Evening Star Newspaper, March 24, 1925, Page 1

WEATHER. (U. 8. Weather Bureau Forecast.) Fair and warmer tonight, minimum temperature above free row unsettled. Temperatures: today. Lowest, 33, at 7 Full report on page 7. zing; tomor- Highest, 53, at noon a.m. today. Closing N. Y. Stocks and Bonds, Page 22 No. 29,547, Enteredas Entered as second class matter Washington, D, C. NEW ARMS PARLEY B PREPARATIONS ARE ASKED BY COOLIDGE President Instructs Kellogg to Lay Groundwork for Conference. AIRCRAFT LIMITATION MAY BE MAIN ISSUE Thorough Study of Problems to Be Made Before Foreign Nations Are Asked to Meet. suggested < Coolidge has Kellogg that preliminary steps be President to Secretary definite taken toward laying the groundwork for a| new naval limitation conference. The work, as the President sees it, divides -itself Into two phases;, the first being determination of the tech- nical aspects of naval limitation that remain to be concluded; the second, the sounding out informally of the sentiment of the other powers as to the desirability of calling a new con- terence. There are many technical matters to be considered before proposals for limitation of cruiser and submarine _tonnage can be formulated or before | the Washington Government itself can judge what smight be accomp- lished now with regard to aircraft limitation. Alrcraft Phase Important. The aircraft phase of any new con- ference promises to be of chief im-| of developments naval That treaty fixed portance in view since the original treaty was signed. a limitation upon airplane carrier tonnage for each signatory power, but left the question of what aircraft « may be carried on capital r upon ps of less than 10,000 tons displacement entirely open. Conversations thus far between the President and the Secretary of State have been limited to this general out- line of the situation. Mr. Kellogg has not yet had opportunity to take| up with naval experts, as he expects to do, the practical possibilities of a further limitation. So far as known the Secretary has had no new informal in other capitals relative to ti's con- ference plans ‘Will Confer with Experts. It is assumed Mr. Kellogg will talk matters over with naval experts be- fore any more definite conversations are initiated abroad in order that the governments to be consulted can have more complete understanding of what the Washington Government.| thinks it might be able to accomplish through a supplemental conference. Some of the President's advisers believe the subject of aircraft limi- tation affords an opportunity for con- structive work, despite the fact that the original conference was unable 1o find a formula that would not in- hibit in all countries the development of commercial aviation. There has been no indication, however, of the methods by which it is now thought possible to limit aircraft without en- countering the same objections that prevented the original conference pre from dealing ' with that subject. JAPANESE SUSPICIOUS. Questions Motives Move For New Parley. ¢ Press BY J. RUSSELL KENNEDY. By Radio to The Star and Chicago Daily News. TOKIO, March 24 —Notwithstanding official denials of “assurances” from Washington and London, the news- papers vary on the reported under- standing between America and Brit- ain over the agenda of another arms conference. The Chugai, which it_is generally believed voices a strong Seiyukal sen- timent, points out the American naval maneuvering in the Pacific for a num- ber of months, while Britain is build- ing an enormous naval base at the western entrance of the China Sea. It also asserts that Austen Chamber- laln gave an evasive answer to the House of Commons regarding an un- derstanding between Britain America concerning Singapore. The Yamato, a “chronic firebrand” among Tokio newspapers, supports using considerably stronger especially directed against “selfish Britain,” and asserts that Britain's and America’s sole object is limita- tion of Japan in the Pacific. In this connection J. Wickham Steed's New York speech, asserting that war on the Pacific was inevitable, was cabled at length and featured in the news- papers. The Nichi Nichl points out that this dire prediction, broadcast by a Brit- ish propagandist, and published by leading American newspapers, natu- raily arouses suspicion, if not convic- tion, among the Japanese thinkifg . people that not only an understand- ing, but an active organized combina- tion exists. The Nichi Nichi says “Japan and America are not going to countenance war. No attempt to dis- turb the peace in the Pacific will meet with success, however mgen- lously rontrived. God would never sanction such a diabolical intrigue. Neither do we believe that this speak- er represents in any wise the general sentiment of the English nation.” (Copyright, 1825, by Chicago Daily News Co.) PERSHING’S APPOINTMENT ex LIKED IN THE ARGENTINE It Guarantees Fairness of Tacna- Arica Commission, One Buenos Aires Paper Declar By the Associated Press. BUENOS AIRES, March 24.