Evening Star Newspaper, October 4, 1925, Page 4

SEES CANAL EASY PRE FOR PLANES Air Expert Cites Panama Waterway as Vulnerable to an Enemy. By the Associated Press. LOS ANGELES, Calif., October 3. —Senator William H. King of the Senate naval committee, in a_confer- ence here today with W. B Shearer, experimental expert for the Navy during the World War, who has been compiling an exhaustive report at the Senator’s request on naval condi- tions on the Facinic, was told by Shearer that the totally inadequate defenses of the Panamna Canal con- stitute a vital pont in the present airplane controversy at Washington. Sheurer's report to Senator Iing today cailed to the latter's attention the fact that Naval War Colloge find- ings show that in a war on tn. racihc a fleet can be maintained only at Panama and that from 600 to 700 ships are required to supply the fieet from the Atiantic owing to lack ot naval bases on the Facific. Shearer Report. The Shearer report says: “Geographically the Fanama Canal lies open 1o attack trom the air trom four points, namely, Toreign Lerritory both north and south oi it and ar carriers on the Atiantic and racific sid “The only possible defense is an equal or superior air force. A proper submarine defense of the canal would protect it_only from bombardment by capital ships and possible aero at- tacks based on hostile airplane car- riers, leaving still as a tremendous menace an air attack arted from foreign territory north and south of that waterway. “The objective of the enemy would not be to capture the Panama Canal, but to destroy it and thus break the supply line from the Atlantic to our fleet on the Pacific. “The report of Admiral R. E. Coontz on the last Panama tleet maneuvers, shows that the canal can be captured. | The only recommendation so far has been to increase the gun caliber there from 14 to 16 inches. This is no de- fense against an air attack. “If Government backing to a great commercial aviation program to be used in a war emergency is accom- plished as compromise in the present airplane controversy, the Panama Canal still would be left defenseless against aerfal attack. Consequently, the crux of the question centers about three polnts, namely: “First, if our first line of defense, the Navy, is to fight at all, the Pan- ama Canal must be kept open. ‘Second, the keystone of the canal's defense must be the air. “Third, the canal, as it stands to- day, is one of the most vulnerabie EFFORTS T0 PROVE COLE INSANE BEGIN Defense Claims Manufac- turer Was Out of His Head When He Killed Suitor. By the Associated Press. RICHMOND COUNTY COURT- HOUSE, ROCKINGHAM, N. C, Oc- tober 3.—The first effort of defense of Willlam B. Cole to prove that the wealthy cotton manufacturer was in- sane at the time he killed W. W. Ormond, his daughter's former sweet- heart, came today. o A crowded courtroom also heard the State charge the defense with pub- lishing coples of the “slander” letter received by Cole for the purpose of points, if not the most vulnerable, in our national armor.” INTEREST AT OIL SHOW IN RUSSIAN EXHIBIT That Nation Rapidly Coming to Front as Producer, Ex- perts Claim. By the Associated Press. TULSA, Okla., October 3.— Ken- tucky day, City Club day and natural gas day were wrapped into the third day of the third annual international petroleum exposition here. Interest centered in the Russian exhibit, which was delayed in shipment from Russia. Spokesmen declared Russia is rapid- 1y coming to the front as an oil na- tion. Venezuela also has a booth. That country has sent a representative to the exposition, Senor Manuel Gon- 2al e: ““We have been almost doubling pro- duction in the last two years, and production will be greatly increased this year,” he said. HECEWER-SUIT FILED. Carl J. F. Graff Asks Accounting of Fuel Companies. Suft was instituted yesterday in the Supreme Court of the District of Co- lumbia by Carl J. F. Graff, through Attorneys Chamberlin & Smith, and A. L. Bennett, against Leonard A. Snead, Chesapeake and Potomac Fuel Co. of Virginia, Chesapeake and Potomac Fuel Co. of the District of Columbia, and the L. A. Snead Co., for an ac- counting and receivership. It is alleged in the bill of complaint that Mr. Graff turned over in March, 1920, to L. A. Snead all the capltal stock of the Chesapeake and Potomac Fuel Co., together with coal yard and dump at 22 I street, with the bins, fix- tures and stock of coal to the value of $65,000, to be held in trust for him. It is further alleged that the assets of the plaintiff and the companies have been operated for the benefit of Mr. Snead personally, and he asks that a receiver be appointed to take charge of the assets of the Chesapeake and Potomac Fuel Co., and that Mr. Snead be enjoined from transferring any of the assets of the plaintiff, — BREAK REMAINS. Old and New Churches in Russia Still Apart. MOSCOW, October 3 (#).