Evening Star Newspaper, February 6, 1932, Page 16

A—16 »» HUNT FOR GUNMEN WHO WOUNDED 4 CONTINUES FUTILE Backus, Shot in Back, Still in Critical Condition; Girls Recovering. BULLETS TO RECEIVE MICROSCOPE TEST Three Heavily-Armed Police Squads Cruise North Section as Safeguard. Despite an intensive search by head- quarters and precinct detectives, in co- operation with uniformed policemen, the gunmen who wounded four persons and attempted to shoot another Thurs- day night still were at liberty today. Meanwhile, Gordon T. Backus, 51, victim of one of the mysterious at- tacks, continued to fight for life in Emergency Hospital, where physicians termed his condition ‘still critical, though slightly improved.” At the same time, the other victims— Miss Helen Andrews, 18, of 5811 Sixth street; Miss Doris Beall, 16, of 1411 G street southeast, and Henrietta Lloyd, colored, 4439 A’ street southeast—were | recovering from wounds received under circumstances _ startlingly similar to those under which Backus was shot. In an effort to prevent repetitions of lay three squads of four head- s men each, all heavily armed, cruised through the northern section of the city last night. They were as- sisted by eight officers attached to the fth, sixth, eighth and tenth precincts, in the regular precinct scout in addition to scores of patrolmen. This surveillance, according to Inspec- tor Frank S. W. Burke, chief of detec- tives, will be continued until the gun- men either are captured or else defi- nitely abandon their activities. Backus, who is attached to the For- estry Division of the Department of Ag- riculture, was shot in the back while walking near his home, at 3433 Mount Pleasant street. He was fired upon, he told police, from a black sedan. The shooting occurred less than half | an hour after Miss Andrews, a night | student at Business High School, and | Miss Beall, an Eastern High School | , were targets for a fusillade | s at Fifth and Aspen streets. | A comp: struck Backus and one of those which | hit the girls revealed both were dis- | charged from a gun of the same caliber ype, according to Lieut. John Police Department ballistics ex- he .32-caliber copper-jacketed be subjected to microscopic ons, Fowler said, to determine were fired from the iden- tical weapon. he Lloyd woman was shot through | the wrist by a colored man in an au- | tomobile while walking on Benning road near A street southeast. She was un- sble to describe either the gunman or his machi) SLAIN BABY IS FOUND | BY SCHOOL WORKMEN Death of 2-Month-0ld Child by Strangulation Is Probed in Arlington. By a Staff Correspondent of The Star. BALLSTON, Va., February 6.—Arling- ty police today were conduct- appeared to be a hopeless in- ion into the murder of a 2- m old boy, whose body was found late yesterday afternoon by workmen engaged in clearing the grounds of the Lee High School here. oth was tightly bound around the neck and Coroner B. H. Swain ath was caused by stran- | The body was wrapped in a on newspaper dated September | Neither the paper nor cloth bore s that might aid police in Ac ehlia's said that gulation W Dr. Swain, who ordered the body re- the undertaking parlors of | Tves at Clarendon, said that the | had been dead for approximately WOMAN IS KILLED AS TRAIN HITS CAR Seminary Resident Dies in Acci- dent at Accotink Station. Bpecial Dispatch to The St ACCOTINK. Va., February 6.—Mrs. Elizabeth B. Nash of Seminary, Va. | was instantly killed yesterday after- noon at 4:3¢ oclock at Accotink rail- road station, when the automobile she was driving was struck by a through passenger train of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Mrs. Nash's coupe was demolished and parts were strewn along the rail- road track for hundreds of feet. Her body was flung clear of the right of wey into a ditch full of water, where it remained until an inquest could be arranged. ‘Telephone service on the ton telephone exchange was out of e to the high wind and Justice the Peace Harry Shepherd, at Acco was forced to drive to the Alexandria exchange to notify county authorities. When the call reached Dr. C. A. Ransom, coroner, at Falls Church at 7 o'clock, he delegated Dr. Willlam T. Paton of Accotink to hold the in- quest Mrs. Nash's body was removed last night to Wheatley’s undertaking estab- lishment in Alexandria. She is sur- Vived by one son, Barron Nash of Alex- andria, and one daughter of Washing- ton BANDIT HUNT RESUMED IN GEM THEFT SHOOTING! Washington and Baltimore Police Seek Suspect as Victim Improves. Washington and Baltimore police were continuing their search today for Harry Yudelevit, named as the man who shot and seriously wounded Henry Abrams, 30, during a $4,600 jewelry hold-up Wednesday night ! Meanwhile, Abrams, with four bullet wounds in his body. was said to be in en improved condition at Emergency Hospital Abrams was shot as he and Willlam P. Moses sat in an automobile in front of the latter's home in the 1600 block of Buchanan street. Before the shoot- ing, Moses said, he was forced to hand over a diamond ring and a diamond on of the bullet which |~ Wild Herons THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D IGRANT REQUESTS {0LD PENSION OFFICE Flock to Zoo WATCH ENVIOUSLY 'AS CAPTIVES EAT. Visiting wild herons perched atop the big bird cage at the Zoo. HE depression must have hit the fishing business, what with a lot of unemployed herons from the Potomac flats trying to break into the Zoo. Almost dally for months now dejected visitors have hung around the great flight cage, watching through the bars, while their more fortunate fellows bolted Government food. Guzzling their dole of fish and frogs, and wheeling happily about the cage, the captives obviously have become the | envy of their free brethren. W. H. Blackburne, head keeper at the Zoo, sald that at times he has seen s many s a dozen wild herons perched on the outer bars of the cage or in surrounding trees Last Summer Mr. Blackburne wit- nessed a surprising performance of wel- fare work among the herons themselves. A night heron, who had been loafing outside the cage, waiting for & “break,” presently was joined by his mate. —Star Staff Phota The female eventually bullt a nest against the bars on a tree limb extend- | ing through the netting. And there, in | the course of time, she hatched a | hungry brood whose clamoring mouths | the male was unable to fill. Several sympathetic herons _inside, Mr. Blackburne said, purloined Govern- ment fish from their private pool and personally cared for the charity brood outside. No one has seen a captive heron, how- ever, feeding adult visitors, although Zoo ‘atendants said this appeared likely in view of the past performance. ‘The eagles, too, have their satellites— | buzzards which congregate in the trees | surrounding the eagle cage when the | captives recetve their daily meat. | “The vaudeville comedian,” & Zoo at- | tendant observed, “who said the depres- sion was so bad he saw the park squir- rels giving peanuts back to the public | ought to take a stroll through the Zoo!" FIVED. . MEASURES GIVEN APPROVAL Capper Group Postpones Ac- tion on Bill to Increase Com- missioners’ Power. The Senate District Committee Te- ported favorably on five bills yesterday afternoon, including the Capper meas- ure to authorize incorporation of credit unions here, after postponing action on Senator King's bill to increase the powers of the District Commissioners. The four other measures approved were: the resolution to name the Six- teenth street entrance to the National Capital Montgomery Blair Portal, in commemoration of the late Montgomery Blair, who was Postmester General in Lincoln’s cabinet; the bill to close a portion of Water street between Twen- ty-second and Twenty-third streets, the bill to give police and fire trial boards additional power in issuing subpoenas, | and a bill to rearrange roadways at the work house at Occoquan. Senator Carey, Republican, of Wyom- ing, also submitted the favorable re- port of a subcommittee on the two bills recommended by District Attorney Rover to increase penalties for gambling and to padlock gambling places, but Senator King blocked committee action, | asking they be postponed. until he could | study them, declaring the bills appeared to be too drastic and “puritanical.” Bride to Draft Bills. As the result of yesterday’s hearing, Corporation Counsel Bride will draft two alternative substitutes for the bill to increase the Commissioners’ powers. The pending bill, which was objected to as being too sweeping by several committee members, would give the city heads broad general powers to make new regulations and ordinances, | with a view to relieving Congress of some of the less important local ques- tions. Chairman Capper suggested to Mr. Bride that he rewrite this measure, secking to overcome the objections to the general terminology, and that he also prepare a bill that would define the | specific subjects on which the Commis- sioners would be given new authority. The postponement also was granted to allow civic organizations time to study the question after William McK. Clayton, George E. Sullivan and Evan H. Tucker of citizens’ associations had spoken briefly. Power Held Too Broad. Senator Bankhead, Democrat, of Ala- bama, said he realized there are some questions being acted on by Congress that could well be left to the Commis- sioners to handle, but he thought the power contained in the pending bill too broad “unless Congress wants to wash its hands of the District.” Senator Gore, Democrat, of Okla- homa, also suggested it would be ad- mif visable to specify in more detail the powers to be transferred and those to be retained by Congress, and Chairman Capper added that undoubtedly “the bill is far-reaching in its present form.” Senator King replied he wanted to give the Commissioners as much power as can be conferred on them consistent with the Constitution, but agreed to de- fer the matter until citizens can give it more study. Senator Bankhead was inclined to think the broad language of the bill would include taxation among the powers the Commissioners could exer- cise. When it was suggested the bill would enable the Commissioners to extend the time for payment of delin- quent taxes, Senator Gore sald he