled to travel alone, can understand the noble impulse which prompted the creation of the society. Only those who ned some {nsight into the shameful tragedies which en- gulfed innocence and enslaved young women in infamous bondage -ocan appreciate the high-mindedness, de- votion dnd patience which have made the Travelers' Aid a pawerful ally of virtue, a help to the innocent ané a vindicatlon of our human ideal. “They who belleve in the work and support and understand {t, honor themselves and their ,Christian pro- fession in the highest degree. The work in Washington makes appeal to the idealism which the city fosters. The honor of the capital will be vindicated in a new way in portion as it encourages those who do this great work by understanding support and appreciation.” HELD IN RING THEFT. Colored Orderly Accused of Taking s Gem From Bedy of Dead Woman. Clyde I. Harris, colored orderly at Emergency Hospital, was held for the action of the grand jury yesterday, following his appearance in Police Court before Judge Hardison. Bond was fixed at $1.501 Harris' was charged with the theft of a diamond ring valued at §150, alleged to have been taken from the ibody of Mre. Fred D. Sheppard of 33431 M street northwest. Mrs. Shep- pard died at Emergency Hospital Satur- day, but was in no way connected with the Knickerbocker tragedy, her death having resulted from pneumonia, for which she had been taken to the hos- pital several days prior to the theater disaster. The defendant's defense was based on thé statement that he had found the ring in a pile of rubbish outside of Mrs. Sheppard’s room, and was waiting for someone to claim it. Namara.Zerola. Mme. Marguerite Namara, soprane, and Nicola Zerols, tenor, appeared in joint recital at the New Natlonal Theater yesterday afternoon befora & large audience., which demonstrated its “pleasure by calling for encores from both artists, Mme. Namara, who is from the Chi- cago Opera Company, is the possessor:! of a beautiful voice, combining an ex- cellent range with purity of intona- tion and depth of feeling. Perhaps her most successful number was “Un bel dj,” frem Pucoini's “Mme, Butter- fiy,” which she gave with the full force required, but with a certain re- serve which g&dded to the beauty of -the number. Her_ singing of the famous jewel song from “Faust” was exceptionally well done. Four songs in a group were especially pleasing, including Grieg's “Le Reve,” “Loeh Lomond,” as nrn.ngbad by Kreisler: Schindler’s “La Colomba” and Leoncavallo's “Matti- nata” She also sang numberp by Si- bella, Ronald and eman, Mr. Zerola proved himseif a tenor of ability, Wwith an" exceptionaily strong attack, which, if he overdid it in places, at lesst had the merit of strength. His opening song, “Un di all azzurro ®paslo,” from “Andrea Chenier,” was :m with spirit, dis- playing & eplen lflrw e of voice, H cinging in Bngllsh of Dol Riegol *“Thank God for u Garden” proved his most popular offering. = was greeted with |s that before udjournment |t waich | tated, among other things, taat insane | accom- | pro- | HOUSE REJECTS INCREASED ~ FUNDS FOR STR'EE'if REPAIRS Discusses and Approves District Appropri- ations When Only Twenty~-two Mem-. - bers Are in Their Seats. ‘With from ten to twenty-two mom- bers in thelr seats—the largest roll- {call showing the latter number— hwenty-flve pages of the District ap- !propriation bill were gone over by \the House in committee of the whole |yesterduy afternoon without any change in the bill as it came from the commitiee, although the ap- propriations for the Nationel Capital |had been ruthlessly slashed by the |{committee after having been greatly reduced by the budget burean. Three endments offered by Representative Zihlman of Maryland were promptly rejected. One would havo increased the appropriation for t repairs from $431,250 5.000. Another sought 1o increa he item for repair of suburban roads from $200.000 to $250,000. The third would have provided $180,000 for {baginning work on a new bridge aver Roock Creek at Calvert street, for which improvement Repre- sentative Zihlmen put in a separate bils for $1,200,000. Most of the time was given over to spceches on the condition of the Washington streets and the failure of the city government to clean them. One of the longest speeches of the day was in support of a resolution for diplomatic representation to the new Irigsh Free State, by Representa- tive John W. Rainey of Illinois. Paving Conpecticut Avenue. ‘}n #pecifically discussing: the item of* $58.500 for paving the west side of Connecticut avenue, Chappell road to Chevy Chasc circle, 60 fect wide, Representative Zihlman said: “This item for the paving of the west side of Connecticut avenue was in the estimates submitted by the Commissioners anil was approved by the dircctor of the budget. but cut out of the estimates which were sent to the committee, as were fully 60 per cent of the items under the head of street improvements. Connecticut avenue {8 one of the main thorough- fares of the city connecting up eu- tirely with the Maryland road sys- tem. It is the main ariery of travel used by approximately 50,000 people, thousands of whom live in the Dis- triet of Columbla, “The District has already paved the vast side of the street, and if this item is not fncluded under this head this west side of Connecticut avenue. one of the main thoroughfares of the city, will remaln in the condition it now is for another twelve months. ihis improvement {8 necessary. The unemployment conference which was neid here In Washipgton a few months ago recommended that public improvements of this nature be taken up and completed in order to relieve the