Evening Star Newspaper, November 5, 1935, Page 21

Washington News 7 BROTHERS HELD FOR STOCK PROBE IN SUICIDE CASE Perry Lowengrub’s Police Record Is Bared by Woman’s Death. CONTENTS OF LETTER TO OFFICIALS WITHHELD Mrs. Leona Epstein, Victim, Said |- to Have Invested $1,300. Doctor Complains. Perry Lowengrub. 34, who has a long police record in Newark, N. J., was being held today along with his | brother Irving, 32, while investigators went over their stock transactions here | following a spectacular explosion and suicide Sunday in the apartment of | the brothers. at 3002 Rodman street. | The pair had been living with the suicide victim, Mrs. Leona Epstein, at- tractive 28-year-old divorcee, formerly of Newark, who allegedly invested $1.300 with the brothers about a month before she wrote letters to the police and District attorney’s office and turn- ed on the gas Several hours after Mrs. Epstein’s death the accumulating gas was touch- ed off by an electric spark and ripped sections of the walls out of the apart- ment. shattering glass in adjoining | buildings and tumbling occupants from | their beds. Arrested Yesterday. Perry Lowengrub was arrested late yesterday when he walked into the o[- fice of Ghief of Detectives Frank 5. W Burke to inquire about the arrest of his brother Irving. He had just re- turned from a week end in Newark. Police learned of his record in a tele- gram last night from the New Jersey city. | Additional information was obtained | about the operations of the Lowen- | grubs here when Dr. C. E. Ferguson, | 1414 Delafield place. came to head- ‘quarters and told police he gave one ‘* of them $2,800 in stock to exchang2 and had received nothing in return. The brothers insisted Dr. Ferguson had been playing the stock market with them and had lost his ir.vestment, a contention which the physician denied The Lowengrubs. who have stock brokerage offices in the Shoreham Building, have operated here for the last two years. Police say Mrs. Epstein came here a few weeks ago from Newark and was taken in as a “partner” when the! Lowengrub Investment Co. was re-| organized as the Lowe Co. early in October. She was said to have in-| vested $1,300 in the new concern. Letter Text Withheld. Mrs. Epstein's body, clad in a| nightgown, was found in the wreckage- | strewn apartment after firemen ex- tinguished flames spread by tie explosion. The coroner's office issued | & certificate of suicide. | Investigators said today evidence in connection with the operations of the Lowengrub brothers here probably will be presented to the grand jury this week. Meanwhile they declined to discuss the contents of a suicide note left by Mrs. Epstein and an eight-page letter the divorcee mailed to the Dis- trict attorney’s office shortly before her death. The letter was turned over . to detectives. The brothers were being held for investigation today while police scanned their activities here. The fingerprints of Irving Lowengrub were forwarded to the Department of Justice this morning in an effort to learn if he also has a police record, — TOWN HALL MEETS IN YEARLY SESSION Program for Coming Year Is Sur- veyed at Residence of Mrs. Richard V. Oulahan. The annual meeting of the officers and board of trustees of the Town Hall- of Washington was held yester- - day afternoon at the home of Mrs. Richard V., Oulahan, 1518 Thirty-first street. At the meeting, attended by last year's founder members and the main- tenance members for 1935-36, a thor- ough survey was made of the program for the coming season which is to begin November 24 at the Shoreham Hotel. Frank H. Simonds, noted po- litical writer, will speak at that time on “Should America Stay at Home?" Those attending the meeting yes- terday were: Dr. John W. Studebaker, United States commissioner of education; Mr. and Mrs. Huston Thompson, Admiral Mark Bristol, John Franklin Carter, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Brand, Mrs. Praston Delano, Frederick Gibbs, Mr. and Mrs. Demarest Lloyd, Canon Al- bert Lucas, Dr. Felix Morley, Robert Lincoln O'Brien, Miss Belle Sherwin, Mrs. Frank Hiram Snell, Mrs. Hugh Campbell Wallace, Wayne C. Williams and Dr. George F. Zook. ASSUMES POST SOON Dr. Claudius T. Murchison, director of the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, will assume the presidency of the Cotton Textile Institute at its annual convention in Houston, Tex., November 18-20. Dr. Murchison, former economics professor at the University of North Carolina, will give up his present post about the middle of November, by which time his