Evening Star Newspaper, February 25, 1926, Page 1

WEATHER. ¢ Weather Bureau Forecast.) Rain this afternoon, followed by sogorally alr: colder tomorrow: lowest Temperature tonight about 36 degrees. Temperatures—Highest, 52 at noon today: lowest, 33 at 1 a.ni. today. 1*ull report on page 9. Closing N. Y. Stocks and Bonds, Page 30 | ? The only evening paper in Washington with the Associated Press news service. WITH SUNDAY MORNING EDITION ¢ Foening Star. Yesterday’s Circulation, 104,940 TWO CEN EXEMPLARY LIVES OF TEACHERSINUS. Eutered as second class matter post_oflice, Washington, b WASHINGTON, D. "ro pivi: auro uwen vew rotes | LTTLEHARD COAL g L of Pervom EXPECTED HERE IN Eldridge Preparing List of Persons to Be Denied Renewal of License—Considers Liquor Seller No. 20,885. C., THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 1926—FIFTY PAGES. ™* (P) Means Associated Press. S. MELLON APPROVES NEW REVENUE BILL MR PRESIDENTZZ” . MEET ONEJ—. ¢, OF OUR € FRENDS DESPITE BIG SLASH Secretary Confident Govern- | ment Can Meet Bills if Care Is Exercised. WARNING IS SOUNDED ON MORE EXPENDITURES | Compromise Passed by Senate $40,- 000.000 Over Limit Set by Secretary. T ihe Associated Pre Speaker Longworth and Vice Fres- ident Dawes tods ned the §357. 600,000 tax-reduction bill and it then h by messenger for the Pre t's signature. Speaker Longworth ned the measure soon after the Tlouse convened. It then was taken the Senate by a clerk for Mr. Dawes to stgn. Although the mew tax bill some- what exceeds the reduction in reve- ina which the Treasury believed safe, Secretary Mellon said today that it is gzenerally satisfactory to the administration. spectal 2 | As the bill now stands, the Secre- tury sald, the Government should have little serious difficulty in meet- its financial needs. He explained. however, that any appropriations by Congress not now contemplated would ite a deficit. he Secretary believed that the re- ve features of the estate tax 1 not cause embarrassment to the asury. The 19 fiscal year surplus will he small, If there is a) in the opin- fon of the Treasury head. but he suggested that the revenue reduction will have lttle effect on the current fiscal vea program. Such surplus as is available for the current vear s being applied to reduction of thae public debt and that policy will con- tinue to the end of the fiscal year, June 30. T'ndersecretary Winston predicted that the new bill should be produc- vive of increased revenue in future vears. It has been proved, he de- «lared, that the lowering of the tax levies was conduclve to business ex- tension and the opening up of new sources of taxation. The undersecretary said present in- | dications were for revenues somewhat | in excess of expen for the flscal vear ending June 30, 1927—the first “u'l fiscal year after the bill becomes ffective. He added, however, that ese calculations were predicted on retention of the Government esti- mate of expenditures for the fiscal Nony tment 11 proposing tax reduction of 00,000 thls year awaited today Enac Iy the signature of President Cool- | ‘dze, who was expected to approve the measure within a short time. Senate approval late yesterday by vote of 61 to 10 of the compromise reached in the conference with the Tlousa completed the work of Con- gress on {ts first and probably most fmportant piece of legislation sassion. e widespread slashes become effective in wees immediatel ure in taxes most in- upon enactmer d income taxpay their essment cut by 1 $200.000.000 with the re- rates effective on first ar, “s transmitted to the White House | into law of the reve-| this | which are due | Traffic Director Eldridge is con sidering compilation of a list of pres- ent Holders of automobile permits who will be ineligible when the law requiring renewal of permits becomes ective. The Traffic Bureau head has out- lined a group of offenses committed | | either in Washington or in other | jurisdictions which will render a per- mit subject to revocation. He draws clear line of demarcation between bootlegging as infringement of the prohibition laws and bootlegging as a menace to traffic. and insisted that while he has no intention of regulat- ing the morals of the automobile drivers of the city, he considers boot- leggers potential or actual vlolators of the trafic laws. A provision in the Blanton traffic bill calls for revocation { of permit on moral grounds. Mr. Eldridge has drawn up a group {of elght offenses or infirmitles for which renewal or issue of a permit may b denled in his discretion. He made it plain that if he decided te withhold issuance of permits in cer taln police cases now before the courts, the permits may be revoked immediately. Those liable to revocation of per. mits include the following: Persons convicted of manslaughter in which an automobile figured as the cause of death and in which a