Evening Star Newspaper, February 6, 1929, Page 6

] o w e SUBURBAN D. €, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 1929, SUBURBAN NEWSS ROAD SHORTAGES SEEN N COUNTIES States Attorney 0’Conor Scores Methods of Mary- land Commission. BY WILLIAM J. WHEATLEY, Staft Correspondent of The Star. STATEHOUSE, ANNAPOLIS, Md. February 6.—Much of the “deviltry the State Roads Commission scandals has been committed in the counties of Maryland, State’s Attorney Herbert R. O'Conor told the grand inquest of the Maryland Legislature, who suggested that the joint committee might wel | look Jdnto this phase, as well as into | the matter of the illegal disposition of | Federal surplus property given to thg State for road work. O'Conor told the | committee that he had much yet to be | done in the way of seeking indictments, | but that his jurisdiction only went to| the boundaries of Baltimore City. He| made it plain that there was muchi work for county grand juries in these | investigations, pointing out that many “leads” in his office pointed to the counties. In stating that he would ®resent further resuits of his investigagons to ‘the present grand jury, O'Conor told the grand inquest that “a most pernici- ous favoritism has characterized the handling of many contracts, as well as a further exposition of the illegal ap- propriation of the State’s funds and assets by those in positions of trust.” .He severely condemned the book- keeping methods of the commission, and said that study of the case indicated that large sums of money has been “willfully and erroneously paid on un- warranted requisitions.” O’Conor told the committee that it might well look into the matter of the disposition of the Federal surplus war property given the State, and said that guch an investigation would have to be | started at the source. He indicated that & number of tractors had been disposed | of to contractors and the account car- ried on the books for years, not being paid until after the outside auditors made their report with the disclosures. He suggested that there should be legis- lation requiring audits to be made by outside auditors instead of political ‘apointees. Peculations to Date Shown. For more than an hour O’Conor read to the committee a prepared statement giving in detail the amount of pecula- tions uncovered to date, the reports of the two grand juries which investigated the scandals, his dealings with attorneys for the convicted men. It was a most complete review of the case to date, and there were no interruptions from the committee during the entire period he was reading the statment, which was done in the old Senate chamber of the BState Capitol, where George Washingion T ed his commission in the Army in 1783, Following his suggestion that the eommittee look into surplus war mate- \rial distributed to the State, the grand inquest, on motion of Speaker E. Brooke Lee of Silver Spring, named the following subcommittee to pursue the investigation: Daniel C. Joseph of Bal- timore, chairman; Jos- " A. Wilmer of | \Faulkner, Charles Cou..s, Rqpublican floor leader of the lower house, who tarted the surplus property investiga- ! n; James J. Lindsay of Baltimore | County, Democratic floor leader in the Jower house; Senator Lansdale G. Sass- ‘cer of Upper Marlboro, Prince Georges iCounty; Senator David J. Ward of 'Salisbury, Wicomico County, and J. Milton Patterson of Cumberland, Alle- gany County. “I have had but a single purpose ince this case came to our attention,” said O'Conor, in summing up his re- rt to the grand inquest, “and that is t every man criminally involved in the peculations of the State’s funds should be brought to the bar of justice. _ “The investigation has been long and | fedious, involving thousands of trans- {sctions. Every bit of evidence coming into my possession that could serve the ;grand inquest in its deliberations was given to it, and at this date there is ,yet much ahead to be done. The past grand jury, in its report, stated that it had been unable to do more than /take up and investigate certain phases | of the case, leaving to succeeding grand ‘Juries the final disposition of the case. “It is an old adage that a job is not complete unti] it is done right. Cer- tainly the most conservative observer of what has been going on in this case ,cannot but conclude that there is yet much to be investigated. “It is my plan to lay before the grand jury information, some of which has recently come jnto my possession, from which that body may conclude that many contracts haye been illegally and criminally handled; data that may in- dicate that large sums of money have been willfully and erroneously paid on unwarranted requisitions.” Negligence Costs Thousands. He said that undoubtedly hundreds of thousands of dollars had been lost o the people of the State by negligent and careless handling. He said it would seem that some effort should have been made to collect the money owed to the State