successor is expected to be named. He was elected recently to succeed G. T. Dorr as president of the institute. LITTLE BACK ON DUTY Still on crutches, Lieut. George M. Little, vice squad chief, was on duty at police headquarters today for the first time since he was injured Sep- tember 8 in an automobile accident nhear Mount- Vernon. His wife, her two sisters and a nfece also were hurt <A the crash, Abduction Is Feared as Police Hunt Central High School Girl Alva Carmen Thyrring | Has Been Missing Since October 25. Parents Mystified, Know- ing No Reason W hy She Should Disappear. Possibility of an abduction was con- sidered by police today as they pressed | investigation of the mysterious dis- appearance 12 days ago of Alva Car-| men Thyrring, attractive 15-year-old | Central High School student. | While plans went férward to cir-| cularize the country, the girl's par- ents, Mr. and Mrs. Viggo C. Thyrring, 417 Oglethorpe street, debated asking the Justice Department to enter the case. Last Seen October 25, Apparently happy in her home and | school life, the girl was last seen Oc- tober 25 at Paul Junior High School, where she is said to have gone to pose for an art class conducted by Miss Nellie Patterson, her former teacher. he Tp WASHINGTON, D. C, WITH SUNDAY MORNING EDITION TUESDAY, ening Stap NOVEMBER - 9 1935. ALVA CARMEN THYRRING. The girl's faiher, a private detec- |tive, is as much mystified as police, | who admit they have uncovered prac- | |tically nothing in the way of a | “lead.” Alva, a blond with blue-gray eyes, Enthusiastic over art, the girl, it was | learned, had missed several classes at {118 pounds, and was wearing a light- Central during the week she vanished | 50 she could model at Paul Junior High. | blue skirt and brown oxfords. On the day she disappeared, Miss Patterson told police, she drove the !girl to a point on Sherman avenue |relatives, pointing out the only near | where she could board a street car |kin, in Virginia, have been notified of | and go home. |is 5 feet 3 inches tall, weighs about | weight, grayish-tan coat, rust sweater, | The parents scouted the theory | | their daughter may have gone to visit | Alva's disappearance, | IRVING LOWENGRUB, NEW FIGHT BREWS AGAINST R. 0. T. C. Drive Launched for Federal Leg- islation to Outlaw Compulsory Training. | By the Associated Press. A new outbreak of the old contro- versy over compulsory military train- | ing in American colleges looms with the launching of a drive for Federal legislation to outlaw such compulsion. The Committee on Militarism in Education, which lists Bishop Francis J. McConnell, President Mary E. Wooley of Holyoke College and William Allen White among its members, is seeking public support for the proposed Nye-Kvale amendment to the national defense act to provide that “no Reserve Officers’ Training Corps unit shall be maintained at any civil school or col- lege until such institution shall have satisfied the Secretary of War that | enroliment in such unit is elective and | mot compulsory.” The compulsory training issue has been dramatized on several occasions by controversy on and off the campus and by court battles over the suspen- sion of students who refused to take required military courses. Climaxing the legal struggles was a decision of the Supreme Court last December upholding the right of the University of California to suspend two students who refused to take the training because of conscientious ob- Jjections. The high court previously had dismissed the appeal of a Uni- versity of Maryland student in a sim- ilar case. — CAPT. EVANS HONORED Retired Chief of Navy Chaplains Guest at Luncheon. Capt. Sydney K. Evans, retired chief of Navy chaplains, was honored yes- terday at a luncheon given .at the Army and Navy Club by high ranking officers of the military services. Besides Capt. Evans, speakers were Admiral William H. Standley, chief of Naval Operations; Rear Admiral Adolphus Andrews, chief of the Bu- reau of Navigation, and Capt. Duncan McNair, retired Navy chaplain. TRAFFIC ACCIDENT | LET-UP CONTINUES '24 Hours Pass Without Critical Injuries—Sev- eral Cut. The District continued to enjoy a |let-up in bad traffic accidents today, | }only one severe injury being reported [in the past 24 hours. Harold Hampton, 23, of 81 H street, may have a pelvis fracture as a re- sult of being struck last night by a taxicab at First and H streets. At Sibley Hospital X-rays were to be | taken today. Kenneth P. Barnard, | 31, of 315 Bryant street, was driving the taxi, police said. Early today Motor Cycle Policeman | Connor H. Gould, 27, received nu- merous bruises and possibly a shoul- der fracture when his motor cycle {skidded on the car tracks in the 600 block of Florida avenue northeast. Charles Wade, 50, colored, 300 block McLean avenue southwest, received numerous cuts and brain concussion yesterday afternoon when struck by an automobile on Twelfth street, be- tween Constitution and Pennsylvania avenues, Samuel Finch, 38, colored, 300 block of E street southwest, was | charged by police with driving with- out an operator's permit. 