speed- ing charge was collateral with the manslaughter charge. MELLON DEFENDED * BY SENATOR REED | Pennsylvanian Asks Fair Play | for Treasury Head in I Aluminum Matter. | | i | | | | 1 BY G. GOULD LINCOLN. | Secretary Mellon of the Treasury | Department and his brother Richard jdo mot own a controlling interest in the Aluminum Company of America, Senator Reed of Pennsylvania told jthe Senate today, Insisting that “the | ground has not been laid for an at {tack on Secretary Mellon” in the dis cussion in the Senate of the charges against the Aluminum Co. and the Departumient of Justice made by Senator Walsh of Montana, and a majority of the judiclary committee. “It has not been Xhown that Sec- retary Mellon controls this company,” said Senator Reed, ‘“vet throughout his recent speech in the Senate Sena- tor Walsh made it very clear that this whole proceeding was an attack on the Secretary of the Treasury. “I am not here to praise Mr. Mellon. It 1s not necessary. But if Senator Glass of Virginta_or Mr. Houston of Texas, former Secretaries of the Treasury, were involved, there should be the same restraint and the demand for fair play would be the same. Tt is not asking too much to request that men who have served as have Glass, | Houston and Mellon should be accord ed fair play. | Should Consider Facts. “The facts should be considered he- fore acting on this report of a major- ity of the judiclary committe as a party measure. The inquiry proposed is a judicial Inquiry. Assuming we have the power to make it, we are sitting as a court. “The fact is that Secretary Mellon owns less than 161 per cent of the | Potential Traffic Regulation Violator. { mobile withou! S | Persons known to be epileptics and persons in an insane asylum or ad- judged insane and in the care of rela- tves. In this connection the traffic director said permits have been taken from four persons at St. Elizabeth's Hospital. ! Persons who have been convicted | of crimes in other jurisdictions which | if committed 1.1 the District of Colum bia, would also be crimes here. These | include drunken driving, leaving} after colliding, second offense for reckless driving and third offense speeding. | Persons who are known to be habit- | ual violators of the prohibition act,| have heen convicted on such charges | and use automobiles in transporting. | Persons who cannot read or write | and who have broken the traffic regu lations b ause of these deficiencie: Partially or totally blind persons. Sufferers from bad cases of rheu matism or other diseases Involving possible impairent of the faculties. | Cripples, who because of infirmi J cannot su fully danger of accident. The traffic director said he is not in- terested in the morals of the commu- nity, even though the Blanton bill | glves him power of revocation of per- mits in_cases involving moral turpi tude. He sald that “petting parties” | may continue undisturbed by him on the thoroughfares of the city if the “petters” do violate the fic | \Continued on Page 2, Colun HOUSE WILL PROBE TRACTION PROBLEM Night Hearings Planned to Go ' to Bottom of Matter. $ Covell Reports. Night hearings are to be held next | week on the street rallway problem by ! the House District committee, which, | in executive session after a hearing | today, determined to go to the bottom | of the street railway problem. Maj. W. E. R. Covell was the onl witness testifving today. lengthy reports asked by the commit- | tee, one on service-at-cost plan of op- ¥ i He read | e (X operate an auto-| | { distric NEXT FEWMONTHS Bins of Local Dealers Filled With Substitutes and More Are on Way. i ALL EFFORTS TO CANCEL ORDERS PROVE USELESS Washington Firms Caught in Bad Jam With Rapidly Falling Market. The chance of any appreciable quautities of Pennsylvania anthracite 1 reaching Washington before Sum mer faded almost to hopelessness to day when an unofficial survey of the fuel situation disclosed that local ards are stocked to the brim with substitutes. while thousands of tons more are still en route from the bitu | minous mines and the coke ovens. Five dealers alone accounted for - {approximately 20,000 tons of substi | tutes, and it is estimated that the 60 0dd retail coal concerns doing business in the National Capital must have 100,000 tons of substitutes either in their yards or under order. Efforts to cancel these orders have proved fruit less, and the dealers were caught ac cepting them at the high prices that prevailed before the anthracite strike ended. In the the meantime, public hard coal, wher the dealers de- clare, there 1s no room to store anth- ite even if it were obtainable. The situation is described as desperate, with not only the retailers facing losses in the crumbling market, but the hard coal operators confronted with the possibility of cur-| tailing production until room has been | made for their shipments. Condition Ts General. hington is not alone in this di according to dispatches from arts of the anthracite-burning . Stock taking York market showed 700,000 tons of substitutes on the market, with the lemma, other has | sharply curtailed purchases of substi | tutes In anticipation of soon getting | substitute | in the New | i | | CHANGES IN PARK BILL AGREED ON Commission Told by Mai.