Evening Star Newspaper, December 31, 1925, Page 19

THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. . THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3l 1925 District Passes Through Another Year of Steady Progress Unmarred by Catastrophe INAUGURATION AND ]\LAN PARADE | MARKED YEAR IN WASHINGTON | Maccabee Convention, Formation of Traffic Bureau| and Steps Toward Traction Merger Notable. Three Officials Died—One Resigned. J Headley, who w the fourth polic Albert captain and o which ton officials issioner Supt. of | prominent District ing the year—(omi Ovyster, Maj. and Dani livan and Inspector fford L. Grant, chief of d resident Coolidge named Freder of Fenning, a well known attorn in | succeed Commissioner Oyster. Edwin he | B o many years chief clerk | .. lof the Police Department and more r les (cently an assistant superintendent, | was made superintendent | Hesse, Sherrill Resigns. ence 0. Sherrill, who for the development utification of Washington rector public buildings and p: rvesigned to become ity mana Cincinr Ohio. ~ He was succeeded : i, who had Kian Parade had and | di Clar much s a revival | toward a el au and vear there w interest in the movemen: seal transportation Congress passed a_law to voluntary consolidation months - the North Ameri- | of New York, which has in- vestments in the local utility field, un- | Qertook @ comprehensive survey of the | Gransportation facili of Washing- | ton. As the vear drew to a close this| compuny acquired a majority control | tlin the Washington Rapid Transit Co., Brown 'independent bus concern. The y of the ended with officials awaitin In- | rurther developments tow ities thorize 1 few can Co succeeding rd merger ! DISTRICT IN CONGRESS DISTRICT AFFAIRS the 1925. | from : ct- creation of ch 1 in the en | M. 0. Eldrid In enacte Distr th The most important event of 1925 | munici standpoint was (ho\ a department of traffic con- | District government, with as director shortly after Congress new traffic law for the ctor Eldridge and his as Col. 1. revised the code of per ing the t Ited with nmitie s, During t days of the vear dlation of raflic _control i Mr. Eldridge | Ul main thoro B ng Ma laws put the five the for under entir forr witnese automatic system whi plans to extend to fures. On May 19 Commis: Oyster died following and passing not only by his associates in trict government, bu v the of traf- | countless friends he had made during and the |a career in business and civic circles James | Lcted mourn Dis. oner a protr need « 150 gulatio nized SaE % long g Appointed. President Coolidge A. Fenni Commissil the Fen zed larly in June ppointed Col. Frederic lawyer, 1o succeed Oyster and in December rimed the nomination An in: affairs during the year tion of the Citizens wil, an unoffi rs who make city heads on ind on pro: the District at the had 1 use ap ivo svation in civie the forn Advisory Courn up of civic work - amendations to the annual appropriations lation for wis establls the Commissi B consists of nine members—seven white 1d two colored—selected from among he citizens’ associations In accordance with i new w . the Commissioners appointed a board sing of architect Commission on ation o uppointed by was active during 1925 in consid- chanzes which should be .ude the welfare laws of the originated now await- | namely. the board of public w to provide tin worthy mothers to enable them rear their children in the home when | they otherwise would be placed in in \ stitutions | | Zoning Body Busy. Zoning Commission iring the yewr con merous requests for changes i use of property in all parts of the! city. The commission also considered, | © but failed to approve. a suggestion that the regulations be amended to | permit th building of row houses in| groups of six in an .\ area In September the Commissioners, consultation with the Citizens' Ad | visory Council, began preparation of 4 program of legislution to be present ed at this session of Cor Among the legislk e matters under consid \“““'f‘ eom - | eration are: A bill to increase the | itled of ‘er | powers of the Commissioners, reorgan- | Hled of re- |y, tion of the personnel of the Util Zihlman of | 00" Commission, # modification of | rmerly 0¢- | iye Borland street paving sment Reed of |1, "2 Lill to broaden the powers of | of the | o iraflic director, a bill for the con M- | demnation of number of new streets, including the ctension of Fourteenth street; a new nic ot to provide for the proper development | of the free Public Library system, a bill to provide a new building fc xml in ‘ | posed new leg. 3 inci sugzzestion of act th lic ..