Evening Star Newspaper, March 18, 1935, Page 17

Washington News BLOOD TEST URGED FOR DETERMINING DRUNKEN DRIVERS United Dry Forces of Dis- trict Ask Immediate Adop- tion by Commissioners. APPALLED BY INCREASE IN TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS State That 1,500th of 1 Per Cent of Alcohol in Blood Makes Driver Imprudent. BY JOHN DALY. ATRICK IRELAND, native New Yorker, spent his first St. Pa- trick’s day in Washington and says, “Never ag'in.” It seems that Mr. Ireland was unduly disappointed in the lack of St. Patrick's day spirit here in the land of the N. R. A, “Sure,” he said, stretching himself on his cot at the first precinct, just before a bondsman arrived with bail, which was after- ward forfeited, “Sure, they know as much about St. Patrick’s day in Wash- ington as the Eskimos know about soft-shoe dancing in the South Sea Isles. “You'd think, too, that with a man like Farley in the cabinet, something would ve done ebout a St. Patrick’s " LA-COCK-A-ROACHA Immediate adoption of a blood test | or some other scientific test to deter- | mine when a person is guilty of driv- ing an automobile while intoxicated was urged on the District Commis- sioners today by the United Dry | Forces of the District. an organiza- tion of delegates from churches. tem- | perance societies and social service end welfare organizations. The proposal was filed with the city executives by Dr. Everett M. Ellison, chairman of the group. and the letter also bore the signatures of Dr. Isabel H. Lamb and James P. Briges. Deep concern was voiced over the mounting traffic accident toll. Appalled by Accidents. “The United Dry Forces of the Dis- trict, being concerned by the ap- palling increase in automobile acci- dents since the repeal of prohibition— amounting to the death or injury of 4,197 persons in the District of Co- lumbia in 1934—hereby respectfully Yequest you to take immediate steps for securing the scientific testing of drivers arrested in motor vehicle ac- cidents with a view of determining if they are under the influence of alco- hol at the time of accidents, and if so, of prosecuting them on this special charze,” the group said | “We are inforced that the present | practice is not to lodge a charge of | drunk while driving unless the police- | man making the arrest thinks the | driver is drunk. He gets the names of witnesses to support his charge in case the driver goes to court instead of forfeiting collateral “It would be hard to doubt a river’s intoxicated condition if it were so apparent as to impress | emphatically the policeman and the witnesses at the scene of the accident. There are, however, in our opinion, many occasions when a driver, though not noticeably affected by the liquor, is really intoxicated to the extent of unfitting him for safe driving, and rendering him legally responsible for | accidents in which he may be in- volved.” Alcohol Percentage Report. The organization called the Com- Missioners’ attention to a report of & study which showed that even with 1.500th of 1 per cent of alcohol in the blood stream a driver is no longer & “prudent driver.” and anything in excess means “distinct intoxication.” The committee said this finding was reported at a meeting of the “com- ittee on the effects of alcohol on operators of motor vehicles, held in | November, 1933, in the office of the | District traffic director.” That com- | mittee. the Commissioners were re- | minded, advocated a blood test of drivers suspected of being drunk. “We ask as a step toward the pro- tection of our citizens from the grow- ing menace of drunken drivers that hereafter all applicants for driving bermits be requested to sign an agree- ment that whenever arrested as a Tesult of a traffic accident they will subject themselves to a scientific blood test,” said the representatives of the group. “It is very simple and harm- less, necessitating only the extrac- tion of a single drop of blood.” RITCHIE SUPPORTS OLD-AGE PENSION Advises Gov. Nice's Committee He Favored Move in Governor- ship Campaign. | | | | By the Associated Press. ANNAPOLIS, March 18.