Evening Star Newspaper, November 18, 1926, Page 1

—— e ——— WEATHER. (U. 8. Weather Bureau Fe Rain this afternoon and est temperature about 34 degrees; to- morrow fa'r and colder. ‘Temperature—Highest, p.m. yesterday: lowest, 44 today. Full report on page 9. Closing N. Y. Stocks and Bonds, Page 14 Entered as secol post ofice, No. 30,151. Washington, ‘orecast. ) night; low- 59, at 2:30 , at 5 a.m. nd class matter D C. PIG WOMAN, ON COT IN COURT, ACCUSES MRS. HALL AND TWO STEVENS BROTHERS -Recognized Henry and An-| other Man at Murder Scene, She Says, Telling of Screams and Pistol Shots. AVERS SHE SAW WIDOW WRINGING HER HANDS Describes Conversation ~ About “Letters” and an Order to “Let] Go,” and Also Dezlares That She Saw Willie in Car Parked Near De Russeys Lane. Br the Associated Prese. COURTHOUSE, Somerville, N. J., November 18—*I told the truth, so help me God, and you know it,” Janc | Gibson scrcamed as she was being | placed on a stretcher to be taken| from the courtroom, aiter testifying in the Hall-Mills case today. As she cricd “You know it." she waved her hand in the general direc- on of the three defendants, Mrs. ‘rances Stevens Hall and her two | brothers, Henry and William Stev-! ens, who sat without change of ex-! pression as the woman's cry sounded i the stillness of the courtroom. Justice Parker had ordered that a passageway be cleared to the rcor to permit the woman to be taken to the courtroom. The jury had moved from its seats to leave an exit open for the stretcher bearers, but some of the members were crowded about an anteroom door. No word came from the bench, and the defense said nothing as Mrs. Gibson was taken away. Court then recessed untiy 3:30 o'clock. Ihe woman farmer, introduced by the State as an eyewitness of the double killing, was brought to the court in an ambulance from a Jersey City hospital, and began her testi- mony with a nurse sitting at the| ge of her bed and a physician at ¢ head. She spoke in a low voice as she started to tell her story, and the court stenographers repeated her an- swers to the jury, but as she pro- cceded her voice grew stronger, and when she finished direct examination, occupying 25 minutes, she could be clearly he; Her story was substantially the same as that she has previously told, cxcept that she said she saw Henry Stevens at the spot after she had previously seen Mrs. Hall and Willie Stevens in a sedan parked in De Rus- <cvs lane. ' Tells of Screams. She declared that she heard voices of men and women and the words, axplain letters,” and several oaths by men. An oath preceded the de- mand, “Ist g she testified. She then told of four shots, which she de- serfbed as “Bang. bang, bang.” Ver recital of screaming in a wom- an's volce she emphasized with “Oh my. oh, my, what terrible screaming. 1 seen a man and another man, she sald when she told of seeing Henry Stevens. She was not asked to identify the “other mar She had previously said that she saw Henry Carpender at the scene, but the State’s representative warned her not to say who the “other” man was in her tes- nony today. Henry Carpender is under Indictment. but is not on trial with his three cousins She said that she saw Willle Stevens in the automobils, but not the spot where the mumble of s was heard. Mrs. Hall was ibed as present later wringing her han, Mrs. Hall was asked to remove her which she did as the witness held up to make her identifica- Carried in on Stretcher. With her face covered, shielding her from the gaze of the onlookers, Mrs. Glbson was carried by three men on a stretcher through the lines of peopls into the courtroom lobby and thence into the courtroom proper. The white-capped nurse accom- panied her patient into the courtroom and stood by as she was_transferred from the stretcher to a bed, resting di- rectly in front of the jury Willie Stevens, who had appeared bored by the long walt, craned his neck first to one side and then tha other. The bed was wheeled around so that the patient would face the judge. On it lay a woman who was apparently very ill. She did not open her eyes and responded to sume word from the nurse with a feeble nod. The upper half of the bed was raised so that Mrs. Gibson would be aimost in a sitting position. It was Jowered almost immediately, as if to give her time to regain strength for the ordeal just ahead. Jury Is Brought In. The jury was brought in at 11:20 and court opened at 11:23. “The State produces the witness, Jane Easton, and asks to bave her sworn,” Prosecutor Simpson an- nounced. A Bible was carried to her cot, the covers drawn back so that she might touch it “Do you solemnly swear,” began the court attendant, and Mrs. Gibson replied: 1 d ry feebly. “Jane Gibson,” the court crier | a rudden change in plans, due to ill- 'DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE INVESTIGATES