—The all- Russtan church conclave has fafled in its attempt at reconciliation of the principal parties in thelr struggle for supremacy in the orthodox church. In a resolution adopted, the church con- gress accused the late Patriarch Tik- hon's adherents of a desire to drag the | ¢ church into the political arena and impose upon it a political role. The conclave considered further at- tempts at reconciliation vain, and classified the Tikhonites as a counter- revolutionary organization, connected with monarchists living in abroad. STUDENT IS ARRESTED. NEW YORK, October Charged by Justice officials with violation of the Mann act. Iidefonso Ferreira Correia, 25, agricultural student from Rio de Janeiro, was arrested on a_warrant order today and removed from the Lamport and Holt liner Vauban. The warrant order said he is wanted on the complaint of & 16-year- old girl in Detroit. Federal agents here had no further details of the charges. Correia has been attending agri- cultural universities in Iowa, Kansas and Ohio for two years. Rail Unions Favor Strike. exile | El 3 op)— | Maraue Detroit Department of | M creating sentiment in his behalf and obtaining evidence for his cause Cross-Examined 3 Hours. After Cole was submitted to a gruelling three-hour cross-examina- tion, during which the State sought to force the admission that he killed Ormond to “shut his tongue” and not to protect himself, the defense swore five witnesses, two of whom testified to the “queer actions” of the de- fendant. Miss Edith McLeod, for 12 years an employe of the Hannah Pickett mill, of which Cole in manager, testified that on several occasions since last February she had observed Coie with “tears streaming from his eyes” an an “unnatural expression on his face. It was on February 24 that Cole re- ceived the letter from Ormond men- tioning relations of “man and wife" with his daughter, and it is from that date Cole declares he has not been his natural self. Saw “Queer” Actions. W. B. Leath, assistant treasurer of the mill employing Cole, ified th: he also had observed the actions of his superior and on cross- examination he refused to commit himself on the proposition that anger, business worries or studlied thought might produce the reactions he no- ticed. It was during his testifying that the State charged the defense with pub- lishing the “slander” letters and with sending to Raleigh to obtain a witness from Duke University, promising him tuition if he would testify. Cole completed his direct examina- tion with a description of what he did after the shooting, and Clyde Hoey, State's attorney, for three hours sought with rapid-fire queations to draw the admission from Cole that he had been less interested in his own protection than {n Ormond’s remarks about his daughter. SPEED BOAT RAINBOW BREAKS OWN RECORD Makes 1,218 Miles in 24 Hours, Averaging 50.8 Miles an Hour for Trip. By the Associated Press. WINDEMERE, Lake Rosseau, On- tario, October 3.—Comdr. Harry B. Greening of Hamilton today piloted over the finish line in a 24-hour race against time his speedboat Rainbow, shattering his own record of two years’ standing. The Rainbow covered 1,218 miles in 24 hours, or_an average of 50.8 miles an hour. Every world record from 150 miles up is claimed for the new craft. The run was conducted with the sanction of the American Powerboat Assoclation, Charles F. Chapman of New York, secretary of the racing committee, and W. D. Edenburn of Detroit, general secretary, both being present. Throughout the 24 hours of high speed running, with bursts in stretches of 10 miles, touching 55 miles per hour, Ralnbow faltered only once, due to a clogged gasoline line. Despite the loss of 30 minutes at