Evening Star Newspaper, January 20, 1935, Page 2

A2 00000 2uE BUNDAY BIaK, WASHINGTON; 1. G, JANUARY 28, 190)—t ARt ONB&. e 5. MISSIONARIES FLEE CHINA' REDS Communists Sweep Before Chiang Kai-Shek, Invad- ing Hunan. The following account of the terrors attending the evacuation of ‘missionaries in the face of China’s westwarding Communist hordes has just been received by mail from China. Censorship blocked attempts yesterday to obtain more complete details of prevailing conditions by cable. By the Associated Press. CHANGSHA, Hunan Province, China (By Mail).—The red wave sweeping this South Central China province is washing American mis- sionaries before it. Not since 1927, when Chiang Kai- Shek’s Nationalist legions swept into the Yangtse Valley from South China, has there been such an exodus of American religious workers from their stations in this area. China's Communist armies, slop- ping over into Hunan Province before Gen. Chiang's crushing drive in adja- cent Kiangsi, have disrupted American missionary efforts in this part of the country. Americans of many missions repre- sented here have had to flee for their lives. Men, women and children have suffered hardship and privation in the escape from their threatened stations. Story Told by Refugees. The story of a little band of Ameri- cans, trapped in the river port of Changteh by attacking reds, who suc- ceeded in escaping by boat, was un- folded, cn the arrival of the refugee party here, by Rev. J. E. Graham of Carbondale, Pa., worker of the Chris- tian and Missionary Alliance, which has headquqarters in New York. The 21 nnssmnanes——mostlv Ameri- cans—lived through *wildest uncer- tainty” before the order to evacuate came from the authorities, he said. Rumor after rumor of imminent Com- munist attack kept the group uneasy. But when the attack finally came, it was unexpected. Out of a clear sky. Mr. Graham said, “came the electrifying news that | the Reds, under the notorious Gen. Lo Hung, had reached a point within geven miles of the city. They had come upon the government troops from the rear and demoralized them so completely that they fled in wild disorder. One detachment of gov- ernment troops—said to number close to 1,000—had its retreat cut off and was faced with the alternative of fac- ings the Reds and certain death or leaping into the river, most of the trapped men chose the river and were drowned. Warned to Leave Immediately. “The missionaries were warned by the authorities to leave the city im- mediately. Those who lived outside the city walls were able to charter junks and make ready for departure down river to Changsha. But those inside the city walls were caught like rats. We gathered a few of our more portable belongings and attempted to leave through the city gates. But the troops at the gates refused to open a way for us, insisting that an attack by the Reds was momentarily ex- pected. “We returned to our home and were kept awake all t night by incessant firing. We learned later that the rifle fire came emuel} from the city garrison, which wa g to keep up its courage by firmg at an unseen enemy. “‘On the following day we made an- other attempt to make our escape and finally, after lengthy arguments, were permitted to leave the city. To do so, however, we had to scale a high barricade of baled cotton at the city entrance. We made our way to the river where we joined the other members of the missionary colony who were ready to set sail. Expectant Mothers a Problem. “The three expectant mothers were our greatest problem.~ Our over- erowded boats were not the most de- sirable place for the stork to suddenly make his appearance. There was pothing else to do, however, but at- tempt to make the best speed possible fn our antiquated boats, in the hope of reaching the hospital at Changsha. “Unfortunately, however, the -boats were not built for speed. We soon dis- Govered that our little fleet could make no better than two miles an hour.” . Mr. Graham told how the boats had gone scarcely 18miles when they were obliged, in dead of night, to tie up at the small village of Nu-Pi-Tan. Mrs. Graham, one of the three expectant others, was moved ashore and a all room over a mission chapel made into an improvised hospital. An hour after her arrival Mrs. Graham became the mother of a girl. Nu-Pi-Tan Endangered. “About this time,” Mr. Graham con- tinued, “excited villagers told us the Reds were carrying out an encircling movement and Nu-Pi-Tan was in dan- ger. We decided, however, to risk staying another day, as the doctor advised against the immediate removal of Mrs. Graham. Our decision was providential, for toward noon of that day a son was.born to Mrs. W. Wager of Oxdrift, Ontarlo, in the same make- shift hospital. “New rumors reached us that eve- ning. This time we were told the Communists had split into small groups and were overrunning the nearby countryside, plundering and killing. ‘There was no chance of leaving then, however, so several of us stood guard all night outside the mission building. “In the morning we decided we must wait no longer. The two moth- ers were carried on stretchers to the river bank and placed in small boats. ‘Then our flotilla continued its way downstream. At Hanshow, a port about 20 miles below Changteh, com- fortable quarters were found for Mrs. Graham and Mrs. Wager in the sta- tion