—The appointment of Gen. John J. Pershing as head of the Tacna-Arica plebiss cite commission was favorably re- ceived in all circles in Argentine. “The United States Government,” gays La Nacion, “has shown surpass- ijng good judgment in selecting Gen. Pershing for this task. His choice re- moves the possibility that passions or errors will nullify, in the hour of ‘its trial, the benefit of the long de- sired solution, because the name of Pershing is the best guarantee that a rene, conciliatory spirit will pre- side over the final phase of this pacific litigation.” rtain | limitation | ships or| conversations | Behind | and | arms, | Gude Twins Let Find Peace in Edwin and Edgar Gude, 26-year- old twin sons of the late Adolph Gude, prominent local florist and na- ture lover, have become exponents of a new religion—or rather. as they term it, a revival of the old-fashioned biblical creed of the prophets of old— and, in accordance with their be- lefs, have allowed thelr halr and beards to grow, unhampered by the hand of man. Converted about a month ago to the conviction that man would be better off spiritually if he adhered closely to the teachings and ways of | Nature and the philosophy of life as preached in the Bible, the young men have put their beliefs into practice {in this way. | The Gude twins, who are well known {in local scholastic circles and who { went throuzh the war as radio opera- tors in the Naval Reserve, have been | imbued with a deep conviction that they should “let nature take its course,” not only in the matter of their hair, but in their daily style of living. { Plain Creed of Living. Accordingly, they follow closely the rules for diet and mode of living laid down in the Old Testament, of which they are close students, and strive to adhere to a vegetarian diet, to simple { clothing and to a plain creed of living. They are not members of the cult | known as the House of David, nor.| | ALIEN SMUGGLING CUBAN “INDUSTRY" Lax U. S. Laws Make Carry- ing Human Freight to Florida Easy. (Following is the first of a serics of articles by Mr. Briggs dealing with Cuba as “The Backdoor to the United States”—sp recognized by verious foreign elements exzcluded from American citizenship by the immi- gration limitations and so adver- tised by sinister agencies that profit through smuggling aliens across the border.) BY ORGE C. BRIG! [Con!mndelru of The Star and the Chicago Dally New: HAVANA, Cuba, March 24.—Smug- gling: Immigrants into the United States is becoming a thriving industry {in Cuba. Havana is the base of op- erations and the west coast of Florida |is the principal dumping ground for contraband human cargoes. From | here the business of systematically {defeating tLa purpose of American | immigration restrictions is carried on extensively through agents in various foreign countries and in the United States. A conservative estimate places the number of foreigners who have thus clandestinely entered the United States as 4,000 during the last 12 months The number legally admitted through the United States consulate has been slightly less than 1,500 since the new immigration law became effective, July 1, 1924. It appears, therefore, that for every one who goes through on a properly vised passport two get in by stealth. It is manifest that those who sneak in are doubly undesirable, because their introduction into the States is predicated upon bribery in all cases, upon perjury in many cases and in- variably with knowledge that they are violating the laws of the land they are entering. Pay $250 to $500 Per Head. There are no fewer than 10 recog- nized methods of entering the States, either surreptitiously or by brazen fraud. These may be enumerated as follows: 1. Contracting with agencies that have headquarters in Havana or Florida and representatives abroad {who ‘guarantee” for from $250 to 1500 to deliver aliens safely on United | States soil. 2. Shipping with rumrunners who ;smu;gle foreigners across the Florida |straits as a sideline of the bootlegging | business. 3. Trusting to steamship petty of- ficers or créws to be carried as stow- |aways. 4. Actually stowing away on ves- sels clearing for America and swim- ming ashore when port is reached, or else mingling with gangs of steve- dores who board to unload freight, and thus walking off unnoticed. 