Evening Star Newspaper, February 9, 1930, Page 17

| WASHINGTON NECESSITY FOR NEW VALUATION DENIED INW. R & E BRIEF Company With Capital Trac- tion Asks Court to Fix Rate at Once. INVENTORY WILL TAKE FROM 2 TO 5 YEARS Cites Opinions of Commission and Court Decisions to Sub- stantiate Position. Denying the necessity of a new valu- ation and asserting that it would take from two to five years to complete it, the Washington Railway and Electric Co. has filed with Justice Alfred A.| sion denying their application for a 10- cent fare. The companies want the court to fix the new rates at once. Project Would Require Five Years. | The brief filed by Attorneys S. R.| Bowen and John S. Barbour points out that “the defendants in their memo- randum appear to assume that a new ! inventory and a new valuation is neces- sary to determine accurately the pres- ent fair value of the property of the plaintiff, and that only .a short time: ‘would he required therefor and that the plaintiff is not entitled by reason there- of to any immediate relief, until such 2 new Inventory is taken and a new valuation is found. Such an assump- tion is preposterous in view of the time heretofare taken in the taking of an inventory and the making of a valua- tion of the plaintiff’s property and that of other local utilities. Purthermore, it is a matter of common knowledge that the hkhd of a new inventory and the making of & new valuation, such as the i possibly 2 two to five years, or 5 ‘The brief points out that in 1914 the valuation commission ings which were not until September, 1919. The values announced then, the brief recites, were as of July 1, 1914. | The company states that at time it “filed certain bills” in the RAYMOND SUNDAY MORNING, FEBRUARY 9, B. KEECH. —Star Staff Photo. COUNSEL TO FIGHT REGEIVERSHIP SUIT Are Sound and Force Sale Would Hurt. Convinced that the F. H. Smith Co. is sound financially and that the inter- ests of its stock and bond holders would be subverted rather than enhanced by the appointment of a receiver, Frank G. Raichle, attorney for the company, 1| will go into court in New York Tuesday prepared vigorously to contest the tem- porary receivership application of the stock and bond holders committees, the valuation so estab- inadequate, unlawful and confiscatory. The brief also sets out that the com- mission “has always held, until now, that its previous valuations were of fixed character, and that they were binding ‘on every one until modified or set aside by action of the courts, or until determination of any appeal th:’lrelmm. l:tdu:!‘l::d'-he! ':’hcdlg'd‘ be built up or lown the manper ToBowed by the plaintiff in the bill of complaint.” Company Cites Decisions. ‘The company cites many opinions of the Utilities Commission and several | court decisions in substantiation of its ‘position. The company declares it is entitled Telief and asserts: “It laintiff' is h 5 ful 2-h|nh it is entitled .'. comes now with “Moreover, 1t is difficult to under- stand how the "defendants' could ask 2 court of equity to uphold its position when it is considered that the identical methods now .condemned by the com- mission for arriving at a rate base were used and consi 1 and proper for reduction lg n:? in ;’2 ‘but not now proper when com¢ r2ising the rates reduced in Order No. 462—and now complained of. GLENN TO ADDRESS DE PRIEST MEETING €enztor to Pay Tributes to Culond? Representative and Three i Ex-Members. | i i Senator Otis F. Glenn of Tlinois will deliver the principal address at the Na- tional History . Negro week demonstra- tion tomorrow night in the Washington Auditorium in hgnor of Representative Oscar DePriest of Illinofs and three for- mer Negrp Congress members, who are | po coming here for the occasion. They are Thomas E. Miller of South Caro- Jina, H. P. Cheatham of North Caro- lina and' John R. Lynch of Mississippi. Two hundred Negro citizens of Wash- ington constitute ‘a committee of the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, Inc., in charge of the cele- bration. There will be a dinner at the Armstrong_dining hall, followed by the mass meeting at 8 o'clock in the Audi- torium. The Community Center or- ganization headed by Mrs. R. A. Pelham and the colored schools under the di- Tection of Garnet C. Wilkinson are sup- porting the movement. Negro leaders from Norfolk, Balti- more, Richmond and Philadelphia will attend. As another angle of the week's ob- servance, readings from the sermons of famous preachers of antebellum days will be given by Thomas E. Bowie at Armstrong High School Tuesday- night under auspices of the Community Cen- ter department of the District schools. *The readings will be accompanied by special lighting effects and a program by the Howard