Evening Star Newspaper, August 20, 1929, Page 5

PLANHELD USELESS President Ham Declares Commission Without Power to Effect Proposal. the final say in approving & mer- el asked Mr. Clayton. “I think Congress should delegate the power to the commission or to some other body to approve the agreement,” replied Mr. Ham. “Do you still think Congress should delegate to the commission power to alter or amend the charter of the street car companies,” asked Mr. Clay- tol n. At this point the three members of the commission got together in a whis- pered conference, and a few minutes later Chairman Patrick announced that there were several matters in connec- tion with the questions raised which must be considered by the commission, and a recess would be taken until later in the day. Shows Construction Cost. ‘To show the increased value of the company’s property now as compared with 1914, William F. Ham, president of the Washington Railway & Electric Co., presented figures showing the cost of various articles used in street railway construction then and now. Before he entered upon this line of testimony, Commissioner Hartman asked whether the company had made any change in its method of accounting as & result of the report of the Bureau of Accounts of the Interstate Commerce Commission made for the Bureau of Bfficiency in connection with the merger_investigation. . “We have made no changes,” sald Mr. m. As fllustrations of the way price levels u ve increased, Mr. Ham said that the \ Tage wage paid in the way depart- ment of the company in 1914 was $86.67 for a 10-hour day, while now the aver- age is $167.80 for an 8-hour day. He gave detailed wage figures for various classes of workmen in that and other departments, all showing big increases. ‘Wheels Cost More. As illustrations of the increase in the cost of material he said cast iron wheels between 1914 and 1929 had increased % cent a pound, or from 13; cents to 2 cents. Brake shoes had increased from $40 to $53 a ton, steel yokes from $30 to $52.50 a ton, slot rail from $40 to $91.90 a ton and trolley poles from $6 to $18.50 each. At the request of Commissioner Hart- man he introduced index figures show- ing the comparative cost of electric Tailway construction from 1913 to 1928. ‘With the cost in 1913 considered as 100 per cent, the index figure went up to 244.7 in 1920 and after that began to fall until it was 202.4 in 1926. For 1928 the index figure was 203.1. Mr. Hart- man asked Mr. Ham whether he was familiar with the change made by the Labor Department in the basis of its index figures recently and the reascns for making it. “Yes,” said Mr. Ham, “I think they preferred to start with a figure of two or three years ago as a basis rather than keep on going back to figures which are only historically interesting.” Mr. Ham then filed an exhibit which showed for the years 1922 to date operating revenue, operating expenses, income available ‘for return on value, fair value and percentage return on fair value. Exhibit Reviews Revenues. According to this exhibit, the com- pany’s maximum return on fair value during the period was 4.52 per cent in 1923, and the lowest was 3.99 per cent in 1926, During the 12 months ended April 30, 1929, the company earned a return, according to the ex- hibit, of 4.11 per cent. Although the company's operating income showed a decrease between 1927 and 1928, the company's income available for fair re- turn showed an increase through cut- ting of operating expenses. The Op- erating revenue in 1927 was $5287,- 49340, and the operating expenses $4,510,764.45, leaving income available for return of $776,728.95. In 1928 the company made in operating revenues $5,221,926.35, but their operating ex- penses were cut to $4,403,729.92, leav- ing income available for return of $818,196.43. Chairman Mason M. Patrick of the commission asked Mr. Ham to ex- plan this increase in income available for return. Greatest Saving. Mr. Ham replied that the higher income available for return in 1928 was due to lower operating expenses result- from the fact that the District appropriation bill was delayed in pas- sage that year, which caused a delay in street improvements and a consequent delay in work by the car companies on their tracks. Chairman Patrick asked what the greatest item of saving was from the years 1922 to 1928 and Mr. Ham said it was from the use of one-man cars, which had saved the company during that period $140,000, which would have been spent if two-man cars had been “Little Black Book” Reappears. Commissioner Hartman’s “little black ‘book,” filled with typewritten questions prepared after a study of the Washington Railway & Electric Co.’s accounts, made its appearance again yesterday after- noon. By the time the day's session ended Mr. Hartman had asked Mr. Ham to answer 24 of these questions. The witness was able to answer some of them, but others he said he would an- swer after he had consulted the records. Several pages of questions were turned over to the stenographer for incorpora- REAR ADMIRAL A. tion in the record of the hearing. The answers will be furnished later by Mr. Mr. Hartman said. he could not find any relationship between the amounts which the company charged against its depreciation reserve for property retired as no longer useful and the amount which had been put in the depreciation account during the time the retired property was in service. Mr. Ham said there was no relationship between the WO, Criticism was directed by Mr. Ham against the rates fixed by the commis- sion several years ago by which the company should accrue depreciation