‘ Brown Need of Specific Language. | | Apparent differences of opinion he- | tween the District Commissioners and | the Nutional Capital Park Commission | which have developed at congressional hearings on the proposed amendment to the National Park Commission act, changin: the commission into a city ! and park planning commission, were | ating street railw a summary of the requirements under existing law regarding the accounting service of the Public Utllities Com- mission. Maj. Covell explained that service | s and the othe: ! | consumers demanding anthracite or {nothing. The situation. it is declared, is full of serlous danger both for the retail dealers, the wholesale operators, | | the anthracite miners and the general froned out at a lengthy session of the commissfor in the office of public bufldings and parks today. It was pointed out by Maj. Carey | H. Brown assistant director of the| at-cost Is a term applied to a method of conducting the business of a trans- portation company as a quasi-private enterprise, by which fares paid are made to respond automatically to the cost of mervice—this cost including the cost of capital, of preferred and | common stock, as well as bonds. | Tried Out Elsewhere. He told the committee that since 1917 a service atcost plan has been tried in Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, Kansas City, Dallas, Montreal, Cincin: natf, the State of Masschusetts, Youngstown, Memphis, Toledo. Roch- ester, " Des ' Moines, Loulsville and| Grand Rapids. ! For a service-at-cost plan he recom- mended the following provisions: ! First-—Safeguard the integrity of the capital invested by making the | franchise terminable only under cer- tain agreed conditions, such as pur- chase, and providing for the neces- reserves Second—Include all mass transpor- | tation wthin the metropolitan area of this community and allow for nec- essary extensfons. { i | | en route to the public. One Washington dealer has 4,000 tons of bituminous coal and stove- size coke aiready in his bins and fully 6,000 more tons in cars or on ships ready for shipment. His efforts at least to curtail shipments not yet deltvered have met with failure thus far, and unless renewed entreaties pfove more successful this dealer ad mitted he would face a problem, not alone Because of the tremendous sup. ply of substitutes, but also because he would have no room for the coal the public wants. Bought at Peak Price. One of the large wholesale firms has 4,000 tons In its yards or on the rails var Svery piece of this coal, it was declared, was bought at the peak of the market. Another retail firm reported 2,000 tons of sub- stitutes now on hand, a third said he had the same amount and still an- other counted approximately 1500 tous of substitutes either in his yards or en route from mines and ovens. All said they are bound to accept the coal now on the way. office of public buildings and public | Parks, who was delegated hy Maj | | Grant as spokesman, that the com- { mission, afier some discussion, agreed | that a change in the language of the measure was necessary. This would appease the opposition, it was pointed out, by putting in specific language the’ apparent fmtent of the proposed law as it passed the House of Repre- sentatives. All Favor Measure. | Maj. Brown said that all agreed that | the measure should be adopted, and the only fear on the part of Commis. | sioner Bell was that some of the pres ent activities of the District of Colum { bia government. such, for instance, as | the Zoning Commission, might be chal- lenged in court procedure unless the | language of the law wus made to show { specifically that it was not the intent |to have the proposed planning com- | {misslon usurp the powers of the Zon- | |ing Commission or any other District |activity. Tt is designed merely as : recommending_body to lay down a {plan for the District of Columbia in | ! | | ing count LAUDED BY HOOVER Seldom Figure in Headlines in Sensation-Loving Land, He Declares. |EXODUS OF EDUCATORS GETS UNDER WAY TODAY | Session This Afternoon and Mac- Millan Speech Tomight Close Convention. The tion's te: iy exemplary 800,000 educators “hers who, he asserted, ar inconspicuous in a sens and domn gure in a | sensational headiine in a newspaper | RED DEBT PARLEY . OPENS IN FRANCE Way Sought to Satisfy Claims of Russian Bondholders Under Old Regime. — By the Associated PARIS, Fe between So with Free Speech Lost, English Newspaper e o InPeking