Evening Star Newspaper, December 30, 1930, Page 1

¢ Foening Star. ‘WITH SUNDAY MORNING EBDITION The only evening paper in Washington with the Auqciated Press news service. WEATHER. (U. 8. Weather Bureau Forecast.) Fair and colder tonight; minimum tem- perature about 17 degrees; tomorrow partly cloudy. Temperature—Highest, 39, at 1:45 p.m. yesterday; lowest, 32, at 3 a.m. today. Full report on page 4. @ ] Yesterday’s Circulation, 112,211 Closing N.Y. Markets, Pages13,14 & 15 No. 31,654. post office, Fntered as second class ma ‘Washington, tter D C. RAIL CHIEFS AGREE ON CONSOLIDATIONS T0 FORM 4 MAJOR . SYSTEMS IN EAST Hoover Announces Plan In- volving Pennsy, New York Central, B. & 0. and Nickel Plate Lines. PROJECT MUST RECEIVE APPROVAL OF I. C. C. President Believes It Will Help Stability of Roads Themselves, Provide Work for Jobless During Depression and Result Eventual- 1y in Lower Rates for Public. By the Assoclated Press. . Agreement of Eastern railroads on a consolidation into four inde- pendent systems was announced today by President Hoover. The President had asked the railroad chiefs to map out the consolidation. Only one minor point remains to be worked out in the gigantic consolidation scheme. That has been left to arbitration. The railroads are the Pennsyl- wvania, the New York Central, the Baltimore & Ohio and the Nickel Plate systems. | The Wabash-Seaboard system, provided for under the Interstate Commerce Commission’s plan,! issued last December, would be abandoned. President Hoover understands the plan provides for the protection of em- ployes and of local communities and fulfills the intent of Congress as ex- pressed in the transportation act of 1920, Must Go to L C. C. The consolidation program must be submitted to the Interstate Commerce Commission for approval. | The President said he believed the plan will contribute to opportunities for employment in the present depression and also increase the stability of the railroads themselves. He also expressed the belief that eventually the consolidation would re- | sult in lower rates to the public. The Interstate Commerce Commission B year laid out a plan looking to the w‘-{%mfl of five great trunk lines, but objections to the fifth trunk line caused disagreement among rail- The new plan provides for the Vir- inian_Railway on the South and the ew York Central on the North as the boundary roads in the movement. The Interstate Commerce Commission, the President said, has no power to force consolidations, but under the; tion act of 1920 has the power to approve such a move. Text of President’s Statement. The text of the President’s statement follows: 3 “As a result of meetings of Gen. At- terbury, Mr. Crowley, Mr. Willard, Messrs. Van Sweringen and other rep- Yesentatives of the Pennsylvania, New York Central, Nickel Plate and Balti- more and Ohio Railroads, a plan for consolidation of the different railways 1in official classification territory (except New England) into four independent Systems was agreed upon for presenta- tion to the Interstate Commerce Com- mission. “The four systems embrace the ter- yitory east of the Mississippi, including the Virginian Railroad on the south @nd the New York Central on the north. “These negotiations have been in progress for some weeks and were ur- dertaken at my suggestion in the hope of effecting the consolidation policies declared by Congress in 1920, and espe- cially at this time as a contribution to the recovery of business by enlarging opportunity for employment and by i:- | creasing the financial stability of all the | railways, and particularly sdme of the weaker roads. “The transportation act, passed by Congress in 1920, provides for a con- solidation of railways into a limited mumber of strong systems in order to maintain broader competition, more adequate service, simplification of rate structure, lower operating costs, and in the long run lower rates to the public. Discussed for 10 Years. “During the past 10 years, a possible grouping of the roads so &s to Carry out the law has been under constant discussion. ‘The Interstate Commerce Commission has no power to cémpel such consolidations. They can only be effected upon iniation of the car- riers. During this period. a number of negotiations have been undertaken in Tespect to these railways, with view to ~ (Continued on Page 2, Column 5.) CLASSIFICATION DATA | READY FOR CONGRESS |5 sadsing, himset 1o fhe, son; Report Sets Up Schedules for Army of Government Workers Qut- side of Capital. The report of the Personnel Classifi- cation Board on the subject of setting | the credit should be made. Mr. Bowen | or order, and at that point the hearing adjourned. Three Months’ Job Offered Man With Genuine Headache By the Associated Press. CHICAGO, December 30.