Evening Star Newspaper, December 16, 1929, Page 17

~ - was said, is too great to permit a @he Foening Star NEW USURY LAW URGED BY CAPPER 1S BEING DRAWN Bill to Remove Defects in Existing Statute Is Pre- pared by Attorneys. LEGISLATION’S FORM IS NOT DISCLOSED Measure to Be Aimed Primarily at “Loan Sharks,” Who Now Evade District Curb. Plans of Chairman Capper of the Scnate District committee for a new usury law for the District were dis- closed today, when it was learned that | the United States attorney’s office and the office of the corporation counsel are co-operating in_the preparation of a bill to remove the defects in the existing usury law. ! Drafting of the bill was undertaken | at the request of Senator Capper, whose | attention was called several months | ago to the need of an effective penal statute to enforce the pl‘ohlbfliuni against usury in the District, the lack | of which has been held to be the msjor | defect of the present law. The ex-| isting statute, as set forth in section | 1180 of the District Code. it was point- ed out, contains no penaltty for usury, | but the forfeiture of the whole of the interest, the prohibitive effect of which | is considered slight. May Follow State Laws. | Although _ neither the corporation ; counsel’s office nor the district attor-| ney’s office has indicated the form thc roposed legislation would taks, it is| geheved it may follow the so-called uni- form “small loan law” now in_effect jn a number of States. The Russell Sage Foundation, it was said, sponsored | this legislation in the States where it} has been adopted : The new legislation is to be aimed primarily at “loan sharks,” who ar: able | to evade the penaltivs of the present | usury law, it was explained, by the | simple subterfuge of procuring a license | as a real estate broker. The so-called “loan shark” law specifically excepts banks, trust companies, building and loan associations and real estate ‘brokers. The need of a new usury law was stressed several months ago by a grand jury which reported to United States | Attorney Leo A. Rover that there had | arisen in the District a number of i organizations that lend money on staple articles and finance the purchase of such articles at rates much in excess of those legally permitted. The legal rate of interest in the District is 6 per cent, but by contract an 8 per cent rate is permitted. Character Loans May Be Covered. In cases where the rates of interest | have exceeded 8 per cent, the grand | jury pointed out, the financing was | done generally under the guise of brok- | crage fees, which are in ne sense based on services rendered in procuring the | loan, but on the risks thought to be in- volved. | “The new usury bill, it was indicated, | may contain a_special provision re- lating to so-called “character loan: where small loans are made without se~ curity The attention of Mr. Rover was called to the fact that the rate of interest permitted under existing law is | ot sufficient to make this type of loar attractive as a legitimate business, be- cause of the great risk involved. The cost of making these loans, it profitable return if the business is con- ducted in a legitimate manner, and as a result money lenders are forced to resort to subterfuge to make the busi- ness profitable. ‘The uniform small loan law, accord- ing to Louis Rothschild, director of | Washington’s Better Business Bureau, who is intereste! in the proposed new } Jegislation, permi’s loans up to $300 to | be made under an interest rate rang- ing from 2 to 3% per cent a month, the rate varying it the different States. MAN’S LEGS BROKEN WHEN HIT BY PLANE| Propellor of Taxiing Airship, Strikes Farmer, Who Fell ‘While Running. Getting in the way of & taxiing air- plane at College Park Airport late yes- terday afternoon cost Joseph Boteler, 35, a farmer of Berwyn. Md., two frac- tured legs. He was taken to Casualty Hospital, where physicians said today Tus condition is not serious. Boteler was on the flying field, it was stated by field attendants, when a plane which had just been started headed toward him. In his | first two indictments against Moffatt Girls of the Y. W. Christmas tree and filling stockings wi tree for poor children of the city. Left and Carolyn Seibert. WASHINGTON, A. of the George Washington University trimming | th toys and candy to be hung on the | to right: Roberta Wright, Mary Weaver | Star Staff Phnw.