Evening Star Newspaper, June 23, 1932, Page 17

CAPPER DEMANDS " RENT REDUCTIONS INRADIO ADDRESS Tenants Here Should Not Have to Pay for Wild In- flation, Says Senator. PROBE RESOLUTION’S PASSAGE IS FORECAST Balary Conditicns and Rates in Other Cities Cited Over WRC Forum Connection. Rents in Washington must come down, Senator Arthur Capper of Kan- sas, chairman of the Senate District Committes, declared in an address over Station WRC last night in connection with the speech in the National Radio Forum, arranged by The Evening Star and broadcast over a coast-to-coast net- work of the National Broadcasting Co. “It is well known,” Senator Capper said, “that a large numb:cr of apart- ment houses here have been financed to the roof, with first, second and third mortgages. This false pyramiding of fictitious values, high financing by pro- moters, is one reason why many ten- ants ere paying hich rents today. They should not be called upon to foot the | bill for this wild inflation of apartment house values. Senator Capper expressed the con- viction that the Senate would pass the resolution he introduced upon instruc- tion of the Senate District Committee, calling for a thorough investigation of the local conditions affecting rents. Big Job for Congress, Senator Capper’s speech follows: “It is a real privilege to have this opportunity to talk over with you some of the features of the big job that Con- gress is now trying to complete. “But before I discuss some of the national problems confronting this tired and hard-worked Congress. I want to say just a few words to my Washing- ton friends about the rent situation.| One of your problems in which I am ! deeply interested. “I am convinced that rents in Wash- ington are too high. They must come down. “This is not only my personal opin- fon. It is a conviction which I feel is shared by all the members cf the Senate District Committee, so far as I bave been able to ascertain. “You have probably read that the committee met yesterday afternoon and instructed me to introduce a resolution in the Senate calling for a thorough investigaticn of local conditions affect- ing rents. “I think the Senate will approve this resolution. ‘The committee should have | the authority and the funds to conduct a searching inquiry into tke rent situ- ation. Work Through Summer. | “It is not our intention to let this| vital matter rest until Ccngress again | meets in December. A special sub-| committee will be at work through the Summer, assisted by a skilled investi- | gator. | “The fact-finding facilities of the Fed- | eral and District governments will be available to the subcommittee. It may | hold hearings, summon witnesses, de- mand the producticn of records and do everything that is necessary to get the | facts. { “These facts will be essential to the Senate if it should be decided that leg- islation is needed to protect the people | of the District from the effects of high Tents. “I can frankly say that a great deal depends on the attitude of the land- lords of Washington. If they meet the public demand and need for substan- | tially lowercd rents, our task will be| lightened. “What impresses me, however, with the urgency of getting at the facts is| a statement made to the committee by | the president of the Washington Real | Estate Board at a recent hearing. “This gentleman was being questioned as to the policy in connection with re- duction of rents. He stated very plain- 1y that tenants in an apartment build- ing 100 per cent filled could hope for no rent reduction. “His reasoning wes that if the build- ing was filled, that was proof the rents ‘were not too high. If the tenants did ot like the rents, regardless of chang- ing economic conditions,« they could move elsewhere. “I can understand how a tenant can be tied up with a lease under which he is paying a certain rent. Within the life of the lease, his income may be severely reduced. That has been the experience of thousands of Washington people in the last vear. It will be the experience of thousands of Government employes after July 1. “Are the landlords going to hold the Ppeople to those leases? Leases and Salary Cuts. “What becomes of the argument of the real estate men if tenants are held by leases to occupy apartments when those tenants have had their salaries heavily cut during the period of the lease? “Here is a fine opportunity to find out just how the landlords of Washing- ton really feel toward the tenants. Our District Committee has very frankly challenged the real estate interests of | ‘Washington to play fair with the public{ or to prepare for trouble. “The proposed investigation should throw some interesting light on the statements of real estate men that they are not getting a fair return on in- vestments in apartment properties. “It is well known that a large number of apartment houses here have been financed to the roof, with first, second and third mortgages. This false pyra- miding of fictious values, high financing by promoters, is one reason why many tenants are