Evening Star Newspaper, January 15, 1931, Page 17

Washington N CHEMICAL FOUND WHICH INCREASES GELLULAR DIVISION Remarkable Effect on Funda- | mental Life Process Demonstrated. EXPERIMENTS ARE PART OF CANCER CELL STUDY | Glutathione, Recently Isolated, Used in Work With Amoebae, Individual Animals. BY THOMAS R. HENRY. The remarkable effect of a recently ssolated chemical compound cn the di- Vision of living cells, one of the most fundamental of all life processes, has | just been demonstrated at the National | of Health here | mfi:;;?f:menm by Prof. Carl Voegtlin, | head of the Department of Pharma- cology, and Dr. W. H. Chalkley show that the rate of division of a variety of amoeba, an animal consisting of only one ceil, is increased approximately 200 per cent at a certain stage in its growth by adding to the salt solution in which it is placed an extremely small amount of glutathione. This is a very complex chemical compound. Which occurs in nature in most animal cells and which contains sulphur in combination with three organic com- pounds. Previous work by Prql, Voegtlin and his associates has shown that it inhibits the poisonous effects of arsenic. Part of Cancer Study Program. ) The present experiments are part of s prngl?lm of intensive study of the chemistry of the cancer cell. The law- Jess division, or reproduction, of these cells is essentially what makes them fatal to the rest of the organism. No- body knows why they multiply. For that matter, nobody understands clearly what makes normal cells multiply. The process is what makes life continuous in the world and its mechanism is one of the most deeply hidden secrets of ture. P he experiments with _glutathione have been confined to the amoeba, which is neither a cancer cell nor a| normal body cell, but an ' individual| animal sufficient unto itseli. There is| no assurance, Prof. Voegtlin insists, that the results would apply to other cells. In a sense, the body of any animal is; an enormous aggregation of one-celled animals. The important difference be- tween them and the amoeba is that they are extremely specialized as mem- bers of a society, each do -pendent on the nice co- the others for its well- ocba can take care of | | { . The lts‘li‘. The malignant tumor cell often is described as a_member of the body state of sngle-celled units which has gotten out of control of the mechnnum’ of the organism as a whole. It no| longer confines itself to a specific job, becomes a social parasite, devouring the substance of the good citizens and re- produccs itself without control. Multiply in Same Way. Now the amoeba, the normal cell, and the malignant cell multiply in essen- tially the same way—by splitting in two, each half becoming an independent in- dividual. It is upon this splitting proc- ess that fhe glutathione experiments throw some light, at least so far as the amoeba is concerned. Glutathione probably exists in all cells, it is explained, in varying amounts, all very minute. Prof. Voegtlin and Dr. ‘Thom) had fond previously that the glutathione content of the bodies of unborn_rats declined with the age of the embryo. This is the period of the animals’ greatest growth, which pro- ceeds by the progess of cell division. | The possible implication was that this compound was one of the essential agents causing this cell-splitting. As the rate of growth slowed down as the embryo neared the stage of being born, there was less need for this cell-repro- duction stuu.lant and hence, in the mysterious economy of nature, the sup-~ ply declined. ‘Another important observation was that malignant celis contained a larger amount the” compound - than most normal cells. The greatest supply of all was in the liver and the cancer supply almost equaled this. But, as in all bio- chemical processes, (it Wwas _extremely difficult to isolate the effect of gluta- thione on cell division from other physi- cal and chemical factors. Cell Absorbs Nourishment. The cell, for example—whether it be 2 unicellular animal, normal body cell or malignant _cell—absorbs nourishment { and grows. The mere increase in the bulk of cell material, overweighting the cohesive forces of the unit, might st up processes forcing ' division, regard- less of any chemical accelerant. It was necessary to find some unicellular or- ganism which could be kept alive in a solution, the formula for which was known precisely to the minutest de- tail, for several days without food. This { could not be done with cells taken from an animal bedy. Individuals hardly will survive at all and the solutions in which groups will survive are empirically con- i stituted so that the precise themhal‘E formulas are unknown