thought matters relating to the finances of the city ought to be reserved to Congress. Citizens Give Views. Speaking for the Brightwood Citizens' Association, Mr. Clayton said the pend- ing bill goes “beyond what we would want.” He sald he would be willing to go further in granting more power if the Commissioners were elected instead of appointed. - Mr. Tucker also de- scribed the bill as broad and asked time for the Northeast Association to study it. Apart from the question of increas- ing the powers of the Commissioners, Senator King suggested to Corporation Counsel Bride that he prepare a bill to create a commission that could go over all the laws of the District with a view to drafting an entire new code, including & general incorporation law. Mr. Bride concurred in the sugges- tion declaring “our legislation is ar- chaic.” Mr. Bride said what the Dis- trict needs is not a compilation of scarfpin Both Moses and Abrams named Yu- delevit as the man who did the shoot- fng. Two men were with him, how- ever, police were told, existing laws in code form, but & new code. ‘The credit union bill, which Senator Capper was authorized to report favor- 8bly to the Senate, provides for the | BORD WiLL HOLD - BANQUET TONIGKT TSpirit of Mardi Gras to Mark | Trade Organization’s Annual Dinner. Everything was In readiness today for |the peak event in the Washington | Board of Trade's yearly activities—the annual Midwinter dinner—which will get under way at 6:45 o'clock this eve- ning. The main ball room of the Willard | Hotel has been transformed into a like- | ness of an old French opera house, and |for the occasion tonight, the scene | shifts momentarily fo the Vieux Carre |in_New Orleans Mardi Gras,” the program for the ban- quet will include entertainment on an claborate scale, furnished by talented artists. The music will be under the direction of Leon Brusiloff. More than 800 persons, including & distinguished group of honor guests, | headed by Gen. John J. Pershing, will be on hand, according to Harry H. R. | Helwig, chairman of the committee in | charge. | " 'With the exception of a few words of | welcome by George W. Offutt, president of the Board of Trade, the dinner wili | be marked by the absence of speeches, |as is the custom at the trade body's annual dinners. The master of cere- monies will be Monroe Silver, in the role of King Rex. The Reception Committee for the affair will be headed by Claude W. Owen, second vice president of the d, while Thomas L. Eagan is chair- man of the Entertainment Committec. | The dinner and decorations are in | charge of a committee led by Wallace | B. Robinson. | incorporation of co-operative organiza- tlons for the purpose of making loans | to_their members. The bill as reported will fix the annual Jicense fee for credit unions at $15 instead of $50. The bill for the closing of a part of | the upper end of Water street also au- thorizes an exchange of land in that vicinity between the American Phar- maceutical Association and the Gov- | ernment, so that the association’s pro- | posed new building will fit in with the | plans of the National Capital Park and | Planning Commission for that area. With Monday set aside as District day in the House, Representative Mary T. Norton of New Jersey, chairman of the House District Committee, an- nounced today she would introduce a bill to amend the District child labor law to permit the appearance of chil- dren in traveling theatricals. A simi- lar bill was introduced in the Senate several days ago by Senator Capper, chairman of the Senate District Com- ttee The bill would apply to boys under 16 and girls under 18. Permits for their participation in the so-called road shows would be issued by the Board of Education upon certification that the children are receiving proper education. The measure has the in- dorsement of Rev. Francis J. Hurney, pastor of the Immaculate Conception Church; Rev. James Shera Montgom- ery, chaplain of the House, and Rabbi Abram_Simon tif the Washington He- brew Col ation. Mrs. )}lgrrgx also plans to introduce two other bills affecting the District. One would authorize the District Com- missioners, with the approval of the National Capital Park and Planning Commission, to close certain streets and alleys which do not fit into the existing highway plan. The other would require all insurance corporations chartered in the District to maintain their principal offices here. Receives Legion Resolution. Mrs. Norton received today a copy of a resolution adopted by the District Department of the American Legion opposing the Mapes tax increase bills and a recommendation from the Laun- dry Dry-Cleaning Owners' Association for an amendment to the bill to create an office of steam boller engineers. She also received a letter from the Citizens’ Forum of Columbia Heights urging im- mediate construction of an adequate stadium and athletic field at the new Roosevelt High School. The four District bills, which have already passed the Senate, are on the House calendar for consideration Mon- day—that for incorporation of the Dis- trict of Columbia Bicentennial Commis- sion, another to relieve the Commis- sioners of certain l'n11';1(:.