University Glee Club. ‘The speaker will choose his passages from “God's Trombones,” or James Weldon Johnson's sermons of ante- bellum preachers. Tickets for the meeting are on sale at several stores, at the Community “The numberless charges and counter charges which have been made con- cerning the Smith company since a group of its officials were indicted in Washington for use of the mails to defraud,” Raichle said, “has restlted in great confusion of thought regarding the extent of its financial stability. Irrespective of the foundation for the criminal charges against the officials, the financial condition of the company convinces me that the stock and bond holders’ best opportunity to realize on their investments lies in the continued operation of the company. receiver is appointed, because the com- pany's assets, if disposed of at a forced sale, will bring considerably less than their true value and the loss will be | borne by the security holders. Has Sound Assets. a fact that the Smith Co. has time between $4,000,000 and ,000 in securities that are sound, liquid and unencumbered. are in the form of bonds securities of issues which and are not now the by the Government “The company has additional assets to the extent of $4,000,000, which are = L3 p-3-3 g i SEEE but even if they are disregartded the company still has its bonds and other securities. “Against these assets there is ap- proximately $7,000,000 in preferred stock and outstanding obligations of about $350.000, of which $125,000 is in the form of a bank loan not yet due. ‘The common stock can be disregarded in this connection. because it is held by the officials of the company and can hardly be regarded as an obligation. Liquidation Means Loss. “Obviously, the gl‘edllol’! have only one chance of realizing on their in- vestments and that is through these assets. If they are liquidated by a re- ceiver the_ creditors will get little or nothing. If the company is left alone it may pull through. “The company has been criticized for using profits from the sale of bonds, which normally would go to the stock- holders, to pay the interest on the nds. However, if the interest was not paid the company would become insolvent angd the stockholders would lose all instead of part. “Looking at the situation from all angles, it is not perfect, but it might be a great deal worse. Therefore, T am going to fight the appointment of a re- celver and I I am going to be successful. “It has been suggested to me that the personnel of the company's board of directors should be changed so that it would be above reproach. Without go- ing into the question of whether any change is desirable, it is apparent that no business man is going to enroll him- self on the board of a company against which receivership suits are pending. When these sults are disposed of some such change may be made. Unti] that time we are going ahead without mak- ing any further changes in the compo- sition of the company. I am going to insist on an early trial of the New York receivership case and when it is held the fur is going to fly. “It is not true that the Smith Co. has made any overtures to the lawyers prosecuting the receivership suits. I Certainly | they will lose rather than gain if a| THREE LOCAL BILLS - NEARLY COMPLETE |Declares Smith Co. Assets‘Control of Sale of Securities | and Real Estate Regu- lation Intended. | | Drafting of three important local | bills, to control the sale of securities, to regulate the real estate business, and to define the method of foreclosing mortgages in the District has been vir- | tually completed and the measures will | be ready for introduction in the Senate | this week, Senator Blaine, Republican, | of Wisconsin, said yesterday. Senator Blaine is chairman of the subcommittee which has had under consideration for several months the question of the need for legislation on these subjects in the District. The ‘Wisconsin Senator was not ready to dis- close the provisions of the bills until they are introduced. Although the measures will be in | shape for introduction this week, Sen- ator Blaine said he could make no plans for taking them Il? until the tariff bill is out of the way in the Senate, which is likely to be several weeks. The bills will have to be Teported by the subcom- mittee to the Senate District committee and acted on there before they are considered by the Senate, and it is gn])gflble committee hearings will be eld. The Senate last June adopted a reso- lution declaring'the District to be with- jects and directing the preparation of proposed legislation. NAZIMOVA TO.. PLAY HERE. Appears in “A Month in Country” at National This Week. Alla Nazimova will make her first per- sonal appearance in Washington this week, when