Suspends By Cabl tar and Chicago Daily PEKING, Chin February 25. The Peking Dai New: one of the oldest English langu e daflies controlled by the Chinese, suspend- ed publication today, announcing that this action was due to mill- tarist interference with the rights of free speech. The action to ews. followed the pression of two Chinese papers and the arrest of editors by the local militar ed with the Feng Yu-Hs tlon. ditors were ed of any definite chary them except that t ised of publishing s detrimental su; news- their align- ing fa »t inform- s again were ntrue war to the public These newspapers had been pub- lishing anti-Communist articles, it is therefore believed that Communists influenced the military. The Peking Daily News recently published a statement that the po- lice had appealed for the payment the overdue for six 25.—Negotiations a and nee regard to commercial relations, were opened today offices under the chairmanship | Premier Briand, M. Rakovsk Soviet Ambassador. represented his country. M. de Monzie, French minister | of public works, in a speech emphasized that the French govern- | ment will not abandon its defense of the |bonds and was ready to dise { met tr in the foreign the hods for liquidating the debts con- ed in France under the regime. France, he said, wished to have |faith in prompt development of | private Franco-Russfan exchanges, (Copyright. 1626, by Chicaga Daily News Co.) {operating under statute which would |reassure private initiative and main- TSOARERESCRD 55 and | were | solutions impos. sible. He also de ed to find a sat actory solution for the Russi {holders. He gathered that the {nation, like the Russian, was | with a desire to realize an |tional order preventing the return of |war, and that France adhered to the | principle of non-intervention. The accord which the negotlators | timed to achieve, he concluded, would {serve the general peace | itating !the conclusion of other s, be. By the Assoviated Press. cause the nesotiations were mnot nch imbued | interna- Harbored in Australian Post Office for Six Hours With Flames All Around. | dom does | pli ights of the holders of Russia | | zarist | | of | convention city for 18 were lauded without stint by tary of Commerce Herbert Hoover ir an address on “Educatlon as a Na- tional Asset” before today's general session of the Department of Super- tendence, National Education Asso ciation, “The public school teach con- tinued Secretary Hoover, “is peculiar- ¥ a public character under the most searching scrutlny of watchful and critical eves. His life is an open book. His habits are known to ai His office, like that of a minister of religion, demands of him an excep- tional standard of conduct. Seldom in Headlines. {_“And how rarely does a teacher full below that standard! How sel a cher figure in a sen ational headline in a newspaper! It Is truly remarkable, I think, that so vast an army of people, approximate. Iy 800.0 o uniformly meets its obligations, so effectively does its job, 80 decently behaves itself, as to e “almost utterly Inconspicuous in a sensation-loving country. It im. a wealth of character, of tac of patience, of quiet competence, achieve such a record as that. A general session this afternoon at e Auditorium, beginning at cloc] d a lecture tonight at the ame place by Comdr. Donald B. Mac- tillan, will bring to 4 close the most successful convention ever held by jthe Department of Superintendence. Hundreds clty addres place of the educators left the er hearing Secretary Hoover's A general exodus will take e this afternoon. Platoon Type Discussion. This afterncon’s most importan: business will be a pro and con discus siori of the platoon type of school un. the adoption of a set of resolution | Among these resolutions will be two {of local 1mportance—one praising the development of the Vashington schools under the leadership of Dr Frank W. Ballou, retiring president the department, and the other voicing appreciation for the courtesies extended the convention by Washing | ton. If the usual custom of the conven tion is followed the selection of the 7 will not be | made by the executive committee fo everal days, possibly several weeks The cities makin a bld are Louis ville, Houston. Dalius, Denver, Detr and Atlanta. There i known to be a movement afoot, however, to make “hicago a more or less perman nvention city, owing to the centra location and the ability of this cft to accommodate the department’s at | tendance. This movement is linked | with another to change the date of MELBOURNE, Australia, I"ebruary (aimed against any one.. | the department’s meeting from Febru the same manner that the plan of 1901 e : One hundred and fifty men, During the negotiations it is ex. 4V to another month. All of this coal was purchased in ‘was laid down. voting stock and less than 16z per Third—Make the company “H‘anlh'lpatilm of the public having to Increase in Exemption. More than 2,300,000 of the approxi- v 7.000,000 Federal taxpay would be relfeved of all taxation through the proposed increases in sonal exemptions from $1.000 to 00 for single persons and from 90 to $3,500 for married persons. Hastening to complete the Lill in ler to permit the reductions to bhe effective with the first payments, Con. zress sidetracked much other lagisia. tion and perfected the measure in al. most record-breaking time, less than three months after the opening of the session. The demand for huste was heeded Ly leaders of hoth partles in the tiouse and Senate and resulted in a <ompromise in both branches between the parties on the major provisions of the bill. Inheritance Tax Fight. The principal fiight develope: i inheritance tax, which the § voted to rep . but which was kept in the bill by th Hou which modified the rates. In contr: to the two pre vious reduction bills voted since the complete agreement was renched between the party leaders on the vital income tax hedules, Both Republican and Demg atic defended the measure in the hours of Senate debate yesterday the conference agreement, and a proposal to reommit it to conference for further T on 4 point_of order. Senator Neely, Democ inia, made this motion lave instrueted the Senate conferces to msist upon rep the taxes on admission, dues tomobiles. Leaders on both des argued this wonld cause undesired del and Senator Robinson of Arkansa%, the Democratie leade made that the motion was out of order, since 1t would not provide a means of get ting the bill back before the Senate. Vice President Dawes upheld the molnt of ord and an apps ruling Senator Neely was voted down, 62 to & The roll call on adop- tion of the conference agreement im- mediately followed. The 10 Senators who voted ags the conference report on the bill w Republican: zer. Howell, beck, La Follette and N < rats—Blease, Trammell, ‘Wheeler. .Farm-Labor- MRS. COOLIDGE BETTER. Remains Indoors While Improving From Cold. Jlidge today appeared to be recovering from the cold which she contracted several days ago. She did not remain in bed today, hut kept within doors. Although Coolidge much hetter not thou that she accompany Coolidge to the reception to e » thelr honor tonight ut the € stonal Club, on Sixteenth street enate Wals hipstead. Mrs, pidly feeling t likely resident given ngres over | fuction was defeated | at, West Vir- | which would | the point | al from his | cent of the non-voting stock; and his brother Richard owns a similar amount, the two together owning less than 33 1-3 per cent of the stock.” Senator Reed sald that the report of the Department of Justice on the Aluminum Co. of America shows that the control of the company appears | to rest in the Hall estate, of which Mr. Davis, president of the company, is one of the trustees and votes the stock of the Hall family; Mrs. Alfred E. Hunt, widow of one of the found- ers; her son, Roy A. Hunt; George H. | Clapp, @ former partner of Alfred E. Hunt; Arthur V. Davis, A. K. Laurie and a few other of Mr. Hunt's orig- inal assoclates. Senator Reed declared it was evi- ent that the stock was closely held ¢ this group. ‘It is idle to say, therefore, that the stock ownership is dominated by the Mellon: id Senator Reed. Describes Aluminum Company. Senator Reed described in detall the history of the Aluminum Co. of Amerfca. He d that up until 1909 ihe company did have a monopoly. | since it owned the only patents under | which aluminum could be produced. | “Since 1909 the field been abso- {lutely open,” said Senator Reed. “There have been no patents to im- i pede the entry of other groups into | this field.” Senator {inum Co. of dd I by i Reed said that the Alum- merica owns only 623 cres of bauxite, the ore from which wluminum is made. This, he said, {does not constitute by any means a monopoly in the ownership of baux- ite, for many deposits not owned by |the company have been discovered. Me referred to those in Dutch Guiana and British Gulana and fin other ces. Dl ceSa12, Senator Reed said, the De- | partment’ of Justice filed a bill in | equity against the Aluminum Company of America. charging unfair prac- Yices. This was the suit which | resulted in a_consent decree which | the company has been charged with Violating by the Federal Trade Com- mission and in the debate in the Sen- (Continued on Page 2, Column 2.) By the Associated Press. PITTSBURGH, Pa., February 25— The Federal Government will seek to recover several millions of dollars from Pennsylvanian dry law violators an @ retail liquor dealers’ tax, under Drovisions of thé prohibition act, it has been made known by the prohibi- it here. U ax will be determined by the quantity of liquor sold. Wade Heil- { man, Federal counsel, said. The tax, “mounting to $90,000, already has been Ausessed against