| JURY GETS CHARGE IN NOFFATT CASE Told by Rover $30,000 Fraud Against Broker Will | Be Proved. Charged with misappropriation of vestment broker was placed on trial {o- day in Criminal Division No. 2. The official charges were false pre- | tenses and larceny after trust. In his opening statement to the jury Umited States attorney Leo A. Rover said he would prove Moffatt had defrauded Mrs, Marle T Pauli of $21,250 on one occa- | sion and $9,000 on another. | Taking the stand as the first witnes Mrs. Pauli told of turning $21,250 o to Moffatt. She said the arrang was_that he should purchase sccurities | in the Bankers' Investment Trust Cor poration. Mrs. Pauli, a woman of ad- | vanced years, testified that she never | was able to induce Moffatt to deliver any stock. 1 The woman declared she had the! utmost faith in Moffatt because he told | her he was backed by the Riggs| National Bank. She quoted the broker | as having said, “The Riggs Bank won't | go_broke until Uncle Sam dies.” Mrs. Pauli, the first witness, had been testifying less than an hour when the manner in which she answered a ques- tion caused a bitter verbal exchange between Rover and John H. Burnett, attorney for Moffatt. Judge William Hitz called on the court reporter to read Mrs. Pauli's previous testimony. This disclosed that the woman told the same story on being questioned both by the Government and by the defense. | The trial today is the first of five | cases pending against the broker. He was indicted on three charges, was sent to jail in default of $5,000 bail on the | fourth charge, and since his incarcera- tion a fifth complaint has been lodged | against him. He is awaiting a hearing before United States Commissioner | Turnage on that accusation. | One of the cases against Moffatt re- | sulted from an investigation made by Robert J. Allen before dismissal from the police force. Allen had declared he planned to investigate the office of the United States attorney to learn why .the never have been tried. After an ex- change of letters between Allen and Maj. Henry J. Pratt, superintendent of police, dealing with this matter, Allen was found guilty by the Police Trial and was dismissed. | e, | present, Board on a charge of insubordination | BOARD'S ORDERHIT BY TAXICAB OWNERS | just left the Baltimore & Ohio freight | | yards on Q street northeast, and was | i about to turn from that street into the D. C MONDAY, MAN HAULING ROCK FOR VAUL, PINNED, N SEAT, 15 KLLED Driver Jammed Between En- gine and Cargo Dies Al- ! most Instantly. (e | FIREMEN WORK 1 1-2 HRS. | TO EXTRICATE LABORER! Excitement Causes Traffic Tie-up Necessitating Rerouting of Street Cars. On his way to Rock Creek Cemetery | with a truckload of granite for a vault, | Anthony Stevenson, 26, colored, of 1043 Thirty-third street, was almost instantly | killod this morning when the truck ' buckled under the weight as it ap- proached Truxton Circle, North Capitol street and Florida avenue, pinning him | so securely in the driver's seat that it required more than 90 minutes for firemen to extricate the body. The body was removed to the Morgue pending an inquest, probably tomor- Tow. Efforts to cut the man from the buckled driver’s cab with a blow torch proved futile, as did an attempt to jack up one side of the truck and tilt the granite to the street. After about an hour, two motor cranes were brought up, and seven large blocks of granite removed from the truck. Firemen then | rigged a line to the top of the cab, | pulling it backward far enough to re- | lease Stevenson. | Street Car Traffic Delayed. | A large crowd collected at the circle, and police had brisk work keeping the wreck clear. Street cars bound north | on North Capitol street were rerouted | me were caught in the jam. | after so Stevenson, alone in the truck, had BUCKLED TRUCK IN DECEMBER 16, 19 PAGE 17 WHICH DRIVER DIED Shifting stone on this truck caused it to buckle at Truxton Circle today, killing the driver in his cab. —Star Staff Photo. TITANIC MEMORIAL | PLANS EXPEDTED Construction Work at Foot of Thirteenth Street to Begin at Once. Cconstruction work for the Titanic Memorial at the foot of New Hampshire | circle when bystanders heard breaking avenue on the Potomac River is to be Group Protests Ut mission Decision Requiring Liability Insurance. ies Com- | on A determined attack on the proposal hire to carry liability indemnity or to satisfy the commission | of its financial responsibility, was made | today by the Independent Taxi Owners’ Assoclation, represented by Alfred D.i Smith, at a public hearing before the | commission in the board room of the District Building. One of the largest gatherings of public transportation men ever to at- tend a session of the commission was nearly filling the spacious board room. The public hearing was called upon a proposed 13-page order | by the commission which would regu- late practically all operating features of all commercial vehicles. | Sees No Protection to Public. Mr. Smith said that compelling the | automobile driver to carry insurance | was no protection to the public. It| simply