Evening Star Newspaper, August 18, 1925, Page 1

WEATHE] (0. 8. Weither Bureau Partly cloady tonigh Tow: probably«showers storms; Temperature igktly warmer tonight. Highest, 85, at noon today; lowest, §1, at 5 a.m. today. Full report on page 7. R Forecast.) t and tomor- and thunder- Closing N. Y. Stocks and Bonds, Page 20 @ WITH SUNDAY MORNING EDITION No. 29,694. it omce, tered as second class matter Washington, D, C’ WASHINGTON, D. C, TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 1925 — 'WENTY-EIGHT ¢ Foening Sftar. PAGES. The Star’ “From Press to Home Within the Hour” s carrier system covers every city block and the regular cdi- tion is delivered to Washingt as fast as the papers are pri 1 homes ed. Yesterday’ s Circulation, 92,945 (#) Means Associated Press. TWO CENTS. STORMS MAY BALK IMACMILLAN ARGTIC: FLIGHTS FOR YEAR Navy Leader’s Opinion on Abandoning Quest in North Asked. WEATHER CONDITIONS ALARM EXPLORERS Ships Would Stay in Polar Zone to Get Data in Labrador and Greenland. ic today that expedition A the might forts to fly of the Polar A on th Byrd, was N sibilit MacMillan abandon for the unknown region [ this year its over \sking for an t ect from Lieut commanding the Navy dispatched by the Navy after a between officials of the vy and of the National Geographic ciety, sponsor of the expedition. It was indicated that the confer ence e into the question of whether i opinion Comdr section, m would be better to give up the attempt to fly over the unknown region th rate upon explorir and Labradoy formation in quest Weather Unfavorable. The wea glving th prehension told of storms, ice mountain! for some time h increz nessages h ditions_ with d bays and f cove with sno age from the expedi id that this week would de- mine whether the expedition could succeed in its major purpose and in da ted tha if iverse weather con ued there was little hope of com- plete succe Unless th established berg Is ably wil of Winte possit base on F than 100 land, t done wi Cap tha 200 miles difficult country v € planes hus yet pencirat Upon the receipt of the me dispatched today, Cominandes | expected 10 oc MacMillan, _chi and report their conclu ington. her expedition become base Axel Hei- it prob- tition can \dvance ard on September be blocked by the advance only has been intermediate little more main hase zreate dubl more on, over. a ne of the rd nander expedition, ions to Wash- 48 Hours. the po: Answer in Within ment will repgrt from what the possibilities Arc- tic expedition’s planes to search out the unknown area of land explorers have believed exists in that region. Commander MacMillan has given a broad hint his messages received here that the life of this particular phase of the expedition i he said work cendition 48 ho he in Lies epart- A full a rd on present weather days The weather, precedented for year. Sumr and the r pletely Arctic ex Arctic when the « the dirigible Shens was up for consideration If the expedition is forced to aban- don this phase of the work, it is plan- ned to have it conduct explorations in Greenland to determine the authen- tieity of rumors and reports of the existence of eleventh century civiliza- tion there. Flights and expeditions into the interior of Labrador also are planned to studs life in that resion. There are said to be birds and fish in Labrador and Baffin Island that scientists have no record of or name for CALIFORNIA-).MWAIIAN few is un of the unusual ve com other ss of the sending ) the pole FLIGHT TEST SUCCESSFUL | Officers Pleased With Tryout in Seaplanes Preparatory to Long Air Trip. ated P GO By the Asso SAN DI Officers and crew seaplanes which the California-Hay a training trip in night. €omdr 120-mile tes: planes we the Corte [ August 18. the two P. to be used on fan flight made two PN-7s last The T . on bank, 60 miles west, and back to Rockwell Field between 6 and 9 p.m. The destroyer Meyer aided with her searchlights BLAST INJURES 4 BOYS. One May Die as Result of Burns in Explosion. SOUTH BEND, Ind., August 18 (&). —Four beys were burned, one prob- ably fatally, last t when a dis carded gasoline drum exploded, while a fifth youth was playing around it with matches The injurec hagen, 11; L are Eddie Vander- wrence Vanderhagen, $; Archie McClurken and Irving - eski, 5. Eddie Vanderhagen m: The boy responsible for the explo- sion is a vouth about 13 vears old, known only as Joe. He disappeared after the blast. 8,000-M1LE CABLE LAID. Wire Between Italy and South America Is Completed. ROME, August 18 (#).