5. Signing on as seamen on Amer- ican ships, being classed as emer- gency crew members “signed after | clearing” and claiming the legal { status of American seamen on the second voyage to a port under the United States flag. | 6. Presenting at the consulate a | purchased or borrowed passport of | some one entitled to enter the States, e WASHINGTON, Beards Grow To Live in Tune With Nature Sons of Former Greenhouse Qwner, After Long Study of Bible and Philosophies, Biblical Ways. they declaie, of any other church or sect. “We are just trying to live the way our studies of the philosophy of life have convinced us that we should live.” they explain. “We do not believe other people cut thelr different view of are doomed to eternal punishment. But we do feel that by following strictly the rules of life laid down in the Bible—by refraining from inter- that because hair or have a religion they we will have bettered ourselves phys- ally, mentally and spiritually. Not a New Cult. “Our religion is not a new creed. Our religion is the old-fash- |ioned. biblical kind 1t is the reli- | gion of the philosophers of the Old Testament, who believed that men should ‘separate themselves unto the Lord. We are simply striving to be good Christians. We believe in Je- sus Christ. We believe that d manifests Himself in Nature and that man, therefore, should not desecrate Nature any more than he would blas- pheme God." The Gude twins emphasize that they are not following any radical creed, but are merely adopting their per- sonal ideas about religion, after a careful study of the Bible and of other books on the philosophy of life. They explain that they learned to love and v Nature through long as- ~(Continued on Page 2, Column 8.) ANARDED $500 Husband of Former Lady Carnarvon Ordered to Re- pay Loans of His Ex-Wife. By the Associated Pres: LONDON, March 2 £5,000, or nearly $25,000, in favor of in her suit against her former hus- band, Lieut. Col. Ian Onslow Dennis- toun, for money she claimed she had loaned him. The jury also found that the sup- port was to vary in accordance with Mrs. Dennistoun’'s means, and Col. Dennistoun was only bound to assist her when the necessity arose; nor was he bound to support her if she became the wife or mistress of the Spaniard, Bolin, or the wife of a rich man. Failed to Claim Support. nistoun's abstention from maintenance or alimony French court at the time of the di- vorce. The jury also found that Col. Den- nistoun, before the issuance of the writ in the case, was financlally able to_support his former wife. Col. Dennistoun had received from Mrs. Dennistoun were in the form of loans which the defendant had not repaid. The jury retired again to decide the question of damages. STRIKE 1S ORDERED Walk-Out April 8, Involving 1,000, Believed Sure as Raise Is Refused. Paperhangers’ Union will strike April 6. it was revealed today at a meeting of the Master Painters' Harvey's. The strike about 1,000 men. The master painters, who also em- ploy the paperhangers, met today to consider the decision of the unions to strike and their demand for a wage increase of from $9 to $10. At the meeting, at which practieally all the sub-contractors in the city were present, they decided to deny any in- crease in wages and to face the threatened strike. will involve bring about a lockout and will com- pel the Master Painters to employ non-union men unless the union men will work under the present scale of $9 per day. and have set dates upon which they | together with falsified supporting documents. 7. Going through as destined for some educational tution in America. 8. Obtaining the rating of “wife of an American citizen” through Cu- | ban marriage courts which issue marriage certificates for irregular | 7 (Continued on Page 2, Column 4.)" “students” insti- 3, By the Associated Press. NEW YORK, March 24.—A chap- ter on “How to change an old man into a young man of twenty” has been found in the oldest treatise on medical science and surgery in the woild, the Edwin Smith Medi- cal Papyrus of 1600, B.C. The discovery, made by Prof. James H. Breasted, was announced today by Alexander J. Wall, li- brarian of the New York Histori- cal Soclety. The passage on rejuvenation was written on the back of the papyrus, evidently by onme of the quacks Who infested even the an- cient medical profession. \ i on their demands. Military Attache Ordered Home. Maj. Carlyle H. Wash, Paris, France, chief of Air Service, War Department. How to Make Old Man Young Subject of Treatise in 1600 B.C. Dr. Breasted has not as yet de- ciphered its details because he has devoted most of his work to the main text, which he considers the work of “a truly