Evening Star Newspaper, July 4, 1936, Page 12

NEECHWILPRESS | CAB REDUCTION INNEXT CONGRESS Public Utilities’ Acting Head to Seek Cut to 2,000. 'ANNOUNCEMENT COMES AS TESTS ARE HELD Right to Refuse Further Licenses Is Goal to Bring About Gradual Decrease. With Washington’s 4,470 taxicabs new standing their annual inspections, Richmond B. Keech, acting chairman of the Public Utilitles Commission, yesterday announced that when the next Congress convenes he will again ask that power be given the Commis- sion to reduce the number of cabs to & maximum of 2,000. Such a request was made to the last Congress and a bill to authorize the reduction was introduced. Rush of other business, however, prevented action on it just as many other District matters became the victim of a congested calendar. Sole Reduction Means. ‘HE present tests are the only means ‘= the Utilities Commission has to reduce the number of cabs licensed here. The examination is limited to mechanical fitness of the cars to be used, and unless faulty mechanism is discovered there is no way ‘o re- move a cab from the streets or to refuse its owner a license. Keech’s idea in asking for the new law would be to reduce the number of cabs gradually so as not to throw any large number of persons out of work suddenly. Voluntary retirements from the cab business, he believes, will reduce the number if new applications may be rejected. Within the “course of a year or two, the number will automatically drop to about 2,000. That smaller number, he contened, will relieve congestion in the heavy traffice zones and at the same time work to the benefit of the cab men who remain in business. All cabs must complete their me- €hanical inspections by July 15. Hopping Harry Carries His Own Chair and a Wicked Punch. his keeper. ND in this corner, ladies and gentlemen, we have Hopping Harry, the Mauling Marsupial from Down Under! The camera caught Harry just after he led with his left, crossed with his right, and knocked out the straw hat of Headkeeper William H. Blackburn. Harry hopped about 20 feet to swing that haymaker. The intervening wire saved Blackburn a straighter punch. After that Harry retired to his corner and sat on his chair, which he also uses as a tail, or balancer, when in action. Isolated by Nature. The Mauling Marsupial springs from a primitive family, one which was isolated great gray kangaroos which stand as high as a man and bear young no big- in Australia by rising | waters or sinking lands. He is of the | Harry, the Australian mauler, who has just swung a right on —Star Staff Photo. Since such small youngsters could never keep up with a mother who hops 20 feet or so, she carries them in a fur-lined pocket. The kangaroo, in addition to chairs and pockets, is equipped with other accessories, such as two tiny toes used to comb the hair, and scissor teeth for cropping grass. Can He Hit, Mr. Blackburn? ‘The kangaroo’s back legs are highly developed for jumping, and his fore- paws or arms well-muscled for hit- ting—ask Mr. Blackburn. Smaller branches off the same fam- ily tree are the bush.kangaroo, the rock kangaroo that jumps from rock to rock, the tree kangaroo that spends its time in tree tops eating leaves. Harry himself hails from the great open spaces. Tomorrow: The most valuable animal at the National Zoological Park. A.A. A. SETS JULY 20 FOR MILK HEARING Agreement Will Establish Mini- mum Prices for D. C. Area. The Agricultural Adjustment Ad- | ministration has set July 20 as the date for hearings on a proposed milk | marketing agreement for the Wash- ington marketing area. The agreement would establish min- imum prices, with a uniform schedule for basic milk prices and other milk. It is the result of a request by the Maryland and Virginia Milk Pro- | ducers’ Association. The schedules of the proposed | agreement follow: Class 1 prices to associations of pro- | ducers—3$3.08 per hundredweight would | be the minimum payable by each handler to any producers’ association for class 1 milk bought at the handlers’ plant from the association. But this price would be subject to a 35-cent per Lundredweight deduction if the handlers’ plant is 35 miles or more from the nearest boundary of the marketing area outlined in the agreement, or if the