But it was found that the amoeba could be kept alive for from 7 to 14 days, without any food, in a salt solu- tion, the composition of which was known to the minutest fraction. There fore any change which followed intro- duction into this solution of any oth substance could be attributed to the ir- troduced material. The Public Health Service scientists observed each amorba separately under the microscope. Some were kept as controls in the salt solution without any of the compound glutathione, but with “he three organic constituents of the substanc —glycine, alanine and glu- tamic acid—introduced. These produced no notable effect apart from the sul- hur combination in which they exist glutathione itself. Others were placed in the salin: solution containing the minute addition of glutathione, and their percentage of division was com- pared with that of the controls. The percentage of reproduction in both groups was found to depend on the siz'. This was measured in terms of unifs of cell volume—s unit was one- ten-thousandth of a cubic millimeter. For the tiniest ones there was little division in either group. When an amoeba grew to exceed units of cell volume the extraordinary difference began to appear, especially in the split- ting of the nuciel. The splitting of a cell is a very complicated process, both halves requiring a part of every con- stituent of the parent cell which 1is essential to life. The first is for the nucleus to split in two. Then the other cellular material splits, each half taking one part of the divided nucleus. ing a specific |V" Schwarz, right, first prize. The poster ews i WASHINGTON, D. C, These artists, shown holding the posters with which they won prizes in the contest for the best advertisements for the Bal Boheme, to be held at the Willard Hotel February 2, are: Miss Dorothy Yeager, left, third prize; Mrs. Anna who took second prize. Ve the two was by Eleanor Johnson, m'!l R —Star Staff Photo. POLIGE HOLD FOUR FOR LONG INQUEST Probe Continued Into Death of Capitol Employe Found Outside House. With four colored persons under ar- rest in connection with the case, police today were preparing to bring before a coroner’s jury such circumstances as have been uncovered with regard to the death Friday of Samuel J. R. Long, 65- year-old Capitol folding room employe the 300 block of Pennsylvania | enue. Date of the inquest has not et been set. A fortnight as_found by a | passerby, J. of K _street | near Thirteenth, lying unconscious at the foot of steps leading to a residence in the first block of C Street southwest. Occupants of the home said that Long bhad been drinking with them, but in- | sisted they knew nothing of how he | got outside the house. | Police Called In Case. Wilson took Long to Gallinger Hos- pital, where he died. An raitopsy per- formed by the deputy coroner revealed | that Long had died of a fractured skull that there were a number of bruises on_ his body. Police then were notified. a jury was | sworn in over the body and an inquiry | launched. Those being held, all of whom deny any knowledge of Long's injuries, are Arthur Mitchell, 32, first block of C street southwest: Fannie Poole, 23, and | Geot> Higgins, 35. both of Canal street | southwest, and Willlam Moore, 57, of the first block of C street southwest. Didn't Notice Absence. Police say they have information ‘that | Long lay at the foot of the steps more | than five hours before he was picked up | and taken to the hospital. Other oc- cupants of the house are quoted as hav- ing said they were drunk and did not | notice Long's absence. | Funeral services were held #his morn- | ing from the home of Long's sister, Miss Mattie Long, at 325 First street south- | east, with interment in Congressional Cemetery. | ago Long wi C. Wilson MRS. IDA GRINDER DIES AT HOME OF DAUGHTER | Lifelong Washington Resident Suc- cumbs to Sudden Heart Attack. ‘Was 70 Years Old. Mrs. Ida V. Grinder, 70 years, & life- long resident of this city, died at (:IE‘ home of her daughter, Mrs. Joseph D. | Sullivan, 416 Webster street, yesterd: after a sudden iliness. Death wa: ascribed to0 a heart attack. | Funeral services will be conducted at | the Webster street address tomorrow | afternoon at 2 o'clock. Rev. Dr. Robert L. Wood of the Petworth M. E. Chugch will officiate. Interment will be in Con- gressional Cemetery. Mrs. Grinder is survived by three sons, Millard T., Owen and Hortcn Grinder, all of this city, and foar daughters, Mrs. Sullivan and Mrs. W. Shekel, both of this ecity Chrwles E. Adamson of Audobon, N. J., and Mrs. Samuel MacSparron of the Canal Zone, Panama. BLAST BURNS ENGINEER | Jasper Allstock, 37, colored, an engi- | neer