Evening Star Newspaper, January 9, 1929, Page 1

WEATHER. (U. 8. Weather Bureau Forecast.) Cloudy followed by rain beginning late tonight or tomorrow; rising tem- perature; lowest tonight about 34 de- grees. Temperatures: Highest, 44, at noon today; lowest, 23, at 11 p.m. yes- The only evening paper in Washington with the Associated Press news service. ] terday. Full report on page 9. Closing N. Y. Markets, Pages 10 and 11 ah ¢ Foeni WITH SUNDAY MORNING EDITION ny Star. Yesterday’s Circulation, 107,768 —_— No. 30,934, Entered s scco Entered as =econd class matter shington, D. C. WASHINGTON, D. C, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 9, 1929—THIRTY-FOUR PAGES. * (#) Means Associated Press. TWO CENTS. INAEINARY PICTURE OF VICTIH CARRIED BY “WITCH DOCTOR Alienist Says Defendant Be- lieved Likeness Was in Palm of Hand. TRY TO SHOW INSANITY AT YORK, PA., “HEX” TRIAL Father of Blymyer Says Son Was “Pow-wowed” and He Believes in It. BY THOMAS R. HENRY, Staft Correspondent of The Star. YORK, Pa., January 9.—A wrinkled, gimple American peasant with matted gray hair and wind-worn face stood before a jury this morning and told of the malevolent witcheraft which hasi pursued his family and particularly his aldest son, who is on trial here for beating to death an aged recluse farmer in order to get a lock of his hair to preak a magic spell. Emmanuel Blymyer, who has lived all his life on farms within a few miles of York, testified to rearing the | boy in an atmosphere of witcheraft in which he himself is a firm bellever. When John Blymyer, the confessed flayer of Nelson D. Rehmeyer, was 15 wears old, his father told the court, there came a time when he “couldn’t work nothing.” So the father, certain that the youth was “hexed,” took him | to a witch doctor and had him “pow-| wowed” 12 times. He also had his other children “pow-wowed” and was “pow- wowed” himself. Believes He Is “Hexed.” Following him on the stand came an- pther American primitive, pale, anaemic Milton D. Hess, shivering in the hot courtroom in spite of a heavy overcoat, n which his lean body was wrapped. ess, father of Wilbert Hess, charged, with young Blymyer, with the murder of Rehmeyer, is the victim of a wasting disease. - He believes he still is “hexed.” He told of meeting young Blymyer, who claimed to be a “witch” doctor himself, and of being assured that Reh- meyer was responsible for his condition. Then he made arrangements with Bly- myer to get a lock of the old man’s grey hair and bury it eight feet under- pmund. He also wished to secure a copy of a ysterious book, “The Lost riend,” which is supposed to contain pntidotes to the witcheraft incantations. ‘Two York pl , Dr. Joseph H. Comroe and Dr. O. Ridgeway, -this orning testified that Blymyer was be- ow average intelligence and that he seemed a horder-line case between feeble-mindedness and definite insanity. Dr. Ridgeway said that he was able to distinguish between right and wrong obnly to the extent that a small boy can glistinguish. Doctor Tells of Delusions. Dr. Comroe seid that Blymyer has de- Jusions of persecutions, hallucin: tions pnd delusions, and that he apparently wad led to kill Rehmeyer after seeing a photograph of the recluse appear in the palm of his hand after it had been *pow-wowed over” by another “witch” doctor. The other “witch” doctor, how- ever, had not suggested Rehmeyer. The hallucination came out of Blymyer's own mind. Oscar Altlantl, superintendent of the York County Almshouse, where Blymyer was confined for a time, said that dur- ing his confinement he was always talk- ing about the “witches being after him.” An element of comedy was added to the case when Altland testified that Blymyer told him he was taking Lydia | Pinkham's pills to thwart the witches. All three witnesses believed that Bly- myer’s witchcraft hallucinations were a social inheritance, becoming fixed from his childhood environment. Judge Ray P. Sherwood refused to permit testimony on an intelligence test ‘which had been applied to Blymyer by @ York social worker and which, ac- «cording to his attorney, showed a child- dsh mentality. Mother Says Son Was “Bewitched.” A vivid picture of an impressionable boy born into an atmosphere of black magic in a lonely farmhouse among country people obsessed with an abiding /belief “in the visible machinations of the devil, and of an arrested mental development in his eighth year by which the childhood hallucinations became fixed, was outlined to the jury yester- day afternoon by Herbert B. Cohen, at- 'torney for Blymyer. | The accused youth's father, mother and sister had driven into town in an lold rig drawn by a skinny horse to help fill in the details of this picture. They 'were