Evening Star Newspaper, February 26, 1930, Page 17

Washington News WASHINGTO I WEDNESDAY, @The Toening Staf FEBRUARY 26, 1930. EFFICIENCY BUREAU WANTS CHANGES IN INGPECTION OFFICE District Commissioners Told | Service Not as Good as It Should Be. TAX CLAUSE IN ;Measure Aimed at F BY DON S. WARREN, Real Estate Editor. Designed to block the sale here of wildeat or fraudulent stocks and bonds, the securities act for Washington re- introduced by Senator Blaine of Wisconsin contains a small, _one-sen- tence clause near the end of the 50- page printed bill providing for a man- | @atory increase in taxes om property § |owners in some cases, it Was revealed | today. | This “tax” feature of the securities | measure as now worded would place an additional tax burden on a large num- | ber of local property buyers, most of | whom had nothing to do with the sale | of bonds on such property, in the opin- | fon of a number of experts in the busi- | ness field here and one District official who have been studying the proposed A thorough-goirg reorganization of | measure. The contention is made that ¢ : the measure would result in boosted the office of inspector of buildings and | ot Fe ity Tl Tof even a small of any other inspecting and examining | qwelling, under certain circumstances. boards indirectly connected with it was | The mandatory tax boost feature of : i s- | the Bill is contained in a clause specify- recommended to the District Commis- |7 ®youe qualification that taxes sioners today in a i5-page report by the Bureau of Efficiency. | parity with the valuation placed on The District of Columbia is not re- | property by the vender orlseamn;i on i 2 | such property, if such valuation be in celving the bullding inspection service | SUCH Property, if <uch valuation be i to which it is entitled, the report states. | yalue, Two reasons are -ssigned: for this, first Doubls Constitutionality, that the office is not well organized and | o R e g second that reasonable minimum quali- | sccessor. fold The Star today after a fications have not been prescribed in |study of the measure that he belleved selecting personnel. | this feature of the proposed law would Briefly, the reorganization called for | hrove unconstitutional and would not sets up & new position to be known as | stanq the test of court action because URGES SU?ERINTENDENT FOR FIVE SUBDIVISION Readjustment of Fees and New Code of Building Laws Also Recommended. SEEN BURDEN TO HOME BUYERS| Bonds Would Increase Assessment on Many Residences. | shall be assessed and collected on a | SECOND VICTIM OF AUTOACCIDENT | DIES IN HOSPITAL RS THAR i Donald Phelps Was Compan- | ion of Miss McKendrie, Who Was Killed Instantly. FATAL CRASH FOLLOWED BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION BLAINE BILL raudulent Stocks and | chaser of property, subject to mortgage | | or bond issues, haye to pay mcrused} taxes simply because the broker selling the issues appraised the property at a | figure in excess of the then current | assessed value Oscar H. Brinkman, local attorney, | who was employed to draft the measure {for the Blaine committee, set at rest | doubt as to the intent of this clause as it relates to the “appraisals or valua- tions * * * concerning a security” by stating to The Star that the clause re- ferred to the valuations placed on phy- sical property on which realty securities would be placed. Affected in Two Ways. | Under full-fledged enforcement of the | measure according to its present word- | ing, it is pointed out by several leaders in the local business field, home bu: here would be affected in two Wi ~ Donald Phelps, 19, died early today First, by the placing of a minimum fee | in Prince Frederick, Md., Hospital, the of $20 for the registration of the mort- | second victim of an automobile accident gage issue on the property, and, second, | Sunday night, which followed a birth- by an increase in taxes in cases where | day celebration for Miss Irene McKen- | the appraised value of the property ex- | drie, 1353 Otis place. Miss McKendrie ceeded the assessed valuation. | was killed instantly when the automo- In his interpretation of the Blaine | bile in which she was riding with a party | measure today Tax Assessor Richards | of youthful friends crashed into a cul- | declared that the law would conflict | Vert near Prince Frederick. | with the principle that assessments on | Phelps, who lived at Twenty-second | similar or comparable properties should | and Evarts streets, Langdon, D. C., died be equalized. It. therefore, would eon- | of peritonitis brought on by severe in- flict with fundamental law_here rela- | ternal injurles. tive to assessments, he said. He declare Miss Edith O'Dwyer, 18, of 1101 Mon- for these reasons that he felt the pro- roe street, is still in a critical