Evening Star Newspaper, December 12, 1929, Page 1

WEATHER. (U. 8. Weather Snow or rain tonight and ‘tomorrow; slowly rising temperature; temperature tonight about 28 ‘Temperatures—Highest 40 at 9 am. yesterday: lowest 25 at noon today. Full report on Page 9. « Late N. Y. Markets, Bureau Forecast.) minimum degrees. Pages 13,14 & 15 b ¢ Foen WITH SUNDAY MORNING EDITION ing Star Associated service. The only evening papcr in Washington with th Pre:zs -— = 31,271, 35 omee, No. Xntered as second class matter Washington, D C Yesterday’s Circulotion, 112,342 WASHINGTON, B0, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 12, 1929-FIFTY-EIGHT PAGES. () Means Associated Preas. TWO CRUNDY PRESENTS CREDENTIALS FOR SEAT DENIED VARE Reading Brings Nye Resolu- tion to Reject New Appointee From Pennsylvania. NORTH DAKOTA SENATOR MAKES CLEAR HIS STAND Charges Keystone State Primary in 1926 Was Auction Sale.” “an BY G. GOULD LINCOLN, Joseph R. Grundy, appointed to the Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the Senate’s rejection of William S. Vare of Pennsylvania, appeared in the Senate chamber with his credentials soon after 1:30 p.m. today. Great interest in the appearance of Mr. Grundy was shown by the crowded galleries and by the large number of members of the House, who had come to the Senate chamber in anticipation of the event. Senator David A Ree, senior Sen- ator from Pennsylvania, presented the credentials of Mr. Grundy, signed by Gov. John S. Fisher. No sooner had they been read than Senator Nye of North Dakota offered a resolution deny- ing a seat in the Senate to Mr. Grundy on the ground that both Gov. Fisher and Mr. Grundy had participated in the 1926 primary in Pennsylvania at which Vare had been nominated and that the Mellon-Fisher-Pepper-Grundy organization had expended three times the amount of money in that primary campaign as was expended by Vare and his organization. Makes Position Clear. Senator Nye admitted that Mr. Grun- dy would be seated. He said, however, that he wished to make his own posi- tion clear, and since he had voted not to seat Vare he could not vote to seat Grundy. He declared that in seating Grundy the Senate would be awarding | a Senate seat to “the highest bidder.” | “I do not see how the Senate can accept the appointment made by Tw million-dollar Fisher to Half-a-million- dollar Grundy after denying the seat to Half-a-million-dollar Vare,” said Sena- tor Nye. “Instead of an election in Pennsyl- vania the primary in 1926 was an auc- tion sale,” continued Senator Nye. “The Senate is now going to reward the machine which spent money more lavs ishly than did the Vare machine.” Senator Nye said that he was not a lawyer, but that the legal minds in the Senate were justifying the seating of Grundy by the splitting of hairs. “The Arch-Lobbyist.” Senator Cutf of New Mexico, an- other Western Republican, obtaining the floor when Senator Nye completed remarks, characterized Grundy as the arch-lobbyist.” He said that in a few moments the oath of office would b> administered to Mr. Grundy, and t thereafter members of the Senate 1ld_serve on committees with him and dine at the same tables. “Many of us will succumb to his un- doubted perscnal charms,” said Sen- ator Cutting. “Under the rules of the Scnate none of us will thereafter be permitted to cast any reflections upon him.” Senator Cutting declared that Grundy “ntly before the Senate lobby com- > had demonstrated his ignorance of what the United States really stands for and had boasted that e had been engaged in raising campaign contribu- tions from interests with the implied promise that those interests would get back their money. ‘All he has,” said Senator Cutting, a certificate from the alleged Gov- ernor of Pennsylvania. Why should the Senate deny a scat to Vare and grant one to Grundy?” Called “King of Lobbyists.” Mr. Grundy entered the Senate in the midst of the consideration of the tariff Dbill. Only a day or two ago the Sen- ate lobby committee, through its chair- man, Senator Caraway of Arkansas, submitted a special report dealing with Mr. Grundy's activities as a lobbyist on fariff matters and picturing him as a “king of lobbyists.” The report severely criticized Mr. Grundy for his activities in Pennsylvania politics and as a lob- byist here in Washington. Text of Nye Resolution. The resolution which Senator Nye will offer to deny Mr. Grundy a seat in the Scnate follows: “Whereas, on the 6th day of Decem- ber, 1929, the Senate denied a seat in the United