walking symbols of a witch-ridden family which might have stepped out of a distant past into the bewildering surroundings of this twentieth century courtroom. Parents are Types. ‘The old folks, especially, were types. ‘They were frail, frightened and poorly dressed. The mother’s gray head was wrapped in a black silk scarf such as might have been brought from Germany in the chest of some ancestor 200 years ago. They came prepared to testify as to the potency of witchcraft in their own lives. They presented a striking contrast in appearance to their neatly- clad son, who sat handcuffed on the other side of the rail. “John was bewitched,” the old lady told reporters. “There was a spell over his family. He had three children and two of them died.” yesterday afternoon, had striven to ex- clude all reference to witchcraft and to prove that the object of the murder was Tobbery. The black magic angle was introduced, however, and Cohen had tressed it in all his cross-examinations. Declared Escaped From Asylum. The defense attorney, in outlining /his case, stated that he was in a posi- tion to prove that Blymyer was the victim of a specific type of insanity, but at the same time be will try to !show that the witcheraft hallucina- tions, which played so great a part in {the lives of the people among whom he was reared, became so much a part |of reality in his life that he had no other alternative than to act upon them. Blymyer, he said, belonged in the insane asylum, but had escaped five years ago, after a few months of Sbservation, and had remained away |for a year, at the end of which time under the Pennsylvania law he was sutomatically discharged. While the asylum authorities were looking for him, it was brought out, he was in the o Pags & Sl 9 The State, whose case rested early| { Calls Lust for Wealth and Organized Crime Men- ace to Civilization. {BACKS CONSTABULARY Steady Improvement Seen| in Relations Between | Employer and Employe. “What progress has the United CHIEF JUSTICE DEPLORES MATERIALISTIC ATTITUDE States made in the ten years since the war?” war, “What tendencies of the present day should concern us as good American : e s s the current trend of civilization forward or backward?” These three vital questions were put to former President Taft, mow Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. and following interview he _gave s . Mr. Manly served with Chief Taft"as joint chairm Lebor Board in 1918-19. @ their long (riendship which possible for Mr. Manly to get the inter- view. BY BASIL MANLY. | Visiting the Chief Justice of the| United States, I found him seated at his desk in the comfortable office of his Washington home. Before him lay the manuseript of his decision in one of the important cases now pending before the Supreme Court. Seventy-one years old last Fall, Chief Justice Taft today looks as hearty and almost as young as he did 16 years ago, when he left the White House. ‘What is the secret of his health and unflagging energy after half a century in the public service? The answer is easy—careful diet, moderate exercise and a sense of humor which preserves the spirit of youth. The old, deep- throated chuckle and the wholesome laugh afford the relief which lightens the burden of presiding over the most august tribunal in the world. The Chief Justice delights in this sense of humor. He pitiesand is amused by those who lack it. “Have you read the diary of John Quincy Adams?” he asked. “It is charming. I am using it just now ’or my bedtime reading. I work until 9 and then read for an hour to put myself in the proper frame of mind for a good night's sleep. Adams was a great man, but he had no sense of humor. I geta good laugh out of almost.every page of his self-revealing narrative.” After further pleasantries and remin- iscences of war days and our experience on the War Labor Board, I broached the principal subject of my visit. “It is 10 years,” I said, “since the end of the war. The world is still in a state of confusion, caused by that tre- mendous upheaval. Many of us whose function it is to view developments from day to day are perplexed to know in what direction it is moving. Are we going forward or are we, as some pes- simistic commentators proclaim, our: hold “upon’ : civilization and falling constantly back- ward? What developments or tenden- cles do you see that should particularly concern us as good American citizens? Appraisal Is Guess. “By virtue of your experience and the detached position which you occupy, you have a perspective which most of us lack and which is necessary to any sound judgment.” “Any appraisal of the trend of our civilization,” the Chief Justice replied, “can be nothing better than a ruess. We are still