Evening Star Newspaper, February 12, 1931, Page 17

Washington News HOOVER MESSAGE TOCLIMAXNATION'S TRIBUTE TO LINCOLN President Will Deliver Radio Address From Historic Room at White House. OFFICIALS TAKE PART IN MANY EXERCISES Tributes Paid Emancipator by Members of Senate—Program at Memorial. With President Hoover scheduled to deliver a radio address from the historic Lincoln room in the White House at 10 oclock ghis evening, civic and patriotic ‘organizations in the National Capital and throughout the Nation were observing today the 122d anni- versary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln. Hard work was official Washington's program for the daylight hours. Con- gress had no special program prepared, trying instead to get on with pressing legislation. The Chief Executive had the usual full schedule in his office The President's Lincoln day message will be delivered over a Nation-wide | hook-up of the Columbia and National Broadcasting Co.’s and to Republican organizations _in particular whose members will be observing the day at exercises in most of the principal cities and in Washington during the hour of the address. Many Speeches Tonight. A score or more of cabinet members, Government officials, party leadars, Sen- | ators and Representatives will address | Jocal rallies this evening in various | cities, thefr talks immediately preceding Mr. Hoover'’s address. The Lincoln Yoom from which Mr. Hoover is to speak, is a favorite room of the Chief Executive, who often occupies the worn leather chair in which the great eman- cipator pondered the grave problems of his day. L At the Mayflower Hotel, Vice Presi- dent Curtis, Chief Justice Hughes, | Secretaries Wilbur and Doak and Ad- ministrator Hines of Veterans' Affaires will address assembled Republicans on a radio hook-up. Secretary of Agri- culture Hyde will speak before the microphone at Louisville, Ky. Senator Reed of Pennsylvania will speak at Meadville, Pa.; Assistant Attorney Gen- eral Seth W. Richardson at Toledo, Ohio, and Executive Director Robert H. Lucas of the National Republican Com- miftee at Nashville, Tenn. Original decision to give the Lincoln day address from the White House was | reached by the President because of | the flood of invitations from widely | scattered communities. He decided to | accept them ail, staying at home. Hugh Guthrie, K. C., minister of jus- tice and attorney general of Canada, is expected to attend the Mayflower gath- ering and Attorney General William de Witt Mitchell will act as toastmaster. A reception will begin at 7 o'clock with dinner at 8. The Marine Band Orches- tra will furnish the music. Exercises at Memorial. At noon today in front of the Lin- coln Memorial, the District of Colum- | bia Commandery of the Military Order of the Loyal Leglon conducted exercises in honor of the anniversary day. Rep- resentative Hamilton Fish of New York was the speaker and music was played by the Marine Band. The “frontier virtues” of Abraham Lincoln were declared by Dr. Joseph | R. Sizoo, pastor of New York Avenue Presbyterian Church to be needed by America today. Speakfng before the chapel of the College of Lib>ral Arts of American | University, th tor of the old church | which Lir " | | tended while Presi dent, cha that civilization toda: was ~ “largely secular,” and declared | that “the spirit of Lincoln must come back to save civilization from ultimate decay.” The three outstanding frontier virtues of Lincoln were said by the speaker to be his “simplicity,” his “steadfast- ness” and his “kindness.” incoln out of those frontier days gave new emphasis to the spiritual forces of life,” said Dr. Sizoo. “Yeu cannot understand him without this foundation of fundamental faith. All of his papers, all of his public addresses bear witness to a deep and abiding piety of mind and heart. His farewell words to his friends in Springfield will always stand as an irreproachable tribute to his faith in God.” Frontier Still Before Us. “There are frontiers still before us gaid Dr. Sizo0. “not in the realm of | geograpt t'in the realm of political | cconomy and intellectual life. For the pushin; of these frontiers we need | er viries of Lincoln.” | ral Washinglon churches, includ- | cw York Avenue Church, will | 1 services tonight under the of the Republican State Com- District of Columbia. have planned no gen- but many of them will| te Lincoln programs at | will talk on his ideals n d ing the hold s auspices mittee Public eral observar have_approy which t achers ic y observed the day at_the Mayflower Hotel. Vice President Curtis made the princ pal address and other speakers included Secretaries Wilbur, Doak and Gen. Frank T. Hines and Ira Bennett, edi- tor of the Washington Post At the New York Avenue Church delegations from the Grand Army of blic. the Woman's Auxiliary military orders will attend to- Theodcre G. Risle; itor for the Department of Labor, peak on Lincoln. The Gettys- burg address will be read by Mrs. Rose S. Rutledge, past division president, Maryland Auxiliary, Sons of Union Ve erans of the Civil War. er the irvocation and benediction. The Grand Army of the Republic will observe the anniversary at the First Congregational Church at 8 o'clock to- night. E. W. Gibson and E. C. Moore will speak A joint celebrat'on of Lincoln’s birth- and the 104th anniversary of the . Henderson, who was Senator from Missouri, and prominent Repub'ican leader, be observed by colored congregations at the Nebo Baptist Church tonight. Speakers will include Senators King of Utah and | House had played havoc with it. “And,” | had fed the mice since, and he said: | Yes; 50 they might quench their thirst.’ " even a mouse, that would trust him. diary is Johnson's connection, always contained a recommendation for com- claimed he never saw the recommenda- papers with considerable care, but this a convenient excuse to escapz criticism. knew nothing about, and which cer- tainly should contain the truth, since it was intended for no eyes but those of the owner, who had no reason to lie to himself—scems to support the Presi- dent’s story. The great mystery re- mains—what enemy of Mrs. Surratt re. moved that recommendation before the papers reached the White House and afterward restored it. and sent:nce of the military commis- sioners that trizd Payne, etc. Fastened | to these was a recommendation of the court for commutation of the sentence in the case of Mrs. Surratt from hang- ing to life imprisonment. dent said he had never before seen it and was positive it had never been brought to his notice or knowledge, and explained to me the circumstances LIMERICK INQUIRY | closes today unless new evidence is un- Dr. Sizoo will { | investigation on January 26. @he Foening Stap WASHINGTON, D. C, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1. Johnson Diary Decoded President’s Private Secretary Kept Record of Chief’s Remarks in Shorthand—Mprs. Surratt, Stanton and Mice Figure in Events. BY THOMAS R. HENRY. Unknown to President Andrew John- son, his intimate conversations and chance remarks that threw light on his character were being recorded for pos- terity His private secretary, Col. W. G. Moore, kept a shorthand diary in which ne set down from time to time what the President said confidentially about the public characters of the day, the circumstances of his fight with Secre- tary of War Stanton that led to his impeachment and his personal affairs. This diary turned up in the Johnson papers at the Library of Congress. The shorthand has just been translated by an expert familiar with the antiquated system used by Col. Moore. It furnishes an intensely human story of a quick- tempered, harassed, tired man who was trying to follow the guidance of his conscience. President Fed Mice. Few finer stories ever have come out of the White House than that of An- drew Johnson and the mice, as set down by Col Moore. The impeachment proceedings were over, and Johnson's term was drawing to a close. His dream was ot a happy retirement in his native Tennessee. He had purchased a place containing a flour mill and the miller bad sent him a sample of the flour ground there, which, Johnson said proudly, was the finest he ever had seen. He showed it to Col. Moore one night just before going to bed. The secretary remarked that mice had been nibbling at the oasket. Johnson said that he had left it on the hearth in his bed room the might before and that the mice which then infested the White he continued, *“now I am filling it up for them tonight.” “I asked the President a few days later.” Col. Moore records, “whether he the little fellows gave me their confidence, and I gave them the basket, and I poured some water on the hearth The h:art of the President of the United States was hungry for some one, Surratt Paper Purloined. Among the matters discussed in the in dispute, with_the execution of Mrs. Surratt, the Washington boarding hous: keeper, who was hanged as one of the conspirators, with John Wilkes Booth, for the assassination of Lincoln. So much doubt was thrown on the woman’s guilt that the President has been criticized bitterly for allowing the death sentence of the military court which tried the conspirators to be car- ried out—especially since it was claimed that the papers transmitted to him mutation of her s2ntence. Johnson tion, although he had examined the has sometimes been held to have been But Moore’s diary—which Johnson Moore records: “Sent over today for the papers on which was indorsed the President’s approval of the findings The Presi- attending the signing of the order to carry out the sentence of the court with execution. He recalled that he had felt quite reluctant to sign the death war- rant for a woman of Mrs. Surratt’s age, who was sick at the time. He had asked the judge who brought him the papers many questions, but had heard nothing of the recommendation of the com- mission.” Wanted Stanton Replaced. Much of the diary deals with John- son’s efforts to replace Stanton as Sec- retary of War in the face of the oppo- sion "of Congress, with Gens. Grant, Sherman, Thomas and others. One of his plans was to reduce Stanton to the status of a glorified clerk by creating “the military district of Washington™ under command of some distinguished Civil War general, who would hold the real military authority under the Presi- dent himself. But he had bad luck with his generals. Sherman, then in command at St. Louis, protested vigor- ously in as characteristic a letter as has becn preserved. Probably he sensed the President’s political motive. He feared in Washington, he said, “that craving and itching for fame that has killed more good men than bullets. “I have seen Grant,” he continued, “in the midst of death and slaughter; when the howls of people reached him after Sh'loh; when messengers were speeding to and from his army to Wash- ington bearing slanders to induce his removal before he took Vicksburg; in Chattanooga when the soldiers were slitting the gullets of the starving mules to satisfy their own hunger; at Nash- ville when he was the leader of the “forlorn hope’ to command the Army of the Potomac, so often defeated: yet I have never seen him more troubled than since he has