she appears at the National Theater in “A Month in the Country,” latest .production of the New York Theater Guild. The. play is by the noted Russian, I ‘Turginiev. Besides Miss Nazimova, who has thc leading role, Dudley Digges and Henry Travers will appear in the cast. Rouben Mamoulian is the director. BOY HELD IN $175 THEFT, Sanitary Grocery Store Loss Charged t0o 14-Year-Old. A 1l4-year-old boy is being held by second precinct police in connection with the theft of $175 in currency from 2 Sanitary Grocery Store at Eleventh and M streets yesterday afternoon. Abraham Updike, manager of the store reported that the money had been hidden underneath a cake box and that he suspected a gang of boys who frequented the vicinity of the store of the theft. eet -them intend to treat with them outside.’ Raichle said the company had re- ceived from individuals holding nearly $5,000,000 of its preferred stock favor- able replies to the letter sent out by the company to determine the attitude of the stockholders with regard to the receivership suits. “So far as I know, with one excep- tion, all of the replies urged us to contest the suits,” Raichle declared. Criminal Allegations Summarized. Discussing the criminal allegations, Mr. Raichle said that in his opinion they have narrowed down to one ques- tion—whether the company has fraud- ulently secured excessively high ap- praisals on certain properties for the purpose of selling bonds in excess of the true value of the property. “Here we have a difference of opinion between the Government and the Smith company—the latter looking at the question from a standpoint of po- tential earnings and the Government figuring on the actual present value,” he sald. WORLD-CIRCLING Center Department in the Pranklin School Building and at the Howard ‘University conservatory. W. U. TO ADD UNIT. 100-Wire Concentration Equipment to Facilitate Traffic. Installation of a -wire concen- tration unit to facilitate the handling of the great volume of more than 17, 000,000 telegrams annually to and from ‘Washington will be started within 10 days at the headquarters of the West- ern Union Telegraph Co., it was an- nounced yesterday. Ninety-seven simi- lar units' will be installed in 48 other ditional concentration unit, it was said, | Y means the growth of Washington busi- ness to such an extent that 100 plants end offices in the city have telegraph ‘business requiring direct wires to West- ‘ern Union's headquarters here. CYCLISTS ENTER 6-DAY RACE TO GET BRIEF REST Pair Who Have Pedaled for Last Five Years Ride Here From New York. As Pram Jamsetjle Davar remarked And, following a to Gustav Szatavjanik, 56,000 miles is a long way to trundle a couple of Szatavianik said he thought so too, especially after that jaunt t] Amazon country T haven't had a year: rrumbled_‘ Davar. are tion in rubbing his leg muscles. to me. one,” went on Davar. that while we're resting"” h the vacation in five “And here we in 5 “You mean we haven't had a vaca- five years” said Szatavianik, “And New enter brief but refreshing interval of recreation in Manhattan, the two cyclists set out, by a rather zig-zag route, for the National Capital. ‘Which was one reason why they came pedaling into Washington yesterday, in- quiring the way to the White House, President Hoaver, they said, would be asked to sign the autograph book, with- out which no globe-trotter could cir- cumnavigate even a lesser rl-neL Davar, who parks his bicycle when he is at home in Bombay, India, and Szatavjanik, who hangs his handle- bars in Vienna, Hungary, are goin, home by way of Los Angeles and sucl ocean and continent as intervenes. fifitr that they wili write & book, they sald, out adequate laws on these three sub- | PEOPLESCOUNSEL NOVINEE PLEDEE * H BT EFORT Appointment Was Surprise to Richmond B. Keech, Who Wasn’t Candidate. SAYS HE WILL INITIATE NEEDED UTILITY REFORM Has General Idea Now of First Tasks Before Him in New Position. Richmond B. Keech, nominated for people’s counsel before the Public Util- itles Commission yesterday by President Hoover, said in an interview with The Star that he would work day and night to justify the compliment paid him by the President in the nomination. Mr. Keech, a lifelong resident of Washington, is familiar with the util- ities problems of the average Washing- ton citizen from the layman's stand- point. He has ridden Washington street cars, used Washington telephones, gas and electricity all his life. He is not familiar with the technical aspects of the many battles with the utility companies in which it will be his duty to take the part of the people. “If my appointment should be con- ed,” he said, “I shall get to work at once to familiarize myself with the struggles of the people