Evening Star Newspaper, May 31, 1931, Page 2

A—2 x BOWLES CASE PLEA T0 HALT SUIT LOST Mrs. May Takes Stand to Charge Banker Made Scene at Her Home. By a Btaff Correspondent of The Star. FAIRFAX COURT HOUSE, Va., May 80 ~-Counsel for Mrs. Mae B. May of | Falls Church won their first point in | the trial of the $20,000 damage suit which she has brought against B. Agee Bowles, vice president of the Potomac Savings Bank, Georgelown, when Judge | Walter T. McCarthy in Circuit Court | this afternoon overruled a defense mo- tion to quash the case. | The defense motion was entered after | eonclusion of testimony of witnesses for | Mrs. May, who charged in her suit that Bowles caused her to become partly paralyzed as a result of statements he made to her in her home in February, | 1930, alleging circulating stories about | him and a woman. The plea was made | on lack of evidence and was overruled after a conference between the judge and attorneys in the former's chambers. An exception was noted. I Court was adjourned until Wednes. day shortly thereafter when it was de- cided the defense could not conclud presentation of its case during the day. Before the recess was ordered Bowles’ attorneys presented 11 character wit- nesses, who testified to the banker's good reputation. They included Allan | Davis, principal of = Business High School; Frank K. Green, marshal of the United States Supreme Court; Rev. Charles T. Warner, rector of St. Alban's Church; D. B. Elgin, a McLean, Va. farmer and a director of the Potomac Savings Bank, and other Virginia resi- dents who have known Bowles over a period of years. During.the morning session cross-ex- | amination of Mrs. May was concluded. She reiterated testimony of her hus- band, who was on the stand yesterday, that Bowles entered her home and “in s loud and threatening manner” up- braided her for allegedly spreading “criminally libelous” statements about him. She also told the jury she feared ) Bowles. who threatened to “put her in Jail,” she said. 36 HURT AS POLICE BATTLE OHIO REDS TO HALT PARADERS (Continued From First Page.) half bricks. lumps of coal. chunks of poncrete and other missiles hem. After the demonstration had been dispersed the police burned all the Communist banners, placards and radi- eal literature. Denied Permit. battle occurred when five mount- ed officers and about 20 unmounted of - fleers, headed by Police Chief Paul E. Lyden, charged about 300 demonstrators ‘who had started out on a parade for ‘which they had been refused a permit a number of times within the last few ‘weeks. The National Youth Day Committee had applied for the parade permit a number of times to Mayor Joseph L. Heffernan, Police Chief Lyden and OIl- son, but had been refused each time on the ground it would interfere with other demonstrations and would tie up trafic. The willing to schedule the demonstration Wflmhflu day to avold any with other Memorial day demonstrations. Parsde Despite Ban. After the refusals the demonstrators announced they would perade without a permit and sald that they would fight any interference. About 1,000 persons from Cleveland, Detroit, Akron, Pittsburgh and other cities were expected by the committee to come here for the Youth day meeting. The demonstration was set for 6:30 p.m. in the city's public squ ‘When a crowd of demonstrators bej form- ing about three blocks from the square, about 50 policemen were sent out. They warned bystanders to move away, say- ing there would be trouble. As the demonstrators, led by & group of children, left the s'munda, the mounted policemen charged. eommittee announced that it was TWO MEN ARE INJURED BY PASSING AUTOMOBILE. Driver of Car Takes Pair to Hos- pital After Accident on Wisconsin Avenue. A 60-year-old man and an 18-year- old youth were injured last night when an automobile struck them as they were standing near the curb in the 5100 block of Wisconsin avenue. ‘The man, Benjamin 8. Moore, 5114 ‘Wisconsin avenue, was telling the boy, George L. Baker, who had hitch-hiked to Washington from his home in Win- chester, Va., how to reach the down-, town section. ‘The driver of the car, Everett C. Cooper, 19, of 1820 Newton street, took the pair to Georgetown University Hos- pital. There Moore was found to be suffering from a broken left arm and possible internal injuries and Baker from an injury to his left leg. Cooper, who was accompanied by Miss Evelyn White, 1500 Irving street northeast, told police that he was un- able to see Moore and Baker because the street was dimly lighted. SUICIDE STORY TOLD Witnesses Say Wealthy Cotton Broker Leaped From Yacht. NEW ORLEANS, La., May 30 (#).— ‘Witnesses testified today ai coroner's inquest that Richard M. Ellis, wealthy New Orleans cotton broker. jumped to his death from the yacht Otellia in Lake Pontchartrain Tuesday . night while cruising with 16 friends and did | not fall off the craft as at first re- ported. The coroner adjourned the ses- | sion until next week when a verdict | will be returned. | FEDERALS ROUT REBELS Honduran Government Troops De- | feat Insurgents in Skirmish. TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, May 30| i®).—The President’s office reported to- day that government troops under Gen. Roque Perez yesterday attacked a rebel Torce at Polola, near Joacin, and routed | them. The rebels, it was said, left & quantity of rifie and machine gun! wmmunition and 30 horses on the fleld. THIRTY IN LIQUOR NET Dry Agents Claim to Have Broken Up Ring in Oklahoma. OKLAHOMA CITY, May 30 (#).