Evening Star Newspaper, November 5, 1923, Page 1

Full report on page G. v B .m. yesterday; low: - today: Highest, . 47, Closing N. Y. Stocks and Bonds, Page 25 No. 29,042, - ALLIES FAVOR FULL ECONOMIC PARLEY, DESERTING FRANGE Britain, Belgium and Italy Adopt View of U. S. for ‘Unlimited Study. EFFECT OF CHANGE HERE NOT YET DETERMINED Jusserand Meets Hughes to Ex- plain Paris Stand—Herrick Causes Stir. State Department advices today In- dicate that Great Britain, Italy and Belgium have reached an accord favoring a free and full reparations Inquiry by an expert committee. In effect the position of these three ®overnments as understood here co- incides with that taken by the United States and opposes the stand for a restricted inquiry only taken by France. This development, indicating an entirely new alignment of the Euro- pean allies over the reparations ques- tion, appeared to stimulate hope here that eventually the French govern- ment, toow, would accept an unre- stricted program of inquiry rather than risk diplomatic isolation. Here-' tofore, both Belgium and Italy have followed the French lead in most of the questions affecting reparations. Administration spokesmen declined today to indicate the probable atti- tude of the Washington government in case the French government main- tains its position. Jusserand Meets Hughes. A full statement of the French posi- tion was brought to Washington to- day’ by Ambassador Jusserand, just back from Paris, and it was indicated that af€er his talk with Secretary Hughes during the afternoon the American government might be in a position to determine without much delay whether participation in the export inquiry would be regarded as worth while, The government holds to its view, meantime, that there should be the fullest possible exploration by the experts of the facts that underlie Germany's industrial productivity, re- gardless of any factor of time. In- Tormation reaching the State Depart- ment _indicates that Germany is not making any reparations payments of a substantial mature, Enterea as second-clas Dost _office Wuh!mn';_ 'fi‘“& Jusserand Brings Verbal Report of Paris Parley View By the Assoclated Press. ¥ PARIS, November 5.—Ambassa- dor Jusserand will verbally com- municate to Secretary of State Hughes today the attitude of the French government in the repara- tion negotlations, governing him- self by his talk with Premier Polncare before he salled and by information sent the French em- bassy in Washington since. He will deliver no note, it was said at the foreign office 'this morning. The latest instructions from the dfi:x;i d'Orsay went forward Satur- FRANCE SUSPECTS BRITISH SCHEME T0 FORCE ISOLATION U. S. Position and Defection of Belgium Laid to Plot Hatched in London. By the Associated Press. - PARIS, November 65.—Great Brit- ain's insistence upon conditions un- acceptable to France in connection with the proposed Inquiry into Ger- | many’s capacity to pay, and the ten- dency of the British press to raise point after point particularly dis- agreeable to France, have developed a feeling in French official circles, as expressed there today, that there is a systematic effort going on to iso- late France. News dispatches from Washington attributing to both Secretary Hughes and President Coolidge sentiments in harmony with those expressed in London, and reports that the Bel- glans are inclined to sheer off from the French policy, have contributed to this feellng, although it is said in official circles that Paris and Brus- sels-are still in accord. Premler Poincare’s firmness in deal- ing with the proposition for an ex- pert committee on reparations 1s said to have been fortified by a feel- ing that there is a disposition to get him into a corner. The final movements of Lloyd George in the United States, which were watched with the greatest at- tention here, are interpreted as an ef- fort to bring the United States into a cordon around Frange. POINCARE BEPLY WAITED. rayments are mot to be the near future without stabilization of conditions in ,_S'"""‘" On_the contrary, the Uni States 1s almost facing the time when it may he called upon to make available large sums of money to feed German nationals who might otherwise die of fne due to the confused economic situa- tion in Germany. . In these circumstances the United States government i{s more than ever copvinced that the time has come when a financial plan t6 make pos- sible the collection of reparations payments should be devised, and that such a plan to have any practical value must rest upon a study of every phase of Germany’s economic condition. See Treaty Respected. ‘Washington officials do mot regard the creation of a committee to pro- pose such a plan as in any way Jeopardizing the treaty rights =mo jealously guarded by France. The whole question of the suitability of the