thi: time, the craft was able to maintain her record-bieaking average. The course was 25 miles and lap after lap was reeled off with only a few seconds’ variation. Comdr. Greening was relieved at the wheel at times by Chapman, Ameri- can amateur driver, and Herbert Ditchburn of Gravenhurst, Ontario. THE WEATHER District of Columbia—Mostly cloudy, probably showers today and tomor- row; not much change in temperature. Maryland—Mostly cloudy, prebably show s today and tomorrow; mnot much change {n temperature. Virginia—Mostly cloudy, showers todavy and tomorrow; much change in temperature. West Virginia—Showers today, to- morrow mostly cloudy and cooler, pos- sibly showers tomorrow morning. Records for Twenty-four Hours. Midnight, 63; 2 a.m., €3; 4 am., 64; 6 am., 63; 8 68; 1 noon, 72; 2 p.i 71; 8 p.m., 68; 76; lowest, 3. Weather in Various Cities. ipt. T Sat- Fri Sat. urday. night. 8 p.m. probably not pm. . 8D Asheville, N. Atlanta. Ga. 2@ .1 SRS 23 BOE A 1C 21 B PR ADIDSCASAD IO B RRINGRIIERE2R8:2233283222838 51RO 18 B 2 B 10819812 1060-11000- 382RIR2A3ITER NSRS ERCE AR 3 X112 BB ARG DR BN DI 1Bk G N 23222532332 3NIASE: & 3333 ¥ Tofede: Omlo: VIR SMaEeeIIECEReINCLDIas SR33REIREIZAINEZS o2, pe=tRrd BALTIMORE, Octaber 3 (#).—Fred Barr, vice president of the Brother- hood of Locomotive Firemen and En- ginemen, said tonight that a vote tak- en among engineers, firemen and hos- tlers employed by the Western Mary- land Railroad has resulted in an al- most unanimous expression of willing- ness to strike if union officers decide such a course is necessary. Allentown Party Due Here. Two hundred participants in the Allentown, Pa., Chamber of Com- merce “Good Fellowship Tour” will arrive in Washington by motor to- morrow. Most of the party will re- main in Washington for the world series. THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, OCTOBER 4 1925—-PART 1. INTERNAL REVENUE BUILDING OVERCROWDED AND A DANGEROUS FIRE TRAP INTERNAL REVENUE MOSTLY HOUSED IN- FLIMSY FIRE TRAPS “ontinued from First Page.) revenue and irreparably disrupt the work of the Government “It cannot be too strongly empha- sized that literally the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars to the Govern- ment is a constant risk that is being carried, due to the fire hazard in the building occupled by the Internal Revenue Bureau alone, and the same conditions exist to an equally threat- ening degree in many other activities of the Government. Second Warning Given. Again last vear the same repre- sentations were made to Congress ‘when attention was called to the mor- al responsibility of the Government. It was then officially emphasized that “As Is well known, these buildings are of the most inflammable wooden construction and are a serious menace to the safety of thousands of em- ployes, records and files of the Gov- ernment. They are rapidly deteriorat- ing, and it is only by the expenditure ot considerable money yearly that they FREE TRADERS LAY ILLS OF EUROPE TO TARIFFS Oorrespondence »f The Star. VIENNA, Austria, September 20.— European free traders recently held a two-day conference in the throne room of Kaiser Franz Joseph's palace. Two hundred business men read papers on the ills of Europe, and the necessity of breaking down the trade barriers. The majority of the speakers were for elther free trade or low tariffs. All said that the ills of Europe were due in large part to trade restrictions. One speaker sald that 3,433 govern- ment employes were pald to obstruct trade in the succession states of the Austro-Hungarian empire. Another said the multitude of bills of lading necessary was enough to discourage trade. He advised a standard bill of lading. Speakers sald that each country should concentrate on what it could do best and not try to protect uneco- nomic industries. Hungary, for ex- ample, is trying to protect its one autombotle plant which produces 127 cars a year. The congress organized a permanent committee, and adopted a resolution advising a customs union for central Europe. The resolution proposes a united policy as regards railroad and ship lines, with through tariffs. A common or similar cur- rency was proposed. It is the task of the permanent committee to push these ideas through the legislatures. KAHN on 7th St. SPECIAL OPTICAL OFFER