too near the cataclysmic eruption that shook the whole world during the four years of the war for any one to venture an assured opinion on the general trend of the great forces which sway the destiny of this and every other nation. “As you know,” Mr. Taft continued, “I am always an optimist, and I firmly believe that the American people will find a way to solve the perplexing prob- lems which now beset them. Neverthe- less, there are conditions co.fronting us today which merit the consideration of every citizen who has at heart the welfare of the Nation and the fut're of (kins children and his children’s chil- ren.” “What do you conslder the most dis- turbing element in our national life?” I asked. “It is difficult to describe precisely,” the Chief Justice replied, “but it may be understood when I characterize it as the materialistic philosgphy which places wealth and worldly success ahead of every other consideration in life. ‘What can it profit a man to have accu- mulated millions if he has not at the same time maintained a clear con- science and acquired the good will and esteem of his fellow citizens?” Menaces Civilization. “What relation, if any,” I asked, “do you see between this lust for wealth at any cost and the problem of organ- ized crime that is today challenging the government of every large city in the country?” “There is a problem,” the Chief Jus- tice replied, “which unquestionably menaces our civilization. Our entire machinery of justice must be geared up to cope with it. Our police forces, our prosecuting organizations and our court system must all be improved until we are able to subdue these criminal organ- izations. “The aftermath of war, which made the destruction of human life a com- “(Continued on Page 4, Column 3.) CANADA FI{RMS LURE. Britons Wanting to Settle in Do- minion Storm Emigration Offices. LIVERPOOL, England, January 9 (). —Advices from South Wales today said that emigration offices of the Canadian government at Cardiff were besieged by young men, many of them unemployed coal miners, anxious to make a new beginning in the Dominion. Both the British and Canadian au- thorities said they expected a heavy increase in migration of British farm settlers to Canada in the Spring. Nego- tiations were understood to be under- way for the movement of 6,000 partially trained men for farm work ia April. CHIEF JUSTICE TAFT. —Harris-Ewing Photo. HOOVER AGAIN PAYS VISIT T0 CODLIDGE Problems Confronting Pres- eqt Administration Thought to Have Been Studied. BY GOULD LINCOLN. President-elect Herbert Hoover paid his second visit since his return to Washington upon President Coolidge at the White House today. The conference presumably was to discuss the problems which confront the present administra- tion and which may confront Mr. Hoover’s administration. It is likely that Mr. Hoover will have several further conferences with the President before he leaves Washington to go to Florida. Frequent conferences between the President and Mr. Hoover increased the nwt;thtél;ueu&oel?comlde‘:- continuif ween :wo admin- istrations, and that the pélicies which have been maintained dur the last four years are by no to :‘ganduned by the incoming administra- n. While both Mr. Hoover and Secretary Mellon are maintaining silence regard- ing the possible appointment of the lat- ter to be Secretary of the Treasury in the new cabinet, the belief among Re- publican leaders here is that Mr. Mellon is to have the Treasury post. There is reason to believe that this matter has been decided for some time. Mr. Mellon’s visit and luncheon with Mr. Hoov’er yesterday strengthened this belief. Hoover Continues Conferences. ‘The President-elect continued today a rapid-fire series of conferences with members of both houses of Congress and other prominent Republicans. Mr. Hoover's present visit to Washington is the last opportunity which most of them will have to talk with him before he becomes President. When Mr. Hoover leaves here, probably the first of next week, it was thought in some quarters he would not return until March 3, the day before his inauguration. There was a report at the Capitol, however, that Mr. Hoover may determine to return to ‘Washington about February 15 to take up finally then the matter of appoint- ments to the cabinet. Two members of the cabinet, Secre- tary Kellogg of the State Department, and Secretary Dwight Davis of the War Department, called upon Mr. Hoover today. The recent South American trip of Mr. Hoover and his prospective trip to the West Indies and the Carib- bean, were discussed by Mr. Hoover with Secretary Kellogg. The West In- dies trip has not yet been definitely determined upon, it was said. ‘The President-elect was