Evening Star Newspaper, July 28, 1931, Page 1

The only evening paper in Washington with the Associated Press news service. ¢ Foenin ‘WITH SUNDAY MORNING EDITION WEATHER. (U. 8. Weather Bureau Forecart). Generally fair and continued warm tonight and tomorrow, followed by local thundershowers tomorrow night; coole Thursday. Temperatures—Highest, 92 at 3 p.m. yesterdey; lowest, 73, at 5:30 » am. today. Full report on page 9. ’ Closing N.Y. Markets, Pages13,14 & 15 Yesterday’s Circulation, 108,730 TWO CENTS. Entered ax second class matter .. G, No. 31,864, L2 (®) Means Associated Press. post office, Washington, WASHINGTON, D. C, TUESDAY, JULY 28, 1931—THIRTY-FOUR PAGES. 2 PLANES OFF TOGETHERSIRY REDUCTION ON FLIGHTS TO EUROPE;ND DIVIDEND CUT LINDBERGH STARTS TOURDERED IN STEEL Herndon E’;llgborn on Way to Moscow to Circle Globe. BOARDMAN-POLANDO HEADED FOR TURKEY Bellanca Monoplanes Leave New York Only 18 Minutes Apart. B the Associated Press. ‘The air today was full of the ma- chines that man has made to emu- late the birds. Two planes were on their way across the Atlantic, Russell Board- man and John Polando headed for Instanbul in quest of a long-distance record, and Clyde Pangborn and Hugh Herndon streaking for Mos- cow on thelr way around the world. ‘The Graf Zeppelin reached Franz Joseph Land in the Arctic and set- tled for a brief visit to the Frozen Bay off Hooker Island. The Linaberghs completed the formalitics at Washington and turned their faces toward Maine, where they will bid their baby son good-by be- fore starting for the Orient. Miss Amy Johnson continued her flight across Germany on her way from London and Tokio. Atlantic Flyers Off. By the Associated Press. FLOYD BENNETT AIRPORT. New York, July 28.—Two powerful mono- planes took off within 18 minutes cf each other on non-stop transatlantic flights today. The Bellanca monoplane Cape Cod, manned by Russell Boardman of Bos- ton and John Polando of Lynn, Mass.. rolled down the 4,100-foot runway at exactly 5 am. Eastern standard fime, and skimmed anay at an altitude of not more than 60 feet until it was lost to sight. They are heading for Istanbul, Turkey, about 5,500 miles awav. Hugh Herndon, jr., former Princeton student, and Clyde Pangbcrn, veteran circus fiyer, rolled away at 5:18 am.. on an intended flight around the world, with Moscow, 5400 miles away, as their first objective. Weather Reported Ideal. ‘Weather conditions across the entire Atlantic were described as ideal for the fiights by Dr. James S. Kimball, Gov- ernment meteorologist and unofficial starter. . Por the first time since the Byrd fiight Dr. Kimball arrived at the fleld to see the take-offs of both planes. An- other visitor was Guisseppe Bellnnca,‘ designer of both planes. Fleld officials feared the Boardman- Polando plane might meet with diff- culties because of its great weight. It carried 718 gallons of gasoline and 25 gallons of oil, sufficlent fuel to keep it going 7,000 miles if necessary. It is propelled by a 300-horsepower Wright engine. This plane has yellow wings with lack trimmings and a black and yel- Jow fuselage with the words “Cape Cod” pajnted in blue. Its number is “NR-761-W." Had Narrow Escape. They hope to eclipse the present long- distance record get by Coste and Le Brix, who flew 4812 miles non-stop. Herndon and Pangborn’s red mono- plane has _500-horsepowered motor and, is capable of cruising at 125 miles an hour. It carries 850 gallons of gaso- line, enough to travel for 5,500 mile withoft a hat. Their first attempt 10 days ago at Roosevelt Field almost cost them their lives, as their overladen plane failed to rise at the end of the runway and al- most, crashed into a hangar and tele- graph poles, They were forced to dump alf of their gasoline to gain altitude w save themselves from crashing. Although their plane has a slower cruising speed than the Winnie Mae, Herndon and Pangborn hope to beat the round-the-world record by flying longer distances. They have dual con- trols. Hours after Boardman and Polando took off, officials were anxiously await- ing news of them, because when last seen they were going in the wrong di- rection. There was & west wind blowing and 80 the flyers had to take off into the West. The heavily loaded plane rose sluggishly and skimmed out over the (Continued on Page 4, Column 6) NAUTILUS CASTS OFF FOR VOYAGE TO POLE Submarine Sails From Plymouth, | England, With First Port Set as Bergen, Norway. By the Associated Press. PLYMOUTH, July 28.