by contractors and others. There were 57 accounts on the books, in bills receivable, amounting to approximately $250,000, some of them for mofe than #£ight years. There were many charges sgainst the counties and corporate towns for work done. During the period that these bills were on the books the yoad commission had paid more than $2,000,000,000, he said, and the charges could have been deducted before the checks were paid. He told of the case of one contractor against whom a money charge was on the book for 10 years. He added that when this par- ticular contractor was sought out by the investngator, he produced a canceled check which showed that it had been md years before, yet, added O’Conor, re was nothing on the books to show that it had been paid. At the conclusion of Mr. O'Conor's statement, Alexander Armstrong, for- mer State's attorney general, and now & member of counsel for the grand in- quest, fmterrogated the young State’s attorney, on behalf of the committee. ~ Mr. Armstrong asked the State's at- torney to detall some of the methods used by the convicts. O'Conor said that the largest losses were thefts ac- 'complished by the preparation of vouchers in the Road Commission of- fices for work done, but which was not actually done by contractors, who were doing work for the State, by forging the names of the payees and cashing the checks in banks throughout the city of Baltimore. Another series, he said, consisted of padding the pay rolls, and the obtaining of merchandise in and around the city, and after a legitimate bill had been rendered, other items were inserted, and the material was used for private benefit. Asked how the substitutions were brought to light, O’Conor stated that as the investigation progressed, suspicion pointed to certain persons. In looking ‘back over the vouchers, the items were checked with the accounts of vendor In one case, he said, it was found th: instead of the items on the bill, an au- tomobile had been obtained and was used by the man as his private car. ‘This was accomplished by making up a false statement. 2 ‘When Mr. Armstrong asked if there was any limitation in the State's road personnel, or agreement among the em- ployes as to amounts, O'Conor replicd that “there were no limitations; they took just about all they wanted.” He said that he did not think that the auditor could have discovered the sub- stitution of the automobile, but he be- lieved he should have found the p: roll paddings, by simply comparing the annual salary of the employe and then ! checking these with ~the separate vouchers. One employe, he said, ob- teined in two weaks $1,000, a half year's poy. It would seem, he said, that the View in school, where examinations will be held weekly. and Mrs. T. N. Clayton, nurse. Dr. J. S. Geiser, testing teeth of Esther Fuller, auditor should have discovered this. There was no balancing of the books, he said. Any one could not take from the information on the books that cer- tain persons had taken from $70 to $100 more than their pay. Found many cases of overdrawn salaries, and in one a man was overdrawn every year from 1924 to 1928, Gasoline Twice Paid For. He cited the case of one employe, entitled to gasoline for his car, who got it av the State garage at Glenburni and then obtained billheads of private garages, filled them out and put them in, so that the State paid for the gaso- line twice. When he was asked how the com- mittee could assist him. he said he did not like to be presumptious and tell the committee what to do, but that he wel- comed any assistance he could get from any source in order to bring the cul- prits to justice. It was then that O'Conor told the committee that “it would be well worth your time and efforts” to go into the matter of the surplus war property given the State. During the course of the investigation he named a large contracting firm of Baltimore, headed by a prominent Re- publican leader of the city, which had obtained some of the tractors. It was intimated by the committee that demands will be made to have the State enter suits at once against banks where the convicted employes of the Roads Commission cashed forged checks in an effort to recover part of the $376,- 000 stolen. The committee decided to subpoena William Purnell Hall, attorney for Charles L. Ewers, convicted road em- ploye, now in the Baltimore Jail, to appear at 3:30 p.m. tomorrow. - Hall, in Baltimore, threatened to “blow the lid off” the whole affair as a result of dis- closures made to him by his client. Senator Harry O. Levin, Republican, of Baltimore, who has been consistently opposing the investigation by the Nelli- gan committee, which is sitting in Bal- timore, has written to Attorney General ‘Thomas A. Robinson for an opinion as to legality of the act, passed Monday night by the Legislature and signed by the governor, conierring on the Nelligan body inquisitorial powers, DATA FROM PRINCE GEORGES. Coniractor Says Private Roads Were Built With State Funds. Special Dispatch to The Star. BALTIMORE, February 6.