told today by Senator Brookhart of Iowa, that there was no chance of a farm relief bill being put through at the present session of Congress. Senator Brookhart is one of those de- manding that the farm problem be dealt with in a special session of the -new Congress after Mr. Hoover has been in- augurated. The Iowa Senator considers the pending McNary bill inadequate, and o told Mr. Hoover today. After he left Mr. Hoover’s headquarters, Senator Brookhart insisted that Mr. Hoover had (Continued on Page 2, Column 4.) . COLD SPELL IS OVER; FOR A FEW DAYS AT LEAST Assurance that the cold spell is over was given by the Weather Bureau today. From a record low for the year of 14 degrees above zero yesterday the tem- perature will climb to 34 or 35 degrees tonight. ‘The temperature tomorrow will be still warmer. It is expected that the change in temperature will be accompanied by rain, which may last 24 hours. By Thursday night the mercury will begin to drop again, but it is not be- lieved such extreme cold as that of yesterday will be experienced. ‘The sudden shifts from warm to cold are not unusual at this season, Weather Bureau officials said. The only out-of- the-ordinary aspect of this Winter has been the lack of snow. By the Associated Press. CHICAGO, January 9.—Five times David N. Wolin has been ‘committed to jail for failure to pay alimony, and four times he has found it profitable. | The fifth time, started today, remains to_be seen. Wolin, a tailor, has discovered there is a genuine market for an expert mender among those who constitute ‘alimony row” at the jailhouse. Besides, Wolin knows how to dicker, and sel- ocg e ey e Sl yigeyt Tailor Goes to Jail for Fifth Time After Finding Previous Terms Trade Aid several overcoats obtained at trifling cost from inmates who anticipate hav- ing no immediate need for them. Sale of these coats at his place of business on West Washington strest’ means neat profits, Mrs. Anna Wolin was responsible for his committment yesterday, charging he was $200 back in alimony payments. “He usually pays a little after he goes to jail, and then gets out,” she told Judge Gemmill, “He'll stay in six months this time gies e pe o WOMEN NEAR PANIC AS CHLORINE FUMES MAKE SCORES SICK Several Are in Hospitals Seriously Il as Result of Gas. FOUR FIREMEN AMONG VICTIMS OF ACCIDENT Laundry Forced to Suspend Opera- tions for Day as Crew Is Hit. Scores of persons were made ill, two seriously, by chlorine gas fumes that flcoded the four-story building of the ‘Tolman Laundry, at Sixth and C streets, shortly after 9 o'clock this morning when the safety valve of a 200-pound tube of the gas blew off. The gas pervaded the entire building almost immediately after the safety valve blew off the container, and a near-panic ensued among woman work- ers as the cooler-headed men employes herded them up the fire escapes and side stairs to the roof of the building. Four of the woman employes of the laundry are at Emergency Hospital, with two reported in a serious condition. Four firemen, who responded for res- cue work, were made so ill by the fumes that they were forced to report off duty. Operations Suspended. Practically the entire force of the laundry, numbering more than 200 per- sons, was ordered to leave the building and the plant operation was suspended for the day. ‘The two most seriously ill are Mrs. Mildred Beavers, 23, of 908'> G street southwest, and Miss Grace Studds, 17, 3217 M street, both at Emergency Hos- pital. Others at Emergency are: Mrs. Margaret Therakos, 21, of 409 Second street and Altee Bennett, colored, 35, of 222 D street. Carrie Minor, 39, | 1314 Fifth street, and Alberta Turner, 24, 240 K street southwest, both colored, were treated at Casualty Hospital. Although bedly affected himself, Claud Hayden, Third and E streets, an employe at the laundry, helped quiet the woman wcrkers and remained on the second floor of the building direct~ ing relief work until almost overcome He was the last person up DS, ‘The safety valve of the gas tank blew off while Ciyde Hungerford, 1806 Poto- mac avenue southeast, engineer of the plant, was attempting to valve some of the gas for the bleaching machine: The is used in the laundry for bleach! ‘When purposes. the valve blew off,. gerford wrestled with the heavy cylin. {imposible T Rop. the. o of s and low of gas an becoming weakened, rushed from the room and gave the alarm. As- the gas first started seeping through the building some of the work- ers on the upper floors refused to leave, according to A. T. Du Busky, the man- ager. Then the fumes began spreading rapidly, and the woman employes made a rush for the stairs to come down. The fumes were strongest on the grouad floor, where the