—The submarine Nautilus, in which Sir Hubert Wilkins plans to cross the North Pole under the ice, left today for Bergen, Norway, en route to the Arctic. Hundreds of Americans witnessed the departure of Sir Hubert in his little craft as it passed alongside the Maure- tania, just in from New York. On the way out the submarine passed close to a tender carrying ashore the Mauretania’s passengers for Plymouth, smong them Ambassador Charles G. Dawes. Cheers were exchanged be- tween the passengers and the officers and crew of the Nautilus. ‘The submersible passed into the bay, ‘where the Mauretania rode at anchor, and headed for the English Channel and the North Pole, with her port of call probably Bergen. % CONGRESSMAN DYING Representative Sam Major of Mis- souri Suffers Paralysis. FAYETTE, Mo, July 28 (#).—Phy. clans attending Representative Sam C Major, Democrat, of the seventh Mis. souri congressional district, today vir. tually had abandoned hope for his re- covery. He suffered a stroke of paralysis at his home here July 19. Physicians said last night the patient was “gradu- ally growing weaker.” Major, defeated in the Republican landslide in 1928 by John R. Palmer, Republican, was elect- ed to his fifth term in Congress in the 1930 election. i On 7,000 Mile Flight LINDBERGHS BEGIN FIRST LAP OF CRUISE. | ‘The final step in plans for their 7,000-mile flight to Tokio took place this | morning when Col. and Mrs. Charles A. Lindbergh obtained pa: Left to right: Col. Lindbergh, H. Terasak!. ‘lelnese Ambassador, and Mrs. Lindbergh. | Japanese embassy. AND MRS. CHARLES A.| OL. LINDBERGH took off from the Anacostia Naval Air Sta- | | tion early this afternoon on | the beginning of what prom- | |ises to stand as an aviation epoch—a | 7,000 mile “vacation” flight to Japan and China. | The take-off came after more than | two hours of hard work under a blaz- |ing sun., while several hundred well | wishers, including ranking Government, | aviation and diplomatic_officials stood | patiently by to spc>d them on their w:y. Work on the plane’s radio outfit, upon which the Lindberghs must rely for communication with the civilized TEPPELIN REACHES ARCTICRENDEZVOLS | ‘ |Graf Anchors Off Hooker Is- land to Exchange Mail \ With Maligin. | By the Associated Press. FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, Germany, July | 28.—Dr. Hugo Eckener, commanding | the Graf Zeppelin on her Arctic cruise, | notified the Zeppelin Works by radio today that the big dirigible had landed | briefly in the bay off Hooker Island, Franz Josef Land. | For 13 minutes she rested on the still waters of the bay near the Rus- sian icebreaker Maligin, which sailed into the north with a party of tour- ists and anchored off the island for the rendezvous. Floating ice in the Arctic Bay made ‘ll inadvisable for the Graf to remain on the water longer than she did. | Atmospheric disturbances mads radio | reception difficult, but it was sald that | the landing took place early last night ‘and the Graf and the Maligin ex- changed mail. { i GRAF ENTERS ARCTIC AREA. | Grandeur of Northern Regions Fasci- nates Ship Party. | BY ARTHUR Special Dispatch to The | ABOARD THE GRAF ZEPPELIN, ! July 28 (By radio, N.A.N.A.) —Contrary | winds, buffeting our ship, are reducing | its speed considerably. As an additional | deterrent we have run into another| slight fog. | ‘To conserve our fuel, we are using only three of our motors. _1In the ship's saloon the temperature 18 comfortable, but our cabins are posi- | tively icy. ‘Those fur-lined sleeping Jackets, which at the beginning of this voyage were such a grotesque encum- brance, have become one of heaven's | finest blessings. The cold compels us| to keep the windows shut. ‘This experience is one of conunuousl fascination. When night falls, it brings | KOESTLER. | Star. H " (Continued on Page 2, Column MONTERD, LIBERAL, |and copper, on which the government ports from the ecretary to the nderwood Photo. world during their passage over un- charted miles of Canadian and Siberlan wilderness, consumed most Gf the two hours: Finally_Lindbergh pronounced him- | self satisfied and after going fo the | office of Comdr. Warren G. Child, com- | manding officer of the station, to bid farewell to a half dozen of the Nation's leading aviation figures, they climbed aboard their red and black seaplane and taxied away from the concrete sea- plane beach. For nearly 15 minutes Lindbergh taxied slowly up and down the river (Continued on Page 4, Column 1.) NEW CHLEAN HEAD Hailed as Acting President After Opazo and Ibanez, He Turns to Finances. By the Associated Press. SANTIAGO, Chile, July 28—That popular combination—Juan Esteben | Montero and Pedro Blanquier—were again in charge of the government of | Chile today, and foreign business inter- | ests indicated they had complete con- . fidence in them. Their first task was to straighten out the confused financial situation, \'Ilhi its