Pittsburgh saloon | | eepers and hurtenders, he added, and| ” Government Will Try From Pennsylvania Dry Violators proper tax burden and no more. Fourth —Provide for a variable scale at net return to insure ef- ficlency and economy, safeguarded against changes in the actual worth of the dollar and against public de- | mand for exhorbitant extensfons of trackage or service. Fifth—Allow for possible changes in cbllection of fare, kind of fare, etc., which will not materially affect | the net revenue. | Sixth—Contemplate the possible use of public credit for the purpose | of reducing fares by cutting the cost of capital, or for providing rapid transit lines. In reply to requests from Repre- sentative Hammer, Democrat, of North Carolina, Maj. Covell read a lengthy digest of the accounting serv- ice required by the existing law. In reply to Mr. Hammer's insistence that the Public Utilities Commission was not actually doing many of the things thus required, Maj. Covell replied that it was trying to do something about all of them, but that it was handicapped by not having a suffl- cient for: Mr. Hammer declared it was ‘“just scratching the sur- face,” and Maj. Covell acquiesced, ex- plaining that it was impossible to do thoroughly all the work prescribed by the act with a force of three men, even though some of them are work: ing day and night. '‘BELGIAN BANK FAILS. Ten-Million-Franc Institution in Antwerp Suspends Payments. BRUSSELS, February 25 (®).—The newspapers announce the suspension of payments by the Credit Foncier of Antwerp, a bank with 10,000,000 francs capital and with 100 branches. The liabilities are placed at 20,000,000 francs. The operations of the savings banks department are sald to have reached 40,000,000 francs. The loss falls chiefly upon small depositors. Two other banks may be involved in the failure. to Recover Tax where payment is refused the plan of actfon calls for recourse to the courts. The attorney explained that in- dividuals who manufacture liquor are subject to a tax of $2,000 as distille) a penalty of $2,000 under the prohibi tion act, and a tax of $4.60 on each gallon of liquor made. Others are to be taxed $2,550 for selling liquor, the total including the tax of dealers, an occupation assessment and a special retail dealers’ tax fixed by the pro- hibition act. Heilman said tax hearings would be held throughout the State. irely on substitutes 1 having | that dealers have to sell, however, throughout the Winter. When the second conference between the miners and operators of the anthracite industry failed, it was generally believed that Summer alone would force peace. The retailers or- dered accordingly. Now, they declare, the sudden termination of the strike has left them completely sunk with | their yards full of fuel the public has | plainly shown it no longer wants. Buying Almost Stopped. The mild weather has aggravated the situation. public to practically cease buying al- together, and a situation is being reached ‘whereby there will not even be enough room for the substitutes now en route unless some of those on hand are bought. This will create a shortage of cars for hauling anthra- cite, it is declared, and demurrage charges will pile up. Several dealers declared they have even had demands from customers that they come and remove what- ever was left of substitutes pur- chased weeks ago and deliver anthra- cite in its place. Others swear they can not burn the substitutes, al- though most of them were obliged to do so much of the Winter. A good cold March, it is declared, appears to be the only hope of saving some dealers from utter ruin and the fuet industry from demoralization. Those who do weather the storm admit that tremendous losses on substitutes now will mean higher prices for anthracite in the Summer. The Hottom has dropped out of the bituminous and coke markets, prices been cut to half. The fuel cost the full strike-time price. Local dealers declare they can not sustain i such a loss and continue in business, but the loss must be abrorbed in the | business for the whole year. Cost of Demurrage. No word has come from Pennsylvania to indicate that anthracite coal will| reach Washington in normal quan- tities before April, at least, it is said. But even if hard coal were obtainable, it is probable that weeks will pass be- fore there will be enough.cars to main- tain shipments or enough room in the vards to store it. A dealer, it was pointed out, must dump his coal in 48 hours or pay_the railroads demurrage for the use of the cars. The first anthracite to come here was on February 18, consisting of four cars. Practically none has arrived since. Reports from Pennsylvania in- dicate that deliveries to towns near the anthracite mines are about normal now, but with thousands of cars in New York, Baltimore, Boston, Wash- ington, Philadelphia, Cleveland