milk is delivered to the handlers’ plant as cream. The $3.08 minimum would be sub- Ject to the addition or reduction, as the case may be, of 6 cents per hundredweight for each one-tenth of 1 per cent above or below butterfat content of 4 per cent. Class 1 prices to producers—$2.80 per hundredweight—would be the min- First July 4th Fourth of July first was observed as a holiday with a “public levee at the home of the President” in 1786, three years after the close of the Revolution, 1t is revealed in papers search department of the Carnegie Institution of Wasihngton. The first of these is a letter from Rufus King to Elbridge Gerry, both of whom were members of the Con- | New York. It reads: order of Congress a public levee was held from 12 to 3 ocl’k at the House of | the President at which were present the members of Congress, Officers of the Great Departments, Foreign Min- | isters etc. etc. the Cincinnati are in the highest prosperity. they cele- | brate the Day with a splendor exceed- jing any thing within the practice of Government—of course draw the Huz- zas and admiration of the Multitude. the Chapter of these Knights ap- pointed a deputation of four members to present the anniversary congratu- lations to the President and members of Congress. they attended the Levee, and I was witness to the degredation imum paid by handlers to producers subject to the 35-cent deduction un- der the same circumstances which al- low the deduction in the case of mini- mum prices set for purchase by handlers from associations. JOHN D. M’LAUGHLIN EXPIRES HERE AT 47 Brief Illness Fatal to Native of Ireland, Who Resided Here for 26 Years. John D. McLaughlin, 47, of 115 Fifteenth street southeast, an employe at Eastern High School, died yesterday in Providence Hospital. He had been 4li only a short time. A native of Ireland, Mr. McLaughlin had lived here since he was 21. He ‘was a member of the Holy Name So- ciety and Holy Comforter Catholic Church. Surviving are his widow, Mrs, Mary McLaughlin; five sons, John J., Fran- cis, Joseph A., James D. and D. Leo McLaughlin; two daughters, Miss Ro- sella McLaughlin and Miss Mary B. McLaughlin; three brothers, Dennis and James McLaughlin, both of this city, and Eugene McLaughlin of Ire- land, and three sisters, Mrs. Rose Mc- Donald and Miss Hannah McLaughlin, both of Brighton, Mass., and Mrs. Min- nie Lehew, Brookline, Mass. Funeral services will be held at 9 am. Monday in Holy Comforter Church, following brief services at the residence. Burial will be in Mount Olivet Cemetery. Auto Purchased With Bonus Crashes, brought to light by the historical re- | tinental Congress, then meeting ml “D'r Gerry, In consequence of an | Celebration Held 3 Years After Revolution of Government in seeing them recd. etc. etc. That same day the New York Daily Advertizer printed an account of the celebration: “The morning was ushered in by the ringing of bells and a discharge of cannon. At 12 o'clock a grand procession (headed by city watch-| men and closed by citizens) . . . to the house of his excellency the Gov- ernor—and from thence to the house of his excellency the president of Congress, where the compliments of the day were first paid to his excel- lency by the Governor, and after- wards by his worship the mayor, in behalf of the citizens of New York. | From whence they returned to Corre’s | tavern, where a cold collation was provided by the corporation. And the day was closed by the ringing of bells and the firing of cannon.” There follows an account of the meeting of the Cincinnati at Corre’s tavern in commemoration of the day, at which suitable orations were de- livered by Cols. Hamilton and Walker. One of the 13 toasts was, “May the powers of Congress be adequate to preserve the General Union.” Young Washington Pearl Pollicove, 9, and Virymia Walsh, 10, of the 4-A grade Y of the Webd School, made their own given by their class. Pearl is the dawhtor 0] Phuur Pollicove of 1317 H street northeast, daughter of Mr. and Mrs, Harry Walsh, 1403 H stre Monday: Frederick dresses’ for @ Dutch Mr. and Virginia is the northeast. son of Mr. and Mrs. C. F. inknecht, Kleinknecht, of the Paul Junior High School. —sStar Staff Photo. INDAWN-T0-DUSK FOURTH FESTIVAL Big Parade and Athletics in Morning