—The bullding of roads on private property by the Maryland Roads Commission and the giving away of truckloads of auto- mobile parts valued at approximately $10,000 was testified to late yesterday by witnesses before the committee ap- pointed by Gov. Ritchie to investigate the road fund shortages. Alfred J. Wise, a hauling contractor of Upper Marlboro, Prince Georges County, testified he was instructed by Fdward G. Duncan, district engineer of the roads commission, to lay a private road in front of the place of W. Hamp- ton Magruder, one of the political lead- ers of Prince Georges County. He caid that was in 1927, and when he was asked by a member of the com- mittee who paid for the work, Wise replied: “Duncan. That is he signed the check.” Wise added that he was paid with a roads check, but that the money came out of funds in the Eastern Shore Truck Co., Marlboro branch. Wise said he asked Duncan: “Do you mean to tell me the State roads is paying for this work?” “Yes. The right-of-way of the Crain highway touches Magruder's place,” he said Duncan replied. . RAILWAY BOARD CHOSEN. Washington & Rockville Directors Take in New Member. Special Dispatch to The Star. ROCKVILLE, Md,, February 6.—The stockholders of the Washington & Rockville Electric Railway Co., a sub- idiary of the Washington Railway & Electric Co., held their annual meeting in the company’s office here and elect- ed directors, as follows: Charles J. Bell, Woodbury Blair, Robert F. Flem- ing, William F. Ham, William T. Gal- liher, Robert N. Harper, Clarence F. Norment, S. Russell Bowen and Julius A. Kaiser. All were re-elected but Mr. Kaiser, who succeeds Dr. Larkin W. Glaze- brook. H. J. Taylor Takes Office. Special Dispatch to The Star. STAUNTON, Va., February 6.—Her- bert J. Taylor has qualified and taken the oath of office before the City Cor- poration Court as commonwealth attor- ney of Staunton. Mr. Taylor succeeds Floridus 8. Crosby who tendered his resignation to Judge Richard S: Ker, who appointed Mr. Taylor to fill out the unexpired term. 17-Foot Petition For Prince Georges Road Is Presented Special Dispatch to The Stan UPPER MARLBORO, Md., Feb- ruary 6.—A petition nearly 17 feet long, asking that the Maryland Roads Commission be requested to construct a lateral road from the terminus of the cement high- way near Landover, Md., to Up- per Marlboro by way of Oak Grove, was presented to the county commissioners yesterday by a delegation from the Kent district, headed by Clarence Rob- erts and O. C. Strawn. ‘The petition, signed by several hundred persons outside the dis- trict, 2s well as nearly every resi- dent in it, points out that a road such as they are asking” would make possible a direct route from the northern part of Prince Georges County to the Charles County line without entering the District of Columbia, as is neces- sary at present. Among the sign- ers was Beaver Dam Golf Club, with nearly 2,000 members. SCHOOL CLINIC OPENED. Riverdale Dental Examinations to Be Held Once a Week, Special Dispatch to The Star. RIVERDALE, Md., February 6.—Prince Georges County's first dental clinic for school children and those under school age was opened at the Riverdale School this morning. The clinic was established at the re- quest of the Riverdale Parent-Teacher Association, and is sponsored by that organization with the assistance of the Bureau of Child Hygiene of the State Board of Health and the Prince Georges County Health Department. It will be operated by Dr. R. A. Vawter of Hyatts- ville and Dr. J. 8. Geiser of Riverdale. The clinic will be held once a week, probably on Fridays, according to Dr, Wjlliam 8, Keister, county health officer. AL e FINAL SURVEY BEGUN ON MT. VERNON AVE. Special Dispatch to The Star. CLARENDON, Va. February 6.— Faced with the problem of having the county’s bmft“ road project of the year finished before the State commences widening the Washington-Alexandria pike, a force from the engineer's office of Arlington County yesterday started th: final survey of Mount Vernon ave- nue. It is planned to ask for bids on the project by March 1. The most difficult problem to be faced on the reconstruction of the road is the straightening of the present curves on the “Oakcrest” Hill. These curves have been the cause of numerous accidents and are to be eliminated as nearly as possible, according to C. L. Kinnear, county engineer. Mount Vernon avenue is the only road over which Southern travel can pass when the State starts widening the ‘Washington-Alexandria gieke. Funds for the latter project will available at the beginning of the next fiscal year, July 1, so it is necessary that the coun- ty complete Mount Vernon avenue be- fore that time. More than $100,000 is to be expended in the reconstruction of Mount Verncn avenue from Hume Station to Columbia pike, the section through the town of Potomac having been completed last year. This is the largest single road building project ever attempted' by the county. The entire length of Mount Vernon avenue lies in Jefferson district, of which Edward Duncan is supervisor. The other project tentatively planned by the county is the reconstruction and widening of Wilson boulevard, which runs from Rosslyn through Clarendon in Arlington district. Supervisor B. M. Hedrick is making every effort to se- cure free rights of way for the widening and will endeavor, he says, to have the work done this Summer. Just what this- project will cost has not yet been de- termined. . Alonzo N. Pugh Expires. Special Dispatch to Th LYNCHBURG, Va., February 6.