—The laying of an 8,000-mile direct cable between Ttaly and South America was com- pleted today when the cable ship Citta Milano finished joining the cable be- tween the Canary Islands and the Cape Verde Islands. The cable ex- tends from Anzio, 20 miles from Rome, to Mal pain; Las Palmas, pe Verde 7slands. Jernando, } a, and on to Rio de Janeiro, Montevideo and Buenos Aires. | the fish and animal | said the | Shatters All Records Until Severe Storm Stops Brilliant Dash. |Swims After Violent Sea Makes Passengers on Tug 1. BY CAPT. ALEC RUTHERFORD. ABOARD EDERLE O ‘.FI(‘I.\L TUG MORINL, English C! clusive radic), st 138 —Rough | seas and a sudden drop in tempera. ture defeated M el contender, | e ver re than two- | thirds of the distance from France to | England. | Shortly after 1 o me ck the sea be In spite of this Miss swimming strongly and | a complete surprise. | he race at 3:38 o'clock. from the | tack of sea- her swallowing a quantity water. Helmy, Egyptian swimmer, and Mme. Sion vere with her at the time. The tem- berature of the watér had dropped to |62 It had been evident for three or four minutes that Miss Ederle was in distress. Wolfe called on Helmy to stand close by, and a few moments later Helmy saw that the American girl was choking and apparently un- able to keep afloat. Mme. Sion assist. ed Helmy in getting a boat towel around her body and then they rough. nnel (by | | hoo! MISS EDERLE COLLAPSES 6 MILES MISS GERTRUDE EDERLE. dragged her over to the tug and lifted board. A few minutes earlier, Miss Ederle nearly overwhelmed by a large of floating timber, which was ed from hitting her head by Wolfe's skillful use of a long boat “She was two hours fighting ible channel conditions,” said Wolfe after she had been lifted on board. “She put up a wonderful fight considering the slight training that she had for this ordeal. I do not know anyone else who could hav done as well. She is a marvelous kid “The Morinie at once put about and was ordered back to Boulogne. Miss Ederle’s condition, her physician said, was_satisfactory. Experts agree that her effort was a remarkable performance. “She _got (Continued on Page 2, Column 5.) wa S100.000000 LOAN EXPECTED BY ALY American Financiers’ Aid Is | Is Seen in Return of ! Martino to Rome. | By the Associated Preas. ROME, August 18.—The return to Rome of Giacomo de Martino, Italian | Amb: ador to the United St |interpreted here as a step tow | consummation of a loan of from $100,- 00,000 to $200,000,000 by American nanciers to Italy, which is reported | here to be under consideration 1l Sereno, commenting on the Am- 1dor’s conference yvesterday with | Premier Mussolini, points out that the | preliminary negotiations over the American debt have been going on sat- | stuctorily under the direction of Volpi, minister of finance; G. 220, minister of national economy, nd Dr. Mario Alberti, who has been amed a special minister to co-ordinate | consideration of Ite debt problems. { This question, 11 Sereno asserts, did ot require the Ambassador's return from Washington. Neither was his | Journey made necessary by proposals |for the participation of American finance in Italian industry and public | works, the newspaper says. | 11 Sereno considers it significant that the Italian government has made no denial of reports that a loan was to be | obtained from America, and expresses |the opinion that Ambassador de Mar- Itino’s explanation will be a clinching | factor in the government's decision. The newspaper asserts that Count Vol- pi is returning today to Rome, after | which there probably will be a confer- |ence between the Ambassador, the pre- | mier, Count Velpi, Signor Belluzzo and probably Dr. Alberti. | Il Sereno adds that a conference |may be held later this week in Rome | between officials and representatives |of American financial interests. LIQUOR_AND GEMS TAKEN IN HOSPITAL HOLD-UP Physician Held at Point of Gun ‘While Robbers Plunder Institution. | By the Associated Press. NEWARK, N. J., August 18 men raided St Gerard's Italian Hospital today, escaping with |liquor valued at $1,150 and with $1,- 800 in_jewelry and $540 in cash taken from Dr. Charles P. Gnasi. The plunder included 30 cases of lassorted liquor and 20 cans of alcohol. | Dr. Gnasi’s apartment is in a sec- tion of the hospital. Both he and Ihis son, Angelo, 24, dressed hurried- [1v, in answer to the ringing of the | door bell. They were informed that | an accident had occurred nearby and when the physician replied that he could not answer the call the man at the door drew a gun and ordered them back into the building. After holding up the physiclan, the lone robber cut telephone wires and was Jjoined by five others wearing masks, cotton gloves and tennis shoes. They removed the liquor. Po- lice have no clues. 