Evening Star Newspaper, July 9, 1935, Page 12

SETTLEMENT SEEN FOR EVERY STRIKE White Motor’s President Says Study Will Show Common Ground. CLEVELAND, July 9 (#).— Every labor dispute offers common ground on which to base a speedy settlement, says Robert F. Black, new president | of the White Motor Co., who led negotiations that ended a week’s strike of 2,500 employes last month in what he termed “permanently har- | monious rélations.” Members of the White local of the United Automobile Workers' Union, claiming nearly 100 per cent mem- bership, left their jobs May 22. They | Teturned to work May 29. Peaceful relations prevailed between | employes and management during the | week of the strike. Black purchased | base ball equipment for men on the picket line and threw open the firm's | nearby parking lot to provide them | with a place to play. Union Watchmen Remain. To permit the union to stage its | strike without disorder, Black opened downtown offices to carry on routine correspondence. The huge plant was closed entirely except for union watchmen who remained on duty to | keep insurance policies valid. “We found common ground imme- diately,” Black said. “Union spokes- men presented their case frankly and | clearly. In less than a week we agreed on proposed terms for settlement. ‘The union voted unanimously to ac- cept.” Black, who at 46 years of age en- countered his first labor dispute, said “95 per cent of all people seek to do what’s right.” “For that reason, analysis of any ~disagreement should disclose common ground, certain fundamentals on which to base a settlement. No one ever wins a war or a strike.” Demanded Wage Increase. The union demanded wage in- creases, seniority rights and other minor concessions. “We pointed out that we paid wages as high as any concern in the in- dustry,” Black said. “Then we per- mitted union representatives to study the company's books. They saw in | them the true picture of existing busi- ness conditions. | “Both sides to the controversy re- | gard 1t as a closed incident. There are no wounds to heal; no unpleas- antness to be forgotten.” He said he has striven always to maintain personal contact with men in his employ. “There is only one way to understand their problems,” he said. “You must understand them personally.” FOUR TOWNS INUNDATED NEAR FORT PECK DAM Beveral Hundred Residents Safe at Motorists Carry Warning | of Missouri Flood. FORT PECK. Mont., July 9.—Four “mushroom” towns of ordinarily dry | Galpin Coulee. near the $72,000,000 Fort Peck Dam project, were partially under water today. Their several hun- dred residents were safe, warned a few minutes before flood waters struck. A torrent described as 100 feet wide and 4 feet deen rushed down the cou- | lee following a rainstorm below the site of the dam and above the small, | flimsily constructed towns of Midway, Park Grove, New Deal and Parkdale. Motorists, who barely escaped the high water as it overflowed highways. sped to Fort Peck and warned Army officers in charge of the huge Gov- ernment reclamation and power proj- ect on the headwaters of the Missouri River. The offiers sent couriers to awaken sleeping residents of the four small “squatter” towns and they fled from their beds to high surrounding hills. The towns are occupied by Fort Peck workmen and their families. HONORABLE DISCHARGE IS DENIED EX-SOLDIERS By the Associated Press. President Roosevelt yesterday vetoed a bill which would have transferred Joseph W. Harley of Milwaukee to the roll of honorably discharged from the military service. Acting on a report from the Sec- retary of War, the President said, “I do not feel justified in approving this bill.” The office of Representative O'Mal- ley, Democrat, of Wisconsn, who in- troduced the bill, said Harley was given a dishonorable discharge after serving in the Spanish-American War because he disappeared from his post in 1902 while suffering from amnesia. He returned later to his post, it was explained, but meanwhile had been charged with desertion. He first enlisted in the Army in 1895, again in 1898 and the third time in 1902, and served in the Philippines from 1899 to 1901. | other agent. | the time demands, | finger. | are alive to tell the tale, they boil it BY GENEVIEVE FOILBES HERRICK. (Copyright. 