cylinder was hissing out its deadly fumes, and Hungerford found great difficulty in keeping the ‘women from coming down the stairs. Had to Fight Women. “I really had to fight with them to get them to take the stairs to the roof,” Hungerford said. “I don’t know what would have happened if Hayden hadn’t turned to the way he did and gotten those women out into the fresh air.” Meanwhile the fire alarm was turned in and the rescue squad responded. With gas masks, the firemen entered the bleaching room and drew the gas cylin- der out to the street. There, a water hose was attached to the valve and towels placed around it to minimize the escape of the gas. For more than an hour after the cylinder was taken out into the street, the fumes made the air in the vicinity of the building dis- agreeable. A police detachment was assigned to the building and kept pedestrians away from the cylinder. After windows of the building had been opened by firemen and the least affected of the male employes of the laundry, the women on the roof were allowed to go out into the street. Prac- tically all of the plant employes were permitted to go to their homes and only a skeleton force was kept on. The four firemen made ill are Capt. J. R. Grove, Sergt. E. J. Carroll, D. J. McCarthy and L. F. Price. LIQUOR EXPORT DIVIDES PARLEY Billard Seeks Canadian Refusal of Clearance Papers on Rum Cargoes. By the Associated Press. OTTAWA, Ontario, January 9.—The anti-smuggling conference today found the American and Canadian delegates at odds over the proposal to refuse, clearance papers to ships bound for the United States with liquor. Rear Admiral Frederick C. Billard, head of the United States Coast Guard, in a statement to the conference said the American delegates were of the opinfon that refusal of clearance on shipments of prohibited or restricted merchandise would be of great assist- ance in curbing liquor smuggling from Canada to the United States. The Canadian statement declared that such restriction would meet with administrative difficulties and tend to drive the export of liquor under cover and diffuse it over wider border areas. Admiral Billard cited treaties with other countries under which clearance is denied liquor cargoes consigned in the United States. ‘The United States-Canadian anti- smuggling trealy of 1924, Admiral Bil- lard said, had failed to stop smuggling, despite the full discharge of treaty nbll('nflons by the Canadian govern- ment, SZE IS THA.NSFERRED. Chinese Minister to United States Named Envoy to London. LONDON, January 9 (#).—Alfred Sze, Chinese Minister to Washington, has been named envoy to London. It was stated today that he would leave A e, e s vl e THE UP-TO-DATE VERSION QOF “FTHE HE LPING HAND.” COUNCIL REPORTED DISCUSSING BOOTH American Commander of the Salvation Army Thought to Have Control. By the Assoclated Press. SUNBURY-ON-THAMES, Englahd, January 9.—The reformist party in the Salvation Army High Council, headed by Evangeline Booth, Ameri- van commander, was.understood this afterngon to have 53 members on its side, as against 10 non-reformists, headed by Mrs. Bramwell Booth, wife of the general, and Catherine Booth, his daughter. By the Associated Press. SUNBURY - ON - THAMES, England, January 9.—After a day of routine or- gariization; “the “high™ couriéil of the Salvation Army today was understood to have begun discussion of the fitness of Gen. Bramwell Booth, leader of the army, to continue in office, in view of the condition of his health. It was understood that this ques- tion, the chief reason for which the high council was summoned, was taken up during this morning’s session, but nothing was divulged officially. The council adjourned for lunch at pm. When the council opened its session at 10:30 it was understood that all the councilors who attended the opening meeting yesterday were again present. Evangeline Booth Present. Comdr. Evangeline Booth, head of the army in the United States, arrived at Sunbury about half an hour before the council convened. Much speculation was aroused by the frequent passing of a red car known to be retained by Catherine Booth, the general’s daughter. Within an hour this morning it made seven journeys between Sunbury Court and the little villa_nearby which has been taken by the Booth family. Gen. Booth remained at his retreat in Southwold, but it was believed that telephonic communication was being maintained with him. The reform party in the Salvation Army was believed in some quarters to have scored an initial triumph in the election of Commissioner Hay of New Zealand as president of the high council meeting. Commissioner Hay was understood to favor far-reaching reforms in the gov- ernment of the Army. These