of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, in charge of Misses H. and M. Hilty of Pandora, Ohio. The moth- ers and infants are little the worse for their experience and are making excellent progress. F i MISSIONARIES ALIVE Pair Thought Dead in China Re- ported Held for Ransom. CHUNGKING, Szechwan Province, China, January 19 (/). — Advices reaching here today indicated that. two missionaries named Booshardt, a Swiss, and Arnolis Hayman, an Eng- lishman, kidnaped by bandits in Kwei- chow Province last October, were alive somewhere in the southwestern part of that area. The fpofil indicated they were being held for ransom. Previous com- munications had led to the bellet they were dead. Missionaries here were attempting 0 send food and clothing. ¢ THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON My dear Miss Earhart: THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. rephoto Sends President’s Le tte When Airmail Fails January 18, 1935 Inpluudtoundycum-mof congratulations. You have scored agsin. 5 By successfully spanning the ocean stretches between Hawaii and California, following your triumpnant trans-Atlantic flight of 1928, ypu have shown ‘even the "doubting Thomases" that aviation is a science which cannot be limited to men only. Because of swift advances in this science of flight, made possible by Government and private enterprise, scheduled ocean transportation by air is a distinct and definite future prospect. Jhe trail-blazers who opened to civilization the vast stretches of this Continent of ours, who moved our boundary from the Atlantic to the Pacific, were inspired and helped by women of courage and skill, From the days of thi ploneers to the present era, women have marched step in step with men. And now, when air trails between our shores and those of our neighbors are being charted, you, as & woman, have preserved and cerried forward this precious tradition. Vory sincerely yours, Miss Amelia hrhlrt. Oakland, Californis. l’/m W e <« When :nnwbound planes in the West yesterday halted an airmail let- ter of congratulation to Amelia Ear- hart which President Roosevelt had written especially for reading by the mayor of Oakland, Calif., at a dinner | held last night, the Associated Press | wirephoto service transmitted a copy | of the letter from Washington to Oakland in eight minutes and the ceremonies went on as scheduled. | Above is a reproduction of the let- | ter which arrived at the Associated Press officeS in The Star Building at | 5:22 p.m. yesterday, and was received in Oakland at 5:30 pm. | { OAKLAND, Calif., January 19 (®). —Amelia Earhart, conqueror by air of both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, landed here late today from Los Angeles to join State, Federal and city officials and former President Hoover at a banquet in her honor. She was escorted to a landing by 11 Navy planes. President Roosevelt sent a message of praise to be read at the banquet. Mrs. Roosevelt, Secretaries Dern and Swanson, Representative Virginia Jenckes of Indiana, representing the women in_Congress; Senators John- son and McAdoo of California and Representatives Kahn and Welch of California also sent messages of con- gratulation. U5, HOMESTEADS CHIEF ON FORUM Charles E. Pynchon Will| Discuss New Deal Plan on Air. The Government’s subsistence homestead program and its develop- ment will be discussed by Charles E. Pynchon, president and general man- ager of the Federal Subsistence Home- stead Corp., in the National Radio | Forum tomorrow at 10:30 p.m. The National Radio Forum is ar- ranged by The Washington Star and broadcast over the network of the National Broadcasting Co. It may be heard here over Station WMAL. The subsistence homestead program includes at present 63 projects. lo- cated in every section of the country. Already homesteads have been erected and homesteaders have begun occupy- ing sites. They have an important part in the administration’s plans for readjustment and recovery for the American people. The subsistence homestead gives to a family an opportunity to care for itself on land that has not been in use. It aids in removing men and women from neighborhoods where they have been unable to make a living and where they have become public charges, or partially so, to places where they can be self-sus- taining. ARMS PLOT REPORT BRINGS OUT PLANES Mexico Sends 40 to Patrol U. S. Border Upon Rumor of Smuggling Scheme. By the Associated Press. JUAREZ, Mexico, January 19.—Re- ports of plots to smuggle arms from the United States into Mexico brought 40 Mexican Army airplanes winging to the border today. Three planes equipped with ma- chine guns and radio sets, arrived in Juarez under command of Capt. Al- berto Najera Mercado. They began to patrol the border out of Juarez. Other ships were dispatched to No- gales, Nuevo Laredo and Ojinaga. Gen. Antonio Guerrero, commander of the Chihuahua military zone, sald he did not expect a revolutionary out- break and denied rumors that a band of Mexican rebels organized in the United States had tried to enter Chi- huahua. Juarez military officials said the pa- trol was ordered purely as a precau- tionary measure. NEVADA SEEKS TAXES FROM STEAMSHIP LINE Inland State Would Compel Pay- ment of Levies on Ocean Liners. By the Associated Press. RENO, Nevada, January 19.