—Former Gov. Albert C. Ritchie stood ready to- day to lend his aid to passage of an old-age pension law. Pointing out responsibility to the aged was one of the plans of his plat- form for re-eiection, Ritchie wrote Lee L. Dopkin, chairman of Gov. Nice's Committee on Drafting an Old- age Measure, that he would indorse it publicly. Dopkin said passage of the bill in- troduced by Senator J. David Baile, Republican, of Carroll, weuld be pressed. Under it destitute persons at least 65 years old would be pen- sioned. The State, municipalities and the Government, if it adopts a similar measure, would contribute. It was estimated it would cost $2,520,000 annually to pension the 14,000 aged needy in the State. Ad- vocates of the measure said it now cost $4,000,000 for 9,600 not on pen- sions. Dopkin said nine of the 14 mem- bers of the Senate Finance Commit- tee were in favor of the bill. SCHOOL PATROL BOY HIT-AND-RUN VICTIM Auto Said to Have Struck 14- Year-0ld on Sidewalk at Fifth and Q Streets. James Lewis, 14, colored, & school- boy patrolman, received bruises about the face, hands and arms this morn- ing when struck by a hit-and-run driver at Fifth and @ streets while directing children across the street. Freedmen's Hospital, where the boy was taken, listed his condition as un- determined. Police had not concluded investiga- tion of the case at noon today, but said it was understood the youth was standing on the sidewalk and hit by a car which ran over the corner sec- tion of the sidewalk in making a turn. Lewis lives at 2012 Tenth street. Policeman J. R. Wallace of No. 2 precinct is investigating the case. A description of the automobile was ob- day celebration in Washington. By George, he didn't even get out a spe- | cial stamp for the occasion. “On Saturday night,” Mr. Ireland went on, “I put on me fish and soup and went forth, a stranger in the city, in search of entertzinment—and what did I find? Like Halloween Party. “Well, sir, without wishing to hurt the feelings of any man, woman or child in the Capital City of the Na- tion, I found that so far as celcbrat- ing the birthday of the great patron saint of Treland the boys and girls might just as weli have been ou' on a Halloween party. There was about that much pep to it. “To begin with. the high and mighty | party of the town was a $10-a-plate full-dress affair with white ties in- stead of the proverbial ‘tuck’ and high-toned speech-making by mem- bers of Congress, who, being poli- ticians, said practically nothing about St. Patrick, but spent most of their time explaining away the national debt. Not that I listened to any of this jabber—and that wasn't because Ididn't have the $10 either—but when I went io this high and mighty af- fair, lo and behold, I was refused admittance because I didn’t have an invitation. “Glory be to God. Can y' imagine having to have an invitation to a St. Patrick’s day party? In my neck of the woods they're all free-for-alls. And that's the way it should be. “Why, there wasn't even a parade in Washington. What kind of a place is this, anyway? “You take New York, now, and they | | Office, where Jim Farley reigns,” Mr. | begin clearing Ffth avenue at day- break for the parade.” “Well, sir, you have fine streets here in Washington and good parade he Zp WASHINGTON, D. C. St. Patrick’s Day Too Quiet Irishman Finds Trouble Trying to Spur D. C. Celebration. | grounds—but they tell me you've never | had a St. Patrick’s day parade, and | it was just that little argument that landed me in the hoose-gow. “When I left the big party that |had a ‘No Admittance’ sign on the | door I naturally strolled around the town, all by myself, me not knowing | anybody, a-trying to find out what was going on. From cafe to cafe, | restaurant to restaurant I went—and | they were all of the same nature— just a lot of people sitting around eating and drinking, and maybe danc- |ing, and that was all. Except for the | fact that some of the proprietors |turned on green lights and others provided those little paper hats with | shamrocks on them, you might as well have been celebrating the anniversary of the sinking of the Merrimac—or was it the Monitor? “The point is, Washingtonians weren't celebrating the day we cele- brate. “How come,” T asked a yound lad, “that you people who grow fat in the lush lands of the Potomac have no | decent celebration for one of the | greatest saints in the calendar? In | case you've never heard of him, I refer | to St. Patrick.” | “You do?" sez he, looking me in the |eye. “What do you think we're cele- brating tonight?” Argument Acrimonious. “From th' looks of might be celebrating father's golden wedding day—" | “You leave my grandfather out of | this.” the young man says “Was he an Irishman?" I inquires. “He was, and a good Irishman,” the boy says. “In that case,” sez I, “he wasn't a | Washingtonians—for there are no good Irishmen in Washington—so far as my | eye can see. Otherwise—" | “Otherwise what?"” “Why, they'd be celebratin’ the day | we celebrate with a parade 'nd every- | thing.” | “Whatdye call this?” the boy asks, waving his hand to take in all the tin- foil decorations of the place. with