and _Fire- works at Night. CITIZENS AWAKENED BY BOOMING CANNON Modified Marathon for Evening Star Trophy Features After- noon’s Program. Bpectal Dispatch to The Star. TAKOMA PARK, Md, July 4—A dawn to dusk Independence day com- munity celebration began here today with the booming of cannon at sun- rise, followed by a gala parade, pa- triotic exercises and athletic events, with a pyrotechnical display sched- uled at nightfall. The outstanding event on the athletic program was the 10-mile modified marathon this afternoon for The Evening Star trophy. o At 9:30 o'clock this morning the six-division parade got under way, the route being from Piney Branch road underpass at Chestnut, Eastern and Takoma avenues, to Cedar street, to Carroll street, to Caproll avenue, turning at the firehouse into Den< wood avenue and disbanding after passing the reviewing stand at Phila- delphia, Park and Maple avenues. Leading the procession were Mary- land and District of Columbia police, followed by A. E. Greeley, 7 feet 4 inches tall, and said to be the tallest man in Washington, attired as Uncle Sam, in red, white and blue uniform. Genral Chairman Walter Irey came next with membrs of his com- mitte, Mayor John R. Adams, Capt. Noel S. Bacon, jr.; assistant engineer commissioner of the District; officials from Montgomery and Prince Georges Counties; local officials and judges of the parade units. E. Brook Fetty was grand marshal of the parade. Army Band Leads. the first division, in charge of Assist- ant Marshal George B. Kissinger. In this division were soldiers from Wal- ter Reed General Hospital, Veterans of the Civil War, United Spanish War Veterans, Takoma Park Post V. F. W. and auxiliary, Takoma Park Post and Official Flag Post American Legion, and American Legion posts from Sil- | ver Spring, Bethesda, Kensington, Gaithersburg, Hyattsville, Mount Rainier and Cheverly, Md. The second division was in charge of Mrs. Alice M. Lyddane and con- sisted of the following units: Takoma Park Squadron, Sons and Daughters of the American Legion Drum and Bugle Corps, with Miss Betty Cava- naugh as drum major; Sons of Ta- koma Park Post V. F. W.; Boy Scout Troops 33, 36, and 38; Girl Scout from the J. Enos Ray School; pupils from Philadelphia Avenue Elementary School; Takoma-Silver Spring Junior High School Band; schoolboy patrol; | children from Trinity Episcopal | Church; boys carrying the Birge Amer- | 1can flag which was raised at 11 am. at the patriotic meeting; Hyattsville Squadron No. 28, Sons of American Legion Drum and Bugle Corps; toy fire wagon with Robert Bradley Peter- | son and Elton Miller Peterson as “fire- | men”; Bethel Unit No. 2, Job's Daughters. Maj. C. Leonard Boyer commanded the third division, which consisted of several parts of a pageant. Citizens’ Units Parade. The fourth division was captained by Ralph E. Gould and included the following civic units: Montgomery County Band of Sandy Spring; mem- bers of Bible classes; members of the various citizens’ associations; Young Men's Democratic Club of Takoma Park; Takoma Park Volunteer Fire Department, and Robert G. Johnston Miss A. Alberta Heale commanded the fifth division, composed of floats, the Independence Day Athletic Com- mittee, and pupils of J. Enos Ray School. The sixth division was under the direction of J. Milton Derrick, and in- cluded Laurel Squadron, Sons of American Legion Drum and Bugle | 5O Corps and floats. At 10:45 o'clock a folk dance was given by a costumed group from the J. Enos Ray School at the intersection of Philadelphia, Denwood and Maple avenues. At 11 oclock patriotic exercises were held from a stand erected at Maple, Philadelphia and Denwood avenues, with Leo A. Rover as princi- pal speaker. Capt. Harold W. Orcutt presided. Medals to parading units were presented Caesar L. Afello. A patriotic sketch with Betsy Ross, Francis Scott Key and George Washington as the princi- pal characters was then portrayed. The flag was raised as the band played the “Star Spangled Banner.” The salute to the flag was led by Boy and Girl Scouts. Bjg Sports Parade. ‘The United States Army Band led | Troop 120, 36, 61, 60, and 81; pupils | as “Farmer Jones of Hicksville, Va.” | outstanding | Wat. R. bY | welis. Robert, The Takoma Park Playground float, part of the morning yarade thut opened festivities at Takoma Park where an all-day celebration is planned. 