deplorable condition of unempioy- ment prevailing in the country. There can be no substantial reagon advanced why th.s improvement showd fivt be made. 1 asked the chairman of the subcommittee the other day why this item was not included, and he stated that this improvement would have io make way for other necessary improvements. Cut 85 Per Cent. “Now, as I have previously pointed out, this bill cuts the estimate for street improvements fully §5 per cent. This is one of the essentlally needew improvements in the northwestern section of the city. It has been ap- proved by the director of the bud The east side of the street is now paved, and I know of no substantial resson that can be advanced why this improvement should not be made during the coming fiscal year. The District of Columbia is able to raise under the plan of taxation proposed by the Commissioners th-aa-f - of the sum total carried by this bill. “This will be no hardship upon the {people of the District, because many members of the House complain that the present taxatien is too low and is Inadequate at the present time, and urider the plan of financing the Di *rict that has bheen adopted. the -~ arnment will, of course, pay its 40 or 50 per cent, whatever rate the Con- <ress in its wisdom deems s wise to { be_expended.” Repnresentative Zihiman, at the re- quest of the business men of Geore- town. offered an amendment for 1 }ween 35th street and 37th street, say- ng: Wisconsin Avenue Paving. “] am advised by the office of the Engineer Commissioner that $20,000 of the $565,000 will be paid by the street car company for paving be- tween the tracks, and, under the laws of the District of Columbia, the prop- erty owners will pay half of the re- {maining $35,000, so that the expense 1to the District of Columbia will be ]onl.‘l $17,500. | " “Wisconsin avenue below this sec- tion was paved some years ago, and the street car company, that has two | tracks on the street, made the plea of ipoverty and said that because of the condition of their treasury they were unable to build the paving between the tracks, and that has never been paved. But these two squares provid- ed for in this amendment are in an al- most impassable condition. The bed of the street car tracks, which occupy the middle of the street, was never in- tended for the weight of the heavy cars that now use those tracks, and they have sunk down into the middle of the etreet, and that is pried up with Belgian blocks on each side, 5o that it is almost impassable for an automobile coming from (he wes. down Wisconsin avenue (o George- town,” Criticises Estimate Cut. Representative R. Walton Moore of Virginia, again sharply criti- cised the way in_ which the budget bureau and the subcommittce of the House Digtrict committee cut the estimates submitted as absolutely necessary by the Dieirict officials and eaid that the budget bureau's cuts were dictated by just one man. former Senator Bherman of Iilinois. He argued that the budget law ought not to apply to the District of Colum- bia. He said that as matters now stand the House is expected to defer in all respects to this one man. He spoke in part as follows: “In spite of the fact we seem to have an attendance of only about llwl:nty or perhaps as many as twenty-five, I am going to take the !lgzny of calling attention to one jgeneral feature of this bill. “The estimates sent in by the Commigsioners to the bureau of the budget were cut by the bureau to the extent of over $2,600,000. The Comumissioners requested the sub- committes to consider the items that had been eliminated by the bureau and the reduction which it had made in many other i{tema. The committee, however, declined to da so. Very many of the eliminations and re- |Guctions were of estimates pro- |Bosed for street congructiou and Istreet repair, but tho committee took the view that there was such sanc- tity attaching to. the conclusions of the bureau as to preclude any inter- ference with them. That was stated at the outset by the chairman. fook Up Onme Item. “And they did net take up any- thing except one item, trifling ifem of about $700. So we &re hore now allowing ourselves to be controlied absolutely to the extent of upward of $2,600.000 by the action of the bureau of the budget. “I approve the budget law now, ex- cept that I am perfectly satisfied— and this is parentheti because it is not in the-line of the statement T am proposing "to ' make—that the law ought not to'be applied to appropria- tions for the District of Columbia. ‘But how did the bureau proceed? We have every reason to believe that one individual’ was intrusted with the duty of passing on the estimates sub- mitted by the Commissioners—a gen- tleman who formerly” represeated the 000 for paving Wisconsin avenue be- | state of Illinois {n the Senate. Mr. Sherman. 1t seems, therefore, that the House in dealing with this bill. £o0 {ar a8 a great variety of matters are concerned, including the matters to which tho gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Zihlman) has asked attention, is now expected to defer altogether and mnu;ly to the judgment of Mr. S “Even though he was chairman « the District committee he should not he permitted to take complete charge’ of our legislutive functions angd re- sponsibillties. We should not pul the House of Representatives in the hands of a gentleman, however able and reputable he may be, because at one time he happened to be the chafrman ;”1 tre Senate committee on the Dis- rict,” r- Mr. Johnson Replies. Representative Ben Johnson Kentucky, former chairman of House ot the ¢ leglslative committes on the District, and whose questions at the hearings brought out the