—A pe- tition seeking to compel the United States Steamship Lines to pay taxes to the inland Stale of Nevada on 10 steamships was filed in District Court today. ‘The company is incorporated under the laws of Nevada. The petition, flled by the Washoe County district attorney and the at- torney general of Nevada, asks the court to cite the company to pay §9,608.75 in taxes for 1934. The line's Leviathan is assessed at $50,000 and nine other vessels at $37,158. All are registered at the port of New York. —_— THROWS HAT IN RING South Dakotan Announces He ‘Will Seek Seat in Congress. HOT SPRINGS, S.Dak,, January 19 {#)—Paul E. Martin Mly announced he would be a Republican candidate for Congress in 1936. The early an- nouncement, “so the Republicans ¢ ¢ ¢ can have ample time to consider my stand and ally themselves ® ® * as they see fit.” > TEXTILEINDUSTRY PAYREPORT MADE Brings Threat of Second Strike From Workers. Raise to Be Sought. By the Associated Press. A long-awaited report on wages in the cotton fextile industry yesterday brought from the United Textile Work- ers a number of fresh demands and a definite threat of another bitter strike unless they are granted. The report, an exhaustive docu- ment covering 70 typewritten pages, was made by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Labor Department, in ac- cordance with the terms by which the general strike of last September was terminated. It said it found: (1) That cotton manufacturers in general were obeying the wage pro- visions of the N. R. A. codes, but: (2) That cotton mill workers still were among the lowest paid of any major industry. The report, sent to the N. R. A. for ultimate action or decision, was entirely factual in nature, making neither recommendations nor conclu- sions. Gorman Attacks Owners. It brought, however, from Prancis J. Gorman, vice president of the United Textile Workers, the assertion that “it rips the covers from the naked greed, the inhuman callousness of the mill owners and their manu- facturers.” Gorman had declined to comment on apparently well authenticated re- ports that plans and preparations al- ready were being made for another Nation-wide textile strike in the Spring, but after reading the report he declared, in a statement: “If it takes another strike to ac- complish something more in the way of reaching the goal which we have set, we will know more next time of how to go about, that, too.” He added that on the basis of the Labor Department’s report, the United Textile Workers “now make these de- mands”: Reopening ' of the codes, for the establishment of wages and hours and conditions of work. Wage increases. Clearly defined definitions between various grades of skill, with wage rates fixed accordingly. Ask Shorter Week. A shortening of the work week, now restricted to 40 hours. While the textile workers expressed elation over the report, there was plenty of disagreement as to which side, if any, it favored. Manufacturers, perusing the docu- ment, found this description of the Industry: “1. Real average weekly earnings rose with the introduction of the code. “2. The cost of goods purchased by textile workers rose 5 per cent in the North and 8 per cent in the South from June, 1933, to August, 1934. There was & further increase to Oc- tober, 1934. “3. The curtailment of production in effect from May to August, 1934, lowered weekly earnings. In August, 1934, the real average earnings of males were 5 to 8 per cent less than in July, 1933. The real average earn- ings of females in August, 1934, were 7 per cent higher in the North and 16 per cent higher in the South than in July, 1933. “4. Real earnings of almost every worker were less in August, 1934, than in August, 1933. In the North the average real earnings declined 15 per cent, in the South 25 per cent. “5. The charge that increases in the rent of company houses have been used to offset wage increases does apply to most mills in the country. In almost all mills studied there has| w, been no change in rents. “6. In some isolated cases rent ad- vances have been made which offset, in those particular mills, average wage increases for the industry.” PO Typewriter Mechanics End Strike. CHICAGO, January 19 (#).—An- other strike was settled today. Union typewriter and office mechanics, strik- ing since October, return to work Monday. Wage scale differences caused walkéub, ¢ C., JANUARY 20, 50,113 R .. ]FARM UNIT MAPS PROFLTS REPORTED) LEGISLATIVE FIGHT},.. Jones Asks Congress to Ex- tend Repayment Period to Aid Recovery. By the Assoclated Press. A healthy financial condition with net earnings of $26,002,917 in 1934 was reported yesterday by the Re- construction Finance Corp. in in- formally asking Congress for author- ity to bolster the real estate mortgage market and help railroads to reor- ganize. Jesse H. Jones, chairman, in mak- ing the report, said that since its or- ganization in February, 1932, the cor- poration had made $65,175963 in profits. The chairman recommended Con- gress grant authority for the corpo- ration to extend the time for repay- ments from 5 to 10 years, so that, he said, money which otherwise would be pald to the Government might be used to aid recovery. The R. F. C. expires on January 31, but the administration already has planned its extension for two more | years. Objectives Outlined. “With bank repair approximately completed,” the report said, “the ob- Jects which we believe still need es- pecial assistance by