'Robert Heads Construction Corps in Naval Promotions| Washington and Nearby Officers Ad- vanced in Rank—List Is Announced by Navy Department. Rear Admiral William P. Robert, u. miral Richard M. Watt as head of the Navy Construction Corps. Admiral Robert was appointed to the Construction Corps in 1896, and has served in various capacities in the corps since that time. Other local and nearby advance- ments included Malcolm G. Slarrow of ‘Washington to be inspector with the rank of commander; Arthur C. Miles, | to be naval constructor with the rank | of commander; Samuel E. McCarty and Arthur L. Walters, both of Wash- | ¢ ington, to be paymasters with the |Gallo rank of lieutenant commanders; Omar J. Brown, Clarendon, Va, and John D. Foley and William C. Baty, | jr., both of Washington, to be passed assistant surgeons with the rank of lieutenant; Raymond A. Lowry, Rich- mond, Va, to be passed assistant dental surgeon with the rank of lieu- tenant, and Edward B. Harp, jr., to be chaplain with the rank of lieutenant. Other officers of the Staff Corps advanced were: To be medical inspectors with the rank of commander: Peterson Edwin Shields, George P. Montgomery. H. Tyler. George B. G S LA, Lane Frankiin P. Farrior. John B. “Arbuckle. L. D. To be dental surgeons, with the rank of commander: Walter. Eugene L. Hoyman. Eric G. Burleigh. A. L. Yando, Arthur H. ‘0 be pay 1nspectors. ‘with the rank of commander Gibbs, Tucker C. Huff. Robert B. Kelly. Joseph A yland._Edward A. Cantz. Benjamin 8. Ring. Morton L. Swearingen. R. W. Wheeler. V. H. Brune. Stephen J. ' English. Louie C. To be chaplain, with the rank of commander: Truitt. Razzie W. Albert. Francis L. Naval construetors. with the rank of commander: Hitchcock. Russell S. Brady. E. E.. ir. Dudley. Sidney E. Haeberle, F. E. Kiein, Grover C. McKee,Andrew L. To be civil engineer, with the rank of commander: Griffen. Ira P. Cotter, Carl H. To be surgeons, with the rank of lieutenant commander: Finnegan, James F, Mlnlov 3 o L e w c i, Gayler, Gilbert E. Scholtés. Harry J. Root, James E., ir. Sargent, Willard S. To be paymasters, with the rank of lieutenant commander: Edson. Stephen R. Willi Wood John E. - Vollbreche & & Roggenkamp. M. A, Batch Walon, Prancis it ChepmacTyn R x A Hu,l;mhu % Eddiesorde. E. ‘Wood. John E. Sullivan, Rllsull Haas, Phlllnh. Hen: hwarz, C. P. Karp. Henry H. Watl an.HArvzyl Peenev.lzreun. To be naval constructors, with the rank of lieutenant commander: McShane, Whe e R-llnhl PSS Brage. Kendall B. Soca. R Hays. James P. Brewster, John M. Serat, M. B.. jr. To be passed assistant surgéons with the rank of lieutenant: Warmolts, !rvlnl J. Klein wngm E. A sports parade took place at 12:30 | Bentel, Carr o'clock, led by the Takoma Park Squadron, Sons of American Legion Drum and Bugle Corps to the Whittier meet playgrounds and the Van Buren pool at Takoma swimming Reculuou Center, where a swimming | Bo: meet was scheduled for 1 p.m. At 1:50 pm. spectators lined the sidewalk to witness the finish of the 10-mile modified marathon for The Evening Star Trophy, at Fourth and Van Buren streets. The D. C. A. A. U. Trophy and the Takoma Park Citizens’ Trophy go to the winning team, Individual gold medals will be awarded to the first three to fin- ish in this event; silver to the next nine and bronze medals to all others | & completing theé course. The first three District of Columbia contestants to finish will receive A. A. U. medals. Fratzke Walt At the close of the marathon, trophies thon Committee, from a stand in the ‘Whittier street playground. An open-air patriotic musical pro- gram will take place at 7:30 pm. on the playgrounds at Philadelphia and Holly avenues. The fireworks dis- play will follow at 8 o'clock on the farm of J. Roger Hodges, on the ridge north of the Philadelphia avenue playground. passed assistant dental sur- geons with the rank of lieutenant: Allen. CUffordE. * Crowley. - Thomas E. Vaughas, Pl gen. RELGEER To be passed assistant paymasters, with the rank of lieutenant: Hon: ller w..mrw Hetter, hedmck L. suru m‘ Miller. Ken neth e, T, DeKay. Charies & L% Rekinsy Jon Helfrich, Notman '&. Parks, Joel s 