paying high rents today. ‘They should not be called upon to_foot the bill for this wild inflation of apart- ment house values. { “I do not think the truth about the high rents will be hard to find. I do not think we will have much trouble in learning why people have found rents high all over this city. “The landlords of Washington have been put on notice. Congress will not let the District people be the victims cf greed and avarice. Even now, families are doubling up in apartments, living in crowded quarters, because they cannot meet high rents. This is a public shame. It cannot be too vigorously condemned. “Rents in Washington must come down. They must ccme down as rents in ‘other cities—practically all other citics of Washington's size—have come down and as the costs of all other com- modities have fallen in Washington and throughout the country.” St { Licensed to Marry. LEONARDTOWN, Md., June 23 (Spe- New Drivewa }; Ready Soon WASHINGTON, D. C, THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 1932. ROCK CREEK HIGHWAY TO BE OPENED SATURDAY. HIS new motor driveway, running in the north end of Rock Creek Park from Beach Drive to the District line at Western avenue, will be opened h£ WITH SUNDAY MORNING EDITION CREDIT MEN WAGE “LOAN SHARK” WAR 10 PROTECT TOILER Bankruptcy Reform Legisla- tive Program, Indorsed by Labor, Seen Assured. LOVETT, KANSAS CITY, ELECTED PRESIDENT Charles M. Keefer of Washington Among Those Who Will Serve Three Years on Board. ‘The National Retall Credit Associa-; tion is now waging a campaign to rid Saturday, it was learned today. Corson & Gruman,-contragtors, are put-, financially distressed workingmen from ting the finishing touches on the Creek Valley park system, being constructed by the Maryland Capital Park and Planning Commission The highway in Maryland, follow! completed and ready for opening when the District end of the new road is " The Rock Creek Park Highway links with the East-West Highway in Maryland, which runs frcm Silver Spring to Connecticut avenue. thrown open. The highway opens up a new secti of Rock Creek Park and is about thr the District. in length. highway, which connects with the Rock | e - -National | ing the course of Rock Creek, is now ion of wooded country in the north end ee-quarters of a mile in length within | —Star Staff Photo. ARDENS PLANTED TOFEEDD.C. POOR Mrs. Frederick H. Brooke Re- ports 20 Acres Under Development. | Approximately 20 acres of land have been cleared and prepared for garden development during the last two weeks as part of the plan to provide food for the poor, according to a report made public today by Mrs. Frederick H. Brooke, chairmane of the District Com- mittce on Employment’s Garden Com- | mitiee. | ‘The work has been done, Mrs. Brooke said, “through the kind co-operation of the Department of Agriculture, which furnished the necessary farm imple- ments.” Twenty-one gardens already have been planted on the tract, she said, and a shack to house another destitute | family is being planned. Meanwhile, 42 gardeners are at work" on the tract reserved for colored per- sons, in the Kingman Lake area, MTs. Brooke said. “Many of the gardens are up,” she added, “and within a short | | | time fcod wilt be obtained from them i for these destitute families. The bene-| ficial effects on the morale and health | of the men and chiléren at work are plainly visible.” The committee has been assured by both the Agriculture Department and | the engineer’s office, Mrs. Brooke went | on, that the Kingman Lake section will be available for garden projects for | at least five years. | Meantime, Mrs. Brooke said, Miss Mary Edith Coulson, family welfare and | recreation secretary of the Washington Council of Social Agencies, “has been untiring in her efforts to contact and place the applicants recommended for | gardens by the Catholic Charities, the | Associated Charities and the Salvation | e POWER CONSUMERS WILL GET REBATES Company to Pay $50,000 as In- terest on Cash Deposits of Patrons. A sum estimated at $50,000, repre- senting interest on cash deposits made to the Potomac Electric Power Co. by | its consumers to cover bills for serv- ices rendered, is to be returned to con- sumers upon application, under ar- rangements announced today. This is the first time such interest payments on accounts running more than one year are to be returned to consumers prior to closing out of ac- counts. This plan was adopted voluntarily by the power company following a sug- gestion to this effect made to them by the District Public Utilities Commis- sion, it was explained by Gen. Mason M. Patrick, chairman of the commis- sion. The interest is to be paid immedi- ately by the power company upon ap- plication made at the company's offices by its consumers. Notices of the forth- coming interest payments are to be sent out at once by the power com- pany. ‘The cash deposits, ranging from $5 upward, depending upon class of service rendered, are paid by the consumers, to cover bills rendered by the company for