Evening Star Newspaper, November 27, 1934, Page 2

A2 =« ETERANS FACING HARD BONUS FIGHT Administration Spending Wave in Recession for Economy. BY DAVID LAWRENCE, The World War veterans seem to be playing in poor luck. Had they asked for and insisted on their bonus during the last session of Congress, they might have gotten it. Today the administration is tending to become economical again, just as it was about two years ago when the national economy act was drafted. The spending wave Is in recession now. A year ago it was on the rise. An overwhelming number of mem- bers of Congress will vote for some kind of bonus bill. The administra- tion is prepared for this and will ask that Congress find the sources of revenue. President Roosevelt will try, of course, to keep the bonus measure from becoming a source of friction between him and Congress as did the bill on veterans' expenses last year. But it is generally recognized around here that some formula will have to be found to keep the bonus measure from being adopted over a presidential veto. Search for Compromise, The search now is for a compro- mise plan. The idea of forgiving the interest on existing loans is con- sidered in some quarters and will be widely supported. Another plan is to give the soldiers the cash value of their policies as of this year. This would not cost the Government much, but would hardly satisfy the veterans. Still a third idea is to strike a lump sum and pay it in three or four an- nual installments, The problem is complicated because, strictly speaking, the Government pledged a certain amount on the face value of the bonus certificates and at the same time promised the sum that would be accumulated by compound interest to the year 1945. This is why critics of the so-called bonus say the total sum is not due and should not be paid until it has actually ac- cumulated. Most of the veterans, however, never did consider the face value as the amount owed them, but the principal plus interest, so when they want pay- ment now, they want the full sum. It is on this basis that a compromise by agreeing on a flat sum may yet be reached. Certainly the payment of a bonus today will do many veterans more good than a decade hence. Three Objections Made. The usual objections to payment now are, first, that the money isn't due; second, that the Government cannot afford it, and, third, that if the bonus is paid in full, the veterans will be back for pensions in a few years anyhow. These criticisms are being answered thus: First, that the money is owed and that it is not unusual for a debtor and creditor to agree on anticipating full payment, either by a discount or some other reduction; second, that the Governmexnt has been paying out vast sums and borrowing for non- liquidating projects and all sorts of schemes that are not half as impor- tant as giving individuals 2 little capi- tal they might use to pay debts or get started on a better financial road; and, third, that the veterans will be asking for pensions in due time whether or not they get paid their bonus mone; It is going to be difficult for the a ministration to raise the cry of “bal- ancing the budget” because it has as- sured the pleaders for budget-bal- ancing that it cannot balance the budget for somestime to come. The only argument the administration can use is that many of the reciplents do not need the money and that a dis- tribution to the needy alone is not favored by the veterans’ organizations themselves. Veterans’ Influence Great. The bonus question has been up again and again since the World War in one form or another, and it is never settled because the political influence of the veterans is so powerful that only the Executive vetoe has stood in the way of full payment. And no matter how popular the President is there is little chance that his party will sustain him on a matter which is so closely related to the re-election or renomination of individual mem- bers of Congress. Democratic leaders sense this tide and are trying to meet it with a con- structive plan. Their strategy will be to ward off a vote as long as possible, keeping bonus bills in committee till the end of the session, and then striving to make a settlement that will at least divide the bonus strength in Congress. If economy becomes the watchword in the next session, as it did two sessions ago, with & national psychology tuned to that note, the veterans will be disappointed in the outcome of their efforts to get full payment of the bonus. And it begins to look as if the administration is go- ing economical again. (Copright. 