3. ase, Lysle W. oble’ W. xnlckerboe.kor W.L ton, Donsld B. Miitor Ricke !flh M o llnd' Prederic W. l!llunll Ill Chll J. Bernet. John C. Toheehwhlmwm:th;nnkotm lieutenant: Edward B..ir. Trump. Herhert SR Xamer Britehets: Lester €. Mfllunt val constructors, to have rank of lieutenant: S mmer: Vi 0 e, les M. Sl s B ! rv.m- P luw ger. Leroy V. mn %fl-fl." Doness. S. N., who lives at 1661 Crescent | place, yesterday succeeded Rear Ad-| Assistant civil engineers, rank of lieutenant: elley. Joseph F.. jr. Bandig. Wesley H. avey, Thomas L. Hunter, Arch. D. Falgle, John E. Martin, Hunt V. Promotions in Staff Corps, July 1. Civil engineers to have rank of captain: Duncan. Greer A. Taylor. Henry G. To be passed assistant surgecons with the rank of lieutenant: Twitchell. B. E. Pereyra, Armlr‘d J .C. L Raines. Gearge Clane wiliam V. Knowies, Edward T hier. H. W Newton' Lyle A Holland, James L Blodget Miispatien J A Ever. Alfred W to have a) . Caly Cole. Oryille W. Reeves, James E. Kreuz. Frank P. Dalton. Burr Reid. J.R.. jr. Walter. Austin J. Jobe. Eugene V. Staderman. A M. Land. Joseph V' Andrews. Cecil L Chenault. Oran W. Gaede. David C ‘ooper. Robert A. Riggs. Cecil D. Miser. Jerry T. Schwartz, W. H To be passed assistant surgeons with the rank of lieutenant: McLellan, P. S. Caveny. Eimer L Coyl. Edwin'B Ekblad. Gordon H Hochi, Raloh K Workman. John A Harris. F. C. Aulls. Ernest C. | Afifrag. Thomas L. Weir. Raphsel L 8! Nefflen. Edga Madden Edward P Wickstrom, Gito w. Storey. . Estes. Sol B. Early. jr.. Julius C To be passed assistant dental sur- | geons with the rank of liteutenant: Lynch. Charles F. Howell. Albert E. Schantz_Curtiss W. Meradith_Mack Lydon. Francis V. Stagner. Wm. E. F. Assistant civil engineers, to have rank of lieuwmm Pay, Alber! Ranstord, Howara P To be passed assistant paymasters with rank of lieutenant: | Gwinn, Byron C. Lindenmayer, L. L. White, Calvin B. ‘0 be chaplains with the rank of lieutenant: Hugues. John F. Haily, Michael A Gorski. Vincent J. Guthriell, Warren F. Assistant naval constructors, to have rank of lieutenant: Waits. Charles R, Jones, Horace B. James. Ralph P B iip . E Zabilsky, John Cole. Victor B. The promotions announced yester- day follow by 24 hours 1,000 others, which constitutes what officials said was likely the largest list ever to go through in peace time. The list ranged from lieutenant (junior grade) to rear admiral, two of the latter being created. They were Wilson Brown, jr., recently aide to President Roosevelt and now com- mander of the Training Squadron, Scouting Force, and Walter S. Ander- | son, naval attache at the American Embassy in London. Admiral Brown holds the Navy Cross for distin- guished convoy work in submarine- ‘Europe. Many to Be Captains. The list includes: To be captains—Walter K. Kilpat- rick, James M. Irish, Arthur S. Car- pender, Paul H. Bastedo, Archibald H. Douglas, Willis A. Lee, jr., all of Wash- ington; Albert M. Penn, Chevy Chase, Md.; Francis W. Rockwell, Annapolis; William D. Brereton, jr., Annapolis; Jules James, Danville, Va.; Howard B. Mecleary, Baltimore. To be commanders, as of June 30, last—Francis S. Low, Alexander S. ‘Wetherspoon, Elmer R. Henning, My- ron W. Hutchinson, jr.; Charles A. Baker, Arthur W. Radford, Charles T. Joy, all of Washington; Forest B. Royal, Arlington County, Va.; Tully Shelley, Arlington, Allen G. Quynn, Frederick, Md.; Ralph W. Christie, Annapolis. To be lieutenant commanders: Ed- win G. Fullinwider, Rutledge B. Tomp- kins, Heber B. Brumbaugh, Donald R. Tallman, all of Washington; Rich- ard P. Glass, Lynchburg, Va.; Hilyer F. Gearing, Annapolis; Charles F. Erck, Baltimore; Edwin D. Graves, jr, Chesapeake City, Md.; John H. Willis, Richmond, and Thomas L. Wattles, Alexandria. Deaths Reported. Mary E. Goodall, 88, 504 Maryland ave. Johin P. Certel, 79, nnunum ‘Hospital. o g rt W, e oer. B0, 1435 Woat. se. Caglisle V. w:-ucy. 42, 4107 New Hamp- m t. tomac River. flmm?‘ g & Gainger Hoopital. er Hospital. S e R m A ger tal. Catherine M. 55, i37 1th st. s.e. Bopaid Gt 5520 I&fniu Hospital. m:e m mfi‘ 40, Walter Reed General "Hos Khm', 88. Gallinger Hospital. 85" amisth. 