Evening Star Newspaper, December 10, 1934, Page 2

U, TAX BURDEN CARRIED BY FEW Figures Show 94 Per Cent of People Immune in 1933. BY DAVID LAWRENCE. More than 94 per cent of the per- gons of working age in the United States in the year 1933 did not pay anything in income taxes to the Fed- eral Government. This interesting piece of informa- tion may be derived from a study of the latest official figures made public today by the Bureau of Internal Revenue Every year the Government makes an analysis of income tax returns and compiles the data from which, if one is inclined, a significant idea may be obtained of what has happened to business and the income of indivi- duals in the preceding year. Thus there are 46,683,961 persons of 18 years or over who are able to work, according to the official census of 1930. Of this number 44,952,845 did not pay a cent of direct taxes in 1933. ing reports that only 1,731,116 persons in the entire country had taxable in- comes. (Even that figure was slightly in excess of 1932.) U. S. Got Only $372,967,761. Now the total gross receipts of the, 8,660,105 persons who filed returns was nearly $11,000,000,000, but the Government got only $372,967,761 in taxes, due either to the fact that many persons had losses out of their capital saved and thus were entitled to deductions or else the rates of taxation upen the bulk of the incomes in the lower classes do not bring in much taxes. For instance, out of the $10,845,653,~ 832 of total taxable income, there was earned about $6,792.000.000 by persons | with a net income of $5,000 a year or less The people with incomes between $5.000 and $10,000 earned another $1,- 477,000,000 and the persons with net incomes between $10,000 and $25,000 & year earned $1,096.000,000. If we think $25,000 is the dividing mark between moderate wealth and extreme wealth then it will be found that everybody over the $25,000 a year of net income earned a total of about $1.480,000.000. But it may be disputed that a $25.000 a year net income rep- resents a position of great wealth and that perhaps $50.000 or over may be regarded as constituting the wealthy class. Gave One-Third of Taxes. If this is the case, then the total net income of the really wealthy peo- ple—all those of $50,000 a year or over—was, according to the official figures, $657,000,000. This same group gave the Government about one-third of its income in taxes; namely, about $193.000.000. Such a tax payment by the group of $50.000 a year and over represents, however, about 51 per cent or more than half of the total income taxes paid by individuals ‘The people with incomes under $5,000 a year paid about 11 per cent of the total tax. ‘The people between $5,000 and $10,000 a year paid an additional proportion of 9 per cent of the total tax. If you group the incomes between $10,000 and $25,000 a year, you find that the persons in that group paid Just about 14 per cent of the total tax. So the graduated scale of tax rates manaeges to keep 94 per cent of the people immune from Federal income taxes and permits people of moderate incomes, who earn the bulk of the money, to pay a relatively small tax ill. ‘There is much significance in this situation, because if the present heavy expenditures by the Federal Govern- ment result in material increases in taxes, it will mean that while the people of $50,000 a year or over will, of course, find the amount they have to pay substantially increased, it will not yield enough money to balance the Federal budget if all of such income were confiscated. Thus, as will be seen ahove, a total het income of $1.480,000,000, if taxed 100 per cent—so that everybody with an income of $25,000 a year or over gave everything to the Government, aside from a small sum for actual subsistence—the total amount col- lected, based or 1933 figures, wouldn't suffice to pay but about a third of last year's Federal deficit, and pos- £ibly not much more of the indicated deficit for the present fiscal year. Taxation Will Bring Protest. Certainly there isn't enough total net income in the group above $25,000 a year with which to balance a Fed- eral budget, and the alternative would naturally be to start taking heavier taxes right down the line from 25,000 down to the lower incomes— something that will produce a con- siderable protest when the pinch comes. Maybe when people generally study these figures and see the handwriting on the wall they will come to the conclusion that in the next two or three years, if the present rate of spending is not stopped or if business isn't quickly put on its feet, the needed tax revenues cannot be ob- tained without severe and painful taxation for everybody, including many of the 44,952,845 persons who today pay no taxes at all to the Fed- eral Government on their incomes. (Copyright, 1934.) MRS. ALEXANDRA NOYES IS MARRIED IN PARIS Former Washingtonian Becomes Bride of Canadian Legation Attache. By the Associated Press. PARIS, December 10.