1034 PHONE AGREEMENT IS SOUGHT AGAIN Second Effort to Reach Accord in Reducing Rates to Be Made. A second effort to arrive at an agreement on reducing telephone bills was to be made today by the Public Utilities Commission and officials of the Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone Co. The company is expected to bring in a second set of reduced telephone rates and ask for the commission’s approval. The first set was definitely turned down by the commission only last Thursday. Subscribers of the company are anxiously watching the present negotiations in the hope of receiving a return of approximately $1,000,000 in cash impounded since October, 1932, when the commission ordered telephone bills cut 10 per cent. Since that time, the commission and the company have been in liti- gation over the reduction order. The commission won in the District Su- preme Court and the company ap- pealed, but more than a month ago offered to withdraw its appeal if a set of new schedules could be arrived at. There is no contest as to the return of the $1,000,000 for past excess charges. The difficulty in the nego- tiations has been to agree on a set of rates for the future. The commis- sion is insisting on rates which will effect a horizontal 10 per cent slash on all bills except those for private branch exchange service. The rates submitted by the company in its first effort have never been made public, but it is understood that they did not adhere closely enough to the horizontal 10 per cent cut. What’s What Behind News In Capital Even a New Dealer Ad- mits the Defect of a One-Man Show. BY PAUL MALLO! One o7 Mr. Roosevelt's best {riends broke down and confessed off the record recently that the main thing wrong with the New Deal was the New Dealer. Being one of them, he spoke with authority and his words dug deep: “More and more every day this is getting to be a one-man show, not because the President wants it to be, but because so few men around him have the vision and capacity to take the load from him. It is singular, after all the big work done so far, that so few New Dealers have dis- tinguished themselves doing it. “Every one knows that the Presi- dent has had to rely mainly on a few trusted old friends, college pro= fessors and Army officers. He has practically exehausted those fields and the results could hardly be called sensational. If the New Deal fails it will not be because the policies were bad, but because they were badly administered.” Jittery Over Raids. The New Dealers have shied away from talking about the bucket shop raids because the New York, Boston and Baltimore raids involved under- cover tactics. The fact is that the raiding squad has adopted a flying wedge technique which is the latest accomplishment of New Deal reform activity. The squad is led by Big Tim Calla- han, former all-American center at Yale, who knows foot ball philosophy. When citizens complain of being gyped by a bucket shop, the S. E. C. turns the complaints over to Callahan. He descends on the brokerage house just before closing, locks the doors, closes the telephone line and estab- lishes himself in the largest chair as a magistrate. No word or person goes in or out until Mr. Callahan has taken the testimony of all and looked over the records. In Baltimore he kept a brokerage house locked all night. The idea is to avoid all habeas cor- pus lawyers until Mr. Callahan makes a touchdown. In Error Regarding Green. This column was wrong in describ- ing November 22 a particular letter, written by A. F. of L. Chairman Green to the White House, submit- ting a list of demands. What hap- pened was that Mr. Green wrote three letters, November 5, to the White House, submitting the demands of the A. P. of L. convention—not his own. In these letters he did not ask for an appointment with the Presi- dent. Ten days after Mr. Green wrote his letters he received three routine responses from the President's assistant secretary. These stated the A. F. of L. resolutions had been referred to various departments. That clears up the correspondence angle, but does not alter the pe- culiar underlying situation eristing between the White House and the A. F. of L., as described in that column, An eflort to clear up the situation may be made when Mr. Roosevelt returns from Warm Springs. Cutting May Be Counted Out. H ‘The word has gone around on the inside that the Republican New Mex- ican Senator, Bronson Cutting, is go- ing to be counted out in the Senate. That is why you saw Senator Nor- ris say the other day that his friend, Mr. Roosevelt, made a mistake in opposing Cutting and Farmer-Labor- ite Senator Shipstead. Norris got wind of what is afoot, and is trying to get the President to stop it. Cutting’s Democratic opponent, Chavez, really believes he can make out a case in two counties. Also he will make some charges about hiring automobile workers on election day in certain sections. When an election is as close as that onme it is a simple matter for the preponderantly heavy Demo- cratic Senate majority to