‘<l' District for - Public Welfare representative the Comm =5 “ommission e provid- | er: wists. | in va the | District. The « on | two important e | ing action by bill to creats and the bill mmission measures Congress, the ed a pric rent and District pected ued duri which now busy « that is as- headed during Ka en a1 on en i e- sehool 1te books, o public s e and - the devel- the Na- Park Commission Fund. recorder of deeds. This list also | cluded several bills that failed 10 re ide -l'vv'm:‘ ive action at past sessions of Con nal C: | to sission it Is con. | development the will | or DISTRICT FINANCES Capital t through event of 19 uction of 1cross the ncoln Me The most important in the financial affairs of the District | Government was the action of Con- | ess in recognizing the existence of the city's accumulated surplus of more than ),000 in the Treasury. Approxima of the surplus was made for the school building program hefo; . journed in the Sprine. is expected to be appropriated in the | next District bill. The act of Congress which d | nized the surplus fixed the s 1 the | $4,438,154.92, and provided tt {uced | controller of the Treasury should e | decide whether the District’ was en- | De. | titled to an additional claim of $819,- 3.83. District Auditor Donovan sub- itted a brief to Controller cCarl | who decided in favor of the District June 10. This made the surplus 28.75 proposing an tion grant on na right to itives in wd vice rilable recog- at t the | | For fiscal year 26 Con- n departed from the 60-40 entage ratio basis of appropriating for the District by continuing the $9,- 000,000 lump sum as the Federal Gov- ernment’s share of Capital upkeep. In their annual report to Congres: December, the Commissioners ap led to Congress to name a joint mmittee to make careful inquiry into has e fiscal relations between the Fed- 1 mothers’ | eral and District governments with a trict which shall be | view to settling the entire country. A| In June t' : Commpiss found it this recom-necessary tc ‘ncrease the tax rate on troduced by | real estate ..l tangible personal prop- York |erty for the current fiscal year from committee has |$1.40 to $1.70 per $100 of assessed ans for an investiga- | value, due partly to larger appropri- cost of living in Washinz- | ations and to the fact that the $9,000 this investigation will be |000 lump-sum from the Federal Go this year ernment places a heavier share of the the innual twice rec iz tion of furds 1ch-needed pub. f Colum- is recom. | trodu in|in ted that |, ably also | ¢ The he House District eady made | tion of the ton, and Beld carly \ school chil " | total | the | Congre was s v | that, | money | ington SOME OF THOSE WHO FIGURED IN DISTRICT’S No. Commissioner Cuno 1. eer Commissi No. 10, Ir rge of De al ( 1, Commissione| R. Covell, r Fre Rudolph e ispector apital; No. 16 ective Bureau 1A Wheeler, in charge of strec Assist Licut. Col. € we Watson ector M. 0 charg No. 13, § s and highways: No. 1 superintendent of pub nmissioner, d, 3rd, who suce Edwin B. Hesse: No. 9 Harry Cunningham, pre<ident f Merchants and Manufacturers’ Cary_H. Brown, tant direc 13, Jesse C. Suter, pres who becomes ¢ ds_Col. of HOOL HISTORY OF PAST YEAR ager of Cincinnati, Ohio; N No. 6, Commi i d, president of Chamber the Board of Trade: No. 12, Inspector Association: No. 14, Assistant Engineer ildings and public fent of ¢ Advisory Coun- ADVANCE SHOWN FOR 1925 1din ry ed r made it pos the p reduce t tic ompu The five-ve # h mode plant ar while the ivailable inte many al p to the school pul early Ballon cation thy inte this legislation sha formed into the the form ffect on h dran of appropriation on erty owners, The original estin missioners for the ited to $39.47 Bureau fix District estin budg n & i te 30 finally in December t was § the Distr 625, under the it wus accounted f n order to expedite work next Spring, the F took $820,000 of the of the tion out and agreed mental item Durir van r the cur District consideration plifving the bill by small items now c Such a proposal is ex sidered ut PUBLIC UTII Many important even of public utility operat were crowded 1925, The development terest to the individual the refunding ymplishments s bulidings contemplated the Washin tent regu to submit it consolida ¢ did 1ted am " hool ph makes of the Both wers ind compulsor IRGERBGANG uperintends ed the imp: way. 1 Edu When said in of the public during District prop the Cor t District the ative limit or Wher presented the (c 1 W itive limita by the fact treet paving Budget Bureau street paving ilar cstimates supple- nt year. Auditor Dono: 1 of the ¢ District appre many ed separately. ted (o be con: for or 1es: this session of Congress. ATIES ts in the field jon in Wash into the year of