service. Interest payments are not paid on these deposits until a year or more of | service has elapsed. There are 65,000 | or more consumers who have made de- posits to the company. It was estimated that the company now holds approxi- mately $600,000 in cash deposits. Gen. Patrick said also that it had been suggested that the power company consider adopting a plan for annual payment of interest on the cash de- posits. This is now being studied by the power company officials. The interest amounts to 5 per cent on the amounts on deposit. Automobile Ignited As Policeman Fires Hot Words at Driver Easoni Rocco tried his best to “keep ccol while Policeman Henry C. Nestor fired a few warm words at him for ignoring a “stop” signal last night, but his car burst into flames before he had an opportunity to explain. After the blaze was extin- guished, however, Nestor decided to let Rocco “get away with it,” explaining he felt the motorist had suffered enough. Rocco, who lives in the 700 block of Fifth street, drove past | | the signal 4t Fourteenth street and New York avenue. Nestor, who does a bit of singing when he isn't policing, was standing with one foot on the running board of the machine when it caught afire. “(GREAT AMERICAN" WILL END TONIGHT Be| Final Performance Will Given at Sylvan Theater Near Monument. Its second performance attended ]ast? night by more spectators than witnessed the initial presentation Tuesday night, | the District Bicentennial Ccmmission's pageant-play on the life of George Washington will be staged for the last time tonight in the Sylvan Theater in the Washington Monument grounds. | The impressive pageant, which is titled “The Great American,” has en- joyed an enthusiastic reception by the ! Washington public. The two per- formances completed both have been virtual “sell-outs,” according to Dr. George C. Havenner, executive vice president of the local Bicentennial group. Dr. Havenner today commended the nearly 2,000 members of the cast of the huge pageant. “Without their co-operation,” he said, “we should not be able to have a pageant. They have been most faithful in attending rehearsals and in giving their time for the performances; and I want to urge upon each and every one of them the importance of keeping up the good work.” In the event of rain tonight, the per- formance will be postponed until to- morrow night, Dr. Havenner said. The pageant comprises 3 actions, cov- ering 12 episodes in the life of George ‘Washington from the time he was a young surveyor through to the days of his retirement at Mount Vernon. It was produced with the co-operation of several civic organizations, aided by Cavalry and other troops from Fort Myer and Fort Washington. The United States Army Band and the United States Marine Band are furnishing the music for the perform- ances. . | | | — THREE BOYS MISSING Parents Enlist Aide of Police in Search of Trio. Police were searching today for three small boys missing from their homes | since yesterday. Their parents enlisted the aid of authorities after the trio was reported seen crossing the Arlington Memorial Bridge. The boys are thought to have earned sufficient money to set out by selling newspaper extras Tues- day night. The youngsters are Ellis Tippett, 14, of 3426 O street; Paul Willis Stout, 14, of 3215 O street, and Roy L. Bowlin, jr., 13, of 218 Prospect place. Com- panions of the boys at the Gordon Junior High School said the three had mentioned going away, but had not told of their destination. PAY CUT, FURLOUGH, DISMISSAL KEEP COMMERCE FORCE ON RUN Alligators Given Department Roam Basement Corridors and Are Avoided by All The Commerce Department . today was confronted with three tough-hided, sharp-tooth _problems—Pay Cut, Fur- lougn and Dismissal. Officials said frankly they have at- tempted to get rid of them without satisfactory results. They have so far failed to fit into the scheme of things within the $17,- 500,000 new building of the department. ‘They are running around the basement corridors and avoided by all from Sec- cial) —Marriage licenses were issued here to the following couples: Hugh Wilson Daffron, 24, or Fredericksburg, Va, and Catherine Hilda Burch, 19, of Leonardtown, Md., and J. Carroll Nor- ris, 20, and Edith M. Gatton, 17, both of Leonardtown, Md. retary of Commerce Lamont to the acting second assistant janitor. Dismissal is 3 feet long and pugna- cious; Furlough measures aboui 3% feet length and is shy and too awkward | with Bl f made available for them in the aqua- 4 feet long and brandishes dangerous!rium, of to be dangerous, and Pay Cut is almost rows of teeth. He also swishes his tall, hisses and grunts a defiant attitude. Pay Cut, Furlough and Dismissal came here from Chicago, a present to the Bureau of Fisheries’ aquarium from a wouid-be friend. They are genuine handbags in the makings or better known in Florida as alligators. Zoo officials here refused to accept Pish Commissioner Henry O’Malley’s kind offer to dump them on their hands for exhibition purposes. They said they had an