scientific man with an amazing knowledge of real medicine.” One passage reveals that the author knew that paralysis of one side ~f the body was caused by a bral, uffection of the other side—a fact lost for more than 3,000 years and rediscovered in modern times. The papyrus was described by Prof. Breasted as being ‘incom- parably the most important body of medical knowledge which has survived to us from ancient Bgypt, or, for that matter, from the Orient anywhere.” VETERANS ATTACK ferring with Nature in our daily life— cult or| MIRS. DENNISTOUN A verdict for Mrs. Dorothy Murial Dennistoun was rendered this afternoon by the jury The consideration for the agree-! ment, the jury sald, was Mrs. Den-| claiming before the| The verdict found that all the sums | | patfents at Waiter Reed, BY PAINTERS’ UNION% 3 | The local Painters’ Union and the| Union at It was pointed out that this will Several other building trade unions are also asking for increase wages will decide whether they will insist Army Air Service, assistant military attache at has been ordered to this city for duty in the office of the WITH SUNDAY MORNING EDITION D. C, TUESDAY, MARCH 24, Foening Star. 1925 —THIRTY-TWO PAGES. BUREAU FUND USE FOR WALTER REED Disabled» Men Unwilling to Stand Conditions at Army Hospital, They Say. WANT $900,000 SPENT ; AT OTHER INSTITUTIONS Object to “Discipline” and Use of Wards for Care of Officers’ Wives, Charging that Veterans' Bureau hospitals throughout the country a. in many cases virtual ‘“fire traps” and in need of every cent that can be expended on them, two groups World War Veterans—the Disabled American Veterans and the publish- ers of the Stars and Stripes—have launched an attack against the an- nounced policy of the Veterans' Bu- reau of spending $900,000 this Sum- mer In construction of permanent | buildings at Walter Reed Hospital, for which plans are now under way. At the same time Surg. Gen. Ireland of the Army, opposing the Position of the veterans' organiza- tions. declared that the Army gen- eral hospitals throughout the country have been devoting from 45 to 50 per cent of their bed capacity to the care of disabled of the World War. He contended that it was an equitable :fl’l;l!!l’“efll to go ahead with the ‘onstruction at the Army hospital, Walter Reed, using Veterans' Burean funds. Favored by Hines. Director Hines of the Vrterans Bureau was out of the city today, but it is known that he is in full accord With “the principle of using - thase | funds at Walter Reed and has au- thorized their use for this purpose. Frank J. Irwin, national command- er of the Disabled American Veter; ns, today vigorously assailed the ro- posed arrangement at Walter Reed, explaining, however, that his organi- zation was not opposed to the devel- opment of Walter Reed with War De- partment funds. Comdr. Irwin charged that the beds allotted to Veterans' Bureau bene- flolaries at Walter Reed were sel- dom, if ever, all filed, on account of conditions there which he said the | disabled men did not like. At Wal- ter Reed, he explained, white and colored are placed in the same ward | and “military discipline” prevails, | On the other hand, Mount Alto Hompital, on Wisconsin avenue, & Veterans' Bureau hospital, was <aid | by Mr. Trwin to be always overflow- ing. Beneficlaries much preferred a Bureau hospital to Regular Army hospitals, Mr. Irwin sald. He charged further that one reason why disabled veterans at Walter Reed were housed | in temparary structures threatened with fire hazard was because wards in the permanent part of the hospital were often used for the treatment of officers’ wives. The position of the Veterans' Bureau in allocating about $300,000 was declared by Comdr. Irwin to be “utterly indefensible.” The Stars and Stripes, a local vet- eran's newspaper, with a wide circu- lation both here and elsewhere, also has come out against the proposal, according to Mr. Irwin Surg. Gen. Ireland, on the other hand, declared that the allotment of beds ‘at Walter Reed to Veterans' Bu- reau beneficiaries was about 500 and that according to the records of the| hospital there had been about an av- erage of from 450 to 500 patients. The proportion of Veterans' Bureau the general said, had occasionally run as high as 50 per cent of the patient population, the average number of patients there recently having been about 1,000. Gen. Ireland explained that the allo- cation of $900,000 from the $10,000,000 hospltalization appropriation for the Veterans' Bureau was not only ap- proved by Gen. Hines, tub was equi- table. Proceeding With Plan. The Quartermaster General's Of- fice, Gen. Ireland explained, was pro- ceeding already with