at the Hill Building, Seventeenth | and K streets, was badly burned today, | when a slight explosion blew open the deors of an oil-burner in the basement. Flames darted from the burner, ignit- ing Allstock’s clothing and burning him about the face and body. H. B. Conner superintendent of the building, took Allstock to Emergency Hospital. The engineer lives at 1135 Sixth street northeast. o { than for the controls. At about 25 units it was nearly 200 per cent greater. Then the difference between the two began to decline sharply. The actual division of the cells th=mselves was only roughly approximate to the division ~of the nuclel. Some did not divide, but per- sisted as very large amoebae with two or_more nuclei. The result of the experiment was to show that at a certain critical stage in the growth of the cell this chemical glutathione has a powerful and spe- cific eflect on the cell nucleus, whose division in turn presumably stimulates the whole cell to divide. That the same thing happens with other cells than the amoeba fl still to be demonstrated, with very great technical difficulties in the way, but the discovery may have far- reaching implications in view of the Recreation Health Center, 918 G street, o o ) 1) RENSTATE MIDSHIPMEN MADE ities Figure Is Interred. Funeral services for Harry I. Carroll, 46 years old, attorney and business man, who died at his home, 1731 Park road. Tuesday, were conducted in the Ohev Sholem Temple this afternoon. Rabbi J. T. Loeb officiated. Interment was in_Ohey Sholem Cemetery. Mr. Carroll owned and operated the for Two Ousted From Naval Academy. | and the Coliseum, Ninth street near | Pennsylvania avenue. He was widely | known in local bowling circles, was a member of the District Bar and active in local charities. | | By the Associated Press. | Representative Ruth Bryan Owen | pleaded with the House Naval Com- | mittee today for reinstatement of the | two midshipmen discharged from the WASHINGTUN DATA‘ Naval Academy for taking two Wash- ington girls into the mess hall. “The academy authorities admit Representative Bloom Fa- vors Making Bicentennial there was no viciousness in the minds of these youths when they took the Unit Permanent. | girls into the mess hall,” she said. | * The midshipmen were Miller S. Bur- gin of Jacksonville, Fla., and Lawrence L. Myatt of Quincy, Mass. Both were | dismissed after “partially disguising” the | two girls in uniforms for the meal. she was appearing in behalf of the family of Burgin, calling attention to the fact that the youth's father is pastor of the Trinity Methodist Church | of Miami. The impulse which led the midshipmen to break the rules, she said, | was the same feeling that makes & young boy turn handsprings in the By a Staff Correspondent of The Star. ALEXANDRIA, Va, January 15— Representative Sol Bloom of New York, associate director of the George Wash- | proce ington Bicentennial Commission, in a| “If they hang these two boys from speech at the 131st anniversary celebra- | the yard arm that impulse still will be tion of the Washington Society of Alex- | Present,” she said. andria, held at the old Presbyterian| The two girls are Misses Eleanor Meeting House here last night,” advo- | Hayden and Lorette Taylor, both prom- cated that the Bicentennial Commis- | inently known in the Capital’s younger sion be made a premanent, organization | social set. so0 that people of the Nation would al-| ways have a place to obtain data con- | cerning George Washington's life and times. “It would be an outrage not to_carry on the work.” Representative Bloom declared, “and my idea is that when 1932 is past that the organization be | perpetuated to give people a place where they might obtain facts concern- Exclusion of Latter From Census ing the life and times of George Wash- ¢ ington.” Count for Reapportionment Is Urged Before Committee. DRY DRIVE CHARGED Tells of Data Collected. - The speaker told of the immense | amount of Washington data which the commission is collecting and which is | coming from all parts of the globe. ! Without the aid of the Federal Govern- ment, he said, the task would be im. possible, regardless of.how much money was expended. This data should be preserved, he added. Bloom said that the commission was e Ty trying to place 1,000,000 prints of the | s Gllbert Stuart portrait of Washington | romeien e "aly Slesiance to other in school rooms throughout the country | counted for representation. and was covering every church, social | Later Chairman Graham of the com- organization and club with literature | mitte, who favors repeal, said he would concerning 1932. He also told of the | deal carefully with the “extremely