— Alonzo Newton Pugh, 52 years of age, died at his home near here Sunday night. He is survived by his widow, Mrs., Mamie Pugh; two sons, H. N. ‘l:::ug; ns! L{tmhm{ix nn.g‘ 'X ‘W. Pugh of , city, and a T, Mrs. Rosa Davis of Altavista. DECISION DEFERRED IN ZONING DISPUTE Prince Georges Commission- ers Postpone Settlement With Park Group. Special Dispatch to The Star. UPPER MARLBORO, Md, February 6.—Settlement of the difficulties between the Prince Georges County commission- ers and the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, expect- ed yesterday, was deferred at least a week, when the commissioners, at the conclusion of a joint meeting with an engineering representative of the park group, announced they had received ex- pert legal opinion and advice on zoning from individuals of national reputation on parking and planning, which they wished to study. $ Further indication that the matter of administering the zoning ordinances framed by the park commission prob- ably will finally be settled soon was con- tained in the announcement that repre- sentatives of that body would again meet with the county commissioners next week, and that the county delega- tion in the Legislature would also attend so that a complete understanding and final decision might be reached. The identity of the county commis- sioners informants was not disclosed, but it was said a course of action which will best avoid litigation had been out- lined. The whole difficulty has been that the commissioners have believed the Park and Planning Commission had no authority to draft zoning regula- tions, and refused to take over the responsibility of administering them. Seventeen requests for changing in zoning have been held up pending a settlement of the matter. ‘The county delegation recently con- ferred with the commissioners on the subject, when a suggestion that the park commission be authorized to ad- minister their own ordinance was under consideration. WATER UNDER SCRUTINY. Health Officers Visit Tourist Camps and Other Places. Special Dispatch to The Star. FAIRFAX, Va, February 6—The Virginia State Department of Health is making an investigation of the water supply of all tourist camps, tearooms and other public restaurants and lodg- ing houses. J. W. Smith, formerly em- ployed by Fairfax County as part-time sanitary officer, and now in the em- ploy of the State Public Health De- partment as sanitary engineer, is in Falrfax this week visiting places along the Lee, Jackson and Richmond High- ways, and other State-maintained beulevards. When the water supply is found to be free of typhoid or other disease germs a placard is posted. {industry and studies of Virginia's tax VIRGINIA . C. PLAN YEAR'S ACTIVITIES Annual Meeting at Roanoke Tomorrow to Elect 12 Directors. By the Associated Pre: ROANOKE, Va,, February 6.—A new program of work during 1929 and thereafter will be adopted by the Vir- ginia Chamber of Commerce at its an- nual meeting here tomorrow, it is an- nounced by officials. The meeting will be the most important, it is said, of any gathering of the organization since its| formation, five years ago. | Election of 12 directors out of a board of 21 will be another important matter of business at the meeting. The new board will organize during the day, and ; the various elective offices, including the president, vice president and treas- urer, will be filled. Junius P. Fishburn of Roanoke, who has served as presi- dent during the last two years, has a: anunced that he will not accept another rm. “Five-Five” fro(r-m to End. ‘Thursday, the day of the meeting, will bring the “five-five” program of the organization to a close. The “five-five” program, under which the Chamber of Commerce operated during the first five years of its life, included the develop- ment of Hampton Roads as a world port, the development of Virginia agri~ culture and Virginia water-power and laws and of her State, municipal and county governments, W. D. Ennis, vice president of the Technical Advisory Corporation, will an- nounce at the meeting the completion of Virginia’s industrial survey, conduct- ed by the Virginia State Chamber of Commerce, to make available facts and figures necessary for the proper devel- opment of the State industrially. Mr. Ennis will also make one of the princi- pal