problems of local banking, forelgn | exchange and foreign debts. i A survey of foreign business interests tero as acting President and Blanquier as finance minister were the best men to handle Chile's emergency. ‘Will Continue Debt Suspension. Americans have a stake of slightly | less than $1,000,000,000 in the nation, and the British, with large interests, also are vitally concerned. Americans control the principal products, nitrate depends for a large part of its revenue. A survey Indicated that foreign inter- ests were firm believers in the future of Chile, regardless of the temporary suspension of the foreign debt. Montero and Blanquier will continue that sus- (Continued on Page 2, Colump 8.) GLOVER HAS GRIPPE Assistant Postmaster General Is Ill in San Jose, Calif. SAN JOSE, Callf., July 28 (.—W. Irving Glover, Second Assistant Postmas- ter General, was suffering from an {ll- ness a physiclan diagnosed as la grippe hers today. He was confined to bed at the home of Postmaster John R. Chace, With the Fire Rescue Squad stationed in the street below to caich him if he Jjumped, Claude Harris, 45-year-old ‘World War veteran, who was reported missing from the Washington Sani- tarjum in Takoma Park yesterday, un- locked the door of the room where he spent the night in the Washington Hotel, and surrendered to his wife early today. The man, said to have been gassed during the war, has frequently been re- ported missing during recent months. | He was returned to the Takoma Park nstitution today following his latest escapade. His discovery in the Wash- ington Hotel came about after his wife, Mrs. Ethel Harris of 401 Twenty-third street, had notified police of his disap- pearance, and had conducted a canvass of local hotels in an effort to locate him, According to 8. E. Bonneville, man- ager of the Washington Hotel, the man registered at the hotel under the name of C. Harris of New York about 11| FIRE RESCUE SQUAD’S ARRIVAL HALTS THREATENED HOTEL LEAP Gassed War Veteran, Escaped FromSanitarium, Surren- ders to Wife at Third Floor Room. o'clock last night. When Mrs. Harris attempted to persuade him to open the door of his third-floor room this morn- ing, he threatened to jump out of the window. The Rescue Squad was noti- fled and when that body responded Harris opened the door and surren- dered. Harris, until recently Eastern sales manager for the Van Camp Sea Food Co., had becn a patient at the Wash- ington Sanitarium since he was brought here a short time ago from Harris- bu;f, Pa. efore being located in a Harrisbu hospital he had been the object Ofr= wide search which followed his disap- pearance, apparently from a Pennsyl- vania Railroad train en route from the Pennsylvania capital to Washington. Later it was found that he had been iI! in Harrisburg, and was taken to a hos- pital, where ‘was unable to tell hos- pital attendants who he was, Harris had been suffering from bron- eh‘lgx and asthma for some time, it was sa Opposition of White House to Reductions in Salary Is Reaffirmed. LAMONT PUTS SLASHES UP TO BUSINESS HEADS Action of Corporation Directors’ Meeting in Gotham Today May Start Slash Move, By the Associated Press. NEW YORK. July 28.—The United States Steel Corporation today re- duced the quarterly dividend on the common stock to $1 from $1.75, making the annual !asis $4, against $7 previously paid. The reduction in the dividend was somewhat more drastic than had been generally expected in Wall Street, where a quarterly payment of $1.25 had been widely forecast. It was the first cut in a regular dividend by the company since 1915. The common was put on a regular $7 basis in the second quarter of 1926. The regular dividend of $1.75 on the preferred stock was declared Total earnings for the second quarter of 1931, after ceducting op- erating expenses and t2xes, were $13.817,524, compared with $19.464.- 836 in the previcus three months and $47,061,304 in the sccond quar- ter of 1930, A statement snnounced that the board of directors recommended an adjustment of salaries of all officers and other salaried employ s be med= in varying percentages, depending upon the character of the service rendered. Move Watched Here. A test of the weight of President Hoover’s stand again<t downward revi- sion of wage scales appeared likely to- day, when the directorate of the United States Steel Corporation meets in New York to consider such action. This meeting will be watched closely by ad- ministration loaders here. Formal denial was made at the White House today that the administration has changed its view of its policy in the advocacy of waz> maintenance. This denfal was based upon terpretation placed today upon the let- ter of Secretary of Commerce