formulation of plans and soon expected to draw the specifications. The Veterans' Bu- reau money, he said, first would go into a new wing to be erected on the west of the present main building. Some of it would also be used, he add- ed, to begin construction on the large bullding in the rear of the present| structure, which will be used for a dining room, kitchen and wards. To complete this dining room and Kitch- en bullding, connecting on the north with the main building, Gen. Ireland said, funds which were authorized by Congress at the last session but not appropriated would be neces- sary. It 1s expected, he explained, that this $2,000,000 authorized to be spent by the War Department on Walter Reed. will be appropriated in a defi- clency bill at the next session of Con- gress. The new construction, he es- timated, would provide about 800 ad- ditional permanent beds and if all went well might be completed within a year and a half. Ground probably will be broken during the Summer, he said. One of the objections set forth by Comdr. Irwin to the use of Veterans' Bureau funds at Walter Reed was the authorization of $2,000,000 for that purpose to be spent by the War De- partment. If the War Department spends $2,000,000 and the Veterans' | Bureau $500,000 on Walter Reed Hos. pital, Mr. Irwin said, it would mean that Walter Reed would be getting about one-third as much money a was in prospect for all the rest of the veterans' hospitals in the United States. e CAPPER GOING ABROAD. Kansas Senator Proposes Tour of France and England. Senator Capper, Republican, of Kansas is considering & trip abroad in July which would include France and England and probably Germany. Although the trip is designed as a vacation, he will look into conditions abroad with a view to utilizing the information in his work next ston a member of the foreign relations committee. Radio Programs—Page 15. DRIVERS' PERMITS 500D UNTIL 126 Commissioners Decide Mat- ter Rests With Discretion of Traffic Director. The more than 125,000 automobile operator permits now in use will not have to be renewed until March 1926, the Commissioners announced following a meeting today with Di- rector of Traffic Eldridge. The city heads reached this conclu- sion after receiving an opinion from Corporation Counsel Stephens, in which he held it was within the dis-| cretion of the traffic director to make permits already in existence good un- til mext year. Under the terms of the new traffic law, however, it will be necessary for every driver to have his permit re- newed annually after this vear. The fee for such renewal by the director at not to exceed $1. Indications are that he will make the fee for renewals less than $1, with a view to covering merely the cost of In Effect 60 Days. Mr. Stephens also definitely settled in his opinion the fact that existing speed regulations remain in effect for 60 cays, or until May 2. As to speed, Mr. Stephens has interpreted the act to mean that the director, with the approval of the Commissioners, may fix a speed not to exceed 22 miles an hour in the congested section, with a higher speed limit for agterial high- ways and outlying areas. The Commissioners today assigned Rooms 218 and 220 on the second floor of the District Building to Mr. Eldridge. Asks Two Assistants. Commissioner Rudolph announced that the director has recommended that he have one engineering assist- ant and one administrative assistant. The first position has practically been decided on, but the second is still be- fore the Personnel Classification Board for decision. Under the opinion rendered today by the corporation counsel. Mr. Eld- ridge has more than a month in which to make necessary studies of actual conditions on the streets hefore de- clding on the new speed limits and other new regulation Study of Speed Rules. Mr. Eldridge announced that he will ck the views of the leading organ- izations of the city on the question of proper speed regulations before mak- ing recommendations to the Commis- sioners. He will take the question up with the Board of Trade, the Chamber of Commerce, the Merchants and Manu- facturers’ Association, the Federation of Citizens' Associations and the local branch of the American Automobile Association. “It is mot likely that any changes in speed limits will be made until May,” said Mr. Eldrlq!&. NEW PENSION OFFICIAL MAY DECLINE POST Metcalf, Confirmed By Senate as! Commissioner, Still Uncer- tain of Acceptance. Even though his appointment by the President to be Commissioner of Pensiors has been confirmed by the Senate and the job is waiting for him to step in and take active ch_ar(!, W. 8. Metcalf of Lawrence, Kans., js not yet sure he will accept the po:‘l.