SCRIVENER CASE At Outset Probe Is Conduc;ed Indepen&-—‘ @b WASHINGTON WITH SUNDAY MORNING EDITION { | | | i ently of Police—Prisoner Gives Clue to Pistol. The district attorney's office has taken up investigation of the Scrivener murder case, which at its outset is being conducted independently of the Police Department. This announcement was made by District Attorney Peyton Gordon to- day, who efforts of his office will | center around the identification of the | pistol which was found at the feet of | Scrivener at the death scene. Already, it was learned, Maj. Gordon has dispatched a telegram to a dealer in Jacksonville, Fla. The name of this dealer was given to him by Henry M. Moore, the 24-year-old prisoner at the District Jail, who sati fled Maj. Gordon in_his office yester- day when he picked the death pistol | oui of a group of more than half a | dozen on the table there. Despite the fact that police are inclined to discredit the identification thus established, because they claim Moore had had the pistol in his hand at a previous time and th>n had de- | clared it not to be the pistol, Maj.l Gordon was of the opinion that Moore | had given his office a lead to work | on which might have the effect of | establishing final identification, of the weapon. | “We will work on this lead until it | is run out,” Maj. Gordon said today. | “We had no previous knowledge of | the fact that police had_shown the | death pistol to Moore. We did not | know that he had had it in his hand: In fact, he told us later that th pistols which they brought to hi to identify did not include this pistol. There is still another important angle which the district attorney office will look into carefully. That the allegation of Moore that the car ridges found in his bag, which were soized upon his arrest by Detective Sergt. Arthur Scrivener, might be the same as those found in Scrivener locker. It is probable that the district at- torney’s offce will request a report from "the lolice Department as to (Continued on Page 7. Column 2 i | i MEXICO ACCUSED OF AIDING REVOLT Nicaragua Asks U. S. Help| Against Gun-Runners and Bolshevist Influences. By the Associated Press. A direct accusation that Mexico has invaded the sovereign rights of Nica- ragua was injected into Mexican- American relations today by the new Nicaraguan President, Adolfo Diaz. Appealing to the United States for aid, the Central American statesman brought officially before the Washing- ton Government for the first time the delicate question of gun-running be- tween Mexican shores and the camps of the Nicaraguan revolutionists. Involved in the problem is an accu- mulation of evidence pointing to bolshevist influences and hinting at a possible bolshevist _combination which would overlap the southern Mexican border into Central America and toward the Panama Canal. May Send Warships. The State Department itself already has possession of many Iimportant facts supporting charges that the Mexican government itself is winking at the interference of Its nationals in Nicaragua. What will be done to aid President Diaz remains to be deter- mined, but one of the possibilities is an order to American naval forces to help the Diaz government repel Mex- ican gun-running ships from Nica- raguan shores. President Diaz’ request for inter- vention reached the State Depart- ment through Lawrence Dennis, the American minister at Managua. It was in the form of a letter from the Nicaraguan executlve, the text of which was not made public. A State Department summary of it, however, said that it referred to ‘‘Mexican aid of revolution and armed intervention in Nicaraguan political affairs,” and continued: “For these reasons, and appreciat- ing the friendly disposition of the United States and the intentions which your Government has al- ways manifested for the protection of the sovereignty and independence of all the countries of America by mor- ally supporting legitimate govern- ments in order to enable them to af- ford a tranquil field for foreign cap!- tal needed for the prosperity of these countries, I apply to vou to solicit with with the same good will with which you have aided Nicaraguan reconci fation for my government and in m name the support of the Department of State, with a view to reaching a so- lution in the recent crisis and avoid- ing further hostilitles and invasion on the part of the government of Mex- ico. Voices Confidence in U. S. I desire to say to you at the same t!me that whatever may be the means chosen by the Department of State they will meet with the approval of my absolute confidence in the high spirit of justice of the Government of the United States.” At present, there are no American Marines ashore in Nicaragua except at Bluefields, which has been maintained as a neutral zone during the revolu- tionary disturbances because of the large American and other foreign In- terests there. .S, SHIPS FORHALF U.S. TRADEIS GOAL Board Is Convinced Country Wants Merchant Marine, 0’Connor Explains. By the Associated Press. NEW YORK, November 18.