resolve all doubts in favor of the Demo- crats. That was demonstrated only a few years ago in the Brookhart case. All the Democrats will have to do is to find a legal pretext for cancelling @ few thousand Cutting votes. Any four-cylinder lawyer can arrange it without dificulty. ‘The latest is that the Vice President (you may recall his name is Garner) is not going to Warm Springs, but will come directly to Washington around December 10. It looks as if he is not in an extra big hurry to get into the speakership argument or the bonus compromise. Secret Service Assistant Murphy permitted news men to inspect the | counterfeit $100 bills recently seized, | but carefully counted them afterward |to see that none was missing. Strangely, none was, ‘The leading F. D. I. C. Economist Fox is a neohew of Treasury Secre- tary Morgenthau. Some time back he tried to get Morgenthau to give him a job. Morgenthau declined because he did not want to be accused of nepotism. So Fox got his job from F. D. I. C. Chairman Crowley, with- out Morgenthau's help, and now he Jjust about runs the place. . ‘The American Statistical Society is secretly arranging to conduct an un- employment census, which should furnish some needed unbiased figures. The battle between Mr. Roosevelt and the public utilities interests has only begun. There will be a sharp thrust by the New Deal shortly in a quarter where it is not expected. (Copyright, 1934, by Paul Mallon.) o Buys U. S, Farm Implements. South Africa imported over $330,000 worth of American farm implements in a recent month. 4 THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, CURRENCY REFORM SPLIT 15 WIDENED Opponents of New Changes Cheered by Growing Diversity. By the Associated Press, Opponents of further currency changes took comfort today in a' growing diversity of opinion among monetary reformers in Congress. The latest to express his views was Senator Adams, Democrat, of Colo-| | rado, a silverite, who said the program | under which the Treasury is buying| silver should be speeded up. : He did not agree with Senator King, | Democrat, of Utah, who has said the present silver situation is “satisfac- | tory,” but he was less critical of the| present program than have been other | silverites who took issue with King | Among several other ideas already voiced are these: 1. Senator Wheeler, Democrat, of Montana—Free_coinage of silver at a | ratio of 16 to 1 with gold. 2. Senator Thomas, Democrat, of | Oklahoma—Further devaluation of the gold dollar. 3. Senator McCarran, Democrat, of | Nevada—Payment of all tax-exempt Federal bonds with new money backed | by the gold and silver in the Treasury. ‘Wheeler, Thomas and McCarran are in agreement, broadly speaking, on a theory of remonetizing silver through free coinage, but have not reached unanimity on the desired ratio. Although the attitude of the Roose- velt administration has not been stated, it is known to contain high cfficials who are cool to further ex-| pansion of the currency. Senator Thomas, widely known as | an expansionist, advised monetary re- | formers yesterday to adopt a “wait- | ing game"” in the first days of the| next Congress to see how economic conditions would improve as the result of what he called the recent presi- dential mandate to business men. If improvement does not occur, he | indicated. expansionists will embark | on a finish fight. During the period | of waiting. he said. “we will keep our program consistently before the coun- try.” B CROWD VT HOUSING DSLAY Administrator and Bride | Among Those Attending Formal Opening. The Washington Better Housing Exposition, designed to further |he; Government’s modernization drive here, opened last night to a packed “house” that included Federal Hous- ing Administrator James A. Moffett, his bride, and a number of District dignitaries. Administrator Moffett, making one | of his few public appearances since | taking over the housing post, ex- pressed gratification with the exposi- tion. inspected the 33 individual ex- hibits and declared “Washington | compares excellently with other cities in the modernization drive.” | The exposition will be open to the public for two weeks, in the bus center | of Washington on Pennsylvania ave- | nue between Sixth and Seventh | streets. Tonight four of the Capital's large business groups will be guests | of honor. These include delegations | from the Washington Real Estate | Board. the local chapter of the Amer- ican Institute of Architects, the Dis- trict Bankers’ Association and the District Bar Association. Rooms Gayly Decorated. | ‘The exhibition rooms were gayly decorated with flowers for the opening. ' while most of the 10,000 square feet of space in the bus center was taken | up with the exhibits. These included nearly every type of material and | equipment used in home