Evening Star Newspaper, November 26, 1935, Page 21

PLEA FOR LARGER - D.C.LUMPSUM T G0 70 ROOSEVELT Budget Bureau Is Reported Impressed by Need for More Than $5,700,000. $8,317,500 REQUEST TRIMMED SOMEWHAT New Sources of Revenue Now Be- ing Sought to Meet Require- ments—Estimates Shaping Up. The Budget Bureau, it was reported today, is planning to carry the plea of the Commissioners for a Federal payment of $8.317,500 toward the ex- | penses of the District in the coming | fiscal year directly to President Roose- velt. Impressed with the argument of the Commissioners, in justification of an increase above the current $5,700,000 appropriation from the Federal Treas- ury, the bureau, it was said, will let the President dictate the figure to go into the appropriation bill. The District estimates for 1937, to- gether with those of various Federal departments, are now being whipped into final shape. Budget officials will take them to Warm Springs, Ga., in a few days for review by the President. Seek New Sources. The Commissioners, it is understood, based their request for a higher Fed- A group of the debutantes who Association meeting tonight shown eral payment on the unfairness of the $5,700,000 appropriation and the fact that the District is faced with tapping new sources of revenue to meet ever rising expenses. A special tax committee, headed by Corpora- tion Counsel E. Barrett Prettyman, is now at work on a program to show how additional revenue can be raised. In recommending a Federal pay- ment of $8,317,500, the Commissioners followed a precedent established last year when they proposed a similar sum for the 1936 budget. This was approximately the average Federal payment over the preceding 10-year | period. The Commissioners regard this as fair as any method of calcu- lating a lump-sum payment. That figure met the approval of the Senate, but was rejected finally BY RUTH MANSFIELD. AN any one discover a nice new language for Earl McSherry Hyde? If so, the aforemea- | tioned Mr. Hyde will master | this new language—or any language | which he doesn’'t happen to know—in about a week. A boast? Hardly, for Mr. Hyde 1is primarily a bibliophile, and bibliophiles are among the rare species who shun front pages, publicity and spotlights. ‘Their habitat is the library, and they can be trapped only after days of hid- | ing amidst the musty atmosphere of | rare books. This reporter cornered Mr. Hyde in just such surroundings—the | Library of Congress, where he is delv- | ing among the criteria standards for | homesteaders for the rural resettle- | ment. in conference at the insistence of the | Mr. Hyde lives in Falls Church, Va House. | He wouldn't say just where. “If I gave The original estimates of the Com- | you my street address I should be missioners for the coming fiscal year | bothered to death by people who want totaled $47,482,760, an increase of $5,276,145 over the appropriation for the present fiscal year. This budget was predicated on a Federal payment of $8,317,500 and continuance of the existing $1.50 tax rate. The Budget Bureau, however, is reported to have made some cuts in the figures of the Commissioners, but the amount will not be disclosed until the President submits his budget recommendations to Congress in Jan- uary. Plans have been made by various | subcommittees of the House Appro- priations Committee to begin hearings on estimates of various Federal de- parments early next month, so that | some of the supply bills will be ready | for House consideration as soon as Congress convenes. D. C. Budget in January. The District estimates, however, ac- cording to Representative Cannon, Democrat, of Missouri, chairman of the subcommittee in charge of the District appropriation bill, will not be considered until some time in Jan- uary. Cannon as well as other mem- bers of his subcommittee also serve on other subcommittees handling the big Federal supply bills, and therefore will be unable to tackle the District budget until the Federal measures are out of the way. On the District subcommittee with | Cannon are Representative Blanton, Democrat, of Texas; Jacobson, Demo- | crat, of Towa, and Ditter, Republican, of Pennsylvania. ROOSEVELT DELAYS STUDY Will Take Up D. C. Budget on Re- turn to Washington, By a Staff Correspondent of The Star. WARM SPRINGS, Ga., November 26.