1 ANDREWS WEGHS ORY CHIEFS HERE Has Made No Decision as to Men He Will Keep for New Organization. Prohibition enforcement under the rejuvenated leadership of Assistant Secretary of the Treasur: Andrews entered the final phase be- fore its wholesale reorganization to- day with a group meeting of all chiefs throughout the United States as wel) as headquarters here. It was the first tiine in the history of four vears of prohibition that.such a meeting of State directors and divi- sional chiefs of gereral prohibition agents had ever gathered together in one body for conference. Gen. Andrews' new plan for reor- genizing the whole system under which these men now operate was un- derstood to have been explained to them, although, strangely enough, it was also understood that the general has not yet decided ahich of these chiefs he ‘will keep and which he will get rid of. Time Grows Short. ‘When Gen. Andrews will announce his appointments to the 24 positions of administrators throughout country who are to supplant both State directors and divisional chiefs he could not say today. Under the lat- est prospects, however, the reorganized prohibition machine is supposed to be ready to function by September 1. August 1, but arose, especially ‘political difficulties, over the appointments of administra. tors that a delay of a whole month was found to be necessary. At the meeting this morning in the auditorium of *the Interlor Depart- ment Bullding, Gen. Andrews said he spoke to the men about his new plan, and obtained as much information as possible ofi a number of questions in which the men have had much experi- ence. He was understood to have out- lined the function of the Federal Gov- ernment in enforcing prohibition and to have laid down the principles under which he expects the new machine to operate. Prohibition Commissioner Roy A. Haynes also spoke. The pro- hibition officlals, who include prac- tically all State directors and division chiefs, except those from Alaska and Hawall, are expected to remain here 51X | for a few days more for conferences with Gen. Andrews. It is hardly prob- able, however, that another general group meeting will be held. There were indications the 24 new administrators might be announced very shortly, but Gen. Andrews would not commit himself to any date. He indicated again, however, that he in- tended to keep in the new prohibition organization as many of the old per- sonnel as had been found sufficlently qualified. Held in Woman’s Death. WATERLOO, Iowa, August 18 (#).—Russell Vogel, 30, Waterloo, was taken into custody here for investi- gation in connection with the death of Jeannette Miller, believed to be the woman whose charred body was found in a haystack near Carlisle, Iowa, sev- A shipment of liquor was received {at the hospital three days ago. i eral days ago. Authorities did not divulge any information regarding | Vogel or his detention. By the Associated Press. The Attorney General of the United States may make as many | decisions as he likes about the | actions of the Controller General McCarl, who holds the purse strings of the Government, but their effect will be “persuasive” only. Mr. McCarl himself so defined the situation today in rejecting over the protest of the Navy, | which in turn was backed by the legal department of the Govern- ment, a claim for $424.78 of Rear Admiral W. H. G. Bullard. The money was for transporting Mrs. Bullard from Harkow, China, where her husband was retired, to Charles Town, W. Va. The Controlier's method of run- ning his office has brought him into conflict with virtually every Government department, and tthe departments have been going to the Attorney General for help. That official has on several occa- sions given out formal opinions, but apparently these are no: worrying. McCarl, who continues to |Sargent’s Opinions in Controversies | “Persuasive,” Not Binding, McCarl Says General, so far as his office is cet cerned, to methods of ‘“persuasion. but he took a few healthy digs at others who had been bringing pres- sure on him. Of former Secretary Denby, who ordered payment of the account, Mr. McCarl said: “The direction of the former Secretary of the Navy that the claim of the rear admiral be paid adds nothing to the legality of the claim.” Turning to the Attorney General, he remarked: “In view of the