improvement | and repair. A booth that attracted | particular attention was that of the| | Columbia Polytechnic Institute for the | Blind, in which was shown varjous | articles of home craft manufactured by the blind. Visitors were shown model bath rooms and kitchens, which included | both gas and electric fixtures. The ! sponsors of rock wool 1n=u1almn! showed two cottages heaped with imi- tation snow. and presented a ther- | mometer which indicated an insulated house was six degrees warmer than the other. The telephone company exhibited a giant French phone. There were a number of “before” firm fitted out “what grandmother called home, sweet home” with drab walls, an old-fashioned ice box. an- cient coal stove arid other home equip- ment considered out of date. Changing Styles Pictured. ‘Washington architects posted pic- tures in the exhibit hall showing how styles in homes change and develop. There were booths providing informa- tion about modernization and the “modernization” loans sponsored by F. H. A, which were set up by bankers, architects, building and loan institutions and the housing adminis- tration. A feature of the opening was a | concert by the District National Guard Band, from a stand across the evenue | from the exposition building. Admission to the show is free. It will be open each week day fram 2 to 5 p.m., and from 7 to 9:30 p.m,, until | Saturday, December 8. The show will be closed Thanksgiving day and next Sunday. It is planned to set aside | tomorrow night as American Legion night. The exposition is directed by A. L. ! Stern, and sponsored by the Wash- ington Better Housing Campaign, of which Thomas F. Littlepage is chair- man. _— Alleged Prince Arrested. LISBON, November 27 (#).—A man who called himself Prince Alexander Romanoff of the Russian imperial | family and who said he had lived for | many years in Chicago, where he was | well known as a wine merchant, was | arrested today because he was without documents, Thopping G AT CRIME PARLEY At Least Four State Execu- tives Accept Cummings’ Bid to Meeting. By the Associated Press. At least four Governors will attend Attorney General Cummings’ Anti- Crime Conference here December 10 to 13. The Governors, numbered among the 200 who have responded to Cum- mings’ invitation to give their views on the crime situation, are Conner of Mississippi, Blackwood of South Caro- lina, Peery of Virginia and Kump of West Virginia. Lloyd E. Thompson, counsel for Samuel Insull, Chicago utilities exec- utive, who was freed last Saturday on a mail fraud charge, is listed as a delegate from the American Bar Association. Baker to Attend. Newton D. Baker, Secretary of War in the Wilson administration, will represent the American Judicature Society. Francis B. Sayre, Assistant Secre- tary of State and a professor of the Law School at Harvard University, will appear on behalf of the Association of American Law Schools. Dr. Glenn Frank, president of the University of Wisconsin, and Dr. Rob- ert M. Hutchins, president of the University of Chicago, are listed as | delegates from the National Education Association of the United States. Mayor Edward J. Kelly of Chicago is also to be present. Eugene Meyer of the Washington Post. Grafton Wilcox, managing editor of the New York Herald-Tribune, and Paul Bellamy, editor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, will represent the Ameri- can Society of Newspaper Editors, Publishers to Be Represented, ‘The American Newspaper Publish- ers’ Association will be represented by Fleming Newbold of Star and Clark “Howell, jr, of the Atlanta Constitution. The Associated Press will be repre- sented by Byron Price, chief of the Washington bureau; the United Pres by Lyle C. Wilson and the Interna- tional News Service by George R. Holmes, Others who will attend James E. West. head of the Boy Scouts of America; Albert J. Harno, dean of the College of Law, University | of Illinois; George Clark, dean of Yale University Law School, and Peter J. Siccardi of Hackensack, N J. sociation of Chiefs of Police. ALCOHOL TAX UNIT 10BS ARE HELD UP UNTIL JANUARY ___(Continued From First Page.) |order in which those qualified were I ranked on the register. Serve-Without-Pay Proposal. Meanwhile, Gen. Samuel T. Ansell, former judge advocate general of the Army, who is representing the soon- to-be-ousted employes, said today that he was considering having them write letters to the Secretary of the Treasury offering to remain in the service without pay until Congress has a chance to act on their case. Gen. Ansell contends that the Fed- eral statute which prohibits volun- teer employment sans payment is not applicable to these workers. tends that their positions and pay were fixed by general law and that Congress in cutting off appropriations for all who did not qualify by the recent