—Mrs. Alex- andra Ewing Noyes, formerly of Wash- ington, D. C., Saturday became the bride of Thomas A. Stone, son of Mr. and Mrs, Spencer Stone of Chatham Ontario. Mrs. Noyes, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Ewing of Yonkers, N. Y., had as her witness United States Ambas- sador Jesse I. Straus. Canadian Minister Phillipe Roy was ‘witness for Mr. Stone, who is an at- tache of the Canadian Legation here. SAILOR GETS 5 YEARS FOR FATAL STABBING By the Associated Press. SHANGHAI, December 10.—Jack Pinyan, boatswain’s mate of the steamship President Lincoln, was sen- tenced in the United States Court in China todsy to serve five years in prison on McNeil's Island in the fatal stabbing of another American, The sailor was convicted of assault with & deadly weapon on Sergt. J. C. Stritzel, member of the Shanghai River police, during a bar room quar- rel. Stritzel died. of pneumonia fol- Jowing the mbbum‘ Commissioner Guy T. Helver- | What’s What Behind News In Capital Garner Is Given Hot Potato Job in Speakership Race. | | BY PAUL MALLON. HE word has been passed down the line inside that President Roosevelt has handed the hot speakership potato over to Vice President Garner. It seems that some of the candi- dates have heen getting around to the point where they were just a little annoying to the White House. The speakership is the No. 3 fob in the Government, socially at least, and the -boys who want it want it very badly. One by one, they have found ex- | cuses for dropping in to see Mr. Roosevelt about something or other not remotely connected with the speakership. The result is always a | flurry of publicity prestige for the speakership candidates, which is just what they want, but not what Mr. Roosevelt wants. One particular candidate was less subtle than the rest. He took up 45 minutes one day mot long ago, weeping about his speakership troubles on Mr. Roosevelt's shoulder. Another had to be hood-winked out of appearing in public with Mr, Roosevelt recently. Garner Awakened. That is why you saw Mr. Garner awaken from a six months’ sleep last Thursday with en announcement | that the White House would have, | nothing to do with the speakership | | contest. Of course, Mr. Garner neg- | lected to say matters were now in his hands, but Mr. Garner is often for- | getful about little things like that. He will let others give that out. | _His job ostensibly will be to keep | the White House out of embarrass- | ments, If any of the candidates | wants to get subtle or to weep, he can try it on Cactus Jack, who has the reputation of being the hardest man in town. | If his job is to go any deeper than | |that and promote the candidacy of | any one man, you will never find it out | until the job is done. Garner works, alone. Insiders will naturally assume that Garner may get in a good word somewhere for his Texas pal, Sam Rayburn, but that is rather a delicate | matter to talk about now. The truth is that Mr. Garner is going to be Vice President-in- charge-of-holding-hot-potatoes in Congress for Mr. Roosevelt from here on in. That means at last they have found something for a Vice President to do, No better man for the job could be | found. Garner had 30 years' experi- ence in the House. He knows the con- gressional mind and the way to handle it. He was an unusually adroit back- stage worker as Democratic floor lead- er and Speaker. Furthermore, hs knows the business of legislation as thoroughly as any one in either House | of Congress. Fenagling Rampant. Very lttle has got out about the House organization braw], but it has been accompanied by more than the usual amount of fenagling. The funniest development along that line htely.&s the hint dropped anony- | mously in many of the highest pla(‘es{ | here that Mr. Roosevelt should have | as House leader a certain conservative from his home State. Officials gave | no attention to it, at first, but lately | they have been encountering it every time they turned around, even inside the White House. They started in- vestigating tc see who was doing all the sub-rosa promotion. Their tracer indicated that the whis- | pered pressure came from one or two men who happen to be officials of an organization against the New Deal. Apparently the officials were acting on their own, and not for their organi- zation. Their activity has been squelched. There is more to law than you will find in the law books. Last week in a certain court, a lawyer arose with a ! copy of this column (November 27). It contained the story about Stock Exchange Commission’s Big Tim Cal- | lahan, ex-Yale center, using foot ball | psychology on bucket shops, and told how he tackled the job. Interpreted Wrongly. The defense attorney interpreted it as meaning Callahan had physically tackled his client. The case had to be delayed until | Callahan could be called from New | Orleans to testify that there is a dif- | ference between foot ball psychology and foot ball violence. The fact that the client was whole should have been proof enough. The heavy over-subscription of the Treasury’s last financing ap- pears to have been no