Iamont to Representative Condon of Rhode Island, in which the former discussed the Government's relation to the wage problem. White House Stands Firm. ‘The White House statement follows® the in- “No member of the administration | has exprcssed the view or holds the view that the policy of the administra- tion in advocating maintenance of wages should be changed. It has not been changed.” Meanwhile, Secretary of Labor Doak reiterated today that the policy of the administration in opposing wage cuts remained “absolutely unchanged." He stated emphatically that the admin's- tration “has not and will not condone such waze cuts as have bzen made." ‘The Secretary made his statement as he left the cabinet room aft’r a cabinet session today, but said the matter had not been discussed at the meetirg. It became known late yesterday that. while the administration was making an appeal to the Steel Corporation lead- ers to exhaust every expedient before considering reduction of wages, the ad- ministration, through Secretary of Com- merce Lamont, had taken a stand that interference in cases of wage reductions is not the duty of the Government. Doak Says Policy Holds. However, Secretary Doak, a short time after Mr. Lamont had stated his views. asserted that if the policy of opposing | showed unanimous opinion that Mon- | reductions had been changed, “it surely | would have come to my attention.” The Labor Department has estimated that only 12 to 15 per cent of the in- dustries report:ng to it directly have re- duced wages, as contrasted to reductions of 92 per cent in these industries in 1921. However, administration leaders are known to have the fear that should the Steel Corporation make a cut it might let down the barrier throughout the country. Lamont Gives Views. 1t is understood here that the princi- pal object of the Steel Corporation’s di- rectorate is to take a slice out of divi- dends and that this move might be a { forerunner of a wage cut. Mr. Lamont’s views were expressed in a letter to Representative Condon, Dem- ocrat, of Rhode Island. The letter pointed out the influence of a confer- ence between President Hoover and business and industrial leaders early in 1929, at which a wage-maintenance pol- icy had been approved. The influence has, according to the Commerce Secre- tary, “succeeded in & marvelous manner in sustaining wages.” He said that as the period of the de- pression lengthens many corporations are finding themselves in exremely dif- ficult positions, because they are not protected by reserves accumulated in good business years. Many of them, he \ded, have cut dividends and salaries, Page 2, Column 1.) ~(Continued on MRS. HENDERSON HEIR FINED FOR SPEEDING Jesse Shima Pays $5 in Police Court After Guilty Plea to Officer’s Charge. nate Jesse Shima, young Japan- nu":vr::‘; was left a fortune last week in the will of Mrs. Mary F. Henderson. wealthy society leader, whom he served as secretary, ran into tough luck last night in the person of Policeman H. O. Tutt and as the consequence thereof paid $5 into Police Court coffers to- ds f\ima was brought before Judge Gus A. Schuldt on a speeding charge and when asked if he pleaded gulity he nodded and accepted without comment the $5 fine which the judge imposed after Officer Tutt had testified he paced the Shima automobile several blocks on Condult road at 40 miles an hour. ‘Tutt said Shima gave as his reason for speeding that he was trying to K rtake the machine shead of him. He was escorted to the seventh pre- cinct, where he posted $25 collateral. Before leaving he shooi: hands with all the officers, Temarking that they were ‘ery mice policemen. Radio Progr: t‘on Page C-3 PROMISES TO |General Tells Marines He Will Tell Foes Where “to Get Off.” |Commander Has Contract for Lecture Series in Which He Will Air Grievances. Maj. Gen. Smedley Darlington Butler, U. 8. M. C,, commandant of the Marine | Barracks, Quantico, ;nllel_v last night that he would retire | October 1 and promised he would “tell {some of these people who ebuse our | corps where the hell to get off,” in a | series of lectures. ‘The announcement, made during a speech accepting a bronze tablet pre- sented by the Vgteran Marine Corps Legion, confirmed rumors prevalent in recent months that the veteran officer intended to quit the service. Marine Corps headquarters at the Navy Department said no application | for retirement had yet been received, but that Gen. Butler was entitled to | retirement upon the basis of his 30 | ALFONSD DENIES HE GAVE SON THRONE “There’s No Truth in It,” Exiled King Says on Joining Heir, By the Associated Press. LONDON, July 28.