examinations could not affect their right to their jobs. He pointed out, as a similar case, that if Con- gress should withhold the pay of | judges of the Supreme Court that body would continue to function. He plans to emphasize this point when the permanent injunction with which he is seeking to restrain Secretary Morgenthau from dismissing the 900 | workers comes up for final action This was one of the points that counsel contended for yesterday in an unsuccessful effort to obtain a tempo- rary injunction to stay operation of the law. trict Supreme Court held he was with- out power to intervene, however. The injunction proceedings will come up finally within the next two weeks, the Treasury having the alter- native of either moving to dismiss or answering the bill of complaint. Gen. Ansell said that he was con- | sidering having the workers volunteer their services in order to keep their status alive, A statement today from the Amer- ican Federation of Government Em- ployes also said that some legal action was contemplated in behalf of the and “after” home scenes. An electric | workers but did not specify its nature. | City Wants Air Race. Adelaide, Australia, wants a Lon- don-Adelaide air race during its cen- tennial exhibition in 1936. The Washington | include | president of the International As- | He con- | Chief Justice Wheat of Dis- | D. C., soon to see here in Washington. | Editor's note to the boys and girls of Washinglon: Yesterday The Star expedition’s big plane, flying back east with its precious cargo, the moving picture of Santa Claus Land, made a safe landing at the Northern Hudson Bay post on the banks of Frozen Strait. The plane expects to reach Minneola | aurport in Long Island Wednesday night, and the films will be rushed to Washington by srecial train to be here in time for the opening of the Metropolitan Theater on Thurs- day morning, where the movies will first be shown. Today Capt. Klein- schmidt in a radio message from | the plane tells of his flight over Canadian territory. BY CAPT. F. E. KLEINSCHMIDT. By Wircless to The Evening Star EN ROUTE TO OTTAWA. Can- ada, November 27.—"All aboard | | for Ottawa.” That was the remark I made this morning as we loaded into The Star expedition plane and pre- pared to take the air on another leg of our return trip The storm which threatened to de- ay us late yesterday veered off on an- | other course and swept the sky ciear {and bright for our-take-off. We were |lucky, for wé knew that we had to make good time this day in order to keep our schedule and arrive at Min- neola Airport tomorrow night in time to rush the movie films to Washing- | ton by special train for the opening of the Metropolitan Theater on Thanks- giving morning. The Eskimos did not want us to leave. They enjoved having us and | listening to all that we had to tell them about Santa Claus and his won- derful palace and toy factories. They were very hospitable and gave us every attention. | But the time came to leave and we had to start on. We really stayed in the little village at the north tip of Hudson Bay longer than we had ex- | pected to. But we had such a pleas- ant time, in spite of the intense cold, | that we could hardly get away. ‘We had a good take-off with the aid | of some of the Eskimo men who helped turn the plane into the wind, an | after circling the village twice while we gained altitude we headed south. We have been flying over dangerous | territory today. The ground is un- even and the ice peaks are rough and jagged. It isn't at all an inspiring sight when you are high up in the air and have only the wings and motors of your airplane on which to | depend. But the ship has worked 80| | well during the entire trip that we have great confidence in it. Mrs. Kleinschmidt is looking better than she has at any time since we | left Santa Claus at his home. The fact that we are nearing home again | after a most successful expedition, bringing with us one of the most amazing moving pictures ever made, seems to have filled her with enthusi- asm. Of course, this kind of trip is pretty strenuous, but she has stood it very well. “Just think what we are bringing back for the boys and girls in Wash- ington to see,” she said to me this morning. “Won't they be thrilled! | And wasn't it worth all the risk and | danger of this trip. I don't think a | single needy child in Washington is Life’s Like That BY FRED NEHER. (Copyright, 1934.) TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 1934. Star Expedition Plane Flys Over Canada Homeward Bound \Party Due in Minneola Airport Tomor- row—Films Will Be Rushed to Washington by Train., ALL D. C. POOR CHILDREN TO GET NEW TOYS FROM CHRISTMAS MATINEES. On December 15 The Star and Warner Bros." Theaters will hold their fourth annual Christmas toy matinees, to make sure that