3 Joseph Tate, 29, colored, 1200 block |of Third street southwest, suffered cuts last night when the automobile in which he was riding collided with another automobile at New Jersey avenue and L street southeast. The | driver of the car Tate was riding in | left the scene, police said. A lookout was brcadcast, COLLEGES’ FINANCES SHOW IMPROVEMENT Income This Year Expected by Federal Office to Be 6 Per Cent Over Last Year. By the Associated Press. Financial skies are clearing for American colleges and universities. Henry G. Badger, Federal Office of Education statistician, reported today that a study of 300 institutions indi- cated their income would be 6 per cent higher this year than last. He said funds for most of this in- crease would - come from public sources. Private colleges, on the other hand, report reduction of building activity. “Expenditures for building and other capital purposes will decrease along the Atlantic seaboard, but will increase decidedly in the North Cen- tral States,” he said. Ninety per cent of the colleges sur- veyed met their pay rolls in full last year, compared with only 82 per cent the preceding year. EGG CONSUMPTION OFF Agriculture Department Also Re- ports Less Poultry Eaten. Americans aren’t eating so many eggs this year, nor so much poultry. The Agriculture Department esti- mated today each person in the coun- try would eat about 216 eggs this year, or 48 less than the high average of 264 reached in 1927-1932. As for poultry meat, individual con- sumption this year is estimated at 15.5 pounds, compared with about 18 pounds, the five-year average. o pe . Quadlification Eighteen months of voluntary serv- ice with the American Expeditionary Force in France is not “an act of ciu- zenship,” under an interpretation of immigration laws by Bureau of Immi- gration officials, but mere registration for the draft is such an act, Justicz Joseph W. Cox heard in District Su- preme Court today. This curious point was brought out when Frank Benedetto, Marine Bar- racks barber, along with 63 others were inducted ‘into citizenship. Philip Capt. Evans was succeeded as chief chaplain July 20 by Father Edward A. Duff, first Roman Catholic to hold that position. Capt. Evans’ retire- ment, after six years as leader of the Navy's spiritual activities, became ef- fective October 1. Biggins, attorney for Benedetto, ex- plained the confusion which had at- tended his client’s effort to become a full-fledged American citizen. An act of Congress makes it possible for fllel:s who served in the Army to become citi- zens, but their registration for the | into consumption, an increase of 506.- WOODRIDGE BANK PAYS DEPOSITORS INFULL NEXT WEEK 7,000 to Get Approximately $170,000—Notices Begin November 11. LOAN BY HAMILTON SPEEDS UP PAYMENT Some Checks From Last Dividend | of 50 Per Cent Still Held for Call. The Woodridge-Langdon Savings and Commercial Bank will begin pay- ment of a second dividend of 50 per cent on November 11, it was learned today. It thus becomes the first closed bank in the District to pay its| depositors 100 cents on the dollar. | The various groups of depositors | will be notified personally through the mail by E. L. Norris, receiver, asi to when they are to call for their payments. Norris explained today he will start mailing postcards Saturday to the| 7,000 depositors. Paid Part in 1933. The Woodridge Bank, which closed during the bank holiday of March, | 1933, paid a 50 per cent dividend on | September 25. 1933, when the bank | reopened in a merger with the Hamil- | ton National Bank at the same ad- | dress. 