greatest in- consumer was to the public by the Po- tomac Electric Power Co. of more than $2,000,000 mulated litigation tion When the suit was January approximately been set aside, represe ference between lected by the company e the commission v of the during over mone: the the com con for the rate to the 10- v which even y pany’s accu- mpromised last £6,000,000 had nting the dif- cent rate col and the lower as contending The settlement resulted in a re. | duction in 713 cents per kilowatt-hour and the return of about halt of the people. The ceived by according to the amou actually used during th Just as the to a close the yate for reduced again to 7 cen the result of an adopted at the time of providing for whenever the compan valuation exceeds amount impounded fund to each consumer ts for automat reductions N 712 per cent. the of refund re- s fizured mt of current e seven years. electricity was 6, as plan the settlement in rates s return on Merger Talk Revived. Prospect of a merger of the street railway years' by two happenings lines consolidation, obstacle to a union of which had e: American 0. public utility concern, interest in the local spending $50,000 on a of New a proposal anding, was revived in 19 ¥ passed a law authorizing a of many irst, Congress the companies sted; second, the North big | an | York, evidence situation by thorough sur- | | bus | | | | valua- ar 1925 was drawing | voluntary | thus removing a legal n ton transportation The North investments i hefore st Ame the ican Co. had local utility vas made and the concern field completed aquired vjority Washington Rapid In November t companies i mission, in a the commission, been held on the but that the time dict the outcome The increase in the use of the motor for city and interurban t ion continued during 192 et railwa number ¢ new systems and seve lines established ington. Busses Washington » Baltimore, phia and num pus points in Maryland and Virginia. Central Terminal Sought. As the bus business continued to grow the Utilities Commission the middle of the year began an s tion for the erection of a central bus terminal, where all interurban ana interstate bus lines could terminate, just as all railroads enter Union tion. The commission is hopeful pri. vate inte will find it advanta- geous to erect sych a terminal. »wing a public hearing in April mmission reduced some of the tes of the Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Co., after revising the com. pany’s val ion. The compan tained an_injunction in the Di Supreme Court and the case ing. In Febru creased the f: Bus -Co. to 10 tokens in blocks As the year d the commission another public he st Transit Co. two street ra 1ed the for tilit query ferences that cor was not ripe to pre- cor bus routes 1l interstate 3 terminals in Wash- e now operating from nearby st ob. trict the commission e of the Rapid Ti cents cash in- insit or 9-cent cents. however, made plans for hearing to consider whether the Rapid Transit rates should be cut. The February increase enabled the company to purchase a considerable number of new busse During 1925 Engineer Commissioner Bell, chairman of the commission, be- gan consideration of a bill to change the personnel of the commission in order to give the District Commis sioners more time to dévote to mu- nicipal problems. The measure has not yet been completed. THE DISTRICT COURTS The indictment and exoneration of United States Senator Burton K. Wheeler for conspiracy to defraud the United States after he had been ac- quitted of a similar charge in Mon- tana, the quashing of the conspiracy and bribery indictments growing out of the oil scandals, the securing of a new conspiracy indictment by the Gov- ernment and the reinstatement of the bribery indictment on appeal consti- tute the outstanding features of a re. | temporar: | cured, Philadel- | | heara | to s pend- | | posed of 130 cases on its id nd textl steps 1o mo ruize the rdinate it -for the vhich has the rapid extens t year was ar school de open Western ad 1 instituted to restore fused 15 proceedings time that the been | 1y ntly the boa and the ¥ Western H Schos threatening other nt enforcement the still f passed throu curring period tion in the District dur ‘Among the prominent civil proceed- | ings was the allowance by Justice Adolph A. Hoehling of an increased | valuatior Capital Traction Co., wh appealed by the Pub. Utilities Commission, and the filin an application by the Chesapeak i Potomac Telephone Co. for an in netion to prevent a reduction of | rates ordered the commission A restraining order was se- but the case has not come on for hearing. As evidence of the crime wave, an increase of 23 per cent