every needy child in Washington will receive a new Christmas gift. Last year 30,000 new toys and gifts for Washington's poor chil- dren were brought to the 12 theaters where the toy matinees were held. These were distrib- uted to the needy by the Christ- mas Planning Committee of the Council of Social Agencies. This vear it is The Star's hope that the number of new toy contribu- tions will be greatly increased | | and that all children in the Dis- | | trict of Columbia will be made happy in tne knowledge that %anm Claus will not pass them y. B For when folks sce this picture we are bringing back, they will realize what a big job Santa has on his | hands and how much help he needs | from all of us in order to fulfill his | greatest desire—to reach every child at Christmas time. whether rich or poor. I am sure that the good people of Washingten will help him in his work of bringing happiness to all.” Mrs. Kleinschmidt. always on the lockout for something new, asked me today to teach her to pilot the plane. She says that it is such an easy way to travel. I gave her a short lesson this morning and she seemed to catch on right away. The ship has double controls so I really wasn't | taking any chance. If she had made the tiniest mistake I could have cor- rected it at once. That is one thing you have to watch when you are piloting an airplane—you can't just sit and snooze or look at the moon. There are a great many instruments to keep an eye on, the course has to be maintained and the ship has to be kept level. Of course, some of these things become almost automatic after while but at first you have to think bout nothing but the job you have | before you. | From the way Mrs. Kleinschmidt caught on to the instructions I gave her I think she will make a very good | pilot. She is level-headed, and that helps a great deal when it comes to driving an airplane. For if your head Is level, you are pretty apt to keep the plane level. We are looking forward with a great deal of interest to our arrival at Mineola Airport. That will mark the | end of our journey. and we will know then that our mission will have been completely fulfilled. It is impossible to | tell at this distance at what hour we will arrive there tomorrow—but we will be there in time to get the movies | to Washington for the opening of the show on Thursday. Mrs. Kleinschmidt is at the con- | trols, as I am sending this story. We | are speeding along at a great rate, | me today to the plane to remember | him to all his little Washington friends and to assure them that he will be with them in spirit on Thursday when | the picture arrives. And when San‘a says he will do something. it is just as good as dome. He's that kind of a fellow. (Tomorrow Capt. Kleinschmidt will send his final wireless dispatch from the plane on the way home.) ORGANIST GUILD PLANS SERIES OF 3 RECITALS The District of Columbia Chapter of the American Guild of Organists yesterday completed plans for a series of three organ recitals, the first of which will be given December 17 by Miss Charlotte Lockwood at the First Congregational Church, Tenth and G streets. The other two recitals will be played by Virgil Fox on February 19 and by Ernest White on March 18. All will be given at the First Con- gregational Church. The committee arranging for the recitals is composed of Christopher Tenley, chairman; Edith B. Athey, Stewart Dickson, Paul De Long Gable, Lyman McCrary, Katherine Rogers and Ruth F. Vanderlip. receive gifts this Christmas.” Santa Claus Editor of The Star. other awards. your letter. third prize is $5. night of Saturday, December 15. Please write on one side of in early. 0ing to be overlooked this Christmas. | | and everything is rosy. Santa radioed | GUVERNURS m S” Star Expedition Dog Team Heads for Air Base By reindeer-drawn sleighs and dog team The Star Expedition, after bidding good-by to the frozen strong- hold of Santa Claus’ palace, headed Southward over the ice for the airplane base in Eskimoland. The sleigh in the above picture is loaded with moving picture reels of the wonderful picture of Santa Claus land you are ROBINSON DOUBTS TAX CHANGE NEED Present Revenues Are Seen Sufficient as He Goes to See Roosevelt. BY J. RUSSELL YOUNG, Staff Correspondent of The Star. WARM SPRINGS. Ga. November 27.