im- many letters recived by the commission | portant matter,” and added: for data concerning George Washing-| “I have well founded suspicions that ton and the large number who want | those who are sponsoring the movement to know if the “cherry tree” incident | are not actuated so much by the direct is a fact i | object they indorse as by other con- Speaking of the 25 volumes of writ- | sideratjons—the West against the East, ings of Washington which the commis- | dry against wet.” slon is preparing, he said that this, with| Hoch said so far as he was concerned his diary, would complete all that is known to have been written by Wash- | tion.” ington. Only about 50 per cent of the| Representative Beck, writings of Washington have ever been | Pennsylvania, an anti-prohibitionist, published, the speaker stated. These 25 | contended that to deny aliens the right Prohibition was advanced as a rea- son why Representative Hoch of Kansas | and others were urgig a constitutional amendment to exclude aliens from the census count for reapportionment dur- ing a session of the House Judiciary Republican, con- volumes, he said, will sell*for about $50 | to representation was to strike at “an | per set, and the commission hopes to place them in every school and library | throughout the country. Motion Pictures to Be Made. i He also told of a pageant foy chil- | dren which the commission is preparing and of a.non-commercial moving pic- ture on the life of Washington which will be made. He said that this picture must necessarily, in his opinion, include | Alexandria and Mount Vernon, The talk was occasioned by the pres- entation of a large framed copy of the Gilbert_Stuart portrait of Washington, | which Bloom presented on behalf of t | Bicentennial Commission to the Was | ington Society. Others on the program | included Representative James M. Beck | | of Pennsylvania, who made an address |on “Washington and the Constitution.” | o— ‘A. L. WILSON CONVICTED | IN EMBEZZLEMENT CASE Defereed Widow's | | tiona’ throughaut. the ;wodid. | Ior. Charge Involving Sale of 300 |Pritchard’s home was at 3940 Alabama | avenue southeast. i RSl inalienable right.” Lt |DR. F. J. PRITCHARD BURIED IN CEDAR HILL ‘World-Famous Scientist, Vietim of Heart Disease, Died at His Office Tuesday. Funeral services for Dr. Frederick J. Pritchard, 56 years old, senior physi- | ologist of the United States Depart- ment of Agriculture, who died at his office, 908 B street southwest, Tuesday, were conducted in Zurhorst's funerai parlors this afternoon at 2 o'clock. Rev. Dr. C. E. Hawthorne officiated. ment was in Cedar Hill Cemetery. Dr, Pritchard’s death was ascribed to heart disease. An internationally known | scientist, Dr. Pritchard, while with the | Department” of Agriculture, had de- veloped various varieties of disease-re- sisting tomatoes, known in agricultural | Sentence on Shares of Stock. s, operator of th: Wilson Realty Co., was ROOM NUMBERING JOB convicted late yesterday afternoon be- fore Justice Adkins in Criminal® Divi- Sentence was deferred. ‘To untangle the snarl of numbering Mrs. Anna W. Eckels, a widow, 701 | of rooms in the new Internal Revenue Shepherd street, told the jury 'that | Building the Treasury rtment has Federal Security & Mortgage Co. and | tract for removing the old numbers and that December 13, 1929, he had offered | painting on a new set. to sell stock owned by her for $8 per| Charles P. Bailey of 600 K street, Representative Qwen Speaks | Mrs. Owen, a Florida Democrat, said | the issue “was divorced from prohibi- | Republican, | Inter- | Ilrhc supply of glutathione in cancer cells. The Public Health Service scientists| Prof. Voegtlin and his associates now found that whep the amoebs had at-|are engaged In an intensive study of tained to between 10 and 15 units of cell | the chemical and bio-chemical behavior volume the rate of splitting of thelof glutathione in the hope of getting nuclei became about 150 per cent greater still further light on the mechanism for those supplied with 4 Sharp Decline Noticed. \] ’ guitathione cell-division. Arthur Lee Wilson, said to be the COST TO BE NEARLY $1,000 sion 2 on a charge of embezzlement. i —— Wilson was formerly employed by the | opened bids and soon will let a con- share. She gave him 300 shares and received $400 in payment for 50 of them and was told she might have stock in the Wilson Realty Co. for the balance. Wilson, it was testified, bad sold the stock for $7 per share. Assistant United States _Attorney of | John J. Sirica appeared for the prose- cutiom this city, submitted the low bid amon several to do the job. He offered to complete the work in 30 days for $925. JANUARY 