For Monday and Tuesday Extra fine quality shell hinges. fitted with fine quality toric spheri- cal lenses. Complete outfit. PRICE ........... Genuine Toric KRYPTOK Invisible Bifocal Lenses First and best quality, Toric KRYPTOK Spherical Bifocal Lenses—(one pair to see Best lenses made. SPECIAL PRICE, Case and Cileaner EYES EXAMINED FREE BY OUR REGISTERED OPTOMETRISTS The Most Modern and Finest Instruments Made are used in eur Optical Department for examination of the eyes. near and far). regularly, $15 to $22. Monday and KAHN OPTICAL CO. 617 Seventh St. NW. are habitable at all. It is difficult to keep them warm in cold weather and on extremely hot days in Summer the temperature on the upper floors is al- |most unbearable. On days such as |these it is no uncommon’ occurrence for numbers of employes to be over- come by the heat. There are in- stances where chiefs of bureaus or di visions have found it necessary to dis- miss their employes for the day rather than subject them to the punishment of working under such intolerable con- ditions. “The Government is under a dis- tinct obligation to furnish its em- ployes comfortable and safe working quarters. No well conducted business house would subject its employes to such conditions nor imperil its records and files by housing them in such in- flammable buildings.” In a report to the Senate in April, 1924, some 17 months ago, Senator Keyes of New Hampshire, from the committee on public bufldings and grounds, advocating “well-ordered and dignified housing of the Government's various departments, bureaus and in- dependent establishments in the Dis- trict” and discussing the dilapidated, wornout, rapidly-decaying war-work buildings, called particular attention to one of these buildings occupled by the 2,800 employes. He said: Good for Short Time. “That there have been no serious fires in these structures to date is due entirely to elaborate precautions taken by the officials in charge of them. “Aside from the fire menace, there is the undeniable fact that they can last but & short time longer, and only then by the annual expenditure of considerable money for their repair. In fact, only a few months ago one of these buildings—Treasury Annex No. 2, Fourteenth and B streets—be- came so dilapidated that the advisabil- ity of abandoning it altogether was considered. Fortunately, however, funds were available with which it could be temporarily repaired, and for the time being a serious situation was averted—serious for the reason that a portion of the Bureau of Internal Rev- enue occupying the building had no | funds for rental, thére was no other Government space to which it could be transferred, and even if it had had funds no privately owned space could be found for its use. Baked Brittle by Sun. “In these fiimsy structures, with! cardboard partitions which have been | sun-baked to tinderlike brittleness and an easy prey to fire, arc kept such | important records and documents as | tax returns. assessment lists and other valuable papers which must be | available daily while tax returns are being audited. The destruction of these papers would mean not only an irreparable loss to the Government, but to many thousands of taxpayers individually. In speaking of the unfitness of Shell Frames ~ With Toric Lenses SPECIAL ‘I.ncludtd Upper left: Masses of dry timber under the eaves form a ready tinder for possible fire. Upper right: Thousands of valuable Government manuscripts crowded Internal Revenue Bureau with some | gogether in wooden shelves that could not be saved if fire broke out. Center left: Overcrowded office, where so many clerks are erowded to- gether that a fire alarm might bring danger from congestion and a resultant panic. Center right: Boxes and rubbish piled high in basement that would form a fast-spreading fuel for a fire. Lower: Unreplaceable documents scattered helter-skelter for want of a safe place to store them. Temporary Buildings Treasury Annex No. 2, tions there bad because of over- crowding but that “they are poorly arranged for office purposes, and and C and| Commissioner | pccupancy. Blair says that not only are condi-|obviously exists in buildings building in order to make safe its The fire hazard which of such construction is too great to wa the further use of the