a darky band on stage playin' “La “Th’ Wearing of th’ Green” or “Th’ Shamrocks Are Growin' on Broad- | way.” | “That's | An old ma when the fight started n like me, in his 60s, has no right to hit a boy—and I admit | 1ad before he went to get assistance— and th' only thing I'm proud of is | this— that an Irishgan, in his 62d jazz-agers and dispose of th’' entire | lot—until the police came. | Police Disrespectful. “And that's another thing I hold against Washington. The police here have no respect whatsoever for a man | who is out trying to celebrate St. | Patrick’s day. | “New York's finest. as we modestly | call them, would never have done a | thing like that—put me in a patrol | wagon and carry me to the hoosegow.” | At that moment the bail arrived, | through telegraphic instructions—and Mr. Ireland, still clad in his evening clothes, went out to breath the soft, | sweet air of the morning after St. «| Patrick’s day. “Which way?” he was asked by the interviewer, hoping to get a real story out_of him. “I think Il walk down by the Post Ireland said. “Perhaps there’s a | shamrock growing in the grass there— instead of snakes.” YOUTH 15 KILLED, 9 PERSONS HURT Nearby Traffic Toll Includes Son of Edmonston For- mer Councilman. By a Staff Correspondent of The Star. HYATTSVILLE, Md., March 18.—) A youth wasekilled by an express tra and nine other persons were injured in Prince Georges County traffic ac- cidents over the week-end. Robert Lee Page, 17, son of former Councilman William T. Page of Ed- monston, died instantly when a fast Baltimore & Ohio train struck an automobile he was driving at the Am- mendale grade crossing. County police were investigating the crash today and Magistrate George S. Philiips will conduct an inquest in the Hyattsville Metropolitan District Building, Wednesday night. Officer Howard Slater led a search for the body which was found about 100 yards from the crossing. The automobile, which the youth had bor- rowed to drive a friend to the Civilian Conservation Corps Camp at Belts- ville, was demolished. On Way From Camp. Elmer Doolittle, also of Edmonston, a member of the C. C. C., told police Page had agreed to drive him back to his barracks. Using a machine which police said belonged to Mrs. Lillian P. Fay, mother of Doolittle, Page was returning from the camp when the accident occured. Police believe the youth became confused by the headlights of auto- mobiles on the Baltimore Boulevard, which parallels the railroad tracks be- tween Ammendale and Muirkirk. Seven persons were injured when two cars collided at Riverdale early yesterday. At Casualty Hospital, where they were taken by the Bla- densburg rescue squad, they were all said to be recovering this morning, some having been discharged after treatment for cuts and bruises. The injured were James E. ton, 24, of the 2300 block of Cathe- dral avenue; Milton L. Kirby, 34; Loretta Kirby, 31: Ruth Dennison, 27; Lemmuel A. Dennison, jr., 30; Harry Wood, 31, and Mary Wood, 21, all of the 3300 block of E street south- east. Accident Near Clinton. Jacob Eskins, 38, 600 block of Twenty-second street, was treated at Casualty Hospital last night for a sprained wrist, and Eleanor Snapp, 9, for cuts about the face and legs, received in an automobile accident near Clinton, Md. There were many stray chickens roaming the streets of Riverdale today as a result of a hit-and-run accident involving & produce truck this morn- t.med, it was said at the precinct. .gng. The car, which failed to uo‘ PRECINCT JUDGES {Commissioner Would Re- lieve Congestion of Petty Cases at Police Court. Adoption of a limited system of pre- cinct magistrate courts, with the em- ployment of three or four full-time paid peace justices, was proposed today by Commissioner Melvin C. Hazen. The idea of a magistrate court sys- tem for the District was advanced re- cently by Corporation Counsel Pretty- man as a means of relieving the con- gestion of petty offense cases at Police Court. Prettyman suggested a magis- trate for each of the police precincts, the magistrates to be volunteer serv- ants who would be paid only $1 a year. Hazen believes it would be better to hire three or four fuli-time men, pay- ing them perhaps $4,000 a year. Commissioner Hazen will discuss this matter if he is called again as a wit- ness before the special crime commit- tee of the House. Consolidation of the Park Police and the Metropolitan Police under the con- trol of the Commissioners also will be advocated by Commissioner Hazen. He made such a suggestion shortly after he assumed his duties as a Com- missioner. He emphasized today he is not advocating