overstack of 'gators. Unable to find another haven; Pay Cut, Furlough and Dismissal have been allowed to roam at large untila tank a high fence around it can be! | Senate. the clutches of the loan shark, accord- ing to a report today, and has ob- tained the indorsement of the Ameri- can TFederation of Labor for its bank- ruptey reform legislative program. Delegates attending today's session ! of the twentieth annual convention of ‘The new road in Rock Creek Valley in Maryland is about 2 miles | the association at the Mayflower Hotel were informed by R. Preston Shealey, ‘Washington counsel for the organiza- tion, that enactment by Congress of the program has been practically assured, notwithstanding opposition of lawyers in_various sections. Bankruptcy reform discussions occu- pled most of the session. The delegates, however, also elected officers for the coming year. Tonight they will have their annual banquet and at a brief session tomorrow will select their next convention city. Omaha, Memphis and Rochester are bidding. Kansas Cityan President. Arthur P. Lovett, Kansas City, was elected president, succeeding Frank Bat- ty. San Francisco. Others elected were Charles M. Reed, Denver, first vice pres- ident, and P. H. Carr, Minneapolis, sec- ond vice president. W. W. Weir, Los Angeles, was elected to the beard of directors for one year Those who will serve on the board for | three years are Lee M. Jahn, Houston Charles M. Keefer of this city, Floya Miller, Pontiac, Mich.; A. C. Wehl, Mil- | waukee, and L. S. Crowder of Chicago. Mr. Shealey outlined the Hastings bankruptcy bill now pending in the It deals with suspended dis- charges and amortization in settlement of debts of individuals. He said the meesure was drafted as the result of a bankruptcy study by the ascociation and an outline was approved at last year's convention. He explained that representatives of four of the leading railroad brother- hoods and of the American Federation of Labor had specifically indorsed pro- vislons for amortization and settle- ment of debts, to the end that wage workers who honestly desire to pay their debts may not be harassed by continual gernisheements or attachments of their | wages and thereby lead to the necessity of borrowing money at excessive rates of interest to pay those debts, Bureau Report Applauded. The reported restoration of part of the 1933 appropriztion for the Com- merce Department’s Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce was applauced by the delegation. Mr. Shealey report- ed this bureau's appropriation had been reduced 22 per cent under the amount it received for operating during the current fiscal year. The Commerce Department's 1933 supply bill as yet has not been approved by Congress. ‘Because of drastic reduc- | tions in the operating expenses of the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Com- merce, officials announced several months ago that offices in 18 cities and 20 foreign offices would be closed on July 1. Mr. Shealey assailed the cut made in the department’s bill and called dele- gates' attention to statistics showing that only one-tenth of 1 per cent was being expended by the Government for the promotion of domestic trade out of the 19 per cent normally appropriated by the Government for civil running ex- penses. He asserted 75 per cent of all Federal expenditures had gone for wars, past. present and future. Other speakers were Representative Baldridge of Nebraska, who explained the new bankruptcy law and its con- nection with the retail office; W. J. Morgan of New York, J. L. Fercoit of New York, James Hayes of Harrisburg, Pa., and Capt. Harry W. Lyon of San Francisco. The latter was a member of the crew of the Southern Cross on ! its flight from San Francisco to Aus- tralia. He spoke on the possibilities of transoceanic aerial travel. GAS HUCKSTERS’ ARREST ORDERED Commissioners to Enforce Public Highway Regulation, Except as to Emergency. The District Commissioners decided today to order the arrest, beginning July 1, of all street hucksters violating the order prohibiting sale of gasoline on the public highways, except in emergency cases. Notice to this effect is to be for- warded to the Police Department and to _the corporation counsel’s office. Early in the year the city heads adopted a new regulation prohibiting sale of gasoline by street hucksters. Pro- tests were received from hucksters and later the order was rescinded. The matter then was referred to a com- mittee of officials, and & recommenda- tion for the readoption of the rule was laid before the Commissioners. After the Commissioners had adopted this order a test case was carried to court, and recently the rule was up- held at Police Court. W. G. WESTERMEYER, ILL TWO YEARS, DIES | ™ Native of Germany, Resident Here More than 60 Years, Was Re- tired Meat Merchant. William G. Westermeyer, 64, retired meat merchant, died today at his home, 701 Irving street, after an illness of more than two years. Born in Germany, Mr. Westermeyer came to this country when an infant, and had resided in’ Washington more than 60 years. He ccnducted a meat concession in ‘the O Street Market for many years, Surviving are his widow, Mrs. Lillie M. Westermeyer; three sisters, Mrs. John Klein of Mount Rainier, Md.; Mrs. Hugo Lochoff, Akron, Ohio, and Mrs. George Weisser of this city, and a brother, Charles C. Westermeyer, INQUEST N DEATH OF BLAST VIETMS| HELD UNNECESSARY Rockville Police Chief Deems Accidental Certificate of Hospital Sufficient. YOUTH AND GAS COMPANY EMPLOYE DIE OF BURNS One of Injured Fighting for Life as Result of Explosion Near Potomac, By a Staff Correspondent of The Star. ROCKVILLE, Md., June 23.