re- serves. He said the commission had made a “fundamental error” in fixing these rates as in fixing valuation. Differences in the accounting methods of the Washington Railway & Electric Co. and the Capital Traction Co. were developed by~-some of Mr. Hartman's questions. He brought out differences in their treatment of depreciation and in their methods of charging increases to their capital accounts or their valu- ation figures. Mr. Ham gave examples of betterments which his company added to its claimed valuation as the xIm.t;e upon which it requested I.ncrene‘d ares. A in f4 One Price Cash or Credit ‘This store does not find it necessary to mark prices at in- flated figures to be manipulated to fit the occasion. No secrecy needed where no deception is intended. . ‘ GROGAN'S 817823 Seventts SLNW REAR ADM. MBLACK DECIDE SHOOTING 1S DEAD IN FRANCE| APART FROM DUTY =202 5022 2% P. NIBLACK, ‘Who died in Nice, France, today. al Former Member of General Navy Board Succumbs in Nice. By the Assoclated Press. NICE, Fran miral Albert 3 been critically ill here for a week or more, died today. Rear Admiral Niblack, who had a dis- | inquiry ce, Augus P. Nibla tucky avenue souf Company A, partici- | ing period here. was com| Board Rules Guardsman Not Entitled to Government Hospitalization. By a Staff Correspondent of The Star. ! AT M August 20 e aocidontal i , Md., August 20.—The acciden k70, Who has | iooting of himselt through the knee | 224 required for expert. ‘Thursday was not in line of duty, but not due to his misconduct a board of decided today in the case of tinguished career in the United States | Private Robert S. Henry of 501 Ken- Navy, was the director of the Interna- tional Hydrographic Bureau at” Monaco. He had been naval attache at Berlin, Rome and Vienna and then served in the Spanish-American _war, pating in the battle of Nipe Bay. He commanded many American ships and in 1914 was a member of the general He commanded Squadron the patrol force placed at Gibral- |ly disc] tar in November, 1917, and commanded the United States naval forces in the Wenerln Mediterranean until after the a 121st Engineers of the District National Guard, the second week of their annual train- ‘The testimony before the board, which ed of Majs. Julian S. OIiff, Maj. Ralph S. Childs and George J. Allen, indicated that Henry «accidental- harged & 25-caliber automatic owned by a tent mate while playing with it in his tent. It was first thought the board would be compelled to go to ‘Washington today to interview Henry before rendering ision, but Lieut. Walter Stokes of mmm Corps the Guard visited Washington hig] encampment thus far was registered by Private Philip C. Geracl of Company D. Geracl scored nine points more was needed to attain classificy of expert e . sible 250. The next highest score of he day was made by Staff . Lu- ther B. Hall, also of Company D, with 223 points, one point below the mark of A list of the men who qualified fol- lows: Company D, Geraci, expert, staff; Sergt. Edgar S. McDonald and Pvt. Willlam A. Bridges, sharpshooters, ¢ | and Corpl. Kenneth L. Bauer, Pvt. Clar- ence E. Buckley, Pvt. Willlam J. Hart, Pvt. Edward R. Marsh, First Sergt. Neil M. Goen, Pvt. Otho 8. Pumphrey and Pvt. Jerome Delisi, marksmen. Com- pany C, Corpl. Nicholas S. Medile, Sergt. Julius Andrae, Pvt. David R. Middleton, Pvt. Sanford W. Ross, Pvt. Daniel Magregor, Pvt. Sheldon C. John~ son, Pvt. Hershel G. Bunch and Pvt. Robert Kahne, marksmen. Col. John W. Oel in, camp com-. mander, yesterday expressed himself as extremely pleased with the way the pre- t, & member of undergoing \ lon, rifleman, making 233 out of a | Col hall{ yesterday went pared schedule of training for the of the encampment is being fol- wed by the troops. With a few minor the schedule has been strict- to, indicat ly pointed out, its 3 The schedule was prepared Lieut. George Harbin, plans and trmm:w of- ficer, under the direction and super- vision of Col. Oehmann and Lieut. Col. Federal instructor. Since try and has been accepted by gineer school at Fort Humphreys, Va;, as & text in the study of training Beside the schedule now being used, oo Tor "ttty the segiment. for program for fitting for actual service in battle. The period of training would cover three months and would be much more intensive than the present course, ‘The 29th S Co. of Norfolk hrough another com- munical m&rnblem similar to the one of last y. This time, however, their lines were laid out with Camp Ritchie as the focal point. Radio and telephonic communication was estab- lished between the forward and rear echelons of a division, the headquar- ters of the two brigades, the corps’ headquarters and an rvation post. After the miles of wire been laid during the morning test, messages were sent back and forth throughout the oon. The demolitions work got into full swing yesterday with the blowing up of several craters and trees. A group of enlisted men trained by Lieut. bin, demolitions officer, functioned in- their various Companies A and P went on the rifle range this morning for their day iring. en they com- plete their record course tomorrow the entire regiment will have finished rifle work for the Summer. An exception to this is the rifle team which will leave for the national matches at Camp Perry, Ohlo, immediately upon termina- tion of camp here. Meanwhile the team members practice daily. ‘The 29th division staff yesterday was given a combat map problem to solve and this morning left camp on a survey of the surrounding terrain which is pari of a reconnaissance and attack problem. Their work is being