financlal plan must be taken up by the governments concerned after the plan itself has been formulated, and it s felt here that limitation of the experts’ inquiry to the “present capacity” of Germany to pay, as pro- posed by France, would prevent the development of a program sufficlent 1y broad enough to promie any im- portant advance toward a solution. State Department officlals would not indicate today what significance they attached to the declaration of American Ambassador Herrick, in an address in France yesterday, that the United States having put its hand to the plow was “willing to run the furrow_through.” It was sald at the State Department that the ambas- sador undoubtedly was speaking his own personal views. No attempt was made to disavow his utterances. In some quarters it is suggested that France may seek a way out of the position in which she finds her- self b{ acceding to a full repara- tions inquiry on condition that the American government will withdraw also its stipulation that there be no discussion of the allied debts to the ‘United States. Taking Into account the possibility of such a proposal, officials said today that the position of this government remained exactly as outlined many times in the past. It regards the subject of war debts as having no proper place in a repa rations discussion, and, in additio holds_that Congress alone can de with @y plan for settlement of the obligations. Herriek Talk Adds Spice. During the waiting period the statements made by American Ambas- sador Herrick in a speech yesterday, in the Champagne district, havy served to add considerable spice to the general mixture of feeling with which those outside the inner circle of State Department -officials_here.are observ- ing developments. Many members of Congress, ’ the umhmd%l assurances of ald spread across the front page of their morning new: papers, speculated in conversations with their colleagues as to how the remarks should be assessed in view of all the circumstances. Just befor: he left the United States less tha two weeks .ago Mr. Herrick was & guest at the White House and had several long talks with Secretary Hughes. After he reached Paris he conferred at length with'M. Poincare. So far as his actual words are con- cerned, it is lflnntsd out, the Amnllg~ can, envoy really gave no specific promise as to what method of co- operation the United States would be willing to follow, and to that extent his remarks are only. a reiteration of what_has been_said ‘before by Secre- tary Hughes. How much significance is to be attached to dell Ty of hi pronoundement just &t this time is question yet to be amswered. ROAD TO PAY TRIBUTE. SINNEAPOLIS, Minn., November &. —All service on the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marfe railway, including passenger trains, will be suspended for-five minutes at 1 tomorrow in tribute to George R. Saturday and whose funeral will be officers 2 p.m. Hiuntington, president, who died here held at that hour, officlals of the road announced foday. ‘l'hehglvn-nl and the larger shops will close at i noon. ¥ . 3 3 Preliminary Account Seems to Pre- ® vent Conference. By the Assoclated Press. LONDON, November 5 —Whether the change of views proceeding be- tween England and France will result in a real effort to adjudicate Ger- many’s financial ability, or prove an- other of Europe's futlle gestures to settle its dificulties, seemed this af- ternoon to depend upon the nature o Premier Poincare’s reply to the sec- ond British note concerning the scope to be given the proposed committee of experts. If the verbal summary of the note telephoned from Paris proves to be correct there appears to be little hope of a conference based on_ the lines suggested by the United States and reat Britain. In reply to Lord Curzon's suggestion that France should adopt Belglum's phrasing, calling the investigating body “the committes to examine Germany's capacity to make reparations,” Premler Polncare is expected to suggest that the authority of the proposed committee be confined to Germany's present capacity to pay and her capacity for a limited period in the future. Belglum's suggestion has been accept- (Continued on Page 4, Column 1.) JAPAN LAUDS RELIEF BY2 U. S. OFFICIALS Letter Tells of Work in Quake by Admiral Anderson and Gen. McCoy. The “heartfelt thanks of the Japa- nese government and people for the splendid services” rendered by Ad- miral Edwin A. Anderson and Brig. Gen. McCoy in the recent earthquaks and fire emergency i8 expressed-in & letter to Secretary Hughes from Am- bassador Hanihara which was made publio today at the State Depart- ment. “I am now instructed .by.his maj- esty's ministér of. state for foreigh! affalrs to convey to you, and through you to all concerned,” the ambassador wrote, “the heartfelt thanks of the Japanese dflv:mment and people for the splendid services rendered by Ad- miral Andefson and the naval forces under his command and by Gen. Mo which s0 effectively demonstrated the E-ruculu- sympathy of the United tates govern t for the sufferers by_the disaster. Both Admiral Anderson and Gen. McCoy have recently left Japan, their work completed, the ambassador said, “leaving behind them a glow of ad- miration and gratitude that will live for years to come.”