Evening Star Newspaper, August 28, 1935, Page 17

Washington News NATION'S COLORED ELKS GIVE FOURTH DAY T0 BUSINESS Grand Ball Tonight Blue Ribbon Social Event of Session. HEART STROKE FATAL TO ONE OF MARCHERS Statistics on Parade Yesterday Show 5,349 in Line, 36 Bands and 24 Floats. ‘The colored Elks’ 36th annual con- | vention went into it fourth day of | festivities today with participants in | the same spirit which yesterday af-| forded Washington one of the liveliest | parades it has seen. Visiting and resident delegates were up early to participate in further events of what is probably the biggest colored assemblage ever held locally. | Formal sessions of the Elks grand lodge and grand temple (women) were convened at 10 am. and a huge group photograph taken. Thereafter, the delegates were free to go on a sight- seeing tour or entertain themselves according to their inclinations. Mem- bers of Elks young people’s organiza- tions will meet at 5 p.m. for a “junior and juvenile hour.” The convention’s blue ribbon social event is tonight’s grand ball, to be held at the colored Masonic Temple, | Tenth and U streets beginning at 9 | p.m. J. Finley Wilson, grand exalted ruler of colored Elks, will lead the ball march. Nightly cabaret entertain- ment will be continued at the Lincoln Theater. Huge Parade Crowd. At least half of the city's 132,000 colored folk must have turned out| to watch yesterday’s four-hour parade. The route was long and winding, but all along swarmed crowds, sometimes banked 10 deep. Many employers gave | their porters and butlers the day off. Cooks came late, but housewives for- gave. Thousands of whites watched, too. Along Constitution avenue, the steps ©f the Archives Building, Justice De- partment and other Mall edifices were alive with spectators. Government | workers paused and looked down from | windows. The parade started promptly on schedule at 1 p.m. and long after 8 was still moving along Constitution avenue. A tragedy marred the procession ‘when Morris Hill, 44, of 411 P street, one of the colored marchers, fell to | the pavement while parading past the ‘White House on East Executive ave- | nue. He was taken to Emergency Hos- pital and there pronounced dead of | heart disease. Otherwise, the parade staged by the Improved Benevolent and Protective Order, Elks of the World, was suc- ecessive mile after mile of collective laughter, music and frolicsome antics. Rain spattered at the start, but soon was replaced by sunny skies. The cos- tumes of the marchers were s0 mag- nificent that it didn't much matter whether the sky was gray or blue. Brown in Front of Line. Supt. of Police Ernest W. Brown rode in front in an open roadster. Directly behind, with a blue-uniformed colored motor cycle policeman as a | vanguard, rode Grand Exalted Ruler | Wilson, purple-fezzed and smiling, | waving to the cheering throngs. Then | came & brisk and trim unit of New York colored police, white-gloved and blue-uniformed. Capt. Arthur C. Newman, command- ing officer of the District'’s colored National Guard, rode on horseback at the head of 32 colored cavalrymea from Fort Myer, followed by an In- fantry unit. An 80-piece band garbed in white blared martial music. It was one of 36 parade bands. Some parade marshals, in blue and white military uniforms with belts and silver chains, rode horseback. One, in a sky blue trench helmet, rode around on a motor cycle. And there were colored war veterans in gleaming steel helmets. There “vere little “angels” in paper wings and gild- ed crowns; two yellow-shirted boys in & flower-garlanded pony cart; 27 decorated automobiles loaded with Elks dignitaries, and women in gold and purple capes. But what the crowd liked best was Bill Robinson, musical comedy and screen star and tap dancer extraorai- nary. Decked out in dark purple shirt, two-foot white fur shako and horizon blue breeches, Bill led the big Monarch Temple band from New York. Wherever he appeared, sections of the crowd broke away and stormed after him, yelling and laughing. Dances for Spectators. Bill and his band piayed a concert on H street and Bill, a million-dollar performer, danced for 2,500 spectators. Some one who evidently didn’t know Bill is considered the unrivaled master of tap routine, threw a dime at his feet. Good-natured, Bill smiled and slipped the dime in his pocket. There were other capering drum majors in the parade, whose per- formances almost equaled Robinson’s. ‘There was a marching unit from Rhe Harper Temple, Baltimore, which proved its mettle