%'!"&'1!11dutl!si a third to provide prot fon for union labels and the fo!.l’; to permit the Dis- trict tax assessor to testify as an expert in condemnation cases. Taking upon itself “the spirit of the | ORTHUNT FOR RECREATION AREA Asks War Department for Use of the Obsolete Army Post. | f PRELIMINARY PLANS LAID BY MONTGOMERY Reservation, Containing 197 Acres, Was Permanently Abandoned Last Fall. Lieut. Col. U. 8. Grant, 3d., director of public buildings and public parks, is asking the War Department to turn over to his office Fort Hunt, located some three miles below Alexandria, Va., near the new Mount Vernon Memorial Highway. This obsolete Army post will be developed as a recreation center, and Col. Grant has tentative plans drawn up for the improvement of this area. ‘This morning Capt.-R. C. Montgom- ery, U. 8. A, superintendent of the United States Park Police, and his right-hand official, Capt. P. J. Carroll, with Frank T. Gartside, chief of the park division of the Office of Public Bulldings and Public Parks, made a tour of inspection of the Mount Vernon Highway and Fort Hunt. Plans Drafted. These officials made preliminary plans for the location of maintenance equipment and policing facilities. Buildings formerly occupied by sol- diers will be utilized for housing main- tenance facilities and police. While permanent plans for this have not as yet been worked out, it is considered possible that there will be a Federal police officer stationed at Fort Hunt, with telephone facilities and radio re- cetving apparatus, and a magistrate or other court official appointed to hear cases in that locality may make his headquarters there. Fort Hunt would be developed under Col. Grant’s supervision after Secretary Hurley officially surrenders jurisdiction over the area. Plans are in the making for the creation of a golf course, more tennis courts and other recreational facilities there. Plans are under con- sideration whereby Camp Goodwill, which is held for poor people each Summer in Rock Creek Park, would be moved to Fort Hunt. Abandoned Last Fall. Under legislation recently passed by Congress it was provided that Hunt would be turned over to Col. Grant's jurisdiction when the War De- partment decided that it had no further use for it. At present Fort Hunt is abandoned by the Army and only a caretaker is in charge for the Army The War Department permanently abandoned Fort Hunt last Fall as a military reservation. The fort con- tains 197 acres. Fort Foote, post. has been Grant's another former turned over to Col. authority, and after Fort Hunt's acquisition’ Fort Washington. Md.. the defe of which were constructed by L'Enfant, will be given into the colonel's keeping, under a con- gressional mandate SET TO STUDY D. C. BILLS Senate Group to Confer on Banking Army, and Insurance Measures. The Senate subcommittee on banks |and insurance, headed by Senator Blaine of Wisconsin, will meet at noon Monday to consider three subjects. Ona is the bill prepared by the controller of the currency to revise the banking laws of the District, another to protect hold- ers of industrial insurance policies and the third to regulate the release of real estate mortgages and deeds of trust the District. g CITY NEWS INVBIVIIEP. TODAY. Dinner, Masters’ Associatio Hotel, 6 p.m. e Card party, benefit Pythian Children's Home, Rathbone Temple, No. 8, Pythian Sisters, Burlington Hotel, 8 p.m Tea dance, “The Times” of Trinity College, Willard Hotel, 4 to 7 pm.n 4 Dinner, Washington Board of Tr: Willard Hotel, 6:30 p.m. S Dinner. National Women's Party, Willard Hotel, 7:30 p.m. [ Dinner, District of Columbia Dietetic Association, Willard Hotel, 8 p.m. School, Willard Hotel, 10 p.m. Meeting, League for the Larger Life, 1400 New Hampshire avenue, 8:15 p.m., Thomas F. Gaines, speaker. Card party, Liberty Council, No. 6, Datghters of America, Southern Datrics, pm. _ Meeting, Biological Society of Wash- ington, Cosmos Club, 8 p.m. Card party, benefit St. Teresa's Church, Northeast Masonic Temple, Eighth 'and F streets northeast, 8:15 pm. Minstrel show, card party and dance, Chi Sigma Sorority, Mayflower Hotel, § p.m. Dance Congress Lodge Chapter, O. E. S, Chestnut Farms Auditorium, Twentieth street and Pennsylvania ave- nue, 8:30 p.m. Benefit dance, Carpenters’ Brother- hood, Local No. 132, 1003 K street, 9 p.m. FUTURE. Meeting, Optometric Society, Raleigh Hotel, tomorrow, all day. Supper, benefit St. Stephen’s School, Auditorium, Twenty-fourth and K pm. Hike, Red Triangle Outing Club, meet Connecticut avenue and K streets to- morrow, 2 p.m. Marriage Licenses. Myron L. Stout, 31, M ison, 25; Rev. Allen A. Stockdale. Jerret D. Shifflet, 21, Geer, Va., and Viola H od, 18, Lindsey, Va.; Rev. Allan F. and Maion Hutch- Poore. son, 24; Rev. George M. Rankin. 