the R. F. C. are: “1. A continuation of commodity loans through the Commodity Credu Corp. “2. Nation-wide assistance to real estate mortgages. “3. Assistance to railroads on a se- cured basis. “4. Industrial loans for moderni- zation and replacement of plant and equipment, including in some in- stances composition of debts on a basis that will enable the borrower to continue operations.” Loans 61 Per Cent Paid. ‘The R. F. C. said 61 per cent of all | loans made by it had been repaid, including those to 914 banks which closed after the crash. “We think,” Jones said, “we can be of very real Nation-wide assist- ance by helping to promote and re- vive a market for real estate mort- gages not necessarily eligible through the Farm Credit or Home Owners’ lending agencies, and by co-operating with these agencies and with the Fed- eral Housing Administration as well as Public Works in construction proj- ects—all on a sound basis. “A very large part of our popula- tion has some direct or indirect inter- est in real estate and anything that can be done toward restoring a sound loan value or market value for real estate mortgages will be helpful to a vast number of people. “We are convinced that this can be done without cost to the taxpayer and with very little use of Govern- ment credit. * * * Rail Situation Studied. “We have given a great deal of study to the railroad situation and feel that there is considerable that this corporation can safely do in aid of railroads generally without ulti- mate loss to' the Government. It is not our thought even to approach railroad ownership, but with some further loans and probably some lim- ited guarantees we can help very ma- terially in reorganization and consoli- dation.” For the first time the corporation this year issued a financial table showing its activities under the Hoo- ver and Roosevelt administrations. It showed that during the former period loans totaling $2,197,721.094 were authorized and $589,715,474 al- located to Government agencies and for relief with disbursements of $1.- 730,527.320 on loans and $296,537.000 to Government agencies and for re- lief. Since the Roosevelt administration took charge the corporation has au- thorized loans totaling $4.604,003,343 | and disbursed $3,128,334,550 to bor- rowers and allocated $1.573,273,017 to Government agencies and relief and disbursed ll 692,674,437, ITALY AND ETHIOPIA AGREE TO NEGOTIATE League Council Ratifies Agree- ment of Countries to Avoid Conflicts. By the Assoclated Press. GENEVA, January 19.—The League of Nations today apparently averted another international crisis by induc- ing Italy and Ethiopia to settle their African border difficulties in direct negotiations, A private session of the Council ratified an agreement, previ- ously accepted by representatives of the two nations, whereby they pledged themselves to avoid new military con- fiict. If the controversy is not settled by May, the agreement provided, it will come up for discussion before the Council session. Italy previously had questioned the League's competency to handle the dispute. Several times in recent months Italian forces have clashed with Ethiopian troops along the disputed boundary line between the African nn¢‘ dom and Italy’s colonial posses- sions. —_— SUGAR CORNER PROBE ADVANCE IS INDICATED Great Western Sugar Co. Head Returns From Washington to Denver With Hint. By the Assoclated Press. DENVER, January 19.—W. D. Lip- pitt, president of the Great Western Sugar Co., hinted today some im- portant development may take place soon in an investigation of a reported corner on the December sugar market. In a resolution by Senator Vanden- burg of Michigan the Secretary of Agriculture was asked recently to re- port what information he had on the corner in the sugar futures mar- ket and “a history of any dealings the Department of Agriculture or the A. A. A. may have had with the mer- chandising of the 1934 Cuban sugar not| quota in the United States.” Lippitt returned last night from ‘ashington. Officials of the Agrlculture and State Departments said today they were working on data giving detailed information concerning the reported corner in the New York sugar futures market last month, but were not pre- pared to make them public. The study is being made of the sugar market “rigging” at the request of Senator Vandenberg, Republican, of ‘Michigan, who introduced the 4 Amendments to Strengthen and Simplify Legal Struc- ture Aim. By the Assoclated Press. The Farm Administration is pre- paring to battle for enactment of amendments by the present Congress | to strengthen and simplify its legal structure and administration fa- cilities. The proposed legislative changes will be discussed this week at a con- ference between Chester C. Davis, the farm administrator, and chairmen of the Senate and House Agriculture Committees—Senator Smith, Demo- crat, of South Carolina, and Repre- sentative Jones, Democrat, of Texas. Although most of these proposed 1935—PART ONE Blanton and Cannon Win Again In Denying D. C. Needed Fu nd tory Modified by Success of Ditter and Dirksen in Getting Truth About Taxes BY JAM!S E. CHINN, The annual battle in the House over the District appropriation bill is now a matter of history. The result was about the same. Representatives Can- non and Blanton marked up ancther victory, which is a different way of saying that the