in the parade and afterward by winning a loving cup in & competitive drill at Howard Uni- versity Stadium. ‘Women in paper picture hats and | tee canary yellow and lavender crinoline dresses and gloves marched in a divi- sion behind a gray-haired woman in nurse’s uniform advertised as the “organizer of the Purple Cross nurses of Elkdom.” Eleven young women in boots and white jodhpurs rode horse- back, led by a man in pclo costume. Official statistics on the parade give some idea of its magnitude. Pvts. F. L. Binswanger, John L. Kiefer and Welford E. Winfield of the Traffic Bu- reau stood at Tenth street and Con- stitution avenue and counted the fol- lowing: Paraders afoot, on horsebock and in automobiles, 5349; automo- biles, 113; bands, 36; floats, 24, The head of the parade passed them at 1:15 p.m,, but the rear not until 3:51. Louis Meets President. Joe Louis, the sensational colored heavyweight, was presented to Presi- | tract 32, bounded by Georgia avenue, CITY NEWS IN BRIEF. TODAY. Meeting, Psi Lambda Tau Sorority, Raleigh Hotel, 8:30 p.m. Meeting, Venture Club, Lewis Hotel Training School, 8 p.m. Dinner dance, National Typewriter and Office Machine Dealers’ Associa- tion, Mayflower Hotel, 8 p.m. Meeting, Washington Philatelic So- ciety, Carlton Hotel, 8 p.m. ‘TOMORROW. Luncheon, Trade Executives’ Asso- clation, Lafayette Hotel, 12:30 p.m. Luncheon, Cosmopolitan Club, Carl- ton Hotel, 12:30 p.m. % Meeting National Typewriter and Office Machine Dealers’ Association, Mayflower Hotel, 9 Luncheon, Kiwanis Club, Mayflower Hotel, 12:30 p.m. Luncheon, District of OColumbia Bankers' Assoclation, Willard Hotel, 12:15 pm. CAPITAL DIVIDED FORCENSUS STUDY 95 Tracts Enable Social or Sociological Analysis of Population. Classified division of Washington into 95 census tracts “for a social or sociological analysis of the popula- tion” was announced by the Census Bureau today. The division was established to replace the old census tracts, 30 in| number, at the request of the Wash- ington Council of Social Agencies, | which sought a basis for compiling | more orderly and systematic statis- tical data about the District. The bureau has split the city into| irregular rectangles, each contain- | ing a certain general type of popula- tion. The tracts show: The densest part of the eity is tract 57, the section bounded by the Mall, Twenty-third street, Pennsylvania avenue and Fifteenth street. This area has also the largest female pop- ulation and the ln}g:st white pop- | ulation. Densest Male Population. The densest male population is in tract 73, where there are 5493 men to 3,018 women. Only 16 other tracts | have more men than women. Tract | 73 is in Southeast, bounded by the District line, Anacostia River, Good Hope road, Morris road, Erie street, | Irving street and Twenty-eighth street. | Center of the colored population is tract 48, bounded by New York ave- | nue, New Jersey avenue, Florida ave- nue and Seventh street. Most foreign borm, 1312, live in Rock Creek Church road, Park place and Harvard street. The new tracts were developed and agreed on mainly through the work of the late Dr. D. W, Willard, pro- fessor of sociology in George Wash- ington University, and Miss Agnes Leisy, secretary of the Department | of Research and Statistics of the Council of Social Agencies. Useful in Many Ways. In reference to the statistical value of dividing the city into tracts, the! Census Bureau remarks: | “The figures are also used directly | in many ways both by city depart- ments and welfare organizations, and | by commercial concerns, such as news- | papers, utility companies and selling organizations. | “Their greatest value, however, is probably brought out when they are made to serve as a background for material collected locally, such as| records of deaths, births, cases of contagious diseases, juvenile delin- quency, etc. “If, for example, it can be shown that the death rate from tuberculosis in a given tract or group of tracts is four or five times as high as in other parts of the city, this fact can be related to the physical conditions ex- isting in the high-rate area. “The tracts are also invaluable under present conditions in compiling statistics of unemployment relief and other emergency activities.” TAXI RATE ORDER AUTHORITY TESTED Move to Revoke Licenses of Driv- ers Allegedly Defying Rules Calls Two for Hearing. ‘The move of the Public Utilities Commisison for the revocation of the business licenses of taxi drivers refus- ing to abide by the commisison's order for