condition. posed law in its present form would Miss Leah Angerman, 17, 1016 Spring prove unconstitutional. ) road. is still in the hospital, but is re- Mr. Richards further voiced objection | covering. ~Joseph King, 18, 712 E street the bill on the ground that it would | northeast, and Leonard West, 17, the ‘place Government approval — through | Other members of the party, have been Miss Edith 0'Dwyer Reported in Critical Condition, While Three Companions Are Recovering. lto HALF OF BASCULE SPAN the superintendent of inspection. Under him will come five divisions, building inspection, electrical inspection, plumb- ing inspection, elevator inspection and steam boller inspection. An _entirely new code of laws is called for divide into subheads to be enforced by the various divisions of the new department. Changes Recommended. Accompanying _this change it is recommended that the present practice of assigning to the work of inspecting buildings men who receive their salary from the contractor be forthwith dis- continued and that all employes of these departments receive regular an- nual salary from the District of Colum- bia; fees be revised so as to provide sufficient Tevenue to cover the cost of the service rendered by the Inspection Bureau; that an assistant corporation counsel be assigned exclusively to the legal work of the bureau; that regulations governing the placing and maintaining % << be eliminated from the building v aud incorporated jn the' police Teguiations; that responsibility for in- | spection of fire escapes and related matters be transferred from the build- ing inspector’s office to the marshal’s office. The report points out that during the fscal year 1929 the building inspector’s office received in fees $65,627.50 and its total expenses were $125,088.82. The report calls for a new law set- ting up a board to examine electricians and prohibiting any one except a licensed electrician from engaging in wiring houses or doing other commercial electrical work. The inspectors of elec- trical wiring who now work witqa the electrical department would be trans- ferred from that department as the nucleus of the electrical inspection divi- sion. Recommend License Law. The inspector of plumbing would be laced in a . position equal to mrg Independent of ‘the buiding inspector ponsible to the superinte; of inspection. P Tecommended that a law be passed giving the District Commis- sioners the authority to revoke the | llc;:uatfit registered plumbers, setting up the elevator in: division the Teport states- “Tnoresion personnel is needed to make possible regulations. Less than one periodic inspections made in the past. have been given ve: Some of them ha in years, required have been Freight elevators TY tll;t'l: al!lenflon. ve nof n inspecte: although the reguIL:etlar: prescribe a semi-annual inspection. This situation is deplorable and should be Temedied at once. There are a large number of elevators in the city, both passenger and freight, which do not eet the requirements of the regula- Force Too Small Now. Bpeaking about steam boiler inspec- , the Teport states that the work of this division is now assigned to one inspector, who receives a fee of $5 for each inspection, and that it is a physi- <€al impossibility for him to cover the fleld. The plan sets up a division to consist of an inspector, two assistant inspectors and a record clerk. All ac- eldents and complaints. involving dan- gerous boilers would be investigated nally by the inspec oy pector of steam Speaking about. the recent McCrory disaster, the report says: “It may bi found desirable to adopt regulations requiring the periodic inspection of boilers and tanks which are not cov- ered by the present regulations. In this event the personnel of the division should be increased in proportion to the amount of additional work.” The report urges that the key posi- tlon of superintendent of inspection be filled as soon as the services of a properly qualified engineer can be ob- | tained. Under his direction, it state: the proposed organization could be ef- fected in accordance with an orderly program of his own making. ‘The report is signed by R. J. Queenin | and D. bureau. CALVIN NEIL P. Evans, investigators of the SON RITES ARE SET FOR TOMORROW Retired Chief Clerk of Pension Office Had Been Il for Two Months. Calvin Neilson, 78 years old, re Government employe and former clerk of the Pension Office, died y day at his residence, 142 Twelfth street | tary of the National Council for Pre- | two | vention of War, will address members | northeast, after an illness of months. Mr. Neilson came to Washington 45 ! rears ago, following a brief period of law practice in Perry County, Pa., where he was born, He served nearly 40 years in Pension Office, his service including besides a