21 50 L st infested seas off the coast of Northern:| —Star Staff Photo. STUDENTS' BODIES FOUND IN LAKE " sity Drown While Canoeing Near Maryland Camp. By the Assoclated Press. | of two Catholic University Seminarians | were found early today floating on an inlet to Deep Creek Lake, a short dis- | tance from where their canoe was be- | lieved to have capsized Wednesday. ‘The students, Alfred Schrieber, 28, of Faulk Center, Minn,, and Francis | Rdzok, 24, of Chicago, will be sent to their respective homes following fu- | neral services here Monday. | The bodies were found by fellow | students from the nearby camp of the Holy Cross Congregation at the House of Studies, Catholic University, Wash- ington. ‘The bodies were stripped of clothing except one wore a heavy jacket. The finders believed the two tried to rid themselves of clothing after the canoe capsized. Father Charles F. White said an in- quest would not be necessary. It was believed the drownings were acci- dental. Both were members of the Holy | Cross Congregation at the House of Studies, Brookland. A search was started for their lbodies when the capsized canoe was found floating in an inlet about 2 | miles from the camp. Both paddles were on the surface of the water nearby. Neither student was an expert swimmer, and they apparently had divested themselves of clothing in an attempt to keep afloat. The searchers | were spurred when they found two Thursday night. It was oot known how the canoe overturned. There was no wind dur- ing the afternoon of the mishap, and the lake was calm and the weather clear. G. W. U. SESSION GAINS 25 PCT. IN ENROLLMENT { Total Reigstration for Nine-Week Term Comes to 1,214, Says Bolwell. George Washington University's Summer session enroliment may exceed by 25 per cent the number of vacation- time students at the institution last year, Summer Session Dean Robert W. Bolwell estimated today. The total registration for the nine- week term comes to 1,214, contrasted with last year's figure of 954. The short term of six weeks in 1935 at- tracted 238 students, and Dean Bol- well is confident the upturn will be in keeping for that of the nine-week period. Bill Bars “Stag” Parties. A bill to prohibit “stag” parties was introduced during the 1935 North Carolina Legislature’s session. D. C. Girl Scouts Man Schooner in 10-Day Bay Cruise Mrs. Spitler Served as Skipper and Mrs. Birtley as Mate. By the Assoctated Press. ANNAPOLIS, July 4—Capt. L. P. Kelly of the schooner Smith K. Martin has returned to the city after taking a party of Girl Scout mariners from Washington, D. C., on a 10-day cruise of the Chesapeake Bay and tributaries. During the cruise, which covered 850 miles, the girls made up the crew of the schooner. Capt. Kelly said the distance covered was something of a 10-day record. He pointed out that during the entire time the wind was favorable and skies bright. The- officers of the mariners were Mrs. Rebecca Spitler, skipper, and Mrs. Thomas B. Birtley, first mate. Those making up the crew were, boatswains, Carmen Billington, Alice Leake, Betty Whitehill, Marion Pauls; coxswains, Ruth Billington, Betty Jones, Jean Miller, Rosamond Griggs; yeoman, Elizabeth Smith, and mar- iners, Alice Kerr, Jane Weiss, Martha Cox, Enid Julihn, Ethel Smith, Helen Dawson and Louise Melpolder. Two From Catholic Univer- | OAKLAND, Md., July 4—The bodies | H pairs of trousers floating in the lake | OFFICIAL AI]VIS[]RY AGENCY 70 AID IN CONTROL PROGRAM Action Result of Blaze New Post Office Building in Winter. PERSONNEL SELECTED FOR NEW ORGANIZATION Special Attention to Be Paid Pre- venting Damage to Valuable Papers. BY WILL P. KENNEDY. ‘The Federal Fire Council—a brand- new agency—has been set up by exec- utive order as an official agency in matters. relating to the protection of Federal employes and property from fire. ‘This action was taken by President Roosevelt after conferring with inter- ested officials as a direct result of the fire in the new Post Office De- partment building last December 15. At that time the President said it was imperative that there should be better control over fire hazards in Government buildings. The _establishment of the Federal Fire Council follows closely the pro- gram and policy outlined in The Star December 16 last, quoting Chair- man O'Connor of the House Rules Committee and Chairman Colden of the Comittee on Disposition