Evening Star Newspaper, October 8, 1931, Page 17

ECONOMY IS URGED. BEFORE TRADE BODY 10 KEEP TAX DOWN Leaders Advise Eye to Cost| in Recommending City Work to Congress. PLANS TO BE PRESSED FOR VOTE FOR DISTRICT| Last Census Shows 341456 of Voting Age Here, More Than in Ten States. A Dprodigious program of actifities | for the current séason, ranging from prometion of national representation and sn equitable tax burden for the District to study of technical phases of city depelopment, was mapped out for the Washington Board of Trade by its officers, directors and committee chair- men in annual session last night, As the varicus group chairmen set up objectites for the ensuing season, the| kevnote was struck as several leaders of the 4000 members of the board sounded a request that the tax rate fos the mext fiscal year be held to a minimum and that an economy budget be_adopted. It was urged that the trade organi- ration should consider the cost of all desirable, capital public improvements in the light of the ability of the Dis- trict_to pay for them before recom- mending 10 Congress that they be adoptec. Should Consider Taxpavers. This note was emphasized by Ed- ward F. Colladay, chairman of the Citizens’ Joint Committee on Fiscal Re- lations; E. C. Brandenburg, general counsel of the Board of Trade: Joshua Evans, jr. chairman of the Municipal Finance Committee of the board, and Proctor L. Dougherty, former District Commissioner. Mr. Colladay pointed out that there are many major improvements which the District would do well to provide, but that the Board of Trade should consider them in the light of their cost to taxpayers now and the effect on the tax rate, before recommending their immediate adoption. Mr. Brandenburg stressed the point that District taxpayers now are carry- ing a higher burden of taxation per person than those of other jurisdictions, | due to the fact that property here is ascessed at full value, whereas, in lo- calities where the actual tax r may be higher assessments run as low as 40 per cent of full value. Mapes Committee to Report. Evans pointed out that Mr. the Mapes Committee of the House this ses- | sion iz to make a report of its study of what should be the division of the costs of the National Capital as between the Federal and local governments. ‘This matter will be studied by the Municipal Finance Commitiee along with a proposal for establishing a long- term budget for needed items for the District, the matter of the financing of the naw Municipal Center and the bud- get for the next fiscal year. Theodore W. Noyes, chairman of the Citizens' Joint Committee on Na- tional Representation, and head of a similar committee of the Board of ‘Trade, received an ovation when he arose to tell of plans for continuing the campaicn to provide voting representa- ticn in Congress for the now disfran- chised citizens of the District. The justice of the demand for “Americanizing” the Washingtonian, he nointed out, is shown clearly in the 1930 census reports, which show that there are 341.465 persons of voting age residing in the District, a greater num- ber than in 10 States, including Men- tana, New Hampshire and Utah. Even eliminating from this figure a genercus estimate of the number of local residents who still claim voting residence in States where they formerly lived, he said. there still would remain, after deducting 90.000 from the total, 251,439 persons of voting age who are denied a voice in their Govern- ment only because they live in the Na- tional Capital. The campaign to correct this anomalous condition here, he said, would be continued with vigor. Voters Steadily Increasing. ‘The potential voting strength of 251,439 for the District, Mr. Noyes pointed out. is greater than that of the | Delaware, Idaho, Arizona and States of Vermont, Wyoming, New Mexico, Nevada. “Do not the District's quarter million | of potential voters, steadily increasing, indicate a potential political strength worthy of consideration by the poli- ticians?” he asked. “After suffering all reasonable, care- fully calculated reductions, the poten. tial voters of the District constitute a great army for whose favor the worldly wise, far-seeing politicians will some day compete with sincere display of sympa- thetic helpful consideration instead of slurringly and contemptuously imput- ing to the community incurable political unfitness, and to the Nation impotence to cure this evil.” Urges Insurance €ode. Adoption of a new and effective in- surance code for the District has be- come imperative, David M. Lea, insur- ance committee chairman, told the tyade body officials. This subject, he pointed out, has been before Congress for the past 25 years and has failed of enactment among insurance interests, the board to adopt it as one of its most important objectives. ‘There is no State in the country, he deciared, that has an fhsurance code that is so ineffectiye in setting up pro- tection for the public as that existing in_the District. A Enactment of the automobile safety responsibility law for the District at the forthcoming session of Congress, in form similar to thac which has been adopted by many other jurisdictions, will be one of the chief aims.of the Traffic Committee, Mr. T. P. Noyes, its chairman, told the board. It is urgently needed, he asserted. in order to drive reckless and insolvent motorists from the public