2027 Rhode Island avenue northeast. Funds for the second 50 per cent | dividends were made available through | a loan made to the Woodridge Bank by the Hamilton National Bank on remaining assets in the old institu- | tion. This was worked out through a committee of directors and Norris, with the co-operation and approval of the Treasury Department. $170,000 Awailable. The loan has been compléted and checks are being drawn for depositors. The total amount available for the 7,000 depositors is about $170.000. On the first 50 per cent dividend depositors have collected a total of about $164.000. but many of these first dividend checks have not yet been called for. LIQUOR IMPORTS RISING STEADILY tic Brands Also Is Reported. By the Associated Press. Increased consumption of legal liquor | of domestic brands apparently has | done nothing to quench Americans’ thirst for the more expensive imported kind.. Running counter to advance expec- | tations of some officials, liquor imports have risen steadily this vear, keeping pace with the upward trend in con- sumption of “home-made” varieties. Treasury officials declined to assign a reason for this, but said the govern- ing factors are drinkers’ tastes and “the size of their pocketbooks.” For the first nine months of this | year 4,836441 gallons of imported | whisky, rum, brandy and gin passed 011 gallons over the period last year. In September the total was fixed at 649,960 gallons, compared with 560,190 for the month in 1934. g In the field of domestic production, spirits withdrawn from warehouses during September, inciuding alcohol, | were reported at a new peak of 8,931.- 542 gallons, surpassing the former | post-repeal high mark of 8,425,899 gal- lons in December, 1934, BERRY GETS AIDE Acquires Public Relations Ad- viser at $6,800 Per Year. The man who is promoting a series of business-labor conferences for the President to look into N. R. As fu- ture yesterday took on a $6,800-a-year public relations adviser. Lyle A. Brookover, member of the Washington United Press staff, has | resigned to aid George L. Berry, N. R. | A. co-ordinator for industrial co- | operation, who is organizing the con- | ferences. Berry's office is technically separate from N. R. A, but he is participating in its administration, now directed primarily at reducing the staff to 2,300 by November 15. Communism to Be Discussed. “Communism in Our Schools” will be the subject of Maj. Gen. Amos A. Fries in an address before members of the Columbia Heights Citizens’ Asso- ciation at a meeting of the group to be held at 8 o'clock tonight in the as- sembly room of the Fourth Presby- terian Church, Thirteenth and Fair- mont streets. World War Service Is Not Held for Citizenship draft is required as evidence of that “act of citizenship.” Biggins said Bureau of Immigration officials had held Benedetto's 18- month service with the A. E. F. was not sufficient in itself. It developed that Benedetto reg- istered for the draft, but became im- patient when his name was not drawn, 50 enlisted and was sent to France. Another unusual circumstance ac- companying Benedetto’s naturaliza- tion was that until a few months ago he had- thought himself a native American, Mr. and Mrs. Salvatore Benedetto, his parents, brought him and several of his brothers and sisters to this country in 1895. Other broth- ers and sisters were born after arrival here, and Frank had assumed he was born in America, Left: Maj. Ernest W. Brown, superintendent of police, shooting on the Camp Simms pistol range this morn ing, following his orders for all members of the department to polish up on their markmanship At right precinct are doing a little plain and fancy shooting. Brown is the big man. Detective Sergt. Frank Alligood of the automobile squad and Policeman E. F. Brown of No —Star Staff MECHANIC KILLED IN MYSTERY FALL R. L. Blackwell’s Body Is Found in Downtown Driveway. Robert L. Blackwell, 31. mechanic at the Triangle Motor Co., plunged to his death today from the rcot of the com- pany building at New York avenue and North Capitcl street. After company officials said they fcund his footprints on the roof edge beyond a 2-foot iron protective railing, the ccroner issued a certificate of sui- The first news of it was brought to mechanics in the service room by a colored helper who noticed Blackwell's bedy lying in a concrete driveway. A passing tax! was hailed and Blackwell was taken to Sibley Hos- pital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Death was due to internal injuries. Blackwell, who lived at 6317 Seventh street, is survived by his widow Mar- guerite, said by neighbors to be em- ployed with the Government, and three small children, two boys and a girl. 1200-Pound Woman Sues Air Line for In juries in Jump Mrs. Marie A. Swanson, Writer, Asks $100,- 000 Damages, A $100.000 damage suit was filed in District Supreme Court today acainst Pennsylvania Airlines by Mrs. Marie A. Swanson, newsraper and magazine | writer. who said she was injured Au- gust 19 when