protected the driver from hav- | ing to defend suit resulting from per- sonal injuries which he caused, Mr. Smith said. He said that his association collects from its drivers approximately $42500 a year with which to satisfy judgments | against the individual drivers and now has a surplus of between $12,000 and $15,000. No judgment against an inde- | pendent driver remains unsatisfied, he said. Agreement With Drivers Cited. In reply to cross-examination by M. ! F. Mangan, one of the attorney’s pres- ent; People’s Counsel Ralph B. Fleharty and Assistant Corporation Counsel Rob- | ert E. Lynch, Mr. Smith said that the | money used for satisfying _\\ldgmen'sl was held by trustees who were not com- | pellable by the victims of accidents to | satisfy the judgments. He said, how- | ever, that the trustees had contracts with all the drivers that the judgments would be satisfied | He said that there were 334 members | of the association, owning 526 cabs, and that in the three years of the asso- ciation’s existence accidents among_ its members had resulted in no fatalities and only one possible permanent injury. | Mr. Smith opposed a paragraph of | | the proposed regulation calling for rear- | | viston mirrors on all taxicabs. Proposed Limitation Opposed. 'HOOVER DRY PLAN VOTED BY SENATE Congress Body to Consider Reor- | Another proposition apparently look- | ing to limiting the number of taxicabs | using the city streets Mr. Smith opposed | on the ground that the association had | been compelied to turn down 75,000 calls | | last year because they had not taxis| enough to serve them. He suggested instead of such a regulation more hack ! | stands be allowed. At present there { beneath the drive | broke, the truck moved some 30 yards, glass and a crash | According to John T. White of 1540 | North Capitol street, who was standing | the sidewalk, the truck chassis | buckled in the center, scraping the | pavement as the vehicie moved across | the circle. | truck had folded downward, | at a point almost | seat, and crush- | ing the motor inward on Stevenson.| The entire weight of the granite was $21,250, William L. Moffatt, local in- of the Public Utilities Commission to ! ;1icq" ynon the back of the driver's| | compel all motor vehicles operating for ‘; cab, while the engine blocked efforts to | rial also. insurance or | get Stevenson out from the front. Truck Drags After Crash. i From the point where the WmdshmldE while the chassis was dragging the! pavement for half that distance. | The truck was owned by James O.| Caton & Sons. 1050 Polomac street. Another of the company’s trucks, | equipped with a crane, assisted a motor crane belonging to the Washington | Rallway & Electric Co. to remove the granite. | Four of the granite blocks measured | about 4 by 12 feet by 215 inches, while | the remaining two were approximately half that large. i Officers of the Caton Co. said the | truck often had carried more than 15 tons. They estimated there was about six tons of granite on the vehicle. | Police said the truck bore a maximum | capacity rating of 26,000 pounds. Accident Shows Need of Crane. | Firemen on the scene experienced the [ same difficulty in moving the granite which they encountered recently when an explosion wrecked the McCrory store front. Officials of the Fire Department, it was said, have made several requ for a motor crane to be used in simil emergencies. Following the explosion, large bloc of cement fell into the basement neath the sidewalk, hampering the work of extricating the injured, six of whom later died. i Stevenson was pronounced dead by | Dr. J. R. Young of Casualty Hospital,| who cxamined the body some 15 min- | utes after the accident occurred, while | the colored man was still seated up- right in the driver's seat. ! The accident occurred shortly after 10 o'clock, and it was 11:40 o'clock be- | fore the body could be freed. i More time was required to reload the granite and remove the wrecked truck | from its position across the east side| of the circle. | STOLEN AUTO RECOVERED. $3,500 VALUABLES GONE Machine Found Abandoned Near | Tourist Camp by lar | Police. An automobile belonging to Norman | C. Brace of New York City, reported | i the memorial, | the started immediately. Mrs. Harry Payne Whitney, sculptor of the memorial, called today upon Lieut. Col. U. S. Grant, 3d, director of public buildings and public parks, and went over with him the details of the work. Mrs. Whitney, who was accompanied by Mrs. Robert S. Chew, secretary of the Wom- en’s Titanic Memorial Assoclation, went down and visited the site of the memo- Make Study of Program. The program of construction work was gone over with Col. Grant, who, as executive officer of*the National Capital Park and Planning