buildings where the safe-keeping of valuable papers cause of their flimsy construction are |{s involved. Thousands of income tax rapidly deterioriating. As an illus- tration, the condition of Annex No. 2 became so serious that it was found necessary to expend large sums of money in replacing weakened founda- tions and otherwise repairing the returns, assessment lists, and other papers are kept in these buildings while the returns are in process of audit. Among these papers are doc- uments covering hundreds of millions of dollars in increased assessments, rant many of which could not be replaced should they be destroyed. I believe that if, for no other reason, consid- eration should be promptly given to the erection of a fireproof buiiding in which these records may be placed with safcty to the Government and to the taxpayers of the country. “Adequate fireproof spuce to house this bureau is, in my opinion, a grave necessity, and I sincerely trust that Congress will see fit to make the nec- uthorization at the coming The excessive fire risk that has for 80 long been dared is not the only reason for the demand that the In- ternal Revenue Bureau should be properly housed. Second only in im- nce to safety for the workers is the question of efficient service. Co-ordination of activities neces- sary to successful and economical ad- ministration of the internal revenue collection system is impossible under the present scattered conditions, as witness: ‘The Income Tax Unit is found to be working in six buildings—Annex No. 1, Pennsylvania avenue and Mad- ison place northwest; Annex No. 2, Fourteenth and B streets northwes! Bullding C, Sixth and B streets sout| west; Building No. 6, Twentleth and C streets northwest; Pettus Bulldin, Nineteenth street and Virginia av nue northwest, and Building No. 462 Louisiana avenue northwest. Prohibition Unit Space. The Prohibition Unit occupies por- tions of Building C, Sixth and B streets southwest; of Building N 1418-22 Pennsylvania avenue nort! 3 Four- teenth and E streets northwest, and of the Treasury Building, Fifteenth street and Pennsylvania avenue north- west. The Miscellaneous Tax Unit, which handles the estate tax. capital stock tax, sales tax, tobacco and miscellanc- ous taxes, 18 located also in Build- ing C. The Accounts and Collections Unit has quarters in Temporary Building No. 5, Twentieth and B streets north- west. The Office of the Solicitor of In- ternal Revenue has been given place in the Interior Department Building, Nineteenth and E streets northwest. Offices in Treasury. ‘The Office of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue and of Assistant Commissioner, and the Intelligence Unit, the Division of Supplies and Equipment and the Appointment Di- vision are all located in the Treasury Building, Fifteenth street and Penn- sylvania avenue. Commissioner Blair, after wrestling with the intricate and vexing proble: of how to get his work done economic- ally and efliciently, explains what this scattering of the work under many roofs means to the supervising of- fictals, to the employes and to tax- payers who come long distances to consult with the authorities here. He say With the various activities of the bureau so widely separated, it natu- rally follows that the operating efl- clency must be seriously impaired. Necessarily, there is some duplication of work and loss of time in rehand- ling and transporting papers from building to bullding. The work of the different units of the bureau is so closely related that it is important that supervisory officials be able to consult frequently and at short notice. Under existing conditions this inter- course is greatly interfered with. In short. it is very difficult to maintain an efficlent control over our various activities distributed between 10 buildings. “In addition, consideration should be given to the taxpayers. They come to Washington to secure a hearing upon an income tax case, or upon any other matter properly belonging to the bureau. In the case of the income tax unit we shall cite, for example: A taxpayer who shall come first to the commissioner’s office, be referred by the commissioner to the deputy com- missioner in charge of the {ncome tax unit in Annex No. 1, by that official to Annex No. 2 for ‘certain informa- tlon, and