chief clerkship, the position of secretary to numerous pension com- missioners. His retirement became ef- fective six years ago. He was a mem- ber of the La Fayette Masonic Lody and the Metropolitan Church. Funeral services, conducted by Rev. Freely Roher, pastor of the Metro- golunn Presbyterian Church, will be eld tomorrow afternoon at 2 o'ciock at the residence Interment will be in_ Congressional Cemetery. Mr. Neilson is survived by a son, Walter C. Neilson of this city,and two daughters, Mrs. S. E. Johnson and Mre. ©. E. Anderson of Toledo, Ohio, that the schedules uf inspection | “Increased | tion required by law and | -half of the | the |it would make 1t mandatory upon him s assessor to levy assessments of vary- | ing amounts against exactly comparable | properties Since the majority | Washington are mortgaged and sold under deeds of trust: since in most | cases the appraised value of such houses exceeds the assessed value, and since such mortgages are sold in the District, this clause would affect such a buyer of a dwelling here and cause his tax assessment to be boosted to the level |of the appraised value placed on the | property by the issuer or vender of the | mortgage, it is pointed out by inter- | ested observers. Numerous financial leaders in Wash- | ington have publicly recognized the | need for forestalling wildcat financing | schemes and sale of unsound stocks and | bonds and several important groups | have gone on record favoring the prin- | ciples in the Capper securities meas- |ure, which is fashioned after the | “model” code sponsored by the Amer- ican Investmeat Bankers' Association Critics of the Blaine measure, which is an_enlargement upon the “model” | code, however, indicate they fail to see | why the securities act should be made of new homes in fire | a “tax” measure or what good would | | come from this clause. Text of Tax Clause. ‘The clause in the Blaine measure | giving rise to this opposition reads: | ~“The assessor of the District of Co- lumbia shall make his assessment, and | taxes shall be levied and collected in | conformity with appraisals or valua- tionss stated in advertising, circulars, | or other written or printed matter con- | cerning the security based on_ property located in_the District of Columbia; provided: That such appraisals or val- | uations shall be in excess of previous assessments or the assessments that would otherwise be made by the asses- sor, but this shall not affect the as- sessment of like, similar, or contiguous property.” Local interests studying the measure | proposed by Senator Blaine are raising these questions: . “If a bond, mortgage or stock issue is of doubtful value, why should it be permitted to be sold at all? And, if it can be sold, why should the pur- | the mandatory increase in assessment— | | on a higher value for one property than | another of similar location, size and | | cost of improvements, simply because of | a higher appraisal made by or for the | issuer of a security in the first instance. He indicated that he felt Government proval of the value of a bond or stock to be dangerous as & Government Method of .Mr. Richards has served as tax as- sessor_here for 22 years. This experi- | ence has convinced him that his tem of assessing private dwellings is | sound, correct, fair and in accordance with law. The fact that the assessed value placed on a house is considerably less than the original sale price or a bond house appraisal of its value in no wise means that the property is assessed at less than its “fair market value,” as the law directs that it shall be, he states. The reasons for the difference be- tween the assessment and the original sale price of a new dwelling, or the ap- praisal on a proposed house for a con- struction loan, Mr. Richards gives as follows: In the sale price of a dwelling are in- cluded not only the cost of the land and cost of construction of the build- |ing, but also the builder’s profit, the builder’s financing costs, commission paid_the salesman, insurance, builder’s overhead costs, such as architects fee, and carrying charges prior to the sale of the house, on which the assessor believes the home buyer properly should not be made to pay a tax. Promoters Have Advantage. The securities commission, com- mentators say, might approve as legiti- mate a mortgage or bond issue where the appraised value of the property securing the issue is in excess of the assessed value. The promoter of the project, therefore, it is asserted, would enjoy Government approval of the soundness of the bond issues, but the buyer of the physical property, if it be sold, would have to pay taxes in accordance with the ap- praisal made for the purpose of the sale of the bond or mortgage issue, under terms of the Blaine measure. Assessment. | LEHLBACHS BILL {House Committee, in Execu- tive Session, Carefully Con- sidering Wording. | The House civil service committee was |in executive conference this afternoon, | going over, paragraph by paragraph, the |language of the new Lehlbach bill, | which was amended in the committee on Tuesday, to see if the wording of the amendments and other sections meets the approval of the committee. Before the meeting Chalman Lehl- bach said that he hopes and expects that the committee will favorably report | his bill, which is to be presented as an { amendment to the Dale bill after strik- |ing out all after the enacting clause of the Dale measure, which has already passed the Senate. This will have the | effect, as soon as the House acts upon the bill, of throwing it into conference instead of sending it to the Senate for a vote there. Several members of the committee previous to the meeting Indicated a | strong intention to try to further amend | the Lehlbach bill, Chairman_Lehlbach said that thus far he has had no assurance from the House leaders that preferential consid- | eration will be given to this measure | when it is favorably reported from the | House civil scrvice committee. He | feels sure, however, that the House leadership will allow an opportunity at an early date to call this bill up in the | House, i PEACE LEADER TO SPEAK. Frederick J. Libby to Address D. C. Christian Endeavor Union. Frederick J. Libby, executive secre- |of the District of Columbia Christiar Endeavor Union on “An Intimate Pic- ture of Current Events in the Interna- tional Field" at & “world peace rally” Monday night at 8 o'clock at the Rhode | Island Avenue Church. Methodist *Protestant. The meeting is one of a series of three projected by the commissior. to further “Christian citizenship, world peace and evangelism.” The citizenship rally was held several weeks ago and e Presbyterian | the conference on evangelism will be | | held in April. | | 1 Irving T. Bush Visits Reno. RENO, February 26 (#).—Trving T, Bush, president of the Bush Terminal | Co. of New York, is stoppng at a local | hotel. Reports from the East are that | he will scek a divorce here and marty | Miss Marion Spore, He declined to be | interviewed. STUDIED IN SECRET REALTORS EXTOL BEAUTY OF CAPITAL Donal Chamberlin and F. G. Clendaniel Are Speech Con- test Winners. The beauty, advantages and attrac- | tions of Washington as a residential | city were described by members of the Washington Real Estate Board last |night in the third annual speaking | contest of the organization at Ward- | man Park Hotel. Donal L. Chamberlin of the Kennedy | Chamberlin Development Co. captured | | first honor in the cvent for active mem- bers of the Realty Board and F.George | Clendaniel, sales Sansbury Co., w {test for associate | assoctation. ! silver trophies, awarded by W. C. | Miller, past president of the board, were | presented to Chamberlin and Clendaniel. It was the second consecutive victory | for the associate orator and permanent possession of cup will be awarded to ‘lnm should he win first honor in the | | members of the | fourth annual contest to be held next | Winter. | A number of reasons were cited by the orators showing why “Washington | Is the Best City in Which to Reside.” | Spacious, wooded parks, wide thorough- | fares, tree-lined walks, magnificent | Federal buildings, recreation facilities, | | educational . ivantages unparalleled | | elsewhere, opportunities for art stu- | dents, historians, political and social | activ association with cultured | people, sound business activity, stable | economic conditions and other notable features of the National Capital were | described by the orators. | Judges were Edward J. McQuade, vice | president of the Liberly National Bank Louis Ottenber torney, and Rufus Lusk, executive secretary of the Opera- | tive Builders' Association. Jompeting with Mr. Chamberlin were Carl G. Rosinski and J. C. Weedon, jr. Speakers in the associate event, in ad- dition to Mr. Clendaniel, were Donald | L. Luxford and Joseph T. Steuart. Mr. Lusk, following the speaking con- test, gave an illustrated talk on building conditions in Washington and describ- ing the work of the Operative Bullders' | Association. | If new construction here is continued throughout this year at no greater vol- ume than now is under way, he esti- mated, the real estate market should return to a healthy state, since demand | is steadily catching up with supply of | housing units. | Alfred H. Lawson, president of the board, presided. Lauder Slips Into Tub. GARY, Ind., February 26 (#).