uniform rates and zones is headed for a test. Two drivers were called before the District License Committee today on a charge that they have violated the order for the 20-30-50-70-cent zone fares. Four others are scheduled to be heard on similar charges tomorrow. After hearing the evidence, the committee, headed by Assistant Corpo- ration Counsel Edward W. Thomas, will forward their recommendations to the commisisoners. Taxi interests, meanwhile, have asked the District Supreme Court to set aside the rate order. The commisisoners are ex- pected to act within a few days on recommendations from the commit- The Utilities Commission planned this type of action instead of having the drivers prosecuted at Police Court. an autographed photograph of the President. Louls publicly last night before 10,000 at Griffith Stadium. Ruler Wilson presented him and Jesse Owens, colored track record- holder, with Elks life memberships. Young Owens exhibited his track prowess in an exhibition race at How- ard University Stadium yesterday. Fol- lowing his performance colored cav- alrymen gave an exhibition of eques- trian skill. ‘The Elks tomorrow will elect offi- cers and choose a 1936 convention site. Another sightseeing bus ride also is scheduled. The convention was cli- maxed by yesterday's parade and the The Foening Star WASHINGTON, D. C, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28,. 1935. LEHMAN ADMITS HE IMPERSONATED OFFIGER FOR FUND Pleads Guilty to Effort to Extort $3,000 From Cem- etery Employe. HEWITT AND WOOD PLEAD NOT GUILTY Pair Deny Indictment of Kidnap- ing King and Holding for Ransom. By the Associated Press. BALTIMORE, August 28.—Floyd E. Lehman pleaded guilty in Federal Court today to impersonating a Gov- ernment officer in connection with the extortion of $3,000 from Benjamin H. King, elderly Arlington Cemetery em- ploye. He was sentenced by Judge W. Calvin Chestnut to two years and a half in prison. Lehman blamed his plight on the depression. George Hewitt and Warner W. Wood entered pleas of not guilty to indict- ments charging them with kidnaping King last July, holding him for $8,- 000 ransom and transporting a kid- naped person across State lines. Hewitt, also indicted with Lehman on the impersonation charge, plead=d not guilty. Judge Chesnut tentatively set Sep- tember 15 for their trials. United States Attorney Bernard J. Flynn, in presenting the evidence against Lehman, said the latter had gone to King’s home, exhibited a bo- gus internal revenue agent's badge | and told the laborer he was under ar- Test for failing to pay the Govern- ment $3,000 in arreared income taxes, Flynn stated King paid the money after Lehman had said he would be imprisoned for 10 years if he did not do so. King also pointed Lehman out in court as the man who approached him and made the demand. Lehman recently was arrested in Chicago by Department of Justice agents. King said he had worked at the cemetery for 24 years and now draws monthly wege of $91.66, although t used to be more than that” He explained that he never spent more than $17 or $18 a month, banking the balance. The apprehension of Hewitt and| ‘Wood followed King's efforts to draw some money from a deposit in an Upper Marlboro bank. The latter's brother became suspicious and notified | the police, who discovered that King had been brought to Maryland to get the money. RULES ANNOUNCED FOR SCHOOL TERM Admission Tickets Must Be Ob- tained From Principals for New Pupils. Regulations regarding entrance to the Fall term of the District public schools, which open September 23, were announced today. All children not on public.school rolls at the close of last year who desire to enter the graded schools and kindergartens must apply for admis- sion tickets at the schools nearest their homes. Principals will be at buildings September 20 and 21 from 8 to 10 am. and from 4 to 6 p.m. Vaccination certificates must be presented. New pupils will be ad- mitted to the kindergarten provided they are 5 years old by November 1, and to the first grade if 6 by the same date. Parents are required to present certificates of birth, New pupils will be admitted to high schools and the ninth grade of junior high schools only through the High School Board of Admissions, which will meet at the Thomson School, Twelfth and L streets, September 18, 19 and 20, beginning at 9 a.m. School officials stress that applica- tions must be made in person as early as possible on Septembér 18. Prospec- tive pupils should bring with them their diplomas, report