Evening Star Newspaper, August 6, 1933, Page 2

|.C. C. REJECTS LEA “FOR FREIGHT SLASH acks General Rates Basis, but Suggests Some Re- . adjustments. ANy By the Assoclated Press. The Interstate Commerce Commis- on in a 7-to-3 decision yesterday held “ghe general railroad freight rate struc-| re to be reasonable in the light of = nt _conditions and refused to order & blanket reduction, as requested by rm, lumber, coal and other interests. ymission asserted, however, c that all existing charges were fair and suggested the canlem‘ “=gonsider revisions downward in rates| Z$n grain, lumber and export coal. | == “Rate revisions must be oonthuedi ‘without abatement to meet new condi- tions,” it said. “Rate pezks must be retained where justified and cut down where found unjust.” The decision was on a -petition filed | last January by farm organizations, the | nal Coal Assoclation and the Na- tional Lumber Manufacturers’ Associa- tion, which held freight rates had been maintained at prosperity period levels | while commodity prices dropped The commission said that after al- lowance for the recent upturn in com- modity prices the freight rate level “is relatively higher than the com- modity price level.” Other Factors Considered. 1t held further that commodity prices alone were not the controlling factor in determining the reasonableness of rates; that present rates as a whole were “not depressing the volume of traffic or business of the country,” and that general rate reductions “would not stimulate the aggregate volume of traf- fic by railroad, except so far as they would tend to recover traffic from com- peting forms of transportation.” The majority of the commission said that net revenues of the carriers last year were only half that of the “depres- sion year” of 1921, and that after mak- ing full allowance for the recent upturn in the volume of traffic, if rates in gen- eral were lowered as much as 10 per cent the net revenue in the near future “would probably fall short of meeting fixed charges” by more than $20.000,000. By still further lowering the revenues of tne carriers, the decision said a blanket cut would “threaten the con- | tinuance of adequate railroad service and, by preventing maintenance and other work. would tend to increase un- employment.” “With a general reduction in freight rates no greater than 10 per cent.” it continued, “unless there were a greater increase in traffic than now seems prob- able, and unless large additional Gov- ernment aid were extended, many more carriers would be forced into receiver- ship or reorganization with consequent serious losses to investors in railroad securities, among whom are many sav- ings banks and life insurance com- panies.” Aitchison Dissents. In a dissenting opinion, Commissioner Clyde B. Aitchison said the existing rate level constituted a violation of the in- terstate commerce act’s provisions pro- hibiting “unjust and unreasonable rates” and while the Industriai Recovery pro- gram presented “‘countervailing tenden- cles” it was not intended to cure “mal- adjustments and disparities in rates.” “The successful consummation of the policies and plans now under way,” said Aitchison, “calls for a rate structure better adapted to what the traffic can ‘bear and what it will bear, and not ad- herence to schedules which simply force tonnage to other forms of transport, shut it off from movement, or compel the relocation of industry. “We ought to settle the matter and not leave it in the limbo of continued uncertainty, as is done by the majority report.” While refusing the application for fower general rates, the commission pointed out that the emergency sur- charges on freight which it authorized in October, 1931, will expire September 80 after several extensions. This alone Will cut the Nation's freight bill by France, Keenan brings to the Govern- from $60.000,000 to $100,000,000. Excluding these surcharges, the com- mission said the present rate level was | more than 20 per cent below that of 1920 and more than 10 per cent under that immediately following the rate cut | of 1922 The commission suggested that the | railroads consider placing in effect vol-| untarily the reduced grain rates it ordered on July 1, 1930. The Supreme Court went against the commission in this proceeding and ordered the old rates restored. The commission re- opened the case and hearings are ex- pected to be concluded at an early date. Some Changes Favored. “Although we are not warranted in this proceeding in requiring readjust- ments of grain rates or even in defi- nitely suggesting that respondents should make such readjustments,” the | commission said, “nevertheless they| should give consideration to voluntary Tevision of thelr rates in the Ight of our | original decision and of the additional evidence develped at the further hear- ml)gls. sgngz' as ]tlhst is at present pos- | sible. applies particularly to cer- tain border adjustments.” ! The commission said it felt warranted in saving that there was nothing to in- dicate that undue prejudice would re- sult