—Hav- | ing slipped stepping into a bathtub, Sir Harry Lauder has been singing with a 'HITCH-HIKER | the highway to Washington, still wal discharged from the hospital. The party of six young people drove to Chesapeake Beach Sunday for an advance celebration of Miss McKendrie's birthday on the following day. Her parents were making preparations for a celebration’ when news of the girl's death was conveyed to them. The accident occurred while King was driving the car in & heavy fog. Phelps was riding in the rumble seat with Miss McKendrie, who was thrown clear of the car into a clump of un- derbush, where her body remained until | found nearly half an hour later. De- | spite the critical nature of Phelp's in- juries, he assisted one of the injured girls to a house half a mile away. Funeral arrangements for Phelps are being arranged | Rites.for Miss McKendrie were held | this afternoon. Burial was in Glen- wood Cemetery. HURT BY AUTO ON HIGHWAY Young Man on Way South in Seri-‘ ous Condition—Parents in Brooklyn Notified. Few motorists responded to his hall‘ and John Parisi, 20 years old, had to do considerable walking after he left his home in Brooklyn, N. Y, on a hitch- hike to the Sout] ON NEW BR | Darkness fell as he was passing | through Baltimore last night, and an | hour later he was several miles along | k- | ing, when an automobile ran him down. | The young hitch-hiker, either from his fixed notion of getting as far South as possible, or because he underesti- mated the extent of his injuries, re- quested the motorist who had struck him to drive him to & Washington hospital. Wesley Lawrence, 28 years old. of | Baltimore, acceded to the request and | made the 38-mile trip to Washington at a swift pace. Lawrence was directed to Garfield Hospital, where the injured youth was pronounced in a serious condition from lacerations to the head and body. He | was admitted to the hospital and his parents in Brooklyn notified. | Later Lawrence drove to No. 8 pre- cinct and reported the accident to police. HISTORIC PROJECT 5 DISHPPROVED Council Postpones Action on Restoration of Washing- ton Headquarters. Tradition bowed before scientific re- search in the Citizens' Advisory Coun- cil last night, and the council disap- proved a project to spend $200,000 re- storing the headquarters of George Washington from which he made an engineering survey of the District. The council assigned to Dr. George H. Richardson, a local historian and one of its members, the task of inquiring thoroughly into the history of the old building, located at 3049 M street. Dr. Richardson said he consulted with all the present experts on Wash- | ington_history, and failed to find any | confirmation whatsoever for the story. Accordingly he reported that the best thing to do would be to postpone action on the bill proposing to appropriate the $200,000 indefinitely, and the coun- cil unanimously agreed with him, o M st CIVIC ASSOCIATION RE-ELECTS OFFICERS Georgetown Body, at Annual Meet- ing, Chooses Full Board—Stand- ing Committees Appointed. All officers of the Georgetown Civic Association wer€ re-elected at a meet- ing last night in the Wendell Phillip: School, N street, between Twenty-sev- enth and Twenty-eighth streets. The | . . assoctation also indorsed the re-election | o, ho o, nas lost none of its credi- sed th | bility by reason of the mutation of time, ST George H. Richardson and Wil- | put,’ on ‘the contrary, seems o have zens' Legislative Adrawes 10 the Ciu- | acquired increasing impstus proportion- o e el e e T | al to the degree of its remoteness from Beason. . president s jre: ~George T.|the source of origin, as is evidenced by Beason, president; James Magruder, | the - testimony obtained from a great Vice president; H. H. Jackson, secre- | many of ths inhabitants of George - tary; Clarence Warren, treasurer; John | town, both old and young, E. Bowles, corresponding secretary: | “Critical inquiry, " however, has. a Rev. J. S. Carroll, chaplain, and R. M. | yet, failed to discover data sufficientl Carter, whip, g | corroborative and authoritative to just Chairmen of the standing committees | fy the were named as follows: E. H. Lawson, | in s b | in_this bill.” education; William Watts, finance; Al- | The council, by a vote of 5 to 3, bert Jackson, public improvements: Dr. | turned thumbs down on the bill to com- C. H. Marshall, jr, public health; Rev. | pel those who have been convicted of C. B. Ford, legislation: Rev. C. E. | reckless driving, drunk driving, leaving Hodges, civic improvement; W. J. Bal- | after collisions or speeding, and_ who lard, membership, and J. L. Chase, re- | have caused property or personal in- \'ieMW. | jury by reason of such driving, to sati: TS the Bloomingdale Civic Association, ad- |to respond dressed the meeting briefly. amounts. Youth Is Pie-Baking Champion. WILLOWS, Calif., February 26 (4) t by George Washington, as an in damages in various Navy Flyer Is Killed. Ensign William H. McMullen ofs the Competing against more than 50 wom- | Naval Reserve, whose home