States Senate to Willlam S. Va of Pennsylvania, by a direct vote, by Senate resolution 111 and “Whereas, said Senate resolution, which declared the ground upon which the Senate denied the said Vare a seat in the United States Senate, declared that a Senate investigation led to find- ing that evidence, without subsL‘anuul dispute, showing that at the primary election at which Willlam S. Vare was alleged to have been nominated as a candidate for the United States Senate, there was spent in behalf of the said Vare in said primary election by the gald Vare and his friends, a sum of money exceeding $785,000; and, . Whereas, it was the expenditure of excessive amount of money and the matter of its expenditure which caused the Senate to deny a seat in the United States Senate to the said Vare; and ‘Whereas, the Governor of the State ot Pennsylvania, John 8. Fisher, notified of the vacancy in the United States Senate occasioned by the denial of a (Continued on Page 2, Column 2.) r YULETIDE RA Adams to Speak to Comdr. Richard E. Byrd and his South Polar companions will be tendered an unusual Yuletide radio party Saturday night, when Secretary of the Navy Adams, the Marine and Navy Bands. singers, musical comedy stars and oth- ers will join in a special short-wave broadeast to the “bottom of the world,” under auspices of The Star. Secretary Adams for the first time will convey orally to Comdr. Byrd and his men the felicitations of the Navy for Byrd's daring serial conquest of the South Pole. The program will be broadcast locaily by Station WRC and will be flashed 9,000 miles to Antarctica by the short- wave transmitter of WGY, in Schenec- DIO PARTY TO BE GIVEN FOR BYRD Explorer and Stage Folk to Perform in Program Under Auspices of The Star. tady, which will be hooked directly with WRC. Even Breadway will be brought with- in hearing distance of America’s ice- besieged polar adventurers by the magic of radio. By courtesy of Earl Carroll, W. G. Fields, Dorothy Britton and other stars of the “Vanities,” as well as the chorus will contribute toward the en- tertainment of the little band of ex- plorers in Little America. Only tele- vision facilities will be lacking to make the stage feature complete. The strains of “Carry Me Back to Ol' Virginny,” played by the U. S. Ma- rine Band, will open the program at 11 o'clock and “The Star Spangled Ban- ner,” rendered by the U. S. Navy Band, will bring the extraordinary event to a close at midnight. The General Elec- tric station WGY, in_Schenectady, in (Continued on Page 4, Column 1.) FILM EXECUTIVES HELD IN FIRE PROBE Pathe Studio Vice President and Manager Charged With Manslaughter. By the Associated Press. NEW YORK, December 12—Two executives of the Pathe Studios were arrested today on charges of .man- slaughter in connection with the death of 10 persons in the fire which ae- stroyed the Manhattan Film Studio Tuesday. They are John C. Flinn, 40, of You- kers, a vice president, and Henry F. Lalley, 40, manager. They were ai- rested after police seized 160 contain- ers, estimated to hold betweeen 50,000 and 100,000 feet of film. ‘The manslaughter charge is based on negligence growing out of alleged violation of a city ordinance prohibl- ing the storage of more than five reem of film in certain types of buildings. The Manhattan Studio was classifiea as coming under this ordinance by the fire marshal's department. Four chorus girls and six male mem- bers of a company of 100 were burnea | to death when fire broke out in the studio during the filming of a talking picture. Officials of the fire-prevention bu- reau said a sprinkler system had been ordered installed in the studio, but the order could not be enforced because not more than five reels of film were stored in the building at one time. Flinn and Lalley were admitted w bail of $15,000 each. U. S. PRISON POLICIES T0 BE TOLD OVER AIR Sanford Bates Will Discuss Fed- eral Program in Radio Forum Address. Policies in handling Federal prisoners will be discussed over the National Radio Forum tonight by Sanford Bates, superintendent of prisons for the Fed- eral Government. Mr. Bates will speak at 10:30 o'clock through Station WMAL and a Nation- wide hook-up on “A Protective Prison Program.” The National Radio Forum is arranged by The Evening Star and sponsored by the Columbia Broadcast- ing System. Before coming to Washington Mr. Bates rendered distinguished service as commissioner of prisons in Massa- chusetts. He also has served as a mem- ber of both the House and Senate of the Massachusetts Legislature. SCOTCH WETS WIN. Sale of Liquor Restored to Several Areas Formerly Dry. EDINBURGH, Scotland, December 12 (/).