—A fleet large enough to carry 50 per cent of American commerce is the goal sought by the Shipping Board in building up the United States merchant marine. | This mark was set today by Chair- man T. V. O'Connor of the Shipping | Board, who came here to preside at | the last of a series of hearings con- | ducted throughout the country to can- | vass sentiment about the merchant | marine. Ie explained that the board had concluded, after listening*to many expert opinions, that the country unanimously favored the merchant marine, and majority opinion was for private operation. The 50 per cent goal, he asserted, “would balance with | our naval and military requirements.” Revision of Laws Urged. He said that revision of the naviga- tlon laws had been suggested to equal- ize competition between American and forelgn shipping interests and that the board had prepared some changes for submission to Congress. Exten- slon of mail contracts to American ships and liberal Government loans to shipbuilders and operators were other suggestions received. | A warning that if the United States ; “is ntt to be removed from the zeas entirely” the Government must at} once replace old ships by new ones | of “quality” class featured a state-| ment issued yesterday by Capt. C. A. McAllister, president of the American Bureau of Shipping. A questionnaire submitted by Rep- resentative Hoch, a member of the interstate commerce committee in the House of Representatives, was used as the basls for'a resolution au- thorizing the appointment of a com- mittee “to make a thorough study of the transportation act and the practi- cal operation of the regulatory pow- ers committed to the Interstate Com- merce Commission.” Laws Held Too Numerous. In the discussion of the resolution it was said by R. C. Filbright, chair- man of the association’s legislative committee, that, because of the nu- merous laws which have been passed by Congress concerning the regula- tion of common carriers and investi- gation of their operation by the In- terstate Commerce Commission, the task of that body has become aimost mpossible. Capt. McAllister asserted the “pres- ent deplorable condition of our ship- ping is known by our shipping people, and it is high time that terested in our national well-being should heed warnings given and take action to remedy our deficiencies.” “England, France, Italy, Germany | and Japan,” he sald, “are all making | strenuous offorts to increase the nun.| ber, size and speed of their passenger and cargo vessels, but no steps have heen taken ftr a general improvement of our merchant fleet on this side of the water. The end will be inevitablo | unless we adopt remedial measures at once.” others in-| LEGATION EXPECTS QUEEN HERE DESPITE CANCELLATION OF TRIP In the face of dispatchesannouncing cancellation of Queen Marie's visit to Washington next week, the Rumanian legation announced shortly before noon today that it had “just received” a telegram from her majesty’s lady-in- waiting, giving positive assurance that she will come here for several days, as planned. . The announcement was made by An- drel Popovici, attache, upon being in- formed by The Star of Associated Press dispatches stating that the Queen this morning had made public ness of the King. Mr. Popovici refused to believe the accuracy of the reports, in view of the message which, he said, he had re- ceived “‘only this momonent” from the lady-in-waiting. T don't care what the dispatches say,” Mr. Popovici declared with em- phasis “Don't you think that we would have been notified at once had her majesty altered her ftinerary? And announced. “Jane Easton,” Simpson corrected. | “Where were You on the night of ! September 14, 192 Simpson asked. | “At home.” she replied. ! Mrs. Gihson told how she had been robbed of corn and when she heard | ng the night of Septem- i she went outside her | She then heard a wagon stop | n the middle of her corn fleld, she | aid, end suspecting it as being the | wagon of the thieves, she saddled her :x{.. Jenny, and went to follow the (Continue I { This is the first I have heard of them. besides, there is this telegram sent us today. “We are going right ahead with our program, despite these reports. Unless we get something official to cause us to do otherwise, we are coing to expect the royal party in Washington on November 24, accord- ing to schedule. She will be here un- til the 26th. Nothing will be can- celed. Everything has been approved by the Queen. The telegram we have Jjust received says so.” It was apparent that¢he Rumanian H {and the latter seeking companionshi attache was considerably”disturbed