1 | | PROPOSED MUSEUM SITES ARE STUDIED BY PLANNING BODY Institution Would House Mod- els and Photographs Show- ing D. C. Development. MEANS OF FINANCING PROJECT ARE DISCUSSED Commission Favors Taking Land From Both Sides of Piney Branch | Road in Widening. ‘The National Capital Park and Planning Commission turned its atten- tion today to potential sites for the proposed Washington Museum that would house objects of peculiar in- terest to the National Capital, and de- bated ways and means of financing the project. Shortly after the opening of its three-day January meeting the com- mission heard an explanation of the museum by Mrs. Merritt O. Chance, former president of the Women's City Club. She pointed out that it is high- 1y desirable to preserve photographs and models of various locations in Washington, which already have been torn down or are about to be oblit- erated, with Uncle S8am redrawing the map of downtown Washington. Women's Ald Appreciated. The commission passed a resolution thanking the Women's City Club for assisting it in its planning work for the District. commisison urged immediate | passage of the proposed legislation to widen Piney Branch road to 90 feet | from Butternut street to the underpass beneath the imore & Ohio Rail- road tracks, near the District line. The commission went on record as favoring the widening by taking property from both sides of the thoroughfare, instead of from only one side, as projected under the highway plan. Unanimous opinion | was secured upon this point. Should the bill fail of passage at the current session of Congress, the commission ex- pressed the desire that the District Commisisoners acquire whatever land |may be necessary for the improvement {of Finey Branch road, without delay, | using their own judgment as to how | best to proceed This improvement is | deemed necessary in order to eliminate | the traffic hazards at the Chestnut grade | crossing, which has long been a source of contention in municipal discussion. Alley Home Bill Favored. ‘The bill designed to eliminate Wash- ington's alley dwellings over a period | of 10 years, received the sanction of the commission. Th> commission like- | wise favored the general street closing bill, which would clothe the District Commissioners with authority to blot out streets that are deemed unneces- sary. The stamp of the commission’s approval also was given to the new traffic bill, which is based largely on the findings of its own traffic expert Dr. Miller McClintock, dir=ctor of the Erskine Bureau for Traffic Research at_Harvard University. The commission went on record as favoring the acquisition of the Heurich- | Smith tract at Columbia road and Nine- | teenth street for park purposes, but in- sisted that the purchase money should not come from the fund given the com- mission for acquiring park and play- ground sites in the District, Plans for the Municipal Center, as recently brought up to date, were ap- proved by the commission, but A.. L. ! Harris, municipal architect, was asked to make additional studies of the exact location of the building on the two squares and also on plans to carry the | street cars through C street. Tomorrow the commission proposes to go over the route of the Fort drive, which would link up a group of Civil War forts, en- circling Washington. SEEKS TALKIE MACHINE PATENT ASKED IN 1907 | Chicagoan Says Application, Laps- ing Through Attorney’s Illness, Should Not Be Lost. Promising to demonstrate to the court a talking picture machine which he claims to have invented prior to 1907, Charles K. Cregier, chief electrical in- spector of Chicago, has filed a petition in the District Supreme Court to com- pel Thomas E. Robertson, commissioner of patents, to issue to him a patent on | his_invention. He tells the court he |filed an application for a patent on | talking pictures February 18, 1907, and | certain of his claims were allowed. He | renewed his application September 13, | 1920, he says, but because of the illness |of his then counsel the renewal appli- cation was not prosecuted. Cregler claims that the failure of his attorney should not be laid to him and that he should be granted a patent. Retired Farmer, 95, Succumbs. LYNCHBURG, Va., January 15 (Spe- cial).