1935, by Korih =American Newspaver Alfiance Inc.) HE United States customs agent is no sissy. At dawn a short time ago, one of them, Herbert Plasman, was found dead on the Jersey shore, where, through a stormy night, he had forced his rowboat against tides and winds, in and out of hidden coves, in search of smugglers. It happened that he died of a natural cause. But it might have been, as it not infre- quently is, a gun that ended the night's adventure. A few weeks ago, in Seattle, an- Melvin L. Hanks, in a story as thrilling as any you'd see in the movies, revealed that he had lived for a year with Chinese opium smugglers in order to bring them at last to justice. Both these stories focused attention on this group of men who, from rea- son of efficiency as well as modesty, do their work in the shelter of se- crecy. Must Be Quick and Sure. Nervy and nerveless, they must be quick with the leg-work; not slow with the head-work; and pretty rapid, when with the trigger But when it’s all over, if they down into matter-of-fact sentences in a report sent to Commissioner Moyle in Washington. It is in between the lines of these business-like reports that you find scenarios packed with drama. Statistically, there are about 9,000 employes, men as well as women, in the entire customs service. The in- | vestigative unit numbers 160, of whom | 40 are stationed in foreign countries and 120 in the United States, inland as well as at the borders. These are | the men who do the Sherlock Holmes stuff. The customs patrol service has ap- proximately 700 members, concentrat- ed pretty largely on the borders. These | are the boys who most often have to face the guns in the dark. But both branches of the service meet danger pretty regularly. The statistics show that, in the last 12 years, 23 men in these two branches have met death in the line of duty. Scores have been severely wounded. Typical Cases Reviewed. Let's read between the lines in a few ceses. To do this, we have the aid of Edson Shamhart, an intrepid Tennesseean who served 13 thrilling years as an agent, and now is a legal adviser in the bureau here, Mr Shamhart points to the line— Daniel Romberger, killed, Tampa, Fla., | April 25, 1932. Then he tells the story back of that brief sentence. One night Romberger and his part- ner (they usuall avel in pairs) drove out from Miami to Dania Beach, stopped the car when it bogged down in the sand near a little bridge. Rom- berger left his partner to watch the car (smugglers have a way of setting fire to agents' cars) and he went up the beach some 100 yards, where he saw a light on a boat and a crowd of men. “Well, to make a long story short,” says Mr. Shamhart, “he sees its smug- gled rum and he jumps on the boat. Of course that was a fool thing to do, all alone and 20 men, but that's the way those agents are, absolutely un- afraid.” Bribe Ofter Refused. The leader of the smugglers came forward, offered Romberger, as it was ALL-EXPENSE TOURS This Summer From CHICAGO to (OlORADO ony 35122 [I_lOWSTON 9 Days ... 0nly $11238 Go any day during the season. CALIFORNIA Go July 21, August 4 or 18. Many itineraries from which to choose. Ask for descriptivefolder. meA Rock Island LINCOLN BURGHER D.F. & P. A. Reck Island Lines 1204 Fidelity- Philadelphia Trust Bldg. Philadelphia, Pa. o $ 685 FORMERLY TO $ L] FLATS OPERAS OXFORDS STRAPS In white, black, brown, CLEARANCE O ’s FINE SHOES Including Pocos—short vamp, round toe Reduction on entire stock of bandbags and bosiery J:J SLATER i 1221 CONNECTICUT AVENUE $ 885 0, All Sales Final STEP-INS SANDALS EVENING SLIPPERS blue and combinations G _STAR, WASHINGTO Customs Agent No Sissy Smugglérs Learn to Fear Men Who Defy Unknown Dangers: later revealed, a $1,000 bribe. Then he raised it to $2,000. Still Romberger refused, and said: “You're under ar- rest.” There was a scuffie, the smug- gler pulled a gun. Then there was a real fight. Romberger pushed the man into the water. He staggered back to shore, while No. 2 man in charge of the “catch” took up the battle, and finally put out one of Romberger's eyes. Also hit him with a gun until his skull was cracked, then tossed him into the water. The story now shifts to the parked auto. The partner, alarmed for his comrade’s safety, walked down beach. By this time the boat had put off, nobody left but two frightened boys who nad been pressed into serv- the | ice to help unload the liquor and who had witnessed the horrible fight. All the rest of the night they searched for Romberger’s body. At dawn it was washed