. ’ ¢ Foening Star. WASHINGTON, D. C, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5. 1923—THIRTY-TWO PAGES. i GUY FAWKES DAY—LO IN WHEAT REPOS Anderson Says Mondéll- Meyer Study Likely to I crease Unrest. BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE ‘Wheat farmers of the northwest will not be appeased by the Meyer- Mondell report to the President, 1a- sued today. Besldes failing to go {o the root causes of their distress, tije report holds out no hope of immg- diate emergency relief, so its effeét is likely to be disappointing. 3 Those are the opinions expressed to the writer by Representatife Sydney Anderson - (republican) St Minnesota, president of the recently organized . Wheat Council of the United ‘States and chairman of tfe late joint congrgssional committye on agricultural inquiry. Mr. Andef- son says that if the conditions with which the Téport deals are permittéd to drift from bad to woree, or ai- lowed automatically to right thera- selves, the political consequences Yo the republican party in northwestern states are bound to be serious. A3- Goreon 16 confident that the Coolidas farm program will have to be mueh farther-reaching than the Wer Finance Corporation report, “if It is_to get anywhere.” . “Messrs. Meyer and Mondell,” said Representative Anderson, “sum up their inquiries by recommending, first, adjustment of wheat prod tion’ to American needs, as long the world market is over supplie and, secondly, development of co- operative marketing. Their report, as a whole, narrates conditions ac curately, and their recommendations, as far as they go, are sound. But the. infirmity in the report is thst it does not go far enough. s ‘Way te Salvation. “Bven the most scientific scheme of co-operative wheat marketing is nat going to solve the problems of tha 2,600,000 farmers engaged in wheat growing. Salvation for them lies ih some system of drastic, organizegd production control. Devices that merely facilitate the marketing qf wheat or the increase of prices wifl not suffice. An inevitable result of such ‘reforms’ would be greater prd- duction, with a recurrence of the very evil they were designed to eradicats. ‘Wheat-raising has got to- be taken in hand, regulated and controlled in the same businesslike fashion that industry is supervised. To do that beyond the realm of simple tive marketing. Meyer-Mondell report calls gt- “The o tention' to the successful working ot co-operative marketing in the Cafl- fornia citrus fruit industry. Apert from. the fact that the citrus friit area is relatively restricted, aad therefore easily supervised, comparsd to the wide expanse of the wheat belt, its co-operative ~marketlig scheme is profitably conducted bs- cause it is so skilfully and highly organized. Its managers have pat themselves in touch with capital aad in possession of trained executivés. They. have mastered the art of creai- ing demand. They insist upon uni- form quality of produce. They do not permit reckless glutting of the supply. These are some of the things that any effective wheat co-operative system will have to do; apd to do them conjures up a host of difficul- ties, because of the numbers of wheat - | farmers, the diversification of thir iA- Coy._and the relief corps under him, | terests, locall rei ities and crops ‘and the foreign competitive note that entef: s0 conspicuously into their calcul tions.” Demand for Relfe: Representative Anderson's atten- tion was called to the fact thét public criticism is sometimen leveled ntinued on Page 2, Column 2) Begmmng in Tomorrow’s Star ' PAWNED - An absorbing story of by the author ofm“{'he Miracle Man.’ By Frank L. Packard love and r ration, - | Do not miss a single installment of this really big story. Beginning in Tomorrow’s. Star WITH SUNDAY MORNING EDITION |Woman Routs Gunmen After Husband Is Shot By the Assoclated Press. NEW YORK, November 5.—Mrs. Francis Reynolds today put to rout three gunmen who held up her hus- band’s restaurant. After Reynolds had been shot Mrs. Reynolds leaped upon the leader of the trio, pinned him to the floar, took his pistol and held him till the police arrived. The other two gun- men, scared, ran away. Reynolds was serfously wounded. NAVY GOURT OPENS TRIAL OF OFFICERS Commander of Wrecked De- stroyers First to Face Charges at San Diego. By the Associated Press. SAN DIEGO, Calif, November 5.