cards or other credentials upon which they base their claim for entrance. PICKPOCKETS HUNTED; SIX MEN LOSE $125 $100 in Cash, $25 Watch Stolen by Thieves Who Operate in Convention Crowd. Police are searching for the pick- pockets who yesterday obtained nearly $100 in cash and a $25 watch from six men, the theives taking advantage of the crowds attending the colored Elks convention. The victims were: Napoleon B. Staley, 1700 block of Fourth street, from whom $50 was obtained while he was at Third street and Rhode Island avenue; E. B. Wil- son, 2800 block of Ontario road, from whom they got $26, while he was standing in front of a U street thea- ter; Gerald J. Ford, 2600 block of Fifteenth street, relieved of $17 while attending a dance at Tenth and U streets; Edward Jetter, 900 block of Marshall street, from whom a watch was obtained while he was at Four- teenth and S streets; Charles Davis, 700 block of Twenty-fourth street, and Walter Rouse, living in the base- ment of East Clifton Terrgce Apart- ments, whose pockets weer picked of small sums at Fifteenth and U ‘and Pifteenth and T streets, respectively. STATION ROBBED AGAIN For the second time in five days, the gasoline station at 3339 Benning road northeast was held up and robbed early today. A colored rohber obtained $27.08'from the cash register after striking Benjamin Shoemaker, 1009 Rhode Island avenue, the man- ager, with a fiashlight. At nearly the same hour last Sat- dent Roosevelt at the White House | public appearances of Louis, Owens|urday two robbers obtained $13.28. late yesterday. They shook hands and chatted briefly and Louis was giver and Robinson, but will continue through Ssturday, Two suspects were captured by police after a chase of about seven miles, " Bank and Curve Create “Death Trap” as “Death highwa; BOARD INDORSES DRIVE ON HIGHWAY County Commissioners Call for Immediate Work on “Death Road.” BY GEORGE PORTER, Btaff Correspondent of The Star. UPPER MARLBORO, Md,, August | 28 —Setting an example for all civic |and governmental groups in Prince Georges, the county commissioners yesterday urged immediate improve- ment of the Defense Highway. Evidencing a desire to back their words with action, the commissioners decided that their resolution should be presented in person to the States Roads Tommission, Seeking further support for the undertaking, they also will attempt to have the project indorsed by the ‘Western Shore County Commissioners Associatica at its meeting in Hagers- town, Friday. The association con- sists of the commissioners from 14 of Maryland's 23 counties. Cite State-Wide Interest. Knowing that citizens from all the Western Shore counties frequently visit the State capital, the Prince | Georges commissioners believe all | should be vitally comcerned with elimination of the “indefensible death way, Commissioner Joseph H. Blandford, who sponsored the resolution adopted by the local board yesterday, said he ‘would ask the Commissioners’ Associa- tion to pass a similar resolution. It expresses the belief that “every effort should be put forth to make the Defense Highway as safe and adequate as possible.” “The deplorable accident on the De- | fense Highway last Tuesday in which | the people of our county to the dan- | gerous conditions which long have ex- | isted on that highway,” the resolution | states. Overload Pointed Out. | “The Bureau of Public Roads of the | Department of Agriculture has made | a traffic count which shows that the | road at times is traveled by 15,000 cars a day, although the State Roads | Commission estimates its capacity at | 10,000 cars a day,” it continues. “We believe our duty demands that we safeguard the lives of all who use our highways. in every way possible, and accordingly indorse the move- ments already under way to widen and straighten the Defense Highway.” The resolution further calls on the State Roads Commission and the Pub- lic Works Administration to allot the necessary funds for this project at once. Commissioner Blandford is to pre- ‘sent a copy of the resolution and sub- mit the commissioners’ views on the urgency of the proposal to Chief En- gineer Nathan H. Smith of the State Roads Commission in Baltimore today. In passing the resolution, members of the board said they not only were taking action which they personally believed important, but also were re- flecting the sentiment of the 65,000 Prince Georges residents who elected them to office. Co-operation Planned. The commissioners asserted they would co-operate with the County