and other citles loaded with substitutes for which there is a poor demand, there is scant hope of much being delivered to those places before Summer. i Radio Programs-'—l’age 38i 1t has encouraged the | Phe commission heard Dr. E. E. Richardson and Edward J. Newcomb, who asked for the prompt purchase of what is known as Wilson Park, bor dering on Nichols avenue and immedi- ately south of St. Elizabeth’s Hospital. Plot of 100 Acres. | This plot of ground contains about | {100 acres, 40 acres of which may imme idiately be turned into a playground, |but it was pointed out that unless | prompt action is taken, this, ltke other | parcels of land in the District, will be | |forever destroyed for park purposes. jAs & matter of facl. the delegates ipointed out that preparations were be- ing made * for building operations on this plot of ground this Spring. | The delegation was informed that the commission has no funds at thi® |time for the purchase of any land, but there is a provision in the Dis- trict appropriation bill to make the current appropriation {mmediately |available, and the matter was referred to Maj. Grant, executive officer of the commission, for a study as to the price and the amount of land which should be purchased. The commission also considered the matter of purchasing two small areas bordering on Sherman Circle, ! but took no action. considering them | merely in connection with a priority lst which is now being formed for use when the funds become available. 'FOUR ARE ACCUSED " OF BURNING STATION | Two Men and Two Women, Cap- tured in Illinois, Charged Also With Series of Robberies. | By the Associated Pres: ROCK ISLAND, TiL, February 25. Two men and two women, believed to | have been responsible for the robbery of post offices and express offices and the burning of a railroad station in {Nebraska and Towa, were captured here today. The men were cornered in a garage by Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific ! Rallroad detectives and special gov- ernment officers representing the American Express Co. The women Were arrested while waiting outside. Search of their hotel rooms disclosed Joot valued at $3,000 and a case of nitroglycerine, officers sald. The quartet ie charged with burning the railroad station at Elkhorn, Nebr., and robbing express offices and post offices at Omaha, Nebr.; Des Moines, Jowa, and several other Towa towns. The women gave the names of Mrs. Tom Brown and Mrs. Harry Boyd, both of Atlanta, Ga., while the men said they were Tom and William Burns. women and children, who took refuge pected the Russlans will ask French ‘redits to aid in their industrial resto- | ration, in exchange for which they | will consider what can be done regard ing payment of the 12.000,000 gold | francs which France and French in- vestors loaned Russia during the Czar- ist regime. in the post office building at King Lake while the remainder of the town was swept by a great bush fire, have been rescued after being surrounded by the flames for six hours. Is Thrilling Story. e The story of the rescue is among the most thrilling In the ananls or,'rwo JURORS TES‘"FY | in by the flam.! | , the outlylng buildings in | the little town caught firt like tinder, | and the inhabitants fled to the post| office, the most substantial structure | n_the place. News of their plight reached own, and a rescue party head- IN CASE THEY HEAR| Take Stand to Impeach Witness for y newspaper men made a wild| i i dash in automobiles over burning| Prosecution in Assanlt ! bridges and along fire-swept roads | Case partly blocked by fallen trees. o Through this inferno the rescuers reached the imprisoned company and brought them to safety. One of the heroic figures in the episode was the postmistress of King Lake, whose name is missing from the press dis- patches thus far received. Stuck to Her Post. Throughout the long hours while the town was burning about her she stuck to her post telephoning to the outside world, telling of the progress of the flames and giving directions for the firefighters and rescuers. When the wires were burned away she turned her energies to the task of sustaining the courage of those who had taken refuge in the building. Late dispatches say the bush fires in the Queenstown district have been check- t temporarily, by a change in the wind. y of fire fighters who left town for King Lake apparently were cut off by the flames. A large party of Melbourne police went to Queenstown to try and get through to King Lake, but were unable to reach that place. Fire fighters have been cut off at Paton Hill. Many Houses at Heales- ville have been burned. The greatest anxiety prevails regarding the safety of the people there owing to the rapid advance of the flames, fanned by a fierce north wind. TROOPS ORDERED_BACK. All Leave Canceled for Soldiers in Morocco. MADRID, February 25 (®).