—Sale of liquor was restored to several areas in Scotland today as re- sult of local option elections held yes- terday. In Pollockshaws ward, Glasgow, the lquor adherents won by a majority of 44 in the poll of 7,358, There are 14 | licenses in the district, and the mag- istrates may at their discretion reissue them for sale of alcoholic beverages. Four other wards, on the banks of the Clyde, also voted for sale of liquor. The village ot Culle, in Northern Scot- land, voted for continuation of “no license.” VICE PRESIDENT IS ILL. Curtis Sent Home for Few Days to Recover From Cold. Vice President Curtis was forced to g0 home {rom the Capitol today because of a severe cold, which has bothered him for several days. He came to his office this morning, but was advised to return home and rest. SURGEON RELATES ADVANCES Science Is Overcoming Dangers Through Experiments in Tissue By the Associated Press. CHICAGO, December 12—Marked advance in the sclence of transplant- ing skin from one person to another was discussed by Dr. Magrehead, professor of oral surgery at Wush Medical College, in an ad- dress before the Chicago Medical So- ciety last night. At the same time Dr. Moorehead excoriated charlatanism in plastic surgery and “face lifting." Frederick B.| Charting. science has been able to chart blood and determine the proper “type” for particular cases. “We have never known how to chart tissues,” he said, “and transplanting from one person to another has been dangerous because one could not pre- dict how cells would react.” Now, however, he added, experiments have been carried on which indicate that this obstacle is being overcome. ‘Two-thirds of the experiments have been completely successful, he said. “If we can classify tissues according SMITH CO. RECORDS WILL BE GIVEN UP Books and Records to Finish Probe. Smith Co., which the Government con- siders necessary in its investigation of the company’s business affairs, will be Justice today. It is understood that counsel of the Smith company decided to take this step after conferring with officials of the firm. ment has regarded these books and records as of great importance in their investigation. When the documents are received at the department their con- tents will be carefully examined and if the information sought is available agents of the department will present it to the grand jury. It is probable, however, that no testi- mony will be taken by the preseut grand jury, as its term has nearly run. Returns Indictments. ‘The present grand jury two days ago returned indictments against Repre- sentative Frederick N. Zihlman of Maryland, chairman of the House Dis- trict committee; Daniel R. Crissinger, former controller of the currency, and five other officials of the Smith com- pany. It also returned a supplemental report alleging that R. Golden Donald- son, former attorney for the Smith company and president of the Commer- cial National Bank, had accepted $100,000 from the Boyle Robertson Con- struction Co. in connection with the award of contracts. This report has been turned over to the grievance com- mittee of the District Bar Association by Justice Siddons. Inasmuch as the report charges that the Smith Co., accepted $100,000 from the construction company to obtain for them contracts for the erection of buildings which were being constructed for the Smith Co. the grand jury felt that the bar association, of which Donaldson is a member, should take any action deemed necessary. Denies Owning Stock. Maj. Henry C. Maddux, indicted by the District grand jury Tuesday, with six others on a charge of using the mails to defravd, in connection with the business of the F. H. Smith Co., issued a public statement today deny- ing that he owns, or ever has owned, a single share of either the common or preferred stock of the Smith concern, and denied also that he had partici- pated in the sale of its securities. In the indictment Maj. Maddux was listed as an official of the Hamilton Hote] Co. and other corporations, ac- cused by the grand jury as being sub- sidiaries of the F. H. Smith Co. In a statement released at the head- quarters of the Maddux Hotels, Inc., operating hotel and apartment proper- falo and Pittsburgh, Maddux stated: “I am not nor have I been an officer or director of the F. H. Smith Co., nor are any of the companies I control a subsidiary of the F. H. Smith