been in Washington and compelled to rob himself. “Therefore, with my consent, Wash- ington never.” ‘Then Johnson tried to make another distinguished Civil War general Acting Secretary of War but—since the de- scription is so contrary to the historical estimate of this man and Moore’s short- hand notes were intended to be con- fidential, it is better not to name him— the famous soldier got drunk at a ball the night before he was supposed to present his commission to Stanton, was arrested on an affidavit signed by the ‘War Secretary, and when he finally was released arrived at the War Department shortly before noon in no condition to match his wits against his chief. Swaps Post for Drink. He presented Stanton his commission from Johnson. The former refused to budze from his desk .and ordered the general back to his office. The new “Secretary of War” insisted on staying. Stanton told him he either could go to his own office or remain standing in the middle of the floor while he attended to his_business. ‘Then the general “broke.” He told Stanton that Le had been arrested be- fore breakfast, still felt the effect of his overnight libations, and had had noth- ing to eat or drink since n's arrest. Whereupon Stanton “put his arm around ’s neck, smcothed his hair and sent to his kouse for a full bof which, arriving, they drank together. Once more Stanton, whom Johnson described to Moore as “tHe bully of the cabinet,” had got the best of the Presi- dent. Pres'dent Jonncon’s private opinions of several of his cabinet members, as confided to Moore, were far from com- plimentary. One of them he described as “admirably adapted to keen a gro- cery store at some cross-roads where he could talk about the excellent quality of his wares and chat with rapid tongue with the garrulous old men of the neighborhood.” Another “never can look you in the face.” Altogether, the diary is a searchlight turned upon one of the darkest periods in American history. N AL STAGES Grand Jury Report in Slaying Case Expected Before Mid- dle of Next Week. ‘The Government's presentation’ of the Beulah Limerick case to the grand jury covered | The grand jury is expected to make | its report Tuesday or Wednesday, Julian Richards, assistant United States attor- ney presenting the case to the jury, announced this morning. Part of the “mystery letter” ad- mitttedly written by Frederick G.!| ‘Taylor, iron worker, to William Lim- | erick, brother of the slain girl, was revealed today. Signed “Joseph Smith.” The letter signed “Joseph Smith” stated that the writer had followed the murder case carefully and wished to| know why the police had not investi- gated the fact that Policeman Robert Langdon was seen to leave the murdr house assisting a drunken fellow officer on_the morning of the slaying. The writer said he knew that the policeman helped his fellow officer to an_automobile and carried him away. The writer also suggested that “Kelly” be questioned in connection with the slaying because “Kelly” was withhold- ing information in the case. Note Given Little Credence. Although the grand jury presumably spent three days in discussing the let- ter, investigators intimated that they attach little significance in the letter. When Policeman Langdon, one of the four suspects held, was shown the letter he remarked: “That's pure bun| Taylor explained that he wrote the note upon the request of members of the Limerick family when he was in- vited to their home some time last week. More than 60 witnesses have testified since the beginning of the grand jury Smoot of Utah and Shortridge of Cali- fornia, in the course of which Senator Smoot declared that the character of the Civil War President has withstood Hastings of Delaware; Representative Oscar De Priest of Illinois and Repre- sentative Robert Lynn Hogg of West Virginia, ‘The Thomson Community Center will observe the day with a community pro- gram at the center tonight. This will inaugurate weekly Thursday night meetings in the auditorium whose doors il be opcn to parents accompanied by their children. Tonight's exercises will be under the direction of Mrs. A. J. Driscoll. There will be lantern slides of the life and times of Lincoln, music and community plays. Lincoln's birthday was observed in the Senate with -speeches by Senators ;:muny for three-quarters of a cen- ry. ’ “Critics and cynics have beaten in vain against the shrine he occupies in every American heart,” Senator Smoot told the Senate. “But they leave his renown more invulnerable than before.” Senator Shortridge declared the life and deeds of Lincoln are known and honored wherever there is a love for disinterested patriotism and attach- ment to duty. He pictured Lincoln as devoted to truth and the right, scorn- COMPROMISE AIM OF PGwER PARLEY 117} Pepco Officials and Members of Utilities Commission Meet Monday. Potomac Electric Power Co. officials will meet with members of the Public Utilities Commission next Monday in an effort to compromise on the dispute between the two on the matter of Wash- ington power rates without resort to court action. The decision was reached at a meeting of the Executive Commit- tee of the company’s board of dircctors late yesterday, when it accepted the in- vitation of Corporation Counsel Wil- liam W. Bride, for the commission, to enter negotiations. The commission, when setting the present rate, found the current arrange- ments for fixing rates under a decree of Equity Court, which has been in force since January 1, 1925, yield the com- pany an excessive rate of return on its agreed valuation. Mr. Bride has pre- pared for the commission