changes in government, with the removal of Gen. Booth, were the major proposals put forward by the reform element, which is headed by Evangeline Booth, Quick Decision Unlikely. Little hope was held that the council would reach a quick decision regarding the fitness of Gen. Booth to continue in command. An officlal communique on delibera- tions yesterday was issued from inter- national headquarters in London, and aside from this they were shroudad in deepest secrecy. All members of the council have bound themselves to se- crecy with a Bible oath, During yesterday the council sent a xmge of love and sympathy to Gen. LOS ANGELES OFF CAPES ON FLIGHT TO MIAMI Dirigible Sighted Near Suffolk, Va. Lookout Kept at Hampton Roads Fails to See Ship. By the Assoclated Press. The dirigible Los Angeles, en route to Miami, Fla., reported to the Navy Department today that it was 20 miles south of Suffolk, Va., at 8 o'clock this morning. By the Assoclated Press. NORFOLK, Va. January 9.—Indi- cations this morning at the naval base here were that the dirigible Los An- geles, which took off from Lakehurst last night, had passed the Hampton Roads area well off shore on her flight to Miami, Fla. She was reported off Hog Island, about 60 miles north of here, at 8 am. Cruising presumably at about 40 miles an hour, the big Navy dirigible should have showed up here about 9:30 o'clock, but there was no glimpse of her in the naval base or Norfolk areas. The conclusion was drawn that she had followed the coast line outside. Bites Off Wife's Nose. SISSETON, S. Dak., January 9 (P).— Amos’ White, Sioux Indian, bit off the | do. end of his wife's nose, so she would be less attractive to other Indian men. Today he was sentenced to two yea and eight xgyntm in the State Peniten- Blind Woman Struggles 2 Miles To Get Aid for Mate By the Associated Press. HUGO, Colo.,, January 9.—A blind woman, " Mrs. George S. Davis, struggled over ditches and cross roads for two miles, feeling her way along a barbed wire fence, to a neighbor’s last night to get help for her hus- band, who was dangerously ill. She was bleeding from wire cuts and badly bruised from many falls and nearly exhausted when she arrived. The neighbors accompanied her home to find that Mr. Davis had died. SENATORS CLEAR BORAH AND NORRIS Investigators Find Story of Soviet Payments to Pair Is False. By the Associated Press. Documents purporting to show pay- ments of $100,000 each to Senators Borah of Idaho and Norris of Nebraska by the Soviet government for their services to obtain American recognition of Russia have been declared false by a Senate committee which investigated them. 1t was disclosed today that the docu- ments had been under investigation for a year by the committee, which several months ago declared papers showing ayments by the Mexican government fo Senators Borah and Norris and Heflin of Alabama and La Folette of ‘Wisconsin all forgeries. The case was concluded with the testimony of Senators Borah and Nor- ris before the committee that the Rus- slan documents were untrue. Senator Reed of Pennsylvania, chairman of the committee, who is preparing a report to the Senate, declared the Senators’ testimony was not necessary and that he had not intended to make public the forgeries, but that Norris and Borah had requested him to do so. During a visit to Europe last Sum- mer, Senator Reed attempted to find the source of the papers, but he said today he was not ready to identify the forgers. o The papers came into the hands of the committee last year and included alleged receipts signed by Senators Borah and Norris of payments received from the Russian government. Various sums were involved, but the payments which attracted attention purported to amount to $100,000 to each Senator. . ARMY FLYERS START FLIGHT TO PANAMA By the Associated Press. WRIGHT FIELD, Dayton, Ohio, Jan- uary 9.—Maj. Paul Bock and Lieuts. G. C. McDonald and D. J. Canfleld, hopped off at 10:45 am. today in a Fokker transport monoplane, which they are to deliver to the Air Corps at France Field, Panama. ‘The crew said they expected to make their first stop at Maxwell Field, Mont- gomery, Ala. They hope to reach the Southern city in about six hours, or about 5 p.m. Eastern standard time. ‘They will proceed thence to Miamli, Fla., and then to Havana, Cuba. The ship carried a full gasoline load of 435 gallons. It is powered with three Wright whirlwind engines. However, the flight has another sig- nificance, aside from the delivery of the ship, it was annourced. The crew will investigate &nportant landing fields along the route and make observations of flying conditions, which it was said is destined to be .argely used .for both military and commercial