she jumped from a | plane which had landed at the Akron, Ohio. airport. Mrs, Swanson, who lives at the Dodge Hotel, told the court that the door of the plane was 7 feet from the | Increased Consumption of Domes- | cide. Apparently no one saw the fall. | ground because of a flat tire on one wheel and that she was directed by ‘ngents of the airline company to jump to the ground. Weighing more than 200 pounds, Mrs. Swanson fell ! heavily, fracturing her skull and in- juring her ankle. As a result of her injuries, stated, she was rendered totally deaf in her left ear and her hearing di- | minished in her right ear. At presen | she is engaged as a member of the Townsend pension publicity staff. Representing her were Attorneys | David L. Riordan, E. Russel Kelly | and J. Caroll Hayes. Blackwell. employed with the Tri- | angle Co. about a year, reported for work today about 8 am. He was as- signed to a repair job on the third floor, which he left unfinished to g3 to the roof. The next seen of him was when his body was discovered on the driveway. 'MRS. BEARD GIVEN EARHART TROPHY Named Air Race Winner, Al- though Prize Money Goes to Mrs. Bernson. By the Associated Press. Mrs. Melba Beard of New York yes- terday was awarded the Amelia Ear- hart Trophy and formally credited by the National Aeronautics Association Contest Board with first place in the women's event of the national air races at Cleveland last Amgust, al though Mrs. Edith J. Bernson of Bos. ton was given first-place money. CAPITAL MAN HELD IN KIDNAPING CAS Andrew Joseph Mack Is Arrested at Request of Detroit Authorities. Andrew Joseph Mack, 38, also known as Jerry Riley, operator of a cigar store in the 600 block of Fifth street, | was arraigned before Judge Gus A. | Schuldt in Police Court today on a fugitive warrant and was held un- der a $3,000 bond for a hearing | next month. | Mack was ar- | rested yesterday | at the request of | Detroit authori- ties, who want him for question- ing in a kidnap- The board announced its decision | jng case in that pute which arose over the close fin- ish of Mrs. Beard and Mrs. Bernson. A theoretical rerunning of the race indicated a difference of only 12 sec- onds existed between first and second places, the board decided. The board money of $562 to Mrs. Bernson and the second-place purse of $312 to Mrs. Beard. The qualified award was made, the board said, because of inability to duplicate actual racing conditions. The board was composed entirely of women. TWO BOYS, 4, WANDER OFF FOR 7-HOUR WALK Leave Day Nursery and Are Found Later in Police Station. * Two 4-year-old boys, William Lewis. 617 I street southwest, and Rodney Southerland, 318 McLean avenue southwest, gave their parents some anxious moments yesterday when they decided to go for a walk which lasted more than seven hours. The two wandered away from a day nursery at Third and K streets south- west before noon while a teacher was out of the room to get some tcys. They were found shortly after 7 pm. by a passerby at Seventh street and Pennsylvania avenue southeast. They were taken to No. 5 police station, where they played and looked} at pictures of automobiles until called for by parents. GEN. FRIES TO SPEAK The office of Senator Reynolds of North Carolina announced yesterday Maj. Gen. Amos Fries, retired, had accepted an invitation to make an Armistice day address at Asheville, N.C. Gen. Fries formeriy was head of the Chemical Warfare Service, A awarded first-place | | after lengthy consideration of the dis- | city several years ago. Severalother persons alleged to have participated in the kidnaping are now serving long jail sentences, Washington police were told. Mack, although admitting his identity, denies any connection Andrew J. Mack. | with the kidnaping case. F. H. A. MOVES TO END LOAN RACKETEERING “Vigorous Steps” Taken to Stamp Out Evil in Insuring for Home Modernization. By the Associated Press. The Federal Housing Administra- tion announced yesterday it was tak- ing “vigorous steps” to stamp out racketeering in connection with in- sured loans for home modernization. “This policy has been adopted to weed out racketeers who prey upon the innocent borrowers by misrepresenta- tion both as to materials and services contracted for, and as to the terms and provisions of the act and regulation,” the announcement said. It cited an instance in which a prospective borrower was induced to take out a loan on a representation that part of the proceeds would be re- mitted in cash by the alleged rack- eteers. This was not done. An in- dictment was obtained. _ MARYLAND GETS FUNDS Releases Work-Relief Sum of $1,596,890. Controller General McCarl today released work-relief funds from which Maryland can select projects from a list of jobs valued at $1,596,890. This was included in a list of proj- ects from 21 States having a total of McCarl | $77,084,003 which McCarl spproved, ] FRAT FRECAST FORWORLD CORT Advocates Say League May Gein Prestige in Pres- ent Crisis. By the Associated Press Some Scnators are nlanning to renew their efforis to the United States into the World Court if the League ¢f Nations succeeds in effecting a peacc- ful settlement of the Italian-Ethiopian War. They feel that leadership in negotia- tions ending the conflict would lessen antagonism to the League in this coun- try and stimulate sentiment for Ameri- | can participation in the Court. The latter, set up in 1920 to arbitrate n- | ternational disputes, was fostered un- ! der the League's covenant. Preferring not to be quoted by name agree that its worth is not directly at | stake in the current crisis. They argue, | prestige gained by the League. | Might Become Issue. A drive for American adherence to the court, at the meeting of Con- gress beginning January 3, probably would prolong the session. It also might produce an issue e:itending into the 1936 election campaign. Adherence to the court was de- feated by a 7-vote margin in the Sen- ate early this vear despite President Rocosevelt’s advocacy of it. ‘Whether the Senate should be given authority to say what questions could be submitted to the court was a major | point of controversy in the debate | leading up to the final vote. An amendment proposed by Senator Nor- ris, Republican, of Nebraska, to make the Senate judge of every Amer- ican question to be submitted was opposed by the President on the ground it invaded his rights to con- duct the Nation's foreign affairs. Proposal Dormant. After the administration proposal for American entry had failed, Senator Robinson of Arkansas, the Democratic . | leader, said that result “forecloses the | question” for an indefinite period. He | | added, however, that the protocols for adherence would remain in the Senate | unless the President called for them. | President Roosevelt was the fourth | Chief Executive to seek American | membership in the Court. DRIVE NEARS $10,000 $15,000 Goal Expected to Be Reached by Tomorrow in Alexandria. By a Staff Correspondent of The Star. ALEXANDRIA, Va., November 5.— | With contributions and pledges ex- pected to reach $10,000 by late today, this city’s annual United Charlities drive, an intensive three-day cam- paign being conducted by the Alex- andria Lions Club, is expected to be successfully completed by - tomorrow night. Approximately $7,000 was sub- scribed through contributions and pledges during the first day of the drive yesterday, campaign officials an- nounced this morning. The goal is $15,000. A great majority of the business firms of Alexandria and approximate- ly two-thirds of the residential sec- tion remained to be covered this morning as the more than 125 cam- paign workers set out to keep pace with yesterday's encouraging results. Contributions of $150 each from the Alexandria Dairy and its employes and S. Kann Sons Co. of Washington, $100 from Julius Garfinckel of Wash- ington, $50 from B. Weil of Alex- andria and a number of $25 contri- butions from residents and profes- sional men of the city helped swell yesterday's total. Tourist Race. During & Tourist Trophy race to be held in Northern Ireland observers will be stationed at the track to signal to racers when tires of their cars are wearing dangerously thin, 1 AT HALFWAY MARK| Society and General PAGE B—1 PEPCO WILL FiGHT AGE INVASION OF ARLINGTON FIELD Ready to Meet Threat Made by Rival Concern Nearby. W.R.E. STOCK CONTINUES TO ADVANCE TO $650 Power Company Extending L'nes and Increasing Service in Nearby Virginia County. The Potomac Electric Power Co, it was reported today, is preparing to meet a threatened invasion of the Washington utility field by the Ase sociated Gas & Electric Co. with competition in the giant holding com= pany's newly acquired territory in Ariington County. Working through its subsidiary, the Braddock Light & Power Co. the | P. E. P. Co. already has extended its lines in the county and added about 75 new customers, the largest being the new Colonial Village development, now housing 275 families. The develop- ment is on Wilson boulevard between n and Clarendon and plans have cmpleted to build an additicn 426 more families ock Still Advances. n the m me, the