—Alfonso de Bour- bon, former King of Spain, and Fis third son were reunited in exile on the Paddington Station platform today. Meanwhile London seethed with storles, had abdicated his right to the Span- ish throne in favor of the boy. They embraced each other and started off with Lord Londonderry, the former King's intimate friend, who a short time previously newspaper report of the abdication. As they stepped into their car Al- fonso turned to Lord Londonderry and £ald, “There’s no truth in it,” loudly enough so that those near by could hear. “That is all the King has to say,” Lord Londonderry added. Son at Naval School. Don Juan, the 18-year-old prince who has been a cadet at the Dart- family left Spain, came up from Dart- mouth this morning to meet his father, ;vlho arrived yesterday from Fontaine- eau. Daily Express dispatches from Madrid sald this morning the abdication took place at a family council at Fontaine- bleau last week. The Express attributed the story to a former minister under the Primo de Rivera dictatorship who, it said, spent a few hours in Madrid on business recently, although he was sought by the police. Retirement Legal. The alleged retirement of the for- mer King, the paper quoted the min- ister as saying, was accomplished with extreme legality and with virtually no ceremony. ‘The family, be said, gathered in one of the apartments of the former King's hotel 2t Fontaine- bleau and those of the ministers of the old regime were convoked as wit- nesses. Alfonso, it was sald, looked much older than the night three months ago, when he said good-by to his tear- ful court. All the rs, the story said, had been carefully prepared in advance and there were four abdica- tions, first that of Alfonso himself, then that of his eldest son, the Prince of Asturias, who is a victim of hema- philia, and then that of Don Jaime, the second son, who is deaf and dumb. ‘The fourth and unexpected abdica- tion, it was sald, was that of the elder Don Jaime, carlist pretender to the throne, and great grandson of Ferdi- nand VII. The carlist Don Jaime was not present, the minister was quoted as saying. Alfonso, the story said, adheres to the theory that he himself, and not the monarchy, was voted down by the Spznish people and that he was willing to step out in favor of Don Juan to make possible an eventful revival of the monarchist cause. which Alfonso himself denied, that he had denied a mouth Naval School since the royal | SHAW IN SOVIETLAND. 'GEN. BUTLER RETIRES OCTOBER 1 ANSWER CRITICS announced defi- | ! MAJ. GEN.. SMEDLEY D. BUTLER. | years of service. He entered the Marine | Corps, April 8, 1899. |~ Gen. Butler has bought & house in | Philadelphia, it wes learned today {rom 'ronference in chambers with Justice O. | | officers at the Marine Corps headquar- (Continued on Page 2, Column 3.) BALANCE OF POWER OPPOSEDBYBRITAN Calls for Big Armaments, Says MacDonald—Prefers World Co-operation. | = By the Associated Press. BERLIN, July 28.—Great Britain is ciametrically opposed to the balance of | power theory, Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald said today, because it is in- comparable with disarmament. So long as the nations try to main- tain national security on th> basis of a balanc2 of power they will need big armaments, he told a delegation of German newspaper men, but Great Britain believ:s in establishing security by international co-operation. a policy in violent contradiction to that of the balance of power. As for economic co-operation, he sald, experience continues to prove how | ncessary it is the resources of all the countries should be used in the inter- ests of international stability. High tar- iff walls, he asserted, will lead to univer- sal bankruptcy. The prime minister laughed at the sugg:stion that withdrawals of gold from the Bank of England might worry him. “The old saying ‘sound as the Bank of England’ is as true today.” said he, “as it ever was. I'm not worried a bit." Declares Difficulties Temporary. Germany's economic difficulties are largely t:mporary, MacDonald told cor- respondents, and to a great extent are psychological. ‘The country's industrial position is fundamentally sound, he said, and as soon as the proper psychological foun- dation can be laid the nation may ex- pect to overcome the present acute dis- tress. _He and Arthur Henderson, the British (Continued on Page 2, Column 7.) NEW MAYFLOWER -~ RECEIVERS DUE | Justice Gordon Takes Step i! to Protect Bond- ‘ holders. | | Declaring that neither the Interests of the bondholders nor the property and interests of the Mayflower Hotel Co. can 2e properly conserved either by the May- | flower Hotel Co. or the Mayflower Hotels Corporation, Justice Peyton Gordon of the District Supreme Court today de- cided to