(‘l". Metealf's nomination to be Commissioner of Pensions, succeed- ing Gen. Washington Gardner, was sent to the Senate just a few days before that body adjourned and was confirmed almost immediately. Correspondence by officials of the Interior Department has revealed, however, that Mr. Metcalf is not sure he will accept the post. Acting Secre- tary Finney is in touch with the new commissioner and hopes to get an answer of acceptance within a few days. In the meantime Hays Hay- maker, deputy commissioner of pen- sions, 1s in charge of the work of the Pension Bureau. Post Office Robbed of $40,000. CHICAGO, March 24.—The Valpa- raiso, Ind., post office was robbed of postage and revenue stamps valued at $40,000 by safe blowers early to- day the detective bureau here was notified by the Valparaiso police chief. The robbers escaped and were thought to' have come to Chicage. 31,| is to be fixed| | ultimatum | with the commission. CULTIVATE MusSOLIN]'s Bulls Injure Three 1 Star Matadors and | Force End of Fight| By the Associated Press MADRID, March 24 ‘The bulls have had their inning. Three pre- mier matadors and one apprentice fighter are on the injured list as the result of Sunday’'s bull fights. One star matador sustained a sprained ankle when a bull charg- ed him and two others were gored and trampled upon Lack of more matadors prompt- ed a call for apprentice fighters. A volunteer matador was imme- diately gored by a bull and a pic- ador and a banderillero also were injured. Then the other picadors and banderilleros went on a strike | and the fights were canceled. | DEMPSEY PLACED ON INELIGIBLE LIST Heavyweight Champion and Manager Barred From Ring in New York. Br the Associated Press. NEW YORK, March 24.—The New York State Athletic Commission to- day placed Heavyweight Champion Jack Dempsey and his manager, Jack Kearns, on the ineligible list in this State for their failure to reply satis- | factorily to the commission’s recent | that Dempsey accept a challenge from Harry Wills The boxing board’s action was taken, a statement explained, because of the failure of Kearns and Dempsey “to comply with the rules governing championship bouts.” Dempsey could not be suspended because he holds no license in this State, but-his in-| eligibility will mean that he cannot recefve a license to box in New York until he has adjusted his relations | The commission could not accept the formal state- ment recently submitted by Kearns, in which Dempsey's manager asserted that the champion three years ago had signed articles for a bout with| Wills after Willlam Muldoon, then chairman of the commission, had or- | dered Dempsey to defend his title against the negro. In the same state- ment Kearns announced that Demp- sey accepted the challenge of Tom Gibbons. The commission's 15-day ultimatum to Dempsey and Kearns expired last Saturday night. The boxing board further announced that it further forbads “any licensed club, matchmaker or official connect- ed with a licensed club in this State from entering into a contract with or having any negotiations for a match with any boxer suspended by or on the ineligible list of the New York State Athletic Commission.” James A. Farley, chairman of the commission, said the Dempsey-Wills issue was “closed.” Today's action was taken by Farley and Muldoon, George F. Brower, the other member of the commission, be- ing absent. indicated that it| BUY SITE FOR SCHOOL. The District Commissioners today bought a tract of ground bordered by Thirty-fourth, Thirty-fifth and U streets and Wisconsin avenue as the site for the erection of a new janior high school for Georgetown. The land was acquired from E. B. | nonor. | tion of Washington's new schools of “From Pr. every city bl ess to Home Within the Hour” The Star’s carrier system covers ock and the regular edi- tion is delivered to Washington homes as fast as the papers are printed, Yesterday’s Circulation, 103,291 TWO CENTS. D.C. SCHOOL PARTY REACHES BUFFALO {Welcomed by City Heads Pointers Gained From In- spection in Rochester. BY JAMES E. CHINN. Staff Correspondent of The Star. BUFFALO, N. Y., March 24.