District lost. o The fight was mild, however, in comparison with some of the previous clashes between the Cannon-Blanton team and those with the courage to defend the District. In fact, Blan- ton and Cannon found this year only two persistent adversaries—the slow=- speaking, matter of fact Ditter of Pennsylvania and the more emphatic, touseled-haired Dirksen of Illinois. But what chance did two Repub- licans, like Ditter and Dirksen, have against two seasoned fighters such as Cannon and Blanton and a cham- changes were blocked in the last Con- | & JUII'0F Democrats who were Teady gress by a group headed by Senator Byrd, Democrat, of Virginia, A. A. A. officials yesterday expressed belief they will have comparatively little trouble in securing the amendatory legislation. Backing of President Roosevelt is assured. Penalties Recommended. The administration will seek cur- tailment of its power to revoke licenses of food handlers, since it constitutes termination of the business of indi- viduals it is applied to. Instead they recommend a system of fines and penalties for violation of provisions of marketing agreements and licenses. Another major amendment would authorize the administration to sub- stitute payments in kind for all or part of cash benefit payments in mak- ing crop adjustments. This would enable the administration to store farm commodities under Government loans, as is now being done for cotton and corn, and return them to the farmer as part of the following year's crop in return for reductions in acreage. This would not eliminate process- ing taxes, since funds would still be needed to purchase stored commodi- ties from the Commodity Credit Corp., loan-making organization. Another amendment would provide steps to be followed in drawing up marketing agreements in order to give all producers and others inter- ested full opportunity to participate in their preparation. It also would define more clearly powers of the administration to regu- late interstate commerce, & point on which some courts in recent actions have held the A. A. A. to be uncon- stitutional. License-Issuing Authority. A fourth amendment would specify more clearly the administration’s au- thority to issue licenses under mar- keting agreements to handlers or processors of farm commodities when the agreements are signed only by producers. g Clarification of the administration powers to examine books and records of handlers and processors under agreements and licenses will be sought under another amendment. This would be done for the pro- tection of the public, administrative officials and the industries them- selves, it was explained, to determine the effect of agreements and licenses in carrying out the declared policy of the adjustment act. Other amendments would exempt the proven production of small cotton producers up to two bales from pro- visions of the Bankhead compulsory control act and would enable the ad- ministration to continue processing taxes beyond years in which benefit payments were made in order to make possible balancing of commodity budgets over a longer period of time. \GUNS SEIZED AS 8 SUSPECTS ARE TAKEN Police Say 4 Arrested in Restau- rants Were Once Detroit Gangsters. Eight persons were arrested and held for investigation last night after the Police Department’s new “pick-up squad,” assigned to get information on and round up out-of-town hood- lums and suspicious characters, made two surprise visits to downtown res- taurants, getting four men at each place. Three guns, a .45 automatic and two .38 caliber revolvers, were taken from the first four men seized. They were arrested so quickly, however, there was no time to put up a fignt. A quantity of adhesive tape was taken along with the guns, as was a quan- tity al‘ .mmunmnn carried in a zip- per ba Pohce refused to state whether they believed the men to be members of one gang, but said they believed at least four formerly were members of the once notorious Purple Gang of Detroit. Some of them are belleved to have been involved in the extortion here recently of $1,700 from a Tennessee judge. Capt. B. W. Thompson, assistant chief of the detective bureau, would divulge but little information about the men. All of them were held upan.tely in dmrerenz precmcu. INTERLUDE AMAZES HOFMANN AUDIENCE Pianist Halts Recital of Chopin Group to Provide Few Min- utes of Fantasy. By the Associated Press, NEW YORK, January 19.—Josef Hofmann, presenting his first recital in Carnegie Hall today after a Euro- pean tour, injected into his a bit of pantomine, a lengthy inter- lude, and a few moments of mystery for one of the largest audiences of the season. The technical master of the key- board as ever, Hofmann was attack- ing the latter part of a Chopin group with a passionate sweep. Suddenly he ceased to play, sprang from the piano, flung up his arm protestingly to the audience, and stalked off the platform. ‘The puzzled audience murmured. ‘Then a piano expert appeared. He crawled under the instrument, wig- gled the pedals, crawled out again, and walked off. Hofmann returned, proceeded to finish the fantasy in exciting fashion, bowed and wilked off again. ‘The piano expert returned, wiggled the pedals again and once more dis- to follow them at the drop of a hat? Ditter, incidentally, was the only Republican member on the Subcom- mittee of Appropriations which framed the 1936 