up. ‘There’s the story of Clyde Bristow, killed in Nogales, Ariz., January 11, 1932. “Killed,” says Mr. Shamhart, “be- cause he tried to give the other fel- low a decent chance for his life. That’s our policy. We don't believe In machine-gun tactics.” But the other fellow, a Mexican spprehended in his automobile of smuggled goods, fled after the killing, while Bristow’s partner was fighting off the Mexican’s partner. Trip Comes After Three Years. The case aroused so much sympathy among Bristow’s fellow agents that they took up a collection among themselves to run down clues. And just this week, it is reported, they have a hot tip about the murder that occurred three years ago. There were other stories, too, in that list of 23 deaths. But one of the most thrilling stories in the files did not end in death, but in victory for the agent. It is the Story of Melvin L. Hanks. More than. a year ago, the Custom ‘Bureau ordered Coast Guard cutters to trail all liners from the Orient to see that the liners didn’t “dump dope” to smugglers in rowboats. Hanks was assigned to superintend that survey. Because of Hanks' strategic posi- tion, a powerful Chinese, the alleged leader of an opium ring, came to him, offered to give him a cut of every cargo of narcotics which was landed safely. Hanks, pretending he was a crooked officer, agreed to the proposi- tion. The Chinese gave him a jade ring, set in solid gold, as with the V-Type eight,Ford gives you a car as economical as F.O0.B.DETROIT Standard accessory group including bumpers e tire extra. Easy terms through and spar. //// the Universal Credit Company—the Author- ized Ford Finance Plan, FORD DEALERS OF WASHINGTON TAKOMA MOTOR CO., INC. 21 Carroll Ave., Takoma Park, Md. 4th and Blair Rd. N.W. HILL & TIBBITTS 1114 Vermont Ave. N.W. 5949 Georgia Ave. N.W. 1423 L St. N.W. 1820 14th St. N. NOLAN MOTOR CO., INC, 1111 Eighteenth St. N.W. 4301 Connecticut Ave. Conn. Ave. and Nebraska 22nd and Mt Sts. N.W. 1132 Connecticut Ave. N.W. WARFIELD MOTOR CO. 2525 Sherman Ave. N.W. 1727 Connecticut Ave. N.W. D. C, TUESDAY, of their pact. Both vowed that, if one were faithless to the agreement, the other could kill him. Recorded Voice on Record. For a year, Hanks lived with the Chinese and his comrades. They even sent him to Chicago with $8,000 worth of opium for their agent there. It was in Chicago that Hanks staged his famous bit of detective work. He got the Chinese ringleader in a hotel room. In the socket of the electric light he previously had rigged up a recording microphone; had it wired to an apparatus in the next room, which took down every- thing on a wax record. In this ad- Jjacent room he posted another agent. Then he went with the Chinese into his room. The Chinese started to turn on the light. Quickly, Hanks rushed forward, snapped on another light, remarking casually, “This one works; that doesn’t.” ‘Then, carefully, he led the Chinese, in memory, back to the first time they had met; the proposition, the success of the deals, and the big catch soon to come. The smuggler told it all. That is to be an important piece of evidence in the trial. For. a few weeks ago, Hanks finally persuaded the smugglers that he could get better protection for them if they would abandon their habit of trans- ferring the opium out in Puget Sound, but would come right to the pier in Seattle where he, Hanks, had author- ity. They agreed. Smart Smugglers Nabbed. Hanks was to watch the pier—the crooked officer protecting the smug- glers. Instead, he had two rowboats, with two customs agents in each, near at hand, and a speedboat. Whe; oM the driver’s point of view, 8 cylinders make the ideal engine for a car. They give responsive- ness, smoothness, quietness. Their reserve power puts the driver in closer command of his car—and his car in more instant command of its road. And in the V-type 8-cylinder engine, as Ford makes it, you get this sparkling performance at lit- erally 4-cylinder cost. The Ford V-8 you buy today, costs less to own than any car Ford ever built! Its initial cost is at rock-bottom, and includes many “extras,” such as safety glass all around, big 6.00 x 16-inch air-balloon tires, built-in luggage space. Operating costs have also been pared this year— PARKWAY MOTOR CO., INC. 3040 M St. N.W. and Falls Church, Va. BILLHIMER & PALMER 7 Spencer Street 916 Baltimore Blvd. Hyattsville, Md. HANDLEY MOTOR CO. 3730 Georgia