—President Roosevelt will not com- plete his study of the 1936-37 budget for the District of Columbia until after he arrives back in Washington the second week in December. Resuming his budget studies today with a group of associates he discov- ered that the complete details of the District budget estimates were lacking and that he would have to postpone finishing this task until he returns to the Capital. It was actually Daniel W. Bell, act- ing director of the Budget Bureau, who, with Secretary of the Treasury Morgenthau and Representative Bu- chanan of Texas, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, in- formed the President of the uncom- Ppleted state of the figures relating to the estimates for the District’s budget. Bell said last night after spending the greater part of the day with the Presi- dent that because of the lateness in concluding the hearings back in ‘Washington dealing with the District budget estimates it was impossible to have the figures in complete form for final study. 'COURTS TOLD TO GIVE INJUNCTION REASONS By the Associated Press. ‘The Supreme Court yesterday or- dered Federal district courts to state definite reasons in granting tempo- rary injunctions. An amendment to equity rules said that in granting or denying inter- locutory (temporary) injunctions the courts must separately “set forth its findings of fact and conclusions of law which constitute the grounds of. its action.” Lawyers explained the move was designed to assure a more complete record of both fact and law to guide higher courts of appeals. Court attendants said the rule was made effective by the Supreme Court | me to translate things for them,” ne | declared. i “That would make a story | in itself—the number of people in | the world who want a letter, an article | or a book translated.” Reads Icelandic, Too. He reads Russian, Norwegian, Ice- | landic, Arabic, Lithuanian, Chinese, | Finnish, Japanese, three kinds of | Greek—oh, well, why go into that? Just take a world map and for every | colored spot that means a country Mr. | Hyde very likely knows the language. ‘Ju.st as present his work is chiefly | being done in the commoner tongue of | Germany, for the Germans have, since the days of Frederick the Great, gone into resettlement problems and, witn | the usual Teutonic thoroughness, writ- ten volumes on the subject. As a re- sult of Mr. Hyde's researches our own Government hopes to draw up some standard for its own resettlement proj- ects. | Most any child can become a lin- | guist, in the opinion of Mr. Hyde, who | willingly discussed teaching methods {and revealed his own system of lan- guage study, once the bibliophile’s re- serve was broken down. It was only by accident that the interviewer stum- bled upon this man who could (but | who wouldn’t) lay claim to being the | Government’s long-distance endurance | linguist—the flagpole Kelley of the languages. A Library official casually mentioned that Mr. Hyde knew prob- ably all the languages in the world. But Mr. Hyde was not going to be interviewed on that subject. No, sir. He had done ghost writing for celebri- ties, translated foreign books, man- aged an orphan asylum and taught school, but he had never, never been interviewed, and he didn't intend to be—until the conversation happened to turn upon the subject of teaching languages. Indignant at Teaching Methods. “Why should an innocent child who hasn’t done anything wrong be penal- ized by the awful formal ideas of grammar?” he asked with indigna- tion. “It is nothing less than crimi- nal to teach languages by that method. The only way to learn a language is by reading it, like the mother tongue. Grammar may help after one can read the language. “The proper way to teach languages is, of course, to start with very young children,” he continued. “When a child begins to show an interest in reading story books the parents should buy a few foreign language books with colored illustrations and leave them around the house. The child will be- come interested in the pictures and the first thing you know he or she will begin to read the book just as natur- ally as if it were in English. Experi- ment with a ‘Robinson Crusoe’ in French or German, but be sure that the translation contains some colored pictures of the type to pique the young mind “That is the way I learned languages In the beginning,” Mr. Hyde explained, his first demonstration that his teach~ ing method is the right one. Started With Four “I can’t remember a time when I couldn’t