— ‘The University of Illinois Med- ical College is shopping for serv- ices of a man with a headache. ‘When he is found he can step right into a job with a salary and three months' free lodging. But he must have a case of genuine migraine. Migraine is a sick or nervous headache, which afflicts the pa- tient with severe periodical at- tacks on one side of the head. A notice was issued in the search for an afflicted man. CHARCES DVERSIDN OF PEPCD PROFTS Clayton Causes Turr;loil at Hearing to Decide 1931 Electric Rates. An assertion by William McK. Clay- ton, of the Federation of Citizens As- sociations, that for more than 15 years profits which should have been credited to the Potomac Electric Power Co. had in fact been credited to its parent con- cern, the Washington Railway % Elec- tric Co., threw into turmoil today the peaceful course of the public hear- ing on the 1931 electric rates before the Public Utilities Commission. The first surprise came when Mr. Clayton called as his witness Byars MCcK. Bachman, chief accountant of the Public Utilities Commission, and de- veloped the fact that the railway and power companies produce power at the Benning power plant under an arrange- ment which permits the railway com- pany to sell part of the power pro- duced by it at a profit. Power Counsel Objects. S. Russell Bowen, counsel for the Eower company, objected to every sylla- le of testimony along this line, but most of his objections were overruled. When Mr. Clayton began a series of questions as to an order issued by the commission in 1915 to the effect that the dmea from these sales should be credited to the power company and not to the railway company, Mr. Bowen's objections were redoubled in energy, and William F. Ham, president of both com- panies, who up to that moment had sat silently by, broke in and demanded that if there was such an order the wit- ness should produce it. Mr. Bachman calmly produced a | document dated September 2, 1915, in which it was recorded as the opinion of the commission that the profits should be credited to the power com- pany and a copy cf the opinion ordered served upon both companies. It wu! not, however, definitely ordered that | redoubled his objections, but the com- mission ruled that it was compelled to take judicial notice of the opinion There was no intimation as to the difference in dollars that these credits would have accomplished, but if the amount is large and the commission should decide it should be credited to the power company, it would mean | that the power company’s revenues | would be larger by that amount and | the prospective slash in rates propor- | tionately increased. John M. Nicholson, research assistant to the people’s counsel, was first called to the stand and introduced 10 exhibits built up upon figures in the records of the Public Utilities Commission and also upon estimates of earnings made by the power company. According to these exhibits, the effect of the company’s proposed reduction would be to yield it profits in excess of $1,600,000 in 1931, Tepresenting a return of 10.42 per cent upon a conservatively estimated valua- tion. Want Lower Yield. The theory of the reduction is that | it should bring the rates down to the point where they will yield 732 per cent. Mr. Keech is contending that the re- duction offered by the company not only will fail to effect a reduction in 1931, but will result in an increase in the company’s profits. This increase, as shown in the ex- | hibits, will come about as the result of many factors, including the normal | yearly increase of consumption with the corresponding decrease in unit pro- duction, enhanced efficiency of elec- | trical production machinery and equip- ment and declining prices of such staple commodities used in the electrical in- dustry, as coal and oil. At the start, Mr. Bowen moved to dismiss the proceeding on the ground that it was prematurely filed, that notice of it was insufficient and iregular and for numerous other reasons. Motion Is Overruled. He declined to argue the motion, and it was overruled by the commission. ‘Then Mr. Keech read his opening state- ment quoting from decisions of the Su- preme Court of the United States to the effect that a public utility is entitled to earn a return similar to that enjoyed by other well established businesses, but that it had no constitutional right to large profits such as sometimes attend purely speculative enterprises. The power company, with a $12,000,000 cor- porate surplus and a monopoly on elec- trical supply in this