more padded than usual. The banks always ask for more than they ezpect to get. It shows there is still a good market for long-term Government bonds, al- though bankers prefer the short terms. The short-term notes were over-sub- scribed seven times and the bonds five times. There is plenty of idle capital in banks. | Newsmen are calling the new White House executive office “the house with & thousand doors.” There are three or more doors to every important room. It would be an ideal place to play 1-spy. R. F. C-er's wonder why it is that 50 to 60 million dollars released from closed banks is still unclaimed. For instance, in Cleveland there are 4 millions, in Detroit 17 millions. The R. F. C. is anxious to get the money into circulation. A prominent congressional lame duck is angling for the $7,500-a-year post of Assistant Secretary of War for air. The best titter of the week is & report circulated only inside the N. R. A. by the Consumers’ Advisory Board, advocating lower wages in the construction industry. (Cooyright. 1934.) —_— Studies Sailor’s Life. Disguised as a sailor, Mrs. R. 8. von Waldheim, a society woman, is visiting homes for seamen in Sweden to study a sailor's ‘re ashore. Al { thousand dollars. |arises each year not only while the | the United States and the District of A—2 %% = THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, 2 LA R T e e R e L D. C. Cost Fairly, Says Hazen Commissioner Cities Tax-Exempt Prop- erty as One Element to Be Considered, |Piece of Wood in Kidnap i in Address to Oldest Inhabitants. Because of the extraordinary in- terest in the subject, the full text of a speech delivered by Commissioner Hazen last Friday night on fiscal relations at the annual banquet of the Association of Oldest Inhabi- tants is printed belaw. I am going to speak on a subject wkich in my opinion is not only of outstanding importance, but of vital concern, to the District of Columbia. I refer to the question of fiscal rela- tions between the United States and the District of Columbia. This ques- tion, which has been a matter of agi- tation for a great many years, was before the Commissioners and given most serious consideration while they were engaged in preparing the District budget for the fiscal year 1936. Ir that work the Commissioners were confronted with the necessity of rais- ing additional revenue, either by an increase in the tax rate or by recom- mending a substantial increase in the Federal contribution beyond the amount now paid, in order to provide for a budget total that would supply only absolutely minimum needs for the ensuing fiscal year. Problem of the Budget. The several departments of the Dis- trict government and Federal agencies expending moneys paid from local appropriations submitted total esti- mates for 1936 amounting to $52,700,- 000. AIll of this amount represented, not only in the judgmen* of the de- partment heads, but in the judgment | of the Commissioners as well, sums re- quired for the efficient administration of the municipal government and for necessary improvements. Notwith- standing this, however, the Commis- sioners, after conferences with the de- partment heads, reduced their amounts by over eight and one-half million dollars. The budget total approved by the Commissioners and forwarded to the Budget Bureau amounted to slightly over $44,000,000. This budget could not be paid from local taxes by con- tinuing the present tax rate of $1.50 and the Federal contribution of only $5,700,000. No Tax Increase Justified. ‘The Commissioners felt that the | existing tax rate should not be in- creased, believing that this rate when applied to the assessed valuation of property made by the assessor repre- sents a fair and reasonable tax to be paid by owners of real estate. The Commissioners decided, therefore, | that they would recommend a larger Federal contribution than the $5,700.- | 000 now paid. They assumed that the appropriations made over a num- ber of years offered a fair criterion of what the United States might con- tribute as its share towards District expenses. They decided upon an aver- age over the past 10 years, and in this way arrived at the sum of a little more than eight million three hundred It was believed the average men- tioned, founded on composite opin- lons and ideas, gave ¢ fair'y solid and | reasonable means of estimating an | equitable contribution by the Federal Government towards appropriation re- quirements in the fiscal year 1936. A Recurring Controversy. This subject of fiscal relations Commissioners are preparing their an- nual budget, but during the hearings on that budget before the committees in Congress. As far back as a hun- dred years ago, in 1835, we find that this matter of fiscal relations between Columbia was the subject of conten- tion on the part of local residents and Congress. In a report of a Senate committee in the twenty-third Congress, dated February 2, 1835, the committee hav- ing before it memorials of the cor- porate authorities of the cities of Washington and