read French, German, Italian and Spanish, the everyday languages. My mother was a musician who had studied under Verdi, and there were always books in other tongues around the house.” Mr. Hyde was born in Winchester, Va, but he attended the schools of Martinsburg, W. Va. At the age of 16, a graduate of high school, he was teaching boys older than himself in a private academy. He taught for nine years and then became superintendent of an orphanage in North Carolina. Later on, before he came to Wash- ington, Mr. Hyde was the head of a ‘Tennessee mountain mission school. “How about my own children?” Mr. on its own volition. Speculation that the change was prompted by numerous injunction appeals directed at New Deal laws went unconfirmed, » ) Hyde asks. “Well, the usual law of averages applies to them. I have three. The oldest, a girl, is distinctly a lin- guist, She teaches languages and * he Fp WASHINGTON, D. C, will act as ushers at the Tuberculosis adjusting their official armbands. Left to right: Gladys Marsh, Lisbeth Stieg and Jane Marsh. —Star Staff Photo. Tale of a Linguist Mr. Hyde Speaks Everything and Abhors, Language Teaching Ideas. | mathematics. Another one is very good | with languages and a third shows no special abilities in this field All three of them were exposed to languages at |a very tender age, just as I was.” Mr. Hyde's system of learning lan- guages might be difficult for the twen- tieth century child to follow, since it | is based upon a pretty thorough knowl- | edge of the Bible—the one book that is to be found in all translations. Un- | der his system, however, he declared ! that he can acquire a good reading | knowledge of any language within a | week. You find the language. Every one that the interviewer mentioned Mr. Hyde already knew. Of course, there are certain key languages, as Mr. Hyde pointed out. Take Russian, for an example. Once you master Russian, it is just nothing at all to pick up Serbian, Bohemian, Polish and a few other related lan- | guages. Just nothing at all—if you are Earl McSherry Hyde. CITY NEWS IN BRIEF. ° TODAY. Dinner, Assbciated Retail Credit Men, Raleigh Hotel, 6:30 p.m. Dance, Brightwood Rebekah Lodge, No. 11, Masonic Temple, Georgia and Colorado avenues, 9 p.m. Dinner, Samuel Gompers Lodge, Mayflower Hotel, 7 p.m. Dinner, Keystone Automobile Club, Mayflower Hotel, 6:30 p.m. Dinner, Phi Sigma Tau Sorority, Mayflower Hotel, 8 p.m. Meeting, Lambda Sigma Kappa So- rority, Hay-Adams House, 8 p.m. Dinner dance, Tau Delta Sorority, Hay-Adams House, 8:30 p.m. Meeting, Daughters of '98, National Auxiliary of United Spanish War Vet~ erans, Carlton Hotel, 8 p.m. Meeting, City Firefighters, La Fay- ette Hotel, 8:15 p.m. Meeting, Georgia Avenue Business Men’s Association, Pierce’s Cafe, 5200 Georgia avenue, 8 p.m. Card party, St. James' Catholic Church, Mount Rainier, 8:30 p.m. Play, Players’ Club of Central Com- munity Center, Roosevelt High School, pm. Dance, Reciprocity Club, Kenwood Country Club, 9 p.m. Meeting, Current Events Section, gVomen'l City Club, 736 Jackson place, pm, TOMORROW. Luncheon, Catholic University Alumni, Washington . Chapter, Har- rington Hotel, 12:15 p.m. Luncheon, Zonta Club, ¥. W. C. A,, Seventeenth and K streets, 1 p.m. Luncheon, Kiwanis and Rotary Clubs, Willard Hotel, 12:30 p.m. Luncheon, University of Missour Alumni, University Club, 12:30 p.m. Luncheon, Electric Institute, Carlton Hotel, 12:30 p.m. Luncheon, American Business Club, Hay-Adams House, 12:30 p.m. Luncheon, Lions Club, Mayflower Hotel, 12:30 p.m. Luncheon, Optimist Club, Mayfiow= er Hotel, 12:30 p.m. Meeting, George Washington Chap- ter, Delphian Soclety, Shoreham Hotel, 10 am. Dance, Fort Stevens Post, No. 32, American Legion, American Legion Hall, 306 Kennedy street, 9 p.m. Meeting, Rock Creek Citizens’ Asso- ciation, Mount Zion M. E. Church, | | | i ‘Thirteenth and Upshur streets, 8:30 | WITH SUNDAY MORNING ED) ening Star TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 1935. *¥ CHRISTMAS SEALS [MNEIL DEFENSE |Festive Santa Claus Lane DRIVE T0 OPEN AT MEETING TONIGHT Tuberculosis Campaign Pro- gram to Include Talks by Seven Diplomats. GORDON JUNIOR HIGH GROUP TO GIVE PLAY 71,000 Letters Will Be Mailed Tomorrow to Residents Seek- ing Funds. A symposium of five-minute talks by diplomatic representatives of seven | foreign countries will feature cere- monies Jaunching the thirty-first an- nual tuberculosis Christmas seal drive at 8 oclock tonight at the United States Chamber of Commerce Build- The subject, “Tuberculosis Christ- mas Seals Around the World,” will be discussed by the following diplomats.