Co. or any other company. Of the 19 hotel and other properties of the Maddux inter- ests approximately 45 per cent were financed by the F. H. Smith Co. Mad- dux Hotels, Inc. is in the hotel business. ‘We have not sold a single bond directly or by mall. “I am personally acquainted with Mr. Pitts, Mr. Henry, Mr. Anadale, Mr. Ed- wards, Mr. Zihlman, Mr. Crissinger and other officers of the company, and I am confident that they will be able to | prove the utter falsity of the charges { that have been made against them, as I am confident of my own exoneration.” ARRESTS ORDERED IN TEXT BOOK ROW Seven Members of Kentucky Com- mission Must Appear in Court. Maj. By the Assoclated Press. FRANKFORT, Ky., Deceinber 12.— that seven member of the State text book commission be arrested without bail and brought into court when they failed to appear to testify in the suit filed by Commissioner W. C. Bell against the commission. ‘Those ordered brought into court were K. R. Cummins, Miss Delpha Evans, Frank V. McChesney, Robert J. Nichol, George Sapp, Samuel L. Walk- er and Mrs. George Smith, ‘The commission members are ex- pected to testify as to the procedure at the meeting at which the readoption of the text books was rejected, the legality of which is questioned by Bell in his suit. | _The plaintiff, Bell, today asked that | the case be tried on its merits, but the defendants asked that it be tried on the mandatory injunction filed by Bell against the commission. Judge Williams ruled for the defendants. By virtue of the ruling that the mandatory injunction be the basis of the procedure, if the case is carried to the Court of Appeals it may be re- turned to the Circuit Court and tried It has been possible to transfuse | to the types of blood. a tremendous ad- on its merits, regardless of the Court lood with safety, he said, because ! vance lies ahead,” he declared. i of Appeals decision, Department of Justice to Get| The private records of the F. H.| turned over to the Department of | It is known that the Justice Depart- | Donaldson, while acting as attorney for ; | ties in Washington, Philadelphia, Buf-! Judge Ben G. Williams today m’der(‘dl SURVIVING RIOTERS WILL FACE MURDER CHARGE AT AUBURN Heavy Guard on Duty at Prison After Nine Lose Lives in Mutiny. WARDEN TELLS HOW CONVICTS SEIZED HIM Bravery of State Trooper Is Cred- ited With Stopping Des- perate Outbreak. By the Associated Press. AUBURN, N. Y, December 12— Three hundred armed men patroled the walls and corridors of Auburn Prison today after a day of rioting, in which eight convicts and the head keeper were killed. The outbreak, the second within five months, collapsed when State police in a spectacular dash rescued Warden Edgar S. Jennings and seven guards held as hostages by the rioters. The dead: Principal Keeper George A. Durnford. Perry Johnson, sentenced to life im- prisonment. Alex Tucholka, sentenced to life im- prisonment. Steve Pawlak, sentenced to double life imprisonment. Stephen Sporning, sentenced to 15 to 16 years. I Julius Stefanek, alias Duke J. Don- | nell, serving two sentences, 25 to 30 years and 5 to 10 years. | Henry Sullivan, serving 20 to 21 years, with an additional 7 years for escaping from Auburn last March. Ernest Pavesi, sentenced to 40 years. James Biancrassi. Those of the rioters who did not die in the hail of police and guard bul- lets, Dr. Raymond F. C. Kieb, State commissioner of correction, said, would undoubtedly find themselves faced with charges of murder, first degree. These | men, he said, were implicated in @ | killing during the commission of a felony—attempting to escape from a prison. Conviction on this count, he said, meant death. Rescue Ruins Scheme. The plan for escape came nearest to realization when the desperadoes cap- tured Warden Jennings and seven guards. With the snatching of the warden and his fellow officials from this imprisonment within their own prison, the well laid scheme first be- gan to crumble. These officials, in the hands of the ring leaders for more than two hours, ‘were rescued by a determined onslaught of State troopers armed with tear gas bombs. The warden himself credited the outstanding bravery of a BState policeman for the rescue. Jennings was dazed by & blow on the head from a convict’s pistol butt, and was badly gassed. Fifteen to twenty convicts were in charge of the prison for more than five hours, before the spectacular dash of the troopers at 5:30 p.m. saved the day. Any possible ardor for further rioting was chilled®by