Federation of Citizens’ Assoclations, which already has indorsed the project, and all other interested groups, in an organized effort to have the highway widened. Commissioner Vinton D. Cockey, an engineer, said the road should have been widened several years ago and declared the County Board would not rest until the long-delayed improve- ment is made. While the local board was acting on the matter here yesterday, Charles M. Falconer, president of the Automobile Club of Maryland, predicted in Balti- more that if the Defense Highway is not widened and straightened, there will be more accidents on its treach- erous curves like that of last Tuesday. “In the name of humanity, the people of the State should be willing to forego other improvements else- where and make this one for the pur- pose of saving lives in the future,” he sald, ———e CHILDREN HEAR RUHLAND Health Officer Pleased by Progress at Tuberculosis Camp. Sixty children who attended the ‘Tuberculosis Summer Camp received congratulations yesterday from Health Officer George C. Ruhland on prog- ress made during the season. Health talks were given by Dr. Ruh- land, Dr. Alexander Leonardo, camp physician, and Mrs. Ernest R. Grant, executive director of the Tuberculosis Association. An average gain of 532 pounds in weight was made by the children during the Summer, it was reported, between Priest Bridge and Annapolis. Tinkham Wins Fight to Live Hotel Quarters traps” which dot the Defense High- | | five persons were killed has aroused | <« In Arlington Representative Tinkham, Republic- |an, of Massachusetts, was victorious today in his fight to hold his specially | designed museum apartment in the Arlington Hotel and will become per- haps the first person ever to maintain | living quarters in a Government office building. This became known when Secretary Ickes announced the National Park Service had entered into a lease with the owners of the Arlington. The hostelry will be used to house the Rural Resettlement Administration, | The lease is for two years, but the | amount of rental was not made public. | Representative Tinkham has lived in the Arlington since it was erected | | 19 years ago. He assisted in designing | | & two-story apartment which is used to house his big-game hunting trophies | and valuable relics which he collected | in Africa and As Two weeks ago | the Representative, along with the 30 | other permanent guests of the hotel, received notice to vacate. Representa- tive Tinkham, declaring there was no other living quarters in the city that would suit him, announced he would fight for the apartment, on which he holds a 99-year lease. The dispute was settled today when a spokesman for R. R. A. said: “We will be glad to have Repre- sentative Tinkham stay with us.” No Discrimination. ‘The spokesman said the administra- tion was not discriminating in favor of Tinkbam. However, it was not made clear just what would happen should the other residents of the Ar- lington decide they would not give up their apartments The R. R. A. will take over the Ver- mont avenue hotel about September 10. It will be necessary to make only slight alterations, as the building was originally designed with a view to some day converting it into an office building. Meanwhile, J. T. Howard, who operates the Arlington and holds the building on a lease from the owner, said he is making negotiations to obtain another hotel where some of his tenants may possibly be taken care of. OF NEW BUILDING Cabinet Officer Says War Department Only Is Ahead on Program. Secretary Swanson told newspaper men today he to have a new | Navy Department building shorily, | not far from the present building, in | Potomac Park. ‘The cabinet officer said he is under the impression the War Department | will get & new building first, inasmuch as it is now occupying part of the | State Department Building. After the Army has been cared for, he said, | “our building will come next.” | The National Capital Park and | Planning Commission has tentatively | assigned the War and Navy Depart- | ment Building to the area surround- | ing the intersection of New York and | Virginia avenues. This is in the so- | called northwest rectangle, north of | Constitution avenue and west of Sev- enteenth street. Swanson did not reveal where the funds for the new Navy building would come from. It is considered possible that the Public Works Ad- ministration may advance the money. Authority exists under the Keyes-El- liott act for the purchase of land in the Northwest Rectangle. Just