Commission and in { his capacity as director of public build- ings and public parks is interested in which will be on the Rock Creek and Potomac parkway. A tentative unveiling date for the memo- rial was discussed, but it was decided to defer this until the construction has well gotten under way and the factor of the weather can be better con- sidered Mrs. Whitney, in addition to being the sculptor of the memorial, has the contract to erect the statue and Henry Bacon, the architect, has been ciated’ with her on that phas work. Sea Wall Nears Completion. Completion of the memorial has been awaiting the construction of the sea wall at the foot of New Hampshire ave- nue, but this is now at such a stage that the work of erecting the memorial can now go forward, without fear of the water of the Potomac River undermin- ing the foundations of the memorial. Under the act of March 3. 1917, authorizing construction of the me- morial, the Fine Arts Commission and joint committee on the library. selected the site. The statue, repre- enting a figure with outstretched arms, will be “a lasting tribute to the heroes who sacrificed their lives, that woman and chrildren might be saved, in the tragic catastrophe of the sinking of the steamship Titanic” in the words of ‘the authorizing act. BRIDEGROOM SOUGHT FOR QUIZ ON CHECKS Police Are Looking for Man Who Represented Himself as Laemmle's Nephew. A police search for a missing bride- groom for questioning about worthless checks he is alleged to have given in payment for presents to his bride was the sequel today to a 24-hour courtshiy that terminated a week ago in the marriage at Rockvill, Md.. of Miss Ethel Day Dulin, 1222 D street norta- o a of the | “CIGAR STORE” IS RAIDED. Owners Held on Charge of Operat- ing “Numbers” Game. | When a cigar store does not sell | cigars, police become suspicious; so | when ‘they learned that the cigar store at 1709 U street did not stock tobacco, | detectives started an investigation. | In the raid which resulted Headquar- ters Detectives Frank A. Varney and | Hubert E. Brodie this morning arrested James H. Walker, 44, colored, of 8¢ R street and Thomas Bryant, 23, colored, | of 2359 Champlein street and charged | them with cperating a “number” game. | Gambling slips and $20 in marked | money were found on the prisoners, the police say. En route to headquarters the two | “tobacco merchants” borrowed ciga- | rettes from the detectives. SHOOTING OF BOY * HELD ACCIDENTAL iYouth’s Companions on Fatal Hunting Trip Testify at Inquest. A coroner’s jury decided this after- noon that the fatal shooting Saturday of 1l-year-old Benjamin Franklin of 632 Quebec street, in_the woods behind | the Foreign Mission Seminary, near the Soldiers' Home, was accidental. | ~The boy was shot when, with four companions, he was trying to get a squirrel that had run into a large hol- low oak. The gun was a .22-caliber rifle, with which some of the boys had n shooting at a target all morning. The bullet struck just below one eye and entered the brain. He was pro- nounced dead when he arrived at Sib- ley Hospital. His companions were 14, 3558 Warder street; 17, 3537 Georgia avenue; Francis Smith, 16, 3536 Sixth street, and George O’Donnoghue, 16, 444 Newton street, the owner of the gun. The four boys took the sthnd today and told the jury how they had missed the Franklin boy on their way home through the woods. He had been at a pond catching tadpoles They said they tried to smoke the squir- rel out of the hollow tree, but failed. Wellens picked up the gun and cocked it. he declared, and just then Beigler seized it. It went off and the youngest |of the group dropped to the ground. | All the ‘boys said there had been no | quarrel and that the shot was fired | through accident. 'NOVEMBER DECLINE Ralph Wellens, Hans Beigler, Decrease Is 3.1 Per Cent in Em-| ployment and 6.8 Per Cent in Pay Rolls Total. A decrease of 3.1 per cent in employ- ment and a drop of 6.8 per cent in pay roll totals took place in industry in No- vember, as compared with October, the Labor Department announced today. The report of the department is based on returns from 34,996 establishments which had in November more than SCRIVENER PROBE - REPORT DUE SOON With Questioning of Pratt, Kelly and Reporter. | With the questioning of three addi- | tional witnesses today, the grand jury completed its two-week investigation into the mysterious circumstances sur- rounding the death of Detective Sergt. Arthur B. Scrivener. United States At- | torney Leo A. Rover predicted a report \| would be made tomorrow or Wednesday. | The last of the 60-odd witnesses were | Maj. Henry G. Pratt, superintendent of | police; Lieut. Edward J. Kelly, former chief of the homicide squad, and Wil- liam Peake, a