consolidation of the White House and Capitol police with the District forces. Other suggestions Commissioner Hazen will make for improvement in the war on crime will be provision for more District policemen, and, as a means of depriving reckless and un- safe drivers of the right of driving motor vehicles, the enactment of the pending automobile insurance measure. —— HUSBAND FILES SUIT Carlton E. Mills, Hunting Hill, Md., Asks Divorce and Child. Special Dispatch to The Star. ROCKVILLE, Md., March 18— Carlton E. Mills of Hunting Hill has filed suit in the Circuit Court here for an absolute divorce from Ca- therine Mills of the same neighbor- hood, to whom he was married at Washington Grove in 1928. He also asks custody of the couple’s only child, Betty Lou Mills, aged 5 years. _——— knocked three crates of chickens from the truck and the birds scattered in all directions.’ Some employes of a gas station nearby succeeded in capturing six or eight and expect to dine on them today, according to County Policeman Claude Reese, who is looking for the hit-and-run driver. 7} Cock-a-roacha,” and not a sound of | me shortcomings: but I warned that | | year. could take on a whole gang of | URGED BY HAZEN ‘WITH SUNDAY MORNING EDITION DISMISSAL FACED BY 60 TEACHERS AND 1,000 PUPLLS Lack of Funds to Cause Night School Closing April 1. FIVE COLORED SCHOOLS AMONG THOSE AFFECTED Night Students at Central High to Be Transferred to Other Institutions. Approximately 30 teachers in five colored night schools will lose their jobs and 1,000 pupils will be dropped from the rolls April 1, because of lack of funds to continue the public night schools, it was learned today. Between 30 and 40 teachers in the white night schools also will be dropped at an early date and between 11,500 and 2000 pupils transferred | from Central High School night classes to other institutions. 250 Can Be Transferred. C. O. Lewis, director of colored night | schools said today five elementary | schools will be forced to close their night classes. They are the Martha B. Briggs, George Bell, Burrville, Thaddeus Stephens and Elijah P.| Lovejoy Schools. At present they have a total enrollment of close to 1.250, but only about 250 of these can be transferred to the classes to be con- tinued. | Night classes at Cardozo and Arm- | strong High Schools and Garnet-Pat- | terson Junior High School will con- tinue undisturbed, Lewis said E. J. Lockwood, director of the white night schools, said a similar reduc- | tion in teachers will have to be made for reasons of economy. but that a ! date has not yet been fixed for closing the Central classes. | A similar policy has been carried | | out in the past and is attributable in | | the white schools to the large number | of night school pupils who have voluntarily withdrawn since their en- rollment last Fall. In deciding to close the colored night classes, school officials had to choose between dropping elementary pupils or high school pupils. It was found that only about 1,000 would be crowded out of the elementary grades whereas close to 1.800 would have to be dropped if the higher grades were closed. Face Double Problem. Officials faced the double problem of a larger enrollment this year and a consequent greater expense for | teacher salaries, necessitating the closing of the schools earlier than was anticipated when the budget was compiled for the night schools. ‘The plan for closing the colored schools will be presented to the Board of Education Wednesday by Dr. Frank W. Ballou, superintendent of schools. Meanwhile, Dr. Stephen E. Kramer, assistant superintendent, and Lock- wood are studying the problem faced by the white night schools. Pupils at Central will be permitted | to choose between McKinley and Roosevelt High Schools where the same courses are being offered. At Hine Junior High School all night classes will be continued until the end of the year because of the character education experiment being conducted theire. Lockwood had plannd to abandon this school, too, but gave it up because of the special character work that was begun last Fall. Special night trade classes also will continue at the Abbott Vocational School. The entire night faculty at Central High School will be dismissed three months ahead of the end of the regu- lar term. Vacancy for Examiner. When the school board meets Wed- | nesday it will be asked to fill a va- | cancy on the Board of Examiners for | the white schools. Mrs. Carol Schaef- fer, a member of the board, has been asked to be relieved of her duties as an examiner because of extra work she has to do in connection with the character education