bid price of mmon < of the Waziin:toa & Ecctric Co.. which o7 s the P. E. P. Co., ccntinued its sensas al price rise on the Wa. t cchange. The bid price } from $600 to $650 a share, after yvesterday from $400 to $600. y $650 bid brings the market price of the common stock within $100 of the $750 probable value of the 25 pare ticipating shares which it is proposed to issue against each share of the common stock. The identity of the bidders was not disclosed. ne of the stock was offered for sale. how=- | ever, although 10 shares of railway company preferred sold at $107, the price it has held for some time. The prospective battle between the P. E. P. Co. and the Associated for the Arlington County territery ape pears in utility circles as an o wth of the move of the North American Co. to divest itself of cor of its Washington holdings, of which the power ccmpany is one n Amer- ican and Associated have long been rivals. Fcundation for the fight is undere stood to have been iaid when Assoe ciated acquired the Virginia Public Service Co., which serves the major | part of Arlington County with elece tricity. North American at that time had not reached a decision to ree linquish control of its Washington | properties. Even if the North Amere ican is permitted by the Securities | and Exchange Commission to step out I she | at present, advocates of the Court | of the Washington field, the P. E. P. Co. is reported to be in a position ta take care of additional Arlington “hcwe\'er. that it stands to share any County customers. Extension Sought for Years. Extension of the P. E. P. Co. serve ice in Arlingtcn County has bcen sought for several years. The Are lington Public Utilities Commiss 1933 initiated a move to ha- company extend its lines ti the county. As a result, ginia Public Service Co. signed petitions request The P. E. P. Co., however, failed to take any definite action on the peti= tions because of an agreement reporte ed to have existed between former owners of the Virginia Public Service and the North American not to enter into direct competition. That agree- ment, it was said, expired with the sale of Virginia Public Service to the Associated, and opened the way for the P. E. P. Co. to go farther into Vire ginia with its service. ‘Wide difference in rates between the P. E. P. Co. and Virginia Public Serve ice is the principal reason the Arling= ton County commission sought to change electricity service. The Braddock Light & Power Co. rates are substantially the same as those in the District. Current is sold to its Arlington County residential subscribers for 39 cents a kilowatt hour for the first 50 kilowatt hours and then drops to 3.1 cents for the next 50 kilowatt hours. Virginia Service Rates Higher. For substantially the same service Virginia Public Service charges 10 cents a kilowatt hour for the first 10 kilowatts, and drops to 7': cents for the next 30 kilowatt hours. The third step is 5 cents a kilowatt hour for the next 55. Virginia Public Service, how= ever, has a so-called combination rate for residence subscribers using electric refrigerators, which is 8 cents for the first 25 kilowatt hours, and 3': cents for electricity consumed in excess of that amount. Arlington County in the last few years has become a choice territory for utility corporations because of its rapid growth. Hundreds of new homes have been constructed in that period and other large developments are conteme plated, especially along the new Lee Boulevard. The Potomac Electric Power Co., under its charter, is authorized to ex= tend service throughout Arlington County and also into Fairfax County. ‘The company also is said to be capable of taking care of any extensions. In the meantime, William A. Robe erts, people’s counsel before the Dise trict Public Utilities Commission, cone tinued his investigation into the move of the North American to release its Washington properties. Dr. Willlam McClellan, who suce ceaded William F. Ham as president of the Washington Railway & Electric Co., has turned over to Roberts copies of all documents filed by the North American with the Securities and Exe change Commission asking for permise sion to take this action. North American is proposing its 62,197 shares in the Washington Rail- way & Electric Co. be put into the hands of a non-voting trust and par- ticipating shares in the trust be sold at $30 a share. G Seeks End of Horses. British Minister of Transport Hore- Belisha has asked the largest users of horses in London to consider changing to motor vehicles within three years. viee.