is noticeable in | the number of indictments reported t and jury in 1925 over the figure 24. A total of 1,320 indictment been received during the vear, as compared with 1,049 in the preced-| months. United States Attor. yton Gordon, with the aid of justices presiding in the Criminal divisions, has been able to keep a little ibove the tide, having disposed during 1923 of 1,394 cases, or about 76 more cases than there were new charges by way of indictment The justices in the equity and law branche of the court also did good work during the year in an effort to remove the congestion in the court dockets. Some of the judges were le to cail through their entire calen- ars, thus giving an opportunity to be to all that were ready. The others met with some cases which con- sumed unusual time and were unable make much headway with their \lendars. New litigation of law and : cases however showed marked increase in 1925 and outnumbered the disposed_of, leaving the court h a larger docket to start the new The District Court of Appeals dis- special and zeneral calendar, patent appeals and 104 original petitions during 1925 During the year 138 spdeial and gen- eral docket cases were filed, 125 pat- ent appeals and 107 original proceed- ings. The court has disposed of all criminal appeals excepting two, one of which was only recently filed and the other was continued at request of counsel. Some of the important cases dis- posed of during the year were the 22 German bond cases against the alien property custodian, which were ap- pealed to the Supreme Court, and re- cently affirmed there; the Norwegian Nitrogen Products Co. vs. United States Tariff Commission, afiirmed; Federal Trade Commission vs. Kles ner, involving the jurisdiction of the Court of Appeals to enforce orders of the commission, which is now pend- ing in the Supreme Court on cer- tiorari; Kolinski vs. Thompson Voting Machine Co., and Bek vs. Alien Prop- erty Custodian, which were reversed; Donner Steel Co. vs. Interstate Com- merce Commission, affirmed; the case of McCarl vs. Cox, involving the right of the controller to withhold salaries of Army and Navy officers in_settle- | £ mPnt of claims against them by the United States; the cases of 'United The tern and Mr « reconcili Barrett | s 1 Peyser expired witk Her had previo bhoard, was appointed ed apt the caused by resignation of Mr by Dr. Charles F of National Universit here n unusual L appointmer he staff during creation legislati ix Chij the appointment Kramer tendent ot oyd was usi. char was nmn the tra to the fons Stepher white nson in The 1s issistant supe ri nd Garr assistant super- schools t as first char sthers nt super new department of ed research and measurement Ravmond O. Wilmarth i manager. and Miss Fay L director of the department attendance and work permits business Bentley as States vs. 1 and United States vs. Doheny. involving the validity the ind ments, which were reversed and the indictments upheld: the case of Settle Settle, involving tenancy by the entireties, which was upheld The retirement of Morgan H. Beach om the office of the clerk of the Dis trict Supreme Court was a distinct surprise. e relinquished office at 1 e of the year and was succeeded by Frank E. Cunningham, who has been an assistant clerk for 24 years. There were a number of changes in the personnel of the a ants United States Attorney Gordon The past year was the busie: the history ofethe office of the cl of the District Supreme Court. The filing of about 100 cases of naval officers against Controller Gener McCarl, who sought to withhold their pay, helped to swell the number of equity suits to the record figure of On the law side there were :d 1,345 suits in addition to 421 mechanic’s ltens. A total of 90 bank uptey cases were instituted and 110 condemnation proceedings started. As many as 623 persons announced in tention to become naturalized and 400 made application for final papers, of which 332 were granted. n Cupid also shared the general se_of business in the cler} office. During the past vear 5 marriage licenses were secured, a compared with 5,481 during the pre- ceding year. The grand jury dictments, an incre: over the previou United States Attorney Gordon disposed of 1.394 criminal cases during the year. Pleas of guilty were accepted in 654 cases and 171 cases were tried and convicted. ~Acquittals. were received in 145 cases, and Maj. Gordon® noll prossed 401 charges. Appraisements totaling §8,258,64 were made in the office of the regis of wills during 1925. A total of 921 wills were offered for probate and the appraisements were in cases. The clerks made certified copies of 2,93 papers and handled 1,279 petitions for