territory, was surely not entitled to as high as its present claimed. Next addressing himself to the con- the rates are annually adjusted, he re- marked: “We must not permit the fact to escape our minds that the approval of the agreement reached some six years ago between the company and the com- mission by the court was made in the WASHINGTON, CONGRESS FACING 15 BILLS TO AVOID MEETING IN SPRING Borah Suggests Salaries of Extra Session Foes Be Given to Hungry. IMMEDIATE PASSAGE OF DROUGHT LOAN SEEN Bus Regulation, Muscle Shoals, Labor Injunction and Short Week Projects Coming Up. By the Assoclated Press. Administration leaders in the Senate faced today tiie problem of getting some 15 pieces of legislation through the mill to prevent an extra session. A scant eight weeks remain to Con- gress after it gets back to the grind next Monday, and if the dread bogey of an early meeting of the new Congress is to be dispelled 11 appropriation bills must. be passed. Four or more other measures either are viewed as essential or have been ad- vanced at the price of any co-operation, or even absence of resistance, from those Scnators who are not convinced an extra session would do harm. Borah Suggests Salary Return. The worry of the leadership lay, how- ever, in the direction of speeches. Sen- ate talk must be shut off with ease. Senator Watson, the Republican leader, put his group’s problem thus: “It is the consensus of most members of Congress and of the entire business world so far as is ascertainable that an extra session is to be avoided except in case of extreme emergency. This emer- gency will not exist, I believe, if mem- bers will forego speeches on extraneous matters and confine debate to the prob- lems confronting us.” For one, Senator Borah of Idaho, a leader of the Republican independents, did not agree with him. “This talk about Congress disturbing business or that a session of Congress would be an unmixed evil is an effort to assign a patriotic_excuse for going home or_going to Europe,” he said. “* * * T suggest they turn their sal- ;:k‘: over to the hungry until they get ck. Extra Session Prospect “Calamity.” “There is plenty of legislation that ought to be had. We all know perfectly well there is important legislation, not to hurt business, but to help business.” The word “calamity” has been ap- plied to the prospect of an extra ses- sion by Senator Reed, Republivan, Pennsylvania. Democratic leaders in general have said they believe a ses- slon of the new Congress should not be forced by delays at the present term. Before the Christmas recess the Sen- ate passed virtually nothing but the emergency relief profi-m. Not a single one of the supply bills got through, al- though the House passed three. T complete the relief program the $45,- 000,000 appropriation for the drought loans must be passed, but little trouble is expected there. Many Bills Being Urged. Other measures which the leaders now expect will come up include bills to regulate motor bus lines, to grant Federal employes the 44-hour week, to curb the use of injunctions in labor disputes, as well as the Muscle Shoals resolution, which is still in conference with the House. The Western inde- pendents and some of the Democrats want other legislation considered also, The administration program is to be made up definitely as soon as the mem- bers of the Steering Committee can be assembled. Its chairman, Senator Goff of West Virginia, and the assistant Re- publican leader, McNary of Oregon, al- | ready have conferred with Watson on the problem, but Ve - Sl have postponed de A House subcommittee esterda; heard Secretary Hyde conbendythat th{ $25,000,000 originally recommended by the administration would supply de- mands for seed, feed and fertilizer loans; but, nevertheless, he favored the full authorized amount of $45,000,000. Passing of Bill Predicted. “What is the use of prolonging the fight?” Hyde said in explanation ng his position. ~“If our estimates are wrong and we need more than $25,000,000, it will be ready and we will use it.” Chairman Wood said the full com- mittee would approve the loan fund next Monday, and it probably would pass the House that afternoon. Meanwhile President Hoover's Emer- gency Employment Committee reported a Nation-wide canvass showed $800,- 000,000 of public and semi-public con- struction ready to start within a few months. The survey was made by Franklin T. Miller, head of the com- mittee’s public works section, who based his estimate on specific projects aggregating more than $2,000,000,000. “Up to the first of this week we have received reports on $1,853,733,000 of public construction, so our reports are eoming in at the rate of approximately $80,000,000 a day,” Miller sald. ‘“Hence we have a pretty accurate idea today of the status of more than 40 per cent of the public and semi-public construction | for next year.” rate of 10 per cent return, Mr. Keech | D0 STEROL HELD KEY 10 TUBERGULOSIS Tubercle Bacilli Believed to Take Vital Alcohol From Human Cells. By the Assoclated Press. CLEVELAND, December 30.