express terms of the stat- utes ¢ ¢ * it is obvious that neither the Attorrey General nor any other head of the department has ever had or now has jurisdic- tion to review settlement for the accounting officer. I assume there was no other purpose in requesting, rendering and submitting the opinion of the Attorney General in this case than to aid the account- ing officer in reaching a correct conclusion. It will be considered as other sources from which this office may secure aid in arriving at correct conclusions in the set- tlement of claims and accounts. To give it more than persuasive weight slap back vouchers he does not like. Not alone did the, controller limit the powers of the Attorney would be subversive of the plain and unambiguous terms of the statutes.” 4 Lincoln C. | the | It had first been expected to be ready , 80 many obstacles | | | | BELGIAN DEBT PACT IS EXPECTED TODAY; WOULD SET RECORD Details of' Impending Agree- ment Kept Secret—Paris Watchful. DELEGATES PLAN TO SAIL FOR HOME ON SATURDAY Settlement Before Nightfall Would | Mark Quickest Negotiations. ; Started Week Ago. | Refunding negotiations over Rel. | gium's $480,000,000 debt to the United States may be satisfactorily consum mated today or tomorrow. This appeared entirely within the bounds of possibility as the American and Belgian commissions met around | the oval conference table in the Treas- ury Department this afternoon. The Belgian delegation has already planned to sail Saturday from New York in case a successful conclusion is reached. Secretary of the Treasury Mellon and Senator Smoot, chairman and vice chairman, respectively, of the American Debt Commission, ar- rived here shortly after noon today from Plymouth, Vt., where they held a conference with President Coolidge, after which the Chief Executive, in a formal statement, clearly indicated early settlement of the debt question with Belgium was imminent. i May Set Record. Should an agreement be reached to day by the two commissions it would establish a record time of one week of the refunding of a war debt owed this Government. The first formal session between the Belgians and Americans was held last Tuesday morning. Detatls of what may be contained in the prospective settlement have been successtully screened from the | public by both commissions behind a wall of secrecy. Various speculations have been made as to the probable terms, but both the American and Belgium government officials have denied in Washington and Brussels that any details of the actual progress of negotiations have been disclosed. A complete statement is expected upon the conclusion of negotiations, This was predicted in some quarters for this afternoon, while other indi. cations pointed to tomorrow. The negotiations, it was understood, from a high officfal Source, have pro. ceeded along very satisfactory lines. In some circles the negotiations were described as ‘very nice,” the Bel. glans had proved to be an ‘“under- standing people.” The little kingdom had sent over to America, it was sald, some of its biggest men, who were of such caliber as to facilitate the orderly progress of the confer- ences. WILL BE PUBLISHED HERE. Official Announcement of Debt Agree- ment is Expected. BRUSSELS, August 18 (P).—The latest information from Washington permits the prediction that an agree- ment on the funding of Belgium's debt to the United States will be reached, according to the only of- ficial announcement on the debt ques- tion made today. This statement says that the return of the Belgian mission was arranged in advance. It also an. nounces that an official note on the result of the conference will be pub. lished in Washington under a mutual agreement between the American and Belgian delegates, In. Government circles it is believed that a settlement of the debt negoti- ations at Washington is possible within 24 hours, thanks to President Coolidge’s approval of a compromise. FRENCH INTERESTED. Repored Move to Cut Belgian Army Held Treaty Violation. PARIS, August 18 (#).