— Eleven officers Involved in the wreck- ing of seven destroyers off Honda on September 8 face court-martial trial here today. The naval court, which sits in eleventh district headquarters, 1s composed of the following officers: Vice Admiral Henry A. Wiley, pre- siding; Rear Admiral Louis ton, Rear Admiral Jehu V. Chase, Capt. De Witt Blauer, Capt. Edward H. Campbell, Capt. Walter S. Crosley, Capt. Stanford E. Moses and Lieut. Commander Leslie E. Bratton and Lieut. Hardy B. Page will conduct the prosecution. Capt. Edward H. Watson, com- mander of the 1lth Squadron, to which the ‘lost ships belonged, will be tried first. Officers following him as defendants are Capt. Robert Morris, Commander William &. Pve, Com, mander Louis P. Davis, Comman William L. Calhoun, Commander W liam H. Toaz, Lieut. Commander Donald T. Hunter, Lieut. Commander Richard H. Booth, Lieut. Lawrence F. Blodgett. AX-WIELDERS SLAY THEIR.22D VICTIM One Other, Assaulted in Alley, Is Near Death in Birming- ham Hospital. By the Associated Press. MeNul- | et Circu Sunday’s Circulation, “Frotia Press o Home Within the Hour” ‘The Star is delivered every evening and Sunday to Washington homes at morning 60 cents per month. Telephone Main 5000 tion, 90,886 98,569 TWO CENTS. | gy Do cm Speed Gontos UL = |Peril to Lives Prompts Order by Admiral Moffétt, After Williams and Brow =5 VETERAN HOSPITAL CRTICISM SCORED No Fraud in Chelsea Site Deal, Senators Told by Investigator. Criticism in connéetion with the governments's purchase of the hospi- tal’site at Chelsea, N. Y. was de- clared to be unfounded, in report read today to the Senate veterans' committee. It had been prepared by Louis W. Stotesbury, former ad- jutant gen. of New York, after what John F. O'Ryan, counsel for the com- mittee, described as an exhaustive in- quiry. i Mr. Stotesbury reported that the site had been purchased from the Ed- ward Stormes Corporation for $100,- 000, and that there had béen no fraud or collusion in connection with the sale. Bought at “Low Figure” Much criticism has been based on the 10w figure for which the Stormes Corporation had purchased the.prop- erty. The Stotesbury report said the site formerly was owned by the late Dr. Charles K. Cole, who spent $100,000 on it, and that the Stormes Corporation bought it at public auction at the very low” cost of $28,500. Lack of uniformity in the rating of veterans was described to the com- mittee by Dr. David O. Smith of the Veterans' Bureau, who investigated such cases for Gen. O'Ryan. He told e a veteran had dled and diabetes within one.and one-half months after medi- cal officers of the bureau had re- ported that the tuberculosis had been arrested and the patient’s rating had been reduced from total permanent disability to a 25 per cent disability. A review of the case was made, Dr..Smith said, and a final finding approving the 25 per cent rating was returned seven weeks after the vet- eran had died. Dr. Smith aiso sald that a Dr. Bal- lard, who is employed in the Veter- anw’ . Bureau, and who made the re- views in question himself, has a dis- ability rating of 35 per cent on the basis of an additional operation per- formed while in the service. Dr. Bal- lard's rating originally was 25 per cent, the witness said, but was in- Set New Wo Speed contests between naval air rvice flyers such as those yesterday at Mitchel Field, New York, were prohibited for an indefinite period under an order issued today by Rear Admiral W. A. Moffett, chief of the bureau of naval aeronautics. Admiral Moffett based his decislon on an opinion by his technical staft that naval fiyers now have achleved the maximum speed in the air which is possible without grave risks to human life. The exhibitfon now in Dprogress for Army relief at the Long Island field will be continued through the approved program, however. The admiral sent the following telegram to the naval officer in charge of the exhibition: “Present my heartiest congratula- tions to Lieuts, Brow and Willlams on OVERTURE T0 FORD ON MUSCLE SHOALS GKING FOR INTERNATIONAL ENTANGLEMENT EXPLOSIVES. Representative Madden Out- lines Plan to Coolidge to Meet Manufacturer’s View. Outlines for a new proposal for disposition of the Muscle Shoals project, contemplating a duplication | of the Gorgas steam plant, recently | s0ld to the Alabama Power Company, | and its inclusion in the properties, was presented to President. Coolidge today by Chairman Madden of the House appropriations committee. Under the plan outlined the gov- ernment would build or authorize to be built a new plant at dams 15, 16 and 17, located about ten miles south- west of Gorgas. A new power trans- mission line from the plant to Muscle Shoals proper also would be author- ized. Mr. Madden expressed the be- lief that @ revised offer based on these proposals could be obtained from Henry Ford. The Tilinois representative told the President he