— With arrest of 30 persons, including four women, Federal prohibition agents claimed today to have broken up & ‘wholesale liquor manufacturing ring in Grady and Comanche Counties. Bee Demonbrum, ceputy prohibition administrator for the Western Okla- homa district, said considerable liquor from the two countiss came into Okla- homa City, some went to Kansas, but Texas cqpsumed the greater portion. | productive. |EVILS AND BENEFITS OF DOLE THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C. MAY 31, 1931—PAR ARE FACED IN GREAT BRITAIN Industry Will Fall if HCEVY TIXCS GI'OW With Continued Doles—Yet People Menaced by ‘This series of articles T‘ the dole' investigation . vantages and benefits are given in an unprejudiced ‘discussion. BY CYRIL ARTHUR PLAYER. LONDON, May 30.—Great Britain before the war was a rich man's coun- The world wagged for the well- The empire existed for him to govern. The riches of the Indies were his to garner. He made up the narrow margih of superiority for whom uni- versities droned statutory prayers and benedictions, for whom codes and cus- toms and privileges and outrageous | snobberies were imposed on the great | subme:gad. Many splendid men were developed by this system of casie; millions werz condemned by it. But the empire grew and prospered, and dominated the earth and came to a standstill. Then delu- sions of grandsur plucked halos from the splendid past; time, at the opening f the twentieth century and for a decade, almost stocd still and it was al- ways golden Summer. It was a brief time of comfortable assumptions, dur- ing which John Bull contemplated his | paunch. In those days, so amusing in retro- spect, the gods looked with polite toler- ance on the ambitious from below. A man might be clever, but who was he? Did he “belong”? Did he make a fa- miliar and welcome member of the fianneled company of Henley. at Lords, | of the week end house party, of the world that was? | Yet there were murmurings below all this. Men dared. They challenged the | reticent powers of Oxford and Cam bridge d emerged with d A scorning culture’s arid smile smug approval, they simply set about preach- ing the devastating doctrine of human rights. They said the poor should be happy, that the have-nothings should have something. that none should be without food, without livelihood, with- out opportunity, without power. Purpose Is Born. Gradually, out of this rebellious sub- | merged vastness there was born a pur- | . It did not ignore the inheritance of in-bred talent. but it did claim the birthright of original genius. Time was to judge whether it enriched the land | or ruined it. Britons may waive the subject, bu'.‘ before the war, democracy in the land existed only as a plausible theory. The odor of sanctity enveloped and shielded | the great; for the multifarious little | there was nothing but a realism which | usually had an element of dejection. For 20 years before the invisible revo- lution in Great Britain there was de- | veloping a tragic bitterness on the plr',i of the intelligent depressed, & move- | ment 50 intense that the naive un- readiness of the self-contained aristoc racy—aristocracy of birth and profes- slon—seems now absolutely fatuous. In those days the schools of the peo- ple were the board schools—insufficient | elementary institutions, not at all com- | ble to the improved system of to- | day, although this has a long way to travel. Between the workers' children and higher education stood that stub- born obstacle, money. High schools meant fees, schools meant more and higher fees. Not more than 1 per cent of the com- | mon school population could expect to reach a university, and, what was the heart of the tragedy, no university ex- pacted them te do so. When any did Teach the heights the guardians were not wholly pleasantly surprised. There | was a conviction that the poor might receive access freely to cinemas, but reluctantly to Parnassus. New Leaders Arise. The ancient universities and the sys- tem they represented gave Great Britain its great leaders of the past, but the self-educated masses have contributed to what may prove its greatest present. In the north, particularly, men sought and discovered ways to obtain that which was denled them, found means to force the popular cause into effective battle line, while down in the hearts of the older citadels of privilege young men, with typical national courage and imagination, caught the spirit of | emancipation and brought disciplined | minds to the aid and direction of the | new era. 5 | Not, very accurately, this is called the labor movement. One of its more ob- | vious achievements is that there are fewer very rich and fewer very poor in Great Britain today. but, deeper than that, it unquestionably represents the 1iberating of hitherto undeveloped na- tional resources, the freshening of the waning strain recognized as the gov-| erning class of England and a valuable | experiment in pure democracy, for good | and for ill, with blessing and curse, for the world to scrutinize thoughtfully. The Great Britain of before the war produced a remarkable series of public men of high average talent, most of whom were drawn from a narrowly limited section of the population. Post- r Great Britain has public men con- tributed by virtually every class, and the leader who emerges from the work- ers is no longer either a lonely or threatening phenomenon. It has been easier than might be supposed for the practical Laborite and the intellectual Socialist to find a com- mon basis for action. Great Britain being Great Britain, Sccialism itself be- came strictly constitutional, giving to conservatism, liberalism and radicalism new definitions of thought which ex- press a difference in political action, but are all included in a profound agreement on the subject of national integrity. to-do. private | Wealth Is Shifted. The great change