from the establishment of lower | export rates on coal. { “The exportation of bituminous coal to Europe and South America has al- most ceased,” it said, “although in for- mer years there was a large movement from which the rail carriers derived con- siderable revenue. “The carriers have been giving con- ( - sideration to requests of coal operators | , for lower export rates intended to re- | Vive this traffic, but favorable action has been prevented, at least in part, by the fear that the carriers would be forced to make similar reductions on coal mov- ing\ beyond the ports to destinations in the United States and Canada. | “This record is insufficient upon which to base an opinion as to whether undue prejudice would result from establishment of such export rates, but we feel warranted in saying there is nothing to indicate that undue prejudice would result from the establishment of such rates. Carriers are urged to give further consideration to the subject.” The commission also suggested that the carriers might well give considera- tion to the inroads upon the lumber traffic by trucks and water carriers, par- ticularly the latter, “with a view to de- termining whether there are instances in which lower rates might result in greater rail movement and net revenue.” Close Study Urged. “The same comment may he made of a number of other commodities,” it said, adding: “As soon as sufficient time has elapsed so that it can be determined with reas- onable certainty that the prices of par- ticular commodities have stabilized on 2 level lower than that of commodities in general, and that the rates on such commodities are higher than they can Teasonably bear, consideration should be given by respondents to readjustment of such rates in harmony with the changed conditions. “The general process of rate revision to meet competition of other forms of transportation, to meet other contem- porary conditions, and to facilitate the free flow of commerce must continue without abatement. “Any industry.may bring the rate level on its commodities to our atten- tlon with a view to bringing about such readjustments in the rates thereon as may be warranted by changed con- ditions which appear to have sufficient permanency to be used as & basis for Teadjusting rates.” Commissioners Claude R. Porter and William E. Lee jolned in Atchiscn's ent. Commissioner Jose] the railroad co-ort Scipate. | [ orams speaker |EIRL'S NAME GIVEN JOSEPH B. KEENAN. —Harris-Ewing Photo. KEENAN, N FORUM, TOBARE CRIME WAR THE SUNDAY INKIDNAP THREAT Paper Says Betty Downes of| Philadelphia Guarded at New Hampshire Camp. By the Associated Press. PHILADELPHIA, August 5—The Record, in a copyrighted story, says Betty Downes, 15-year-old daughter of James R. Downes, chief of freight transportation of the Pennsylvania Railroad, is the girl guarded tonight by New Hampshire militia against kid- napers. “A letter, bearing a Philadelphia| postmark, was received Friday by her father demanding a $50,000 ‘advance ransom’,” the Record says, adding: “The writer of the letter threatened to kidnap the girl if the money was not deposited Saturday night at a place which the investigators refuse to name. It is believed, that it was to have been left somewhere in the vicinity of Phila- delphia. From other sources, it was said that friends of the girl's family feared that “the kidnaper, once he knew his ran- som letter was handed over to the police, might attempt to take a rifle shot at the guard.” This was given as one of the possible reasons why the militia was called out to guard a large area about the fashionable Summer camp in the rugged Lake Sunapee region in the New Hampshire hills. | Special Assistant to Attorney General on Radio Tues- day Night. What Uncle Sam is doing and plans to do about kidnaping and racketeer- ing in general will be revealed by Joseph B. Keenan, special assistant to the Attorney General and generalissimo of the Government’s renewed war on crime, in an address Tuesday at 9:30 | pm. over the National Radio Forum,! | camp, 28 miles from Concord, by Adit. | arranged by The Washington Star and)| 0P & fes” w. Howard, who took command of them. The camp is oper- ated by two Philadelphia women, Miss | Mildred Lesserts and Mrs. Scott Clark. | broadcast over a coast-to coast network of the National Broadcasting Co. Keenan and J. Edgar Hoover, director | of the new Division of Investigation of | the Department of Justice, have been | designated by Attorney General Cum- | mings as the “high command” for the | drive to rid America of gang terrorism. | The declaration of war was made on | orders from President Roosevelt. | Sweeping Authority Given. ‘The aggressive Ohio lawyer and crime investigator, appointed shortly after the recent massacre of Federal and local officers in Kansas City, has been given sweeping authority to investigate the reign of gangland lawlessness and re- | port _on steps that should be taken by | the Government to combat the “mobs.” | _ Since taking the oath of office he has | had numerous conferences with Hoover and