addresses at the meeting. The president will call the meeting to order at 10 o'clock in the morning. The reading of the annual report of the president, reviewing the work of the State chamber for 1928, will follow. Julien H. Hill of Richmond, treasurer, will make a report showing the financial condition and annual audit of the or- ganization's books. Maj. Hodges Will Make Report. Maj. Le Roy Hodges, managing di- rector, will make the fifth year report, in which he will review the work done during the life of the organization and will summarize the program for the coming year. His report will be fol- lowed by the reports, in order, of J. Gordon Bohannan of Petersburg, chair- man of the committee on the develop- ment of Hampton Roads; Dr. Douglas | S. Freeman of Richmond, chairman of the committee on agriggltural develop- ment and immigration; Willlam D. Tyler of Dante, chairman of the com- mittee on forestry; Robert H. Tucker of Lexington, chairman of the commit- tee_on taxation; Prederick E. Nolting of Richmond, chairman of the commit- tee on industry and power development, and Dr. S. C. Mitchell of the University of Richmond, chairman of the commit- | tee on government. i The delegates to the meeting will be entertained by the Roanoke Chamber of Commerce at a luncheon at 1 o'clock, when Paul C. Buford, jr., president of the local organization, will preside. Charles D. Fox, mayor of Roanoke, will make the address of welcome. LAWYERS MAKE INQUIRY. | Rights as to Filing Duplicate | Copies of Suits, Arlington Question Special Dispatch to The Star. ! CLARENDON, Va., February 6.—At a meeting yesterday in the Rucker Build- ing of the Arlington County Bar As- sociation, a committee was formed to determine whether a court order could require the filing of duplicate coples of suits prosecuted in the local courts. Under the present practice, it was said, defense attorneys cannot remove any papers from the clerk’s office and are therefore put to considerable in- convenience to obtain these copies. The committee will report at the next meet- ing whether it is possible for the rule to be made by the presiding judge or | whether it would require an act of the | Legislature to put into effect such & measure, At the opening of the next term of | court, February 18, a paintlnfi of the | late Circuit Judge A. B. Nichol will be | gresenwd to the court, it was decided | y & committee appointed to arrange | for the presentation. Police JudEe Harry R. Thomas is chairman of both committees. NORTHEAST—8th Capital, $3,400,000 CENTRAL—7th and M METHODS OF SAFEGUARDING YOUR FUTURE ‘Open a Savings Account and make regue lar deposits. Rent a Safe Deposit Box where jewels and valuable papers are safe. Create an Estate for yourself by letting us finance your home. Insure your house. autumobile or valu- ables from fire or theft. Establish a Voluntary Trust, so that you will be relieved of the details of making investments at times which may be incon- . venient to you. All of the above services form the everyday routine of the respective departments of the American Security and Trust Company. /A\MEMCANP S]EURIT‘Y 15th and Penna. Ave. BRANCHES : and H Sts. N.E. Washington’s Largest Trust Company Surplus, $3.400,000 .. Ave. N.W, SOUTHWEST—7th and E Sts. S.W. NORTHWEST—1140 15th St. N.W. GUILD ASKS HEARING ON UTILITY SERVICE Companies Defaulting as Compared to Their Billing, Consum- ers Charge. The Washington Consumers’ Guild, which lost in its recent effort to have the Public Utilities Commission abolish the practice of utility companies re- quiring deposits from consumers be- fore service was furnished, today re- uested the commission to hold a pub- lic hearing to consider the question of whether the public should have any security against the utility corporations. “At such a hearing,” the letter states, “we shall be prepared to show that the utilitles are defaulting in their service as compared with their billing and that the consumers are continually suffering losses due to the credit which they are extending to the public utili- ties and are without satisfactory means of securing redress for such losses. Since you have pointed out in your de- cision that losses of public utilities are — =} only such in a figurative sense, and ttial§ they must be borne by the consumers, you will see how much more importany it is to consider losses suffered by the consumers, because these are real and inescapable.” The letter informed the commission that the guild intends to appeal to the courts from the decision. ——— Cranberries appear to have been as food in le and Bclndlnlw long before they were introduced inf England. eiads Lo The Cut That Completes Clearance All Suits, Overcoats and Topcoats— of this season—Fashion Park, Char- ter House, Richard Austin (English) and Mode makes—no matter what the former price—mow ......... This is the climax—only formal wear clothes excepted. 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