Georgetown dealing with the pecuniary embarrassments of the city and the repeated appeals which had theretofore been made to the justice and liberalty of Congress, it is stated that plan of the city was formed by the public authorities, the dimensions of the streets determined by them without reference to the in- habitants or regard to their particular interest or convenience, and that such plan was calculated for the magnifi- cent Capital of a great Nation, but oppressive from its very dimensions and arrangements to the inhabitants if its execution to any considerable extent was to be thrown upon them, and that no people who anticipated the execution and subsequent support of it out of their own funds would ever have dreamed of forming such a plan. Forty Years of Half and Half, For more than 40 years the half and half plan of meeting District appropriations was carried out with but slight variations, the last ap- propriation to which it applied being that for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1920. The act making appropria- tions for the fiscal year 1921 provided that 40 per centum of the sums nec- essary should be paid out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated and 60 per ceatum out of the revenues of the District of Co- lumbia. This provision appeared in District appropriation bills to and in- cluding the fiscal year 1934. The act making appropriations for the District for the fiscal year 1923 provided for the 60-40 ratio as permanent law. However, in the appropriation act for the fiscal year 1925, the question of adhering to this ratio between the United States and the District of Co- clumbia, then and ever since in force under the substantive law, was ig- nored, as the part contributed by the United States from that time until the present has been named in an annual lump-sum amount. The original lump-sum contribution was $9,000,000, and thé continued to be the Federal contribution until the fiscal year 1931. As the District bill for that year passed the House of Representatives, this amount was allowed by the House, but in the Senate the lump sum was increased to $12,000.000. As the bill came from confe:~nce between the two houses, and was finally enact- ed, a compromise was reached and the contribution was fixed at $9,500,000, this being the sum also allowed in the fiscal year 1932. Lump Sum Reduced. But in the fiscal year 1933 Con- gress reduced the Federal payment to $7,775,000, and this was further re- duced in 1934-35 to $5,700,000. We must admit that the people of the District of Columbia should be expected to pay a fair and reasonable tax. As I have previously indicated, we believe that such a tax is now being paid on real estate in this city which supplies in the neighborhood of two-thirds of our local revenue. It may be that a comparison with other cities might show that we do not pay 85 much here in other forms of such is the case ‘nm. I am not at | exempt property the moment prepared to say. It is hoped, however, that in the study proposed to be made by direction of the President all of these matters will be gone into most carefully and such a conclusion reached as will establish for at least some years to come a definite determination of what con- stitutes not only fair and reasonable taxes which should be paid by the residents of this eity, but as well a fair and equitable amount which should be pald by the Federal Govern- ment toward the cost of operation and maintenance .and improvement of the National Capital. There can be no intelligent and just oppesition to the conclusion that the United States is morally bound to meet its fair share of local expenses. As stated in the report of an inquiry into as- sessments and taxations by a Senate Committee of the Sixty-fourth Con- gress: “Nothing is clearer to us than it never was the intent that this Dis- trict should bear all the very extraor- dinary burdens and expenses incident to its plan and occupancy as a na- tional City, and any such proposed burden would be most inequitable and unjust now.” Encouraged By President. It is a matter of great encourage- ment to the Commissioners that the President of the United States has taken cognizance of this matter of fiscal relations as to make it his per- sonal concern. It is not my purpose to discuss an evaluated tax rate for the District of Columbia. However, I would like to say that this is not going to be an easy task. Of course, a mere comparison of tax rates in themselves means nothing. The establishment of a ratio of assessed valuation to a legal basis of valuation is extremely difficult if not imprac- ticable of accurate determination. At the best the most that could be ac- complished in this respect would be the results of composite opinions. In comparing the tax rate of Wash- ington with other cities a number of elements must of neeessity be taken into consideration. First, there is the debt service. Here in th District of Columpia we are fortunate in not only having a city free of any real indebtedness (excluding the recent loan obtained from the Public Works D. C, MONDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1934, ~ - |U. 5. Morally Bound to Share |{A[PTMANN HOME YIELDS NEW CLUE Ladder Fits Stick in Suspect’s House. By the Associated Press. ¢ FLEMINGTON, N. J, December 10.