in social values, | which is the outward and visible sign of the new Great Britain, has been paralieled by a considerable shifting of | wealth. Great Britain, in spite of heavy | burdens, is still ve rich and there are a great number of extremely wealthy men. If the statistics did not reveal the fact the stores on the important shopping streets would do so. But from great wealth has come, in taxes, the major resource cf the tres ury. much of which has been distrib- during recent years among those | who have relatively I or nothing. The critic s2ys this is “dissipation of | capital for unfruitful purposess.” The | Socialist. or even the Liberal, says it is a “healthy increase in purchasing ea- | pacity among the greatest section of | the population.” Due largely to phencmena connected | with liquidation of the war, a distress- ing proportion of the people became either improductive or only fitfully ‘Taxation, heavy as it is here now, does not fall on them, and if the worker cares to deprive himself of beer and tobacco he is virtually untaxed, direct or indirect. Actuslly something like 90 r cent of the electorate of 30,000.000 pay_no direct taxes, while from 10 to 15 per cent contribute almost two-thirds - of the tax revenue, and have done so ever since the war. Surtax and death duties have. brought in prodigious sums, the curtax alone during the last five years fileldml more than $1,500,000,000. Th! to many men of authority. including the school headed by J. L. Garvin, is a withdrawal of “capifal-making m-ney,” which in other days was available for investment abroad. Mr. Garvin does not hesitate to in- sist that “under anything like our present financial system the economic greatness cf Britain never could have arisen. Without the income largely derived from investment overseas, made under the earlier conditions, we could not today pay for eur imports by the total cf our exports, visible and in- visible.” ’ Starvation. While liberal-minded men, no less sincerely than officfal labor, always seen the necessity of a certain redistribution of wealth in the interest of better living standards for the great majority, the huge sums needed for budget making since the war are the result of speclsl conditions. The systems devised originally to improve living standards under nor- mal conditions, and known as social services, particularly the social service known as unemployment insurance, have struggled t> meet the terrible dis- aster of enforced idleness (and there- fore penury) which ingulfed the na- tion. The ‘cost of financing this effort is draining the country, it seems; at least it has upset the nce sheet to such an extent that 8ir Richard Hopkins, controller of finance and sup- ply, a non-political permanent treasury official, says: “Continued state borrowing on the present vast scale without adequate provisicn for repayment by the (un- employment) fund would quickly call in question the stability of the British financial system.” These words, from such an authority, are sufficiently ominous. But the fact is that the Treasury already has advanced £375,000,000 to the unemployment fund! This debt has become alarmingly pro- gresssive, and during the last yeir in- creased from $190,000,000 to its present figure—almost doubling itself. ~More- over, the fund now is running behind at the rate of $5.000,000 a week! By spe- cial dispensation it is permitted to borrow up to $450,000.000, but it is al- ready desperately clear that this will not carry matters through the year. Philip Snowden, chancellor of the exchequer, only recently sounded a grave warning, directed as much to his own party as to the country at large. He is a tragic figure, this brave, ailing, clever man; by instinct a saver, events have compelled him to be spendthrift. | He told Parliament impressively: Urges Drastie Action. “1 say with all the seriousness I can command that the national position is 50 grave that drastic and disagreeable measures will have to be taken if budget equilibrium s to be maintained and if industrial progress is to be made. An expenditure which may be easy and tollerable in prcsperous $imes becomes impoasible in a time of grave industrial | depression. “I believe that an increase of taxa- tion in present conditions which falls on industry would be the last straw. Schemes involving heavy expenditure. however desirable, will have to wait until prosperity returns. This is neces- sary * * * to uphold the present stand- ard of living, and no class will ulti- mately benefit more by p: that the wage-earne: “The budget position * * ¢ s serious. * * * No budget in the world couid stand such an excessive strain as that which has been placed upon it by the increase of unemploy- ment during the last 12 months. The depression has aff<cted both sides of the budget. Expenditure has increased. revenue has declined. There is this fact which I think we sometimes 1‘- nore. Productive capacity has now fal- len off 20 per cent. That means 20 per cent less in those resources from which the exchequer must draw its revenue. Capital values have fallen. * * * T there were well grounded fear that this country's budgeting was not sound, it might have very disastrous consequcnces, which would have their repercussions abroad.” Obviously this cannot go on. But, then, neither can astarvation go on! What, then, is the case for the dole? What are its visible benefits? What its abuses? What is the end to be to the two mammoth problems: One, unem- ployment itself, and two, the financing of Britain's huge social insurance ex- periments? Is the situation irreme- diable? Is Great Britain done? (Copyright. 