—With Senator Joseph T. Robinson | of Arkansas, Democratic leader of the Srnate, seated beside him in his Pine | Mountain home, President Roosevelt | today is giving further study to a | legislative program designed to pro- vide adequate relief and at the same time to keep the normal running ex- penses of the Government within the | bounds of estimated Federal revenues | The President’s conference with Leader Robinson today was a resump tion of a long conference yesterday with the Arkansan and Senator Pat Harrison of Mississippi, chairman of the Finance Committee of the Senate | While the entire subject of a legisla- | | tive prcgram. which included con- sideration of the budget estimates be- | ing prepared for the next fiscal year was explored at length at yesterday's session, the President found it nec sary to continue the discussion todas with Senator Robinson. He aims to come to some definite conclusions be- fore today’s parley ends. | Won't Permit Starvation. The task of shaping a definite pro- gram has been all the more difficult | because of the menacing threat of a | soldiers’ bonus cash payment, which would amount to more than $2.Q00.- 000,000. and his strong desire to taper off relief expenditures if possible. At the same time Mr. Roosevelt is not going to permit any citizen to starve while cutting down the outlay for relief. After carefully studying the mone: needed for the normal functioning of the Government. the conferences at the little White House during the past two days have given the President hope that it may not be necessary at the forthcoming session of Congress to increase taxes. Senator Robinson said today on his way to the President’s cottage that he believed the present revenues will be sufficiently large to meet the demands of the normal bud- get. At the same time he feels posi- tive that all of the present taxes must be continued for at least another year. | TUnable to Give Opinion, | 'The Arkansan was unable to pive an opinion as to what additional ssary to meet the ance and general relief needs. Before today's conference is over it is felt certain that the President and his stalwart Senate leader will have worked out all these details, as well as the ways and means of meet- ing the pavment of the soldiers’ bonus, |in the event of its passage, the | Federal housing program, end other phases of the President’s broad re- covery program. While shaping his 1935 legislative program the President will carry out his plan for co-ordination of gov- ernmental activities to the utmost with the view to economizing and at the same time promoting efficiency by doing away with duplicated effort and overlapping of duties, Some months ago Mr. Roosevelt started on this line of action by di- | recting an interdepartmental survey |of all department and independent agency activities, and as a result e number of activities have been merged. There is reason to know that there will be more from time | to time. ! Revealing Decisions to Wait. Even though the President expects to come to some definite idea as to his legislative program when he is finished with Senator Robinson to- day, there is little likelihood of his ‘muking known his decisions before Congress meets in January. When Harry L. Hopkins, Federal relief administrator, arrives here to- morrow the President will get down to actual details of the whole relief subject. The President and Mrs. Roosevelt, | accompanied by Secretary Roper and ‘Senator Robinson and wife, will be | the guests of honor at a matinee per- | formance at the Warm Springs Play- house this afternoon. James A. Moffett, Federal housing | administrator, and Postmaster Gen- eral Farley are expected to confer with the President late this week. e Card 16 Years in Mail. Mailed at Tunbridge Wells in De- cember, 1918, by her wounded soldier son, a Christmas card has just been received by Mrs. M, May of Reading, England. $30 IN PRIZES FOR WASHINGTON BOYS AND GIRLS. Now is the time, boys and girls, to write your letter, “Why I know there is a Santa Claus and why every poor child in Washington should DON 'T DELAY, send it in NOW to the It will be fine to win that prize of $15 offered by The Star for the best letter, and maybe little brother or little sister will win one of the Don't forget, you must not be more than 12 years old if you write ‘The best letter will win a prize of $15, second prize is $10 and the Your letter must be at the office of The Star not later than mid- Announcements of the winners, with their letters, will be made one week later. the paper only, and get your letter IFRENCH PASS HUGE DEFENSE BUDGET Approve $732,073,000, With Navy and Aviation Sums Leading. Copyright. 1034. by the Associated Pre:s FARIS, November 27.