—A sugges- tion, which, it is understood here, was | made by the American war debt com- mission to the Belgian delegates at ‘Washington that a reduction could be | made in the Belglan army establish- ment sufficient to pay the interest and installments of Belgium's debt to the United States has caused considerable reaction in French governmental cir- cles because of the military conven- tion between Belgium and France. This convention which defines the military obligations of the Franco- Belgian alliance, 18 drawn with great precision. While its terms have not been disclosed they probably call for exactly the present peace footing of the Belgian military establishment. Hence Belgium is not free to reduce her military expenses without revis- ing her treaty with France. What the attitude of the French government would be if it were asked to revise this treaty would be deter- mined only after prolonged considera- tion by the military authorities and the cabinet. The American commissioners are understood here to have pointed out to the Belgian delegates that they need not impose fresh taxes to pay the American debt if they would econ- omize In military expenditures. = SR Held for Grandson’s Death. ARDMORE, Okla., August 18 (®).— H. J. Pool, 65 years old, a farmer, is held in jail here on a charge of killing his 13-year-old grandson, Herbert, Sat- urday. Evidence tended to show that the elder Pool had mistreated the boy on several occasions, and at one time had fired on him with a pistol. Base Ball Returns On The Star’s Electric Scoreboard Beginning tomorrow the out-of- | traceable to OL'DEAR , 1'LL NEVER ENTRELY ENTIRELY. - 753 NEEDYOU o [N~ HOME CONDITIONS BLAMED FOR CHILD DELINQUENCY HERE Survey Shows Divorces and Domestic Troubles Are Root of Evil. MOST YOUNG CRIMINALS IN “BROKEN” FAMILIES Children Living With Fathers More Law-Abiding Than Those With Mothers. SLEEPLESSTEST 10 BE REPEATED | Too Much Slumber May Be One Cause of Disease, First Trial Reveals. Does the world spend too much time | in bed: and, if it does, are some of the diseases that afflict mankind directly this overindulgence in | sleep? THese are some of the questions | science is pondering over today as a result of some surprising symptoms that have developed from the sleepless test just concluded by students at George Washington University, dur-| ing which six young men and women deprived themselves of sleep for 60 consecutive hours~and two for more than 80 consecutive hours. So un1sual have some of the mental and phystological analyses of the tests proved that it has been determined now to repeat the tests on a far greater scale and with much more se- vere conurol, in an effort to answer the problems that have arisen as a re- sult of Dr. “red A. Moss’ test, which was begun more as a psychological experiment taan as a general clinic on the effects ¢ sleep. Another Test Necessary. Selence, however, is on the scent of some possible new’ discoveries of the utmost importance to medicine and humanity, and it has been agreed definitely that the new test is es- sential. Just when it will begin or what form it will take has not been determined. It is guite possible, one sclentist said today, that not only human beings may be used in the next test but animals as well. One of the surprising resuits of the recent test that has been definitely determined is that the sugar content of the blood, the substance that is the real fuel of the body, varies very little through loss of sleep. Even after two of the students had been without sleep for 80 hours and on strict fast for part of that time the variation in the sugar content of the blood was so trifing that it could not be expressed in terms comprehensible to the layman. There are other things, too—things so far-reaching in their possibilities that the scientists will not speak of them until they are sure of their ground. They might be false trails and lead nowhere, but there are cer- tain indications that on the other hand, they might lead into new and highly important fields of medical sclence. These things, it was stated, must be gone into again more deliber- ately and thorqughly. Blood Changes Shown. Dr. Oscar B. Hunter, head of the department of bacterlology and pathol- ogy at George Washington, discovered that the white corpuscles in the blood of the sleepless subjects increased sharply as their hours of wakefulness increased. Heretofore the medical specialist has accepted multiplication of the white corpuscles to indicate the presence of infection. Now, it seems, it is at least also an indication of nervous strain or fatigue. +“WWhereas,” he said, “medical sclence has been accepting such a condition as a symptom of internal infection, we may now find that it is nothing in the world but a sign that the patient has lost a good deal of sleep | Just before the examination or simply 2 sign the patient is run down and nervous. The hemoglibin of the blood, incidentally decreased, and in some s acidity appeared.” e A osenh M. Rowe, blological chemist at George Washington, made the