1931. by North American News- er Alliance. Inc.) STUDENT PLAYING PRANK DIES IN 60-FOOT FALL FROM BUILDING ROOF (Continued From First Page.) ~ | trucks, en pavement and then a thud as Bernheim landed. He had been alone on the roof at the time, the other students said. Bernheim was rushed to Emergency Hoepital by the Prince Georges County Rescue Squad. His roommate, Richard Knight of Edgewood, Md., accompanied him to the hospital. Bernheim was enrolled in the engi- | neering department of the university. His father operates a canteen at Edge- wood Arsenal, it was said. An effort to communicate with his parents by telephone was not successiul. Bernheim was a member of the frech- man tennis team at the university this year and regarded as A coming star in this sport. Witnessed Plunge. Bernheim's fall was witnessed by Irv- ing Ebaugh. a student, who was in a | varked car outside the dormitory. Ed- | mund Yocum, another student. heard him fall just outside his window on the first floor and was the first to reach him. Yocum said Bernheim landed on | his head. Arnold 8moot, also a student at the university, administered first aid until the arrival of Dr. A. O. Etienne of Berwyn, PLAN TO MILITARIZE INDUSTRY IS DENIED IN HURLEY SPEECH (Continued From First Page.) talled numerous river and harbor proj- ects that are alding navigation and commerce. These improvements, he ex- plained, give employment annually to! 30,000 civilians and total in value about ! $100,000,000. Insures National Defense. Post-war developments have made it | plain that the American people will not | tolerate a large peacetime standing | Hurley sald. The Government, however, has taken steps to insure ! proper national defense. In this con- necticn & citizen Army has been organized. While America now has the smallest standing Army of any nation, he said, the Government has a careful plan for mobilization, a more highly trained staff to execute it, a aecentralized regional machinery, more competent ccmmanders and instructors, an ord- nance and equipment reserve stock, a strong National Guard and a “leader- ship reservoir” of 100,000 Reserve officers. “We have succeeded In keeping the part of tional income devoted to preparations for defens> smaller in preportion to our populition than that of any other country,” suriey told his ' audience, “There is room for further economy without injury to proper na- tional defense. In the terest of economy and better busmess organisa- tion, 53 unnecessary forts and reserva- tions are being abandcned. No fort or | res:rvation that is essential to the train‘ng cf our scldiers or the defense of the country will be abandoned.” ‘The full text of SecrezarygHurl address will be found i thelRdito section of today's Star. 'S 1 ent economy | He also was a candidate for | | the lacrosse tea ! RAILROAD LOSSES MOUNT STEADILY Decrease in Freight Covers Decade Rather Than Pe- riod of Depression. Note—This is the third of a series of articles on the condition of the railroads and possible methods of relief. The fourth article will ap- pear tomorrow. BY G. GOULD LINCOLN. ‘The problem of the railroads today goes far beyond the business depression. If there had been no depression, the railroads still would have had to con- tend, as they are contending, with an ever increasing competition from other forms of transportation. . ‘These forms of transportation, whic! have cut into the rallroad traffic, both passenger and freight, to an enormous extent in recent years, include the motor truck and motor bus, the private pas- senger automobile, inland waterway transportation, the Panama Canal, the plpe line, the transmission of the power generated in hydro-electric and other power plants and air carriers. The electric power so developed and transported cuts vitally into the use of the coal and its transportation by the rallroads. Demand Equal Chance. ‘The American public, of course, is en- titled to the best transportation, both freight and passenger, at the lowest rea- sonable cost, whether this transporta- tion is by railroads or their competi- tors. * However, the executives of the railroads contend they are entitled to a fair chance with all their industrial competitors. Today the railroads ac- count for about three-fourths of the freight traffic of the country, but for less than one-fifth of the interurban passenger travel. ‘The roads have been able to meet the competition of the other agencies of transportation far better in freight than in passenger transportation. The as- sociation of railroad executives has is- sued a declaration of policy which it deems necessary to the continuance of adequate transportation service to the public. Incidentally, it may be said these executives consider that the recom- mendations made by the association are vitally connected with the ability of the steam railroads to continue to ope- rate profitably. Urges Motor Regulation, Among the recommendations of the roads are the regulation of motor busses d trucks. Such regulation must be | brought about through congressional |action so far as interstate commerce is concerned. The roads ask, too, that in any law for th¥ regulation of motor bug and truck operations, there should be mo diseriminatory provision against ah% railroads operating in the same e Congress had before it at its last session a bill for the regulation of motor busses in interstate commerce. The measure, known as the Parker bill, passed the House. When it went to the Senate, provisions were written into the measure by the Senate Interstate Commerce Committee and by the Sen- ate itself which sought to limit the operation of the railroads in highway transportation. ‘There were several other amend- ments to the bill distasteful to the railroads and immediately the execu- tives of