highways and to assure pay- ment of compensation to the innocent victims of accidents. At the conclusion of Mr. Noyes' re- port, George W. Offutt, president of the trade body. gave the traffic chairman credit for being the originator of the safety responsibility legislation. Will Seek Realty Code. * Passage by Congress of legislation of A reasonable, sane and needed type, providing for proper regulation of realty transactions in the District will be sought by the law committee, Joseph A. Burkart, chairman, reported. He characterized the “blue sky” bill and the proposed mortgage ioreclosure bills of Senator Blaine, which died at the last session of Congress, as un- necessarily harsh and predicted that amended bills would be presented be- fcr the new Congress. because of dissension | He urged | - Ratizall 1 | ! L Mechanical Flyer Guides‘ l Loaded Commercial i | Air Liner. ;Active Service Results to Determine Extension on Coastal Route. BY JOSEPH S. EDGERTON; Aviation Editor of The Star. NEWARK AIRPORT, N. J.. October 8—What may prove to have been the dawn of a new era in civil aeronautics was witnessed here late yesterday after- noon when, for the first time, a com- | mercial air liner was flown by a me- | chanical pilot. ‘While the human pilot sat up on the back of his seat. out of reach of the| centrols, the robot, sensitive to air con- ditions beyond the range of any human, { wrote in the skies a new page in the | chronicles of the air. | Before the end of this week, accord- !ing to those in charge of the destinies !of civil aviation's first robot, “he” will i go into active service on Eastern Air | Transport’s coastal air transport line | passing through the National Capital from New York to Miami. Use to Be Extended. | If the mechanical pilct proves suc- | cessful in active service, under all v: I rieties of weather, on a scheduled pas- | senger run, “his” metallic brethren will gradually begin to take their places at the controls of other Eastern Air Trans- | port planes until robots are doing a large part of the flying of every plane on_the line. ‘Though none of the aviation leaders who witnessed the tests here yesterday i belleves that robots will supplant hu- iman pilots, they are convinced that the metal aviators will do much to increase the safety of aerial transpor- | tation by relieving the pilot of the ( heavy drudgery of flying large trans- | port planes, leaving his mind and hands clear for handling of the more { important tasks of navigation, study- |ing of weather conditions and other i phases of a pilot’s job, which require | intelligent, action, out of the reach of ieven the cleverest of robots science |now can produce. For yesterday's demonstrations and | for the first scheduled passenger flights | under mechanical control, to begin this week, the robot has been instalied in a giant 18-passenger Condor, one of the largest transport planes in use on Ameriean air lines. Composed of gyrosccpes, sensitive to the slightest change of position; elec- trical switches, upon which the gyro- scopes react: electric motors, which are the robot’s muscles, and rods and pul- leys, which serve him for arms and !legs in operating the controls, the me- chanical pilot can fly a plane with un- erring precision in any of the three dimensions of flight. Plane Loaded to Capacity. ‘The aerial “Metal Mike" demonstrated his ability and skill here to the satis- faction of a large group of aviation | officials and reporters. With a capacity load aboard, the big plane was taken off the broad cinder runway by Ralph Lockwood, chief instructor and main- tenance engineer of Eastern Air Transport and one of the country's foremost veterans of the air. The mechanical pilot, incased in metal, was installed on the cockpit floor behind Lockwood and his co-pilot, Johnny Armstrong, veteran of the night airmail run through Washington. Be- | { sides the robot rode his maker, Elmer A. Sperry, jr. Capt. Thomas B. Doe, president of Eastern Air Transport, was among the passengers on the trial flight. | Climbing quickly to an altitude of 1,500 feet, Lockwood pressed a switch or the control column which put the robot in action. Capt. Doe beckoned Armstrong out of the pilot’s compart- | ment and Lockwood climbed out of his seat and perched up on the back-rest. out of reach of the controls. The robot was in command. It was immediately noticeable that the plane steadied laterally. A glance at the wheel which controls the ailerons, balancing the plane against uneven gusts of alr, showed that it was in virtually incessant motion, twitching uneasily from side to side as the robot | corrected for air differences too small to | be felt. So rapid were the corrections and so quickly begun that no move- ment of the ailerons on the 90-foot wings could be seen with the naked eye. The plane rode as steadily as a boat on still water. Due to rapid installation of the robot for the tests, however, the elevator con- trols, which control the climb and de- scent of the plane, were net so sensi- tively coupled, and there was more evi- —_— | { mittee today would begin a study of a new method of selecting members of | the District grand juries so as to pre- | vent a recurrence of the recent “flasco which developed when the July jury was declared illegal, due to the pres- ence of a juror who was receiving a Government pension. Gen. Anton Stephan, chairman of the