—John W. Lakes, 95 years of age, a retired Botetourt County farmer and Confederate veteran, died at his home here. He was a native of Botetourt County. CITY NEWS IN BRIEF. TODAY. Meeting, American_Society of En i neers, ‘Washington Chapter, 2400 S teenth street, 8 p.m. Card party, benefit Convert’s League, Catholic Daughters of America, 601 E street, 8 p.m. Dinner, _ Georgetown Church, 5:30 to 7 pm. Dance, Ladies Auxiliary, Strawn- Turner Post, No. 1627, Veterans of For- eign Wars, Winston Hotel, 8 p.n. Card party, benefit St. Aloysius Church, Notre Dame Hall, North Cap- itol and K streets, 8 p.m. Meeting, Washington _Hairdressers’ Association, Lee House, Fifteenth and L streets, 8 p.m. Card party, Spalding Council, Knights of Columbus Hall, 918 Tenth street, 8:30 pm. Card party, League of Coast Guard Women, . Washington unit, 115 Hesketh street, Chevy Chase, Md., 7:30 p.m. Meeting, Lido Civic Club, Mayflower Hotel, 8 p.m. Presbyterian FUTURE. Meeting, W. C. T. U., Roosevelt Hotel, tomorrow, 10:30 a.m. Meeting, East Gate Chs O. E. 8, Rhode Island and Mills ave- nues northeast, tomorrow, 8 p.m. Lunchecn, Lambda Chi Alpha Alumni Association, Huston Restaurant, Ninth E streets, tomorrow, 12:30 p.m., pter, No. 21, - @he Foening Star THURSDAY, 5, 1931. The Dance Committee of the 1931 Class of the Academy of Sacred Hea has charge of the dance at the school o irt, which auditorium, 1623 Park read, w night. Left to right—Frances Daly, Rita Kendig and Ann Marie Schmidt. —=Star Staff Photo. WIRE-TAPPING QUIZ TOBE UNDERTAKEN House-Committee to Investi- gate Activities of Dry Bureau Agents. By the Associated Press. ‘The House Expenditures Committee decided today to investigate telephone and telegraph wire tapping by Prohibi- tion Bureau agents. A motion to that effect by Repre- sentative Schafer, Republican, Wiscon- sin, a prohibition opponent, to provide “a thorough examination of the Pro- hibition Bureau's practice of tapping telephone and telegraph wires” was adopted. Chairman Williamson said he ex- pected the investigation to begin Jan- uary 29. Schafer said Attorney General Mitchell had promised wires would be tapped for lawful purposes only. At the last hearings on appropriations for the Prohibition Bureau, he said, Prohibition Director Woodcock testified wire tapping had been permitted since the Supreme Court held it was lawful. “The Supreme Court decision,” was returned on a 5-to-4 vote, and was not on the legality of wire tapping, but on the admissibility of evidence obtained in that manner,” Schafer said. He also quoted testimony iast year by J. Edgar Hoover, director of the De- partment of Justice Bureau of Investi- gation, that all persons who tapped wires would be dismissed. Schafer added a regulation to that | effect had been issued, but has not been enforced. . 'AUTO DEALERS NAMED IN $13,566 ACTION, Suit Claims Advances Made With- out Notice of Acceptance Corporation Claims. ‘The Internaticnal Finance Cflrpfln-‘ tion with offices in the Investment | Building has filed suit in the Distriet | Supreme Court to recover $13,566 from the General Motors Acceptance Corpo- ration and the Washington Cadillac Co. for advances made on a number of automobiles in the possession of the ‘Washington Cadillac Co. and without notice of any claim of the acceptance corporation. Through Attorneys Douglas, Obear and Douglas, E. D. Campbell and L. A. Ward, the court is told in January, 1930, the Cadillac Motor Car Co. of Detroit sold to the Washington Cadillac Co. several automobiles and attempted to retain title to them to secure the unpaid purchase price, but the plaintiff was without notice of any such claim. The | local company, which recently filed petition in bankruptcy, applied to the | plaintiff in July, August, September an October for advances on automobiles in | its possessicn and the advances were made on the alléged representations of the local company that it owned the | machines free and clear of any liens | and the advances were made, it is stated, on the belief in the alleged state- ments. | The court also is advised that the| Cadillac Motor Car Co. attempted to | transfer its interest in the automobiles | to the General Motors Acceptance Cor- | poration and that company took pos- session of the cars December 10. $2,000 FOR INJURY Woman Awarded Verdict Against| Pennsylvania Railroad. Isabella D. Johnson, Mendota Apart- ments, has been awarded a verdict for $2,000 damages by a jury in Circuit Division 1 _before Justice Stafford against the Pennsylvania Railroad Co. for injuries sustained at Union Station December 15, 1927, The court directed a verdict in favor of the Washington Terminal Co, which had been joined as a defendant in the suit. The plaintiff had bought a ticket for Baltimore and was boarding a train when a covering of the step fell and injured her. She was represented by Attorneys Wilton J. Lambert, Rudolph H. Yeatman and George D. Horning, jr. REAR ADMR. HART T0 HEAD ACADEMY Rear Admr. Robison to Retire From Annapolis Post on May 15. The Naval Academy’s new skipper | will be Rear Admiral Thomas C. Hart, | commander