the roads busied themselves in opposition to these Senat¢ amend- ments. The result was that the bill was sent back to the committee and the Senate did not take any action. So far as Congress is concerned, | the situation that now exists regarding government regulation of motor busses lis wide o) All legislation must be again initiated and go through its pri- mary stages when that body meets again. Regulation General. The bill which failed in the last Congress made no attempt to regulate the motor truek, largely because the vast amount of freight carried this way is moved under private contract and not by common carriers. The railroad executives argue that contraet motor i gaged in interstate commerce, {should be regulated by the Government in the same measure that railroads | are regulated. and in the same measure that it has been proposed to regulate motor busses as common carriers and | those trucks which operate as com- mon carriers. In a brief recently filled by the as- sociation of railway executives with the Interstate Commerce Commission, in the commission’s inquiry into the co- ordination of motor transportation, it is estimated that about 40 per cent of | less than carload freight is now moved by truck. It is asserted that a sub- stantial volume of such carload com- modities including cotton, live stock, fruits and vegetables, cement, gasoline. | rts, explosives and | ol well supplies, are carried by trucks, come as far as 300 miles, some for 1,200 miles and the larger part even longer distances by trucks which are not com- mon carriers. It is argued that if these trucks can- not be regulated, they are in a posi- tion to destroy common carrier trucks | that are regulated and they can impair | seriously the efficiency of the railroads, which are very much regulated. The roads contend these trucks can under- bid the common carriers as to rates and thereby take over the business. Couzens Opposes Plan. ‘The records of the Interstate Com- | merce Commission's inquiry into the co- ordination of motor transportation show that the contract trucks in operation constitute about 11 per cent of all trucks, 7 per cent of these are common carriers and 82 per cent are owned outright by shippers. In the opinion of Senator Couzens, chairman of the Senate Committee on Interstate Commerce, it would be idle for Congress to undertake to regulate the contract trucks. Such an attempt, he says, merely would bring about the ownership of all these trucks by the big industries and shippers. He holds that it would be impossible for the Gov- ernment to attempt to regulate the carrying of freight by indus ‘which both produces that freight and carries it. Railroad executives ur that the anti-trust laws be amended so the roads may participate more adequately in the transportation of freight in passenger motor vehicles on the highways. It is no secret that such a movement on the part of the roads will be seriously re- sisted in Congress by Senator Couzens and others. These men contend that if the railroads are successful in their demands, the roads will gobble up mo- tor transportation on the highways and run all competitors out of business. They insist Congress found it neces- sary to prevent the railroads from go- ing into water transportation in order to give water transportation to the pub- lic. They do not propose to have the American _ public restricted by the recads in the matter of highway trans- portation. This is a situation in Con- gress with which the roads must reck- on in their eff: to obtain the legis- Iation they 3 It has been estimated by Dr. Julius H. Parmelee, director of the Bureau of Railway Economics, that the total land- borne and water - borne commercial {reight traffic in the United States dur- ing 1929, aggregated 650,000,000,000 ton-miles, of which 75.8 per cent was carried on the railways, 16.3 per cent on inland waterways and the Great Lakes, 4.9 cent by pipe lines, and 2.5 per cent by motor truck, operating in_interurban service. i The remaining fraction of 1 per cent | | Another Notable Occasion at Valley Forge THOUSANDS HEAR THE PRESIDENT'S MEMORIAL DAY ADDRESS. TWO ARE RESCUED ADRIFT FOR 10 DAYS Pair Picked Up Off Savannah Light Ship—Left Miami on Fishing Trip. By the Associated Press. SAVANNAH, Ga.. May 30.—A radio message received here this afternoon said two men from Miami, Fla., adrift for 10 days in a motor boat, 5 of which were spent without food or water, were rescued today 2 miles southwest of the Savannah lightship by the Brit- ish teamer Tafna A wireless message from the captain of the Tafna, to Capt. Timothy Mc- Bride, Savannah harbor master, told of the rescue and gave the names of the men as R. C. Chappelle and Charles Jorgien. The Tafna was en route here | diticn nor did it say anything of the circumstances under which they were cast adrift. Left Miami May 18. MIAMI, Fla., May 30 (#.—Richard Chappelle, reported rescued with Charles Jorgien from a motor boat near Savannah, Ga., today, left Miami on & fishing trip with a companion, May 18. Concern over the safety of the two men was !égres&!d here last Monday by Arnold appelle, brother of Rich- ard, who said he had received no word from them. Arneld Chappelle said they expected to return here May 20. He said he knew his brother’s companion only as Charles. They were in a 27-foot. motor boat and carried provisions for several days. NEW AIRPORT DEDICATED Birmingham $1,000,000 Field at Holiday Ceremonies. BIRMINGHAM, Ala. May 30 (P.