by | the press advices, however. Asked at what hour the telegram was sent, | Mr. Popovici replied: - | “It was just sent. We just got it.” | The program which the legation is | “going right ahead with” includes a | formal dinner and reception at the legation on_the evening of the 24th, | invitations for which have been sent ! out by Rumanian Minister Gretzlano; | receptions at the British and Italian | embassies, and several other dinners, | teas and receptions In honor of her | majesty, their royal highnesses or all | three. l Those arranging these functions | were anxiously awaiting further | word from the Queen today. In the; meantime there was no disguising the fact that the messages from the Queen’s traln have left all plans “up n_the air.” Upon arrival next Wednesday morn- ing from Pittsburgh the party will go to the legation, on Twenty-third street | near Sheridan’ Circle, under original| plans. The Queen is expected to take | lunch that day at the National Park Seminary as the guest of Dr. J. E. Ament. president of the school. Prince s and Princess Ileana sre to xo around “on thefr own” u good part of the three-day visit, the former plan.! ning to “drop in” at the Y. M. C. A.| | of the Girl Scouts. g The Queen is due to leave 1rida night or early Saturday morning Atlantic City, while her children will leave Friday to attend the Army- Navy foot ball game in Chicago, ac-' cording 1o the present prograin, { moned Col. |18 (®).—King Ferdinand's condition MARIE T0 ABANDON TOUR TONIGHT AND SAIL ON FIRST SHIP Will Go Directly to New York From Louisville, Giving Up All Engagements. ILLNESS OF FERDINAND CAUSES SHIFT OF PLANS | Wire From Bucharest Alarms Queen, Although Reports There Say There Is No Danger. By the Associated Press. LOUISVILLE, Ky., November 18. Queen Marie will go direct to New York when she leaves Louisville to- night and will sail for home on the first available steamer. Marie called in her official family and American advisers this morning just before she began a tour of Louis ville and told of her wish to abandon all features of the remainder of her tour. Princess Tleana will accompany the Queen to New York while Prince Nicolas is visiting Detroit and Cleve- land during the next two days. Exact schedules for both trips have not yet been completed. Cable advices, which were not made public by Marie, were understood to have recorded a serious development in the hing's illness. Immediately after she ret: her train at Indianapolis Ma John II. Carroll in charge in. of the tr Explains Bad News. “I want to go home,” she said. There were tears in her eyes as she explain- ed that new cable advices had come trom Bucharest concerning the health of her husband and that the news was not good. The exact nature of the mes- sage was not disclosed Marie and her party arrived here at 425 o'clock this morning. The royal party was asleep and had issuer or ders not to be disturbed until 10 a.m. Yesterday the Queen cabled Prime Minister Avaresco of Rumania seek-| ing information of any changes in the condition of the King, who has been ill. She had been unable to decode legrams, but prior to her ut- last night little alarm over| the situation at home had been felt | among members of her party. The good nature with which the royal entourage was greeted at In- dianapolis stood out in her majesty's memory of a day crowded with inci- dents, beginning with leave-takings ai Chicago and ending with the ban quet which lasted so late as to delay 10 minutes the departure for Louis-| ville scheduled for 12:30 this morning. Party Is Reunited. The royal party, divided vesterday, when Prince Nicolas and Princess Ilea- | na motored to Indian from Chi- cago, forsaking the royal train, was reunited. The children played hookey from the heavy dignity of officialdom ! to indulge in escapades which had persons following the party somewhat concerned over their safety for a time. Tleana had a minor accldent at Grant Park, Ill. stopped at Rossville, Il and_barnstormed over muddy roads of Eastern Illinois and Western In-| diana in a mounting rainstorm. Her | whereabouts were unknown for a few hours after her departure from Rossville, but her mud-bespattered car, scarred by ils accident, finally | pulied into Indianapol The machine the Pri ing was sideswiped by a motor truck and forced from the road. The auto- mobile, an open model presented her | by an Indianapolis concern, was only | siightly damaged. Although shaken by the accident, the Princess did not relinquish the wheel until she had driven several miles, Cold and a heavy snow- storm induced her to stop driving. Nicolas, while his trip was slightly less eventful than his sister’s, found fy it sufficiently unpleasant to ' induce | him to relinquish the wheel of his au tomobile before the destination was! reached. | Offtela i BUCHARES' cess, was driv-! Not Anxious. , Rumania, November | causes no anxiety, Premier Avaresco told Parliament last evening, but as his malady is of long standing, the cure {s necessarily slow. Ferdinand's ailment has been desig- | nated as sigmoiditis, or inflammation of the large intestine. CLEVELAND STILL PREPARING. Plans to Receive Marie Go on as City Hopes She Will Stop. IEVELAND, Ohio, November 18 F).