District bill, and he knew well the inequities it contained. Dirk- sen’s interest in Washington and the battle he waged for a square deal, grew out of the fact that he is a mem- ber of the District Legislative Commit~ tee. Committee Slashed Bill. The bill itself came into the House from the Appropriations Committee more than $1,000,000 short of the| amount recommended by the Budget Bureau. Blanton and Cannon took a large share of the credit for that cut in the committee, for they usually dictate the District bill—Cannon the subcommittee chairman and Blanton his most active supporter. And having done a thorough job in the subcommittee, Cannon and Blan- ton were determined it should not be undone on the floor of the House. Their efforts were rewarded because the House, despite the pleas of Ditter and Dirksen, refused to change a word or a figure in the bill. It passed and went to the Senate in exactly the same form that it came out of the committee. That, in itself, is unusual for any bill—even in these days of steam rollers. Ditter and Dirksen, however, did much to straighten out the House on some of the annually recurring ques- | tions of fiscal relations between the | District and Federal Governments. In addition, they counteracted the im- pression Blanton gives at every oppor- | tunity that the tax burden is low be- cause the tax rate is low and that District residents enjoy many “free privileges” for which his constituents have to pay. For instance, Blanton has told the House time and time again that whenever a tree is planted in Abilene, or sprayed to destroy the caterpillars, the good folks there dig into their jeans and- pay for it. But here in the District, he led the House to be- lieve, these operations cost the tax- payer nothing. He forgets to mention the fact that such services are paid for out of the general tax revenues to which all taxpayers contribute, and that the same thing is true of Lmhl and garbage removal and the sewer system—all services which, he insinu- ated, are “free” merely because no special tax is set up to finance them. Record Is Modified. The pages of the Congressional Rec- ord during consideration of the Dis- trict bill are literally cluttered with | similar statements, but this year | Messrs. Ditter and Dirksen succeeded | in shedding more light on the facts. Let's dig into the record for a | more comprehensive picture— The prelude is something like this: Mr. Ditter is making a vigorous plea to have the House appropriate nearly $85,000 to continue the character edu- cation course in the public schools in the coming fiscal year. Mr. Blanton is recognized and says: “We have 2,900 teachers in the city of Washington. Complaints during | the last 18 years have come to us that some of them are off color—are Com- munistic in their tendencies. If the character education permits each one of the 2,900 teachers to talk to the children as each wants to talk to them, how could character education be | built in the schools?” “Will the gentleman be so kind as to inform us how many Communists we have on the teaching staff?” in- quires Mr. Dirksen. “In the last 18 years’” replies Mr. Blanton, “I have received several complaints.” “How many? says Mr. Dirksen. “I understand,” said Mr. Blanton, “that one of the teachers was sus- pended here once. The teacher then appealed to the American Federation of Labor and the Teachers’ Union, and that organization forced the teaching staff to restore the teacher; and re- store the salary. There have been several complaints here during the last 18 years.” Other Situations Cited. “Several complaints among 2,900 teachers over a period of 18 years!” exclaimed Mr. Dirksen. “You will find that condition prevails in every city of this size in the United States.” “After all,” replies Mr. Blanton, “there should be character teaching in the make-up of every teachqr. Is not that so? Every teacher, every- where, in every school, should do his part in character building.” “Quite so,” agrees Mr. Dirksen. Suddenly, in the midst of this de- bate, Representative Fitzpatrick, a Democrat from New York, rises, and asks: “What is the tax rate in the Dis- trict of Columbia?” “It is $1.50 & hundred,” replies Mr. Dirksen. “And what is the tax rate in the :ent.!unlns commun.\ty?" adds Mr. + Fitzpatri = luppou about 83 50,” Mr. Dirksen answered. “That is twice the amount here,” said Mr. Fitzpatrick. “Oh, let me explain,” declared Mr. Dirksen. “Does not the gentleman think the people in the District of Columbia Let us be specific?” ought to have some civic pride and |- raise this money?” inquired Mr. Fitz- patrick. “The gentleman is not informed,” Mr. Dirksen answered. “The tax rate in the District of Columbia is $1.50, but that is on the full valuation. ‘When you come to pay taxes in New York you pay on the assessed basis, which is about one-half the value.” “We have the lowest tax rate of lny city in the United States,” sald M. Fitzpatrick, “but throughout the country they pay $3.50 or $4.20 a hun- dred and in the District of Columbis they only pay $1.50.” Holds Statement Unjust. “I think it is a rank injustice to appeared. The recital was finished ! the tax Senate resolution calling for the re- | without further interruption. Encores bia is $1.50 when, as & matter of fact, port.. ‘were numerous. ) , mth.hdlm Into Record. sessed in your State and in mine it would be $3 