a petition to the court to modify the decres to leave more money available for rate reduc- tions out of the company's excess profits. The commission is holding the petition up, however, in an effort to see if its ends cannot be accomplished by negotiation instead of by expensive and slow litigation. After the committee meeting yester- day, the company would make no state- ment as to what it would accept, if anything, in the way of a comprom decree. The present decree the rate reductions each year at a fi ure to equal one-half earnings of the company per cent on its fair value, g e THIEVES SEEK BEAUTY; LIPSTICKS ARE STOLEN “Flapper” Theory Studied by Po- lice in Robbery From Capital Beauty Shop. Burglars? Who? above 7% Flappers? logical suspects in the robbery of the Emile & Co. beauty parlor, at 1221 Connecticut avenue, last night admit- tedly were “stumped” today. Perfumes, lipsticks, compacts and other paraphernalia used to emphasize the feminine wiles were missing from the establishment when employes ar- rived early this morning. The loot was lued at $18.50. Police of the third precinct, investi- ing subterfuges and loving his country a devotion made him forget- ful of all else save the preservation of the Union. P gating the robbery after it was reported by the manager, George Boichert, dis- covered that a jimmied door admitted e thief or thieves to the shop. Detectives searching for the most [ named, NN DENOUNGES FEDERAL BUILDIG CONTRACT SYSTEN Secretary Gleason Holds Ir- responsible General Contrac- tors Cut Living Standards. LETTERS SENT TO HOOVER, DOAK AND LA FOLLETTE Declares Subcontractors Are Forced to Shave Prices and Employ Cheap Labor on Projects. One branch of organized labor, the International Union of Bricklayers, Masons and Plasterers, today struck out pointedly at what it terms the “vicious” practice in Government construction programs which permits “irresponsible” general contractors to profit at the ex- pense of the public, the Government, the subcontractor, union labor and gen- eral economic conditions through the “peddling” of subcontracts on buildings. John J. Gleason, secretary, and Thomas Lane, representagive, of the in- ternational union, charged that this practice in letting Government con- tracts is creating a situation that bor- ders on ‘“profiteering” by permitting general contractors to gain contract awards on public buildings by means of driving subcondractors to “shade” their prices after the general contracts have been awarded. Charges House Delay. In letters to President Hoover, Secre- tary of Labor Doak and Senator La Fol- lette, Mr. Gleason complains that cer- tain administrative officials have not yet taken steps to correct the situation. about which complaints had been regis- tered by labor leaders last year. Complaint 15 further made that some members of the House are holding up passage of the bill, recently passed by the Senate, requiring that general con- tractors on Government jobs pay the “prevailing” union wage scale current in any community, to building mechan- ics on various Government projects. Mr. Gleason also voiced objection to- day to the bill as passed by the Senate and now before the House, because it carried no pe: y clause for violation of \%s ovision® and, therefore, lacked “tee Creates “Gypsy” Bands. Spokesmen for the international union assert that the Federal construc- tion program, though designed in part to relieve unemployment conditions, is not accomplishing that result to the extent it should, due to the lack of regulation of the letting of subcontracts by _general contractors. , it is charged, has served rather to create “bands of gypsies,” or cut- rate building mechanics, moving from place to place over the country to gain Jjobs in the employ of cut-rate general contractors, 3 The system complained of is de- scribed briefly in this way: The al- leged irresponsible general contractors, described as no more than brokers or agents for subcontractors, having no construction force of their own, submit bids on Government projects on the basis of the lowest bids given them by subcontractors. Then, the general contractor, win ning the low bid, “shops” around among the interested subcontractors. and awards the work to the one willing to cut his price. This, it is charged, forces the subcontractor, who is responsible for his product, to find non-union labor or unemployed union labor willing to work at less than prevailing union wages, and also to cut here and there* on the quality of building ma- terials employed in the projects. Cut Living Standards. This system, the union leaders claim, is reducing standards of living of th building mechanics, is causing failure of the Government construction pro- grams designed to relieve local unem- ployment, is sisthess of the subcontractors, is en- langering the business stability of the bonding companies, who give surety bonds on the work of the “irresponsible™ type of general contractors, and is ing” the business of “responsible’ eral contractors, who are willing to pay prevailing scales of local wages in any community. To correct this situation, the union leaders are seeking to have the Treas- ury Department establish a system un- der which general contractors would have to award their subcontract work to the subcontractor whose bid he uses in his general contract bid to the Gov- ernment. Another means of correcting the present situation, which the labor lead- ers claim is demoralizing the construc- tion industry, is passage of the Davis bill, with the addition of penalty pro- visions, requiring contractors to pay on