tests showing the negligent lack of ghange in the sugar content of the blood. When he first announced the discovery he was misquoted into de- Claring he might be on the trail of a cure for' diabetes through insomnia. Laughing at this, Dr. Rowe said today no person can vet tell what might result from the next test, but that certainly he was not seeking to cure diabetes by keeping patients from sleeping. Mental Effect Small. On the mental side, Dr. Moss, head of the psychology department at George Washington, said the test re- vealed that loss of sleep certainly has little effect on the mental efficiency of a person. Nor is it noticeable that a man is able to withstand sleepless- ness better than a woman. He found both the young men and the young women had practically the same men- tal reactions to the test. Convicts Kidnap 4, Take Over House, | Steal Car, Escape| By the Associated Press. PORTLAND, Oreg., August 18.— Tom Murray, Ellsworth Kelly and Jam Wellos, the three convicts who Wednesday shot their way out of the Oregon Penitentiary over the bodies of two guards and one of their own companions, drove into Portland last night. Here the trail ended. The dash into the city followed a raid on a pool hall and grocery store at Monitor. Four men were forced to accompany the outlays in an automobile of one of the vic- tims. Reaching the farm home of C. L. Newman, the convicts, with the four men from Monitor, entered and took possession. They forced the entire party and the Newman family to stay in the house all day, ordered and ate food, washed and shaved and dressed themselves in clothing found in the house. in the evening the convicts, tak- ing Leslie Newman, the son, and a: friend of Newman as hostages. continued their flight to Portland. KLAN 15 SOUELCHED IN TRAINING CAMP Engineer Regiment Members Planned to Burn Fiery Cross, Officers Hear. BY WILLIAM J. WHEATLEY. Staft Correspondent of The Star. VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., August 18.—Determination of Knights of the Ku Klux Klan to cover the uniform of khaki with the white robes of their order and display their strength, cou- pled with plans to burn a fiery cross on the military reservation here, start- ed the wheels of official investigation going at the camp of the 121st Regi- {ment of Engineers, in camp here, to- day. Knowledge of the proposal of the knighted order trickled up to head- quarters today through military intel- ligence channels, and officers lost no time in starting the investigation, which they are determined will pre- vent any demonstration on the camp grounds, at least. Regular officers in camp are urging the officers of the militia to prevent the enactment of any such display by members of the regiment who also are followers of the hooded order. An inspection will be made to de- termine whether the Klansmen have with them the hooded white yniforms packed in their barrack bags, and if ,found they will be confiscated, as the troops are prohibited from having anything other than military equip- ment. A number of them were found last night with civilian clotheg, which also are prohibited, and they were sent back into camp in the custody of the 29th Military Police. Rifle Practice Ordered. Officers point out that they cannot permit any demonstration of any or- der on a military reservation, and word has been passed around through the military channels that the plans must bo stopped forthwith. The in- vestigation is to be conducted by mili- tary intelligence “plants,” who have instructions to report this afternoon. Extensive changes were made in the instruction program today, and the engineering construction and destruc- tion features were stopped, prepara- tory to sending the troops on the rifle Continued on Page 2, Column 4.) | thorough TRACTION REPORT IS NEARLY READY | Out About September 1, Data Will Decide Practicability of Merger. After several months of inquiry into ington’s transportation engineering firm of Mc kersfeld will the most of Wash blems the lellan & Jun shortly after September 1 to make public its report, according to Maj. W. K. Covell, assistant to the Utilities Commission Upon the information contained in this report the North American Co. of New York, which defrayed the ex- pense of the investigation, will decide whether a merger of the city’s trans portation facilities would be practi cable and” desirable. Report on Facts. be ready a fact-finding document and. there- fore, will not draw conclusions. The mass of information they have assem- bled, however, will Le of