other law enforcement officials and is understood to have arrived at a num- { ber of definite conclusions as to & Fed- | eral course of action. It is expected Keenan will take ad- | vantage of the radio network to make | | public for the first time a number of | ideas he has formulated in cormecuon[ | with the national crusade on the gang- ster and his ilk. He is said to feel that drastic legislation to control the pres- ent almost indiscriminate sale of machine guns and to impede in other | ways the operations of racketeers and gunmen is necessary. Other Plans Considered. Plans for a national co-ordination of police in co-operation with Federal offi- cers, designed to facilitate capture of kidnapers and other fugitives, also are under consideration. This will be a substitute for an “American Scotland | Yard,” it is said. Keenan represented the Government at the recent trial which resulted in the death sentence for one of the kid- napers of the daughter of Mayor McGhee of Kansas City, Mo. Formerly a cavalryman on the Mex- ican border and a field artilleryman in ment’s’ peacetime war on the under- world a wealth of military experience. He won fame in Cleveland several years ago for his investigation of crime there. At that time he was special assistant to Action Follows Receipt of Letters by detachment of New Hampshire National Guardsmen was ordered to duty at a North Sutton Summer camp as a result of a kidnap threat received by the father of a child at the camp. of the child, although it was reported she was the daughter of a vice presi- dent of the Pennsylvania Railroad. after a conference there between As-| sistant United States Attorney Samuel | W. Holmgren, Assistant Attorney Gen- eral Thornton Lorimer, and Sheriff George Wooster of Concord. were received today Attorney General Francis Johnston and Sheriff Wooster informing them that a threat had been made to kidnap a child | from Camp Bueno on Lake Keazer, North Sutton. called into i ‘Wooster and two deputy sheriffs hurried | to the camp by automobile. ferred with Miss Lesserts and Mrs. Clark and then Adjt. Gen. Howard was called | in. Later Assistant United States At- torney Holmgren joined them. HITLER CHURCHMAN Rev. Ludwig Mueller Elected as By the Associated Press. wig Mueller, Chancellor Hitler's con- fidant in has been elected first Prussian_state bishop Senate as a precursor to his expected later election as reichsbishop last exercise of the Democratic voting principle. for the Evangelical Senate specifically agreed that Dr. must no longer, bound by decisions of the Senate, but can act on his own initiative. national propaganda chief of the Ger- man_Christians, ORDER GUARDS TO CAMP. Attorney General. CONCORD, N. H. August 5 (A).—A from Manchester tonight Officials declined to divulge the name The Guardsmen were ordered to the The troops were ordered to the camp | Gen. Howard Letters from an undivulged ~source at the offices of County Solicitor W. A. Colby was| the case and Lorimer | ‘They con- | CHOSEN AS BISHOP| Precursor to Choice as Ger- man Reichsbishop. BERLIN, August 5—Ths Rev. Lud-} Protestant church matters, by the Evangelical Church| The election probably constituted the Mueller as in the past, be Simultaneously the Rev. Fritz Kessel, the Naal Protestant i handle wielded the State attorney general. CHILE DELAYS MOVE TO SETTLE DISPUTE chieies s e sasonai” omoa Undecided Upon Acceptance of League Mandate in Paraguay- Bolivia Row. By the Associated Press. SANTIAGO, Chile, Chilean government will be unable to decide whether to accept the League of Nations mandate to join neighboring countries in seeking a settlement of the Bolivia-Paraguay dispute until at least August 5—The group, publicly advised all ministers and church officials who eithgr oppose Hitlerism or are neutral to resign without official pressure. The Nazis seem determined to have complete possession of Protestant | The Nazi German Christians, seek- { ing unification of German Protestant | churches, with control by the state, won a decisive victory in the church elections July 23, when 400 church elders and members of governing boards were chosen. These in turn were to select provincial synods, which were to elect a national synod. A| reichsbishop will be named by the na- tional body. The former Protestant church offi- clals had spurned the Nazis by elect- ing Dr. Fredrich von Bodelschwingh as reichsbishop. The Nazis refused to accept the verdict and campaigned until Dr. von Bodelschwingh resigned. Then they agreed to elections under a 'SLAYING 2 BABIES ' CHARGED TO PARENTS B. East- , did not | saying he needed the money to care for his family, The League’s mandate is unclear and indecisive from a Chilean viewpoint and is believed too unsatisfactory to permit peace negotiations unless Argen:ina, Brazil and Peru approve the woraing. The League Council decided this week to turn over the problem to these four countries in line with the wishes of the conflicting nations. The other three countries have not yet communicated with Chile, and it was pointed out