experiment. She is a member of the faculty at Cook Elementary School, one of the schools chosen for the special character courses. Dr. Ballou also is expected to make a report replying to the charges of Maj. Gen. Amos A. Fries that My wg_ekly Reader, current events publi- cation circulated in the elementary schools, is pro-communist. Gen. Fries charged two weeks ago that the paper had published an article on Russia which gave a biased picture of conditions in the Soviet Union. He asked that an investigation be made. The paper is one of three such publications circulated among school children for use in connection with studies of current events. . MEMORIAL CIRCLE ACCIDENT IS FATAL Young Washington Man Killed in Crash at Alex- andria. —_—— By a Staff Correspondent of The Star. ALEXANDRIA, Va, March 18.— The Memorial Circle at the north entrance of the Mount Vernon Memorial Highway to this city was the scene of another accident Satur- .| day night, in which Anthony E. Da- vis, 21-vear-old messenger carrier of the 2400 block Pennsylvania avenue, Washington, was fatally injured Davis, riding a motor cycle with a girl companion, Miss Iris Reynolds, 18, of the 1200 block Eleventh street, Washington, on the rear seat, crashed into the cirle, and Wwas pinned be- neath his machine, according to the report of park police. The girl escaped with ‘minor injuries. ‘The Washington youth died 20 min- utes later at the Alexandria Hospital with a fractured skull and chest in- juries. He leaves his mother, Mrs. Cinderalla Davis. Funeral arrange- ments are not complete. Numerous accidents have occurred at the Memorial Circle since the highway was opened several years ago. ‘ MONDAY, ening Star MARCH 18, 1935. Held as Officer’s Slayer in Virginia Jail > Thomes Quesenberry, alleged moonshiner, photographed in the Leesburg, Va., jail today, where he is being held for the murder of Clarence J. McClary, Alexandria policeman He is holding the rifle with which he is alleged to have killed McClary and wounded George Kirkpatrick, Federal agent, now in a Leesburg hospital. The dog, Pal. which was with him when captured, is shown looking mournfully at his master. Clary is shown in the inset. 11TOTINEW POOLS URGED IN DISTRICT Miss Sybil Baker Declares Present Standard for City Is Low. If Washington is to have adequate public bathing facilities, 11 additional swimming pools must be built in scat- | tered locations of the District, Miss | Sibyl Baker, superviser of playgrounds, | declared today. The city has need of | 19 in all, she said. i Miss Baker declared Washington's present swimming pool facilities are “very far below the standard that | should prevail,” and voiced hope that | means can be found at an early date | for expansion of the program. On the basis of population and public needs, the National Capital should have 19 swimming pools in all. she said. The District now has but 8, including those under the parks office as well as the three under jurisdic- | tion of the Playground Department. Some Sections Neglected. “Same sections of the city have no swimming facilities at all, and others | are but inadequately served,” she said. “Furthermore, some of the existing pools under jurisdiction of the District government are not only inadequate in size, but are in such condition they should be replaced.” Some of the 11 pools Miss Baker proposes would be of small size and would be placed in playgrounds to serve a residential community. She | believes such a diversified program would better serve the whole Capital | than a fewer number of very large bathing places Five areas included in such a pro- gram Miss Baker listed in the follow- | ing order of priority of need: | The Potomac Park region, where a new pool should be built to replace the three combined pools which appear | destined to be wiped out because of Federal development plans. This would serve a large area of the South- west and lower central sections of the city. Miss Baker reports the present pools there had an attendance of 75,000 last Summer. Anacostia Included. The Anacostia section, which now lacks any such free recreation plant. The Kingman Lake area in the Northeast, near the location of the laige colored educational plant which is being developed by the District. The section near the Taft Junior High School near South Dakota ave- nue and Quincy street northeast. The area west of Rock Creek, pos- sibly near Woodrow Wilson High School near Nebraska avenue and Thirty-ninth street. Playground officials, preparing sug- gestions for public works under the proposed new work relief program, also call attention to the need of a