—Two pleces of wood, one a rung in’ the Lindbergh kidnap ladder, the other taken from Bruno Richard Hauptmann's home, were joined by a State expert today—and found to fit perfectly. In the report of Arthur Kohler, wood expert, officials saw proof of Hunter- don County Prosecutor Anthony M. Hauck, jr.’s, assertion that the State has found “important new evidence” which will “definitely tie Hauptmann to the electric chair.” Details of the Kohler report were ‘®btained from an authoritative source. Meanwhile, at Trenton, Attorney General David T. Wilentz said no one had “been authorized” to make public the report. ““The attorney general feels it would be improper to make any statement concerning evidence which may be produced at the trial,” Wilentz added. ‘Wood to Be Evidence. ‘The stick of wood from Haupt- mann’s Bronx home reposes beside the ladder in the State's gallery of evi- dence to be produced for exhibit when Hauptmann goes on trial January 2 for the Lindbergh kidnap-killing. Prederick A. Pope, associate defense counsel, refused to believe the report of Kohler’s findings. “If this were true, it would have been disclosed months ago,” Pope said. “I do not believe it is true, because I am satisfled that Hauptmann had nothing to do with the kidnaping.” Kohler, associated with the United States Forestry Service laboratory at Madison, Wis.,, examined the kidnap ladder minutely for months before linking it to Hauptmann's home. ©One ladder rung differed in grain and substance from every other piece of wood in the ladder, Kohler found. It is a flat piece of wood about a foot long. Investigators, studying a trap door leading to the attic from the ceiling of a second-floor room in Hauptmann’s house, found another piece of the same size nailed against the side of the aperture, apparently to support the top end of a ladder. Sawed Edges Fitted. Kohler matched this against the Administration for sewage disposal | treatment), but we are required by law | to operate on a pay-as-you-go basis. | In other cities a significant part of | Our expenditures are fixed after a | painstaking consideration of their | needs and our money is paid out | under rigid scrutiny. This tends. of | course, to an economic administration. These and other considerations make a comparison of our tax burdens with other cities a difficult matter. Much Exempt Property. As a part of the general question of fiscal relations we have the matter of | in the District of | Columbia. The approximate value of | taxable real estate for next fiscal year is one billion, one hundred and thirty millions of dollars, estimating in round amounts to the nearest million. Prop- erty of the United States is probably in excess of five hundred and fifty million dollars; schools, churches, le- gations and similar institutions that are exempt will total about one hun- dred million dollars, and all property | in the name of the District of Co-| lumbia—schools, engine houses, police stations, etc.—will total seventy mil-| lion dollars. This is a grand total 0!1‘ one billion, eight houndred and fifty | million dollars. | From the above figures it will be seen that the entire exemption | amounts to seven hundred and twenty million dollars, or nearly 40 per cent of the total. Washington has a pop- ulation of five hundred thousand, and no city of its size shows such a large exemption of real property. In fact, other cities of the country carry less than 20 per cent of their total wealth as an exemption. The value of United States property as com- pared to taxable property is about 50 per cent, or 30 per cent of the entire real estate wealth. “Tax” Payment Estimated. If every kind of real estate within the District were subject to a tax, excluding property owned by the city, we would have an amount which, sdded to other sources of revenue, would give sufficient revenue to cover a fairly balanced municipal budget. The United States under such an arrangement would pay about eight million, three hundred thousand dol- lars, or an amount corresponding to that recommended by the Commis- sioners in their budget for 1936. In concluding my remarks, permit me to quote the following in the operi- ing message of President Coolidge to the second session of the Sixty- ninth Congress, made in December, 1926, concerning the Capital City; “If our country wishes to compete with others, let it not be in the support of armaments, but in the rung from the kidnap ladder and con- cluded that originally they had been part of the same stick. He held the roughly sawed edges together, he re- | the tax dollar goes to debt service.