‘ all of whose countries are represented in the international campaign: Andre de Laboulaye, Ambassador of France; Oswaldo Aranha, Ambassador of Bra- zil; Sao-Ke Alfred Sze, Ambassador of China; Otto Wadsted, Minister of Denmark; Ralph Close, Minister of the Union of South Africa; Edgar Prochnik, Minister of Austria, and Michael MacWhite, Minister of the Irish Free State. Dr. George C. Ruhland, District health official, and Mrs. Ernest R. Grant, managing director of the Dis- trict of Columbia Tuberculosis Asso- ciation, will also take part in the dis- cussion. Presiding officer will be Dr. William Charles White, chairman of the Med- ical Research Committee of the Na- tional Tuberculosis Association and president of the District Tuberculosis Association. OPENS, DIRECTED VERDICT REFUSED Hints Given Irregularities Will Be Blamed on Stunz, Suicide. CHARACTER WITNESSES ARE PLACED ON STAND Defendant Only Ordinary Em- ploye of Bank, Counsel Says, in Opening Address. Indicating an intention of throw- ing blame for any irregularities which may have occurred in the defunct Park Savings Bank on Robert S. Stunz, suicide executive vice president, attorneys for Benedict M. McNeil, as- sistant cashier, on trial in District Supreme Court, opened his defense late this morning after Justice F. Dickinson Letts, overruled a motion for a directed verdict for the de- fendant. Assistant United States Attorney John J. Wilson rested the Govern- examination by Defense Counsel Rob- ert E. Lynch of the prosecution’s star witness Eugene C. Sauer, Justice Department expert accountant. Just Ordinary Employe. “If any records at the bank were clared in his opening statement to the jury, “McNeil was just like any other employe of the bank. All mat- ters of importance were handled by Stunz, the only man in the bank au- thorized to do so. Any actions by were performed only in pursuance of Stunz's orders.” The A. M. McNeil Co,. real estate Feature of tonight's program will | be a playlet, “The Postmaster’s | Dream,” presented by a dramatic group of the Gordon Junior High School. | development as an international or- ganization of service. Drive for funds will begin in Wash- addressed to residents of the District will be mailed. No contributions will be solicited at tonight's meeting. Sidelizht of the District campaign will be public presentation of one of the most complete Christmas Seal stamp collections in ‘the country. The stamps were collected by 14-year-old Harold B. Atkinson, jr., of 6314 Georgla street, Chevy Chase, and will | be on display, beginning tomorrow, in |a window at Garfinckel's store. The stamps range from 3 cents to $25 in value and represent issues in | every country belonging to the in- ternational association. One is of the issue first made in Denmark in 1904. . ESSAY COMMITTEE ANNOUNCES CONTEST Seventh and Eighth Grades Are Urged to Write Theme on New Calvert Span. Miss Etta L. Taggart, chairman of the Essay Committee of the new Cal- The drama depicts the origin of the | Christmas Seal idea in the mind of a | Danish postmaster and its subsequent | ington tomorrow when 71,000 letters | company operated by the defendant’s secured its loans from the bank by giving mortgages on two Canadian properties as collateral, Lynch de- | clared. It was through the McNeil company account that much of the ment had charged. In order to protect its interests, the maintenance of these Canadian prop- erties and to pay taxes on them, Lynch asserted, contending that many of the withdrawals shown by the Government were for this burpose. Five Character Witnesses. ‘The defense began its presentation of evidence by placing five character witnesses on the stand. Three of them previously had testified for the Govern- ment. They were Miss Demarest Simp- son and Mrs. Louise D. Larrick, both bookkeepers at the Park £--ings, and George Walker, former chairman of the board of the bank. Walker was asked by Wilson why | McNeil left the employ of the bark in 1929. Walker replied it was be- cause the assistant cashier could not get down to work early enough in the morning. James F. Reilly, associated with Lynch in the defense, said about 10 witnesses would be called for the de- fendant, among them Controller of