such a na- ture that experts who study the re- port will be able to tell just what im- provements are possible. It is probable that several men qualified as transportation experts will be asked to analyze the report of the engineering firm and make recom- mendations both as to the feasibility of merger and us to improvements which might be made in the method of handling the car-riding population of Washington. So voluminous is the information being compiled by the engineers that chapters. They have gathered facts as to how many persons go to and from work In street cars, how many in busses, how many in private auto- mobiles and how many walk. They riders themselves as to how long it takes them to go to and from their homes and places of employment. Studied All Factors. In short, they have made a study of every factor which enters into the transportation question, including the routing of cars and the present meth- od of transferring between various lines. . When the North American Co. early in the Summer announced that it had decided to spend $50,000 on a trans- portation survey in Washington the move was looked upon locally as ‘a step which might eventually result in merger. Congress before adjournment. en- acted legislation authorizing a consol- idation of the companies, the terms of such a merger to be approved by Con- gress. Should the survey now drawing to a close result in conclusions fa-. vorable to a merger, the Utilities Com- mission will have ample time before Congress meets in December to pre- pare any additional legislation that may be néeded to carry it into effect. FRENCH QUIT DUSSELDORF Trool 3 Begin Evacuation of Ruhr City Held Since 1923. DUSSELDORF, Germany, August 18 ().—The withdrawal of French troops began from here this morning. Many privatd houses and the police hend;uarler! already have been evac- uated. Dusseldorf is one of the cities occu- pled by the French in 1923 because of Germany’s non-fulfillment of rep- arations obligations. The present withdrawal is in accordance with the terms of the London agreement of 1924, which made the Dawes plan ef- fective. Auto Tax Based on Weight of Car May Replace $1.70 for $100 Value A change in existing law that ‘would abolish the personal tax on automobiles and substitute an an- nual fee based on the weight of the vehicle is being considered by District Assessor William P. Rich- ards, with the view of recommend- ing it to the Commissioners to be submitted to Congress. Under existing law the personal tax on automobiles is based on the “Some peculiar circumstances were noted, however,” he continued. ‘“For instance, while Mr Petrie, aged 28, seemed to stand the strain better than town games of the World Cham.- pions will be shown play by play on the Eleventh street side of The Eve- ning Star »‘ah., e Mr. Munroe, aged 17, the latter seem- ed to ‘come back’ quicker after rest- ing—youth seemed to tell in recupera- tive power. Food was a factor. We (Continlied on Page 2, Column 3.) - value of the vehiele. For the cur- rent year it is $1.70 r $100 of value, the same as on'real estate. A tentative schedule of rates be- ing considered is as follows: For cars weighing less than 2,000 pounds, 256 cents per 100 pounds; Officials famillar with the pres- ent method of taxing automobiles according to value estimate that the proposed change in basis of taxation would mean a somewhat smaller tax on new cars and a greater tax than is now paid on old cars. Under the present personal tax law .the assessor allows for de- preciation each vear in fixing the value of the car, so that the amount of tax goes down each year as the automobile depreciates in value. In explaining the proposal now being considered, these officials say that a car four or five years old gets as much use out of, the high- ways as a new car. * from 2,000 to 2,500 pounds, 35 cents; from 2,600 to 3,000 pounds, 45 cents, and eyer 3,000 pounds, 60 cents. Separate schedules probably will be recommended for trucks and busses. The report of the engineers will be | the report may be made public in| have even obtained data from the car | Ninety per cent of child delinquency {in the National Capital last traceable to unsatisfactory home con. | ditions, according to Chief Probation | Officer Joseph W. Sanford of the Juve i nile Court. { More than half was due to “broken | homes,” he explains, a term which in | cludes families in which both parents | are missing, one parent is missing or in which there are stepparents. | The probation officer cited this figure {in support of