1oD8Riel . Finigan, 25."and Opal Starle, H : Rev. L. I McDougle, Dennis J. Kane, 23. this city. and Mary G, MeAuliffee, 21," Priendship Helghts, Md.; v. . F. J. Egan. Willtam' M. Ward, Jr., 25. and Florence L. Osborne, 24; Rev. Henry W. Colston. Morris Baumel, 29, and Bertha Bronner, 24, both of Baltimore: Rev. J. T. Loeb. James E. Lawson, 31, and Marion Henry, : Rev. Bernard Botts, DeWitt Patton, 28, this city, McCorquodale, 19, Panama City, A._E. Barrous. Id M. Lincoln, 22. and Faye A. Sin- C.” Bal Lorine hn E. and Grace Fla.; Rev. Donal clair, 18; Rev. John, Branch R. Jones, 28, Balimore, and Cooke 27, Roanoke, Va.; Rev. Jol Briges omas E. Elliott, 32, and Helen M. Oles, 22, both of Baltimore; Rev. H. F. Graeben- stein Ray V. Hodgson, 20, Danville, Pa. and Mary L. Maher, 28, Shamokin, Pa.; Rev. H. W. Tolson. rry Simms, 33, New York, and Carmen R. Hall, 24, Alderson, W. Va.;; Rev. Willlam Pierpoint. Elliott J. Jones, 23, and Margaret Wade, 21; Thomas J. Dut Rey. 5 Y. ™ V. King, 30, city, Md., and Biizaveth g Roberts, 38 Brentwood, Md.; Rev. H W. Tolson. Fort | Dance, Georgetown University Dental | streets, Monday and Tuesday, 4 to 9 |De John Warren, 36, and Cecelia M. Robert- | Bhoe C., SATURDAY PROPOSED FOR USt BY MILITARY UNITS Rededication of Structure as Veterans’ Memorial Urged by Stephan. NATIONAL GUARD EFFORTS TO FIND ARMORY CITED General Tells Commission the Building Is Well Adapted to Drill Purposes. Rededication of the old Pension Office Building, in Judiclary Square, as a memorial to the veterans of all wars and setting aside of the historic struc- ture for _the use of the District of Co- lumbia National Guard, Organized Re- serves, Reserve Officers’ Training Corps and other military units is requested in & letter sent by Maj. Gen. Anton Ste- phan,, guard commander in the local corps’ares, to the Public Buildings Com- mission. The Penston Office now s occupied by the General Accounting Office, but is not included in the Federal building | plan_and probably will be vacated as | development of the Mall Triangle con- tinues, Gen, Stephan told officers of the Organized Reserve at a meeting last night in the auditorium of the Interior Department. Armory Sought. Gen. Stephan described the _efforts which have been made by the National Guard to obtain an armory in the Na- tional Capital. On one occasion, he said, the Senate and House passed a bill ' providing appropriations for the purpose only to have it vetoed by the President. On another occasion the Senate passed another bill authorizing an_armory, but it failed in the House. Use of the Pension Office for Na- tonal Guard and reserve training would be highly appropriate, he said The huge interior court of the build- ing, formerly used for inaugural balls, would make a splendid drill hall. Already in Character. The building already is in character. he said, the present frieze extending completely around the structure just above the first-floor windows, depicting varlous units of the Army at the time of the Civil War. Use of the building for the training of various branches of the National Army, in the opinion of Gen. Stephan, would vastly improve the effectiveness of training and would promote the morale of all such units in the Na- tional Capital. THE WEATHER of Columbia — Increasing cloudiness slightly warmer tonight minimum temperature about 38 de- grees; tomorrow cloudy, probably rain; somewhat colder tomorrow night; mod- erate southwest winds Maryland—Cloudy, followed by rain late tonight or tomorrow; slightly warmer tonight; colder in west por-| tion tomorrow afternon or night; fresh southwest winds. Virginia—Increasing cloudiness, prob- ably followed by rain tomorrow and in extreme west portion tonight; warmer tonight; colder in extreme west portion tomorrow afternoon or night; moderate to fresh southwest winds. Report for Last 24 Hours. Temperature. Barometer Inches. 30.09 30.05 29.97 District Midnight Today— 29.96 29.99 . . 37 29.97 Highest, 44, 4 p.m. yesterday. Year | ago, 51. Lowest, 30, ago, 25. 8 am. today. Year Tide Tables. (Furnished by United States Coast and Geodetic Survey.) ‘Today. 7:54 a.m. 2:17am. 8:22pm 2:34 pm. The Sun and Moon. Rises. 7:11 ‘Tomorrow 8:40 am 3:02am 9:03p.m 3:20 p.m, Sets. Sun, today.... 5:34 Sun, tomorrow 7:10 5:35 Moon, today.. 7:20am. 5:40pm Automobile lamps to be lighted one- half hour after sunset. Rainfall. Monthly rainfall in inches in the Capital (current month to date): Month. 1932 Average. Record. January 482 3.55 7.09 '82 February March April May June July August September . October November 8.69 December 7.56 Weather in Various Cities. e 2 3 Weather 1.80 6.84 8.84 9.13 10.69 10.94 10.63 14.41 10.81 8.57 '84 '91 '89 '89 00 '86 '28 "6 '85 '89 01 € Temperature. Stations. Abilene, Tex. Albany, N. Y. Atlanta, Ga.... Atlantic_City... Clear Gloudy ear Pt.cloudy Cloudy Cleveland,” Ohl Columbia, 8. C.. nver, 129 Detroit, El Paso, Tex Galveston, Ti Mont. .. 2082 Dak.. 29.80 Indianapolis,Ind 29.92 Jacksonville Fla. 30.18 Kanses City. Mo 20 8¢ 5 , La. 3 New York, N. Y. Oklah>ma’ City’ Omaha, Nebr. Philadeiphia Rain Clear Gloudy Clear Cloudy Rain Pt.cloudy Raleigh. N, C. 30 Salt Lake City. 30.08 San Antonio.. 30.06 San Diego, Calif 30.12 San Francisco.. 30.04 Mo. . 29.90 ,‘Minn. 2988 . ‘Wash. . 29.88 . Wash. 20.90 D. C.\.29.98 Cloudy * Pt.cloudy FOREIGN. (7 a.m., Greenwich time, today.) 2 Temperature. Weather. Stations emperature, Wes Part cloudy et Clou Clear A Gibraltar. ' Spain. .. 