|ported, and found that they fitted. Hauck and Special Assistant Attor- ney General George K. Large went to the Bronx Saturday and inspected the trap door in the Hauptmann home. Defense attorneys, meanwhile, press- ed their demand for a full bill of par- ticulars. Pope said he would appear this week before Supreme Court Jus- tice Thomas A. Trenchard, the trial | Jjudge, to ask a writ forcing the State to comply. LANDIS” WIDOW SEEKS CONGRESS NOMINATION Son Quits Race When Mother An- nounces for Place Held by Representative-Elect. By the Associated Press. LOGANSPORT, Ind, December 10.—The widow of Frederick Landis today entered the campaign for nom- ination to succeed him as Represent- ative-elect from the second Indiana district, and her son withdrew from the race. The son, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, 2d, a nephew of the major league base ball commissioner, announced his withdrawal in a statement that he had found “a deep-seated senti- ment in favor of ‘my mother which I cannot ignor.” Frederick Landis died a few days ago after he became ¢he only Re- publican Representative-elect from Indiana. making of a beautiful Capital City. Let it express the soul of America. Whenever an American is at the seat of his Government, however traveled and cultured he may be, he ought to find a city of stately pro- portion, symmetrically laid out and adorned with the besct that there is in architecture, which would arouse his imagination and stir his patriotic pride. Around it should center all that 1s best in science, in learing, in letters and in art.” It is clear that this ideal condition can be ac- complished only by the fostering care of Congress. It cannot be brought about by the development alone of places owned and in the immediate care of the United States. The stately and symmetrical city can become such only by an expansion in every quar- ter, and further only by the United States fairly meeting its obligation and responsibility in the maintenance and improvement of the District of Columbia. Life’s Like That BY FRED NEHER. n (Copyright. Nl lj s o “MOM, CAN I STAY AND WATCH MRS. MERKEL STOP OUR CLOCE taxes as in those cities. Whether | wiTH HER FACE?™ 1934.) ' Bros.’ theaters the same day. \Theaters Await The moving picture feature, “Search for Santa Claus,” a com- plete film record of The Evening Star’s expedition by air to the Far North, showing the first scenes ever taken within Santa’s home and workshops, will be shown today and tomorrow at the AVENUE GRAND. It will be presented on Wednesday and Thursday at the APOLLO, and will be shown om Friday at the HOME and at the YORK. | F | gifts for the poor children of | ‘Washington to The Star.-War- ner Bros.’ toy matinees last year, these | theaters are sgain making prepara- tions to take care of large audiences next Saturday, when the Christmas | matinees will be repeated for the fourth consecutive time. | Warner Bros.' theaters in or near | your neighborhood, and the big houses downtown, 11 in all, are mak- ing last-minute plans in co-operation with The Evening Star to make the toy matinees this year the biggest | and the happiest ever held. The programs, by far the finest that have ever been arranged for your | entertainment, include such noted stars as Shirley Temple, Jackie Cooper, Wallace Beery, Lionel Barry- more, Joe E. Brown, Bruce Cabot, George O'Brien, Charlotte Henry, Laurel and Hardy and others, in out- standing photoplays, generously of- fered by such producers as Metro- Goldwyn-Mayer, Warner Bros., Pirst National, Fox, Paramount and R-K-O. Comedies on Programs. Each theater, in addition to the feature picture, will offer added at- | tractions such as hilarious comedies, animated cartons and interesting short subjects. Each show will be a big show, the kind you would not v want to miss under any circumstances, and one that you will long remember. But whie you might be drawn to these theaters by the unusual enter- tainment they are offering, you have a still greater incentive for attending. You will be providing Christmas hap- piness for the needy children of Wash- ington. All of this has been planned for them. All who are concerned in making these matinees what they are, | are working directly for the poor boys and girls who must depend upon others to provide them with needed ECALLING the large crowds that packed the theaters and brought 30,000 new toys and The real success of the entire plan rests upon your willingness to help and upon your generosity. No reward can compare with the satisfaction you will have in knowing that you have helped these unfortunate little ones. And yet The Star and Warner Bros. are offering you a really great enter- tainment to thank you for your kind- ness and to afford a means to make it ni\gxemely easy for you to lend your al Gift Is Admission Ticket. ‘You have merely to bring a new toy or some new article of clothing or wearing apparel for a child and your work is done. That is your price of admission to the show. You have nothing else to pay. You leave your gift in the theater lobby, where large hampers have been provided to receive what you bring, and the doors will open to receive you. From these 