and the utilities companies in their technical aspects. The utility companies are protected, and properly so, by competent lawyers. I shall endeavor to give the {;nfiople equal protection. My office is going to be open day and night at first. Jim Martin (James L. Martin, statistical assistant to the people’s counsel) going to lead a hard life, but not harder than the life I'll lead myself until I get thoroughly familiar with our Wash- ington utility” problems. Has Idea of Cases. “I have a good general idea now as to the various cases before the courts and the commission, such ‘as the taxi- cab case, the street railway fare case and the f" company case. I should particularly like to enter the street car case should the rules of court allow it at this stage. “At present, it looks as though the work of a people’s counsel is cut out for him, with so much litigation going on. But I do not intend to content myself with fighting defensive battles in cases initiated by the utility companies. If I find situations where rates are too high or service poor, I shall make it my business to initiate the work of correct- ing those conditions.” Mr. Keech said that he was not a candidate for the nomination and the first intimation that he was under con- sideration was a call to a conference last Wednesday with Assistant Attorney General Charles P. Sissons, who told him his name had been submitted to the President by fellow lawyers. Mr. Keech said that in fact he had secured a récommendation for Charles Hill, a local attorney, for the place. His first knowledge that the nomination had been assured came from a Star reporter who called for an interview. The news also came as a distinct surprise to Corporation Counsel William W. Bride, Mr. Keech's superior. Mr. Bride said that he had not known that Keech was a candidate or that he had been under consideration. Will Go to Committee. ‘The nomination of Keech will be re- ferred to the Senate District committee for consideration before being taken up in_the Senate. The committee is scheduled to meet Tuesday afternoon, and Chairman Cap- per said last night he probably would call the nomination te the attention of the committee at that time, but it is not lkely it will be acted on that day. The meeting Tuesday has been called primarily to take up street railway merger, and to decide upon a time for the consideration of the Cramton park development bill and the Howell pro- hibition enforcement bill. It is likely, therefore, that the nomi- nation for people’s council will be given only preliminary attention at that meet- ing. President Hoover sent Mr. Keech's name to the Senate yesterday after- noon, to succeed Ralph B. Fleharty, who resigned recently. Mr. Keech, who has been an assist- ant corporation council for the past five years, is a native of Washington and 33 years old. He attended local public schools, Business High and Georgetown University Law School. During the war he served in the Navy, advancing to the rank of chief petty officer on a transport. Following the war he practiced law until his appoint- ment to the District service. C. OF C. CONVENTION HEAD CITES D. C. ADVANTAGES Martin A. Leese Tells of Chamber’s Endeavor to Bring Gather- ings Here. ‘The advantages of Washington as a convention city were presented in a radio address from Station WMAL last night by Martin A. Leese, chairman of the Washington Chamber of Com- merce’s committee on conventions. He told of the history of the cham- ber's endeavor to secure more conven- tions for the city, which began shortly after its founding 23 years ago. To this end a fund of between $20,000 and $30,000 was raised. It was soon found, however. he de- clared, that Washington lacked certain necessary conveniences for the enter- tainment of large gatherings. The first of these was a convention hall, and as the result of a movement started by the chamber, the Washington Audi- torlum was bullt. The next step, he asserted, was the launching as a co- operative undertaking by the leading ‘Washington trade bodles, of a conven- ) e wuotert s G t, r. Leese quol ugustus Gumpert, director of Ll'fll bureau, as authority for the statement that $4,500.000 was w:rent in this city last year by 150,000 tors attending 150 conventions. FLOOR CLEANER BURNED. Being Used in Home. Peter Wikender, 73 years old, of 1331 East Capitol street, was burned about the hands and arms yesterday when a small quantity of gasoline he was using to clean the floors of his home ex| 5 ‘Wikender was scouring the floor with a mop when the explosion occurred, apparently caused by frigtion. The man was taken to Casualty Hospital, but later returned to his home. 15| tion, the relative merits of Gasoline Explodes While Mop Is|Sailors an AAIRPORT