a night spent in a prison through which Winter winds whistled. Glass in the cell block windows were lshammd by bullets in the day's fight- ng. Captured at 11 O'Clock. ‘Warden Jennings was captured about 11 o'clock in the morning when he went into the heart of the prison to investi- gate a report that “something was doing.” Returning from the kitchen, he was met by a convict who shoved a gun into his stomach and said “do not move or say anything, warden, or I will kill you.” Two other convicts quickly stepped to his side. The first convict then com- manded, “Just come with me, warden. ‘We want you to accompany us to the punishment gallery and you will have to cover us, or we will kill you.” Jennings went along. ‘Three other guards, not knowing the warden was a hostage, were captured when they approached the group in the punishment gallery. They were forced to open all the punishment cells, releas- ing the other most desperate inmates. 'I;l;le officers were handcuffed to each other. Henry Sullivan and Steve Pawlak, leaders in the July riot, then took charge. Sullivan sald to Jennings: “Warden, we are going to ask you to in- struct the men out front (troopers, guards, police), to let us go out with you and these other officers. You will have to give the order, or we will kill you. We are determined to go out or die, but if you fail, we will all die together.” Handcuffed in Pairs. “They issued instructions,” said the warden, “simply telling the men in front to open the doors and to keep all officers from any gun play, as they marched out with us‘as their prisoners. 'n‘ney handcuffed us in pairs and they said: “‘Warden, we intend to put a con- vict behind every two keepers. He has a gun and will shoot his pair at the first indication of treachery. You will march out with us. “‘We plan to seize enough automo- biles from the streets of Auburn to provide for us all. If you .play fair with us, we will take you all out into (Continued on Page 2, Column 7.) OFFICIALS PREVENT CLASH OF MINERS Panther Creek Employes TUn- molested by Picketers as They Return to Work. By the Assoclated Press. AUBURN, Ill, December 12-—Action of State highway police and deputy sheriffs at ' the Panther Creek Mine No. 1 early today prevented clashes be- tween United Mine Workers’ members and strikers of the National Miners’ Union. Members of the National Miners’ Un- ion, a rival faction, which seeks to shut down all Illinois mines, announced they would picket the Panther Creek Mine to prevent the 750 men employed there from working today. Authorities said both factions weray armed. State police and deputies pa- trolled the highways in the vicinity, and as the strikers drove up in automo- biles they were ordered to p moving. The Panther Creek employes went to work unmolested. Radio Prograrps—Pagc 47 ¢ DR. 1. H. ROGERS, INVENTOR, EXPIRES Heart httack Fatal to Inter-| nationaly Known Scientist as He Slept. : Dr. J. Harris Rogers, internationally known inventor, died about 1:40 o'clock this morning at his home in Hyattsville, Md., where he had worked assiduously for years in solving some of the most perplexing mysteries of the radio sci- ence. The death of Dr. Rogers came as a profound shock to Washington's scien- tific circles. He showed no visible signs of illness last night when he entertained a party of friends at his home, but was stricken by a heart attack in his sleep and died shortly afterward. Death was attributed to angina pectorias. Dr. Rogers, however, had not enjoyed good health since 1917 when he was overcome by monoxide gas in a cave in ‘was experi: menting with one of his inventions. It is belleved that this accident weak- ened his heart. Contributed Many Inventions. More than 50 important inventions were contributed to the world of science b, Rogers, the most notable per- haps being the underground wireless antenna with which the faint radio im- pulses are trapped either under the earth or under the sea. This inven- tion alone was invaluable during the World War, since it permitted conceal- ment from the enemy in trenches and dugouts and could be carried on sub- marines. Dr. Rogers was born in Franklin, Tenn., July 13, 1850, the son of James Webb and Cornelia Ann Rogers. He received his early education under private tutors and at St. Charles College in London. In early boyhood Dr. Rogers dis- played exceptional inventive ingenuity, and while his parents were living in Bologne, France, conceived a plan for utilizing the waves of the sea to gen- erate power for propelling