done under the supervision of Lieut. Col. Charles B. Elliott, Federal in- structor. Maj. Gen. Anton Stephan, com- manding the 29th Division, received an invitation yesterday from the 80th Division Veterans' Association, to at- tend their tenth annual ball tomorrow evening in the Raleigh Hotel. The gen- eral was compelled to decline, since his duties will confine him to camp. ‘Tomorrow night the enlisted men will hold a dance in the Hostess House and the following evening an officers’ dinner will take place in the Buena Vista Springs Hotel. Arrangements are being made for District_day, set for Saturday. Hun- dreds of visitors are expected, and it is planned to have the mess with the companies to which their friends or relatives belong. Among the ent guests who have accepted invitations to attend arz Commissioner Sidney F. Taliaferro, Representative Prederick N. Zi'man and Brig. Gen. George 8. Simonds of the general staff. ONE KILLED, 10 ARE HURT IN ARTILLERY STAMPEDE 50 Horses Run Wild During Ma- neuvers Near Fort Russell, in Wyoming. By (;:EE Associated Press. "HEYENNE, Wpyo., August 20— Waiter C. Brunson, 21, of Indianapolis, Ind., was killed and 10 other men in- Jjured, three seriously, yesterday when more than 50 horses, "attached to a field artillery battery, stampeded at the Pole Mountain _maneuver and target reservation of Fort D. A. Russell, 30 miles northwest of Cheyenne. 4 The dead trooper was a private in Battery A of the 76th Field Artillery, as were all the injured. The stampede occurred during an artillery maneuver, when the horses bolted and threw riders and cannoneers and trampled over other soldiers. The cause of the stampede has not been learned, and an official report probably will not be made until Wednesday. Marvin W. Boyer and August O. Shane both of Newburg. Ind., and Nat P. Petersen, Little Falls, Minn, re- ceived the most serious injuries. KEEPING Farra with the “promuse of the show-wr (") UALITY in shoes begins with the : character and conception of those swho make them—but only begins. 3Good style, likewise, becomes a good *shoe only through good shoemaking. International quality goes far deeper than the smartness of International style. To every shoe'is brought the most careful selection of materials. Each shoe is fashioned and built to deliver service as unmistakably'as it reflects grace. There is no substitution for quality in any shoe, regardless of price—they must stand use as effectively as they stand display. It is this ideal of what a good shoe should represent that has brought to the InternationalShoe Company the greatest patronage in the world of shoes. Fifty million pairs—one out of every seven produced by the entire industry —are bought each year by people who have found that these shoes deliver a degree of quality above that which might be expected for the price paid. To put reality into these standards of value, each of International’s 43 great shoe factories is a specialty plant, concentrating on just one type of men’s, women’s or children’s shoes—: and ihat alone. ROBERTS, JOHNSON &RAND ST.LOUIS INTER . _COMPANY finishes. 0 PROVIDE adequate facilities for Tiu tremendous production, to as- sure uniformity in its high standards of quality, and to effect the economies that lower the price you pay, the International Shoe Company owns and operates ~ 43 Specialty Shoe Factories, each mak- ing just one particular type and grade of shoe, together producing 50,000,000 pairs a year. 14 Tanneries, each specializing in one particular type of leather, produc- ing 25,000 sides and skins a day. 1 Rubber Heel and Sole Plant, pro- ducing 125,000 pairs of heels and 30,000 pairs of soles a day. 1 Cotton Mill, to produce 7,000,000 yards of lining fabric a year. 59 Auxiliary Plants, producing welt- ing, dyes, chemicals, shoe boxes, shipping cartons, trunks, gloves, etc., to the value of more than $30,000,000 a year if purchased from outside sources. PETERS ST.LOUIS The workers in each plant are them- selves specialists, trained for years to better the single operation that is their contribution to final quality. But that isn’t all. Fourteen great tanneries are as highly specialized as the shoe plants, each concentrating on just one kind of leather. Special units produce its own lining fabrics, rubber heels and soles, chemicals, dyes and Fifty-nineauxiliary plantsextend this policy to the production of every nec- essary material—even to the boxes which hold the shoes and the cases in which they are shipped. Through this principle of specializa- tion, International assures the wearers of its shoes consistently better materials and workmanship. By producing these materials within its own plants, without the added costs of open- market purchas- ing, it passes on to the nationa saving in its shoe bill amounting to millions of dollars ayear. And through this assurance of the quality that lies within, Inter- national Shoes keep faith with the ‘promise made you by their out- ward-beauty. and infants. FRIEDMAN-SHELBY St.Louls MORSE & ROGERS INTERNATIONAL SHOES are marketed under the six marks of quality which are shown below. Together they comprise more than 1,000 styles of footwear for men, women, children They are sold by more HUTCHINSON ~WINCH BOSTON than 70,000 leading merchants, dis- tributed throughout every state in the Union. Regardless of the brand you select, the style you prefer or the price you pay, International Shoes represent the greatest shoe value you can buy. ALL TRIANGLE L 4 VITALITY SHOE CO. ST.Louts VITALITY <, oW Cares’ NATIONAL SHOE Genieril Offices. .00 Loie, U.8.A - Health Shoe