per hundred, and not $1.50.” * x K X ‘Then Mr. Ditter resumes the floor to explain that of every dollar ex- pended for character education $6 would be paid by the local taxpayers and $1 by the Federal Government. “That is correct,” Mr, Dirksen added. But, said Mr. Blanton: “If the gentleman’s premise were correct, that the assessments were on full valuation, say, up to last year, and I not agree with the gentleman, does not the gentleman know that in the hearings the Commissioners testified that in the last year they arbitrarily reduced the assessed values $80,000,- 000 and that again this year they re- duced them arbitrarily $50,000,000; so that in the last two years they have arbitrarily reduced the assessed values ‘8’}32 ,000,000 in the District of Colum- 22" “Why should not they?” responded Mr. Dirksen. “Why should not there be a de- crease in the assessable amount of property? Did not the gentleman from Texas take extreme pride in coming into the well of this House and helping the people of the District to constantly get those reductions? Says He Is Friend. “Oh! I am the best friend that the Washington people have, in spite of the opposition of the newspapers,” replied Mr. Blanton. There was, of course, no “arbitrary reduction” of assessments. Assess- ments were reduced because property values declined. Even with the re- duction, Washington assessments are extremely high. About this time, the tall, robust Representative Truax, an Ohio Demo- frat steps unexpectedly into the pic- ure. “I would like to ask the gentleman and his fellow character education- ists,” he begins, “if they receive their major support from their constituents on account of the appropriations they receive for the District of Columbia or for their own representative dis- tricts?” “Oh, now, let me say to the gentle- man from Ohio,” interrupted Mr. Dirksen, “that of the $38,000.000 or $39,000,000 that is represented here, only $5,700,000 comes out of the Fed- | eral Treasury. Is that not right?” “That 1s just one item, but look at | Howard University,” declared Mr. | Blanton. “Every dollar that is spent | on Howard University is spent by the | Federal Government. Look at some of the hospitals here which benefit | District people, the money for which i“ furnished by the Federal Govern- ment out of other bills.” City Pays Its Share. (But Mr. Blanton, of course, did not explain that the District contributes to the support of these institutions through the national taxes, and that the students, or the patients, as the case may be, are drawn from all sec- tions of - the country.) Mr. ax said he would favor giv- {ing the $85,000 character education fund to the public schools of Ohio, which, he sald, need it. “Here they are, the District tax- payers,” continues Mr, Dirksen, “pay- ing taxes out of their own pocket, to which Uncle Sam adds $5.700.000. What for? For all this resl estate | that has been displaced and that is not taxable, because it is a part of | the 1nstrumentality of government | Look at the majestic buildings and | the vast amount of land preempted ‘by Uncle Sam from which the Dis- trict derives no taxes. That is why we throw a lump sum into this ap- propriation bill. Most of it comes out of their own pockets. “Now their superintendent of educa- tion comes before the committee and says: ‘We would like to spend some of our money for this character edu- cation work that was started last year.’ It is their money and they ought to have some jurisdiction and authority as to how they want to spend the money.” But the argument was futile. The 95 members on the floor voted down character educ-thm. 62 to 33. LIBRARIANS FAVOR SPECIAL STATE AID District Auocnnon. Opposes Commonwealth Control. However, Members of the District Library Asso- ciation agreed Friday night in a panel discussion held in the auditorium of the Interior Department that State ald should be given public libraries, but that they should not be controlled by the State. Carl H. Milam, secretary of the American Library Association, acted as chairman and led the discussion. He said that if there is to be a na- tional library system or even unified State systems they should be estab- lished at once. The speakers all defended present " | methods of library control, but de- clared that as public institutions they should be assisted financially by the States and to a certain extent by the Federal Government. Parti¢ipating in the discussion in addition to Milam were Dr. George F. Bowerman, District librarian; John T. Vance, law librarian of the Library of Congress; David J. Hay- kin, co-operative cataloging, Library of Congress; Adelaide R. Hasse, F. E. R. A. bibliographer; Samuel A. D. ‘Hunter, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, and Caroline B. Sherman, Buerau of Agricultural Egonomics. B o JOHN BARTON PAYNE IN CRITICAL CONDITION American Red Cross Chairman Showing Improvement After Operation, However. John Barton Payne, chairman of the American Red Cross, was in a critical condition at George Wi Uni- versity Hospital last night, following an operation for appendicitis, but al taches said he was showing some im- provement. Judge Plyu who is nealy 80, was removed to the hospital Friday on the SENATE TOSTUDY D.C. FUNDING BILL Hearmgs on Proposed Al- terations Slated to Begin Within Week. Senate hearings on the District ap propriation bill, which passed