would soon begin work on a bill embodying his plan and would have, the legislation in shape for presentgbion when Copgress con- venes next month. He said also he believed there substantial unity of opinion in the House in favor of a speedy disposition of the Muscle Shoals question. “One of the first acts of Congress should be to clean up this Muscle Shoals proposition,” said Mr. Madden after his conference. “This question has b before Congress long enough, and there is a general opin- ion among House members that the drain on the Treasury should be stop- ped through lease or sale of the war- built properties to private interests.” President Coolidge is understood to have Informed Mr. Madden that he favored early settlement of the ques- tion. “If we can make the southern states more productive through the manu- facture of nitrates for fertilizer at Muscle Shoals we will have added that much to the riches and pros. perity of the whole United State: said Mr. Madden. “Taking that view of the matter, I belleve that the gov- ernment can afford to make a con- tribution in the interest of national prosperity to the amount it original ly expended in building the Muscle Shoals property.” U 5. TO ADMIT 4,000 ALIENS ON PAROLE Deportation of Excess Ar- creased when he appealed. Men Stick Together. Senator Oddie, republican, Ne- vada, asked how it was Dr. Ballard had agreed with Dr. Rogers, medical director of the bureau, in the case of the tubercular patient. “In a bureau of this kind,” Dr. Smith replied, “men are selected not so much for-ability, as for their co- hesive qualities. They stick togeth- Dr. Smith added that the report on BIRMINGHAM, Ala., November 5. Birmingham police redoubled efforts today to solve the city's latest ax assault committed last night in a downtown alley where June Jackson, a young colored woman, and J. T. Conway, thirty, were .viotims. <The woman dled a.few hours. after the attack. Conway's life hangs in the balance, with doctors giving little hope for his recuvery. The death of the woman brought the number of alley 'murders to seven, while fifteen.deaths have been recorded as a result of ax assaults upon keepers of small shops and -{ members of the families since the beglinning of the “ax-murder” e. In addition to the deaths eighteen persons attatked have. recovered fes . inflicted. ilant of the Jackson wo- man and Conway used an ax or hatchet, police assert, the victims be- ing hacked by heavy blows. Investigations have resulted in a number of arrests, but few. convic- tions. ARREST BOND BROKER _ IN $115,000 OHIO HAUL !_ov York Authorities Charge ‘Re- ceiving. of Portion of In- NEW YORK, - November 5.-—Cor-. nelius J. Kelly, alse known as- John MoLoughlin, bond . broker, - today. was - arrested in-his office charged with- having received part Bl s bt office of Cincinngt fices were robbgd @ ¥ (o, when 1is of- oo 2 tion, according to Mr. rivals Halted by Davis to Prevent Hardships. By thé Assoclated Press. NEW YORK, Nevember 5.—Four thousand allens, facing deportation because the immigration quotas of their countries were exhausted, be- gin landing in this port today on parole. Thelr release was ordered by Secretary of Labor James J. (Continued on Page %, Column 6.) W, B. & A. SHOPMEN WIN PAY INCREASE Raise From 48 to 78 Cents Per Hour Granted—Other Ad- vances to Be Given. Special Dispatoh to The Bta BALTIMORE, November 5.—An jn- crease of from 48 to 73 cents an hour to shopcraft workmen on the Wash- ington, Baltimore and Annapolis rail- road has been granted, it was learned today. About 200 men will be benefited by the raise, it was announced by Ed- ward D. Blerets, business agent of the Electrical Workers' Union. Sev- eral weeks ago the men went on striké after failure to get the.in- crease asked for, but were persuaded to return to work pending negoti: tiona. The wage scale, sald Mr. Blerets, follows .the- standard -set by the T 3 1y m‘h.!r ECE: fi general on the :nn. roads of i . T s, S kS st o The. working . schedule: and - full recagnition of the-union. ‘Domands ‘alwo. have been made by the Brotherhood of Rafiroad n&.: 5 Btothernoed.of a i -of s T of negotia- erets. i l l Davis, who last night cut the red tape that threatened to send thou- sands back across the sea without even an examination. The decision to land the 4,000 ex- H. Curran announced after a confer- ence with Secretary Davis yesterday. An attempt would be made to admit them as soon as possible, he said. Of the 4,000 immigrants who faced deportation, 1,367, mostly British, a: rived on the Leviathan, largest Amer- ican steamship. Forelgn governments were blamed for the situation by Secretary Davis, who said that congestion could be avoided if jports were limited to the number fixed by the American quota law. —_— 50,000 TO FIGHT POLICE STRIKE IN MELBOURNE Specials Sworn In—Arrangement Made to Call State Froops. By the Associated Press. MELBOURNE, Australia, November 5.