Military and Naval Affairs Com- mittee, expressed the hope that within two years the District National Guard would find a_permanent home in the old Patent Office when it is vacated by the General Accounting Office, which is to be provided new quarters in the | Federal triangle. To Seek 1,000 New Members. Milton F. Schwab, chairman of the | Membership Committee, announced his group had set a quota of 1,000 new members for the Board of Trade for this year. Lawrence E. Willlams told of many jects being acted upon by the Avia- fon Committee, including opposition to erection of costly monuments adjoining the Washington-Hoover Airport, which aviation leaders have declared would prove a menace to air transportation. Chairman Dougherty of the Bridge Committee pointed out that the pro- gram. for . replacement. of . one . major bridge a year in_the District depended on the state of District available reve- nues, and that unless: a project was vtANy ‘nécessary it should be delayed if its adoption by Congress would mean an increase in taxation. M. X. Wilberding, chairman of the Water Supply Committee, urged that the board sponsor the placing of the entire District water system under one administration head. The District now has charge of the distribution system, with Federal agencies in control of other facilities, including reservoirs. Rates Not Founded on Facts. ‘Water rates here, he declared, are not | now founded on facts, the Federal Gov- | ernment obtaining its water free of charge from the District. Other locel | water users, however, he said, pay dearly for their water service. John Joy Edson was an honor guest and was given an ovation for his years of public service. Talks were made by Samuel J. Pres- | cott and W. W. Everett, past presidents of the boal John H. Hanna, A. J. Driscoll, Walter S. Pratt, jr.; A. K. Shipe, A. C. Case, E, Taylor Chewning, | T. A. Mullett, Charles F. Consaul, Rob- ert F. Beresford, Dr. D. Percy Hickling, Stephen E. Kramer, Odell S. Smith, | John Lewis Smith, Frank P. Leetch, | Gecrge V. Graham. William Knowles | Cooper, Harry Blake, Harry H. R. Hel-| ig, Ben T. Webster and Robert J. it o i blnainn. | ERA OF ROBOT PILOTS DAWNS | AS TEST FLIGHT IS SUCCESS | to raise or drop as it hit WAS Elmer Sperry with the Sper scope. the heart of the “robot’ gyro- rator. dence of fore and aft adjustments for the rough air. The nose could be felt uneven air and instantly the robot responded. bringing the plane back to level. The rudder also was in nearly constant mo- tion as the robot kept the big plane on its course against disturbing gusts of wind. As the occupants of the plane moved up and down the aisle of the passenger cabin to view the robot in action, shift- ing the center of gravity of the plane. the robot automatically adjusted the controls to meet these changed condi- fons. Climbs Easily. Lockwood reached down to the ro- bot’s switchbox on the control column and turned a knob. The robot responded by putting the plane into a gentle climb and maintained the rate of climb con- stantly until at 2500 feet Lockwood turned the knob back and the robot lev- eled the plane off at the new altitude. T'wo white buttons are provided for right | and left turns. Pressure on the right | button caused the robot to swing the plane easily to the right until pressure was released, when he straightened out for normal flight. It was uncanny to watch the regular airplane controls as Lockwood sat up on the back of his seat. They moved in- cessantly, as if an invisible pilot of great skill sat there with his ghostly hands on lbhe wheel and his feet on the rudder ar. ‘The demonstration over. Lockwood shut off the robot's supply of-vital cur- rent and again took over the controls, dropping down for his landing. The first passenger flight behind a me- chanical pilot had been completed. Today and tomorrow are to be de- voted to further adjustments and dem- onstrations, after which the big plane and its metal man are expected to go into servige on the coastal line through Washington. Final details of Department of Com- merce authorization for the automatic pilot are yet to be worked out, but Capt. Doe said he has assurances th: no obstacles will be put in the way of the use of the device, though the department will insist that the device be so installed as to permit the human pilot to take over the controls instantly in case of necessit: NEWSPAPER THIEF GETS 60-DAY JAIL SENTENCE Leonard Griffin, 17, Colored, Ad- mits Having Been Under Parole for Similar Offense. Charged with stealing 20 newspapers from an honor-system rack, Leonard ' Griffin, 17, colored, was convicted today and sentenced to 60 days in )ail by Police Court Judge Robert Mattingly. Griffin's arrest was caused by J. W. Beha, 601 Sheridan street. a special officer employed by a newspaper. Beha sald he saw Griffin take the papers from a rack in front of a drug store at 1905 Massachusetts avenue. Griffin admitted he had been placed on probation in Juvenile Court for a | similar offense. BURGLAR HOLDS WOMAN | PRISONER IN HOUSE A Washington woman was held a| virtual prisoner last night in the home | of John C. Hern at 324 Varnum street while a robber quietly ransacked several rooms. The woman, Miss Clara Bard, roomer, reported she first discovered the | intruder at the head of a flight of stairs. She replied in the negative when asked if she had any money. The