of Useless Executive Papers. The President has delegated the director of procurement, the quater- master general, the Fourth Assistant Postmaster General, the chief of the Bureau of Yards and Docks, the di- rector of the National Park Service, the director of the National Bureau of Standards and the archivist of the United States as a governing body which shall elect one of its members to serve as chairman of the Federal Fire Council, and shall appoint such other officers and committees as it may deem necesary to carry out the functions of the council. .; To Serve Without Pay. | The members of this council. to | serve without additional compensa- | tion, are to be such officers or em- | ployes of the various departments and establishments of the Federal Govern- ment and of the government of the District as shall be designated by the repective administrative officers. Each department and establishment and the District government is entitled to one representative on the council, and the governing body may designate additional representatives if it wishes. This new Federal Fire Council is authorized to develop standards, pro- cedures and forms and, on request, to conduct surveys or such other investi- gations as may be necessary to deter- mine what measures should be taken to safeguard life and property from the hazards of fire, including review of plans for new construction. The council is also authorized to make such independent studies of Federal buildings and property as it may deem desirable from the standpoint of fire protection and to maintain a record | of fire losses on Government property. | To Report on Findings. The councils’ duty is to report the results of such investigations and studies to the head of the agency con- cerned, together with its recommen- dations. | The Naticnal Bureau of Standards | is requested by the President’s execu- | tive order to assist the council, in an | advisory capacity, on technical mat- ters relating to fire prevention and the protection of Government prop- erty from fire. It is also requested that in case of fires involving Government records the agency concerned notify the Na- tional Archives and obtain its advice as to methods by which the maximum salvage of the records involved may be obtained. The executive order creating the Federal Fire Council is the first step toward a model fire control system in the National Capital. This governing body is expected to adopt an inspec- tion plan with exact instructions re- garding details and completeness of the investigation regarding all fire hazards, human safety and the pro- tection of valuable Government rec- ords. A safety code for all depart- ments is expected to be announced at an early date. One of the most interesting and im- portant phases of this new agency's work will be the handling of valuable documents and records, which might be damaged not only by fire but by the water and careless and rough han- dling. It is contemplated that a sort of wrecking crew be organized whose duty it would be to be on hand as promptly as the fire marshal. This crew would include persons who un- derstand the value of records and who would be prepared to have them prop- erly wrapped and carried away before they were seriously damaged. Also under consideration is the pro- posal to have installed a fire preven- tion and detection system, rather than a fire extinguishing system. -— MAN FOUND ABLAZE ON TOP OF ENGINE Clothing Burned From Body a: Electric Locomotive Reaches Baltimore. @y the Associated Press. BALTIMORE, July 4.—His cloth- ing ablaze, an unconscious man was found on top of the electric locomotive of a New York-Washington train hers last night. His presence on the locomotive was not discovered until the Pennsylvania train pulled in here. Persons in the station shouted to the locomotive crew, who stopped the train and brought the man to the ground. All his clothing from the waist up was burned from his body. He was taken to a hospital here and had not recovered consciousness several hours later. Physiclans said his condition was critical. Railroad officers said the man may have been hitching a ride and that he probably came'into contact with an exposed part of the trolley arm, whicl? carries electric current. 4