newspaper reporter. While Pratt and Kelly declined to | discuss the case today it was under- | stood that they were recalled to testi- fy in connection with reporis that Scrivener was tracing the alleged theft of seized liquor by higher ups of the Police Department when he met death, Both Pratt and Kelly were in ‘he grand | jury room only a few minutcs. They | were questioned more extensively earlier in the investigation. i Officials Term Reports Absurd. Various officials of the Police De- | partment have termed as absurd re- ports that Scrivener might have been killed because he was saiG to have been checking up on alleged whisky thefts. Numerous other witnesses also have been questioned -concerning such al- leged activities of the detective. . Peake said before entering the grand jury room he expeeted to be asked about a conversation he had recently with Orville Staples,” a former policeman. The reporter said Staples had told him he saw Scrivener in Georgetown 10 minutes before the detective was shot. ‘The long list of witnesses questioned during the investigation, handled under the personal direction of Rover, in- cluded intimate friends of Scrivener and doctors and detectives who had known him, as well as fingerprint and firearms experts. Justice Department Is Drawn In. The Department of Justice was drawn into the case carly in the investigation, after Sergt. Fred Sandberg, chief of the Police Department bureau of identifi- cation, testified he had found a partial fingerprint on the death pistol which failed to correspond with the finger- prints of Scrivener. The Justice Department fingerprint experts spent several days checking the print and then made a report to the grand jury. This report remains to be made public. INDIRECT ELECTION |OF SENATORS IS PLAN Massachusetts Member Would Restore Legislative Selection of Legislators. Proposal that United States Senators | be elected by State Legislatures instead of by direct vote of the people is pro- Grand Jury Completes Inquiry| 2 EX-MARINE 15 HELD FOR FOUR HOLD-UPS AND 3 CAR THEFTS Man, Failing in Job Hunt, Is Believed to Have Looted Gas Stations. REVOLVER IS FOUND IN ROOM BY POLICE Buffalo Man Faces Examination to Learn if He Has Pre- vious Record. Four hold-ups from Tuesday to Sat- urday night and theft of three automo- biles in which to carry out the robberies today were laid by police to George Ross Shaffer of Buffalo, a former Ma- rine, who was being held on the seven major charges at the ninth precinct station. Shaffer was arrested this morning in a room in the 700 block of Seventh street northeast by Pvts. W. D. Young, William Melvin and W. D. Dent. of the ninth precinct and taken to the station house, where police say he told of a fruitless search for work here last week, interspersed with thefts of automobiles with which to visit gasoline stations and hold up the proprietors. 1 Sought Work for Week. According to police, Shaffer walked | the streets of the Capital all last week | locking for work. They allege he went Tuesday night to the gasoline station at Sixth and | Maryland avenue southwest, where he “hf;p up William G. Lambert, securing | Thursday night, police charge, shaffer Iswle the automobile of Leon S. Pound, Alcova, Va,, from Pennsylvania avenue near Tenth street and went to the gas- oline station at Four-and-a-half street’ and cowed Asa B. Cannady with a gun, securing $10.90. Shaffer is alleged to have abandoned the automobile after the hold-up. Friday night, police claim Shaffer took the automobile of Policeman James E. Belt, who has charge of the School street police repair shops, from - the apollo Theater and visited the gasoline station at Seventh and S streets, north- west, holding up Gilbert Puffenberger nng tecléring ?3;,70. aturday night, according to police, it was the machine of Gugy Blfeor n:' Riverdale, Md., which was stolen frem H street near Tenth, and the gasoline station at Fourth street and Florida Avenue northeast, where Ralph Kaplar was in charge, was robbed. Shaffer is alleged to have gotten $35.07 .n this hoéd-up hafferis being taken to_ headquar- ters this afternoon, where his re%ord. if any, will be - memym% searched in the depart Revolver Found in Room. At the Seventh street r morning police found a .38-:2101,:«'243 volver with five bullets in the chamber, | Another hold-up brought to police | attention was late Saturday night when Jesse Johnson of 118 M street south- east was the victim. Three colored men took $38 from him on Golden street, he said, two holding nim, while the third went through his pockets. In addition to the operations of hold- up men, the weck end also witnessed a ?Sfl:s of Plgiglar]es and other thefts, and e of these case: s smum. S a gas station was Smashing the lock on