robber then pointed out a room and ordered Miss Bard to stay there until | released. While Miss Bard patiently awaited the man's departure, he quletly ran- sacked two rooms. He obtained ‘wea: ing apparel valued at $70 in Hern's room. Elsewhere in the house he found jewelry worth an equal amount. He then sneaked away without bothering to “release” Miss Bard. Police were summoned and found fingerprints which they believe may lead to the man'’s capture. HINGTON, D. WITH SUNDAY MORNING EDITION Foeni HURSDAY, OC/ g 3 OBER 8, DISTRT WILLBUY MARKET STE L AT RGE OF 500 Land Condemned at $32,000 to Be Given at Lower Cost for Project. |OBJECTIONS OF McCARL OVERCOME BY DEAL lAppe-l From Verdict on Another Piece of Land May Be Offset by Terminal Company. By accepting an offer of the Terminal | ' New Link of Highway Sy { Society and General | 1931. stem Nearly Complete | touches on the newest link of Washington's highway system, T which carries New York avenue Refrigerating & Warehousing Corpora- tion to sell for $5,000 a lot which a condemnation jury had decided was ' worth $32,000, the District Commis- | sloners announced today they believed they had erased legal objections raised by Controller General McCarl threaten- | from its present dead end at Florida avenue northeast out beyond the rail- road roundhouse and on to Bladens- burg road—a project contemplated as far back as 1907, when the Unicn Sta- tion was built. Provides Direct Route. Within another month the roadway ing to block their attempts to establish | yy)) pe ened to traffic, shaving seven- in Southwest Washington the profected | ighins ot a mile off the distance be- wholesale prodiice farmers' market tween the business section and the under direction from Congress. | Weshingten-Baltimore Boulevard, and In purchasing the lot from the | proviaueCa-ralne” qiret routs, un- terminal company, which previously had | fucumbered by trafic lights, stop signs agreed to hold it for two years until |and other traffic obstacles. Throughout the District could get a further ap- |the entire length of the new section propriaiton from Congress, the Commis- | —— "~ 0" sloners are now about to acquire title | WAR-TIME GONTROL Gave Informal Opinion. Mobilization Plan by Ord- Farlier in the week. the Commis- sioners had received a letter from Con- nance Association First in History. troller General McCarl demanding an explanation of negotiations thus far taken in connection with the purchase or condemnation of lands for the | market site. The controller general in an informal opinion held that the Commissioners were violating the law in making such an arrangement where. by the terminal company would hold its lot for & two-year period. It was the contention of the controller general | that the whole of the two squarss must | be acquired before the Commissioners closed the streets and erected market | sheds. A Dr. Luther H. Reichelderfer, chair- man of the Board of Commissicners. issued a statement today following a conference with officers of the terminal company, which he described as 1rac- tically the same reply which the Com- missioners will make to the controller general. | Statement Is Quoted. ‘This statement explanatorv of present status of negotiations said “The Commissioners of the District of Columbia this morning accepted an offer of the Terminal Refrigerating & Warehousing Corporation to sell to the District of Columbia lot 800, square 355, for the sum of $5.000 cash. Upon the consummation of this purchase all of the land required by law for the establishment of a wholesale farmers' market in the Southwest section will be acquired within the appropriation available for the purpose. and F street, within the limits of said site, between Tenth and Eleventh streets, will be closed and form a part of the market site. With this land purchase a suffi cient sum will be available to carry out the provisions of law for the estab- site.” ‘The transaction was closed at a con- ference today held between the District Commissionérs and officers and attor- neys for the terminal company. These dent, and J. P. Johnson, secretary of the terminal company, and Charles A.! Douglas and E. F. Col $26,000 Had Been Asked. ‘The lot in question had been offered previously to the Commissioners for $26,000. A condemnation verdict, however, of $32.000 was awarded. This would have depleted the $300,000 ap- propriated by Congress for the acqui- sition of the two squares and the estab- lishment of a wholesale market in ac- cordance with law. Being close to the Pennsylvania Rail- road Terminal, District officials ox- plained. the Termipal Refrigerating Co. was as desirous as the Commis- sioners to see the .market site deal go through. By giving the Commissioners a virtual option on the lot for two years, the terminal company made it possible for the Commissioners to retain ap- proximately $35000 for the erection of market sheds. ‘This arrangement and another with the refrigerating company was brought to the attention of Controller General McCarl, who previously had questioned the legality of the negotiations in pro- cess. Owner to Appeal Verdict. At first declaring they would stand their ground, the Commissioners next agreed to enter into new negotiations with the refrigerating company where- by the corporation would let them have the lot at a nominal price. The out- come of the negotiation resulted in