now, Swanson reiterated, the service is more concerned with getting new ships than plans for a new de- partment. It will be some little time before awards of contracts for new warships will be made, following the recent opening of bids. He revealed that new ships to be constructed in navy yards and by private contractors will be announced at the same time. A great many of the bids are not satisfactory to the Navy, Swanson dis- closed, and authorities are making & complete study of the whole situation. He indicated that the high construc- tion costs, submitted by the con- tractors, and the arbitration clause, under which labor disputes would be settled, are two of the stumbling blocks standing in the way of awards. FIVE MENTIONED FOR JOBS BOARD Commissioners Seek Business Man for Place in Unemployment Insurance Program. The Commissioners continued today | to search for & successful business executive who might be “drafted” to serve as & member of the District Un- employment Compensation Board to represent employers in the unemploy- ment insurance program. Among those who have been sug- gested to the Commissioners are Dan- fel J. Callahan, formerly with the Norfolk & Washington Steamboat Co. and once a member of the Board of Education; Willlam Montgomery, president of the Acacia Mutual Life Insurance Co.; W. W. Everett, gerteral manager of Woodward & Lothrop, & past president of the Board of Trade; J. Thilman Hendrick, former District Commissioner, and Ernest H. Daniel. ‘Whether any of these could be per- suaded to take the post has not been announced. It was repored yesterday the Commissioners were considering John Saui, investment banker, but later it was said he could not accept. It certain that John Locher, head of the Central Labor Union, is slated for appointment as the repre- sentative of employes on the board, SWANSON HOPEFUL AUTO INJURS TWO | ONLOADING STAND One Woman Is Dragged 21 Feet—Driver Out on Bond. Crashing into & car loading plat- ! form at Fennsylvania avenue and Eighteenth street last night, an auto- mobile, said by police to have been driven by iss Mildred R. Rogers, 25, of 1000 Twenty-fourth street, dragged one woman more than 20 feet and knocked down another, breaking her arm. Arraignsd in Police Court today on a reckless ariving charge, Miss Rogers pleaded rot guilty and was released on $1,000 bond pending jury trial. Severely Injured. Mrs.Ora Moore, 40, of 5810 Seventh | street, suffered fractured ribs, a frac- tured pelvis, severe laceration to the chin and possible internal injuries. | She was dragged 21 feet by the auto- mobile, which, according to testimony given the corporation counsel's office, proceeded 70 feet after the accident. Miss Jewel Smith, the other woman injured, received a broken left arm. Both were treated at Emergency Hos- pital. Policeman J. W. Dellenger, a wit- ness to the accident, said Miss Rog- ers’ car was traveling at a reasonable rate of speed. He pointed out, how- ever, there was a red light on the end of the platform. Denies Seeing Platform. Miss Rogers contended in court she did not see the platform. Seventeen minor accidents were re- ported during the 24 hours ending at 8 a.m. today. Arrests for the day to- taled 119. Mary K. Green, 5, of 617'2 L street northeast, was knocked down in front of her home yesterday as she dashed into the path of an automobile from behind an ice wagon. She was re- moved to Casualty Hospital for treat- znt. ‘The driver of the car was not 1d. $256,000 GRANTED D. C. RELIEF NEEDS Emergency Administration Al lowance Covers First Half of September: A partial grant amounting to $256,000 to cover emergency relief needs in the District during the first half of September has been made by the Emergency Relief Administration, the Commissioners were notified today. The grant is for direct and work relief, and additional sums for spe- cialized programs, such as transient relief and the educational and re- search programs will be farthcoming in a day or two. If a similer general relief grant is made for the last haf of September, the grand total for the month is expected to be higher than that given for August. KING SUED FOR DIVORCE John L. King, 819 Kennedy street, is being sued for divorce by Mary A. King in Reno, Nev., according to an Assoclated Press dispatch today. The petition charges cruelty and failure to provide. The couple were married in San Francisco in November, 1920. They have one child, John L. King, jr. Mr. King is connected with the display department of & local department 