—Conditions in Melbourne we: normal today and the city authori- tiew asserted that the situation grow- ing out of the police strike was sat- isfactory. In response to the gov- ernmen! Arnu-l to all able-bodied men of military age, 50,000 special constables have been enrolled. Arrangements have been com- eted for proclaiming a state of vio- ence, if necessary, after which the forces of the commonwealth would be used to preserve order. The city cgnlz:: have convicted many persons 3 p rid Records._ their performances of yesterday. Both apparently have obtained maximum speed possible without taking un- necessary risks. Discontinue speed tests but permit both pilots to fly planes for Army rellef benefit.” AVIATORS REGRET ORDER. Makers of New World’s Records to Race, However. By the Assoclated Press. MITCHEL FIELD, N. Y.. November 5.—Lieuts. Alford J. Willlams and Harold J. Brow, Navy airmen, who were scheduled to renew their ef- forts to smash more world speed rec- ords, expressed regret today when a (Continued on Page 2, Column 4.) {Utilities Board Orders Removal | Of “Death Poles” A few hours before a special Senate committes was ready to begin an investigation of local traffic conditions here today, the Public Utilitles Commission or- dered the immediate removal of the iron posts known as “death poles” at several intersections on 14th street to designate isles of safety for street car passengers. The commission said -that it granted an application of the Washington Railway and Electric Company and the Capital Traction Company to install posts as an ex- periment. “The experiment with the use of these iron standards having proved unsatisfactory, the commission belleves that they should be removed,” read the order today. HEADLEYBEFENDS .. TRAFFCODE Declares Lack of Police Cause of Confusion—Criticizes Courts. That the traffic code in the District of Columbia is as good as in most citles in the United States, but that lack of sufficient policemen to enforce this code is responsible for much of the fraffic confusion here, was the statement today of Inspector Albert J. Headley, chief of the traffie bu- reau, the first witness called before the congressional committee investi- gating traffic. Inspector Headley in a lengthy re- port pointed out to the committee that enough to nullify any regulations that might be enacted. Denying that the death rate in ‘Washington was increasing, and giv- ing figures to prove his contention, the witness pointed out that despite the increase in population and in the number of automobiles registered, fatalities were becoming less. Courts Criticized. The witness also asserted that con- tributing causes to traffic confusion beside an inadequate police force was lack of proper equipment in the po- lice department, crowdd conditions in the court and lenient treatment by the court of traffic violators. Inspector Headley alsc told the com- mittee that while the registration of automobiles had increased 500 per cent, the number of fatal accidents had ‘noi even doubled. One-way . streets, street-car plat- forms, parking, speed of automobiles, semaphore control, pedestrian regula- tion and many other subjects relat- ing to trafc will be brought into the spotlight during the hearings. The committee, of which Senator L. Helsler Ball of Delaware is the chairman, will _call in addition to Inspector Headley, Commlis- sioner James F. Oyster, charge or the police department, and Engineer Commissioner Bell, who is expected to be questioned regarding the possible widening of streets. Ringgold Hart, chairman of the Com- missioners’ special traffic committee, and other men who have studied local traffic conditions also may be asked to appear. Probable Results of Hearing. Settlement of the local controversy on one-way streets is expected to be one of the tangible results of the hearings. Senator Ball has already expressed himself emphatically on this subject, saying “one-way streets were a necessity in congested traffic. Other members of the committee are thought to hold the same vle‘w:. SCOTCH TOWNS READY FOR DRY ISSUE VOTE By the Assoclated Press. LONDON, November 5.—Thirty to forty Scottish towns go to the polls this week to decide the prohibition issue for their localities. The cam- paign has been intense. The drys hope to reverse the decision given in 19 ‘when only two towns—Kirk- intilloch and Kilsyth—abolished liquor licenses. . The wets In the places, forced to take long journeys during the last three years to quench their thirsts, have been making desperate | | present. { Church line and the Mount Vernon the lack of policemen here was almost | REORGANIZATION OF W.