Currency J. F. T. O'Conner and sev- eral bank examiners. He said he ex- | pected the case to go to the jury to- morrow afternoon. Stock in Stunz’s Desk. Under cross-examination by Lynch late yesterday, Sauer said he found about a fifth of the bank's stock in ment'’s case at the conclusion of cross- * falsified, Stunz did it,” Lynch de- | McNeil concerning weighty matters | father, Alexander McNeil, now dead, | peculations took place, the Govern- | bank would advance money for the | Opens in Columbia Heights Santa Claus and a farmer. HE Christmas season began of- ficially last night, a month ahead of time, on Fourteenth street from Fairmont to New- ton streets. Commissioner Melvin C. Hazen pressed a switch turning on 1,000 Au- tumn-colored lights, 800 persons pa- raded, five bands played, 20,000 per- sons watched and the sixth annual Co- lumbia Heights Santa Claus lane ! opened. Most of the spectators were children, and to delight them and non- plus skeptics there were no less than four Santa Clauses. Between and under the necklaces of red, green, yellow and orange lights paraded 725 persons on foot and 98 in 6 floats and 2" automobiles. Maj. Ernest . Brown, superintendent of Society and General PAGE B—1 INCREASED TAXES AGAIN ARE STUDIED BY SPECIAL GROUP Various Proposals Are Be- ing Taken Up This After- noon by Committee. DEFINITE DECISIONS STILL ARE IN DOUBT Levy on Theaters and Motion Pic- ture Houses Is Being Se- riously Considered. The Commission’s Tax Committee this afternoon resumed study of what increase in levies in District resi- dents may have to be coupled with a boost in the Federal payment toward expenses of the National Capital to produce revenues to allow for in- E creased development and maintenance costs. The committee was to devote the Among the revelers in the parade incident to the opening of Santa Claus Lane last night were these two, who identified themselves only as | entire afternoon to the mass of data | it has collected, but did not know | how long it would take to complete | its work and formulate recommenda- | tions to be laid before the Board of Commissioners. While the committee heretofore has indicated some $7,000,000 more in an- nual revenues might be required to meet projected needs for capital out- lays and rising maintenance costs, it was said no definite conclusion has been reached up to today's session, —Star Staff Photo. police, rode in the vanguard as hon- orary marshal. Commissioner Hazen | | and about 70 civic leaders and Colum- Wil fouth tinite of Soue St b_m ?{exght.s merchants occupied & re-| ;g o on several assumptions, one viewing stand at Fourteenth street and = being that the District’s funds for | Park road. | permanent improvements, now run- [ Among the 14 marching units were | ning less than $5,000,000 for the last 100 policemen and groups representing year or two, should be raised to about the following: American Legion Guard | $10,000,000 annually. | of Honor, Vincent Costello Post Band, Other premises in this assumption | Columbia Heights Business Men's As- | were that present revenues from | sociation, Veterans of Foreign Wars | existing taxes would increase only | Overseas Band, Job's Daughters, No.1; | normally with increase in popula- | Powell Junior High School, Raymond | tion and that maintainence cosis | School, Park View Platoon School, would continue to rise at the rate Sons of the American Legion Drum | of approximately $1,000,000 a year. Corps, Jacob Jones Post, the Raymond The commissioners last Summer Parent - Teacher Association, Boy | instructed the committee to consider | Scouts and Elks’ Boys’ Band. four tax proposals, which the com- Increase Proposed. ELEGTRIC PROBE Heavier Slash in Charges Than in January Is Be- lieved Likely. Prospects of a heavier slash in charges for electric current in January | than the $147,000 applied in rate re- | ductions last year arose today as the Public Utilities Commission pre- pared a formal order for investiga- tion. mittee estimates would produce about $4,300,000 a year, if all were adopted. This set up a calculation that some $3,000,000 more per year would be l]RI]E_Rfl@PAR[I]] | CHEST CAMPAIGN GIFTS CONTINUE Returns Still Growing, but needed in the Federal payment toward the National Capital. The four tax proposals were: One= cent increase in the District’s two= cent gasoline tax; adoption of an inheritance tax for the District; adoption of an automobile