51 Rain 5 (Noon, Greenwich time, today.) Horta (Fayal). Azores... 60, Cloudy (Current observations.) Hamilton, Bermuda. 60 Part cloudy San Ji Porto Ri Bart cloud: ert cloudy Part cloudy | further purchase of other prope Y respons] FEBRUARY 86, 1938 New Trade Commission Head HUMPHREY TAKES OATH AS CHA.RMAN OF GROUP. ILLIAM E. HUMPHREY took the oath of office yesterday as chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, being sworn in by Mrs. Edna Vincel, assistant in the commission’s personnel office. The new chairman, who was confirmed by the Senate last week, is beginning his second term on the commission. He was a member of the House from Wash- ington State for 14 years, BOUGHT BY .3, $500,000 Paid Joseph H. Hines for H Street Prop- erty for Offices. The Wikins Building at 1512 H street was purchased today by the Gov- ernment from the owner, Joseph H Hines, for $500,000. The structure is a nine-story office building, containing about 40,000 net square feet of office space be turned over to the Public B: Commission for use as office space as s00n as possession is obtained The property was purchased as part of the Governmeat program for the future construction of Government buildings on Madison place, facing Lafayette Park between Pennsylvania avenue and H street. The negotiations, it was understood had been under way for some time and were successfully completed today through the Treasury Department and the Randall H. Hagner Co., acting for the owner. This deal, it was said at the Treasury, does not foreshadow rty in that erea in the early future, because under the Government’s program Te- cently announced there are to be no more land purchases under the economy program and the necessity for balancing the Federal budget. WILKINS BUILDING. The purchase price was understood | to be about 4 per cent above the assess- ment placed by the District of Colum- bia_upon the building What Government offices will occupy the place depends upon their assign- ment to it by the Public Buildings Com mission, through Lieut. Col. U, S. Grant, 3d, of the commission. The Gov- ernment will take possessicn as soon as | the title passes and the present tenants of the building will then be asked to vocate. ELEVEN DRIVERS FINED /IN TRAFFIC LIGHT WAR All Are Assessed $5 in Court at Mount Rainier for Not Obeying Signals. By a Staff Correspondent of The Star. MOUNT RAINIER, Md., February 6./ —Eleven persons accused of failing to | obey the newly installed traffic lights at Rhode Island avenue, Thirty-fourth and Perry streets, here, were fined $5 each by Justice of the Peace Robert E Joyce last night. Those convicted were arrested during the past week by local Ppolice. The lights were installed two weeks ago and a drive on motorists who ignore them is scheduled to be started today. Magistrate Jovce calls attention to the fact that the minimum fine under the town ordinance covering traffic lights is $5. The maximum fine is $50. The lights at the intersection are un- usual in that they are on the near side of the crossings. JOHNSON RITES HELD Veteran of Adjutant General’s Of- fice to Be Buried in Connecticut. Funeral services were held at Hines’ funeral home, 2905 Fourteenth street, last evening for John G. Johnson, vet- eran chief of the publication division of the Adjutant General's Office, War Department, who died at his home, 1660 Harvard street, Thursday morn ing. Sons of the American Revolution and many officials and clerks of the War Department, attended the services. In- terment will be made at Clinton, Conn., where Mr. Johnson was born in March, | Engine Company, Fire Department, to 1866. Members of the Society of the | | ravor of tne $375,000,000 bill. | Labor Executives Keep Own Doctrine Of Five-Day Week The executive council of the American_ Federation of Labor believes in practicing what it preaches. The council, composed of the 11 ranking officials of the or- ganization, convened here Mon- day in Midwinter session, and late yesterday it ordered a recess until’ Monday in observance of the federation’s five-day-week policy, which the council ap- proved two years ago. Only a few employes were on duty at the federation's head quarters today. They said t were on a five-day-week sc and would get their holiday dur- ing the coming week as per schedule, RELIEF BILL'S FATE STILL 1S UNCERTAIN Senate Vote on Jobless Aid! Not Expected Before Tuesday. Following a week of Senate debate on the $375,000000 La Follette-Costigan nemployment relief bill, the gutcome of the fight over the measure was still s much in doubt today as when the discussion began. The debate will be re Monday, the Senate being i journment today. A vote is not ex- pected before Tuesday. Republican leaders are confident of | enough votes to defeat the direct relief bill, to which President Hoover is op- posed, as_well as the Democratic sub- stitute calling for twice as much money | to be divided between loans to States end road construction But Democratic leadership is almost as certain the substitute proposal would | be adopted, and sponsors of the direct | ef bill also are sticki1g to their