11 theaters the Wash- ington Council of Social Agencies will collect your contributions, and through the council they will reach the homes in which you will have made Christ- mas happiness possible. There are a few things for you to | bear in mind in your desire to help. | First, the great need this year for aid. You hear that times are better, that depression is over, and that condi- tions have improved. But the host of little children who must depend en- tirely upon the generosity of those more fortunate if Christmas is not to pass them by is very large. Many Appeal for Aid. Proof of this may be found in the great number of requests for aid which have been pouring in daily by letter and phone and personal call to The Star, to the Warner Bros.’ offices and to the council and by the large list of needy families which the council has on record. Realizing this, you are asked to bear in mind that, while one single new toy will admit you to the mat- Jackie Cooper and Lionel Barrymore, who play the leading roles in “Treasure Island,” feature picture on the elaborate bill of entertainment to be presented at the Ambassador Thetter during the Star-Warner Bros.” Christmas matinee Saturday. Fine programs of interest both to children and adulis also well be offered at the toy matinees at 10 other Warner Huge Crowds At Toy Matinees Saturday \Finest Programs Ever Arranged for Annual Event Await Donors at 11 Warner Brothers’ Houses. inees, the more you bring the more certain will be the assurance that no single child will be forgotten or overlooked this Christmas. You are reminded that if you cannot attend in person you can send your gifts to the theater—or give them to some And you need not wait until the day of the performance. The theaters are equipped now to receive anything brought or sent in, and already, in many of the houses, the toy hampers are filling up. Larger Toys Needed. The Council of Social Agencies asks you to bear in mind, too, that in the selection of gifts the needs of older children, children over 10 years of age, are often overlooked. Such things as base balls, bats, gloves, | pocketbooks for girls and toys that run and do things, or constructive | games and puzzles are mostly needed. Remember, above all, that whatever you bring will be welcomed and will aid the cause. So make your pur- chase now—before the rush starts— one simple gift, or a bagfull—let your heart be your guide, and let there be no forgotten child in Wash- ington this Christmas. List of Shows. Here is the full list of theaters where The Star-Warner Bros.’ Christ- mas toy matinees will be held: Tivoli—Shirley Temple in “Baby Takes a Bow,” a Laurel and Hardy comedy, “Busy Bodies”; “The Night | Before Christmas” and “The Man on |the Flying Trapeze,” a Popeye comedy. Ambassador—Jackie Cooper and Wallace Beery in “Treasure Island,” “The Shanty Where Santa Claus Lives” and “Can You Take It?” a Popeye comedy. Savoy—Joe E. Brown in “The Cir- |cus Clown,” “Bedtime Worries,” an |Our Gang comedy; “Touchdown Mickey,” a Mickey Mouse comedy, and | “Let’s’ You and Him Fight, & Pop- eye comedy. Colony—Shirley Temple in “Little Miss Marker,” “Wild Poses,” an Our Gang comedy, and “The Night Before Christmas,” a Silly Symphony. York—Joe E. Brown in “Son of a Sailor,” “Dirty Work,” a Laurel and Hardy comedy, and “Touchdown Mickey,” a Mickey Mouse comedy. Avenue Grand—sShirley Temple in “Little Miss Marker,” “Dirty Work,” 8 Laurel and Hardy comedy, and “Sockabye Baby,” a Popeye comedy. Shows Include Comedies. Apollo—Joe E. Brown in “The Cir- cus Clown,” “His Neighbor,” an Our &n: comedy, and “Mickey’s Good ,"” & Mickey Mouse comedy. Home—Bruce Cabot in “Midship- man Jack,” “His Neighbor,” an Our Gang comedy, and “The Three Lit- tle Pigs.” Metropolitan—George O’Brien in “The Last Trail,” “Oliver the Eighth,” a Laurel and Hardy comedy, and “The Big Bad Wolf,” a Silly Symphony. Earle—Charlotte Henry in “Alice in WonderJand” and “Shanty Where Santa Claps Lives.” Avalon—Jackie Cooper and Wallace Beery in “Treasure Island,” “Santa’s Workshop,” a Silly Symphony, and “Shoein’ Horses,” a Popeye comedy, POPE EXPRESSES HOPE FOR RECOVERY IN U. S. Prelate Asks Many Questions Re- garding Conditions in Audience ‘With Bishop Busch. By the Associated Press, VATICAN CITY, December 10.