OPTIONS | . OPPOSITION STIRS SENATOR BINGHAM Board of Trade Is Declared to Be Delaying Action on District Site. TRANSATLANTIC PILOT URGES GRAVELLY POINT Lieut. Walter Hinton Tells City Club Women Seaplane Facilities Necessary. Commenting yesterday on the plea of the Board of Trade for establishment of Washington's proposed airport at Gravelly Point, Senator Bingham, Re- publican, of Connecticut, chairman of the joint congressional airport com- mission, declared he has not formed a definite conclusion either for or against that site, but believes it is necessary to have options opened as to the cost of other sites before a decision can be reached as to the most economical and desirable location. Considers Three Points. Senator Bingham said there are three major points to be considered in select- ing an airport site—namely, ultimate cost, length of time uired to make 1t available for use and its accessibility. “It was testified to at the hearings that the Gravelly Point development would cost in the neighborhood of $5,000,000 and that it would be five years before a grass surface could be developed, and a year longer before concrete runways could be laid,” the Senator stated. Chairman Bingham said that until the cost of other pro- Eomplated 'y the pending Houde Tesoln- m) nding House resolu- i L e o Bt and Gravelly Point could no - ] 1}:« by alw Jolnr:! nne:wn': recommen col and _would riate commission $500,000 to be used for the purpose of options on land for the ?nrowud air- port. The resolution was introduced in the House last year, but has never been acted upon. ‘The mfll of Trade aviation commit- tee, in its letter yesterday, opposed the resolution on the ground that best available sites already belong to the Government. Criticizes Board of Trade. “This is just a spoke in the whee‘l_ that will prevent anything being done, Senator Bingham said, in discussing further the Board of Trade letter. He said the reasons given in support of Gravelly Point were brought before the joint commission at the hearing. “The joint commission,” Senator Bingham added, “is created by law to arrive at best possible solution of a difficult problem, and this action of the Board of Trade in opposing the first definite, constructive recommendat will serve to cause a further delay in securing an airport by making it more difficult for the joint commission to function.” Senator Bingham sald he may call a meeting of the joint commission for next week. Strongly urging the establishment of an airport which would be a model for the world, Lieut. Walter Hinton, first transatlantic pilot, told members of the ‘Women's City Club at a luncheon meet- ing yesterday that the Capital will take a prominent place on the airways map of the Nation as soon as this is d Gravelly Point Site Urged. Pointing out that the Gravelly Point site now is owned by the Federal Gov- ernment, Lieut. Hinton declared that the people of the District would be un- willing to spend money for the purchase of an :lrport site outside the District of Columbia. “There is not & city in the United States with a site so ideal from all view- points as the Capital has at Gravelly Point,” Hinton sald. “It is within 10 minutes of the heart of the city and is the only feasible site which combines land plane and seaplane facilities. “To overlook the necessity for a sea- plane base for this city would be as sensible in the light of modern aviation development as would be the closing of our highways to bus and truck traffic. ‘The flying boat and seaplane are be- coming of increasing importance and must be reckoned with.” Aviation Section Commended. Lieut. Hinton commended the club for its action in creating an aviation section, the first to be established by any woman's organization in this city. He predicted that within a few years women will be flying airplanes as well and as freely as they now drive auto- mobiles. “There was an inspiring picture of the ability of women to fly when 16 girls arrived at Cleveland during the National Air Races last Fall after ac- complishing more than men had done in a similar event only three years be- s Saryaret Baxter; who has g d argaret Baxter, wl yel a v&mmlmm part in tne pmmoffon of aviation for women in England and Australia, told members of the club that there is no reason why aviation should be confined merely to the young. She said that a 7l-year-old British noble- woman has attained wide recognition as a flyer and that many middle-aged ‘women are flying well and successfully. Chest Support Urged. Dorsey W. Hyde, secretary of the Washington Chamber of Commerce, asked members of the club to aid the Community Chest campaign in eyery possible way, not only for the sake of the‘ Chn;l uu;ll'l.ifiybutmduh h‘wnbll