swim- ming pool and wading pools for the Hoover Recreation Center, Second and N streets; for a swimming pool for the Barry Farms playground in Anacostia, and for replacement of the present old pool at the Rosedale play- ground, Seventeenth and Kramer streets northeast. Location of Pools. The District now has swimming pools at the following places, under jurisdiction of the District Playground Department: The Georgetown play- ground, Thirty-third street and Volta place; Rosedale playground, the How- ard playground, Fifth and W streets, and those near the Washington Monu- ment. In addition there are the following under jurisdiction of the National Parks office: The new pool built last year under the civil works program at the Takoma Recreation Center, the McKinley pool at First street and Lincoln road northeast, the Francis pool at Twenty-fifth and N streets and the new pool at the Banneker Recreation Center near Howard Uni- versity. The great popularity of the present swimming plants is illustrated in the annual report of the Playground De- partment, which shows that the to- tal attendance last year at the pools under is jurisdiction was 183,448. The attendance at the 12 wading pools was 43,762 w!‘r;:l;wlmmma lessons ven 410 persons. w‘x::ge figures do not include the many hundreds of vluqmmd boys (Story on Page A-1.) Verdict of Guilty Upset After Trial for Drunk Driving Just a short time ago a jury in Traffic Court found Aubrey D. Hustead of the 2000 block of Eighteenth street guilty of driv- ing an automobile while intoxi- cated. Today. however, the cor- poration counsel's office decided they did not have a case against him and had the charge nolle prossed, Hustead was arrested Novem- ber 25 and was tried by jury re- cently before Judge Ralph Given. The jury found him guilty as charged, but the defense counsel filed a motion that the verdict be set aside and a new trial was granted. The defense contended that the verdict was contrary to the evidence. When the case was called in court today Judge Given or- dered the charge withdrawn, at the request of the corporation counsel. POLICEMAN HELD AS VICTIM DIES Officer Marshall to Tell Story of Fatal Shot to Coroner’s Jury. Clarence Miller, 21, colored, 600 block of T street, died yesterday in Freedmen's Hospital from a bullet wound in the abdomen inflicted Fri- day morning by Policeman F. S. Marshall, who was being “detained™” at No. 12 precinct witness room today for action of the coroner’s jury. Marshall said he fired the fatal | shot from a taxicab in which he was chasing the colored man after the lat- ter had jumped from the running board of a stolen car near the inter- section of New York avenue and North Capitol street. Miller and another colored man were riding on the running board of the machine when Marshall began the chase. The stolen car was being run without lights, police said. An inquest will be held at the Dis- trict Morgue at 11:30 a.m. tomorrow. A case in which Marshall was the arresting officer came up in Police Court before Judge I. R. Hitt today and the prisoner, James Boyd, col-‘ ored, was released on his personal bond to appear in court Tuesday, be- cause of inability of Marshall to ap- pear today and file the charge. Boyd was arrested by Marshall for carrying a concealed weapon, but Boyd's attor- ney, Robert I Miller, claimed today he was simply taking a razor to a barber shop for honing. —_— and girls who enjoyed free-swim privileges at the pools operated by the Federal agencies or at a private pool where arrangements were made for such part-time use. 4 “A “cool splash in & clear pool is the greatest pleasure the Summer brings in Washington,” Miss Baker said. “More swimming pools and more wading pools are needed. The civil works program ef last year added three wading pools to municipal play- grounds, making a total of 12 little pools in which the smaller children can enjoy water play under safe and sanitary conditions. Two more will be completed in 1935 and plans are ready for construction of five addi- tional wading pools when funds are available.” C. Marshall Finnan, superintendent of National Capital Parks, Saturday asked P. W. A. funds for four new pools, but did not reveal the pro- posed locations. His plans are em- braced in a projected public works program numbering 62 projects. The items for recreation areas and swim- ming pools together run to between $800,000 and $1,000,000. The pro- four pools would cost some $150,000 each, or a total of about $600,000. Congress some years ago authorized construction of six new pools and four have been built, but funds have not been made available