that considerable cabling among the capitals will be nec- essary in an effort to learn the various viewpoints. ‘The Chilean view is that the League mandate fails fully to authorize the ABC powers intervention because the word- ing apparently keeps a string tied to the mandate, allowing the League to step in if it desires later. e BLAST COSTS 4 LIVES Fireworks Plant in Idaho Scene of Tragedy—Cause Unknown. IDAHO FALLS, Idaho, August 5 (®). —Three persons were killed and another was burned fatally in a series of ex- plosions in the fabricating plant of the Intermountain Fireworks Co. here late today. The cause of the blast was not ascertained. The dead: Roland Williams, pro- prietor of the factory; Alfred Blaser, 26, an employe; Lucille Williams, 15, niece of the proprietor. and Thomas Williams, who died several hours later. Thomas Williams, 12, son of the owner, was blown clear of the building by the first explesion and was taken to a hospital here, suffering from first de- gree burns. The first explosion occurred at 4:15 pm. and the others followed in rapid order, enveloping the fabricating plant in flames which soon destroyed it. R S EXTORTION IS CHARGED Santa Monica Man Accused of At- tempting to Frighten Banker. SANTA MONICA, Calif, August 5 (#).—Theodore Lacey, 27, was arrested today by postal authorities on a charge of attempting to extort $1,000 from Prank Gillelen, trust company official, under threats of harming him and members of his family. C. D. Lowe, postal inspector, said Lacey was arrested when he stepped into Gillelen’s motor car, where the trust company officer had left $1,000 in currency. Lowe said Lacey confessed, compromise plan to settle the issue. WHEAT FLUCTUATIONS BRING PRICE PROBE Drastic Shifts in Values Cause In- By the Associated Press. gation into wheat price fluctuations covering the period from June 15 to July 31 when prices advanced 45 cents in fiver days only to fall 30 cents in two days, was ordered today by Board of Trade officials at the request of the Federal Department of Agriculture. Tracer quiry by Chicago Board of Trade at U. S. Request. CHICAGO, August 5.—An investi- All members of the exchange clear- ing house were directed in an order from the board’s assistant secretary, William B. Bosworth, to furnish the local office of the Grain Futures Ad- ministral vising the grain exchange, details of every speculative account revealing a trading position of more than 200,000 bushels. tion, Government agency super- Peter B. Carey, president of the Board of Trade, in a statement, said the request was made for the informa- tion by Secretary of Agriculture Henry A. Wallace. Tremendous operations in wheat by Edward A. Crawford, later suspended by the Chicago Board of Trade for inability to meet obligations, are cov- ered in La Salle Street gossip credited Craw- ford with ownership of contracts for delivery of bushels of wheat. the period of the investigation. upward of 30,000,000 e FOUR GUARDS INJURED Bullet Explodes During Practice at Newport News. NEWPORT NEWS, Va., August 5 (P). —Lieut. Clifton Jett, Battery A; Sergt. Raymond Bell, Sergt. Watson and Pvt. Mattia, Battery E., 260th Coast Artillery Regiment, National Guard, are recoyer- ing in the Fort Monroe Post Hospital from injuries suffered last night when a tracer bullet exploded during machine gun practice.- Lieut. Jett was hit in two_places in the back, Bell in both legs, Watson in the neck and Maitia the shoulder. Their_injurles, while hl. Teganded as serious, are not ey STAR, .WASHINGTON WORST MILK RIOT Start and Finish of Attempted Stratosphere Hop LEAVES 28 HURT Hand-to-Hand Fighting Sends Eight New York Officers to Hospital. By the Assoclated Press. UTICA, N. Y., August 5.—Hand-to- hand fighting between troopers and strikers in a nearly State-wide milk holiday today sent eight members of the State constabulary to hospitals, one man so badly hurt he may die, and re- sulted in undetermined injuries of a score of strikers. It was the fifth day of the strike and the most violent. The flercest clash was at Oriskany, scene of a revolutionary battle, while another spirited outbreak came at Ver- non and a third near Rochester. In a fourth, in Madison County, a deputy sheri.T was beaten. The casualiy list: Trooper George Marshall, struck on the head, scalp cut and suffering from a hemorrhage of the brain, feared dying; Capt. Stephen McGrath, commander of Troop D, Onelil Barracks, lacerations of the scalp{ Sergt. F. H. Lyman, scalp injury; Sergt. J. W. Devans, arm hurt by blow with a club; Trooper George Lewis, pos- sible fracture of the skull; Trooper Carl wilkinson, minor hurts; Sergt. Harold Kemp, cut on forchead; Corpl. George Coburn. teeth knocked out by blow from a club; Deputy Sheriff Niles Camp, body bruises. Hero of Terror Sunday. McGrath is known throughout the State as the hero of the “Terror Sun- day” riot of July, 1929, at Auburn Prison, which he broke up by hurling tear gas over & barricade into the midst of prisoners. In each case of disturbance the troopers were escorting milk trucks to