—Queen Marle’'s announcement that she would start for home after visiting _ Detroit Saturday started! Cleveland officials on a movement to | induce her to adhere to enough of her| original plans to permit a visit to this city en route to New York. “Plans for her reception will go for-| ward,” sald Mayér John D. Marshall. | City officlals hoped that a protest | against an official city welcome to the Queen, filed by local Hungarians, had not influenced the decision to omit, Cleveland. They said ample provi-| slon had been made for safeguarding | the entire royal party, and pointed to the fact that the City Department of Safety yesterday ordered a special ! bodyguard of 600 police and firemen to! escort the party about Cleveland. BRAZIL RUSHES TROOPS. | Seven-Hour Battle Reported With Revolutionists. MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay, Novem- ber 18 (#).—The Brazilian govern- ment today was reported to be rush- ing troops to affected areas in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, where revolutionary elements, according to border advices, have clashed with state troops. A seven-hour battle is reported to have been fought at San Galriel be- tween state troops and rebellious fed- eral forces, with heavy losses on both des. The Uruguayan government is ctrengthening its border patrols to prevent violation of Uruguayan terri- tory. Radio rog 1s—Page 38, jwas not definit could attend. i Comm ¢ Foening Star. The only evening Washington witl o iated Press new per the erday’s Circulation, 102,531 TWO CENTS. News Note: White House dog releases Thanksgiving turkeys and lively chase to cat?h them takes place, with the President as spectator. i { i | PROBE OF DISTRIGT AFFAIRS IS HALTED Hearing May Not Be Re- sumed Before Thanksgiving. Police Court Relief Distant. Hearings conducted on the admin- istration of the municipal govern- ment by the Gibson subcommittee of the House District committee were brought temporarily to a close today, possibly until after Thanksgiving. After delving into conditions in the Police Court and hearing a plea by Lieut. Col. U. S. Grant, 3d, engl- neer officer in charge of public grounds, for some measure of relief from the burden placed on the Gov- ernment in confining purchases of public Jand for park purposes to 25 per cent above the assessed valua- tion, the committee adjourned sub- ject to the call of the chairman. While the date of the next hearing set, Representative Houston of Delaware, the only other member of the subcommittee in at- tendance, turn Chairman Gibgon therefore sald the hearings while he tried to determine whether id he was anxious to re- home the end of this week. would stand adjourned any other member of the committee Delays Hearing Brownlow. The committee had intendgd today to hear former Commissioner Louis Brownlow’s recommendation as to the best policy in making a scientific study of how the various officers in the District government could be more efficiently co-ordinated. That phase of the hearing, necessarily, will have to be postponed until the next meeting. Outlining briefly_the difficulties ex perienced by the Park and Planning jon in pushing the acquisi- tion of land for park purposes, Col. Bell told the committee that the Cchief concern was over the 25 per cent limitation fixed by Congress, which governs the price which can be paid. “I hope Congress will consider in the next deficiency appropriation bill," he sald, “a proviso which will interpret the wishes of Congress that this limitation should not apply to value determined hy the court in con- demnation proceedings.” Effect of Recent Ruling. Since the Controller General has ruled the limitation applies to all purchases, whether through condem- nation or not, he explained, the Park and Planning Commission was ex- perlencing great difficulty in carrying out the park program. The $150,000 appropriation available without any limitation on the cost of property, he explained, has already been ex- ceeded by more than $60,000 by the ac- quisition of certain tracts, as a re- sult of the Controller General's rul- ing. Citing the example of the con- demnation proceedings brought in the case of the Fort highway plan, he said, the commission was unable to pay the price fixed by the court. The commission already had ac- quired 109 acres of park land during the preceding vear, he said, and ex- pected acquisitions this year would be equal to that