unfavorable pul whic] g out to the Nation because of the apparent failure of the campaign 3 cities not so wealthy as the National Capital, he said, have oversubscribed their Community Chest quotas within the past few days. |, Mrs. Merritt O. Chance, president of | the club, presided. BENEFIT HORSE SHOW IS SET FOR MARCH 1 Washington Society Event Is to Aid Soldiers, Sajlors and Marines’ Club. House. ‘The Was| help defra hington Society Horse Show, of which ven to of the the Ilflke:r Marines’ club house, Massa- chusetts avenue, L and Eleventh streets. will d at the Riding and Hunt Club Saturday, March 1. rs. Frank M. Andrews, daughter of Maj. ._and Mrs. Henry T. Allen, and Miss Gretchen Wahl, daughter of the late Gen. Lutz Wahl, are co-chair- nllz,n of the committee in charge of the show. The program of events has been com- pleted and includes seven classes for children, to be held in the afternoon, and eight classes for adults, to be held in the evening. _ tion | the Hilton School Mrs. Martha she ‘Two sixth Riding rters. mm Brodie deaned leaned The Sunthy She WASHINGTON, D. C, NOMINATED FOR PEOPLE’S COUNSEL 1930 Gladys Broz, 13, and Mary Broz, 9, daughters of Ales Broz, secretary of the Cuechoslovakian legation, who recently transferred from Girl Scout Troop No. 4, at Prague, to Troop No. 28, in Washington. —Star Staff Photos. FOUR BOY HEROES 10 BE HONORED School Patrol Members Save Others From Death or In- jury From Vehicles. Four boys, members of the school- boys' patrol of the Peabody-Carbery- | tained by Mrs. Thomas Reed, 50, of | Hilton group of achools, will be hon- ored tomorrow night at a meeting of the Stanton Park Citizens’ Assoclation at the Peabody School, Fifth and C treets northeast, for their alertness and bravery in saving others from death or _serious injury. They are Sam De Simone, 13, of 251 Eighth street rortheast, Hilton school; Earl Wheeler, 13, of 304 Ninth street northeast, captain of the Pea- body School patrol; Richard Halg, 14, of 630 K street northesst, captain of patrol, and Ben Mitchell, 11, of 104 B street northeast, Carbery School. One Saves Man in Traffic. Three of these boys are to be recog- nized by the assoclation for saving the lives of children, while the fourth, young De Simone, pulled a man from the paths of a street car and truck that were bearing down on him. Young Mitchell was an duty when Gardner Copper, 5 years old, of 500 F street northeast, tried to cross at Fifth | 3 and E streets northeast. Mistaking the patrol boy's signal the little boy ran into the path of a moving auto- mobile. The patrol boy ran to the youngster in time to drag him to safety. ‘Willilam Heck, 8 years old, of 630 C street northeast, was told to wait on the curb but disobeyed and ran in front of a skidding automobile at Stanton Park. Patrol Capt. Haig dashed to him and drew him to safety. Young Wheeler made a spectacular jump for Keith Williams of 614 C street northeast, caught him by the collar and rolled with him to safety as the wheels of an automobile grazed Keith's shoes. Names Sent to A. A. A. ‘The Stanton Park Citizens' Associa- tion will make a suitable presentation to each of the boys and has forwarded their names to the award board of the American Automobile Association to determine whether they shall receive the A. A. A. medal of merit. Patrol Boy De Simone saved a man who afterward told the principal of the Peabody-Hilton Carbery group of schools that the boy saved him from “two deaths,” referring to the fact that he was in danger of being struck by a street car and a truck. A WOMEN ROBBER VICTIMS. One Without Money Held Upi Purse Snatcher Gets $15. ‘Two attempts, one of them success- ful, were made to rob women walking on the streets last night. rs. Martha Vogel of 1673 W street southeast to eleventh precinct police that was_held up at the int of a pistol on W street near Fif- a;mh street southeast about 7 o'clock last night by a colored man. He de- manded her money and when she re- plied that she had none, he searched her, but found nothing. The other case occurred about the same time at Seventh and B streets southwest. Mrs. Ursa A. Hyde told po- lice that her handbag containing $15 ‘was snatched from her hand by a white man, who disappeared in a nearby alley. \WOMAN INJURED | WHEN HIT BY CAR | Physicians Hold Out Hope for Recovery of Mrs. Thomas Reed. | - ; A possible brain_concussion ‘was sus- | 2311 Connecticut avenue, last night | when she was struck by an automobile | at Seventeenth street and Massachu- | | setts avenue. Mrs.. Reed was taken to Emergency Hospital. Physicians said she would recover. The car is sald to have been driven by Lawrence J. Doyle of Balti- me ore. o A Willlam .M. McKinley, 18, of 712 A street southeast is reported by