ships. He never relaxed in his experiments, and up to the time of his death he was working on what he hoped to be the crowning invention of his career—a de- vice which would permit radio trans- mission to reach its fullest development and make round-the-world transmission simple, Invents Embossed Telegraphy. ‘While living in Peekskill, N. Y., some years later, Dr. Rogers collaborated with his brother, John Whitson Rogers, in inventing a system of embossed telegraphy, which was patented in 1872. This consisted of the transmission of messages by telegraph by means of raised characters, printed on a soft metal tape, which was made to pass over a roller, the raised characters being thus brought into contact with the transmitter and the circuit auto- matically closed and broken, enabling the recelver to read the sounds repre- senting the characters. Various other inventions of a telegraphic or tele- phonic character followed in rapid suc- cession, Dr. Rogers was chief electrician at the Capitol from 1877 to 1883, during which time his work attracted the at- tention of a number of scientists and Government ofticials. It was about this time that some of his earliest inven- tions, including a telephone repeater, were sold to a syndicate composed of Gen, Joseph E. Johnston and Senators A. H. Garland and Isham G. Harris and others who formed a $15,000,000 :firporauon to produce and matket em. Devises Alrplane. In 1893 Dr. Rogers perfected his method of telegraphic printing or visual synchronism, and on March 14, 1895, the first printed telegraph letters were _transmitted betwecn Washington and Baltimore by this method. In 1909 he devised an airplane along lines de- signed to impart greater stability than the machines then in use possessed. (LTI 1L LLL L L1121 2L 2L LA 2 Circulation Steadily Increasing —the average net circula- tions of The Evening Star and The® Sunday Star for November, 1929, were great- er than for the similar month of any previous year. Daily Sunday Nov., 1929..110,232 114,513 Nov., 1928..105,209 110,731 Gain 5,023 3,782 N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N (Detailed Statement on Page 2) | Radio Inventor Dies | DR. J. HARRIS ROGERS. SNOW T0 FOLLOW EAST'S COLD WAVE Official Readings as Low as 20 Below Recorded in Vermont. By the Assoclated Press. Thermometers in the Eastern States today dipped in the grasp of the cold wave which swept in yesterday from the West. Official temperatures of 20 below zero were recorded and unoffi- cial reading in parts of New England were as low as 30 below. Cloudy weather and possible light snow was forecast for the District of Columbia tonight. The temperature, which dropped to 25 early this morn- ing, will rise tomorrow, the forecast said. Weather Bureau officials predicted generally rising temperatures, however, with snow tonight or tomorrow. The coldest spot in New England, ac- cording to the official figures of the Weather Bureau in Boston, was North- fleld, Vt., where the mercury slid down to 20 below. Unofficial thermometers in Londonderry and St. Johnsbury, Vt., read 30 below. The Connecticut River at Turners Falls, Mass., was completely frozen over, an unusual qgcurrence this early in the season. The Deerfleld River had been frozen for several days. Schools at South Merrimack, N. H., were closed because of the cold. Read- :ggs of 12 below zero were reported ere, Albany, N. Y., registered a low tem- perature of zero; Boston, 7; Buffalo, 8; Montreal. 6 below; Portland Me., 6 above, and New York City, 14. New York Central officials at Syra- cuse, where a reading of 3 below estab- lished a new low record for the season, reported trains running from 40 min- utes to an hour behind schedule. SHOE PURCHASE WITH $5 FROM JUDGE SAVES MAN Arrested Second Time “Down-and- Outer” Is Freed When Court Takes a Look. By the Associated Press. CHICAGO, December 12.