po- | An attempt : >sterday to bring | sponsors of the two bills together in a compromise failed. Other substitute plans are being prepared. the debate so far has been in Sena- tors La Follette, Republican, Wiscon- . and Costigan, Democrat, Colorado, umed the entire week outlining the support of the measure. concluded his three-day speech yesterday with a plea for the bill to add “new luster to our country’s name and confirm the finest. traditions self government, justice and hu- e Americans must guard the welfare of those who in the long run guard America,” he said. “We owe it to our spect to adopt a rational, gen- us attitude toward our stricken fel- low men.” of m SOV S ENGINEER TO SUPERVISE INCINERATORS IS NAMED The District Commissioners yester- day appointed Albert B.-Greene resi- dent ent er to superintend the con- struction of the District's two new incinerators at a salary of $3,800 per annum. The money for the construction of the two incinerators became available with the signing of the deficiency bill, which reappropriated a lapsed balance of $260.000 for the purpose. This and the $300,000 appropriated in the Teg- ular 1932 supply bill, will suffice for the building construction work. The District already has acquired the neces- sary sites, one at First and O streets southeast and one at Thirty-first and K streets. Both are water-front sites. The Commissioners ordered the pro- motion of Licut. M. H. Sutton, No. 6 a captaincy. . BR. CALVER SHARPLY WARNS CONGRESS TO EASE ITS TASKS Members Breaking Under the Strain, He Says, Pointing to Deaths of Rutherford and Quin. By the Assoclated Press. A stiff warning was given members of Congress today that they are over- working and must take better care of their health. The Capitol's attending physician, Dr. George W. Calver, spoke out sharply against the seven-day-a-week | schedule many have been following this session. the public to_be reasonable in its de- mands upon Representatives. His warning was caused by the sud- den deaths of Representatives Quin of Mississippi and Rutherford of Georgia, and the recent collapse of Chairman Collier of the House Ways and Means Committee. All three broke under the strain of committee work. Collier, however, is recovering. 1t developed also that, although care- fully guarded from the public, about half the members of Congress have had to call for medical attention during the past two months. Calver said an out- break of a mild influenza, accentuating previously unnoticed weaknesses in the members’ systems, plus the heavy ner- vous atl;;lien of this session, has been Demands upon Congress this session At the same time, he urged | i have exceeded anything in the mem- ory of the oldest members. Not so much the floor sessions as an intensive schedule of committee work and un- paralleled demands from the home dis- CONGRESS PROBE OF PATENT OFFICE DELAYS' ORDERED House Committee Named to Investigate Need of More Employes. 88,302 APPLICATIONS AWAITING EXAMINATION Complaints From Manufactarers, Inventors and Attorneys Lead to Action. Numerous protests that it now re- Quires the Patent Office three years and elght months to pass on patent applications have resulted in an in- vestigation being ordered by a congres- sional committee to determine whether this governmental agency is in need of additional employes to keep up with the pace set by the inventive world. Chairman Sirovich, Democrat, New York, of the House Committee on Pat- ents said today his ccmmittee would conduct the investigation because of complaints received from manufac- turers, inventors and patent attorne: Today there are 88,302 patent app! cations awaiting examination and an additional 85,000 applications already passed on by examiners, but held up awaiting appeal action by attorneys, according to the Patent Office records. Probe Due Next Week. A subcommittee, composed of Rep- resentatives Underwood, Ohio, chair- man; Dies, Texas, and Goodwin, Min- nesota, is expected to start functioning next week. This committee's scope is unlimited, Chairman Sirovich sald, and all phases of the affairs of the Patent Office will be gone into. “The investigation, however, is not considered by the committee as a reflec- tion upon the Patent Office or its ad- ministrative officials,” the chairman as- serted. “From hearings already con- ducted we are well satisfied that the Patent Office is in proper hands.” Thomas E. Robinson has been the commissioner of patents for the last 10 years and members of the committee t day praised his efforts of reorganizat which during the time he has be office has brought the Patent Office to a high level of efficiency. Prior the time Commissioner Robinson took office he was for 30 years one of this country’s leading patent attorneys. “If it is determined that the Patent Office has not a sufficient number of patetn examiners,” Representative Sir- ovich said, “this committee will not hesitate to go before Congress with a recommendation for an increase in per- sonnel.” Revisions Considered. The chairman explained that for the past year the House Committee on Patenfs has been holding hearings to ascertain