weight tax as a substitute for the present pere sonal property tax on automobiles; ‘zmd increased taxes on utility cone cerns. Total Still Below Goal. Returns in the recent Community Chest campaign continue to trickle in, but the total of pledges remains far below the goal of $1,887,900, it was said at Chest headquarters today. Many team captains and workers of the Metropolitan Unit have un- Public hearing is to be held the first week in January, according to present plans, on the basic rate of | return to be allowed the company Iunder the sliding scale arrangement, on the method of determining ex-| cess profits to affect future consumer rate reductions, and on consideration of company properties as “used and | useful” in giving service. The commission today has figures solicited “prospects” on their lists of possible givers, and efforts are bc.ig made to reach all such persons before the final campaign audit is made next week. All pledges received up to Decem- ber 5 will be added to the quotas of the unit turning them in, according to Herbert L. Willett, jr., Chest direc- tor. Key men in both the Govern- mental Unit and the Group Solicita- tion Unit, especially those divisions or vert Street Bridge Dedication Commit- = : tee, today announced an essay contest | Stunz’s desk and admitted that much | open to all children of the seventh |Of the money allegedly taken from the and eighth grades in the District| benk in the transactions he had de- | showing the net operating revenues|firms who did not make a sufficient of the Potomac Electric Power Co.|gshowing to obtain honor posters, are during the first nine months of 1935 | stj)] at work hoping to win one of the general subject of “The New Cal- vert Street Bridge.” Dedicatory exer- cises will take place some time in December. Rules call for an essay of not more than 150 words, all essays to be writ- ten on one side of the paper and sub- mitted by midnight of December 10, under the signature of the contestant. Contestants must also give their school, age and grade. Essays should be mailed to Miss Taggart, 402 Wash- ington Loan & Trust Building, Ninth and F streets. Judges will be Mrs. Harvey Wiley, Mrs. James Adkins, Miss Sibyl Baker, Thomas E. Lodge and Dr. William Mann. Serving with Miss Taggart on the committee are Mrs. Elizdbeth T. Sul- livan, John B. Dickman, jr.; A. J. Driscoll, Mrs. Helen Wagner, Miss Amerlia MacFayden, Mrs. Mabel Tait and Miss Margaret Staley. — MISSION BEING HELD Bpecial Dispatch to The Star. SILVER SPRING, Md., November 26.—A mission for men is being held all this week at St. Michael’s Church, under the direction of Rev. Thomas A. Fox of the Paulist Fathers. The evening services consist of a question box, sermon and benediction of the blessed sacrament. At the morning masses there is a brief ser- mon. The mission will close Sunday. schools. Essays are to be written on | Scribed had been used to buy in this | stock. “Don’t you know that Stunz took money paid in on notes and credited the payments?” Lynch asked. Sauer said that was true and ad- mitted the amounts involved were very very large in the aggregate, —_—— HIGH COURT REFUSES DIVORCE CASE RULING By the Associated Press. Mrs. Jessie Margaret Wilson Bud- long of Tucson, Ariz., failed yesterday in an attempt to have her rights de- termined as the “lawful wife” of Mil- ton John Budlong, socially prominent in New York and Newport, R. I ‘The Supreme Court refused to pass on the action of the Federal District Court at Tucson and the Court of Appeals at San Francisco in dismiss- ing her petition. They were married at Scranton, Pa., in 1898 and divorced in Rhode Island in 1928. She contended the divorce was “fraudulently obtained” and “void.” In her petition she told the court marriage “is ceasing to have any other meaning than a legal arrangement to live together, not ‘until death do us part,’ but nntil one spouse happens to find another whom he likes better than the old one.” Issuing of Request Auto Tags Paysin Safety,Says Van Duzer Catering to the personal foibles of car-owners in the matter of special Twenty-ninth and O streets, 8:30 p.m. | jjcense numbers is a good idea, thinks Meeting, Geological = Society o | Trafiic Director William A. Van Duzer. ‘Washington, Cosmos Club, 8 p.m. Dinner, Rockville Rotary Club, Shoreham Hotel, 7:30 p.m. Dance, St. John’s Alumni, Shoreham Hotel, 10 p.m. ‘Whatever extra trouble it causes, he