—The tuberculosis germ either lacks or | strangely conceals a peculiar alcohol | common to most living things and this | may account for its deadliness. The missing alcohol is a sterol, a sub- stance which absorbs the benefits of sunshine and light, and not associated with drinkables. ! Discovery of the deficiency was re-| ported today by Dr. Robert J. Andersun: of Yale University to the chemistry section of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. “Sterols of some kind,” he said, “are always associated with the fats in all living cells. In the examination of the fats and lipoids obtained from tubercle bacilli we have never been able to isolate even traces of true sterols or of substances which give any of the usual sterol reactions. “It is, of course, not impossible that the sterols may be present in the bacilli in some combination which is insoluble in such fat solvents as we have em- ployed in the extraction of the bacteria *® As a chemist Dr. Anderson did not comment on the health effects of the missing sterol. This explanation came from biologists associated with Yale in the national co-operative endeavor to discover a_specific cure for tuberculosis, of which Dr. Willlam Charles White of Washington is director. Sterols in Human Cells. ‘They said that sterol by absorbing | sunlight forms ergosterol, which pre- vents rickets. Animals robbed of sterols do not live. There are sterols in the human cells in which tubercle bacilli live, it was explained further, and it may be that the germs rob the cells of this alcohol to get the life substance they themselves do not S8, The sterol is one of several chemical peculiarities in the tubercle bacilus re- ported by Dr. Anderson. These oddi- ties are sought as entering wedges in | the search for something to loosen the germ from his grip. One of the most significant, said the bacteriologists, is the fact that although the four types of tuberculosis bacilli are so similar they can scarcely be dis- tinguished apart, yet when reduced to chemical elements they are tremendous- ly different. The four are human, bovine. bird and timothy hay, the latter harmless. Dr. Anderson concentrated on certain small rather than the big chemical dif- ferences, because in practice the small differences have often been found most potent. Dilutions of sugars as small as one part in five million have produced chemical reactions in tuberculosis and Dr. Anderson reported further on new sugars in tuberculosis germs uncovered at Yale. The latest is d-araginose, one of the rarest in nature, previously found only in a certain tropical plant and in one kind of diabetes. Present Pluto Measurements. Some new measurements of Pluto, the planet X discovered at Lowell Observa- tory this year, were presented by two Mount Wilson astronomers, Dr. Seth B. Nicholson and Nicholas U. Mayall. Pluto's next Midsummer will ‘come in 8 . Australia Limits Immigration. CANBERRA, Austraila, December 30 (#)—The government today decided to restrict alien immigration, until the country's position improves’ sufficiently to warrant lifting of the ban. Shipping companies have been notified that it is undesirable to give facilities to immi- grants for travel to Australia. Tourists (Continued on Page 2, Column 7. and business men will not be affected. up classification schedules for the army of Government workers in the field service outside of Washington is being drafted for submission to Con- gress within @ few weeks. The volum- inous report, which was called for when the Welsh salary increase act was passed, is in the hands of the printers. It will not be made public until it is erent ups of Government workers. {t hn‘r’»g %’irectlrehtwn. ho!i;;ler. : the salary question now pending ‘ess to Tnclude in pentrl'n( appro- ;;mrwn bills 30 per cent of the money Tequired to provide promotions in under-average grades. The main purpose of the forthcom- l%mhmemblewww&- " the %“:um for kL . Government em| in Wash- n have been operat under classification system for a num- , ber of y \ ition schedules outside of Wash- |since IN SEA WITH U CHILEANS WARNED NOT TO BATHE!|. NNATURAL ODOR |Underwater Disturbance Blamed for Presence of Matter, Believed Fish Killed in Shock. By the Associated Press. COQUIMBO, Chile, December 30.