police to have ridden his bicycle into the side of an automobile at Nineteenth street and Florida avehue about 7 o'clock last night. He was treated at Garfleld Hos- pital. The car was driven by Elliotte M. Murghy of 2526 Seventeenth street. ‘While crossing the street near his home, John A. Cockrell, 51, of 200 B | street, was knocked down by a motor cycle said to have been ridden by Anthony J. Kaseski of the United States Navy Yard. He was injured_slightl and was treated at Casualty Hospital. John Armstead, colored, 53, of 1733 Marion court, was treated at Garfield Hospital last night for a lacerated scalp nd face resulting from being knocked down by an automobile at Vermont avenue and U street. The car driven by Eugene J. Matchett of 523 Ingraham street, according to police. MIRRORS DEFEAT POLICE VICE SQUAD | Occupants Are Warned and Es- 5 cape—Gambling Equipment Is Seized. | Sergt. Oscar J. Letterman and the members of the police vice squad raided a building on Tenth street near C yes- terday, confident that it housed a gambling establishment. What they did not know was that a system of lights and mirrors warned the occupants of any invasion. Consequently, when Letterman and members of his squad made their way Tad. cscapot by passase farousiysds ad escal y_passage ugh ad- Joining vacant houses. Materials for card, dice and race horse gambling were confiscated. Mirrors were not in evidence in an apartment on Willard street, and Sergt. Letterman and Detectives Richard L. Cox and James Mostyn arrested three women and a man, all colored, and confiscated 46 quarts of alleged whisky. Charges of possession and mainf a nuisance were placed against the four, who gave their names as Matthew Curtis, 28, of the 2100 block of Eleventh street; Delilah Wright, 22, and Lillian Page, 20, both of the 2400 block of Seventeenth street, and Matlyn John- a?rxl,e t“' of the 2100 block of Eleventh Members of the squad reported that the four delayed their entrance for about 15 minutes by barricading the loor. In another raid on G street south- west near South Capitol street, mem- bers of Sergt. George M. Little's squad arrested Estelle Robinson, colored, 33 years old, on charges of possession and seized a half gallon of alleged whisky. GUILTY CONSCIENCES AND FLAT TIRE GET SIX INTO TROUBLE Colored Rum Runners Flee When Police Point Out 1 Guilty consclences and a fusilade of | into an alley. The driverless machine |I. ¥. Bain. bullets from the pistols of two police- men brought five colored men into cells at the first precinct yesterday after- noon. The five men, accompanied by their troublesome consciences, were riding in an automobile with a flat tire. A longer legs, in a police car behind the six men and six consciences were De- tective Sergt. H. E. Brodie and Po- liceman H. H. Carper of h . Thelr alert eyes singled out flat tire and in a spirit of helpfulness and good will, c-lm:r drove ide 3 Sergt. car ahead, w) out to call the attention | I of the to their unfortunate plight. To amazement of the ?ollcemen, the six men, after a single glance, leaped wildly out of their car and ran detective | years old, Puncture in Spirit of Helpfulness. Jumped curb, crossed the sidewalk and crashed into a tree. Stopping their car, the policemen gave chase on foot. He of the long legs disappeared and the other five were drawing away from their pursuers when the of drew their pistols and fired into air. The five men sto) and surrendered meekly. tul with their captives to the abandoned car, the policemen found six gallons of whisky covered with bur- 1ap sacks in the tonneau. Taken to the first precinct to answer charges of irt north- mes of Henry Minter, 20 years old, 237 Bachelors Court north- east; Walter Willlams, 19 years old, 132 Shotts alley northeast; Pgmln But- ler, 18 years old, 325 B street north- east: Stephen Jones, 22 years old, 4601 ‘Washington place northeast, and Alex- ander Jones, 27 years old, 231 Second street northeast. t r was gnmfir?h: hydrogen FRAUDULENT TESTS 10 ALARM WATER BUYERS CHARGED D. C. Firm Declared Frighten- ing Consumers With “Alum” Demonstrations. CHEMIST REPRODUCES LABORATORY EFFECTS Star Reporter Shown Proof of Purity of Local Water Supply From Dalecarlia. Charges that a Washington _firm which sells distilled water has been con- ducting fraudulent tests allegedly to show -that District water contained alum and other impurities, described as likely to produce hardening of the ar- teries and kidney stones, were turned over to the District Health Department and the Department of Agriculture yes- terday by Maj. Brehon Somervell, in charge of the District water supply. Maj. Somervell's action followed ex- {periments by Carl J. Lauter, chief chemist in his office, who was able to