appoint receivers for both | corporations. The court also ordered the | removal of Charles C. Moore as trustee uncer the trust, securing the second mortgage. | _The court has not decided on the per- | =onnel of the receivership. Counsel for the corporations are expected to have | recourse to the Court of Appeals to have the receivership vacated as they did when Attorney Mabel Walker Wille- brandt had receivers appointed for the Mayflower Hotel Co., May 22, after a R. Lubring. The appellate court set aside that receivership. Rules Receivers Necessary. In closing an eight-page mem- orandum opinion reviewing the case submitted by the bondholders repre- sented by Mrs. Willebrandt and the answer of the defendant corporations filed through Attorneys Willlam E. Leehy, Willlam J. Hughes, jr. and Edmund M. Toland, Justice Gordon said: “In view of the attitude of the | Mayflower Hotel Co. and the May- | flower Hotels Corporation of America with respect to the amount of rent claimed to be due and owing from the latter to the former and the amount of $435,000 claimed to be due to the Mayflower Hotel Co. | can Bond & Mortgage Co. for a can- | cellation of a vast sum realized from | the sale of its bonds for a questionable | transfer or purchase of its preferred stock and their relations and connec- | tions with the American Bond & Mort- gage Co. and the latter's connection with the Mayflower, Inc.” the appoint- ! ment of receivers betomes necessary | for the protection of the bondholders and the companies. Justice Gordon denied the motion of the corporations to dismiss the bill of complaint. Although he held that the bill was not well drawn and could have | been made more definite and certain, it sets forth a cause of sction suffi- ciently to give the court jurisdiction. | He reviews the charges of the bill that there has been default in the interest on the bonds and that the leasing cor | poration owes a large rental to the par- " (Continued on Page 2, Column 400 ICE CREAM POISON VICTIMS ARE TREATED Sicilians Crowd Hospitals After Cafe Patrons Are Stricken. None Dead. By the Associated Press. CATANIA, Sieily, July 28.—Four hundred persons have received hospital treatment here for poisoning attributed to ice cream. There have been mno deaths. In a garden cafe Sunday night a Soon scores of persons did likewise, and panic resulted. Police closed the place and arrested the proprietor. Physicians worked all night at im- provised hospitals which were crowded by persons who were unaffected, but sought preventive measures. By the Associated Press. 'CHICAGO, July 28—A 15-year-old “model boy,” who shot .a policeman death when ordered out of a high school swimming was sentenced to 18 years in Joliet Penitentiary today. His teacher called Varner Corry & model pupil. Allenists testified the boy hnld an “underdeveloped sense of moral values.” Judge Joseph Sabath, who heard the case after the boy pleaded not guilty, read a seven-and-one-half-page sum- mary of the case, severely criticizing the parents and imposing a penitentiary sentence, despite the lad’s youth. He pointed out he had made arrangements with Warden Henry C. Hill for Corry’s incarceration, and that he would be eligible for parole in 10-years and 3 months, at {: age 25, Ry ; to| to *MODEL BOY” SLAYER OF OFFICER IS SENTENCED TO 18-YEAR TERM Judge Sends 15-Year-Old Varner Corry to Joliet Prison. Criticizes Parents of Boy in Summary of Case. Varner, a younger brother and an- other boy broke into a school bullding 0 swimming, and were ordered out of the pool by Smith. Varner shot him with a stolen revolver he was carrying. ‘The other boys were ul’ed to juvenile authorities and Varne: flelded not. guilty. His attorneys for dismis- sal of the case on the ground no pre- meditation or malice had been shown. ‘The State asked for an “object I Tl despite testimony of alienists that the boy did not know the difference between right and wrong at the moment he pulled the trigger. 5 Smith's widow refused to agree to a less serious charge being placed against the boy. The warden agreed to keep Varner out of the company of hardened crimi- nals, from the Ameri- | | war, in comparison with the correspond- woman screamed and writhed in pain. | STREET CAR FIRMS APPEAL T0 UTILITY BOARD N TAXI WAR Lose $1,000 Daily Since Rate Slashing Inception, They Tell Commission. PATRICK SAYS GROUP DECLINES TO ACT NOW Three More Independents Join Cab Price Battle—All Operators at Meeting. Three more independent taxicab op- erators joined in the rate war today. & few hours before representatives cf the various taxi companies went into con- ference with Richmond B. Keech, peo- ple’s counsel, before the Public Utilities Commission, to discuss