the of the gasoline filling sutlonm:,:tfl%wi; sstsiue::hll:;t l;lght. &I:)rglar: escaped with i e; "%};‘ur- - 'y k from the cask. e Tobbery was discovered by Davi . Walker, manager of the {muoifl when he opened the place for business at 7 o'clock this morning. Cigarettes and chewing gum, valued | at $5, were stolen from a store at 301 | I street last night by some one who broke the glass in the front window tr gain entrance to the building. Coulcn’t Open Safe. Breaking glass in a side windoe i Saturday night or yesterday morning, some one entered the office at the stone yard of Daniel Hurson, Eighth and Franklin streets northeast, made an un- successful attempt to open the safe, and stole $2 worth of stamps. i The tailoring establishment of Peter Maggos, 1910 Seventh street, was e tered through a rear door late Saturday night and six suits, three dresses and an overcoat were stolen. The stolen property was valued at $95. The home of Martin F. O'Donoghue, 4317 Twelfth street northeast, was entered last night through a rear door that had been left unfastened, police were told, and $17 in cash, a fountain pen and pair of eyeglasses stolen. Samuel DeBinder, 2115 F street, re- ported an unsuccessful attempt made by a colored man to rob his apartment early yesterday morning. The intruder was frightened from the apartment be- fore he obtained anything. Four visitors to the city were among the persons who reported losses over the week end. Lacey H. Bailey, 2108 Venable street, Richmond, Va., the heaviest loser, told of the taking of a ganizing Prohibition Agen- cies 0. K.'d. east, daughter of a policeman, young man who represented himself to be the nephew of Carl Laemmie, | stolen last night, together with three resolution introduced toda! | suit cases containing wearing apparel, pos in a res: v $100 bill from’ his room in & local hotel. by Representative Charles L. Underhill Pocket Was Picked. hurry te get out of the way, it is said, | are hack stands for but 520 cabs, he Boteler fell, unseen by the pilot. Bo- | o 5,000,000 employes, with combined earn- said. ings of more than $133,000,000. In- of Ma: teler's legs. raised in the air as he| struck the ground, were hit by the ropeller. P26 ‘was placed in an automobile which brought him as far as Hyattsville, where it was caught in a traffic jam. The Prince Georges County Rescue Squad transferred him to its ambulance and brought him to Casualty Hospital. Ex- amination showed that he had suffered a compound fracture of the right foot and a fracture of the left leg. MRS. C. M. WILKES DIES. Washington Resident Expires at Barcelona on Globe Trip. Mrs. Charles M. Wilkes of this city, active in Red Cross work here during the World War and prominent in Episcopal Church work, died in Bar- cclona, Spain, December 9, according to word received here. Mrs. Wilkes was making her second trip around the world and had com- pleted a month in Portugal and one in Spain She came w this city from Chicago during the World War. She had made a number of gifts to the institute at Chautauqua, N. Y. CLUB GIVES RECITAL. The Christmas recital of the Catholic ! University Glee Club was given yester- day afternoon at McMahon Hall, under the dircction of Dr. Leo Behrendt. A program in seven parts was pre- sented to an appreciative audience of students and alumni, with Malton Boyce as the guest accompanist. In addition 10 numbers by the Glee Club and the double quartet. there were baritone solos by Vincent P. Walter, violin selections by Willlam R Hanraham, accompanied “hy Prancis J. Brennan, and piano solos | Mrs. Minnie Summers, W ! strect, Salisbury, N. by Mr. Boyce. 2 By the Assoclated Press. A recolution to carry out President Hoover's request for appointment of a joint congressional committee to con- sider the reorganization and concen- tration of prohibition agencies was adopted today by the Senate and sent to the House. Approval was finally given the reso- lution, sponsored by Senator Jones of Washington, without a word of debate. It was presented to the Senate during the extra session after Mr. Hoover sent a special message to Congress asking the creation of the commission. Vice President Curtis would name the Senate members of the commission and Speaker Longworth the members from the House. Hearings would be author- ized and a report within this session of Congress would be provided. On the basis of this study the ad- ministration hopes to carry out the re- organization of the prohibition enforce- ment service. The President has pro- posed that most of the enforcement agencies be transferred from the Treas- ury Department to the Department of Justice. CITED FOR GALLANTRY. Award Given Pvt. Martin Trexler of Salisbury, N. C. Posthumous award of a citation for gallantry