dairy plants. At Oriskany 150 strikers hurled stones, swung clubs and swamp- ed over the convoyers. There were three definite onslaughts, said an eye- witness account. All except Corpl. Coburn, Sergt. Kemp and the deputy sheriff were injured in that encounter. Coburn, who com- manded five other troopers, was struck while trying to persuade 150 pickets at Vernon to let the trucks go through. | Sergt. Kemp was struck with an axe in a battle outside Rochester. Conflicting reports on the amount of milk being received at key dairy sta- tions were given, but a composite pic- ture of this data showed the supply greatly decreased. Investigation Requested. Meanwhile, in. the hands of the Legislature was Gov. Herbert H. Leh- man’s request for an investigation into’| the operations of the State Milk Con- trol Board, which has been charged by the belligerent farmers with lack of sympathy for the producers and with favoring the distributors. The pro- ducers say they are entitled to more of the consumer’s dollar than they get under the board’s milk classified price plan. They want a blanket price for all milk. * Strike leaders in general ridiculed the charge of the Agricultural Advisory Commission, voiced to Gov. Lehman, that Communists were behind the scenes of the disturbances. “This strike is backed by producers of all nationalities, and as for the statement that it is backed by Com- munists, it is not true” said a state- ment of Felix Piseck, leader at New- port. “The Milk Control Board is en- deavoring to make Communists of us, but we are peaceful, law-abiding citi= zens and intend to remain so.” DEPUTIES ARE AUTHORIZED. Lehman Wants All Sworn That Are Found Necessary. ALBANY, N. Y., August 5 (#).—Gov. Lehman today notified the sheriffs of Oneida, Herkimer and Madison Coun- ties to swear in as many deputies as necessary to restore order in their milk strike-torn areas. His action followed a meeting with a delegation of milk producers from these counties. Husband Didn't Like Boys and They Were Fretful, Wife Tells Ohio Police. By the Assoclated Press. JEFFERSON, Ohio, August 5.—Affi- davits charging murder to a young farm wife and her 55-year-old husband were prepared today after the woman had glibly told Sheriff C. H. Blanche that she had killed her two infant sons within the last year and a half. The mother said she was led to com- mit the crimes because her husband complained of the fretting of the chil- dren and because he did not like “boy babies.” The strange tale was unfolded after a_physician discovered that 4-months- old Mertis Fleming, jr., had died yes- terday afternoon of strangulation at the home of his parents. ‘The mother, Mrs. Aleeta Fleming, 28, and the father, Mertis Fleming, live near West Andover in Ashtabula County. ‘Without display of emotion, the wom- an told Sheriff Blanche she had choked Mertis, jr, to death with the belt of her dress. Then she admitted she gave poison to another son, Louis, also 4 months old, in February, 1932. The child died immediately, she said. Mrs. Fleming said her husband gave all his affection to their 3-year-old daughter, Beatrice, -~— RITES SET TOMORROW FOR CAPITAL WOMAN Mrs. Samuel Stevenus, 84, to Be Buried at Fort Lincoln Ceme- tery After Home Funeral Funeral services for Mrs. Samuel Stevens, 84, who died at her residence, 218 Tennessee avenue northeast, early yesterday, will be held tomorrow at 11 am. from the house, with interment following at Fort Lincoln Cemetery. A resident of Washington for the past 45 years, Mrs. Stevens was born at ‘Waterford, Ontario, Canada, and spent gxe early years of her life at Newark, hio. She is survived by her husband, four sons, Arthur, Leonard and Homer Stevens of this city, and Clifford Stevens of Pittsburgh, Pa., and two daughters, Mrs. Noble Thomas of this city and Mrs. Irbe Wood of Pittsburgh. KIDNAP NOTE JAILS PAIR Man and Wife Held for Mails Mis- use in Luer Case. ALTON, IIl, Au 5 (P).—Charles Chessen, 51-year-old real estate oper- ator and former saloon proprietor, and his wife, Lillian, were charged today with using the mails for attempted ex- tortion in the kidnaping of August Luer, D. C, AUGUST 6, 1933—PART—ONE. SETTLE UNDISCOURAGED, IS READY FOR ANOTHER STRATOSPHERE FLIGHT (Continued From First Page.) had gathered at Soldier Field to wit- | ness_the ceremonies of the ascent aid not know what had happened. Straight up to an altitude of 5,000 feet the giant envelope rose, then lev- eled off and wafteg over the downtown section Then, the searchlight beams that fol- lowed the balloon along the ceiling of | the sky, began to lower. The big bag seemed to wilt and a nebula of vapor appeared over it. It skimmed over several tall buildings, just missing them. A murmur of appre- hension ran through the watchers. When the smoky pall over the city threw a screen over the rapidly falling balloon, the exodus from Soldier Field | to the general direction in which it had | dropped began. Meanwhile, in the gondola of the balloon—. Comdr. Settle dropped sandbags, made frantic efforts to close the faulty valve