the House Priday carrying $39,308,404, or more than $1,000,000 under the budget estimates, probably will start within & week, but a date has not been fixed. Senator Thomas, Democrat, of Okla- homa, subcommittee chairman, has written District officials, inviting them to prepare to submit proposed changes. He sald yesterday opportunity also would be extended civic representa- tives to advocate the addition of new items or the elimination of provisions they oppose. He expressed the hope that the Senate hearings be confined to proposed changes, as distinguished from provisions of the bill over which there is no controversy, More Policemen Sought, It is expected that renewed efforts will be made in the Senate to restore funds for continuing character edu- cation in the public schools for an- other year and that the plea for more policemen also will be given careful consideration. It is believed the Senate also will go into the Highway and Water De- partment items that were eliminated from the budget recommendations by the House, These highway and water improvements are paid, respectively, from the gas tax and water rent funds, and the elimination of those improvements merely leaves balances lying idle in both these funds which cannot be used for any other pur- pose. . x Study Being Made. The House again held the Federal share of the bill down to & lump sum of $5700,000. Treasury experts are making a study of the District tax bur- den, in comparison with other cities, acting at the request of the President, and if this study should be followed by any recommendation on the fiscal relations problem, it could be consid- ered by the Senate group. Chairman Thomas said yesterday he would be interested in seeing the results of the tax study. The Senator also reiterated his belief that the Dis- trict would fare better on the fiscal relations issue if it could change from the present high basis of assessment, which results in a tax rate lower than other cities which have a low basis of assessment. FREEZE OVER SNOW GIVES CITY PERIL OF ICY STREETS (Continued From First Page.) sent 44 snow plows into service last night and gangs of the street clean- ing force were to report for service this morning if needed. Street clean- ing division officials held special trucks in readiness to spread sand on the steeper grades. Four persons were injured in a head-on collision on the Washington- Richmond highway, just south of Alexandria, during the storm last night. Mrs. Mae Schetzen and Mry. Henrietta Sherman of New York City suffered scalp wounds, and Mrs. Schet- zen was said to have a possible skull fracture. Harry Beaner and Aaron Shinn, both colored. of Occoquan, were occupants of a truck with which the car of the two women collided. Beaner suffered a leg fracture and Shinn a chest injury. All were treated at Alexandria Hospital. Newton Donaldson, 16. of 602 East Capitol street, was hurt in a fall on the snow and was treated at Casualty Hospital. Gabriel Napisa, 41, of 6228 Piney Branch road, suffered bruises and shock when his car, driven by his wife, Mrs. Minnie Napisa, skidded into a bus in the 3000 block of Massachusetts avenue. The bus was operated, police said, by William P. Page, 1330 G street northeast. Road Scrapers Busy. State highway scrapers were being operated constantly last night on a half dozen truck roads converging at Winchester, Va., as well as on many secondary roads in an effort to keep lanes open to traffic. The storm in this Virginia area was described as the heaviest snowfall of the season. Fall- ing on frozen ground already covered with remnants of an earlier fall, the snow was 5 inches deep, here early last night. In the District the highest tempera- ture yesterday was 31 degrees, which neld between 2 and 4 pm. The ther- mometer dropped to 26 degrees by 9 p.m., however. ‘The American Automobile Associa- tion reported snow was blanketing roads out of Washington to the West. To the South, in the vicinity of Rich- mond the snow was reported turning to rain, easing the path of motorists. Travelers were advised to use caution in travel to the West or North. Severe Weather Widespread. For the Nation, Winter drove a sharp salient down the frozen Yukon, bringing the menace of frost to Cali- fornia, new blizzards to the snow- bound Cascades, snow as far south as Texas and bitter subzero temperatures far across the States. The mercury dove out of sight to 57 below zero at Endako, British Colum- bis, and found new low points for the Winter in the region of the Dakotas. Almost a score persons were dead or missing in the storm that raged down the coast from Alaska. Count- less others were killed or injured in rail and highway accidents caused by cold, ice and snow. Seattle shivered in temperatures around 10 above zero, coldest in 41 years. It was 14 above at Tacoma, and street traffic was crippled. The Cascades lay 12 feet deep in snow and more was forecast last night for Oregon, Washington and Idaho. Trains battled mountain snowdrifts and ran five hours late in the North- ‘west. ROYAL RIFT IS DENIED Countess Covadnoga Says She Will Return to Husband. MIAMI, Fla, January 19 (P — Though an ocean separates them, the Countess Covadnoga, comely Cuban commoner for whom the former Prince of the Asturias renounced his claim to the Spanish throne, joined with her royal husband today in denying they contemplated divorce.