of the Control Force, United States Fleet, who will assume his new duties in Midmay. This_change is occasioned by the re- tirement of Rear Admiral S. S. Robison upon reaching the statutory retirement | age on May 15. Admiral Hart is a native of Michi- | gan, where he was born June 12, 1877. | He was appointed to the Naval Acad- emy in May, 1893, from his native State. Since then he has had an illus- | trious career in the naval service, Admiral Hart served during the Span- ish-American War on the battleship Massachusetts, and was_transferred to the converted yacht, U. 8. S. Vixen, one week prior to the vessel's participation in the Battle of Santiago. He had con- siderable experience in submarine duty and the. World War he was placed in command of Submarine Divi- sions 4 and 5 and their tenders and for this outstanding service he was award- ed the Distinguished Service Medal. Admiral Robison has been serving as superintendent of the Naval Academy since June 20, 1928. He relicved Rear Admiral Louis M. Nulton. OIL TARIFF STAND BY HOOVER DENIED Hurley Answers Producer's Attack on Addzess by Secretary Wilbur. | | By the Associated Press. Secretary Hurley told the conference of Independent Oil Producers meeting here today the administration ‘“has taken no rosl“on for or against a tariff on oil.” Referring to & recent statement by Secretary Wilbur that such a tariff was unnecessary, Hurley emphasized the Federal Oil Conservation Board had taken no stand either way. Both Hur- ley and Wilbur are members of the board. ‘The producers met to campaign for such a ta Hurley sald the Tariff Commission is studying oil schedules. “The primary question to be considered,” he said, “is whether the oil industry has reached such a stage that Congress can be con- vinced “that it is vital to the welfa of the oil-producing States to put a tariff on oil.” Hurley's statement was made fol- forward their iriff. homa City, chairman of the meeting ind president of the Independent Pe- troleum Association. Senator Sheppard, Democrat, Texas, promised the conference to help efforts to obtain an oil tariff. Representative Garner of that State said he was in- clined to favor the proposal In the absence of Gov. Holloway of Oklahoma, Pranklin was elected chair- man. Meanwhile, President Hoover was urged to assist in providing a market for the output of Kansas strip wells by Senator Capper of that State. He called at the White House with A. M. Landon, chairman of the Independent Oil Preducers’ Committee, and Repre- sentative-elect McGugin of Kansas, Capper said Mr. Hoover gave them considerable encouragement, and was doing all in his power to help. WOMAN FALLS DEAD Apparently the victim of a stroke of apoplexy or a heart attack Annie M. Sully, 83 years old, of 1929 Calvert street, fell to the pavement on Calvert street near Rock Creek Bridge at about 10 o'clock this morning. She was pronounced dead when taken to Garfleld Hospital in a taxi. C. R. Smith, an employe of the Capital Trac- tion Co., saw woman fall and sent her to the hospital in a cab. The coroner was notified. BLUE WARBLER SURVIVES COLD HERE; PUZZLES ORNITHOLOGISTS Stays in Chevy Chase Hedges While Others of Its Kind Bask Under Through the freezing weather when al} its kind are basking in the sunshine of Northern South America, a black- throated blue warbler has survived in rst noted December wthorne o Chevy Chase ‘The bird was 22 by Y. E. Booker of 4517 Ha street, but when he reported it ornithologists Yesterda mnul«{wur and to whom Mr. experts of thej. Latin Sun. The bird ordinarily passes through umnm lu:‘t: lnuchber on If-!u:;Iy South solitary representative must_have become stranded. It lives on bs which are almost impossible n in freezing weather, but in y has managed to survive. t yesterday and today enjoying : and shelter of- pack yard. to Tt apen the end spirits, bers of its ! bird lover L DANCE l HEARING 1S HELD ON LOCAL LICENSE LAW AMENDMENT Representatives McLeod and Bowman Meet Officials on Gibson Measure. INCREASED RECEIPTS _ OF $100,000 ESTIMATED West Virginian Protests Taxing Small Businesses and So Run- ning Up Consumer Costs, At the suggestion of the District Com- missioners, who consider the Gibson measure to amend the license law of the District one of the most impertant pending bills, Representatives McLeod of Michigan and Bowman of West Vir- ginia conducted a hearing on the legis- lation today with representatives from the corporation counsel’s office, the Bu~ reau of Efficiency and the superintend- ent of licenses as witnesses. No con- clusion was reached upon the pending measure. Representative Gibson of Vermont, former chairman of the Special