explains, is offset by an added exertion on the part of favored drivers to be more careful. “We expect that favor,” says Van Duzer, “and find it repaid in the long run. A comparison of the output of Dance, Black and White ball, May- | warrants issued annually on numbers flower Hotel, 10 p.m. Meeting, Washington Philatelic So- ciety, Carlton Hotel, 8 p.m. Dance, Council of Jewish Juniors, Mayflower Hotel, 10 p.m. Dance, Big Ten Alumni, Congres- sional Country Club, 9:30 p.m. Tiny - Phonograph. Two mechanics in Poland have | combination adding to 13. below 10,000 (the largest ‘request’ group) with those above proves this.” Each year, so far as is physically possible, these vagaries of choice as to license numbers are granted. The odd reasons for requesting specific num- bers are as many as the list of numbers itself. Superstition and vanity, fear | and pride are behind the many pleas for certain numbers.” Some shun the number 13, $ven any as many requests come in for it, 131313 ; * would have to have a score of dupli- cations, for example, to satisfy all requests. Seven, 11 and 23 are com- binations in the same category. A woman wrote a long letter wherein she asked for a number bearing all possible combinations of 17. It was for “sentimental” reasons, she said, citing that she was born, and had her first child on that day of the month. Men make the most numerous re- quests, however. They want com- binations easy to remember—home or business addresses and telephone num- bers. Low numbers, of course, are popular, and thus hard to get. Some men, fortunate enough to have gotten one years ago, write months ahead to renew the series of figuses. In contrast to the requests for easy- to-remember combinations, many, evi- dently fearing pursuit or quick recog- nition by their tags, request combina~ tions they believe difficult to catch at & glance. ] were some $82,000 greater than for the same period last year. Total revenue figures for this year will not be available until the end of the year. The company now is allowed a net return of 7 per cent on an agreed valuation of some $66,000,000. If this should be cut to 6.5 per cent, some $330,000 more would be involved in a calculation for partial use in fu- ture customer rate cuts. If the rate of return should be cut to 6 per cent, twice that sum would be in- volved in consumer rate calculations. ‘The P. E. P. Co. retains all its ex- cess profits, but ander the present plan half of the excess profits between 7 and 81, per cent is considered the sum to be applied in future rate cuts; three-fourths of excess profits between 814 and 9 per cent rate of return, and five-sixths of profits above 9 per cent. People’s Counsel William A. Rob- erts yesterday asked the commission to include 13 specific points in the investigation and hearing. Among these were: Investigation of the con- tract under which high tension power lines are maintained between the P. E. P. Co. and the &afe Harbor transmission plant; adequacy of the capacity of the P. E. P. Co. and the effect upon such capacity of extensions of service in Maryland and Virginia; reasonableness of the charge to the Capital Transit Co., particularly in view of abandonment of many miles of street car operations and substitu- tion of busses. The commission broadened its orig- inal investigation plan to include study of company property “used and use- ful” in District power service, ROOSEVELT PUPILS BRING GIFTS FOR POOR Gifts for poor families assisted by the Roosevelt High School's Welfare Committee were presented by students today at the school assembly. Mrs. Louise Mickey is head of the com- mittee. The was managed by seniors in Miss Selma Borchardt’s English classes, under direction of David Pitcher. Orchestra and glee club numbers were included, as well as brief talks by Mary Posey and John Ghilaine on “The Meaning of Thanks- giving.” A play, “Priscilla, Miles and John,” was presented by : cast including Ger- aldine Lust, Jane Moberly, Bent Bo- ving and William Love. After the singing of & hymn of thanksgiving, section leaders marched platform with contributed by these posters. Honor posters are awarded where 90 per cent or more of the personnel subscribed to the Chest. Among the contributions recorded yesterday was a check for $200 from Miss Helen Nicolay, which increases her gift to $1,200 this year, she pre- viously having pledged $1,000. A pledge of $200 was also received from