1 From the Goodyear blimp a Star staff photographer made this picture of the bank beside one of the sharpest curves on the Defense highway, The curve, near South River, has contributed to many accidents on the road which has come to be kncwn DRIVE TO BEGIN ON LOAN FIRMS Two Undercover Men Will Be Assigned to Halt Violations. Society and General PAGE B—1 TENTATIVE PLANS FOR HEALTH UNIT ADDTIONS DRAHN Dr. Ruhland’s Proposal for New Buildings Interests Commissioners. WOULD LIMIT WORK TO MAN-YEAR PAY SCALE Scheme Contemplates Locating Several Structures at Strategic Points Within District. | Directing attention pointedly to the lack of adequate space for Distrift government units, Health Officer George C. Ruhland today appealed | to the Commissioners for a works project for construction of several buildings for some of his divisions. Commissioners Melvin C. Hazen and | George E. Allen immediately declared | they were in sympathy with the re- quest and would indorse it if the buildings could be erected within Fed- eral limits on costs per man per year under the employment program. The difficulty facing the plan is the high relative cost for materials needed in construction. While some engineers are rather dubious over this point, the Municipal Architect’s Office has been directed to prepare for Dr Ruhland estimates of costs and rough sketches of proposed buildings. Would Close Several Sites. Dr. Ruhland would have the build- The drive against small loan firms operating without a District license and those charging more than the legal limit of 1 per cent per month for all types of charges is scheduled to be started next week, Assistant Corporation Counsel Edward Curran said today. Police Superintendent Brown has agreed to assign two undercover men to aid Curran. More may be assigned ilr found needed, it was said. The men will report to Curran this week | to plan their operations Two Closing Up. Meanwhile, counsel for two small | loan operators have notified Curran they were closing up their business, claiming they could not make a finan- cial success on 1 per cent per month charges. All companies known to be making small loans will be warned first they must seek a license. Supt. of Licenses ‘Wade Coombs now is preparing neces- sary forms. In the past firms have ignored the requirement of licenses. Those firms which obtain licenses, Curran said, would be subject to in- vestigation to determine if they are charging more than the legal limit. New Law Failure. The action had been withheld by Corporation Counsel Prettyman until now in the hopes that Congress would pass a new law permitting not more | than 2 per cent per month on the unpaid balance of loans, this being figured as a fair charge and which would enable the companies to make & profit within legal limits, That measure failed. The maximum penalty for violation of the present law is $200 fine and 30 days in jail OFFICER FIRED SHOT Brown Pledges Immediate Inves- tigation of Complaint Against Policeman. early Monday by Policeman J. W. Lowery, eleventh precinct, was filed today with Maj. Ernest W. Brown, superintendent of police, by Earl Cooper White, jr, and Seeley Feld- meyer of Annapolis. Maj. Brown an- nounced there will be an immediate investigation. According to the affidavit, which was in line with testimony in Police Court yesterday when White was fined $10 for speeding, Lowery, off duty and riding in his automobile, chased the automobile driven by White and in which Feldmeyer was a passenger, after they are alleged to have cut the policeman off at an intersection. ‘They were not aware of the alleged violation or that they were being chased, they said, until Lowery drove up beside them with a pistol in his hand. Believing' the policeman was a highwayman, the youths assert, they fled out New York avenue to Evarts street northeast, where they were stop- ped by the railroad right of way. At this point, they claim, Lowery fired a shot between them before taking them to the station house. Charges of pass- ing three stop signs, which also were placed against White, were dismissed in Traffic Court yesterday by Judge John P. McMahon. KING TO STAY HERE IN D. C. INTEREST Senate Committee Chairman Seeks to Improve Chances of Capi- tal for Loans. Chairman King of the Senate Dis- trict Committee will spend the next few weel's in Washington in the in- terests of newly-enacted District laws and in an effort to improve the chances of the District for loans to build the proposed court building and Children’s Hospital. In