the sale today for $5,000. Another owner of a lot within the market site has appealed from a con- demnation verdict. Through an arrangement with the terminal company, the Commissioners will suffer no financial loss in the event of a higher award. The terminal com- pany will meet whatever difference in price by “knocking down” the price the District has agreed to pay it for other lots acquired from the terminal eom- pany in the market site. CHEMICAL WAR ON NETTLES TO PROTECT BATHERS LOST Museum Officials See More Damage Than Good in Cop- per Sulphate Plan—Pest Has Defender. The fond hope of harassed bathers for & successful chemical campaign against sea nettles is only a beautiful dream. y To begin with, Dr. Pau! Bartsch, chief of the Division of Mollusks, of the National Museum, says that to use copper-sulphate, as some sclentists have advocated to decimate the nettles, would kill all plant life in any region treated, thus constituting a decided menace to the culture of oysters, which are sustained by the very important low form of life called microplankton. e | there is a it the Bay region, points out, for if the chemical used on only a small area—say the size of an acre—the next breeze and the | tide would carry a million more ncttles | into the same region after the chemical has formed & precipitate on the bettom and is no_longer useful. th e ) Nets, which gm the way to Roltam, a28 ool eolution, dor guarding bathing beaches, Dr. Bartsch says. And Dr. R. V. Truitt, assistant pro- fessor of zoology at the University of Maryland, comes out with a boost for the nettles. It seems that in addition to préying on the bathers they also make it hard for Ctenophre, a minute marine life which makes a meal off of anywhere from 100 to 150 baby oysters when they are not protected by their shell and are free— swimming in the water. Nettles just lov';o ctenoptge. = i p nsequently, . Truitt points out that when there are “plen:y" of nettles r crop of oysters. Finally, it looks like mild Winters are responsible for the abundant supply is [of nettles which has been in evidence for the past couple of years, particu- larly the Summer just ended. So, if the bathing public, enjoys in ad. dition to bathing, (1) mild Winter: (2) oysters, they're going to have to take their rettles ag they gnd them, As a matter of Mct, they're going to For the first time in the history of the United States a practical plan for the mobilization of resources in case of war has been etolved whereby the President can control the entire indus- trial and egricult-ral production of the Nation. 4 Announcement of the plan was made last night by Maj.’ Gen. George Van | Horn Moseley acting chief of staff of the Army, before the Thirteenth An- nual Convention of the Army Ordnance Associatior. America's needs in the next war were the agenda upon which the convention met, bringing togetHer' ranking Army and Navy officers and the leading in- dustrialists of the country. Meeting with the United States Naval Institute and the National Industrial Conference Board, the Ordnance Association set forth as the pur of the meeting the determination of how best to meet emergency needs, so as to prevent a | recurrence of the delay, confusion and ! hysteria that accompanied America's entrance into the World War. | A scathing denunciation of pacifists |and pacifism was delivered in an ad- the | lishment of & wholesale market on the | dress by Rear Admiral Mark L. Bristol, | { chairman of the Navy General Board | 1and president of the Naval Institute. He { decried the advowcy of disarmament by !a group which he said is “unusually |large in view of the tragic experience of | latter were G. W. Forsberg, vice presi- | the World War.” Supplies for Citilians. Under ‘provisions of the mobilization | plan, which was promulgated after years of effort, the President not only will | control the country's industrial and agricultural output for use of the armed forces in war time, but also for con- | tinuing delivery of supplies to the elvil | population, Gen. Moseley declared. “Further.” the acting chief of staff | continued, “he can exercise that con- {trol by dealing primarily through one supply activities are grouped.” | Such a plan has long been advocated |by the Americar. Legion as of primary {importance in the national defense |scheme. Only two weeks ago, at its De- troit convention, the Legion reiterated its support of a war-time industrial mobilization plan to prevent profiteer- |ing and to facilitate America's pre- | paredness for war. Casting aside the cloak of silence |that usually surrounds a naval officer, |Admiral Bristol shouted from the ros- {trum of the United States Chamber of Commerce auditorium: “Disarmament is not a panacea of war. A 10 to 30 per cent reduction in cost and loss of life could have been effected in the last war if more care had been taken in preparedness. What iwe need in the youth of today is a de- {velopment of moral spirit. Essential American Spirit. “A, renaissance of good old American spirif is more essential right now than jtalk of disarmament. In my opinion, we {must not only have industrial prepared- | \ness, but must have educational pre- paredness as well.” Industry's part in the next war and | its duty today in preparing for that ible future conflict were described y Magnus W. Alexander, president of the Industrial Conference Board, whose purpose