testimony which is a basis for Representative Moore's charges, said he, ax a member of the subcommittee on appropria- tions, would rather have the opinlo of a4 good engineer on strect im provements and their cost than that of a good lawyer ilke former Senator Sherman. “During the hearings 1 arrived at the conclusion that the budget recot { mendations had been perfunctoril made rather an scientifically mada," suld Representative Johnson “We all recognize ex-Scnator Sher- nian as a man of very great ability; but I for one am unable to see why. ias an ex-member of the Senate, Judgment should be conceded to greater cxtent than wien Le was member of the Senate. As a member of the Senate he had much to do with District of Columbia legislation. but I do not believe with his experlence in that dircction, and from what T know of his former life and general character, that he ig sufficlently equipped to compete in judgment ‘wflh an engineer Army officer of ad- mitted ability as to the cost of con- struction of sewers and streets, 1 can see very well how he can ex- ercise good judgment as to whether or not a street is in good or bad con- dition. but I am unable to see bow he cun o 30 far as to reduce the actual estimate made by the enginerr department as to what a street or # sewer is (o cost.” More Confidence in Engineers. “Having more confidence in the cu | pacity of the engineer department for that peculiar character of work tha: I have in that of an untrained mau for that sort of work, throughput the hearings 1 preferred to accept the opinion, particularly as to sclentifi subjects, of the Engineer Comnix sioner and his assistants, rather thu: that of a layman. . * “Throughout my have never been is a service guided hy eithe y toward the Dis of Columbia. Instead, have undertaken to hew to the line a: judgment and conscience told me ] should, regardless of whether it pleased or displeased. I am following that policy today. Until this sessior 1 have never been upon an appropriat ing committee. If, long age, I har been upon an appropriating commit tee, I would have recognized the i opinions of men trained in a science rather than the opinions of those. nc matter what their ability in othe lirections may be. who are not o trained. T would have great respec! for the opinion of Senafor Sherma: relative to any law of the District of Columbia. As to his legal opinion. i would as soon refer to it as to that of any other man I know, but when i comes to the construction of street and sewers I must Ingist that X prefe: to have the opinlon of competen engineers. - And for that reason _ have taken the position which 1 no® take relative to these matter: ONG ARM OF UNCLE SAM EXPLORES FOR RARITIES Lecturer Tells of Valuable Fruit and Flowers Found in All Corners of World. How the long arm of Uncle Sa: has been extended into various cor ners of the world under the plan exploration service of the Depart ment of Agriculture to find and bring to America valuable fruits and plants that did not grow here was told to | members of the National Geographic Society last evening by Wilson ’openoe, who has traveled thousands of miles in foreign countries in his search for desirable plant immi- grants. The service, developed by David Fairchild, who was the first plant explorer for the government, has been extcnded, Mr. Poponoe said, until & staff of travelers is now. | searching out-of-the-way places ini the effort to enrich our flora and add delectable fruits and vegetables to the great American dinner table. Mr. Poponoe described a recent journey which he made through Guatemala, Costa Rica, Colombla and Ecuador and showed lantern slides of luscious fruits and strange vegetables that have been brought to the United States and may appear before many vears In our markets. Included in Mr. Poponoe's introductions are inelons that grow on irees. huge blackberries i that grow on bushes which almost attain® the size of tre and straw- berries which will grow in arid r gions and have exceptional shippini qualities. ‘Avacados or alligator pears were the L‘lnitcd SuneT ?o‘: many years ago. the lecturer painte out, );n’:i have already become an im- portant product used in thousands of homes as a salad vegetable. He pre- dicted that this fruit, still compara- tively little known, will become a common article of food in this coun- try, as in Central America. LIVING ~NST DROPS. Goes Down in Capital 1.9 Per Cent, Is Bureau’s Beport. st of living in Washington 'a.cfm..a 1.9 per cent in the period from September to December, 1931, the bureau of labor statistics a nounced today, There was a decrease in the cost of living in shington of 19.0 per cent in the period between June, 1920, and December, 1821, the ted. : b‘:trt“t::::me time the cost of living in the United States "u: a \\‘!m‘l,u 1.1 per cent between Sep- ?:::-m:d-na Pecember, 1921, and 1i ing costs dropped 19.5 per cent he- tween June, 1920, and December, 1921. Living costs decreased {n thirty-two cities during the last four months of last year, and decreased in thirty-thres cities from June, 1920, to December. 1921 WANTS U. S. T0 TAKE PART Mr. Londen’s Resolution Relating to Genoa Conference. A resolution declaring that it was the sense of the Comgress that the United States should participate in the forthcoming Genoa econorgic confar- ence was immtroduced by Representative London, socialist. New York, yester- P “The United States cannat- be charged ‘with animosity toward any European people, or with any selft design against any European natio Mr. London declared in a statoment. “The econemic’ rehabllitation of Eu- rope 1s as ortant to the United States as it {5’ to Burope.” A introduced into a