Government projects in a com- munity the prevailing wage scales of that community. Asks Bill Be Pushed. In his letter to President Hoover, dated February 6 and made public to- day, Mr. Gleason asks that the Presi- dent use his good offices to bring about enactment of necessary legislation to end the “evil” at the ‘earliest possible date. Mr. Gleason, in his statement, quotes President Hoover as having called the attention of the Secretary of the Treas- ury last July 31 to “complaints that contractors engaged in Government work are employing alien labor and that they are, in certain cases; trans- porting labor long distances into local- ities where there is already considera- ble unemployment.” Mr. Hoover also was quoted by Mr. Gleason as having suggested “the in- clusion of a paragraph in the specifi- catiens of Government contracts to remedy this evil.” Mellon View Reported. Secretary of the Treasury Mellon is reported to have passed along to the controller general the complaints “that contractors are taking advantage of the unemployment situation to cut wages below the prevailing wage scale or are transporting cheap labor to jobs to the detriment of local labor.” = Secretary Mellon is quoted further by Mr. Gleason as having “indicated” that “this is a situation that should not be endured” and that he had stated that: “The Government should be the last employing agency to expect or counte- nance the performance of its construc- tion contracts at the sacrifice of its citizens,” and that “in the absence of any law forbidding the practices above , it is the desire of the de- partment, in accordance with the Presi- dent's wishes, to include in its specifi- cations a paragraph which will give the department the control of the type of labor employed on its projects and the wages to be paid such labor.” Prince Georges Granges to Meet. COLLEGE PARK, Md., February 12 (Special) —The Prince Georges County Pomona Grange will meet as guests of the Maryland University Grange at i rmi here Saturday taking all profit out of the | U.5. MAY CONDEMN| LANDS NEEDED FOR PARK IN ANACOSTIA 162 Acres to Be Acquired, With 50 or 60 Now Being Purchased. PONDS AT KENILWORTH IN PROPERTY CONCERNED Progress Being Made Now in Im- provement of Marshes In- cluded in Project. Uncle Sam today served notice that |after June 1 condemnation proceedings will be resorted to'in the area within the proposed Anacostia Park if lands cannot be purchased at prices satis- factory to the Government. This might involve the famous lily ponds at Kenil- worth, D. C., if the Government is not satisfied with the status of negotiations about four months hence. Altogether there are about 162 acres yet to be acquired, but of this between 50 and 60 acres are now in process of being purchased. The United States Engineer Office today announced that negotiations are under way to secure several of the few remaining larger tracts that will be- come part of the pretentious park. Of- ficials said that they hope to conclude these shortly. If this is not done, they | asserted, all property that cannot be | purchased at prices satisfactory to the | Government will be placed under con- | demnation at the end of May. | To Buy This Year. } The officials pointed out that this |shows the Government's intention to; | purchase and its determination to fin- ish negotiations and start condemna- tion proceedings to acquire the out- standing lands within the current fis- cal year, which ends on June 30. The total area of Anacostia Park will be 1,772 acres, and will embrace property fringing the Anacostia River, from the Maryland line to Giesboro Point and the Bolling Field area. Recently, under the direction of Maj. Joseph D. Arthur, jr., District engi- neer for the War Department for the Washington area, about half an acre, embracing two small parcels, were pur- chased in the Kenilworth area. Progress on improvement of the marsh land and converting it into a park | was reported today by the officials. The contract for acquiring 16,500 tons of | stone from the Smoot Sand & Gravel Co. has been completed, and about half finished is the contract with the Co- lumbia Sand & Gravel Co. for acquir- jirg some 24,000 tons of stone. This istone is being used for the foundation of the seawall in Anacostia Park. Dredge at Work. ‘The 12-inch, pipe-line dredge Dale- carlia is proceeding with the reclama- tion work and this will be continued throughout the year on the east side of the main river. The craft Benning is engaged in digging trenches for rip- rap stone, building up levies for future | deposit basins gt various points in the ’area about Benhing road and on other work. Improvements of Lake Kingman and ! East Lake is going forward and as the various sections of the park are com- pleted, they are being turned over to the jurisdiction of Lieut. Col. U. S. Grant, 3d, director of public buildings and public parks. BANK RUMOR BILL FAVORED IN HOUSE Measure to Make Circulating False | 2, 1931. General News PAGE B—1 Peggy Ann Will Be 5 Soon PAULINA LONGWORTH TO BE 6 SATURDAY. o Peggy Ann Hoover, who will be 5 Paulina Longworth, who will be 6 on S: By the Assoclated Press. on St. Patrick’s day, March 17, and aturday, St. Valentine’s day. —Harris-Ewing Photos. often does her own shopping accom- Two of the country’s most pop- ular little girls—Peggy Ann Hoover and Paulina Longworth saries patron on the anniversaries of two saints. birthday anniversary in the White House St. Patrick’s day, March 17. Paulina Longworth will reach her sixth | in the home of her parents, Speaker and Mrs. Nicholas Longworth, on St. Valentine's