connection with the latter projects, Senator King said he would call on P. W. A. Administrator Ickes to urge granting loans up to $2,800,000 for the court unit and $100,000 for the hospital. Applications for the loans were flled by the Commissioners last Spring. The court building would house the Municipal, Juvenlie and Police Courts, as well as other District agencies, and would be constructed near Judiclary Square. The Senator also is watching for possible means of getting money for the District social security program, since defeat of the third deficiency bill carrying these sppropriations, A formal charge they were fired at | ings erected at strategic points on Government-owned property anc would use them for housing public health nurses, consultation between city physicians and public clients and some phases of the District's dental work. The health officer voiced protest against overcrowded quarters for his administrative staff shortly after he took office. He explained that in some cases it was necessary for his assistants to make partial health ex- aminations in public view at the de- partment. While the functions of | the department have been increasing for years the department has no more space now than it had some years ago. Under the terms of the second de- ficiency bill a director of tuberculosis work will be appointed and three supervisors and 10 nurses will be added to the Public Health Nursing Bureau. Also under a proposed $101.- 000 works project, nearly 100 persons are to be employed in a tuberculosis campaign. This project now is await- ing final action by Federal officials These services will require some meas- ure of additional housing, somehow, some place. ! More Crowding Probable. | Dr. Ruhland is leaving to District | engineers and architects preparations | of details and to types of the pro- posed buildings and how they might | be financed. { His proposal serves again to empha- | size general overcrowding in the Dis- trict Building, which the Commission- ers hope to solve by construction of a new Municipal Center and three new buildings to house the minor courts In the near future, however, the Com- missioners must. arrange for housing | for the staff of the District Unem- | ployment Compensation Board, to handle unemployment insurancc Wkile this program will not be put into actual operation until next year, plans are being studied for the rent- ing of a building. Another new unit which must be housed when funds are provided for | its operation is the new Smoke Con- trol Administration, provided under an act of the past session of Con- gress. INQUEST CLEARS DEATH OF CHILD Lung Abscess Instead of Infan- tile Paralysis Fatal to Clara Dixon. A certificate of death from a lun3 abscess, caused by a fall from a tree, | was issued today by Coroner A. Ma- | gruder MacDonald in the case of | Clara Dixon, 10, of 305 Windsor ave- nue, Alexandria, Va., whose death in | Children’s Hospital yesterday first was reported due to infantile paralysis. | The certificate was issued after an | autopsy. | 'The child became ill at her home Friday and was taken to the Alexan- dria Hospital. She was brought here to Children's Hospital Monday night and died at noon yesterday. The at- tending physician made a report of death frol infantile paralysis and | this report was issued by the hospital and by Dr. J. G. Cumming, assistant health officer. After the death of the child the home of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Dixon, and that of a relative, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Dixon, 224 Fair- fax street, Alexandria, were placed under quarantine by Dr. W. Lewis Schater, Alexandria city health officer. This ban was lifted last night after the report by Dr. MacDonald. According to reports to Dr. Mac- Donald, the child fell from a tree at her home last Thursday and injured her shoulder. g The autopsy revealed that death had been caused by an abscessed con- dition of the lungs, probably caused by the fall, and by a congestion of the blood stream. Funeral services for the child will be held at 2:30 p.m. tomorrow at the home of her grandfather, Frank Dix on, 224 North Fairfax street. Burial will be in Bethel Cemetery, Alex o tery, ex: DISMISSAL UPHELD Dismissal of Traffic Policeman C. D. Cunningham, recommended by the Police Trial Board, has been npheld by the Commissioners on finding the | man was guilty of conduct unbecom= | ing an officer. Cunningham was found not guilty of & charge of drunkenness, but was convicted on other counts,