—The French Chamber of Deputies today completel its approval of a defense budget for next year totaling approximately $732,073,000. It quickly agreed to navy and avia- tion budgets as presented by the rc- spective ministries and heard th government advocate plans for in- creased aviation developments as a mainstay of the French military ma- chine, The budgets passed today were &s follows: Navy—2,967,000,000 francs (appro:- imately $195,890,000). Aviation—1.655,865.435 francs (ap- proximately $109,296.000). Last Friday the Chamber appro:c an army budget of 5,689.215 895 (approximately $374,337,000), and emergency appropriation for n army equipment of 800,000,000 fra: (approximately $52,640,000). Stand on Warships. Francois Pietri, the minister of t navy, avoided mention of the ne 35,000-ton battleships of Prem Mussolini of Italy when he asked for the navy appropriation, but said he preferred stronger light warships less bigger ones should become dispensable.” “A weak navy would be heresy.” declared Pietri He promised deputies the navy would have strong air fleet. The ministers, in asking the aviation appropriation, said the French air fleet was “full of obsolete” types of airplanes, but Victor Denain, the min- ister of war. announced he was em- barking upon a three-year plan for reorganizing aviation manufacture He said the danger of enemy air ‘ra:d< destroying Franc-'s airpl | tories had caused to d reorganize the industry and scatter it {over the country as German; “in- a planes, but they are of obsolete types.” Planes for Troops. It was divulged that aerial trans- portation of trcops are to be developod | in France's colonies and that the first | squadron for such transportation will soon operate in Algeria. Denain said the policy will be to comp-] each avia- tion company to be complete, but that they must keep sey various plants for such m as that of motors & He said he intends to h companies r {cut of Paris and place them in various | provinces in order to aveid their total j destruction should there be war-time | raids into the capital. The govern- ment, he said. will spend 250.000.000 | francs (approxi v $16.500.000) ir next three yca executing this oncentration within the indu: |and “the decentralizing of fact The quick obsolescence of a which has caused France to have what he terms an inefficient air fleet, has led | Denain. he said. to adcpt a policy of big supplies of raw material” with | well-organized 2nd widely distributed | factories to make quick manufacture |and keep models constantly up 1o date. ave the di Formidable Fleet Planned. France wes revealed to be cool to- i\\az: the idea of compsting with the | Ttalian 35.000-ton battleships, but in- | tends to build uj; fleet as an a After the a | budget Minist | told the chamber “France ought not to build very big 1 ships, but they ought to be strongly protected ones.” 3 He d imed any intention of weakening the Mediterranean naval base and asscried, “We are plentifu iy supplied undantly with sul | mitted, however, th | is discontentes | Pietri sa { with Dena | naval avi - provide formidable aviation arm cf the navy. btion the naval of the Navy Pietri at “the whole navy its aviaticn.” g closely ive France strc osed plans °r Bearn with planes the navy told the the naval tonnage be reckoned at 1 of 1914 iferior in fight- wer in the early ter of chamber that whil W its t it is only 14 per cent ing strength to its po: days of the World Wa: CALIFORNIA CLUE PROBED IN DEATHS OF THREE GIRLS __ (Continued From First Page.) in the hills. Others ventured a belief i that all five might have been slain Bewildering evidence came from many sources. Boston Angle Confirmed. John Ellwood Jones of Cleveland | said he saw a man, woman and three children driving east in a sedan Wednesday on a detour near Lewis- town and identified the three bodics as the children. Boston police wired information that three children and a blond woman in a red-dotted dress were carried on a bus from Boston to New York Wednesday, apparently support- ing White's story. B. A. Cook, Harrisburg furniture salesman, said he saw three children “thumbing” their way, calling “Car- lisle?>” to motorists Thursday mnoon. These, too, resembled the bodies. State police rested heavily on ma- terial clues—similarity of clothing found in the suit case near Carlisle and that worn by the slain woman; “Norma,” scrawled in a puzzle book near the children; registration of an adult couple with only 48 cents at an Altoona rooming house, and num- bers on the girls’ coats, made by the H. & J. Block Co. of New York. Investigation of the California angle disclosed that a “Horace Hughes,” was listed in the 1931 city directory, but at the address given after his name he was reported unknown. Others Report Party. Police at nearby Langhorne reported seeing a man and woman with thre> girls November 17 in an automobile bearing California license plates. Five persons said they saw the same children and man and woman in a sandwich shop in Philadelphia the following night. The manager of the shop, Louis Ellis, said he gave an advertising blotter to the adults. Such a blotter was found beside the couple at Duncansville. Coroner Heegele sald he would turn the bodies of the three children to the Carlisle American Legion Post after Comdr. David V. Binkley offered to “make all arrangements” for a “decent buriel” if they remain unidentified, A three-grave plot has been offered. ¢