aviation purposes. ‘The plane is of the cantilever mono- plane type with a wing spread cf 72 feet, and is powered with ti Wright whirlwind, air-cooled engines of 230 LEHLBACH CALLS PAY BILL MEETING House Civil Service Commit- tee Will Consider Salary Measure Tomorrow. Chairman Lehlbach of the House civil service committee has called a meeting of the committee for tomorrow morning at 10:30 o’clock to consider the bill he introduced yesterday for relief of Government employes who did not receive benefits intended for them by SENATORS REIECT FIXED VALUATION IN MERGER PACT Maltbie Directed to Negotiate New Contract With Trac- tion Companies. WOULD RETAIN PRESENT FARE PENDING DECISION Universal Transfer Proviso, How- ever, Would Become Effec- tive Immediately. The Senate subcommittee investigat- ing the street railway merger question today voted against including any fixed valuation in the unification agreement and directed Dr. Milo R. Maltbie, its adviser, to negotiate with the companies in an effort to work out a new contract. The action of the subcommittee meant rejection of the clause in the plan as submitted by the companies fixing $50,000,000 as the value of the merged company for a period of 10 years. The resolution went further, however, written without mmmmmr Fare to Remain. The resolution further dec! subcommittee believes the dertgg value of the new company should be determined by the making of a new T ADother detite BB other le by the subwmmitm%mfl“ fare should remain unchanged pending the revaluation, with a proviso that universal transfers between car lines taken when it adopted by unanimous Viom 0t Senabas Vandeptonerak mo- r lican of Michigan: 5 i i I move t it be the sense subcommittee that the merger w:‘u:‘; be written without any fixed valuation; that the factor of valuation be left, without prejudice, to an actual valua- tion which “shall be completed in not later than two years; that the rates of fare, until a final valuation is made, remain un it Congress under the Welch pay bill of | pef May 28 last. Mr. Lehlbach made available today |esolutior cost estimates on his bill showing that a total of $1,168,560 probably would be spent annually if provisions in section 1 of his bill are approved. Of this amount $369,520 is in the District of Columbia and $779,040 in the field serv- 1ces. He says that under section 2 there would be some small decreases, but ihey are negligible in amount. $616,111 for Present Benefits. Section 3 of the Lehlbach relief bill calls for a single payment of $616,111.18 to defray benefits which employes are now receiving, but which were deferred to a date later than July 1 last by ad- ministrative action. Of this ai Dr. Milo Maltbie to supervise the actual valuation.” Await. Maltbie Conferences. After adopting this motion, the sub- m&a to await the con- with traction ol e Wil seek It was that Eias S on whal Siisee al '&: agreement S g are to be left x Dr. Maltbie when traction officials to see if a e ment can be written. subcommittee mount $571,486.96 is in the United States Vet~ erans’ Bureau, $42,044.32 in the Navy Department and $1,620 in the Depart~ ment of Justice. Mr. Lehlbach said that no estimate has been made of the cost under sec- tion 4 of his bill. Bill Meets Opposition. Although appaféntly welcomed by the Personnel Classification Board, the Lehl- bach bill is meeting opposition among ‘Government workers and their* leaders, the Brookhart-Cellar bill being favored in its place. Board officials are de- fended in the Lehlbach bill in their fight with Controller General McCarl. Luther C. Steward, president of the National Federation of Federal - ployes, and Mrs. Margaret Hopkins Worrell, president of the League of the American Civil Service, have both come out for the Brookhart measure. Capt. Carlos Van Leer, chairman of the Personnel Classification Board, was plain in approval of the Lehlbach bill in its general provisions. Capt. Van Leer admitted the McCarl decisions had virtually nullified the power of the board in attempting to administer the classification act. In this the chair- man was reiterating an opinion recent- L};e)apressed by another member of the ard. The Lehlbach bill would place in the hands of the board “final and con- clusive” power to administer the act and to make allocations of positions “on all officers of the Government, including those charged with the duty of preparation and audit of pay rolls.” Among certain personnel experts in the Government deflnments fear was expressed that the Lehlbach bill would put too much power in the hands of | if the board as it now is constituted, and with whose decisions the personnel ex- perts are more or less continually in conflict. Terms