is to co-operate with and co- ordinate the activities of the Federal Government and industry in war-time emergencies, “Only by the maintenance of close contact betwesn the various branches of industry and between industry, as & whole, and those agencies of the Gov- ernment concerned with the problem of | national preparedness can the indus- | trial resources of this country be de—: veloped into a dependable instrument | of national defense and an 1mpor'Antl factor in the maintenance of world peace,” Alexander asserted. Concernt: the mobilization plan, whieh he said provides a basis for the prompt adoption of equitable contracts between individual producers and the Federal Government, Alexander recom: mended s general survey be made of the Nation's industrial resources to 'llfl] certain the extent to which they meet emergency requiremen ‘The Ordnance cently founded by o D erS. Lament for his “outstanding” work as colonel in the ordnance section the Army”duflnmjl the m; ‘war; osthumously . gl’flmn. late chief of the Prankfort 'egram fire control who in- Ordnance Association. . Wilson re- eelvedntel:e mdunamded’l:o:lrn:mh:;. s . 'T. Hem)] - flool“ l. “Pripp, his grandfather. S I After a slump of 10 years the ostrich feather industry in South Africa has re- vived to such an extent that the price of 1 thers has nearly doubled within | day night, October 24. {man and one agency, under whom all | NEW YORK AVENUE THROUGH THE NORTHEAST. {to be too light to interfere with the | movement of through traffic. | _The new roadway is to be made as | much of a scenic drive as the a- | phy will permit. Honeysuckle is to be | used liberally, chiefly to prevent erosion | of the clay banks, but also as a land- | scape treatment in the interest of beau- | tification. Already 6,000 honeysuckle | plants have been purchased at a cost of $300, and they will be set out before | frost, so the fragrant pungency of the blooms will be in evidence by next Summer. Road Virtually Straight. Pifty feet wide, the roadway is vir- tually straight from the New York Ave- nue Bridge in Eckington to Bladensburg road. there being one graceful curve Visitor IRISH ORATORY OFFICIAL HERE. ‘348 | Terminal Co. HE District Highway Department | there are only two intersections, and | near Western avenue, Part of it is sur- today began putting finishing | at these points cross traffic is expected | faced with asphalt and part with con- crete. The paving work alone cost $195,000. The cutting through of New York | avenue involved considerable grading ond the surfacing and repairing of the bridge over the railroad tracks which was erected in 1907 by the Washington This bridge has never been used publicly. During the war, however, soldiers stationed at old Camp Meigs made some use of it. Actual construction work has been completed, but Capt. H. C. Whitehurst, chief highway engineer, sald he did not propose to open the r0adway to traffic until guard rails have been erected, banks shaped and the cuts filled. These finishing touches he believes will be finished between No- vember 1 and 15. and surfacing 0. C. COMMISSION TODEFEADBUDCET 1933 Figures to Be Consid- ered, Item by Iter, in Bureau Hearings. Final preparations were made by the Commissioners today to go before the Budget Bureau Monday and defend the budgetary estimates for the 1933 fiscal year calling for appropriations totaling .969,971. The estimates are to be considered. item by item, at a series of hearings which are expected to continue at least two weeks. Maj. Daniel J. Donovan. auditor and budget officer. will take an active part in the hearings. Other de- partment heads. including officials of | the public schools, also will appear be- | fore the budget officers to explain in ) MRS. NUALA BURKE JOHNSON, Member of the Oratorical Contest Com- | mittee of the Irish Free State, reached Washington late yesterday to attend the sixth Intercational Oratorical Con- test finals in Constitution Hall, Satur- | A widely known instructor in oratory in Ireland and on of her country’'s most active educator: in the revival of interest in the art of public speaking, Mrs. Johnson said to- day that Thomas Shillington, 18-ye: old student of St. Columbia’s College, Rathfarnham, who is Ireland’s repre- sentative in the contest, has an uncanny extemporaneous speaking ability. She | expects him to give Ireland sturdy | representation in the finals. Shilling- ton, she added. is sailing from Ireland today for the contest.—Star Staff Photo. | BRIDGE APPROACH PARKING T0 START Bids Asked on Razing Build- ing on Canal Near Key Span. The Federal Government today took | the first steps looking to a pretentious | development of the city's park system | in the region of the Key Bridge at M street, when it invited bids for the tear- ing down of a building near the bank | of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal. The | structure, at 3506 M street. is near the | District entrance to Key Briige, and bid: for the razing will be opened Octobe: 15 in Room 1615, Navy Building, Eight- eenth street and Constitution avenue. The National Capital Park and Plan- ning Commission is interested in creat- ing an appropriate approach to the Key | Bridge on the Washington side, as well as at Rosslyn, Va. A group of architects of the American Institute of Architects has been studying a fitting treatment for the Washington terminus, which