day. Hearts #hd cupids will play no con- spicuous part in the birthday cele: tion of little Paulina, however. a studious little miss and is no ing school. Some quiet celebration with her parents will mark the day, with possibly a six-candle cake. Paulina entered school last Fall in Cincinnati, which is her home when Congress is not in session. At Christ- mas time she came to Washington and ;flnoa then has been attending school ere. She leads a quiet, simple life. She Peggy Ann Hoover will have her fifth | panied by her mother or her nurse, but picking out articles of clothing for her- self. One day she accompanied her father to the Capitol and watched him preside over the House of Representa- tives. She usually goes for a daily | walk, or a ride on her pony. Little Peggy Ann Hoover is a bit of | Western _ breeze transported to _the White House. She and her little brother, Herbert 3d, keep things lively |on the third floor of the Executive Mansion while their father and mother are in_ Asheville In addition to the importance of being 5 and entering upon school age March 17, Peggy Ann will have all the gay green regalia of OId Erin to brighten up her White House birthday celebra- tion. She will play through the long corridors and in the big rooms where Paulina’s mother, the former Alice Roosevelt, used to dance when her father was President. Mrs. Hoover is a great hand at cele- brating all the little family anniver- saries so it is probable that Peggy Ann’s birthday, though quiet, will be a most pleasurable occasion. Rosicrucian Rites Held at Funeral of Leader Killed Here Services for Reinhold A. Berrenberg Are Impres- sive and Colorful. Impressive and colorful ceremonies, conducted according to the ritual of the Order of the Rosicrucians, marked the funeral services which were held this morning at the Hines funeral parlor for Reinhold A. Berrenberg, 55- year-old “Taro” of the Rosicrucians, who was knocked down Monday night by an automobile at Dupont Circle, dying later at Emergency Hospital from his_injuries. Officiating at the ceremonies were Deputy Master F. A. Goerger of the Temple of the Mystic Rose, assisted by Mother Stoa, High Priestess Rosa and Vestals Gloria, Moria, Choral and Eloha, all members of the religious order. After the soft strains of “Going Home” had died away on the organ, the six women, robed in draperies and veils of different brilliant colors, blue, red, violet and white, each color carrying a secret significance, slowly filed into the parlor where the service was held. Dr. Goerger, wearing the brilliant red gown of master, appeared at the end of the procession as it silently came into the rcom, stopping befcre the rose-covered casket of the departed. Eulogy Is Pronounced. Mother Stoa, in deep purple draperies, Reports, Starting Runs, Unlaw- ful May Be Pushed. The bill recommended by Treasury Department and Federal Reserve Board officers making it unlawful to circulate false rumors precipitating runs on banks was ordered favorably reported by a unanimous vote of the House Com- mittee on Banking and Currency yes- terday. The bill was introduced by Representative Brand, Democrat, of Georgia. Chairman McFadden, Republican, of Pennsylvania, was instructed by the committee to seek a special rule and to consult with House leaders in an effort to get privileged consideration of this measure at the present session of Ccngress. The bill applies to all member banks of the Federal Reserve System, State or national, and carries a punitive clause of one year in prison, or $1,000 fine, or both for persons guilty of spreading such rumors. BOY ROBS GAS STATION Youth, 12, Snatches $6 as Man- | ager Serves Customer. Grabbing a handful of currency from the cash register of a Gulf Refining Co. gasoline station at Wisconsin ave- nue and Q streets, a boy dashed past the startled manager and a customer this morning and sprinted to safety. Roy A. Roatenburg, the manager, told police that the boy walked boldly into the office while he was waiting on a customer, snatched the bills from the cash drawer and then fled. A check-up revealed $6 missing. ‘The manager said that he thought the boy, who was about 12 years old and attired in short trousers and a khaki mackinaw, was one of the neigh- borhood children and paid no attention to him until he grabbed the money and ran. T JOHN M. HERFURTH DIES Retired Wholesale Produce Dealer Succumbs to Long Illness. John Michael Herfurth, 70 years old, retired wholesale produce dealer of this city, died at his home, at 3427 Thir- teenth street, today after a long illness. Mr. Herfurth retired from active busi- ness some time ago. He is survived by his widow, Mrs. M. Christine Herfurth, and one son, the latter of New York. Funeral arrange- ments are to be announced later. False Report Causes Arrest. An ambulance from Emergency Hos- pital and poiice were sent to 151115 Tenth street today in response to a tel- ephone communication that a girl was dead there. Georgia Livingston, col- ored, 23 years old, was sent to Gallinger Hospital for mental observation after she told police she had been “directed by God” to make the false report. X opened the ceremonies with a_ sincere and dignified eulogy to the departed “Master Taro.” This was followed by two of the vestals, bearing water and incense, approaching the casket, to sprinkle water over the body and burn incense above it, symbolic of purifica- tion. A recitation of the meaning of the “mystic rose” was conducted by two of the vestals in which the soul of man was symbolized by the rose. A solo, “The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise,” was