probate and 203 guardianship appli catlons, as well as stating 2,120 ac- counts of administrators and execu- tors. The copying and recording for the year covered 33,383 pages of large record volumes. Probation Officer Amos A. Steele had the busiest year in the history of his office. He investigated 53 cases, of which he recommended pro- bation for 237 persons. During the year the probation offi- cer, acting as trystee for receiving and disbursing payments in non-sup- port cases, collected and paid out nearly $63,000 on this account. These payments came from between 400 and 500 persons, who are on probation on non-support charges. All told, the work of the office fop the year was the heaviest in its history, more cases having been referred for investigatio¥, more placed on probation and more in rk | reported se of 25 1,320 in- per cent money handled in non-support cases than ever before. to | | TRAl)h BODIES LOOK BACK ON YLAR OF PROSPERITY Unprecedented Record in 1920 Is Boast of All Or- ganizations Representing Business and Pro- fessional Classes, All Hopes an-v Realized. there was presen iur the e rtainment ber of 1'4.!1L‘H-~~ mrm» ers ct wi ton for A year of unprecedented prosperity, s with the realization of goals long sought, has marked the history of the various trade organizations, that repre- |‘ it the business and men of the National Capital, the past 12 months As the year of 1925 shington Chamber the Board of Trade, land Manufacturers’ Association, the |lish the Washington Convention Bureau and the Better | Bureau for the purpose o Business Bureau found in each ad-|central organ. to vancing month an increase in mem- | National ( bership and prestige, the attainment |of the country of some long sought improvement for | ranged dur 5 the city and a huge expansion of their | visitors to W hich will add activities, | to the reve Capital, accord Perhaps the greatest evidence of the |ing to officlals of the bureal, more thar advance made by these organizations |$1,750 000 more than during the past year is reflected in the | 600 orga tabli action of the Board of Trade which | found it necessary some time close down its membership present with a total of 2,600 opport of large num ho thereby 1 the leading whom they ame in close cor itizens of Washin professional | {1 during | Pl nd_ the soct “The Washington Cha Board « progressed the | Merchants and Mar of Commerce, | ation joined with t the Merchants | sociation during the last ye: urers Hotel Men" - in estab snvention creating a bri 1t conventions 000 Contacts with | ed by this organization pard of Trade Prop the in membership and the comes the wde that it far the major portion of their time to , few more vears i st its own advocating and actively supporting de- | building, a profe ooked for 1 sirable and necessary improvements |the members o inizatic tow the beautification and civ provement of Washins - Board | nessed the st Memorial Br idea that tion more th ago, and th vocated annuall establishment of ed b Court judge legislation p the Washington tion of Rock the 5 {aze improv o park sys have ind 1t have been r City Improvements Sought Both the Chamber of Comr the Board of Trade have devoted by the terests an incr the of Trade this ting of the the realiz -d in 1 QU vear Arlington tion the or of & ¢ active time, was for been + traflic '[‘»..x | H Creek with the e bee: 1 dealing Commerce Boar it lized Sponsq In tt t 2 which and wh months s Industr Activities har Board's Notable. ir w " people - conmumemoration o of George Wash d 4 r ing vear sing i1 T nniversary birthday in Both the Chamber of Cc the Board of time to questio; of Washing merce ver mes f 1terials il to the in been made Iy worked or & d the idea ict gover )f their time g Achi Pvement. ngeme District bst: L subst Distri ivity came i of the par cision - ent of t Mare was tit {in his administration during h in the way activity and mportance th foreign nations dur nths. Also there w gislation enacted 1 high offices filled by th these naturally enou shadowed in th por he inaugurat the 1 that his own ri of gov considerable itercourse 1g the last s important | numerous President, but h were alar appeal accomplishments of President Coolidge proud of is the conti part of dep: adminis personally i by this co-operat <t 300,00 the banker and | presiden was se-|4g cio President to head the |jemp. to arrange the inaugura- ' The DPrecident te. The President. however, in- | grons n that nothing elaborate She hignly ring on pomp splay be con.