— Green seas, reeking with an unnatural odor, washed the shores of Northern Chile today in an aftermath to what is believed to have been a tremendous seismic disturbance far beneath the wa- ters of the Pacific Ocean. The captain of the port here issued an official warning to inhabitants not to bathe in the water or to touch it, an had revealed a considerable ity of animal matter, a tly of fishes killed in Re “shock. Although there has been little wind, ~ the seas have been particularly high. Unusual heat has prevailed, and a num- ber of slight earthshocks have been felt. There were strong shocks, one of fourth-grade intensity, at Preirina and Vallenar, and the entire coastline 300 miles north to Caldera appears to have bfieAn lhufl&:! taking peins to quiet u are us the fears of the ulace, lmn‘l 3: whom belleve there is some supernatural significance to the unusual conditions. Radio Programs on Page B-9 i (Continued on Page 3, Column 2.) T00 LIVELY “CORPSE” FACES INVESTIGATION Man Officially Declared Dead in 1928 Catapulted Back Into Bond Forfeiture Case. By the Associated Press. CHICAGO, December 30.—As & " James Williams was_entirely m’fi?exy. authorities here said. Officially declared dead in 1928 when a forfeited bond was ordered returned to its owner, Willlam has since been roaming around the country, Assistant State's Attorney Albert De Witt said, being arrested here and there, usually on larceny charges. San Francisco and Louisville were among glwes where he was arrested. He was ly caught in St. Louis. De Witt said he would ask for a re- ning of the bond forfeiture case and that & number of persons would be called before a grand jury to tell what, if anything, they know about Williams' resurrection. Former Prima Donna Is Tl NEW _YORK, December 30 (#).— lla Sem! engagements and, is under & :h‘ycnhu"‘l,n‘n'l care. She ud‘h. Trail of Southern Europeans Traced By Snails’ Shells Chief Diet in Africa in Prehistoric Days, Says Educator. By the Assoclated Press. IOWA CITY, Iowa, December 30— By the shells of snails, their principal diet, Prof. George F. Collle of Beloit College claims to have traced the Southesn European races back to the Africa of prehistoric times. Collie told the convention of the American Archgological Association he had_discovered evidence that ancestors of the present inhabitants of the Medi- terranean’s northern shores were driven out of Africa by the advancing sands of the Sahara Desert. He found huge heaps of snail shells, he said, along old river beds in North- ern Algeria. Snails were believed to have been their main diet. Among the shells were found fragments of skele- tons closely resembling those of the Cro-Magnon man in Europe, Collie said. BAS KILLS 5 BOYS INABANDONED MINE Dog Accompanying Victims, Goes Home to Sound Alarm. By the Assoclated Pre: PITTSBURGH, Pa.,, December 30.— A shaggy dog, whose nervous barking and whining could not be stilled, led a man into an abandoned mine in the south hills last night and there five boys were found, victims of gas. Today white crepe symbols replaced holly wreaths at the homes of Steve Polka, 16; Andrew Novak, 16; John Vogick, 14; Walter Kubala, 15, and Joseph Kasicik, 17. The boys went into the mine to gather coal for their families. Several of them carried candles. About three- quarters of a mile in they began to drop. The dog, constant companion of the Vogick boy, returned home alone. When it could not be quieted the boy’s father followed the dog to the pit. United States Bureau of Mines men, police and firemen worked for hours in an effort to revive the boys. One was dead when he was brought from the mine. The others died in a hos- ital. Battalion Chief Saul Klein was over- come while trying to save the lads. He is recovering in a hospital. THREEEYOUTHS HUNTED ON FLORIDA PENINSULA Fishing Boat Found Abandoned Three Days After They Left Key West. By the Assoclated Press, KEY WEST, Fla, December 30.— ‘The island studded tip of the Florida peninsula today veiled the whereabouts of three youths, whose 13-foot fishing boat was found abandoned yesterday, three days after they set out from here on_a holiday excursion. Two small fish lay in the well of the craft, but a gallon demijohn of water, a small anchor and 30 feet of rope were missing. The boys are Gilbert Thompson and Carl Nelson, each 19, who came here recently from Detroit to visit their parents, and Overton Albury, 16. The crew of a fishing boat reported seeing the boys about 12 miles south of here some, hours after they embarked from Key West Saturday and search for the youths was concentrated in that vicinity. $50,000,000 PROJECT Army Approves Construction of Twin Tunnels in New York City. By the Assoctated Press. e ‘The War Department today apj application by the Board of Transporta- tion of New York City to construct twin vehicle tunnels at a cost of $50,~ 000,000 in the East River from the foot| widow of East Thirty-seventh street and East Thirty-eighth street, Manhattan, to Borden ‘avenue, Queens. January 1, 1937, was set as for tion of the work, starts in a month or so. About 200 men will be initially em- ployed and about 1200 will be em- ployed as construction progresses. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 1930—THIRTY PAGES. FEF §475,000,000 READY FOR VETERAN LOAN Bureau Can Advance Amount in 1931, Says Director Hines in Statement. By the Associated Press. Veterans’ Administrator Hines today estimated $425,000,000 could be bor- rowed by veterans on their adjusted compensation certificates in 1931 and said the bureau was prepared to lend $20,000,000 to 300,000 veterans in Jan- uary. In a prepared statement issued, he said, to clear up misunderstandings, Hines said the “avallability of these funds will be helpful to veterans find- :’l:: it necessary to make loans at this Outstanding certificates, he added, total 3,395,000 with an aggregate ma- turity value of $3,420,000.000. Of these 1,600,000 certificates will have a total value of $725,000,000 on Janu- ary 1, he revorted, of which about 3100.:;00,000 already bas been bor- rowed. Average Loan Value Given. The certificates most of which were dated January 1, 1925, will be worth in cash 22}, per cent of the maturity value on January 1, 1931, for loans, he said, estimating this averaged $225 on each certificate. He said the buteau has been lending at the rate of $8,000,000 per 1onth on the certificates. ‘The American Legion Convention in Boston postponed action on the proposal that it should declare against conver- sion of adjusted compensation certifi- cates, Representative Patman, Democrat of Texas, who is leading the fight to relieve distress by redemption of these certificates, has been informed by the chairman of the Resolutions Committee. In a statement issued today to refute the assertion that has been broadcast that the Legionnaires themselves in con- vention had formally declared against the pay-off proposal, Representative Patman quotes Thomas W. Robertson, Louisiana executive committeeman for action on the proposal was postponed because “it was decided to consult Legion membership before committing the Legion officially.” Refers to MacNider. “That doesn't look like we are against the proposal,” Robertson added. Patman said a motion to table a re- port which would have brought the question before the whole convention “was seconded by Hanford MacNider, former national commander, a recent beneficiary of a political office at the hands of the present administration.” Senator Vandenberg, Republican, Michigan, yesterday announced he had abandoned his plan for conversion of certificates, but was seeking means to increase their “liquidity.” WALES STRIKE LOOMS CARDIFF, Wales, December 30 (4).— Miners and mine owners failed to reach an agreement on wages and working hours today, and the strike which has loomed for weeks in the South Wales coal flelds appeared measurably nearer. A meeting of miners’ delegates was scheduled for this afternoon to consider recommendations by the National Coal Mines Board. ‘This board has suggested a temporary truce until March 31, based on a work- ing schedule calling for five working days of 7 hours and 36 minutes, with seven hours on Saturday. An alterna- tive proposal suggests five days of 7 hours and 40 minutes, with 6 hours and 40 minutes on Saturday. the Legion, as having wired him that | () Means Associated Press. WO CENTS. SIMMONS ATTACKS SETTLE'S BATTERED SCHOOL HEADS FOR DELAY IN BUILDING Representative Says Proper Administration Would Pre- vent Congestion. TWO CURRENT PROJECTS WILL RELIEVE WESTERN Appropriation of $1,670,000 Made in July, With No Contracts Let, Is Claim. Delay in the school-building program and for resultant congestion was placed on the school and District officials to- day by Chairman Simmons of the sub- committee which is to start hearings next Monday on the District appropria- tion bill. “Parents of Washington’s school chil- dren, contractors on public buildings, material men and men looking for em- ployment in the District will be inter- ested to know that there has been ap- propriated and available for school buildings since July 1 last the sum of $1,670,000, for which no contracts have been let,” emphasized Mr. Simmons. “Those interested should apply to the District Commissioners.” Simmons Issues Statement. In support of his contentions, Rep- resentative Simmons issued the follow- ing statement: “Every year just prior to the holding of hearings on the District appropria- tion bill the school officials find some reason or excuse for breaking into print with some statement about the awful condition of the Washington schools. It may be only a coincidence that this oceurs just before the hearings—but it always occurs in this wa; “The people of Washington are en- titled to know the facts. In January, 1927, Dr. Ballou, superintendent of schools, un:.