-VA. RAILWAY C0. Petitions to Be Filed in Dis- trict and Virginia by Creditors. SUIT FOR RECEIVERSHIP STARTED BY BONDHOLDER Committee Operating Road De- clares No Fare Increase Nor Curtailed Service Planned. A reorganization of the Washing- ton-Virginia Railway Company s be- ing planned by a notemolders’ com-. mittee, under which the road h;a operated for the past three years, was learned today. The first step iz the proposed reorganizing will be tF filing of positions in the courts of th; District of Columbla and Virginia have the rights of the various lien; holders judicially determined. - The noteholders’ committee, it bé~ came known today, met in Philadel- phia last week and decided to start proceedings for a reorganization and were busily engaged in preparing the court petition when Mattie M. New- comer, an individual bondholder, un- expectedly filed suit Saturday at Fairfax Court House, asking that a receiver be appointed. It was learned today from reliable sources that the petition for receiver filed by the one bond holder at Fair- fax will not deter the note-holders operating committee from going ahead with its plans for a court reorganiza- tion of the company, It also was stated today that the note-holders' committee is not con- sidering an increase in fare or cur- tailment of service in connection with its plans. Charges Dividends Passed. The petition for receiver filed at Fairfax Court House Saturday by Attorneys Charles H. Merillat and Willlam M. Ellison, alleges that the company has defaulted in the pay- ment of dividends for the past three years. The charges brought are that cor- poration officials_have allowed the properties to reach that degree of in- solvency through “wrongful misap- propriation, waste and reckless im- provident and unlawful financiering, abuse of its corporate powers and un- lawful diversions of proceeds” of sev- eral of the bond issues and mort- gages. Judge Samuel G. Brent has ordered that the defendants to the petition show cause Saturday why a receiver thould not be appointed. = Gardner L. Boothe, attorney for the company. 1s expedted to seek an extension of that time this afternoonm. Extend Back to 1908. The aiegations made extond over a period of time irom 1908 to the The two lines—the Falls line—were at that time merged. {Clarence P. King, who became presi- | dent of the consolidated companieg in 1908, later became president of the ‘Washington Railway and Electric Company. The Washington Utilities Company, the petition cites, was created under the laws of Virginia by Clarence P. King as “part of a scheme of accom- plishing a huge consolidation of street rallway interest in and about the District of Columbla and adjoining states.” This_scheme, as well as many oth- ers, the petitioner says, collapsed, thus bringing about the state of in- solvency in which the company now finds itself. Other defendants named in the pe- tition are: Washington, Alexandria and Mount Vernon Railway Company; Washington, Arlington and Fails Church Railway Company; Washing- ton Utilities Company, Walter Hinch- man, trustee; Merchants' Trust Com- pany, Philadelphia, trustee; Real Es- tate and Trust Company, Philadelphia, trustee; Commercial Trust Company, Philadelphla, trustee, and Guaranty Trust Company, New York, trustee. SELECTION AS ENVOY DENIED BY GILLETT House Speaker, Back From Europe, Says He Will Remain in Congres: Speaker Gillett, upon his return to the Capitol today from an’ unofficial tour of Europe, put an effectual quietus on the recurrent reports that he probably would accept a diplo- matic appointment. Upon that report was based considerable speculation as to who would be selected as Speaker and other surmises regarding the re- organization of the House in the in- coming Congress. The reply of Speaker Gillett is that there is sim- ply nothing to such rumors. “I do not believe that President Coolidge ever had any idea of ap- pointing. mg to a diplomatic post,” sald Mr. Gillett. “There is no diplo- matic post that I would think of ac- cepting.” he continued. “My whole training and experience has been in Congress, and if I can be of any public service I am sure that it ie there. There is no other field of public work that would at all tempt me. When my work in Congress ends 1 feel that my public career has closed.” = Speaker Gillett's first visitor at the Capitol was Chairman Madden of the House appropriations committee, who has been conspicuously mentioned as likely to succeed him eaker. eftorts to bring their fellow towns- men back to their traditional free- dom in the matter of beverages. The Daily Mail's comments on the experience with prohibition in the United States are not calculated to spread enthusiasm for this reform. e newspaper says: “It looks as though the attempt to forbid human beings from taking & kind of drink creates among them a d. termination to get that drink at what- ever cost to their pocketa or vitality, Read Dorothy Dix Page 24 Today’s Star