— Pope Pius today expressed hope that, under President Roosevelt’s leadership, conditions in the United States would become normal with a decline of un- employment. His holiness expressed this hope to Bishop Joseph F. Busch of St. Cloud, Minn,, during a half hour’s audience. ‘The Pope asked many questions con- cerning the situation in the United States and requested details of the jubilee celebration of Cardinal Mundelein in Chicago which Bishop Busch attended. $30 IN PRIZES FOR WASHINGTON BOYS AND GIRLS. Now is the time, boys and there is a Santa Claus and prize of $15 offered nru.wmmmxemr.mxnn should by The Star for the will win one of the wwards. Don’t forget, you must not be more than 12 years old if you write t:tmuvm-m-mum,mmuuomm letter must be at the office of The Star not later than mid- Announcements of the winners, with be made one week later. . write on one side of the paper only, and get your letter one else who might like to nmnd.' ROOSEVELT CITES BILLION FARM GAIN Asks Continued Support for Crop Control in Talk to Bureau. By the Associated Press. President Roosevelt in a telephone talk today to the American Farm Bureau Federation noted a billion= dollar increase in farm income this year and warned that production must be continued on a basis of actual de- mands. Mr. Roosevelt spoke from his desk in the White House to the federa- tion meeting in Nashville, Tenn. He said: “My Friends of the Farm Bureau: “You and I know that the year now ending has been one of significant accomplishment for agriculture, De- spite the worst drought of record, farm income is running about a billion dollars above last year. ‘All of us would like to see an even larger increase in 1935, but we know that this cannot come unless, in the first place, industrial production in- creases sufficiently to expand the market for farm products; unless, in the second place, more of our export trade is paid for by increased imports, and unless, in the third place, agri- culture continues to adjust its total production to the market that actually exists. “To fulfill these three requirements, T ask a continuation of the splendid support you have so unselfishly given in the past. “I wish very much that it were pos- sible for me to be with you today.” PROGRAM 1S OUTLINED. i NASHVILLE, Tenn., December 1f (/) —Edward A. O'Neal, president of the American Farm Bureau Federa- tion, called today for a stronger agri- cultural adjustment act and demanded it be continued as a “sound national policy for agriculture.” In an address prepared for delivery before the opening session of the fed- eration’s sixteenth annual convention, O'Neal advocated “an honest medium {of exchange” to “get riu of the in- | equality in our financial system.” Secretary of State Hull is on the program this afternoon for an address on “The American Farmer and Re- ciprocal Trade Treaties.” O'Neal criticized the “lack of ade- quate credit rates and terms" for farmers and condemned the *“high tariff system.” “The farmers must be freed from the money sharks,” the speaker de- clared, The Farm Bureau Federation head outlined a 10-point program for his organization. It follows: “1. We must have an honest me- dlum of exchange for goods end services—an honest dollar—a com- modity dollar in order to get rid of the inequality in our financial system. “2. We must attain equality be- tween farm prices with industrial prices and industrial wages. “3. We must take effective steps to reduce the too high cost of distribu- tion so0 as to give a fair share of the consumer’s dollar to the farmer and to protect the consumers. “4. We must correct the inequalities in our tariff structure so that agricul- ture will enjoy equal benefits with in- dustry and so that our foreign outlets will be restored. Commodity Storage. “5. We must develop commodity storage on the farm as a sound pub- lic policy. “6. We must strengthen and de- velop our credit facilities for agri- culture with lower interest rates in order to correct the inequalities be- tween agriculture and indastry. “7. We must correct the irequitable tax burden borne by agriculture. “8. We must formulate and apply a national program of land use to cor- rect the unsound policies of the past and protect our greatest natural re- source—land. “9. We must correct inequality in social and educational opportunities in rural life as compared to urban life. “10. We must strengthen the voice of agriculture through a more com- plete organization of farmers.” ALUMNI TG MEET St. John's Graduates to Honor Dr. Thomas Fell. Dr. Thomas Fell, president emeritus of St. John's College, Annapolis, will be guest of honor Thursday at a luncheon of the Washington alumni of that institution at the Blackstonc Hotel. Dr. Fell, now living here, was pre - ident of St. John's for more than 2 years. He is a native of England an received his academic training at O ford. Many prominent Washingto ians are expected to attend the lunc eon. Gen. J. B. Stanley Dies. GREENVILLE, Ala, December 19 (#).—Gen. James Berney Stanley, 91, Publisher of the Greenville Advocate and reputed to be the last Confederat> veteran actively connected with an Alabama newspaper, died yesterday He founded the Advocate in 1865. He was a former vice president of the National Press Assoc'ation. E,Qgg CHRISTMAS SEAI..SJ Y In Greenland .. Eskimo children sing carols before native doors on Christmas day shopping days to Christmas GREENLAND . On Christmas morning groups of children go about from hut to hut singing the old carols which have been taught to them by the mis- slonaries. In the afternoon visits are exchanged and hearty Christ- mas greetings given. The feasting and jollification last for several days and it is some time before the Eskimo village returns to its ususl quiet and monotony.