the Saks Fur Co. $300 from the Merchants Transfer Co. and $100 from Mr. and Mrs. Henry H. McKee. The Audit Unit yesterday continued to report firms in the Group Solicita- tion Unit whose gifts entitle them to the honor poster. Among them were: R. P. Andrews Paper Co., Call Carl, Inc., Capital Transit Co., Carry Ice Cream Co., Circle Theater, Colony Theater, Columbia National Bank, Columbia Pictures, Inc., Crane Co., Eastman Kodak Store, Inc., Edmonds Art Stone Co., Emile, Inc., The Evening Star Newspaper Co., Fanny May Candy Store, Thomas J. Fisher & Co., Inc. Electrical Workers’ Benefit, Jewish Community Center, Kassan-Stein, Inc., Loew's Columbia Theater, Lone Star Cement Co., Metropolitan Life Insure ance Co., National Education Associa- tion, National Engraving Co., Nehi Bottling Co., Northeast Boys' Club, Olds Motor Works, Riggs National Bank & Chevy Chase Savings Bank, H. L. Rust Co., Savoy Theater, Stod- dard Baptist Home, Takoma Theater, R. L. Taylor Co., Inc.; Underwood- Elliot Fisher Co., Washington Animal Rescue League, Western Electric Co. and McDowell Bros., Inc. NOTED CHEMIST TO GIVE SERIES OF LECTURES Dr. Edward Teller, visiting profes- sor of physics at George Washington University and international authority on molecule structure and chemical reaction, will give a series of five lec- tures, the first next Tuesday, the uni- versity announced today. The lectures will be given in room 39, Corcoran Hall, 725 Twenty-first street, at 8 p.m. 0. the following dates and topics: December 3, “The Statis- tical Theory of Matter”; December 17, “What Is Quantum Chemistry?”; uary 7, “The Chemical Bond ary 21, “The Isotopes”; February 11, “Physics and Biology.” Government scientists and those from independent institutions and fac- ulty members from the colleges and high schools in this region have been invited to hear the Hungarian theo- retical physicist. Dr. Teller has worked with several of the world’s out- standing physicists, including Nils Bohr in Copenhagen and the English a Theater Tax Proposed. The committee, it is revealed, also is prepared to consider a number of other suggested taxes, including one on Washington motion picture houses and theaters. At least one member of the committee is favorably consid- ering this suggestion, it was said. | The point is offered that the thea- ters and movies for the most part represent outside interests who take their profits out of Washington. | _Corporation Counsel E. Barrett | Prettyman is chairman of the come mittee. Other members are Maj. Daniel J. Donovan, auditor and budget officer; William A. Roberts, people’s counsel; Richmond B. Keech, wice chairman, Public Utilities Commission; | Capt. H. C. Whitehurst, director of highways. and William P. Richards, tax assessor. ———g W. L. AMONETTE, 75, IS KILLED BY GAS | Father of Eight Said to Have Tried to Light Heater, but Had Failed. ‘William L. Amonette, 75, senior en- gineer inspector with the National Park Service, was found dead in bed today at his home, 2718 Central ave- HE 0 nue northeast, T from escaping gas of a small gas heater. He has been in charge of ground construction work on remodeling of the cld Pierce Mill, in Rock : Creek Park, dur- ing recent . months. Relatives and police said Amon~ ette apparently had awakened W. L. Amonette. 4 ring the night and attempted to light the heater, re- tiring again under the impression it was lighted. Amonette had lived here the past 16 years. He was born near Riche mond, Va. For 12 years he was press foreman of the Pathfinder Publishing Surviving him are eight children, E. C. Amonette of Akron, Ohio; Cecil H. and William L. Amonette, jr., of this city; Mrs. R. L. Daniels of Lin~ colnia, Va.; Mrs. George Fagan of Cabin John, Md., and Mrs. Lillian Patterson, Mrs. W. C. Pierce and Mrs, A. B. Otley, also of Washington. v Funeral arrangements had not been completed this forenoon. GATCHELL RITES TODAY Burial to Follow in Glenwood Cemetery. Funeral services for Mrs. Elizabeth ‘Waddington Gatchell, 65, were to be held this afternoon in the Lincoln Chapel of the New York Avenue Prese byterian Church following brief serve ices at the home of her son, Willard W. Gatchell, 5804 Seventh street. Rev, Dr. Joseph R. Sizoo, pastor of the New York Avenue Church, was to officiate. Burial was to be in Glen- wood Cemetery. Mrs. Gatchell, for many years & resident of this city, died at the son's home Sunday after a long iliness,