for the other two, & Officer Mc- ~—Star Stafl Photo. SPECIAL APPRAISAL OF ALLEYS BANNED Controller General Holds | District Assessor Must Set Values. ‘The District Alley Dwelling Author- ity has been advised by the controller general that the facilities of the Dis- trict assessor's office, raiher than | some outside staff, must be used in | in the alley clean-up project. r This was made known today in & letter from R. N. Elliott, acting con- | troller general in the absence of J. R. McCarl, in response to a request from the Alley Dwelling Authority as io procedure to be followed in a plan which contemplated letting the valua- tion work out under contract to per- sons recommended, upon request, by the Washington Real Estate Board necessity nor authority to contract with persons not connected with the Government service to appraise all parcels of property proposed to be ac- quired,” Elliott wrote. Appraiser Held Necessary. In taking the matter up with the controller general’s office, it was ex- plained that it was at first thought the land might be acquired through voluntary agreements with the owners at prices not to exceed assessed valu- ation, but that “it was finally con- cluded that there might be instances where the property was not properly | assessed and that the public interest | would require appraisal by a compe- | tent appraiser, who would be able in event condemnation proceedings were required in any case to testify in court | on the reasonable value of the prop- erty.” The Real Estate Board was then asked to list some competent ap- | praisers and furnish the names of | eight, from whom bids ranging from | $5 to $15 per parcel were obtained. | Continuing, the authority said it was | realized that by law the lowest bids must be accepted under ordinary cir- cumstances, but “there are many other factors involved in securing compe- tent real estate appraisers than the bid price submitted by particular ap- praisers; also, one or two men would not be sufficient to perform this work, as the time required for one or two appraisers to make the appraisal would unduly delay the building program. Furthermore, it may be necessary to have two or more appraisers to make appraisals of some or all of the va- rious parcels of property in order that the appraisal of one might be some- what of a check upon the appraisal of the other.” Duty of Assessors Cited. Under the circumstances, the au- thority said, that if there is no legal objection it was proposed to accept the bids of such appraisers “as it believes after investigation to be competent, entirely trustworthy and having no interest whatever in the property to be appraised and without regard to the amount of the bids submitted by them.” In response Elliott pointed out that the law makes it the duty of the as- sessor of taxes in the District and three members of the Board of As- sistant Assessors, to assess all real property here for taxation purposes at full value and that the assessor and six members of the Board of As- sistant Assessors shall constitute the Board of Equalization and Review. Nor is there any barrier, he added, which would prevent the assessor from qualifying as an expert witness as to the value of local real estate. Baptist Chorus to Sing. ‘The Baptist Union Revival Chorus, composed of singers from the Co- rinthian, Mount Pisgah, Salem, Friendship, Florida Avtnue and the Mount Airy Baptist Churches, will sing in revival services to be held every evening this week at the Mount Airy Baptist Church, Constantine Brown to Speak. WOODSIDE, Md., March 18 (Spe- cial).—Constantine Brown, writer on international affairs, will be the guest speaker at a meeting of the Woman's Club of Woodside Wednesday after- noon at the home of Mrs. John C. Marsh. Mr. Brown will discuss “In- ternational Rehtk:u." Society and General PAGF. B—1 ALLEN AND FINNAN DENY RECREATION AGTION 1S ILLEGAL valuing the property to be taken over | “There would seem to be neither | Defend New Commission After People’s Counsel’s Report to King. CLAIM DISTRICT’S RIGHTS |WERE NOT ABDICATED Head of Capital Park System Asks Fair Trial of Plan to Co- ordinate Separate Units. Denying that the actions of the newly formed ¢ District Recreation Commission are illegal and contend- ing that the formation of that body is “not an abdication of the Dis- trict's rights” as charged by People’s Counsel William A. Roberts, District Commissioner George E. Allen and C. Marshall Finnan, superintendent of | the National Capital Parks. today | came to the defense of the commis- sion | The defense of the constitutionality | of the commission and of its acts was