—Certifi- cates of accidental death in the case of Charles E. Dove, 18 years old, of | Montrose and John Esputa, 27, of Avery, who were fatally burned in the! dual explosion at the Columbia Gas! Construction Co.’s main near Potomac | yesterday, were signed today by staff | physiclans at Georgetown University | Hospital in Washington. Police Chief A. A. Moxley announced | that police officials were satisfied as to the circumstances surrounding the | deaths of Dove, a senior at Rockville | | High School, and Esputa, an employe | of the gas company, and that he did not deem an inquest or any official action other than the signing of the| death certificate necessary. | Burns Prove Fatal. Dove and Esputa died early last night at the Washington hospital,! | where a third victim, William Slack Nicholscn, 18, of Rockville, also a | senior at’ Rockville High and the son i of Leonard L. Nicholson, jr., a Wash- ington real estate operator, is staging | a game battle for his life. Attending physicians reported this morning that | he may recover. The two explosions in which the trio was burned occurred at a “header” in ' the natural gas trunk line of the Co- | lumbia Gas Construction Co., running | from natural gas fields in Boldman, | Ky. to Coatesville, Pa, at a point here the pipes cross the Potomac River at the mouth of Watts Branch, ' several miles from the community of otomac. Employed Only Two Days. | Esputa, who had been working for { the gas company ol two days, had | | been sent from Rockville to patrol th line in search of leaks, and shortl i afterward discovered a slight openin | in the 20-inch piping of the “header. He was about to leave when the line | tore open with a terrific explosion and opened an immense hole in the ground. Unhurt, Esputa asked Dove and Nicholson, who were fishing in the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal nearby, { with Dove's younger brother Elbert, 15, | and Brooke Edmonston, 17, of Rock- | | ville, both students at the local high | | school, to drive him back to Rockville to_report the leak. Esputa and the two youths entered | Nicholson's car and were preparing to | leave when gases, apparently ignited | ,by the engine or exhaust of the auto- | mobile, explcded and set fire o the | ymachine and undergrowth and trees iwithin a radius of more than 200 feet. Rushed to Hospital, Elmer Frazier and Luther Foster, | who live on River road nearby, ran to {the scene and led the trio out of the burning area. Meanwhile, the Rockville Fire Rescue Squad was summoned and firemen removed Dove and Nicholson to the hospital, while an unidentified | Nebraska motorist carried Esputa. The younger Dove boy and Edmon- iston, who had walked over to their {boat about 100 vards away to obtain | some bait, escaped the blast and fire. |, Employes at the local measuring sta- | tion fer the gas company said today | that there was 350-pound pressure on | i the 20-inch line when the first ex- | plosion occurred, but that the line from | Rockville to the river was closed im- mediately when gauges in the station showed a tremendous drop at that point. Had Premonition. Esputa, who lived on the farm of his | stepfather and 'stepmother, Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Welsh, at Avery, 4 miles from here, started to work for the gas company only the day before his tragic death. Mrs. Welsh declared yesterday that a premonition of some impending danger had caused her to beg him not to accept the position. Mrs. Nicholson said at her son’s bed- side today that she had beseeched Wil- liam not to go on the fishing trip with | the three other boys, having a similar premonition, but that he had insisted | upon going rather than disappoint his companions. The Dove boy was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Dove, who live on their farm, at Montrose. He is survived by his parents and several brothers and sisters. PUPILS TO GRADUATE Music School Will Confer Teachers’ Degrees. Graduation exercises of the Institute of Musical Art, 831 Eighteenth street, will be held at 8:30 o'clock this eve- ning in the auditorium of the institute. The commencement address will be delivered by Henry Gilligan of tne Board of Education and B. Frank Ge- best, president of the institute, will confer the diplomas. Teachers' de- grees, representing a three-year course in varled branches, will be conferred {on Martha