peace overtures. At the same time officials of the Capital Traction and Washington Rail- ay & Electric Companies, aroused by the inroads the cut-rate taxis have made into the revenues of their re- i spective corporations, appealed to the Utllities Commission to do something to remedy e very “tense” situation. The companies claimed their revenues | had fallen off to the extent of about 181,000 each day since the inception of | the rate war. Hanna Leads Delegation. John H. Hanna, president of the Cap- ital Tracticn Co., led the delegation of |street rallway executives to the com- | mission. With him were G. Thomas Dunlop, general counsel of the Capital Traction Co., and A. G. Neal, vice pres- {ident and controller of the Washington Raflway & Electric Co. | The traction men, however, got little ! satisfaction from the commission. Maj. Gen. Mason M. Patrick, chairman, is understood to have told them the com- !mission had closely followed the de- velopments in the taxi situation. | had even discussed it “informal that definite action at this time was not contemplated. | The men who drive the cabs as well | as those who own them met with Keech in his office at the District Building at 2 o'clock this afternoon, hopeful of an | early and amicable adjustment of the | conditions which led to the rate-slash- | ing outbreak. The outcome is expected | to be an agreement on the part of the taxi men to stabilize rates. Parley Sets Precedent. Every large taxi company in the Dis- {trict and a number of independents ! who drive privately-owned cabs are represented at the conference, thus set~ ting a precedent, because it marked the first time since the advent of the fiat- | rate cabs, more than a year ago, that all taxi interests have come together for & | general discussion of their problems. Kexch is taking the Tole of mediator. He can do nothing else because of the | lack of suthority. Moreover, he believes i the taxi men should settle their own differences thrcugh their own efforts, and not by coercion. An agreement | openly arrived at, he declarsd, will be more lasting and effective than any | order of the utilities commission de- signed to restore taxi operating to ncr- malcy. Receipts Drop 18 Per Cent. The street railway companies graph- jeally pictured their condition to the Utilities Commission in a series of finan- cial statements showing revenue Tre- ceipts during the period of the rate ing period of last year. The Washing- ton Rapid Transit Co. also reported that on Monday, Tuesday and Wednes- day of last week its revenue receipts were 2 per cent lower than last year, while on the remaining deys of the week the receipts were 18 per cent un- der 1930. Receipts of the Washington Raflway & Electric Co. last Monday and Tues- day showed gains of $914.27 and |$1,72891 over the same days last year. | while for the next five days the daily |revenue was below the corresponding iperiod of 1930. The decrease Wednes- jday amounted to $311.62, Thursday to |$991.45, Friday to $1058.08, Saturday | to $1,073.89 and Sunday to $762.34. | The report of the Capital Traction | Co. reveals gains of $197 and $750 for \last Monday and Tuesday and losses ~ (Continued on Page 2, Column 6.) RECOVERY ON WAY, DAWES BELIEVES Ambassador, Back at Post, Reports Change of Mass Attitude to Optimism in U. 8. By the Associated Press. LONDON, July 28.— Ambassador | Charles G. Dawes, back at his post from a vacation at home, bustled through Paddington Sation today, hurrying to & luncheon with Secretary of State Stim- son at the American embassy. He was late because the boat train from Ply- mouth had been delayed. He paused long enough, however. to explain that President Hoover had asked him to cut his vacation short and 1o say optimism had replaced pessimism in the United States and an early busi+ ness recovery was indicated. “Before I left home there had been a difinite change in the mass attitude from one of pessimism to one of op- timism,” Ambassador Dawes said. “An upturn had taken place in elec- trical power consumption, for instance, In June, 1929, there was a definite downswing in electric power consump- tion and four months later the crash came. “As that decline marked the begin- ning of depression, so will this upturn, I believe, mark the beginning of the end of depression. Reports are better from almost everywhere in the States and I believe we can reasonably expect better times very soon.” Constitution Thief Jailed. BERLIN, July 28 (#)—Walter Wohl- gemut, an artist, was sentenced to three years' imprisonment and three more years' loss of citizenship today upon conviction on a charge of stealing the German constitution of 1848 from the Reichstag archives a year ago. Y