prompted by a report by Roberts to Senator King of the Senate District | Committee that there was a question as to the legality of its establishment. The commission consists of Commis- sioner Allen. representing the District: Henry I Quinn, representing the Board of Education: Finnan and Fred- eric A. Delano, chairman of the Na- tional Capital Parks and Planning Commission, serving as a non-voting chairman | Says Rights Retained. | “We have abdicated none of our rights or titles and are sacrificing | nothing that we now have in the set- |up and operation of this new joint | commission,” said Allen. | "It should be borne in mind that | the decisions of the commission will not be binding legally on any one of the three affected Government agen- | cies. This set-up was conceived as a | means of getting unified management | of recreation facilities, now scattered | among various agencies. The present set-up is contemplated for but one year of trial and during that time experience should guide us in deter- mining what should be the perma- nent arrangemen:, which may re- quire legislation " Allen said he proposed to insist that any decision by any one of the three agencies which might affect the rights of either of the other two units should be fully discussed and under- | stood by the Recreation Commission | before any action is taken. This had lireference to the decision of Pinnan last week to proceed at once with de- { molishment of the swimming pools | near Seventeenth street and Constitu= tion avenue, a plan now being held up because of local public protest against elimination of these pools until new ones to replace them are definitely assured. The Monument Grounds pools, while on Federal property, have been under the management and | jurisdiction of the District govern- ment for some years. Asks Fair Trial. “Our acts are absolutely legal, as far as any plan we have yet evolved, | 1s concerned.” said Finnan. “All the | actions of our commission, up to this | point, are entirely within the law. “I feel that the effort should be | given a fair trial. This is the first | constructive effort made to bring | about unification of all recreational | facilities in the District. It follows | closely one of the recommendations made by the District Commissioners’ | Advisory Council of Recreation—the second suggestion—namely, to have | the three groups brought together {in harmony to work out a well | rounded program.” ‘The commission held its last meet- ing on Tuesday of last week and announced it had drawn up the pro- gram, designed to last a year. under which a superintendent would be em- ployed. Applications for this job are now being received by Thomas 8. Settle, secretary of the Planning Commission, who is acting temporarily as the new group’s secretary, until the new superintendent is named. HEAVY DOCKET FACES DISTRICT POLICE COURT Today was one of the heaviest days in the records of the local Police Court, 245 persons havipg been on the “locked up” list, with an even greater number having posted collateral for their appearance in various cases. | Of those locked up. most were icharged with intoxication and were drawing sentences of $10 or 10 days in most cases, as Judge Ralph Given at- | tempted to dispose of the huge docket. ‘There were 18 persons locked up for their appearance in Traffic Court. This, however, was only a small pro- portion of the number of cases being heard by Judge Gus A. Schuldt. The heaviest sentences imposed during the first part of the day were those against James A. Sheppard, charged with driv- ing while intoxicated, and Ollie Hin- ton, charged with a second offense of operating without a permit. Each was sentenced to pay a fine of $50 or serve 30 days in jail. s AIRPORT INSPECTION CONTINUED BY GROUP Inspection of suggested airport sites in the vicinity of Washington was con- tinued today by members of the sub- committee of the House District Com- mittee in charge of the Smith Gravelly Point airport bill. Representative Jack Nichols of Ok- lahoma, vice chairman of the commit- tee, made a trip early today to two suggested sites near Silver Hill, Md., and was to go with other members to inspect at least three other sites dur- ing the course of the day. The sub- committee previously has inspested approximately 10 sites in addition to Gravelly Point and Washington Air- port. No time has been set for the draft- ing of the subcommittee's report to the full District Committee and there is some doubt whether the local air- port situation will be ready for con- sideration of the District Committee in time for the regular meeting Wed- nesday morning. Y