— Birmingham dedicated a municipal air- | port valued at $1.000.000 today with ceremonies in which W. Irving Glover, Assistant Postmaster General in Charge of Air Mail, and aviation notables from several States participated. Scores of planes, including several of he Army, Navy and the National Guard held maneuvers over the field. Mr. Glover was the dedication speaker this afternoon. The ceremony also marked the plac- ing of Birmingham on the transconti- nental air mail line operated by the American Airways between Atlanta and Los Angeles. Opens ways and ai:planes. Dr, Parmelee did not, thi lculation, take into con- sideration intercoastal traffic or foreign traffic into or from the Great Lakes. Dr. Parmelee gives a very different picture of the passenger carrying tra! fie, rotnunl out if the railroads had continued to increase their passenger miles at the pre-World War rats, the total passenger traffic in 1929 should have been approximately 52,000,000,- 000 passenger miles, instead of less than 32,000,000,000 passenger miles ac- tually accumulated on the raflways. leaving 20,000,000,000 passenger miles as a reasonably calculable loss to other agencies, chiefly the individually owned and operated motor cars. As a matter of fact, passenger traffic on the railroads in 1929 was in smaller amount than in any year since 1909. Yet in 1920 the railroads carried a greater amount of freight than ever be- fore in their history. Growth by Decades- Shown. ‘The growth in railway freight traf- fic, considered in decades from 1890 to 1930, was approximately 85.8 per cent from 1890 to 1900; from 1900 to 1910, 80.1 per cent; from 1010 to 1920, 62.2 per cent, and from 1920 to 1939, only 8.8 per cent. Passenger traffic showed an increase of 354 per cent from 1890 to 1900, 1.6 per cent in 1900 to 1910, 45.6 per cent from 1910 to 1920 and a decrease of 34.2 per cent from 1920 to 1929. A glance at the huge growth in mo- tor vehicle registration, at the amount of transcontinental tonnage handled through the Panama Canal and at the traffic handled over the inland water- ways, excluding the Great Lakes, indi- cates clearly why the growth in rail- way traffic has fallen off. In 1920 the number of pasenger cars, including motor busses, in this country was 8,225.859, the motor trucks 1,006,- 082 and the total motor vehicles 9.231,- 941, The registration of these vehicles in 1920 was as follows: Passenger cars, including motor busses, 23,121,589; mo- tor trucks, 3,379,854; total, 26,601,443 ‘The transcontinental tonnage handled through the Panama Canal in 1921 was 1,372,388 tons and in 1929 it was 10,- 119,028 tons, an increase of 63.3 per . The traffic handled over the in- land waterways, excluding the Great Lakes, in 1920 was 83,150,182 tons and in 1928 this traffic had increased to l”.'ll'l,ws. or an increase of 93.5 per cent. This is a picture in brief outline of the development of the competing agen- cles of transportation with which the railroads today are comendl.ngu‘ The return of good times, with iness booming and employment ample, nat- urally would somewhat relieve the sit- uation which the railroads face with their constantly decreasing revenue. But the roads are looking ahead in their demands for legislation, which, they put them on all fours with L e et pet s, UL as reg- Uiation nd’ Casallly », frings a8 et The message did not state their con- ' is assigned to interurban electric rail-| | | President Hoover (shown below) likened the economic depression to other Valley Forge when he spoke on Memcrial day at the famous Pennsylvania camp- ing ground of George Washington's troops in the | blazed on his head as he told the | still fighting this war of independc Winter of 1777. The sun hillside before him “we are P. Photos. ands on the PRESIDENT LIKENS TODAYTOWAR TIME 'Declares Present Demands Steadfastness of Heroes of Valley Forge. By the Associdted Press | VALLEY FORGE. P May 30— President Hoover told a vast Memorial day crowd here today that the Nation would find its way out of its economic difficulties through the same resource- fulness and steadfastness | Washington and his troops through the bitter Winter of 1777. ‘With a blazing sun beating down on h'm, Mr. Hoover spoke with earnestness |and feeling as he likened the country’s present_economic depression to another Valley Forge. “If those few thousand men endured | that long Winter of privation and suf- | fering, humiliated by the despair of | their countrymen, and deprived of sup- port save their indomitable will, vet | held their countrymen to the fa‘th, and | of that holding held fast the fresdom | of America, what right have we to com. | plain?” he questioned. “God grant iha | we may prove worthy of George Wash- ington and his men of Valley Forge.” “Still Fighting War.” The great crowd. spread out before him on a natural hillside amphitheater. cheered vigorously as he declared that {the source of all wisdom was not in government, but in the people, and that the common sense of the common peo- ple would meet the challenge of these times of stress and trial ences at Valley Forge as the “most glorious moment” of the war for inde pendence, Mr. Hoover declared that “we are still fighting this war of inde- pendence.” The fight now, he said, was agains} the deadening influences of government and for the preservation of the initia- tive and resourcefulness which has be- come a tradition of the American peo- le. ‘Although sirens still sing the song of the easy way out. he added, the memory of Americans who fought at Valley Forge all “tell us the truth for which our ancestors fought and suffered, the truth which echoes upward from this soll of blood and tears, that the way to the Nation's greatness is the path of self-reliance and steadfastness in times of trial and stress.” Given 21 Guns. The President came to Valley Forge from Philadelphia amid all the cere- mony usually accorded the Chief Ex- ecutive. The 1st