Sub- committee which investigated the mu- nicipal administration of the District of Columbia, reviewed his report and emphasized that revamping of the license law was one of the important measures recommended for the Na- tional Capital. He pointed out that mln{ provisions of the present law are obsolete and that conditions have changed so tremendously that the mu- nicipality has outgrown the old license code. In reply to questions, it was stated that the preSent law collects about $175,000 in revenue, of which some $60,000 is in excess of inspection costs, and that the new law is estimated to yield an additional $100,000 in revenues, of which approximately half will be in excess of the cost of operation, due largely to restrictive fees. Fee System Proposed. In reply to questions by Representa- tive Bowman, it was explained that the new measure establishes a system of fees to cover the cost of inspection servi bakeries, groceries ing iso, and many other lines of business. re are at present some 13919 licerises issued, the witness said, and some 22 lines of business or occupa- tions which are not now being licensed are to be licensed and inspected. Representative Bowman - protested strenuously and insistently that small businesses should not be taxed. par- ticularly grocery stores and the like, for the sake of yielding additional revenue, which, he said, in effect, runs up the cost of living for consumers. Donald P. Evans, chief investigator for the United States Bureau of Eff- ciency, who was one of the fchl trict 1o draft this legislation, said that in a great majority of cases the proposed bill departs from the pres- ent law in that it does not tax for revenue, but that the fee is regulated by the cost of inspection. Oppose Adding to Inspectors. Representative Gibson explained that this bill represents the best judgment of men who are best versed in this sub- ject and who have given the matter very careful consideration. Representative Bowman insisted that it creates more inspectors to go around bothering husi- ness and increasing the cost of doing business and the cost of food to the consumers. ‘Wade H. Coombs, superintendent of licenses, said that a canvass had been made of all the large cities of the coun- try and that the laws in these other municipalities on this subject had been carefully studied. Attention was called to the fact that the so-called restrictive tax is illustrat- ed by a proposed charge of $25 on each pool table, with a view to decreasing the number of pool rooms, of which there are now 122, Representative McLeod, acting as chairman, asked that there be sub- mitted a list of the fees charged at present for various lines of business or occupation and in parallel columns the fees, which it is proposed to charge under the new law. Representative Bowman asked if there was a tax on billboards and was told that if the pending bill passes, it will require an amendment to take care the billboard situation. * HARRY KING TO HEAD COMMERCE CHAMBER Rudolph Jose Declares He Cannot Reconsider Resignation From Presidency. Harry King, first vice president of the Chamber of Commerce and senior part- ner of King's Palace Department Store, will become president of the trade body tomorrow with the anticipated accept- ance of the resignation of Rudolph Jose, who yesterday said he could not recon- sider his decision to give up the post. A special committee of the chamber, headed by Martin A. Leese, former president of the chamber, called upon Mr. Jose, under authority of the cham- ber’s directors, to urge that he continue as_president. Mr. Jose expressed deep appreciation for the courtesy shown him, but said it was impossible -for him to reconsider the resignation which he submitted Monday. ‘The committee will lay its report be- fore a special meeting of the chamber's directors tomorrow. ~With acceptance of the Jose resignation, Mr. King will automatically become head of the or- ganization and George A. G. Wood, now second vice president, will become first vice president. A new second vice president will be elected to fill the va- cancy. Mr. Jose was elected head of the chamber last October and will become an ex-officio member of its board of directors in his capacity as a past presi- dent. . MAN TAKEN TO INDIANA Carl Tate to Face Charge of Taking Part in Robbery. Carl Tate, 28, wanted in Indianapolis for alleged icipation in a safe rob- bery in wl two policemen were wounded, one of them seriously, was on his way back to the Indiana eity accompanied by Detectives Stepp and Van Dora Meanwhile, today, Chester night, has been released. She lieved to have left for Indianapolis to raise money for Tate's defense, $ 4