Lynn Davenport, violin, and Margaret Gilligan, voice. A graduate degree for violin will be given Anne B. Marley. Glenn Carow, piano, will re- ceive a junior certificate. BANQUET SET TONIGHT TU. 8. High School Students to Open First Convention. The first annual convention of the American High School Students’ Asso- ciation will open with a banquet in the | ashington Hotel tonight. | | | | Five collateral descendants of George ‘Washington will be honor guests at the feast. Dr. William J. Cooper, United States Commissioner of Education, and ! Representative Claude V. Parsons will speak. MRS. NORTON IMPROVES ‘Will Not Return to Capital Until After Convention. Representative Mary T. Norton, chair- man of the House District Committee, is recuperating at her Jersey City home from an attack of tonsilitis and will not return to Washington before going to Chicago Sunday as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention. During her absence Representative Black of New York, ranking minority me acting as chairman of the Committes, 'PLANS SUBMITTED ening Star * Rescue League Opens Home VISITORS RECEIVE NOISY RECEPTION FROM DOGS AND CATS. ‘Two of the 52 animals which were of the Animal Rescue League's new home. HE Animal Rescue League's new | home, at 71 O street, was dedi- cated at today’s formal opening to the convenience and comfort of the stray creatures of Wash- ington. Many distinguished visitors received a noisy reception from 40 dogs and a dozen cats already quartered in modern kennels, cages and outdoor runways in | the court yard behind the gray field- stone building. | The new home offers the most mod- | ern facilities for every type of stray animals, including two comfortable stalls for homeless horses, mules or donkeys, and a room especially designed | for an animal clinic. | ‘The main hall bears a bronze tablet | to commemorate gifts of Martha C.| Codman and Crester A. Snow, whose generosity made possible the new home of the league. The O street headquar- ters was constructed from funds de- rived from the sale of the old home in inspected by visitors at today’s opening —Star Staff Photo. the Southwest section to the Govern- ment. Welfare workers, social leaders and the wives of diplomats and others in public life were among those invited to tcday's opening. Visitors were being received throughcut the day and up to 10 o'clock tonight. The equipment for the cat kennels | was donated by A. F. Jorss and the| following made contributions for the dog kennels: Miss Alice Clapp, Mrs. H. C. Mcses, Mrs, Nerton E. Twogood, Mrs. William F. Ham, Miss Agnes V. Geyers, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas G. Geoghegan, Miss Ruth Hitchcock, Dr. and Mrs. C. A. Simpson, Mrs. Henry Parsons Erwin and Mrs. H. R. Davis. Mrs. Geoghegan gave the office fur- nishings and she and Mrs. Ham the | and flagstone walk, while shrubbery rumcrous contributions also were made Bahn & Wright, the contractors 0 erected the new home. ROBBERY SUSPECT SHELD FOR JURY |William E. Bedell, Indicted in Legation Theft, Faces New Charge. William E. Bedell, 35, cf the first block of F street, under indictment in con- Dection with the Salvacorean legation liquor robbery last year, was held for grand jury action after a_hearing be- fore Police Court Judge John P. Mc- Mahon today on a charge of breaking | into a telegraph office at 1104 Connecti- cut avenue and stealing a safe con- | taining $1.790 in travelers' checks and $200 in cash. He entered a plea of not guilty. Bedell was brought to this city from Baltimore several days ago for alleged complicity in the legation liquor rob- bery more than a year ago. Three other men are being held as United States witnesses in the case against Bedell. They are Samuel Glasser, 27. of the 4700 block of De Russey perkway, Chevy Chase, Md.: Frank Courtney, 37, of Logan Circic, and Benjamin Covell, 35, of the 1400 block of Rhode Island avenue. Police said they recovered $450 worth of the checks. Two women who have been held while the polize were investigating the case were re d this morning. ‘They are Ruth Bedell, 28, and Lillian ‘Taylor. Charged with robbing the Chastleton Hotel of $422 last Friday, Albert K.| Johnson, 26, of the 800 block of Seven- | teenth street, was remanded to the | grand jury under $25,000 bond by | Judge McMahon. Willlam H. Dunn, 34, Chevy Chase, | Md, an auditor at the hotel, identified Johnson as the man who entered his office with a gun and forced him to open the cash drawer. Dunn declared the man forced him into a closet and then removed about half of the money in the drawer. Johnson, who was arrested Sunday, and who police said was picked out of | the line-up at headquarters, has denied | any knowledge of the robbery stating | he was home at the time the crime was committed. FOR HEATING UNIT Children’s Sanitarium Project Bids to Be Asked After 0. K. by Commissioners. Municipal Architect Albert L. Harris today laid before Harold W. Baker, di- rector of construction for the District, plans for a heating and laundry