in action at Belleau Woods, France, June 15-21, 1918, has just been made by the War Department in the case of Pvt. Martin Trexler of Salis- bury, N. C. formerly attached to the 7th Infantry, 3d Division, A. E. F. ‘Trexler was killed during the Battle of the Marne July 15, 1918. ‘The citation Posthumous will be delivered to the soldier’s mother, | her and threw her out of the car after| W. D’ Simmons and Mrs. C. H. Hoschu- 504 North Shaver He doubted if the commission could { enforce a regulation insisting | gasoline should be put in taxicab tanks | only when no passengers are aboard. Mr., Smith pointed out that trucks| carrying merchandise are now permitted | to park abreast long enough to let the | driver deliver his goods, but that under | the proposed regulation taxis would be compelled to pull up to the curb. He said this was often impossible on our congested streets. Discusses Compulsory Insurance, On the subject of compulsory insur- ance, he quoted a letter from the United States Chamber of Commerce opposing the principle of public insurance, al- though the local Chamber of Commerce is in favor of it. At the start of the meeting, Capt. | Walter H. Dunlap, engineer of the com- | mission, took the stand as a witness and testified that 61 out of 95 cities of ‘flo.ouo inhabitants or more require taxi | owners to procure certificates of con- | venience and necessity before the cabs | are allowed to operate. Seventy out of the 95 cities require liability insurance for taxicabs, Capt. Dunlap said. During this year, 'there were approximately 90,866 motor vehicles registered in that | cabs, Capt. Dunlap testified. SAYS SHE WAS BEATEN, {Young Woman Charges Driver of Automobile Hit Her With Shoe, | Muriel Smith, 24, 1956 Biltmore street, told police of the seventh pre- | cinct ‘she was beaten with a shoe last | night by a man who invited her into | his_car at Eighteenth street and Co- Washington of which 1827 were taxi- | | jewelry and other articles valued at | morning by police in Potomac Park. | { W $3,500, was found abandoned early this ‘he suit cases were missing, however. Brace, who is stopping at the May- flower Hotel, told police that the suit cases contained in addition to scveral suits and other apparel. a watch, one pair of platinum cufl links set with four sapphires, four shirt studs, set with pearls, one platinum chain, set with six pearls, a motion picture camera and a | pair of German field glasses. | The automobile, which had been stolen from its parking place on H street between Fourteenth and Fifteenth streets, was discovered by Pvt. George R. Shibley of the Park police force, in the vicinity of the Tourist Camp at 2 o'clock this morning. KAUFMAN FUNERAL RITES ARE SET FOR TOMORROW ington Woman Dies at Home of Daughter in Ninety- eighth Year. Mrs. Mollie F. Kaufman died yester- day in her ninety-eighth vear at the residence of her daughter, Mrs. Sallie B. Kirtley, after an jliness of more than two years. Funeral services will be held tomorrow evening at 7 o'clock at_ the Nevius funeral parlors, 924 New York avenue, Burial will be in Roanoke, Va. Mrs, Kaufman, bofn in Fincastle, Va., 1831, had resided in Washington with Mrs.’ Kirtley for the last 15 years. The major partof her life had been spent at Roanoke. She is survived by a sister, Mrs, Joseph Gregory, of Roanoke; a brother, William Brown, of Erwintor, | lumbia road, She said the man beat driving to a lonely spot on Reservoir { road. Police axe looking for the man. Tenn., and three other daughters, M maker of Norfolk and Mrs. William Sterpzbach of Bristol, Tenn. A millionaire Hollywood movie magnate. Phil Laemmle was the name thu young man gave to Miss Dulin when they met at a dance and, it is stated, ne boasted freely of being a favorite or his “Uncle Carl.” The day after the alleged impostor took Miss Dulin on a shopping tour, buying her a_diamond ring at a cost of $150. Two fur pleces priced at $65 each, one for the bride- to-be and the other for one of her friends, were the next evidences of the man'’s generosity, it was stated. Other trinkets were purchased during the shopping tour, the police were told. Detectives B. W. Thompson and Irs E. Keck of the bad check squad insti- tuted a search for the bridegroom when he failed to return to his bride after spending the night at the Willard Hotel. The bride surrendered the dia- mond ring and other articles allegea to have been purchased with worthless checks. No warrant has yet been issuea for the young man, but detectives are anxious to find him’ for questioning. PLANS CHILDREN’S TREAT. Camp Springs P.