his contention, already announced in this paper, that play- grounds have little, if any, relation to child delinquency in Washington, the | rate of which is higher than in five { other comparable cities surveyed by the United States Children’s Bureau Domestic Difficulties. Juvenile delinquency than recreation,” Mr. ‘It is indissociably boun up with home conditions. Divorces, separa | tions and other domestic difficulties | are at the root of the evil. The rec | ords of the Juvenile Court show that | this is true The probation officer has made special study of the probable causes for delinquency among children whose | cases come before him. An analysis of | cases for 1924 disclosed that of 1,078 "'midrw\ bro ht into court only 511 were living with both parents. The re. mainder resided with mothers or fa |thers who were divorced, had sepa jrated or had been deserted. or with foster parents. Home conditions in 111 cases where both parents cared for the child were in the main unsat {isfactory, Mr. Sanford found. here were more than four times much delinquency among children Jiving with their mothers only as | among those being reared by their fa | thers without maternal aid. | Approximately 20 per cent of the children being watched after by only jone parent had stepparents. One hundred and thirty out of ths total were living with relatives or | friends. ar was goes deeper anford said Most Crimes Theft. | Of the 321 children living with their mothers 175 had lost their fathers |through death, 52 had lost fathers {through separation, 12 through di {vorce, 17 through desertion, 33 through ‘enforced absence,” 4 through unde |termined reasons and 28 had no legal {fathers. Stepfathers had taken the place of 61 real fathers. | _of the 77 children living with their |own fathers 66 had lost their mothers {through death, 1 through desertion, 3 |through divorce proceedings and 7 through separation. Three had fa- | thers who were not legally married. Stepmothers substituted for real mothers in 15 cases. | The 1074 children cited committed {a total of 1,904 offenses, 809 of which were stealing. Figures for the preceding year were |remarkably similar as to proportion |of fathers, mothers, stepparents, etc. Of 984 children brought into court in 1923, 460 resided with both parent: Of 294 living with their own mothers 168 had dead fathers, 52 had lost thelr {fathers through separation, 11 through {divorce proceedings, 12 through deser- |tion, 3 through undetermined reasons, |7 through “enforced absence” and 41 {had no legal fathers. Of 70 living with | their fathers 59 had lost their mothers | through death, 1 through desertion, 3 through divorce proceedings, 4 through separation and 3 had fathers not legally married. In that year 131 children were living in foster homes. ! Children’s Bureau Report. | The report of the Children’s Bu- | reau on the 1 survey stated: “It | must not be understood. that lack of | play space was the sole cause, or even cne of the principal causes, of the ex- | cessive amount of delinquency. Many other factors entered in, such as the { economic condition of the family, the intelligence and character of the par- ents and the control they exercised over their children.” The Juvenile Court probation officer says this is one of the few statements in the report he agrees with, except that he would stress the home factor far above any other single element en- tering into the problem of child de linquency. “Show me how to straighten out or eliminate these domestic tangles and I will show you how to decrease juvenile delinquency in the District of Colum- bia,” he remarked. ° MICHIGAN ELECTION ON. Voters Pick Successor to Late Representative Williams Today. BATTLE CREEK, Mich., August 18 (#).—Joseph L. Hooper of Battle Creek, Republican, and Claude S. Car- ney of Kalamazoo, Democrat, are con- testing today in a special election to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Representative A. B. Willlams of Battle Creek. Both candidates have announced they will support President Coolidge's policies. Carney, though, with the proviso that they do not jeapardize the welfare and progress of Michigan and the Middle West. ST SHEFFIELD PLANS RETURN Mexican Envoy to Go Back Early Next Month. Ambassador Sheffield expects to re- turn to his post in Mexico City early next month. He has informed Secre- tary Kellogg that he will be in Wash- inzton about September 1 for a final conference. The Ambassador has been in the United _States undergoing medical treatment. jadiq rogzens—Page 15.