‘msd %e(otrebbhuemcommnfie regarding the need of building accom- n:gdsuom for senior high schools thal “we were not quite so accurate in our guess” as to those needs and that “we are not urging additional high school house construction for senior high school pupils, and we will not urge ad- dlthmfnccummodntmm for senior high schools unless the increased enrollment materializes.” He urged then the build- ing of elementary school buildings and Congress has followed his advice. He has not changed his recommendation. Says Ability Is Lacking. “Two questions arise—Who is to blame for the situation at Western High School and what is being done to relieve it? I submit that the primary respon- sibility for knowing the needs of the schools, actual and anticipated, rests with the school officials. They should know those needs and recommend plans to meet them. To allow the situation to develop at Western High which has developed shows a woeful lack of admin- istrative ability. “In January, 1929, Dr. Ballou, testi- fying in favor of the building of the junior_high school at Reno (called the Alice Deal Junior High) stated that it would care for ninth grade pupils whose presence at Western High School would force that school to exceed its capacity. He described the need of the Deal Junior High as ‘very urgent’ So far as I have been able to find, it is the only ref- erence that Dr. Ballou has made toward possible congestion at Western and the (Continued on Page 2, Column 8.) FIERCE BATTLE WAGED |IN BURMESE JUNGLE British Surround Rebels in Wild Section, Killing 50 to 100 and ‘Wounding Many More. By the Associated Press. RANGOON, Burma, December 30.— Savage rebels of the rice swamps and Jjungle met British soldiers in a fierce battle through the Tharawaddy Forest today, melting into the woods under a withering machine-gun fire, but fighting on in the crazed bravery of despera- tion. Fragmentary reports from the jungle fastnesses where the men of the jungle, clad in picturesque uniforms which look like blue pajamas, had barricaded them- selves indicated that the insurgents had lost’ between 50 and 100 men, with many more wounded. No casualties were reported by the government forces. ‘The British were said to have sur- rounded the rebels in a wild, hilly region where there is little food and less water. Presumably the enemy was mak- ing its last stand under the mysterious “master mind” who is believed to have directed the raids which have terrorized the countryside for two weeks. As though to show that their spirit was still unconquered despite their in- creasingly precarious position, the native forces accomplished a briliant sortie last night, burning down one village on the edge of the jungle after its inhabitants had fled in panic. PERCENTAGE ‘The Census Bureau today, making its first release of marital figures in the country-wide poll, estimated the per- centage of divorces in the District of Columbia is nearly double what it was 10 years ago. As they are compiled, other percent- try will be made public and later the total for the Nation as a whole. ‘The figures for the District in gen- eral revealed no especial change in the le, married or a limit | pared with ‘which DIVORCES IN D. C. ages for various sections of the coun- | Di NEARLY DOUBLE OF 10 YEARS AGO Census Bureau to Reveal Figures for States and Whole Nation Later. taling 29,766, were three times as m ‘merous widowed men, totaling 8,- 113. This was said by the bureau to represent a higher proportion of widows to widowers than in most of the States. The bureau estimated there were 181,673 men over 15 years of age in the I;T:z and 205,556 women. rcentage of single among Ee foreign-born !zhl'a. both men and women, was less than among other classes of the population. Of the total number or.x,nun of mar- 55 1 cent, "we cent, were married; , and 1 AUTO INVESTIGATED IN DEATH INQUIRY Police Find Broken Lamp and Radiator and Recall Injury to Four. NAVY PROBING CAUSE OF OFFICER’S DEMISE Board of Inquest's Findings Ex- pected to Be Made Public by Adams Next Week. While a naval court of inquiry was investigating today the