acreage. ““We are making some progress,” he said, “but the policy is distinctly in peril if we are not to be able to acquire ings.” Col. Grant said he had not had time to submit to the Budget Bureau the proposal to keep the limitation from applying to the valuation deter- mined by the court. “I do not even know whether it would be approved,” he added. Mr. Gibson also expressed some doubt as | to_this. Replying to the question of muniei- pal bathing beaches, Mr. Gibson said there had been some criticism over the delay in getting the beaches started. Col. Grant explained this delay as due to the differences of opinion be- tween the three agencies dealing with | the selection of sites for the bathing beaches, but expressed the opinion | that if Congress makes the appropria- | tion most of the community bathing | beaches would be constructed by next Summer A gloomy outlook for the Police Court was pictured_today by Chalr- t Gibson when he admitted that he saw no possibility of Congress be- ing able to appropriate for a new court building for at lease two or three years. With the Polics Court docket crowd. ed by an unprecedented number of cases demanding immediate relief, ac- cording to court officials, the subcom- 1 land without condemnation proceed- | i COURT CALLS FENNING Former to Show Cause Why Sum Should Not Be Paid to J. W. Gaskell. Commissioner Justice Staffor Court today issued a rule on Frederick A. Fenning, former District Commis- sioner, to show cause Friday, Novem ber 26, why he should not pay over $9,000 to John W. Gaskell, a former inmate of St. Elizabeth's Hospital. Mr. Fenning had been committee of the estate of Gaskell while the latter was in the hospital. The rule also directs the committee to show cause why he should not surrender papers belonging to Gaskell. Gaskell was declared sane by a ji October 19 last and was release on a writ of habeas corpus. On the same day he married a young woman from his home town, Paterson, N. J., and, according to his suit against Mr. Fenning, he has been without funds because he could not get action on an account filed by Fenning with the court. Through Attorney George G. Curtis, the former soldier claims that he w held illegally by Dr. W. A. White, superintendent of the hos- pital, and charges collusion between the superintendent and Mr. Fenning in having a committee appointed for SERETARY ASKS SEALPING INQURY Bacharach’s Aide Denies General Charges Growing Out of Army-Navy Game. By the Associated Press. Representatives' secrctaries may have to take the blame for a lot of congressional missteps, but one of them bluntly told Representative Hamilton Fish of New York today that it would not be so easy to saddle the secretarial fraternity with Army-Navy foot ball ticket scandal. Recently the New Yorker dropped some remarks about ticket scalping by unnamed secretaries, and today R. J. Bourke, secretary to Repre- sentative Bacharach of New Jersey, replied that he had heard of some big-scale ticket operations on the part of Representatives themselves. Bourke not only invited the investi- gation Fish had hinted at, but asked the New York member to name the secretaries to whom he had referred, so that his utterances would not lead the country to belleve that all secre- taries are crooks, “I presume that Mr. Fish would also call before the investigating committee the members of Congress who have bought up these tickets right and left at whatever price they could get them for,” said Bourke. “It is common knowledge that through an arrange- ment with the South Side Athletic Association of Chicago members of Congress were permitted to buy as many tickets as they wanted while the supply lasted at prices ranging from $10 to $16 a ticket, and I un- derstand that a number of members bought as many as 100 tickets each under this privilege. GIRL SCOUT “BRUISERS.” MALDEN, Mass., November 18 (). —Girl Scouts of the First Universal- tst Church have decided to call them- selves “the Bruisers.” A rolling pin will be New A latter-day Lafayette is coming to Washington soon as Cuban Ambas- sador to the United States. Col. Orestes Ferrara, whose appoint- ment was announced last night at Havana, was a member of a distin. guished family of Naples. While still a boy he came to the United States and allled himself with the small band of Cuban revolutionists who iwere working in this country In the cause of Cuban freedom. In 1896, two years before the United States took up the cause of the re- volting Spanish_colony, young Fer- rara landed on (‘uban soil for the first time with a band of the expatriates, and they made their way into the rev- olutionary lines. He ended the war with the rank mittee felt that the situation in Con-|,¢ colenel and threw in his lot with (Continued on Page 11, Columa 2) Inis ted country. He obtained the 1 of District Supreme | mmm% FORFISCAL DIVSION Measure Settling ffederal Share of D. C. Exs’tnse Heads Session’s kfist. Iinactment of the bill to gcovide for | @ permanent plan for an eqjjtable ap- portionment of the fiscal fbligations between the Federal and Digrict gov- ernments will be sought by#zhe Com- missioners at the forthcomi#g session of Congress. As a matter @ftfact, the Commissioners regard this Wpasure as of major importance. and Wl give it the preferred position on Jegisla- tive program they are abd to pre- pare for the consideration off Congress. While there are at leasgitwoscore bills affecting the District st!l; pending in Congress, the Commission.cs recog- nize the futility of pushinggt.at a few in the three short monthg that the legislators will be in sessjon decided to cull from them fcur, i | in their opinion, should be ghvan prior- ity on the District's legisla dar. On these the Commi concentrate their force. The bill designed to end thofnnually recurring controversy over t)i, amount the Federal Government shquld con- tribute to the maintenance of the Na- tion's Capital, of course, heae the list. The others are: b A proposed bill to force a fnerger of the street rallway companies A bill providing for modifidation or repeal of the Borland law. £ * A bill providing for the elinpination of all remaining grade cros<ings. Utility Bill to Be lrr,-egu. The Commissioners also iwyll urge that the status of the bill Itmoviding for the creation of a new pibge utili- ties commission be clarified§ayd that the way be paved for the camgnission to begin to function. This} ieasure passed in the closing hours 4f {he last sessfon of Congress and sw's not signed by President Coolidged + ers will when Congress reconvenes, #hp Com- missioners will urge him to soppint its personnel as soon as pri('!l{‘ ye. In the meantime, an appropréitmn for the salaries of the new comisgloners Il have to be provided in a feciency z 3 The legislative program ofith§ Com- missioners will go to Congfesy with the support of the Citizens'y Advisory Council. Although the coundil gas not yet completed the formation &f ¢s pro- gram, all of the measures ®hi¥h the Commissioners will ask to " ehacted have been previously indorséd .y this group of civic representatifes ~ The council, however, has insiste that the Borland law be repealed @ s en- tirety, but the Commisslonds, t has been indicated, are willing 13 acpept a compromise in the form of & mqdifica- tion which will relieve the al property owners of some of shel ent burden of sharing 50 the cost of street and roa tion. pres. = gent of codistruc- Lump Sum O § H In its last legislative #:poft the council recommended that § cgmmis. slon composed of an equal funger of members of Congress and }bora fide rosidents and taxpayers of th~ Ifistrict be created to study the fiscal rejations between the Federal and lofl govern- ments and work out a defanite] busi- nesslike plan for the mainfenagice of the Capital and also sent #% menorial to this effect to Congress. sThe, coun- cil has contended that te yiresent method of having the Fedefal Gpvern- their insignia. They have chosen black and blue for colors. (Continued on Page 7, C: lumg ) Cuban Envoy to U. S. Fought 1 W;r To Liberate Island From Spanisl?". . Rule H i degree of doctor of laws ffom the Uni. versity of Havana and whas given, in recognition of his servicks, the post of secretary of the goverfiment bf the Santa Clara province. Afterwafds he practised law at Havar{ and §erved for a time as professor g¢ law {n the same institution. Whil# engaged in his law practice he was glected fo the Cuban House of Represehtative from the Santa Clara provike and' later was elected Speaker of fthe Hoyuse, a He had been editor 3nd owger of the Heraldo de Cutaf one the most influential of Hejvana phpers, and editor of La Refofma Stgial, a monthly magazine. Hefwas aymem- ber of The Hague tribfnal At present Col. Ferrfra is de Janeiro as special ¥nvoy «f the Cuban_government to inaygura~ tivn of the new Brazillju Pres | teenth ye calen- | If the President does sigd #he hlll. tting | post which he held for feveral Wears. | 4 Rio! m.‘ §23,000,00 T0 BUY AVENUE TRIANGLE 1S SOUGHT AT ONCE Administration - to Support Request for Immediate Authorization. CHANGE OF SITE FORD. C. STRUCTURES REQUESTED City Officials and Subcommittee Want Space South of Present Location Reserved. ithorization of an ex- 5,000,000 1o carr v o all of 11 Immediate a penditure of § plans for purchasing privately owned land in the triangic south of Pennsylvania avenue to R street, between Third street and 1if street, will be promptly put though Congress with the suj the administration This assurance was given White House today by Representat Richard N. Elliott of Indiar i man of the House committee on publi buildings and grounds and a member of the Publle Building: Commission after a conference with the President At the same time it Smoot, chairman of the Public Buildings Cor mission, announced that Con wilt be asked to authorize the expenditure {of this amoun.