was in De- en, IHarold Hoskins, grammar school | troit, was killed yesterday in an air- student. won the first prize for baking | plane acident at sea with the battle an apple pie yesterday. fleet en route from San Pedro to the The contest was held in connection | Canal Zone, the Navy Department an- with a colonial fair and food contest. | nounced today. FIREMEN CALLED TO RELEXSE CHILD FROM LOCKED APARTMENT Greeted With “Hello” by One-Year-Old, Locked In When Wind Slams Door Shut. Probably Miles Grimm, 12 months' old, had never been rescued before. He seemed rather blase for a beginner, however, when firemen clambered up ladders to his third-floor bed room at 5112 Connecticut avenue afternoon. “Oh, hello,” Miles remarked, or words | issued to the corridor. The key was to that effect. “Do have a chair while | on the inside, and efforts to force the I finish pulling the arm off this rag|lock were unsuccessful. a fireman clattering in a window. “As we have several false alarms fo answer * * % ‘we only dropped by to un- lock your door.” Miles' mother, Mrs. Esther Grimm, yesterday | had called firemen when a gust of wind bit of a bruise. A physician found that no bones were bioken. dol “Come to see us again some time," “We can’t stay but a minute,” said|said Miles through his interpreter. it adition respecting the use of 3049 | engineering headquarters, Dr. Richard- | claims and provisions contained Jacqueline Cuney, president of | fy the director of traffic of their ability | slammed her apartment door as she| )., SCHOOLS HOLD * FIRST RADID CLASS Eleven Receiving Sets Tuned In for Experiment in Means of Instruction. Washington school children yesterday | heard their first official educational ra- | dio broadcast when the American | School of the Air program was tuned | In at 11 of the 12 selected schools, The experiment was authorized by the Board of Education last week. The schools which “have sets are the Hine Junior High School, Seventh and C streets southeast; the Jefferson Junior High School, at Sixth and D streets southwest; the Gordon Junior High School, Thirty-fourth and T | streets; the Garnet-Patterson Junior | High School, Tenth and U streets; Randall Junior High School, at First |and I streets southwest; the Langdon, Twentieth and Franklin streets north- cast: Wheatley, Montello avenue and Neal street northeast; the E. V. Brown School, Connecticut avenue and Mec- Rinley' street; John Quincy Adams School, Nineteenth and _California stieets; the Burrville School, at Divi- sion avenue and Hayes stret northeast, and the John F. Cook School, North Capitol and P streets. Loeal Firm's Gift. ‘The Powell Junior High School, | Hiatt place and Lamont street, was expected to have its receiver today. The radio sets were offered to the schools by the Eisenbrandt Radio Co. of this city, Yesterday's program included a dramatization of the story of the land- ing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth, The second program will be broadcast tomorrow afternoon and will be a dream fantasy on “Friends in Bookland.” Stu~ dents will meet over the air such char- acters as Huckleberry Finn, Tom Saw- yer, Lorna Doone, Uncle Remus and others, Coincident with this experiment the Federal Government is weighing the ad- vantages and disadvantages of educa- tion by radio. The findings of an ad- visory committee, named by Secretary of the Interior Wilbur, with the appro- val of President Hoover, are in the hands of the Bureau of Education, Differences in Opinion. Wide divergence of opinion has been found by the committee on the subject, it was announced by the Interior De- partment. The opponents, the committee found, point out that the radio puts a danger- ous vehicle of commercial propaganda in the schools, that it admits cheap music to the school rooms, that it en- courages laziness in teachers, that too many teachers are incompetent to select radio programs and use them wisely and that the project threatens to bring into the schools more “mass education end standardized thinking. Proponents of the idea say that the radio fires imagination, whoesomely stirs emotion, broadens horizons, relieves the strain on the teacher of continual di- rection of her class and gives the teach- er the much-needed opportunity ' to stand aside and study the reactions of Rer puplls under instruction, thereby affording the opportunity for the teach- er to learn the individual difference in the members of a class, | | IDGE COMPLETED Above: A shot from the river of the completed half of the bascule span of the new Arlington Bridge, which will lift to permit river traffic to George- town to pass. Below: The machinery which will lift the span. —Star Staff Photos. ARLINGTON BRIDGE WORK ADVANCING Construction Over Boundary Channel Carried on Through- out the Winter. Another