through which the hydrogen es- caped. Failing, he at last checked the velocity of nis fall and came to a bumping, rasping landing in the yards| of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad. Keep Spectators in Check. A hastily mustered cordon of police | and naval men kept spectators away | while raflroad laborers rolled up the | deflated bag and loaded it and the gondola on a flat car. The equipment later was stored in a nearby warehouse. Comdr. Settle’s premature descent, putting a temporary crimp in his hopes for an altitude record and science's wishes to learn something more con- cerning the nature of the emanations | known as cosmic rays, was nevertheless miraculous. “I was fortunate in landing on the railroad right-of-way,” he said, after explaining how the gas valve refused to snap shut after he had released suf- | ficient hydrogen for maintaining an altitude of 5,000 feet. “I was unable to guide the balloon very much in its descent.” ‘The railroad yards are a relatively tiny open patch in Chicago's forest of tall buildings. SUSPECT IN BANK KIDNAPING SEIZED Fugitive Held at San Antonio Faces Quiz on Abduction of Atlanta Financial Leader. B the Associated Press. SAN ANTONIO, Tex., August 5— ‘William R. Delinski, 29, wanted for the kidnaping of John K. Otley, sr., Atlanta, Ga., bank president, was arrested here today. He readily admitted his identity. Although San Antonio peace officers had kept a close lookout for Delinski since he was reported due here August | 2, his capture came through chance. G. Parker, a Department of Justice agent, and Master Sergt..S. J. Maloukis ‘were making their way along a crowded street in the heart of the downtown business district when they came face to face with him. They seized him simultaneously. The fugitive had been living at char- itable institutions since he arrived two or three days ago, it was said. FORD PLANT RETURNS TO FORTY-HOUR WEEK Recovery Act, However, Still Seen as Threatening Unionization of All Industry. By the Associated Press. DETROIT, August 5—The Ford Mo- tor Co. today announced its return to the 5-day, 40-hour week, but at the same time word came from persons close to Henry Ford that he still views the national recovery act, to which he has not subscribed, as threatening unionization of all industry. Retention “of the traditional “open shop” policy of the automobile indus- try was understood to be the major ob- stacle that delayed the final agreement of the automobile industry upon a code. Agreement upon a 35-hour work week and a minimum wage of from 40 to 43 cents an hour was reached only after Gen. Hugh S. Johnson had made a fly- ing trip here from Washington to con- fer with members of the National Auto- mobile Chamber of Commerce. Ford is not a member of the chamber and did not participate in the agree- ment. 3,000 TO GET RAISE 20 Per Cent Pay Increase Promised Clothing Force. LOS ANGELES, August 5 (#).—J. C. , president of the Clothing Manufacturers’ Association of Califor- nia, announced today that more than 3,000 employes in this area will receive average pay increases of 20 per cent, effective’ Monday. The increases will set a wage sched- ule averaging 85 cents an hour for 3 35-hour week. Within the next 90 days, ditional Alton bank president and meat packer.| Willard The charges are based on the of a ransom note from East St. Louis while Luer was held captive. Five other persons are held on warrants the ssme charge, —A. P. Photos. VIRGINIA MASONIC LEADER SUCCUMBS Dr. Frank McFaden Was First Clergyman to Serve as Grand Master. Speclal Dispatch to The Star. WINCHESTER, Va, August 5—A sudden heart attack late today claimed the iife of Rev. Dr. Frank T. McFaden, 69, pastor of Loudoun Street Presby- terian Church here and the first min- ister to become grand master of the Virginia Grand Lodge of Masons. ' His death occurred at an Abingdon, Va., hospital, where he was taken yesterday after complaining that he was not feel- ing well. Rev. Dr. McFaden was believed well on the road to recovery from an ap- pendicitis operation which he under- went at a Winchester hospital on June 19. He had only gone to Abingdon early this week for a complete rest, be- fore actively resuming his work here. Rev. Dr. McFaden was born at Salis- bury, Md., but in early youth his family moved to Harpers Ferry, W. Va.,, where he was reared. There he attended pri- vate schools and subsequently enrolled at Hampden-Sidney College, at Hamp- den-Sidney, Va. After graduation from Hampden-Sidney, he entere¢ Union Theological Seminary, Richmond, from which he graduated. He served in pastorates at~Marion, Lynchburg and Richmond until 1920, when he was elected president of the Presbyterian General Assembly Train- ing School at Richmond. - In 1923, he accepted a call fo Lou- doun Street Presbyterian Church in Winchester, which charge he actively held up to his last iliness. In 1926 Rev. Dr. McFaden received mention in the press.throughout the country when he refused a raise in sal- ary which was voluntarily offered him by Loudoun Street Church. After he refused the pay increase, the congre- gllluon presented him with an automo- e. In 1907, Rev. Dr. McFaden was elected right eminent grand command- er of the Virginia Grand Commandery, Knights Templar, serving for one year. At the time of his death he was grand high priest of the Grand Commandery. In 1930 he became the first member Ser' ot theVirginia. Grand Lodge of ! e rane of Masons, ST R ATHLETES LOSE JOBS NEUNKIRCHEN, Saar Territory, Au- gust 5 (#).