—Trailed by a corps of newspaper reporters and photographers, Washington's committee of school-planners con- tinued its diligent quest in Buffalo today for new wrinkles in modern schoolhouse construction, Buffalo apparently considered the visit of the Capital's school planners an unusual The newspapers heralded their | coming in bold-face headlines; more than they did for the New York State Plumbers' Unfon, which convened | here today in annual convention. The plumbers brought their own bands, but the City of Buffalo wouid have furnished the music for the| Washington trio if they had but asked it i Receive Real Welcome. i Supt. Ernest C. Hartwell and a num- | ber of other Buffalo school officials’ formed the reception committee that greeted Supt. Frank W. Ballou, Mu- nicipal Architect Albert L. Harris and Ernest Greenwood, vice president of the Board of Education, as they start- ed the tour of inspection. It was the most auspicious welcome that the! trio received since beginning the sur- vey. | The inspection trip in Buffalo, per- | sonally conducted by Dr. Hartwell, | took the committee to two of the newest schools. One was the Bennett Senior High School, now nearing com- pletion; the other an elementary building of recent construction. Survey in Rochester. The survey in Rochester yesterday was more profitable than the com- mittee had anticipated. As Rochester | has set the pace for the country in junior high school developments, I» Ballou and Mr. Harris were firmly convinced that they are proceeding in the right direction in the consiruc- t furnished this type. The trip also them with a numb:r of new ideas which undoubtedly will find a place in the pians of the District’s new | | schools to be erected under the great | 119,000,000 five-vear building program. ‘The junior high schools of Roches. ter are standardized and are strik ingly similar in design to the Mac- farland and Langley junior high schools in Washington. Lower Schools Neglected. In the enthusiastic development of the junior high schools, Rochester, unconsciously perhaps, has neglected the elementary schools, for the com- mittee observed nothing in them su- perior to the District’s schools of this type. Some of the buildings resem- ble the antiquated structures which Washington will abandon under the five-year program. Rochester’s junior high schools, however, contain several distinctive features which cannot be found in the District's latest schools of their type, | such as large natatoriums, dental hy- glene laboratories and one-way stair- cases, so arranged that pupils can de- scend on one side of the building and ascend on the other, thereby expedit- ing the movement of the student body | at recess and dismissal periods and reducing the potential panic hazard in an emergency. Although rot indorsing the swim- ming pool idea of the new junior high schools to be erected in Wash- ington, Dr. Ballou agreed that the Capital’s schools should make some provision for aiding pupils who want to learn to swim. He believes that outdoor pools would be the solution of this problem and that swimming should be treated as a seasonable Dean and the price was $55,000. (Continued on Page 2, Column 3.) 80,000 Gallons of Vinegar Quench Fire At Fruit Plant When W ater Supply Fails By the Associated Pres STAUNTON, Va, March 24— Eighty thousand gallons of vine- gar were used to extinguish a fire which caused $75,000 damage to the plant of the National Fruit and Product Company at Waynesboro, near here, early today. Two large buildings, two raflroad freight cars and much "vinegar were de- stroyed by the flames, which origi- nated in the generator room from unknown cause. ‘When the fire fighters found that their efforts were being practically nullified by the lack of water con- nections, hose lines were connected with the vinegar storage tanks and the liquid thrown on the fire. Sev- eral large vinegar storage tanks and nearby buildings were saved as the result, but the firemen were unable to keep the blaze from spreading to a seven-carload pile of coke, which was still burning this afternoon. The plant, owned principally by ‘Washington interests, was heavily insured, officers at the scene stated, and probably will be rebuilt im- mediately. | rates j had | that AGENTS DENY FEES FOR EMPLOYMENT VIOLATE STATUTE Charge of $2 Applies Only to Domestics and Lahorers, Is Their Defense. MORE COMPLAINTS COME FROM THOSE FOUND JOBS Officials May Seek Test Case to Es- tablish Scope of Law and Suggest Revisions. With another batch messages and letters men and women here who declared they had been charged exorbitant by employment agencies that placed them in pesitions, The Star received two letters today from bureaus operating in Washington of which claimed that the law fixing the fee that may be charged an applicant for such service at $2 applies only to domestics and labor- This particular phase of the statute question was discussed by Assistant Corporatioin Counsel Edward W. Thomas and As- sistant Corporation Counsel Me- Garraghy In view of the fact that 50 far as either of these attorneys knew no court has ever formally in- terpreted the law, it was held that a test case should be found