phase of the Arlington Me- morial Bridge project soon will be finished, with the expected completion in the middle of April of the bridge across Boundary Channel, linking up Columbia Island with the Virginia shore. F. B. Ridenour, Washington manager | of the N. P. Severin Co. of Chicago, which has the contract for the smaller bridge that spans Boundary Channel, supplementing the main bridge that arches the Potomac River, explained today that work was carried on all through the Winter by heating the sand and gravel, and portions of the bridge where work was being done were cov- ered with canvas to facilitate the pour- ing of concrete. In these places live steam was turned in and these canvas rooms were kept heated for three days. Will Lay Stone Soon. ‘The main arch has now been poured, | Mr. Ridenour said, and yesterday a portion of the west underpass arch was oured. Two-thirds of the road slab as been .put in position and, if the weather continues clear and warm, the contractor will start to lay stone im- mediately. | About 200 men are now engaged in! work on the bridge. Shortly after Christmas, Mr. Ridenour explained, | there were 400 men working there and | the peak was reached at that time.| From now on there will be about 200 | men engaged on the job, Mr. Ridenour sald. Three Kinds of Granite. ‘Three kinds of granite will go into the bridge. At present the firm Is working with Hallowell granite, which comes irom Maine, and this is known as “ashlar,” which is the plain surface stone above the arches. Later Mount Alry granite, from North Carolina, and Stone Mountain granite, from Georgia, will be put into position. Of the three arches that will com- pose the bridge, two are practically in. The main arch spans Boundary Chan- nel, while there will be one span on the Virginia shore and one on Columbia Island. There will be one drive under the bridge along the Virginia shore and another is contemplated on Columbia Island. These drives, it was explained, are not part of the new Mount Vernon Highway now under construction. Mount Vernon Highway will be constructed southward from Columbia Island, but there will be connecting roads with the Arlington Memorial Bridge. TWO ZIHLMAN BILLS FAVORABLY REPORTED District Committee Approves Ex- change of Land for Park System. | | ‘The House District committee today | ordered a favorable report on two bills sponsored by Representative Zihlman of Maryland, the importance of which was emphasized by Lieut. Col. U. S. Grant, 3d. engineer officer in charge of public parks and playgrounds. One of (Rese bills authorizes the ex- change of 663 square feet of property acquired for the park system for 2,436 square feet of neighboring property, all in the Klingle Ford Valley, for addition to the park system of the National Cap- ital. The other-bill would effect the con- solidation of the Turkey Thicket play- ground recreation and athletic fleld, which _lles between the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad and Bunker Hill road. This also permits the exchange of cer- | tain land recently acquired for park | and playground purposes for the same | area of other land better located for | the purpose at an equivalent valuation. ‘The District committee also ordercd a favorable report on a bill sponsored by a national church organization to permit church and charitable organi- zations to take actio nwithout a vote of their full executive board. m:»t;'fn;lorr Engu_g—ed. NEW YORK, February 26 (#).—Ruth Taylor, who had the leading role in the film, “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” is the choice of a tall, dark, handsome stock broker. She is engaged to Paul S. Zukerman, Lady Mountbatten Here. NEW YORK, February 26 (#).—Lady Mountbatten, who has arrived from England, is the guest of Gen. and Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt. She is going to Hollywood shortly to visit Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Fairbanks. - | he PAGE B-1 BINGHAM CALLS AIRPORT GROUP 10 MEET FRIDAY Definite Action Looms as Possibility at Session of Commission. TRADE BOARD OFFERS COMPROMISE ON SITE Acquisition of Temporary Facilities Is Approved by Aviation Com- mittee Head in Address. Definite action toward providing for the airport needs of the District before the end of the week loomed as a pos- sibility today when Semator Bingham of Connecticut, chairman of the Joint Congressional Airport Commission, an- nounced he had called a meeting for | Friday morning. Commenting on the statement of Lawrence E. Williams, chairman of the aviation committee of the Board of Trade, that the board does not object to temporary airport facilities near the center of the city, keeping Gravelly Point in mind for future development, Senator Bingham said: “I am glad to see that, and I have just