contemplates the placing of a park on the steep hillside between Thirty-fourth and Thirty-fifth streets, and eliminating a dangerous traffic | hazard there. Winding Roadway Plan. Under the plans as now outlined, a winding roadway would take the motor ist from the M street level to the ele- vation on which the Georgetown Hos- pital stands. The commission is likewise interested | in securing the Chesapeake & Ohic Canal as a valuable adjunct to the park system. Demolition and removal of 3506 M street and, later, of adjacent buildings, would mean that motorists passing along one of the highways leading to the George Washington Memorial Park- way have a clear view of the picturesque canal. Under the restora- tion program, canal boats would float in the water, giving a picture of the canal as it was when it was an im- portant highway of commerce. Ancient Dugout Presented. As the first step in securing historic craft, for exhibition on the Geor, ‘Washington Canal near Great 3 which likely will be included in the George Wasiington Memorial Parkway, William T. Partridge, consulting archi- tect of the National Capital Park and Planning Commission, has just present- ed to thé Office of Public Buildings and Public Parks an ancient dugout. Alarmed by Raindrops. drought T Qucensland, Aust rous ralia, gave children the sight of falling rain for the first time in their lves. the raindrops clattered on the iron roofs of the hometteads children were terri- | fied at But to thelr 'tails |Police Department; detall certain appropriation requests. Budget Requests Cut.’ The 1933 budget is predicated on con- tinuance of the existing tax rate of $1.70 per $100° of assessed value on real and personal property. As it now stands, it is approximately $11,900,000 under the total amount sought by,the various departments, this reduction Aav- ing been made by the Commissioners before the estimates were submitted to he Budget Bureau. In the pruning process. the Commissioners made the heaviest cuts in items for park main- tenance, and extra personnel in all de- partments. _The $48.969.971 which the Commis- sioners insist is the minimum amount necessary to operate the municipal gov- ernment in 1933 and provide urgent public improvements, is $814,633 in ex- cess of the appropriation for the cur- rent fiscal year. The total figure, however, cannot be raised by taxation on the $1.70 levy, coupled * with revenue ' from other sources, and as a result, the District must dip into the cash working capital fund of $3,000,000. Cash Surplus Nearly Exhausted. The cash surplus on which the Dis- trict has been carrying its heavy budg- ets for seyeral years, will be exhausted at the close of the present fiscal year, and the working capital fund will have to support the 1933 budget. Auditor Donovan estimated _several months ago that this fund, on the basis the 1933 estimates, would be im- paired to the extent of about $1,700,000. NEW TRAFFIC LIGHTS PUT INTO OPERATION Electro-Magnetic Detector in Use at Massachusetts and Wi consin Avenues. Little trouble occurred this morning when Washington's newest traffic lights, the electro-magnetic detector, allowing three separate movements of vehicles, at the intersection of Massachusetts and Wisconsin avenues, were turned on. The lights were inaugurated cfficially by Gen. Herbert B. Crosby, District Commissioner. The ceremony was wit- nessed by three score persons, repre- senting the Traffic Department and bureau, the Police Department, Bureau of Public Roads and engineers of the signal manufacturer. A’ short test during the rush hour proceeded without difficulty. Only short delays were caused by hesitant drivers. Ald to pedestrians is furnished by push buttons on the lamp ‘posts, by which they may change the lights, thus clearing the intersection for them. Among those who were present this morning were Commissioner Crosby, William A. Van Duzer, director of the department, of motor_vehicles and traf- fic; Maj. Henry G. Pratt, superintend- ent of the Metropolitan Police; Wil- liam H. Herland and M. O. Eldridge, assistant traffic directors; Capt. E. N. Chisholm, of the National Capital Park and Planning Commission; Capt. H. W. Whitehurst, chief engineer of the Dis- trict; Capt. R. C. Montgomery, of the Park e; A. G. Seiler. engineer in the traffic bureau; A. N. Woodson, su- Eemfimdent of the District Street nd ighting Department; Inspector E. W. Bro . A. d!‘fib. of Ui! an ar: ; Miller, H. A. Klevesall and J:;l"es M. Hesser, engineers. J. R. SMITH (ERASH VICTIM Srother Here Is Informed of Death at Kewanee, Ill. 'Luther L. Smith, teller at the Na- tional Bank of Washington, and a resi- unique sound. parents; raindrop-tattoo was sweet S RSNy PAGE B—1 CLERGYNEN BACK RELIGOUS TRAINING N GITYS SCHOLS Protestant, Catholic and Jew Give Varying Cegrees cf Approval. SEEN AS FORWARD STEP BY DR. MONTGOMERY, Churchmen Discuss Plan Proposed to Board by Henry Gilligan. Representative clergymen of the thres | general denominations today gave vary- ing degrees of approval to the sugges= tion of Henry Gilligan, member of the |Board of Education,” that religious jtraining be introduced in the public | schools as a foundation program of | character education. Mr. Gilligan, “liberal” leadsr of the school board, suggested at the board’s meeting late yesterday that a commit- tee of clergymen representing the Protestant, Catholic and Jewish faith, be