softly sung by an un- seen vocalist, at the conclusion of which Deputy Master Georger continued with the ceremonies at the head of the casket. The ceremonies were concluded with a wierd chant intoned by the deputy master, Mother Stoa and the vestals, and the placing of a rose upon the breast of the departed by each of those attending the service. Son and Wife Present. Mr. Berrenberg's only son, Jack, a student at Randolph Macon Military Academy, attended the services with Mrs. Berrenberg. Mr. Berrenberg, who was a graduate of Harvard University and a native of Boston, was at one time an Episcopalian minister and later gave up the ministry to prepare for the Catholic priesthood. This he also forsook and became affiliated with the Order of the Rosicrucians of America, of which he was director gen- eral of the Northeastern division at the time of his death. Cremation was held at the Fort Lin- coln Cemetery, where the interment was private. Mrs. Berrenberg, who lives in New York, will remain in Washington for }ulbouh two weeks before returning to her ome. DREDGING ON ROAD JOB NEARING FINISH Longest Memorial Highway Fill to Be Completed About April 1. ‘The United States Engineer Office will enter upon the last phase of its $1,000,- 000 hydraulic pipe-line dredge job in conjunction with the construction of the Mount Vernon Memorial Highway on March 1, when work is started on Little Hunting Creek, Va. Maj. Joseph D. Arthur, jr. district engineer for the War Department for the Washington area, and E. A. Schmitt, engine:cr of the United States Engineer Office, announced today that on Hunt- ing Creek, which is considered the long- est of the fills, the work will be com- pleted about the end of the month. At Little Hunting Creek, the dredge Talcott and the derrick-boat Atlas are engaged in stripping the ground for the dredge Welatkas to go down and pump sand and gravel from the bottom of the Potomac River, to form the fu- ture roadbed for the highway to Mount Vernon, @te Atlss is dredging out the approach chan=e: and preparing de- posit basin. Tresties Being Built. A pile driver is building trestles for the deposit basin and a high trestle, or which the @ will bz constructed, is being built to carry the giant pipes Zrom the hydraulic pipe line dredge. Work on throwing a line of sand and gravel across Little Hunting Creek, is expected to take about two and a half months and will complete a program on which the United States Engineer office has been engaged since November, 1929. The Talcott has just returned from West Point, Va., on the York River, where she was engaged in dredging out steamship docks, and her arrival here on Monday evening marked the end of a 200-mile journey. Road Plans Completed. The fill across Little Hunting Creek will be completed in ample time to build the necessary roads there, officials said today. The Bureau of Public Roads of the Department of Agriculture has made. the necessary provision there on the specifications and proposals to be opened on February 28. For several months past, all the work has been completed on the basin fill at the Highway and Railsoad Bridges, the Gravelly Point fill, leading across the former land of the Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac and South- ern Rallways, and Roaches Run fill. The fill at Four-Mile Run has now been completed almost a year and the bridge near its south end will soon be completed. With the completion of Hunting Creek about March 1, the status of the various hydraulic fills that the United States Engineering Of- fice has been making for the Bureau of Public Roads will be considered in a very satisfactory condition, and will have been compacted and settled, so that pavement construction may pro- ceed, officials explained. PATENT ATTORNEY DIES CAYTON APPROVED Senate Committee 0. K.’s Kunici-‘ pal Judge for Reappointment. ‘The nomination of Judge Nathan Cayton for reappointment to another term in the Municipal Court, was re- ported favorably to the Senate from the Judiciary Committee today. The report was submitted by Senator King of Utah, who, with Senator Blaine of Wisconsin, comprised the sub-committee which considered the appointment. Judge Cayton's appointment prob- ably will be acted on by the Senate at the next executive meeting. Judge Cay- ton is 32 years old, and is completing his first term on the bench of the Mu- nicipal Court. FIRE BLAMED ON RAT A rat’s foray into a box of matches was blamed by fire officials early thi: morning for a blaze in the hallway of a rooming house owned by Ottoway Holmes, at 333 Virginia avenue south- west Firemen of No. 4 Engine Company and No. 10 Truck Company quickly ex- tinguished the blaze and damage was esf ted at approximately $15. L) T. Lloyd Mockabee Survived by ‘Widow and Three Children. T. Lloyd Mockabee, 56, patent attor- ney in the office of Victor J. Evans, Co., died yesterday at his residence, 630 D street northeast. Funeral services will be held at In- gram Memorial Church at Tenth street and Massachusetts avenue northeast, Friday afternoon at 3 o'clock. Inter- ment will be in Cedar Hill Cemetery. He is survived by his widow, Mrs. Emma Brakhagen Mockabee; a daugh- ter Mildred, and two sons, T. Lloyd, jr., and Allan. TO OPEN FIELD HOUSES ‘Three new fleld houses at Municipal Playgrounds have been turned over to the playgrounds ent by Munici- pal Architect Albe; 3 ready for ceeupancy. The new houses ate,painted bnhl;{ blue outside with chlmneyshnt:d white. A ‘The houses are located at the Happ Hollow playground, Eighteenth stigel and Kalorama road; the Takoma plags| ground, Fourth