death of Lieut. Bruce Settle, a White House naval aide who is believed to have been fatally injured in a fall ircm the mezzanine floor of a building at the Navy Yard yesterday, the police began an inquiry into the possibility that Lieut. Settle may have been connected with a traffic accident Sunday night in which an automobile plowed 'through a street car safety zone at Connecticut avenue and Van Ness street and injured four persons. Acting on information furnished them today two headquarters detec- tives interrogated employes of the apart- ment house where Settle lived and -la inspected his automobile. e Car Was Damaged. The automobile, a small couj a broken. headlight, damaged. rediater front and dented hood. Witnesses to the accident Sunday reported that the machine was a small coupe of dull color. Settle’s machine was olive green. They sald one of the persons hit, & youth, was thrown into the air and ]‘afided on the side of the hood as he ell. Employes of the apartment house, the Broadmoor, 3601 Connecticut ave- nue, recounted to the police today that Settle came into the lobby Sunday night about 7 o'clock, pale and flustered and told them that if any one inquired for him to tell them that he had been ¢ | there since 6:30 o'clock. Later, they said, a naval officer and his wife came to see Settle and he re- fused to let them in his apartment. Witness Gives Account. Mrs. Paul J. Koenig of Lyon Village, who passed the scene with h’:r hlulg:‘na immediately after the accident, was able to give a meager description of the hit-and-run machine. She said a small coupe occupled by one man ran through a red traffic’ light, passing their machine, several blocks from the scene of the accident and continued m com“l;lmufl:g: toward the ety zone wl four people were standing. S T T ‘The general d iption of this ma- chine, as they ol it, tallied a more detailed description given b an eyewitness to the accident, she sai The license number was not obtained. Four Were Injured. ‘Those hurt in the accident were Miss Anna C. Minnigerode, 45 years old, of 2020 N street, who received a broken left arm; Frank Q. Roland, 16 years old, of 2953 Tilden street, who received multiple body bruises and fractures of the left wrist and right leg; Roland's brother, Henry, 10 years old, whose left leg was broken, besides severe head in- juries, and Mrs. Ellen S. Roden, 52 years old, of 1316 New Hampshire ave- nue, who was treated for slight bruises and shock. Miss Minnigerode is the sister of C. Powell Minnigerode, director and secre- | tary of the Corcoran Art Gallery. May Report Friday. (Officials at the Navy Department ex- plained that the board of inquest under the chairmanship of Capt. P. W. Foote, hopes to finish its deliberations tomor- row and will likely put its report in final shape by Friday. It will then be forwarded to Rear Admiral Claude C. Bloch, commandant of the Washington Navy Yard, senior officer at the reser- vation where Lieut. Settle met death. Admiral Bloch will forward the re- port of the board of inquest, with his findings, to the Navy Department, prob- ably late this week. ‘There it will be transmitted to the judge advocate general, Rear Admiral David F. STATE POLICE DUTIES UNDER DRY ACT DEFINED Massachusetts Attorney General Holds They Have No Authority to Enforce National Law. By the Assoclated Press. BOSTON, December 30.—State police officers have no authority to enforce the control plan which bears his remained here today and it he would be able national prohibition act, but, under State law, can make arrests for illegal dealing in or transporting of intoxicat- ing liquor, Attorney General Joseph E. ‘Warner said today. ‘Warner's opinion was given in reply to a request by Alfred E. Foote, commis- sloner of public safety, for information as to the State police powers as a con- sequence of the recent repeal of the State prohibition enforcement act. Summarizing his findings, Warner : “State police officers have no thority by virtue of the terms of the national prohibition act to enforce its provisions, nor have State police officers, as such, any power at common law to arrest without a warrant for any viola- tion of the national prohibition act, even if such violati'n were constituted fel- O Gertain Siate magitrates mas, how b magistrates may, how- ever, if they choose, issue )roomylor the apprehension of violators of any Federal act, and State police officers "have, of course, the powers derived from such CHADBOURNE STILL ILL Sugar Control Expert May Not Be Able to Sail January 7. PARIS, December 30 (#).—Thomas L. Chadbourne, creater of the sugar name, was not certain that wnux«NwYm under the care of