Troop, Philadelphia City Cavalry, charter members of which escorted President Washington, rode ahead of his car and from behind a neighboring hill the guns of an artil- lery National Guard unmit boomed out the 21-gun salute. At Philadelphia last night the Presi- dent was the guest of the Union League Club, where an impromptu speech was received with enthusiasm. The league presented him With a portrait of him- self painted by Ptlides Costa, Greek ar- t. U 2 hour wa# spent after the conclu= sion of his speech here inspecting the rolling country around Valley Forge. It is now preserved as a Stal 'k and the President officially was the guest of the park commission on his visit. After the inspection, which included & visit to Washington’s headquarters, the Pm;ld':w ;“v;“g;:h train for the re- turn trip ‘ashington. Dressed in formal morning wear the President suffered from heat during his address. Perspiration formed on his forehead and ran down his face. A number of persons were overcome in the lwelwflng heat and received at- tention from the emergency 1 corps on the camp ground. Cheered by Picnickers. At the conclusion of the speech the crowd called for Mrs. Hoover, who came to the front of the highly - decorated which carried | speakers’' platform to receive an ova tion to which she responded with a wave of her hand. ‘The crowd itself was a striking sight, with many of the men in their shirt sleeves and hundreds of women carry- ing sunshades reflecting all the colors in the rainbow. On the inspection trip hundreds of picnickers crowded to the roadside to cheer the party as it passed. Memories cf the Civil War were re- vived at the speakers’ stand when a group of veterans of that struggle gathered around to shake the hand of | the President. Of the 20, one was a | Confederate soldier. |~ Mrs. John T. Myers. who shook hands | with Lincoln at Gettysburg, was on | the platform today. Mr. Hoover was presented by Isaac R. Pennypacker. chairman of the Val- ley Forge Park Commission. The Right Rev. Francis M. Taitt, Bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Diocese of Penn- sylvania, Dr. Frank Aydelotte, president Swarthmore College, the benediction. of | RESCUE GIRL SWIMMER | Members of Trade Board Party Assist Her to Safety. Special Dispatch to The Star. | OCEAN VIEW, Va.. May 20.—Several | members of the Washington Board of | Trade party, on a three-day cruise of | historic towns and resorts in Tidewater | Virginia, rescued an unidentified young woman here this afternoon when she became exhausted while swimming in deep water. The woman screamed for help while bathing near the Board of Trade party. | Roger ~ Hawthorne, reporter for the | Washington Herald. and several others went to her aid. Assisted to the beach, she was revived quickly, and left with- | out revealing her name. | VETERAN ENDS LIFE Characterizing Washington's experi- | | Edward Boward, Gassed in War, Shoots Self at Hagerstown. Special Dispatch to The Star. | HAGERSTOWN, Md, May 30.—Ed- vard Boward, 35, veteran of the World ‘War, selected Memorial day to take his life. “Good-by, dad,” he ealled to his father, David, as the latter walked into the house today., and then pulled the trigger of a shotgun with his toe, blow- ing off the top of his head. He had been gassed in France and was subject to depressing spells, said his father. The Mountain's Appeal. In Summer thousands of tourists find their way to the famous monastery of St. Bruno at Chartreuse, which, until a quarter of a century ago, made the just as famous cordial. In Winter, close to the monastery the tourists flock to St.-de-Chartreuse, and its wild and beautiful skilands. The village is in a hollow bounded by the Pic-du- Grand-Som, the slopes of the Cucheron Pass and the Peaks of Channechaude, nearly 7,000 feet high. This makes it a sheltered Winter resort, while the hills provide most unusual ski fields. The landscape, at all times of the year, is one of the most beautiful in France. but in Winter the sleigh parties and skiers find a country of indescribable beauty. Man Holding Piano In Truck Is Killed As Car Floor Drops By the Associated Press. BECKLEY, W. Va., May 30.— Thomas E. Walker, 61, a member of the Town Council of Lester, near here, was killed today in a freak accident, A plano, used at a church social, was loaded on a truck to return it to the owner and Walker cilmbed into the vehicle to steady short distance offered the invocation and | |GAIN FOR D. C. SEEN IININHERITANCE TAX Local Government Could Col- lect 80 Per Cent of Federal Levy. (Continued From First Page} emption of $100,000. In addition te this exemption, the Federal law allows various deductions, such as executor's commission, attorney fees, miscella- neous expenses of administration, debts owed by the decedent, mortgages on real estate, property previously sub- jected to estate tax wite®n five yea! property left to charity, science or ed: cation and a deduction of $40,000 for insurance left to specific beneficiaries. Figures gathered by the assessor's office indicate that the States have gone considerably under $100,000 in fixing the initial exemption in their local laws in most cases, so that a District inheritance tax, if modeled after the States, undoubtedly would re- quire some tax from smaller estates that are not affected by the Federal statute. Local officials have given no intimation as to what they have sug- gested to the congressional probers in the way of initial exemption or other deductions. Collection in District. Since estates that run beyond $100.