from that building it is pos- sible for him to be referred to the solicitor, located in the Interior Build- ing. In other words, the taxpayer, in- stead of learning the true status of his individual case upon the occasion of his first call, is sometimes com- pelled to visit four or more separate | and distinct buildings in order to ob- | | tain the information desired."” Duty to Employes. But entirely aside from questions of economy and efficlency {s the moral ——————————————————— “OWN YOUR OWN APARTMENT HOME” 13 SOLD ONE DAY WARDMAN’S IN WHY? 100% CO-OPERATIVE Five Mammoth Buildings Artistically Grouped APARTMENTS Bun- galow N\ Type Apart- N\ ment With 3 Exposures, Flooded With With Clean, Fresh responsibility of the Government to put these 6,000 workers in places fit for human beings to work, and to see that important records are safeguard-* ed. Yet investigation shows that some two-thirds or more of the space ocem pled and of the personnel is in Tem- porary Bullding C, Annex No. 2, the Pettus Building and Temporary Bufld- ing No. 5. These are all temporary buildings of the flimsiest possible con- struction, thrown up during the war, during an acute housing emergency, intended to be torn down years ago, and which are rapidly tumbling down, and which cost an excessive price foF maintenance and for fire guards. One Obvious Remedy. The obvious remedy—which amy the real business men of the eoumrg'f ‘Who help to support the Government by payments of taxes through this bureau, would without hesitation at once adopt if his own business was in like uneconomic and fnefficient con- ditfon—is the erection of a modern fireproof bullding adequate to house all the activiiies - the Internal Reve- nue Bureau, properly adapted for the specialized work and large enough to care for any expansion that can be foreseen. The erection of such a buflding has been repeatedly advocated by Pro dent Coolidge as probably the first structure to be authorized under his $50,000,000 public building program for Washington. Tt has been urged insistently for the last three vears by the public bulldings commission and put at the very head of the list of imperatively needed buildings by the Senate und House committees on public bulldings and grounds. Can Save Money. To glve its employes humane work- ing conditions, removed from fire haz- ard; to protect the Government and taxpavers through proper safesue ing of assessment and tax records: te get the maximum collection of taxes under the law at a minimum of cost of collection, With & saving of per- haps 20 per cent, all that is necessary is for the Government to erect a building n which all the work of the Internal Revenue Bureau can be housed and co-ordinated, and this can be done for less than the present cost and with a clean profit in increased tax collections. Commissioner Blalr confirms what has been sad above and says: “It is estimated that if the bureau were properly housed in a single build- ing 700,000 square feet of available working space should be provided, und that a building of these proportions would adequately accommodate the bureau probably indefinitely, depend- ing, however, in some measure on the action of Congress with regard to the tax laws. “The actual saving to the Gover ment by housing the bureau in building is small by comparison w the additional taxes it is believed questionably could be collected cause of greater efficiency in oper tion and the resultant increased lection of taxes due the Governm under the law. I have no hesitancy in saying that the housing of the bureau in one building will materially reduce the cost per $100 of collect- ing the taxes. It has been estimated that this might amount to as much as 15 to 20 per cent.” 7 PAID ON SAVINGS DEPOSITS MORRIS PLAN BANK Under Supervision U. S. Treasury 1408 H ST. " “CAFE LOUISE” Saeing Chicken Dinner Daily v-five Cents. Also 50c and_63¢ Upen Sunda; NOTICE TO SUBSCRIBERS To avoid omission in receiv- ing The Star when changing address give at least two days’ advance notice. Always give old address as well as the new address. Dinners. Franklin Sunshine and Swept Air $5,350 ON TERMS LESS THAN RENT New York Ave., First and M Sts. N.W. Open Daily and Sunday Till 9 P.M. EDMUND J. FLYNN AUTHORITY 0N CO-OFERATIVE APA. RTMENTS Representing WARDMAN