called a meeting of the commis- sion for Friday.” Hopes for Definite Steps. Senator Bingham indicated he was hopeful that some definite steps may be taken at this meeting, although he did not undertake to forecast what the commission would_do. The last time the commission met, several weeks ago, it considered as one possibility taking over the two existing flying fields near the south end of Highway Bridge—Hoover Field and Washington Airport—as an airport site that could be developed quickly. The commisison took no action at that time, however. The Board of Trade steadfastly had refused to consider any site other than Cravelly Poin:, until its public offer tn compromise with the joint congres- stonal airport commission, was made last night in Mr. Willams’ ‘address over Station WMAL. Opinion Ts Unchanged. For three years the Board of Trade has worked for the establishment of an airport at Gravelly Point, Mr. Willlams asserted, and it has not changed its opinion that Gravelly Point should be the final site for a permanent field. “‘However,” he continued, “it does not stand in the way of the development of temporary facilities if the location be close to the business center. On the contrary, the board will support any measure that will provide airport facil- ities close to the business center, keep= ing always in mind that Gravelly Point should be the ultimate goal. It is our contention that any expenditure at a considerable distance is unjustified and would be a poor investment, to say nothing of being a waste of public funds. “It has been suggested that the two commercial fields just across the High- | way Bridge be acquired, the military road moved and this land be combined with that part of the Agricultural De- partment farm lying between the rall- | road tracks and Hoover Field. “Such a combination would be a good one. It would offer excellent facilities for handling air traffic. Passengers could be landed within a few minutes of the business center, The Board of Trade would favor such a development. Meantime, Gravelly Point should be filled and gradually developed into a model airport. Sees Growth of Air Traffic. “By that time traffic will have out- grown the 200 acres made possible by the Hoover Field, Washington Air Ter- | minal and agricultural farm combina- tion. This land then could be used either as a park or sold to the Govern~ ment. The very fact that it lies adja= cent to the Mount Vernon Boulevard and at the end of both the Highway and Arlington Memorial Bridges will guarantee its acquisition being a good investment.” . In response to Senator Bingham's charges that the Board of Trade is hlucklnfi constructive airport legislation, Mr. Williams explained that the Sen- ator's remarks were the outcome of & letter the board sent to each member of the Airport Commission two weeks ago. This letter strongly urges an airport at Gravelly Point and purports to answer objections to that site. It turther demands immediate action. RUDY VALLEE ENDS WHIRLWIND VISIT Crooning Radio Idol Sings for Mrs, Hoover and D. C. Press Club. Rudy Vallee, whose crooning of sen- timental ballads over the radio has brought him fame and fortune, last night closed a whirlwind one-day visit in Washington by entertaining the Na- tional Press Club. Vallee conducted his famous orches- tra, the Connecticut Yankees, in @ three-hour dance program in the audi- torium of the club, attracting one of the largest crowds on record there. The newspaper men gave him a tre- menduous_ovation. Although Vallee and his orchestra came to Washington to play at the Congressional Club's annual breakfast, feting Mrs. Herbert Hoover, the round of events arranged for him kept him on & constant jump. He was presented to President Hoover at the White House, and then went to the Capitol, where was introduced to Vice President Charles Curtis and Speaker Nicholas Longworth of the House, Before play- ing for the Press Club dance he was entertained at dinner there, and met Washington dramatic and radio editors in the National Broadcasting Co. studios. In his appearance before Mrs. Hoover, Vallee sang_the songs which brought him fame—"Vagabond Lover,” “I Love You, Believe Me I Do,” “Love, Your Magic Spell is Everwhere,” “I Love the Moon.” “If You Were the Only Girl in the World” and the “Pagan Love Song." The Congressional Club’s breakfast was held in the Pan-American Union Build- ing. ‘The proceedings were broadcast by WRC and an N. B. C. network. Workman Injured by Fall, Albert Brown, 62 years old, of 247 Fourteenth place northeast, at work in the employ of the Standard Engineering Co. on the bullding of the National City Christian Church, Fourteenth street and Thomas Circle, fell from a scaffold, a distance of 10 feet, late yesterda; was_reported aerlma!{ injured. He 18 in Emergency Hospif