- 000 in value are already subject to the Pederal law in Washington as else- where, and would be credited with amounts paid locally up to 80 per cent, these cases would be affected only in the event that local tax amounted to more than the 80 per cent credit. In the absence cof a local iaw, the Pederal Government now collects the | full amount of the Federal tax levied {on estates above $100,000 in Washing- ton, and figures in the annual reports of the commissioner of internal rev nue show the follownig collections from the District of Columbia under the heading of estate tax: In .926, $502,- 932.52; 1927, $1,717.341.08; 1928, $356.- 984.30; 1929, $1,124,866.75; 1930, $744,- 068.36. Officials of the Internal Revenue Bureau explain that when a death oc- curs the Pederal Government proceeds to figure cut what the tax will be under the Federal law if the estate is above $100.000. The 80 per cent credit is not accomplished by means of any transac- tion which takes place between Uncle Sam and the State. but when the es- tate is paying its tax to the Federal Government, the executor or other rep- resentative presents proof of State taxes already paid, and credit is allowed for the amount of such tax actually paid, up to the limit of 80 per cent of wha! is due the United States Federal officials say most of the States have arranged their statutes s as to get the entire 80 per cent which the Federal Government allows. In 2 number of States, they explain, it i accomplished by having two laws. Changed in 1926. The first is in the nature of a legacy tax, figured on the amount to be re- ceived by the beneficiary. and allows & much smaller exemption than the Federal law. Meanwhile, the United States is figuring out what its tax will be if the estate is large enough to be affected by Federal law, and many of the States have a second law under which they take the difference be- tween the amount already levied under the legacy tax and 80 cent of the Federal tax. In this these States assure themselves of the entire 80 per cent which the Federal Government gives the taxpayer credit for. Prior to 1925 the Fedéral law als lowed the taxpayer credit for State taxes paid only up to 25 per cent. In that year there was considerable de- mand for reduction of Federal taxes, and a concession was made to the States in the fleld of estate taxation by raising the credit to 80 per cent. It was at that time also that the ex- emption from Federal estate lax was raised from $50,000 to $100.000. The Federal Government has been collecting the entire amount of its estate tax in Florida and Alabama also, but, according to advices recently re- ceived by the Internal Revenue Bu- reau, Florida is about to inaugaurate a State tax. Representative Prear of Wisconsin, who is a member of the House com- mittee now studying fiscal relations, in- troduced a bill & year ago seeking to establish an inheritance tax in the District. This bill contained a detailed schedule of exemptions and rates, de- pending on the degree of relaticnship of the beneficiary as well as the value of the property. Wants Study by People. Senator Bingham, who handles Dis- trict appropriation matters in the Sen- ate, is refraining frcm comment on pro- posals being suggested while the House inquiry is in progress, but he said that in view of the studies being made and the statement that new forms of taxa. tion may be advanced, “it would be tremely wise for the people of the Dis- trict, through their civic bodies, to study the matter and make recom- mendations to Congress regarding the {way in which they would prefer to be taxed, and whether a fairer method of taxation could be found than that now in effect.” Senator Bingham said the sugges- tions which have been made intimately concern citizens of the District and it “would be helpful to Congress to re- ceive well matured and carefully con- sidered views of the various civic bodies.” Calling attention to the con- stitutional duty of Congress to exer- cise exclusive legislation over the Dis- trict, the Senator said that until the Constitution is changed this is the only way the views of the taxpayers can be ascertained. The Senator said it had come to his attention that some ‘members of Con- gress have a feeling that resolutions passed by organizations sometimes rep- resent a limited number. He said he wanted to stress the importance of giv- ing wide publicity to meetings where these matters are considered. | Senator Bingham was chairman of the Senate conferees who last year led the fight to have the Federal Govern- ment increase its contribution to the National Capital in view of the extent to which the total of the District bill has increased in recent years. The Senate was successful in having the Federal lump sum increased from $9.- 000,000 to $9.500,000 for the current year, following which the House cre- ated its special committee to study fis- cal relations and taxation. Pending the outcome of this committee’s work the last session continued the $0.500.- 000 lump sum in the appropriation bill for the next fiscal year. FOUND SHOT IIII;EAD Harry E. Harcourt Convicted in 1929 on False Mining Data. ‘TORONTO, Ontario, May 30 (#).— Harry E. urt, 42, mining engineer, identified with the Jackson-Manion mine, was found dead today in his garage with a bullet in his head. A re- volver lay near his right hand. In 1920 Harcourt was convicted of publishing false statements regarding the productivity of the Jackson-Manion mine. He was sentenced to 15 siopths in the reformatory, but his appem wus sllowed by the First Division Court and the conviction was quashed. o Mrs. Hornsby Hurt. LINCOLN, Ill, May 30 ().—Mrs. Rogers F. Hornsby, wife of the manager of the Chicago National Lecgue base ball team, was cut and bruized todsy near Atlanta, Ill, in an automobile ac- cident. She was en route from St Louis to Chicago to join her