—For no reason at all, James Sherry found him- self in trouble again. Early this week he was before Judge Samuel Heller on a disorderly charge. He pleaded he was down and out. Judge Heller gave him $5, told him to buy a pair of shoes and to return with them. Yesterday Sherry was back, wearing the shoes. He was arrested in the court room on suspicion. Again he was arraigned, but Judge Heller looked down and faw the new shoes, so he turned Sherry loose. DRY DISCORD WIDENS. National Prohibition Party Asks Resignation of President. COLUMBUS, Ohio, December 12 (P). —Discord in the ranks of the National Prohibition party was widened today as a result of a meeting here yesterday at which members of the executive com- mittee adopted a resolution asking the | resignation of D. Leigh Colvin, the| party’s president. The committeemen appointed Willlam F. Varney, the party's presidential can- didate in 1928, to succeed Colvin, who was not present at the meeting. | | | THLMAY APPROVED BY HOUSE AS HEAD 0F . ONMITTE Appointment of Six New Re- publican Members Also Sanctioned. UNDERHILL AND GIBSON OUT AT OWN REQUEST Blackburn, Sullivan, Palmer, Whit- ley, McClintock and Hull SUBSTITUTE DRAWN FOR BORLAND LAW/= New Street Cost Assessment Bill Sent to Congress by Commissioners. A new bill proposing a law to take the place of the much attacked Borland law relating to assessments for street paving and renewals will be sent to Con- gress by the District Commissioners soon with a request for enactment. The text of the new proposed law is the subject of a conference held among Corporation Counsel Willlam W. Bragg, Tax Assessor Willlam P. Richards and Capt. Herbert C. Whitehurst, co-ordi- nator and chief engineer of the Dis- trict. The bill under consideration is said to be largely of Capt. Whitehurst's authorship and for equitable means for a: street it law is that g?vfnlnng frontages, l‘im pe‘r:riu with short fron leep proj tages. ‘This particularly affects properties at triangular intersections of avenues with north and south or east and west streets. It is understood that the main pro- posal in the bill being drafted by the District officials is to give to the District Commissioners the power to change assessments to meet the equities of indi- vidual situations. At present a property owner who feels that he is unjustly taxed under this law must go to court to get relief. It is understood that under the proposed law he could appear before the District Commissioners and they could grant him relief, if they felt proper, without reference to the eourts. ICE AND FOG HAMPER AIRMAIL SCHEDULES Fog and thick weather, eoupled with the formation of ice on the planes, made difficult and dangerous going for the airmail pilots yesterday and last night. ~All mail south of the National Capital was loaded aboard trains and but three flights were completed be- tween this city and New York. The transcontinental mail also en- countered heavy going and it™Was near- 1y noon before the plane from the West arrived at Hadley Field, the New York terminal. Southbound mail was trans- ferred to the Pitcairn plane and Pilot C. C. Taliaferro, the youngest pilot on the Pitcairn line, took off at noon, ar- riving at Bolling Field at 3:30 p.m. He had a thin coat of ice on his wings and found the going very thick. So bad was the weather at the North end of the run that_Col. Charles A. Lindbergh. who left here for New York, put in at the Lakehurst Naval Air Station. Despite the ice hazard and fog, Tal- laferro took off here again at 6:30 p.m. on schedule, and got through to Hadley Field. Verne Treat came South with the night mail last night, arriving here shortly before midnight with ice on his wings. Weather to the South being even more unfavorable, he was held here and the mail sent on by train. . I.in; Celtic Abandoned. QUEENSTOWN, Ireland, December 12 (#).—All hope was abandoned today of refloating the liner Celtic which stranded on the rocks near here a year ago. m')rhe front portion of the liner re- mains on the rocks but the stern fallen into deep water. Are Added. ‘The House today approved the ap- pointment of six new Republican mem- bers on the District of Columbia com- mittee, as recommended by the Republi- can committee on committees, and the official list includes the retention of Frederick N. Zihiman of Maryland as chairman of the committee. The eight holdover Republicans on the District committee are Representa- tives Zihiman, Maryland; McLeod, Mich- igan; Beers, Pennsylvania; Stalker, New York; Reid, Illinols; Bowman, West Virginia; Lampert, Wisconsin, and Hall, Indiana. At their own request Repre- sentatives Underhill of Massachusetts and Gibson of Vermont were dropped from the roster of the District commit- The new members are Representatives Robert Blackburn, Kentucky; Patrick J. Sullivan, Pennsylvania; John W. Palmer, Missouri; James L. Whitley, New York; C. B. McClintock, Ohio, and Merlin Hull, Wisconsin. Sullivan’s First Term. Mr. Blackburn, after an academic education, engaged in farming and general merchandising. He was a vol- unteer in the war with Spain. served in the Kentucky Legislature in 1904 and was clerk