Ave. N.W. JULY 9, 1935. the dead of night, $37,000 worth of opium was lowered from a liner, the agents closed in, got the contraband and six of the smartest smugglers in the country. Mr. Shamhart, to go back to him, admitted he'd been shot at himself; along the levee near New Orleans. But it was nothing, he said—“my partner got it worse than I did.” 8o it wasn’t until later that I learned Mr. Shamhart “still has some of the lead in him. He was in & tight spot that night; but he won't say much about it.” Which seems to be typical of the “all in a day’s work” attitude of these men who work for the customs service, —_ MARIAN CHACE DANCERS IN PROGRAM TONIGHT Performance Postponed by Rain i?. Will Be Staged at Sylvan Theater. ‘The Summer festival program by Marian Chace and her dance group, with music by the Army Band, post- poned from last night because of rain, will be given at 7:45 o'clock this evening at the Sylvan Theater, Wash- ington Monument grounds, under the joint auspices of the Community Cen- ter Department and the Office of Na- tional Capital Parks. ‘Tickets for last night will be good for tonight or may be exchanged at the Community Center Department for tickets for any other Summer fes- , in | tival at the Sylvan Theater. NORTHEAST MOTOR CO. 920 Bladensburg Rd. N.E. CHERNER MOTOR CO. 1781 Florida Ave. N.! ARLINGTON MOTOR CO., INC. Rosslyn, Va. WALSH MOTOR CO. 8000 Ga. Ave. Silver Spring, Md. SAFETY-AT-SEA GROUP IS HEADED BY GIBBS Committee to Act as Advisory Body to Senator Walsh of Massachusetts. Willlam Francis Gibbs of Gibbs & Cox, New York, has been named head of the General Committee on Saftey of Life at Sea, appointed to act as an advisory body to Senator Walsh, Democrat, of Massachusetts, chair- | man of the Senate Commerce Com- | mittee. Other members of this technical committee on ship construction and stability include the following naval architects: J. C. Niedermair, Navy Department Bureau of Construction and Repair; C. H. Roundy, technical aide to the director of the Bureau of Navigation of the Department of Commerce; David Arnott, chief surveyor of the American Bureau of Shipipng; E. H Rigg of the New York Shipbuilding CAR TO BE SHOWN Stainless Steel Product to Be in Union Station. A stainless steel coal car, sald by its manufacturers to be rustproof and otherwise resistant to the corrosion of weather and chemicals, will be on exhibition in Union Station today and tomorrow. The steel used in the car | 1s lighter than that common to most existing rolling stock The Rustless Iron Corporation of America, Baltimore, manufacturers of the car, claim railroads can save mil- lions annually lost in rust damage by use of similar Xrflght equipment. Chain Tax Test Urged. The C. F. Smith Co. and & number of other Michigan corporations filed in the Supreme Court yesterday an appeal to test the validity of Michi- gan’s chain store tax NN Co.; A. J. Smith, Marine Office of America; Capt. A. H. Van Keuren, U. S. N, and M. G. Forest of the United Design Department, New York. Modern Structural GLASS for Store Fronts business. Make vacant stores rentable —and occupied stores more productive. Installed DINN!R - -« $100 Mattresses Remade quickly, easily, economically. Can be financed under N. H. A. Hires Turner Glass Co. | WEst 0. TRIANGLE MOTOR CO. New York Ave. and North Capitol LOGAN MOTOR CO. 1417 Irving St. N.W. NORTHWEST MOTOR CO. 6720 Wisconsin Ave. Bethesda, Md. FRANK M. McLAUGHLI 3103 Rhode Island Ave. N.E. The Stein Bedding Co. 1004 Eye St. NW. ME. 9490 not only by the Ford V-8 engine’s sparing use of gas and oil, but by other new improvements which have cut down brake, clutch, and tire wear. Adjustments are few on a Ford V-8, and what there are cost little. Spare parts, when needed, are always at hand, always low-priced. 'And over and above the money you save on a Ford V-8—there’s always the extra performance you get. There’s a Ford dealer near you—go see him today. Get into this newest Ford V-8. Take com- mand, yourself, of its fleet, flexible 85 horsepower. Let a Ford V-8 tell you what it has already told to a record number of eager buyers the country over. STEUART MOTOR CO. Sixth and New York Ave. N.W. 514 H St. NE. CAPITOL MOTORS, Inc. 215 Pennsylvania Ave. S.E. 941 Water- St. S.W. ANACOSTIA MOTOR CO. 1325 Good Hope Road 1800 Nichols Ave. ON THE AIR—FRED WARING AND HIS PENNSYLVANIANS—EVERY TUESDAY NIGHT—-COLUMBIA BROADCASTING SYSTEM