|and hizhly sidered, and.as a rest s event was | coo e olon O celebrated with great dignity, but | qistateral - ih | without the customary 2 rade and ball. ) show hay received a 80 in November, 1924 William T, ( prominent civic lected by committee lliher, ted out vde it tion f the whole amicabie The Johnson ining the sion, whicl the President. e of the President he signed it with the e his disapproval of that sisted P or ¢ o prov inaugural pa- | paseed . { wishes, and | planation_of section of the Besides the very n Fills Four Cabinet Posts. During the vear. the President was called upon to make four appointments | y- to his cabinet. Secretary of S Hughes resigned to return to the | president practice of law in New York, and m]).“] his place the Presdent named Frank |was B. Kellogg of Minnesota, who at that time was United State: ador xn Great ritain Shortly this Agriculture Wallace died | bill e President appointed William | the M. Jardine of Kansas to fill this va- cancy. His next cabinet appointment was that of John G. Sargent of Ver. mont to succeed Attorney General Stone, who had been elevated to the | Supreme Court to succeed Associs | Justice McKenna, retired. The last appointment to the cabinet was that | of Dwight F. Davis of Missouri to! succeed John W. Weeks, whose con. tined ill health caused him to resign Some of the other Federal appoint. |ments made during the year by the President were Handford MacNider of Towa, former national commander of the American Legion, to succeed Sec- as Assistant Secretar: of War; A. B. Houghton of New York | was transferred as Ambassador to Germany to the Court of St. James, to succeed Mr. Kellogg: Dr. Jacob Gould Schurman, Minister to ‘China, was transferred to Germany to suc. ceed Mr. Houghton, and John V. Mac. Murray, who had been in charge of the Far East Divi of the State Department, was appointed to succeed Dr. Schurman in Peking. Edgar A. Bancroft died while serving as Am. bassador to Japan, and Charles Mac- Veagh was appointed to succeed him Dry Enforcement Changes. Reorganization of the prohibition en. | forcement unit of the Treasury De. partment followed the dmmmlmcm of Lincoln C. Andrews stant Sec- retary of the Treasu Another_im- portant appointment was that of Wil- liam D. Mitchell to succeed James M. Beck as Solicitor General of the De. partment of Justice. Strictly local appointments included that of Frederick A. Fenning, a lo- | cal attorney, to the board of District | Commissioners, to_succeed the late |2 James F. Oyster; Miss Mary O'Toole [to be juflge‘?n the Municipal beneh: Eelp ol ekt jeorge H. MacDonald and Isaac R. 4 ation convention here, Ma, ran o0 succeed Col e surs O secre- e e I Sarge of | taries of 125 automobile ¢lubs ‘hen public buildings and public parke the second annual oratorical conia One of the outstanding. features of |held under the auspices of The Eve. the administration’s year Is credited’ ~(Continued on DPage Twent; one. ) immigration bill there legislation during the ncern to the The postal pay increase which he vetoed the vear I changed meet it in i signed creating Muscle § his object signed. Mail There was a a_commission to study Shoals problem. The | President appointed this commission and recently received its reports. | These he has forwarded to Congress. { The President ruled in the Tacna { Arica boundar: dispute that thera hould be a plebiscite and appointed | Gen. Pershing to head ‘a commission to conduct the plebiscite 0. K.'d Pa The President Service was v Increases. also put his signa | ture to the bill increasing the salary of Senators and Representative While the President to all outward appearances maintained his poliey of lence, he made more than two score | speeches during the vear. Besides his inaugural address there were his two | addresses to the two meetings of the | business organization of the Govern | ment, his address to cotton manufac turer convention here, his annual | Memorial day address at Arlington, his addres: iduating class of the United States Naval Academy, in St. Paul he addressed the celebration of the arrival of Norwegiuns in this coun- . he spoke at the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of George W ington taking command of the Con- tinental Army in Cambridge, he ad dressed the American Legion conven- | tion in Omaha, the Chamber of Con merce of New York In New York, the convention of the American Farm Bu eau Federation in Chicago, the dedi cation of the Gen. Jose de San Mar- in statue here, the forty-second inter national convention of the Y. M. C. A. here nd the annual council of the Congregational Churches here, the na. tional conference on agricultural ma keting ted Contractors, of America here, American Soclety of Newspaper Editors, delegation gathered here to discuss “The Causes and the Cure of War," the Foreign Missions convention here, National nt