appointed to frame a religious jtraining “course” which would be ac- ceptable to all d>nominations. He did not press the zzonosal for action, but merely asked the board members to “think this thing over” with a view to ”:,l;;l'\;ldlnx :Vathm”lfm public schools | “a character education | that means som-°thing.” TRE: See Religion as Basis. Tviewed today by The Star. a | Protestant minister, a Catholic priest iand a Jewish rabbi were unanimous in | | Tte | their convictions that religion should the basis of character tr':mmm One disapproved of any attempt to provide |a “universal” course, while another be- lieved further harmonious discussion later on might produce a practical means of introducing religion. ev. Dr. James Shera Montgomery, chaplain of the Houce of Representa- tives and pastor of the Metropolitan sm::mon-l Methodist Episcopal Church, | d i, “Being free from sectarian bias, I think the suggestion is a step in the I right direction. The appointment of {such a committee of clergymen i3 a | splendid thing, provided such a com- | mittee could and would work in har- ,mony and without sectarian bias.” The dramatization of ‘Biblical stories {from the Old Testament, Dr. Mont- | gomery added. is being done with con- “slderlhle success in many Sunday { schools and 1s being carried out “most | admirably” in some radio programs. | Rabbi Makes Proposal. | | ! Rabbi Julius Loeb of the Ohev Sho- |lom Congregation, said he agreed with i the principle, but not the practice of Mr. Gilligan's suggestion. | | | dren in segregat Dexlods: gregated groups at specific Rev. W. Coleman Nevils, 8. dent of Georgetown University Mr. Gilligan's suggestion as a “welcome step” toward providing the most impor= tant element of the curriculum.” “Any effort to restore to the schools of the District of Columbia religious instruc- I tion,” he sald, “is to be welcomed as !a step toward providing the most im= | portant element of the curriculum.” |~ Daniel C. Roper, former Commissioner | of Internal Revenue, was the only other { board member who voiced and views {on Mr. Gilligan's proposal and he ex- I pressed a willingness to support such a | move in order to base character educa- tion on “the spiritual force.” Mr. Gilligan made his proposal dur- ing a discussion of the advisability of ‘dlstrlbufln( printed copies of the | preliminary report of Supt. Frank W. | Ballou's Committee on Character Edu- ication. Dr. Ballou suggested that the 300-odd copies be given to the per- sons most interested in the building of a character education program. Mr. Roper asked whether Dr. Ballou was “thoroughly satisfied” with the report, Dr. Ballou replied that he was satisfied | with it as a “preliminary” report, and Mr. Roper suggested that he write a letter to accompany the report explain- ing that it was not intended to be moreq | than “a basis for further study. “I'd like to make a suggestion which II wish you people would think over in | your minds,” Mr. Gilligan said at this point. “In spite of the fact that our {800d former president, Dr. Carusi. has j told me that such a thing would be im= iposslhle. I am hoping that we can find a way to make some kind of religious | training the basis of any character | education ‘course' e might establish, 'I think that religion is the basis of all | moral training and I am convinced we |cannot - develop character education mqguly unless we make religion the Urges Study by Ministers. “You mean. then, the recognition of :’l:; girétu;l f%rce u}; cn-{luflr train- , don’t you, Mr. Gilli - . Ao S s Yes,” igan replied. “I am not talking now about r:i)glon in the d:- nu;nmtl:n-l‘ sense at all. ~I am hoping we ca.1 appoint a com- mittee of ministers—a C‘:mom: priest, a Protestant minister, a Jewish rabbi— to study our problem in a sincere en- deavor to arrive at some conclusions as to a means of giving training of that kind to our boys and girls. I am not making this as a motion to be voted upon immediately, but I want vou board members to think about it and see how this kind of thing might be done to give our schools a real char- acter training program.” At the close of the meeting, Mr. Gilli- gan told The Star he had no definite program ‘in mind but he admitted that he believed a series of dramatized stories based on the Old Testament might be Yrmnud to the good advan- tage of all children. ““That could not conflict with any be- liefs, except perhaps some of the athe ists, and I'd like to see them try to op- pose i on the score that such a pri gram would conflict with their belie: After sll, the Supreme Court has rulec that ours is a ‘Christian country.’ " Yesterday’s meeting of the board also witnessed the first step toward a reor- grrn.mnn of the board's officers since . H. Barrett Learned resigned. Mrs. Philip Sidney E£mith, one of the two vice presidential candidates and last board member to hold that office, was placed in the chairman’s chair on mo- tion of Mr. Gilligan. It was Mr. Gil- ligan’s contention that since no new vice president was elected following the expiration of Mrs. Smith's term, her tenure should hold over pending the election. Hence, Mrs. Smith will pre- side over the school board meetings until either she of Mrs. Henry Grattan her fellow candidate for the position, is elected vice t, or until a new president is chosen. The board took no steps to permanent head at It was choose & 's session.