-T. A. Announces Annual School Fete. Special Dispatch to The Star. CAMP SPRINGS, Md., December 16. — Next_Priday has been set by the Camp Springs Parent-Teacher Associa- tion for its annual treat for the chil- dren of the school here. Marshall Brown and Miss Myrtle Buck, teachers, are in charge of arrangements. At the last meeting it was announced that there would be a special attraction at each regular monthly meeting here- after, and a spelling bee between the men and women will feature the next meeting. Miss Kate Peaper, Mrs, Hattle Day and Harold Lusby were admitted to membership. dustrial groups included were manufac- turing, mining, quarrying, public util- ities, “trade, hotels and canning and preserving. The department explained that No- vember is customarily a month of de- clining employment, while pay-roll totals are further diminished by ob- servance of Armistice day, election day and other- celebrations. Increased em- ployment over October was shown in re- tail trade, bituminous coal and metal- liferous mining groups. Wholesale trade go;ed practically unchanged employ- ent. FIREMEN PRAISED. Special Dispatch to The Star. BLADENSBURG, Md., December 16.— A letter from Chief Engineer George S Waison of the District of Columbia Fire Department expressing apprec tion for the aid rendered the Distr department November 21 by the Blad- | ensburg Volunteer Fire Department was | read at the December meeting of the Bladensburg department. Bills for fire helmets and for ma- terial used for a wooden addition to the fire house were ordered paid. Edward Beck, C. L. Jack and F. G. Williams were admitted to membership. - . Marriage Is Announced. UPPER MARLBORO, Md., December 16 (Special).—Cards have been issued announcing the marfiage of Miss Rhoda Christmas and John Dominic Bowling, both of this town, which took place November 27 in Baltimore. The bride, the daughter of James M. Christmas, has been a bookkeeper at the Marl- boro Bank of the Southern Maryland Trust Co. for several years. The bride- groom, a son of Mrs. J. Dom Bowling, servation Cuard, at Houston. ery, each of the organizations named chusetts, providing for a con- stitutional amendment tp this effect. This amendment would in effect repeal the seventeenth amendment to the Con- stitution, which went into effect more than if Mr. Under- hill's res - by the States it would become article 20 of the Constitution. This proposal is especially significant at this time because of Senator Gillett’s announcement that he will not again be a candidate and the muddle over pick- ing a successor with Former Gov. Fuller at odds with the party leaders in Massa~ chusetts. DROP IN WOMEN’S WAGES. 15 Per Cent Decrease in 1928 in Cotton Mills Shown. Wages of woman workers in the cot- | ton mills of the nation dropped off 13 per_cent in the four years ending with 1928, the Labor Department said today. Massachusetts, with an 18 per cent decrease in wages in the four vears, showed the greatest drop of all the States. Woman cotton mill workers in Virginia in 1928 had average full-time earnings of $14.90, while in New Hamp- shire the averagé full-time wage was $20.31. New Airplanes Assigned. One new airplane, observation type, has been assigned by the War Depart- ment to the 104th Observation Squad- ron, Maryland Natlonal Guard, at Bal- timore; one to the 118th Observation Squadron, Connecticut National Guard, at Hart" rd, and one to the 11th Ob- Squadron _Texas National With their deliv- holds a position at the University of Maryland, i have five plancs of this Lype avail- able for use. John P. Engle, Gaithersburg, Md., reported the picking of his pocket last night while standing at Gate 25, Union Station, waiting for a train. He was robbed "of a railroad pass and $9 in . Loss of a pocketbook was reported by A.H. Lowe of Plainfield, N. J. He sl the pocketbook, containing $31, disap- peared from ' his person between Eleventh and F streets and Unlon Sta- ion. Dr. John F. Bachulus, Annapolis Naval Academy, reported ‘the loss of wearing apparel valued at $170, taken from his automobile at Nineteenth and F streets yesterday. Theron “Brown, 619 East Capitol street, told police of the taking of two coats ’ from his automobile parked at Thirteenth and_Kenyon streets yes- terday. The garments were valued i $105. SANTA CLAUS MAKES VISIT TO SCHOOL PERSONNEL But His Calls Were Expected—It Was Pay Day. Santa Claus made the first of two scheduled visits to the District public school system personnel today. The officers, principals, clerks and custo- dians of buildings recelved a half month’s pay today in view of the Christ- mas holidays, while the teachers, who are pald on a 10-payment-per-year schedule, will receive the full December pay Saturday. When the teachers re- ceive their salaries at the end of the week, they will have completed the month’'s service by virtue of the fact that the Chrisimas vacation will have begun in the schools.