Bill “to Intricate.” “The Lehlbach bill is too intricate,” declared Mrs. Worrell, who been waging a fight for higher pay for lower salaried employes. “It don’t do for the undergald employes what the Brook- hart bill will do. We don't want any of the high salaried people cut down, but we want the lower salaries raised, equally, and the Brookhart bill will do that. ~The Brookhart bill should pass and the Lehlbach bill should be thrown into the discard.” Steward explained that parts of the Lehlbach bill were all right, but that the measure did not go far enough. He disagreed with the mathematical for- mula designed by Lehlbach to determine the relative tg‘;smon of persons pro- mg:ed from old to the new salary rates. g Steward approved of the Lehlbach provision to adjust the pay of persons who “were clearly intended to be within the purview of the Welch act, but who were deprived of increases on ac- horsepower each. (Continued on Page 2, Column 4.) Happy Song About Girl Friend Changes To Prisoner’s Lament When Pistol Drops By the Associated Press. CHICAGO, January 9.—Listen to William Hanson singing last night about 11 o'clock: “35 She My Girl Friend? Vo-dodeo- And to William Hanson singing this morning about 1 o'clock: “If I Had the Wings of an Ain-Jul, From These Prison Walls I Would Fly.” Hanson went calling on the ‘“girl — friend,” Miss Edith Hampel, last night. At 11 o'clock Miss Hampel produced Hanson's overcoat and offered to hold it for him. As he was putting it on, a revolver fell from the pocket, struck tee, Senator Glass, Democrat, of 4 was unable to be present. A It was recalled today that Senator Vandenberg, who offered the motion which the subcommittee acted on today, presented a memorandum at the last meeting of the subcommittee two weeks ago setting forth his view of the prob- lem. It is not known whether the resolution adopted today contains the point made by Senator Vandenberg in his previous memorandum. When the subcommittee met at 10:30 o'clock this lengthy written reports from Dr. Malt- ble, the Bureau of Efficiency and the tncttllon Dmfél.h' mu% forth their re- spective positions rega; the pend merger plan. S The action of the subcommittee car- ries out the recommendations of Dr. Maltbie, who told the Senators a fixed valuation should not be provided for in the unification agreement. The Bureau of Efficiency, in its latest report, ex- pressed the view that a fixed valution would be desirable, although not essen- tail to the merger. The letter of the companies took the position that since they have certgin valuation rights at the present time, they should not be asked to enter a merger without a fixed valuation, pend- ing the making of a new valual after merger, Their letter also defended the $50,000,000 rate base as a compromise fair to all parties, but contained a sug- gestion that the companies thought the most they should be asked to do would be to shorten the length of time in which the fixed value would continue, it was found a revaluation could be completed at an early date. Confers This Afternoon. Following the action taken by the subcommittee, Dr. Maltbie held his first conference with the traction officials at 2 o'clock this afternoon. The subcom- mittee’s experts may have to leave for California at the end of this week on other business, and in view of that, it is probable that an effort will be made to carry on negotiations in relation to the local merger as far as ble with- In the next day or two. The subcommittee adopted the follow- ing resolution to give Dr. Maltble the necessary authority to proceed with ne- gotiations with the parties to the merger proposal: “That Dr. Maltbie be authorized to represent your subcommittee in con- ferences with the utilities, in an effort to reduce this action to actual form, and that he also proceed in the same manner with the balance of his recol mendations; the result of his efforts to be submitted as soon as possible to the chairman of the subcommittee for further action of the subcommittee.” Mexico to Aid Port Growth. MEXICO CITY, January 9 (#).—The government announced today that 40,- 000,000 pesos ($20,000,000) would be spent in the next four years at ports on the Gulf and Pacific Coasts. Work will be done to improve conditions at Tampico, Tuxpan, Vera Cruz, Salina Crux and Mazatlan. g b Bomb Blamed as House Burns. MICHIGAN CITY, Ind, January 9 (#).—Fire, lollowm‘:ne an explosion early the floor and was discharged. The :ullet struck Miss Hampel in the right nee. He took her to a hospital and they took him to the Hyde Park police station, today, d near here of John F. a attorney. Officials expressed the bel that the residence had been bombed. IR ErSmay Radio Programs—Page 24