-—Newspapers published com- plaints today saying the French min- ing administration discharged all em- loyes who participated in the recent ternational sports meeting at Stutt- gart, Germany. Saar, formerly part of Germany, now is under the League of Nations rule, and a plebiscite is to be held in 1935 to de- cide whether it reverts to Germany or becomes part of France. Memorial Plate At Buffalo Bill’s Grave Is Stolen SEVEN DROWNINGS REPORTED IN GALE Heavy Blow and Wind Sweeps Mexico—Texas Losses Exceed Million. By the Associated Press. MEXICO, D. F, August 5.—Seven| persons were reported drowned today at | Monterey, Mexico, in floods following | a tropical hurricane carrying torrential | rains. ‘Thousands were rendered homeless. More than a quarter of the city was isolated or under water tonight. Three hundred homes in one lowland quarter were leveled by the almost un- precedented floods. Residents fled to higher ground. The large Santa Catarina River, which in 1909 drowned hundreds of citi- zens, was straining its levees and some of the better-class residences were threatened. The Colonia Independencia suburb was isolated following the washing out of & bridge. Families living there were brought out by boat in scores of thrill- ing rescues. Eight persons were re- ported in bad condition from exposure. Many light, power and telephone lines were down and the streets were strewn with trees and wreckage. The rain which began at 6 p.m. yesterday con- tinued through the afternoon. Gov. Cardenas and Mayor Calles called out all city and state facilities for rescue and relief of affected inhab- TEXAS LOSSES HEAVY. Fruit and Cotton Crops Suffer in Storm; One Is Killed. BROWNSVILLE, Tex., August 5 (). —The Lower Rio Grande Valley tonight counted the cost of an 80-mile-an-hour tropical hurricane at one dead, one in- jured and property damage estimated at $1,500,000. John J. Fountain, living about 12 miles from Brownsville, was killed when the terrific wind crushed his barn late Friday. Mrs. Frank Kibbe of Browns- ville suffered an arm fracture when she was blown down while trying to cross a Citrus growers were the heaviest losers. Officials of the Valley Citrus Growers’ Exchange estimated the wind blew down 8 per cent of the crop over a wide area. They set this loss at ap- proximately $1,000,000. Cotton growers estimated their loss at_about $250,000. Damage to buildings in Brownsville and Point Isabel, which bore the brunt of the storm, will run around $250,000. The wind was believed late today to CODE TO INTENSIFY STREET CAR LOSSES Traction Companies to Sign. . Pact on Hours and Wages. Costs Up $700,000. (Continued From First Page.) cars to work. But that is merely & hope. Trainmen on the traction lines—the conductors ' and motormen—are now averaging a 54-hour week. The maxi- mum pay per hour is 51 cents, but the average runs a little lower, since some of these platform men do not have a full 54-hour schedule. The wage scale under the industrial code, however, would be based on the 54-hour schedule. Labor Cost Two Millions. The labor cost to the Capital Trac- tion last year amounted to $1.235,000. For Washington Railway & Electric it was $1,049,000. ‘The Washington traction companies will go in on the national code to be worked out by street railway executives in all parts of the count ‘This code has not yet been completed, and details are lacking, but it is reported that the companies will seek a 48 instead of a 40 hour week. In the meantime the only taxicab group in Washington known to be plan- ning to adopt a code is the Diamond’s independents, who own their own cabs but are affiliated in a protective or- | ganization called the Independent Taxi Owners’ Association. The great mass of cabs, however, operated by men who rent tnem by the day, are not expected to go on a code. There is nothing in the Recov- ery Administration’s blanket code to affect them, it was said, since the driv- ers are working for no one but them- selves. Drivers Work 80 Hours. On the other hand, a 40-hour week code would just about ruin these cab drivers. Most of them are now merely eeking out an existence, working op an average of 80 hours a week. y Reliable statistics, compiled by utility experts who made a comprehensive analysis of Washington’s distressed taxicab industry, show that the aver- age driver, is earning about 27 cents an hour—15 cents constituting the fee 2nd 12 cents the tips. This is the gross income. Out of it must be paid the rental fee on the cab, which ranges from $1.50 to §3 for 12 hours, depend- ing on the service furnished by the firm which rents