whether the patent laws of this country, whic.. were enacted in 1836, are in' need of drastic revision He said the hearings have been con- ducted in three phases, to determine the viewpoint of capital, inventors and the public Testimony has been adduced from leading manufacturers and financiers, scientists and newspapers and other pe- riodicals dealing with the patent trade, and Chairman Sirovich declared that in the course of this investigation it was brought out that the Patent Office was unable to cope with the application pace. The primary purpose of the United States patent system, ‘members of the committee pointed out, is to encourage inventions and to secure for the public the advantages of these inventions. The Patent Office, being_ the agency charged with the responsibility of bringing to fruition the purpose of the patent sys- tem, is therefore an exceedingly im- portant organization. It is of such importance, they assert- ed, that industrial, commercial and ag- ricultural development is enhanced if the office is effective and retarded if it is not. During the past two decades the progress of industry has so stimu- lated invention that the Patent Office has not been able to keep pace with it. Inaccuracy Charged. Inventors. manufacturers and patent attorneys have complained that the work of the office is not sufficiently ac- curate and authoritative and that the time between filing of an application and the issuing of a patent is of such duration as to be a serious handicap to_industry, it was saic ‘When President Hoover was Secretary of Commerce similar complaints were recelved and he appointed a committee on Patent Office procedure composed of manufacturers, inventors and patent attorneys to make an mvestigation. On April 15, 1926, this committee sub- mitted its recommendations, among which was one calling for more ex- aminers and another for a building to cast not less than $8,500,000 to house this important agency? The commiitee also approved many recommendations for reorganization submittéd by Commisstoner Robinson, and in the conclusions of its findings it charged that the work of the Patent Office “is enormously and unnecessarily added to by the multiplicity of claims contained in applications.” As the result of this investigation the movement to erect a new home for the Commerce Department gained con- siderable ground, and two years later the contract for the erection of the $17,500,000 building which is now hous- ing this vast Government department was awarded. Meantime the Patent Office continued to function in its 90- year-old building awaiting time to oc- cupy its new quarters. Personnel Increase. Its personnel was increased, bringing the total number of examiners up to 720, divided into 69 divisions, and the total number of employes up to 1,440. The Patent Office personnel has been functioning in its new quarters for three weeks and Commissioner Robin- son, in a report made public today, said the examining divisions have re- sponded to the influence of the mnew offices by establishing a net gain of 1,229 cases this week, 972 cases the second week and 750 cases the first week. ‘The average net gain for the 10 weeks preceding the Christmas holidays was 630 applications per week, he said. It was estimated by various officials of the Patent Office that the examin- ing corps would go behind in its work between 5,000 and 10,000 applications as the result of moving from the old office to the new building. Commis- sioner Robinson eaid such was ot the tricts have caused this. “My sick-bed patients,” observed Dr. Calver, “have been called on the phone before 8 in the morning and late at night by unthinking persons, who are insatiable in their demands and angry because the ill members could not answer their phones. “Work should be limited to six days a week, and & man should spend the seventh for mental relaxation and phy- sical recuperation. Since the begin- ning of December, however, it has been work from early to late every day, Sun- days and holidays have been the same. “Is it a wonder that men are break- ing under the strain?” Speaker Garner was advised today of the recovery of three House members who have been ill. Representative Mc- Duffie of Alabama, the Democratic whip; Chairman Warren of the Ac- counts Committee, and Representative McMillan of South Carolina have been discharged from hospitals after treat- ment, - case, however. The removal, he explained, has not occasioned the loss of more than 1,500 applications, the main loss occurring in the week ending January 9, which showed & loss of 988. The net gain of 1,229 this week shows the examining corps is making inroads into the vast number of applications on file. MOONEY IS CONFIRMED William M. Mooney, who has been city postmaster here for 9 years, was confirmed for another term by the Sen- ate late yesterday. Favorable action came without debate, along with a list of other postmasters. Mr. Mooney has been postmaster since 1923 when he was given his first appointment. Prior to that time he was chief clerk of the Post Office Depart- ment. He has been a resident of Wash- ington for many years.