reproduce in his laboratory the tests al- leged to have been made by the distilled water sellers. Maj. Somervell later pointed out that some 20 samples daily are taken of the District’s water supply at the filtration plant at Dalecarlia and carefully tested. The water supply is pure, he said. Trial Experiment Illustrates. In his office in the Navy Department Building, Maj. Somervell conducted an experiment for a reporter of The Star, designed to show that the water com- pany’s methods are based on an electri- cal and chemical experiment only, and the alleged impurity is easily explained, jMaj. Somervell filled a beaker with water from the Dalecarlia plant and in- serted in the liquid an electrical heater, the copper coil of which was exposed to the liquid. After a short time the water was made hot and a greenish scum ap- peared. This, Maj. Somervell said, Lauter had seen the water company's tester do. After a short time the greenish sub- stance, which is termed szp" hydrox- ide, is seen in suspension the water, looking like alum. Lauter has informed Maj. Somervell this is what the company tells the pros- pective customer is alum, as a result of alleged impurities in the city's water ystem. . Maj. Somervell explained that copper hydroxide, if takem in- ternally, will probably turn in the stomach into copper chloride. © The major took occasion to issue a warning that any kind of open heater of cop- per-coll in contact with milk or water, or other liquid, would produce a like If the copper coil is insulated, S0 as not to come into contact with the liquid, then, he added, the danger is obviated. 1 i Declares City Water Pure. To show that the ‘City's water does not contain the alleged impurity, Maj. Somervell next woknl*pllr %l’ l’;flnu‘l{l s to luce el Which the water is turned into its gen. and water with the platinum 'r‘:'m 1) m:‘ prodt eedm" no prec! e no dhcnlorlfign l?emlm. “'l'hl.l, ",‘.‘;' sald, demonstrated that Washington 55" produced by putsing the ' commat e Yy pul T col in the water to heat it. i The District engineer said that even if there was alum in the water, the quantity produced apparently by the experiment, using the copper coil ex- mfm the llquldt. 'l:‘u.ld be far in ex- of any amount which could poss! reach the consumer. it a0 With reference to cop ! per colls ex- posed to the liquid which they are used to heat, Maj. Somervell issued a warn- {ing that if used for baby's milk, the ;:p&:r ex;rzcim;nbe’v;‘ould not_show up it e eye, and might prove highly in- { jurious in the infant’s s&mlnh. oy | Warned ‘of Disease. Lauter's report said: “On February 5 and 6 I visited this place, posing as a prospective customer for their water and asked to see the tests. These he gladly gave, placing this exposed coil heater in a glass of tap water and then passing direct current; through the coil until the water came to a boil. As the water heated a heavy floculent precipitate began to be de- posited, and it was of a greenish color. This precipitate said representative called the alum in the water, and the green color, he stated, was the chlorine With which the water is doped to make it pure. He showed me that there was more than a nful of alum with chiorine in one glass of city water, and then went on to make more misrepre- sentations and statements re?rd.l.nq the numbers of diseases one will positively acquire if they drink such water. He also stated that several physicians were recently impressed with these tests and were beginning to question the qualities of our water.” INCOME TAX WELFARE UNIT ELECTS HEADS H. R. Robinson Is Chosen as Presi- dent of Newly Organized Association, H. B. Robinson of the audit review dllvl::n, ln‘c‘:’um"e l“txh unit. has been elected president of the newly organized Welfare Association of the Burr':w of Internal Revenue. Other officers are: Vice president, Floyd Toomey; secre- lary, Miss Cora Gene'r and treasurer, The new organization is an out- of & movement started 10 years 20, Wwhen there was established by members of the income tax unit here & fund known as the income tax welfare fund. Its was to make loans to employes who had met with misfortune emf« through death, illness or injury to themselves or members of their im- mediate families. The fund consisted of the net proceeds of dances, excursions and other social affairs, conducted by members of the unit. - Membership car- ried neither initiation fee nor dues. “So helpful has been the organization that it was decided to enlarge the scope of its facilities,” according to a r.g:’t . in the Internal Revenue News. new Welfare Association, therefore, has been founded, and is open to every em- g‘:’:fi -ndnoflchl of the Bureau In' Loans are made where necessary, and charity also is extended,