plant to be erected as a part of the new Dis- trict Children'’s Tub‘e:culosls Sanl;lflum levelopment, now progress _of con- :nrucu%n on the Suburban Park, at Buena Vista, near Glendale, Prince Georges County, Md. A!rtner the District Commissioners have approved the architect’s plans, it is ex- pected they will advertise for bids for construction of this unit. Contracts al- ready have been let for construction of the general hospital building and the nurses’ home. ‘The municipal architect estimates the heating plant and laundry building will cost between $60,000 and $70,000. The building will have a cubic content of 150,000 cubic feet. The time for com- pletion of the building is set at 270 cal- endar days from the date of letting of the contract. HALF TURN OF KNIFE SAVES CAPITAL RAIDER A half-turn of a thrown knife saved Policeman R. L. Manning, second pre- cinct, from possible death last might. After a raid on an alleged gaming and liquor establishment in the first block of Naylors court, was about to leave when a long knife ed out of a_crowd of colored men at the officer. It turned too much to injure Manning, the handle striking the police- man in the back. ‘The raiders were unable to locate the thrower in the crowd. George Sim- mons, colored, 28, and Mary Jones, col- ored, 25, ested on charges illegal SHERBURNE G. HOPKINS. ADVISER T0 MANY NATIONS DIES HERE Sherburne G. Hopkins, 63, Capital Lawyer, Won Wide Repute. Sherburne G. Hopkins, 63, interna- tionally known attorney and adviser to Latin American governments, died yes- terday at his home, 1817 Nineteenth street, after an illness of two weeks. Funeral services will be held at 3 pm. tomorrow at the S. H. Hines funeral home. Born in Washington on October 5, 1368, he was the son of Thomas S. and Caroline W. Hopkins. In 1890 he was admitted to the bar and a year later began his connections with Latin American affairs, which were to carry | him through more than a quarter of a century as confidant and adviser to the provisional governments in many of the countries to the South. Represented Chile, His career brought him into contact with numerous successful and unsuc- cessful revolutions. His first taste of Latin American intrigue came in 1891, as a member of the crew of a sailing ship which attempted to run arms from California to revolutionists seeking to overthrow the Chilean government. In 1894-95 he became assistant to the agent and counsel for Chile before the United States and Chilean Claims Com- mission, and again in 1901 was in this position. In 1909-10 he served as adviser to the provisional government of Nica- ragua, and in 1910-11 to the provisional government of Honduras. After associ- ating with other insurrectionists in Latin America, he became identified with the troubles of Mexico. He served as an adviser to Francisco Madero, Carranza and Pancho Villa, whose confidential agent he became. He campaigned with Villa several months in 1917 and then returned to the Capital to represent the insurrecto. At that time he alco advised Adolfo J. de la Huerta, who claimed to be Mex- ico’s constitutional President, but who | was forced to flee to the United States. Friend of Statesmen. Since 1920 he had been serving as confidential agent for the transcau- casian republics of Georgia and Azer- bajian, which sought to gain their in- dependence ‘from Soviet Russia. He also was a close friend of many Japa- nese and other foreign statesmen. Mr. Hopkins, who served in the Naval Reserve during the Spanish- American War, becoming a lieutenant commander, was a member of the Na- tional Press Club, Racquet Club and Masonic bodies in this city and of the Army and Navy and Calumet Clubs of New York. He was also a member of the Society of International Law and the Society of Mayflower Descendants. The family the survivers as a sister, Mrs. Jessie E. Seibert, and the widow, Mrs. Hester I (Davis) Hopkins, both of this city. PAGE B—1 OIS TAK FORDISTRIT SRECOMNENDE Combination Gross Receipts and Net Earnings Levy Is Proposed. BUREAU OF EFFICIENCY SUBMITS ITS FINDINGS Exhaustive Report to Senate Com- mittee Analyzes Capper Bill to Revise Import System. A combination gross receipts and net earnings tax on public utility corpora- tions in the District which would yield an additional $670,000 a year was recommended to the Senate District Committee late yesterday by the United istat,es Bureau of Efficiency. The bureau’s recommendation was |contained in an exhaustive 86-page report analyzing in detail the Capper bill to revise the system of taxation on incorporated banks and trust companies, bonding, fidelity and surety companies, title companies, public service corpora- tions, automobile bus lines and rail- roads. Under existing law, the bureau point- ed out, gas companies are required to |pay 5 per cent on gross earnings, elec- {tric light and telephone companies 4 | per cent and street railway companies !4 per cent on gross receipts. In lieu of this schedule, it proposed a change |from the present bases to a combina- tion tax of 