and have the statute put to the fullest test May Ask Law Revision. Mr. Thomas declared that, whatever the law might have implied by its 1 wording, instances brought to attention showed that many b seekers here had been obliged to pay unwarranted fees. It was his view that if the existing law falled to over such instances, the case would at least give the authoritics a basis for seeking new legislation from the next Congress to correct “the evil,” as he expr ed it The letter asserting fixing the fee at $2 applies only to domestics and laborers was written by John D. Kendall, president of the Washington Busine: Bureau. It fol- lows “I wish fact that of telephone from young one late yes- that the law to draw attention to th 2 5 articles in Sunda and Monday Star of this week are misleading and eminently unjust to the employment agencies in this city specialize in business and pi fessional help. Charges Declared Usual. “In the first place e law as quoted in your columns which states that only a $2 fee may be charged applies jonly to domestic help and laborers and to no other classes of employ~ ment. “In the second place, no private em- ployment agency could exist in this city on a commission charge of less {than 20 to 25 per cent of one month's salary. These charges are the same as those in effect in Baltimore. Phil- adelphia and New York for positions secured in business and professional capacities, in which citfes, on account of their much larger population, the profits are correspondingly greater. “The most successful private em- ployment agencies in this city do not net a return of over $3,000 a year, which is a small return for any suc- cessful, established business. Resents “Gouging” Term. “I take great exception to the term ‘gouging’ as employed to local em- ployment charges in this city so prominently displayed in your Sunday edition, and if your paper is fair you will publish this statement as prom- inently as you have your other ar- ticles on the subject. “I wish to add that a properly con- ducted employment agency renders a very real and efficient help to both |employe and employer, saving em- ployes, in many cases, weeks of unem- ployment, and the so-called exorbitant j charges which at the most aggregate an amount equal to one week's salary and pavable in easy terms often save the person out of work many weeks | of salaries.” Statute Is Quoted. | That section of the faw under dis- jpute follows: “Sec. 8. That the fees {charged for the employment of ag- | ricultural hands, coachmen, grooms, I hostlers, seamstresses, cooks, waiters waitresses, Scrubwomen, nurses (ex- cept professional nurses), chamber- | maids, maids of zll work, domestic: !servants or other laborers (except | seamen) or for the purpose of procuring | or giving infomaticn concerning such | person for or to employers shall be {as follows: | “Employment agents or agencics jshall be entitled to receive in ad- | vance from an emplover of male or { female employes $2 each. * * “Employment agents or agencies { shall be entitled to receive in advance | trom the applicant for work or em- ployment, either male or female, $1 each, one-half of which is to be re- | turned on demand if such applicant | is not secured a fair opportunity for | employment within 15 days after the | receipt of said original fee of $1 | Provided, That where the male or fe- male employe receives employment at a rate of wage of $25 per month or more, sald employment agent or agency shall, on obtaining employ- ment for such employe, receive an ad- ditional $1 from said employe. * * * Limitation Is Stated. “And provided further, That it shall {be unlawful for any employment jagent or agency to receive more than | the fees set forth in this act in the business aforesaid.” The whole argument revolves around the meaning of the words “or other laborers.” It is contended that by its wording the law .includes seamstresses in the category of la- borers, and that stenographers would therefore be included. Furthermore, in & section devoted to definitions the satute plainly says, without making any exceptior: “The term applicant shall mean any person seeking work, employment or engagement of any legal character.” Furthermore, search in Webster's New International Dictionary gives the following definition of the word labor: “Physical or mental toil” It is believed that this corroborates the definition of the law itself, which in that paragraph makes no exceptions as to classes of labor. More Complaints Recelved. Several instances where young women have paid more than the $2 fee have been brought to the atten- tion of the corporation counsel's of- (Continued on Page 2, Columa 7.