— $25,000,000. “It is better business, in the interest of econoiny, and will give better con position to the Federal building pr gram,” Secretary Mellon said today. when explaining that this new plan to acquire the entire area will not delay the actual construction of buildir @iready authorized, which include Agriculture, Comm Internal Rev enue and Archives. it or i 1 Want Plans Changed. The application to Congress to bus all the land at once is the next step in eventually expending a total 000,000 for needed pulr lie buildingzs in Washington. Concident with this was sive drive by District officials and the Sibson subcommittee of the House Dis alter their layout as to I available, south of the present District Buflding, betweens Fourteenth and Thirteen-and-a-half streets from D to I street for a municipal group of build ings to cost between $8.000.000 and $10,000,000. This land, with two adja cent squares to the east, is now charted as the sites for the Labor De- partment Building, facing B street, and the General Supply Building, south of D street Chairman Gibson of the subcommit- tee which is now studying the munici- pal administration, stated vesterday, at about the same time the Public Buildings Commission was making an- nouncement of its plans for the entire triangle area, that hiscommitee would actively work for a consolidated mu nicipal plant as essential to the efli- cient and economic administration of the municipal business. District Au- ditor Daniel J. Donovan was requested to submit plans for such a plunt. Co-operation Is Urged. District officials, the Gibson committee and leading business civic organizations are anxio the municipality of the Disirict « Columbia_should co-operate with the | Federal Government in developmen |of the entire triangle between Penn jsylvania avenue and B strect, by {erecting seriously needed structures for consolidated grouping of vity in- stitutlons south of the present” Mu- {nicipal Building, of monimental cha that will harmonize with the new departmental buildings for em bellishment of the heart of the city. Chalrman Gibson and other meni bers of his committee are to hold .« conference with Chairman Smoot and other members of the Publ Buildings Commission, and Auditc Donovan made a personal survey to day of the District Building prepara tory to submitting detailed recom mendations and plans, as asked by the Gibson subcommittee. Chairman Smoot sald today that the District Government must look | to acquisition of the square now oe- cupied in part by the Southern Rail- way Building for the expansion need- ed. This square lies directly east of the present District Building, but iy not half large enough to provide for all the munieipal agencies and activities that the Glbson subcommiites desires to have housed in one group for pur- poses of efficient operation and for eco- nomic maintenance. The purpose of the conference with the Public Build ings Commission 18 to explain what the Gibson subcommittes has in mind, presenting an array of facts and a statement of conditions that the com- mission did not have hefore it when it made the decision announced yes- terday. May Use Old Building. Of course, if the District takes over the Southern Rallway Building that structure can be used for a time for District offices until Congress au- thorizes the erection of & new build- ing to harmonize architecturally with the other public bulldings in the same immediate vicinity. The projected municipal group would supercede several buildings al- ready authorized for individual Dis- trict activities and would absorb them, such as a new Police Court Building and a new recorder of deeds office, and would in that way include an ex- penditure of several million dollars already approved. As against the first cost of $8,000,0000 to $10,000,000, be- sides the offset on these other build- ings, would be the fact that then there would be one equipment, one me- chanical force, one supervision, which throughout the years would represent a very important economical propo- sition. It would promote efficient busi ness administration, and reduce very materially the overhead cost. Chairman Gibson will explain to iSenator Smoot at the principle is the same as involved in a great de- partment store wh houses all branches of its bysiness fn one bufld- ling for the primary purpose of reduc- ing the overhead. It will be em- phasized that there 1s no reason wh! the local government should not adopt such business methods In his survey of the District Build- ing today Auditor Dono pointed out that this structure ened for zned to —(Conliuuvd on Pnéc 2, Column 8) \l sub- id at