4 per cent on gross re- | ceipts and 6 per cent on net earnings, applying uniformly to the group. $110,000 Deduction. “The increase in the annual revenve as a result of the change,” the report !declared, “is estimated at $780,000, | from which, however, there should be | deducted $110,000 paid by traction companies to crossing policemen, thus making the net increase $670,000. This | deduction is made because of the pro- | posal pending before Congress which would require the District government to_pay the cost of crossing policemen.” The bureau =also recommended a |number of other changes in the bill, |all of which, it said, would result in | increasing District revenues $685,000, These include a higher tax on health, | accident, life insurance, bonding, fidel- |ity, surety and real estate title com- | panies. At the same time it urged ithat the taxes on national banks and trust companies be reduced by $120,000, and opposed at this time increased {taxes on steam railroads, interurban trolley lines, cable and steamboat com- panies, | The bureau further recommended |that the proposed tax on motor bus | Mnes be fixed in a bill recently passed |by the House providing for the taxa- | tion of automobile busses on a mileage | basis, rather than in the measure spon- |sored by Senator Capper. $120,000 a Year Relief. Relief from taxation would come to the national banks and trust compa- nies under the bureau plan throuzh a deduction from gross earnings of the interest paid on savings accounts. The Capper bill also provides for the deduc- tion but does not indicate, as does the bureau, that it would save these insti= tutions $120.000 a year, The bureau pointed out that as early as 1903 the gross earnings tax for sav- | ings banks was reduced from 6 to 4 per | cent, while national banks and trust ccmpanies continued to pay the 6 per cent rate. Figures were cited showing levies on these institutions nearly double those in other cities in the fifth Federal Reserve district. “In view of the fact that the tax on banks throughout the United States appears to be comparatively high, and that paid in the District above the average, the bureau believes,” the re- port said, “that a reduction should be made in the local taxes for this type of business. “It does not, however, favor a lower rate at this time, but feels that relief should come through a change in the gross earnings base, so as to allow a deduction for interest paid on savings accounts in the manner proposed in the bill.” Proposed Rate Increases. Increases recommended for health, life and accident insurance companies were from 1 to 1'; per cent. Other insurance company rates would be raised from 1'> to 2 per cent. Bond- ing, fidelity and surety companies, now subject to'a 11: per cent gross receipts tax, would pay a rate of 2 per cent on net premtum receipts. Companies in- suring real estate titles would be taxed 2 per cent instepd of 114 per cent. With respect to the insurance com- panies, the bureau urged that they be exempt from the proposed Mapes in- come tax law for the District, along with other corporations taxed on gross earnings or gross receipts. In propos- jing the exemption, the bureau said it believed any adjustment in the bases jand rates paid by the concerns ex- empted should be set forth by an amendment to section 22 of the Mapes income tax bill, and not in a separate bill. By following this course, it ex- plained, the companies exempted from income tax will be oblized to pay the substitute taxes found by Congress to be adequate, The bureau opposed the plan of. Senator Capper to apply a general property tax combined with a gross earnings tax to District public utility corporation on three grounds. First, the bureau said, it would confuse in- vestment with ownership; second, it would not serve as a satisfactory crite- rion of ability to pay, and third, it would raise difficulties in establishing the value of corporation property. Real Property Tax Stays. “So far as practicable,” the report declared, “to unite features of fairness and certainty in one system, the bureau favors a tax ior public utilities embody- ing the elements of both gross receipts and net earnings, involving two dis- tinct computations. “The gross receipts-net earnings tax would be in lieu of the personal property taxes and the proposed income tax. The real property tax, however, would be continued without change and with- out the inclusion of any tax whatever on personalty in the form of poles, wires and conduits.” No change was recommended in the taxes of steam railroads, interurban trolley lines, cable companies and steamboat companies at this time, other than the application of the income tax. “While the bureau believes the rail- roads are not necessarily entitled to a perpetual exempticn,” the report said, “it feels that the situation in the United States at this time is cuch that consideration of increased taxes on the “railroads, to be accomplished by repeal of the exemption, should be deferred until business conditions improve.” |