and Whittier streets and the Mitchell Park playground} Twenty-third and 8 streets. SURVE OF UPL | NEEDING LUNCHES BEGUN IN SCHOOLS Supt. Ballou Acts After Con- ference With Health Of- ficer Murphy. PARENT-TEACHER BODY SEES ITS AID ADEQUATE Officials 'Will Await Data for De- cision as to Financing Food for Poor. An official survey of the public school system to determine the number of children attending classes without proper nourishment and lacking funds ;x;é:y\&éucg wl;:ruy ‘:ul‘;,ches was launched y Dr. Frank W. Ballou, superin- tendent of schools. i Dr. Ballou's orders for the investiga- tion followed a_conference he had this morning with Dr. Joseph A. Murphy, District health officer for the schools, and a meeting late yesterday with offi cers of the District of Columbia Con- gress of Parent-Teacher Associations. Meanwhile, Mrs. Giles Scott Rafter, member of the board of the Parent- Teacher Congress, issued a statement in which she asserted that the parent- teacher associations are capable of meeting any relief needs thrust upon them by underprivileged pupils without t)l\edneggs.shy of congressional appropri- ated aid. Ballou Awaits Survey. Dr. Ballou, however, refrained from i expressing @n opinion pending the com- | pilation of facts on the needs. He took | the position that until an accurate survey is completed there is no way of knowing accurately how adequately the needs are being met at present. Impetus was given consideration of the matter of underfed children by school authorities—a question which al- ready had been placed before the Board of Education by Dr. Ballou—yesterday when Senator Royal S. Copeland of New York suggested that a study be made by the Health Department in con- Junction with the school board to de- termine what, steps might be taken to provide lunches for poor children. Sen- ator Copeland’s suggestion followed testimony by John S. Noonan to the ef- fect that a large number of children at- tended school without proper food. Dr. Ballou advised the School Board at its meeting a week ago yesterday that needy children were receiving the milk- and-cracker lunches at present, whether they could pay the daily stipend or not, through the generosity of parent- teacher associations and the teachers in the schools where the needs S§rise. He suggested at that time that the School Board call the attention of the Congress of Parent-Teacher Associa- tions to the situation with a view to re- newing that body’s interest. ‘Wants Burden Shared. ‘The superintendent explained that it was his belief &t it fl:o:l'g brove a considerable need for aid to poor children that some central ar- rangement be made by which parent- | teacher associations throtighout the Dis- trict and school officers and teachers of the whole system share the expense of aiding the needy. He said he felt it un- fair to permit the teachers who happen to be assigned to schools attended by poorer children and the parent-teacher associations of those particular schools to carry the whole burden. He sug- gested that at schools where the need for lunch money is greatest, the finances of the associated parent-teacher groups would be automatically less by virtue of the economic conditions of those com- munities. When Dr. Ballou and Dr. Murphy fwere %1 conference this morning, the | communication from Senator Copeland | had not been received at the District Building. The health officer, however, went into action with the school au- thorities without awaiting official notifi- cation from the Senate. Although complete plans for the sur- vey of the school system had not been made early this afternoon, it was the opinion at the Franklin-Administration Building that most of the facts would have to be gotten from the teachers themselves and from the individual parent-teacher associations. FIRES SHOT TO END LIFE WITH HIS FOOT B. & 0. Fireman Tears Off Part of Head With Shotgun Charge. Speclal Dispatch to The Star. CUMBERLAND, Md., February 12— Brady H. Scanlon, 47, Baltimore & Ohio Railroad locomotive fireman, with a string tied to his foot discharged a shot- gun in the attic at his home, at Keyser, 22 miles west of here, late yesterday, tearing off a portion of his head. He had placed the muzzle in his mouth. A loaded revolver was found in his pocket. He had been despondent over i1 health. A few days ago he was found prostrate in his garage by a neighbor, having been overcome by monoxide fumes, but was revived. Scanlon be- longed to a prominent family of Hamp- shire County, W. Va. The late Rev. Dr. Charles Scanlon, Pittsburgh, who headed the Temperance Board of the Presbyterian Church, was his uncle. His widow survives, MONROE STREET SPAN REPLACEMENT BEGUN New Bridge Over B. & 0. Tracks to Be Completed in Five Months at Cost of $55,000. Construction started today on replace- ment of Monroe Street BEridge. The bridge takes street traffic over the tracks of the Metropolitan Branch of the Baltimore & Ohio Rallroad in the line of Monroe street east of Michigan ave- nu;hnorthe;.snut lis % e contract cal for completion of the new bridge in five manpf}Il, at a cost of $55,000, by F, Carozza & Som, contractors. There will be no immediate inter- ruption to traffic. As soon as the work is ready for the placing of the new deck, however, the bridge will be closed to tAr;@lu.l This is expected to occur about ril 1, At the same time the Washingto! Railway & Electric Co. will replace its ~ car tracks over the bridge and remove its center-pole trolleys, substituting poles at the side of the bridge. The District also will lay a new surface on street from Michigan avenue to