the vehicle. For $3 the driver gets gasoline, oil and repairs free. The man who rents & $1.50 cab must furnish his own fuel and pay for repairs. In spite of the very meager income, the cabs have flourished in Washing- ton. Estimates show there was_an average of 3.854 operating in the Dis- trict throughout 1932, and that they took in about $8,000,000 in revenue, & major portion of which formerly went into the coffers of the street car com- panies. In other words, the money which went to the taxi drivers amounted to more than one-half of the public transportation revnue, although the business is being carried on at a los, | if figured on a basis of wages to drivers Upper: View of the Settle stratosphere balloon at Soldier PField, in Chi-| cago, yesterday a few minutes before it soared aloft, only to crash in a railroad yard. Lieut. Comdr. T. G. W. Settle escaped unhurt. Lower: Settle pictured beside his wrecked balloon after a faulty valve caused | him to descend a few minutes after he took off. and protection to patrons comparable with that paid by the mass transporta- tion carriers. Depression Big Factor. ‘The present taxicab situation is due, in a large way to the general depression and the willingness of the drivers to work for so little pay as an alternative to no work and no pay. This condi- tion has been encouraged by the plan of association managers in renting, or selling cars to drivers on a daily pay- ment basis, under which the operator pays for the whole vehicle in about a year or less. Public utility officials, however, feel that the industrial recovery program may automatically sclve the taxicab problem, as many of the men, now driv- cabs on a starvation income, will return to their former flelds of em- ployment as jobs open up as a result of application of the industrial codes. The Diamond drivers, who constitute the largeit organized group, have in- dicated, by their move to come undcr the industrial code, a determination to stick In the business. A 40-hour week will trim their incomes substantially, but, it is said, they expect a materiai increase in business under the “Bluz Eagle” to make up the losses from a shorter work day. Like the traction companies, the Diamonds will deperd on patriotic support, hoping to get some of the business now geing to other in- dependent operators who do not come under the code. Increased fares may be adopted, but that question now is too far in the background to provoke any comment from taxi operators. The 20-cent 10 rates, it was said, will be continued until it is definitely learned whether the diivers can make a living wage on a 40-hour week schedule. In this respect the taxi operators have taken the same position as the car companies. Even though expenses will mount under the code, the traction companies realize that Washington will not take to a higher fare without im- proved service, and this will not come until consummation of the merger. FLAMES MENACE STORES Nashville Businegs District Threat- ened by Raging Blaze. NASHVILLE, Tenn., August 5 (#).— Fire which started in the department store of Sol Frankland & Son tonight threatened a block of stores in the heart of Nashville’s business district. All lights were out for several blocks as wires were burned, and telephone service in the district was disrupted. Thousands of persons milled in the streets nearby, as police fought to keep them out of the way of firemen and to protect them from fallen wires. Safe Driving Hint be blowing itself out south of the Mexi- can border. Fear for the safety of some 100 per- sons who were marooned on Brazos Island by the storm proved groundless when A. B. Cole, who was one of a m of six that spent the night on a on the island, made his way ta the mainland by way of a_life line stretched by soldiers of Fort Brown. Cole said no lives were lost, but that buil were damaged. Cole’s huddled on the knoll after their ouse had been leveled by the gale. Coast Guards sent one boat to take oft those on the island, but the water ‘was so turbulent they expected the res- cye be slow. Seminary Head Dies. CAZENOVIA, N. Y., August — president of Cazenovia Seminary of the|™ Methodist Ep! Church, died sud- denly today at his home after a heart attack. had been president of the years. He came here frora s Syracuse, Quit Your Skidding! There is no more helpless sen- sation than the one you get when your car goes lnbota skid on a slippery pavement. Many a driver has skidded right into the hospital or the graveyard. To get out of a skid release the brakes, if you have applied them, and turn the front wheels in the direction in which the rear wheels are sliding. ~And be mighty quick about it! . To prevent skidding, don’t ap- ply the brakes with strong con- tinuous pressure, but slow down the car gradually by alternately lying and releasing the brakes until you have killed most of the momentum. Good tires with unworn treads will help a great deal to prevent skidding. So will good chains. ‘These should always be put on both rear wheels—never on one " National Safety Couneh.