of the court of Powell County in 1906. In recent years he has been engaged in the insurance and stock brokerage business and has served as a member of the State Board of Agriculture. Representative Sullivan, after com- pleting a business high school course, was alderman in the sixth ward in the City of Pittsburgh for 19 years and was also police magistrate and a member of the board of assessment and tax re- vision. This is his first session in Con- gress. Representative Palmer was first a school teacher, then engaged in the drug business, later in the general mercantile business and then practiced medicine for 13 years. He was admitted to the bar in 1897. His ting attorney f .fi‘xd yun‘me“l'hliz for is his first term in Congress. ‘Whitley Is Law Book Author. Representative Whitley, after gradu- ating in law from Union University, enlister in the 7th Battery, United States Volunteers, in the Spanish W: He was assistant corporation counsel for the city of Rochester, in 1900-01; chief examiner of the Civil Service Commis- sion, 1902-04; member of the New York Assembly, 1905-10; member of the State Senate, 1918-28, and is the author of several law books. He is a member fraternal organizations. :n director. This is his first term Congress. Representative McClintock graduated from Western Reserve University Law School in 1911. He was prosecuting attorney of Stark County, Ohio, from 1923 to 1927 and special prosecutor for a year and a half thereafter, during which time he prosecuted the famous Don R. Mellett murder case. This is his first term in Congress. mpre‘enutlve Hull is a lawyer and ublisheY. He was district attorney rom 1907 to 1909; served in the Wis- consin Assembly from 1909 to 1915; was Speaker of the Assembly in 1913; sec- retary of State for Wisconsin from 1917 (Continued on Page 10, Column 3.) HANGAR AND PLANES BURN $100,000 Fire Razes Tampa Air- port Building. ‘TAMPA, Fla., December 12 (#).—Fire swept through the steel hangar at Tipal airport here early today destroying 13 airplanes. The loss was estimated at $100,000. The blaze was not discovered until explosions had awakened nearby resi- dents and the building’s interior was a mass of flames. One of the planes in the hangar was owned by Randall Norvel of St. Louis. Norvel owned the two planes used in an endurance attempt which crashed here Sunday and killed two pilots. —_— 2 Ships Sink; 12 Lost. LISBON, Portugal, December 12 (), —Caught in an impenetrable fog, a fish- ing vessel struck the rocks off Capa Rica today and sank. Of the crew of 20 men 10 are missing. At Albufeira a fishing vessel collided with a freighter in the fog and sank. Two men were drowned and five rescued. HOLIDAY ON CHRISTMAS EVE GIFT OF PRESIDENT TO U. S. WORKERS Hoover Wants to Give Government Employes Chance to Shop and Go to Homes for Holidays. President Hoover’s Christmas present to the Government workers in the Dis- trict of Columbia will be a holiday on Tuesday, the day before Christmas. The holiday executive order, issued today, states: “It is hereby ordered that the several executive departments and independent Government estab- lishments in the District of Columbia, including the Government Printing Office and the Navy Yard and stations, be closed on Tuesday, December 24, 1929, and all clerks and other employes in the Federal service in the District of Columbia, except those who may for The resplution charged Colvin failed | to support the party in last year's cam- | SLLLLI LI I I LI AL L LI E LT LA AP, Z222IIH 7/ 111111111 E 1T 777s paign and left its fold to ald the Re-| Ppublican cause. t special public reasons be excepted from the provisions of this order, or those whose absence from duty would be in- consistent with the provisions of ex- mot consider it isting law, are hereby excused from duty on that day. “This order is not to be deemed as establishing a precedent. “‘(Signed) HERBERT HOOVER.” The President’s purpose in granting this is principally to give those em- ployes who may wish to return to their homes in the States an os;&onunity to have this extra day and also to permit other employes to do their eleventh- hour shopping on the last day before Christmas. It has not been determined whether or not the President will grant a half- day holiday on the day before New Year. This has been done by some Presidents, but during the last three or four years of his administration President “Coolidge declined to excuse the employes from work for the half- day period on the ground that he did warranted. )