—All officers and soldiers have been or- dered jmmediately to return to Mo- rocco and rejoin their respective ranks. The Duke of Tetuar, minister of war, has fssued the order without re- vealing the reason for it. All leaves of absence have been canceled. Gen. Sanjurjo, commander-in-chief of 7 Spanish forces in Morocco, who has [January 1, while 812 cases have been been here on official business, left for | reported in Washington since Tetuan, his headquarters, yesterday.|first of the year. | Two jurors sitting on a criminal| case beforfe Justice Stafford in Crini. nal Divisfon 2 today testified against the veracity of a witness offered by the Government in rebuttal of the evi. dence adduced in favor of Joseph TI. Mena, a restaurant proprietor, who on trial charged with a felonfous sault on a young white girl who had been in his employ. Never be- fore, as fur as could be learned, did Jurors trying a case essay the dual roles of witness and juror in the local criminal courts, The unusual occurrence was brought about when the prosecution called in rebuttal Frederick G. Shafer, who tes. tified in corroboration of the sto told by the girl. Attorney P. H. Mar. shall, for the defense, inquired If the witness had not been in the court- room during the trial of the case yes- terday when all witnesses were ex- cluded by order of the court, and the witness answered in the negative. Leroy Bastin and Roland Richards, members of the jury, showed their displeasure at the statement and at tracted the attention of Justice Staf- ford, who asked if they had anythmng to say. The jurors declared they saw the witness in the courtroom yesterday after the exclusion order. They were called to the witness stand and re- peated their statements under oath. The court permitted the case to proceed, and pending the verdict of the jury took no action in reference to the testimony of the witness. sistant United States Attorney Hofn. ing was surprised at the impeach- ment of his witness. Thirty New Pneumonia Cases. Thirty new cases of pneumonia and seven deaths from the disease were reported today to Health Of- ficer Fowler. The death total from pneumonia now stands at 277 since { had { honor. | the | Southerners Disappointed. While delegates at the conv ppeared to be elated today ov election of Dr. Randall J. Condon of Cincinnati as president of the depart ment, it was noted that Dr. Condon an excellent chance of being elected president of the National Ed ucation Assoclation at Philadelphia in July, considered by some a higher The Southern educators were disappointed over the defeat of Dr Charles B. Glenn of Birmingham. and some of them declared it was due to the division of the South between Dr- Glenn and Dr. E. E. Oberholtzer, su perintendent of schools of Houston Tex. Prior to this afterncon’s debate on the platoon school system, to he in dulged in by Charles L. Spain of De. troit, who will cite its advantages, and Harry_B. Wilson of Berkeley. California, Tvho will tell of its disad vantages, a group of the educators visited the Park View School, which is Washington’s contribution to the platoon type of education. Three Categories. Secretary Hoover, in his address hefore the educators, declared he be lieved their work could be classified into three categories: The impartine of knowledge and a trained mind, the training of citizenship and the in. spiring_of ideals. e said he would rank them in that ascending orde: nd that the Nation owes the edu tors a debt of gratitude for their accomplishments. To you school men and school women.” continued Secretary 1oov intrusted the major part in hand ing on the traditions of our republic and its ideals. Our greatest natlonal | ideal is democracy. It is vour func- {tion to keep democracy possible by | training its children to its ways and its meanin¥s. We have seen many attempts in late years to set up the forces of democratic government, but many of them are but the forms, for without a literate citizenry, taught and enabled to form sound public pinion, there is no real democrac The spirit of democracy can survive {only through universal education. { *“All this has been said often enough | before, and lest our national critics | should' object to its repetition, I may add that we don't expect you to teach | the gamut of local, national and in- ternational problems to children. What democracy requires is a train- ing of mind which will permit an understanding of such problems and the formation of a reasonable opinion upon them. That the resultant will in the long run be an enlightened public opinion is a hazard upon the intelligence of our race that the be- lievers in democracy are willing to ake. 1 ind democracy is a basis of human | relations far deeper than the form of | government. It is not only a form of r d an ideal th all men ment snd ay LiE L (Continued on Page 5, Column 1)