Evening Star Newspaper, October 11, 1936, Page 58

" B—6 PROPO Change in Present System|Motor Trip to Held Unneeded and Unfair Ideal Circle Tour Provided SED A Washington Automotive Trade Association, "A. A. A. and Keystone Club Lead Opposi- tion—Safety and Production Comments. By G. Adams Howard. ers against the proposed change in motor vehicle taxes, which calls for the doing away of the personal property tax on cars and the MUCH opposition is to be found by local motorists and automobile deal- substitution of a yearly weight tax. Leaders in the fight against the plan include the Washington Automotive Trade Association, the American Automobile Association and the Keystone Automobile Club. Protests also have<r been raised by many individual drivers pot affiliated with any organization. Opponents declare that there are two reasons against a change in the present taxation. One is that a weight tax would be an unfair one, and the other is that an additional revenue at the present time is unneeded. At present, they point out, the present personal property tax is based on the price of the car and its age. In case of a weight tax a heavy car, regard- less of its worth, would be annually taxed at a high rate even if it became eignt years old. It is understood that the present revenue from auto taxes, including the personal property tax, the cost of permits, license tags and gasoline levies is sufficient to meet the requirements of the city. Also, it is feared, additional revenue would be | sure to bring about diversion of the funds. Some District officials see the only argument the other way, in the fact that & heavy car does as much dam- age to the city streets regardless of its age or worth. The same officials ad- 'mit, however, that there is no existing need for more revenue. It does seem that the motorist al- ready has more than his share of the tax burden, Promotion of highway safety through education of highway users M courteous and proper driving methods, enforcement of simple and uniform stautes and construction of #afe highways financed by reasonable automotive taxes was recommended to the National Safety Council here to- day by Baird H. Markham, director of the American Petroleum Industries Committee. Speaking before the petroleum sec- tion of the council's twenty-fifth an- nual safety congress, Mr. Markham declared that few highways really are safe “because in their building we have been forced to compromise with other objectives.” Although the high- way user is heavily taxed to finance safe highways, he said, much of the revenue is being used for other pur- poses, with the result that highway cevelopment fails to keep pace with amotor vehicle registrations. He pointed to the “deadly parallel cf growth between the amount of bighway funds diverted to other pur- poses and the number of highway fatalities,” adding that excessive tax rates and taxation of highway users for general revenue purposes not only have made the motorist “the Nation's tax goat,” but have contributed to highway dangers by making motor vehicle operators financially less able to maintain their vehicles in safe op- erating condition. He warned against making safety an excuse for increased highway ex- penditures and for making highway costs unnecessarliy expensive. “The safe highway is not always the expensive highway,” he said. *Highways can be both safe and inex- pensive, and taxation can be both reasonable and remunerative by proper planning and spending.” The most significant features from the point of view of color treatment of cars on view at the ammual French Automobile Salon, which opened in Paris last week, are the increased use of brown alone and in the use of grayish tones of blue, green and brown, according to Philip H. Chase, eolor specialist of a color advisory service. Black, however, still leads as the predominating color. Com- posite browns containing gray and even beige are prominent. Maroons are still of a very reddish hue. In the predominance of colors— black leading with approximately 20 per cent of the exhibits—blue follows closely with 19 per cent, then come gray, green, yellow, maroon, beige, brown and red. Although brown is well down the line in percentage it represents a noticeable increased use of that color over previous recent years, and is one of the outstanding Jeatures of the exhibit. Metallic colors are very much on the increase in European cars, the ex- hibit indicates. These metallic colors are notable, especially in blue, green and brown. Cars generally are fin- ished in one color, therefore increas- ing this year's proportion of color fenders. However, in place of con- trasting colors, narrow stripes are ap- pearing again on the belt line. ‘The louvers this year present a va- tiety of shapes, some of them more or less exaggerated, with practically no striping, although containing metal ornamentation. Aerodynamic prin- ciples are applied conservatively and with better results in appearance and comfort. However, Peugot shows one model he calls the “1940” car. It is extremely aerodynamic in shape. Signs of order are beginning to ap- in the trailer industry, which, overwhelmed by rapid development in the last 12 months, previously had little time to do anything except keep up with the demand for its product, according to the North American Newspaper Alliance. The first step toward standard specifications, guarantees on work- manship, agreements on sales fran- chises and similar details are seen in the organization of the Trailer Coach Manufacturing Association. Carl Bchelm of Peoria, Ill, is president of the new group. When the board of directors of the association meets in November, officials expect to have ready a program to conform to the needs of a growing industry. Meanwhile, engineers are giving fresh study to the problems of design and equipment provided by the trailer and to its effect on automotive power- ing. The Society of Automotive En- gineers already has announced plans for a committee to fix a suitable standard for the couplings by which the trailer is attached to the auto- mobile. A design which will permit the interchangeability of the trailer from car to car would benefit both manufacturer and buyer, engineers be- lieve. From the activity in Detroit it is ap- parent that few of the engineers are in sympathy with the wide variety of "shapes and sizes of trailérs that are being built and the absence of estab- Hshed standards for construction and performance. d “Until the present trailer industry has arrived at certain definite types and weights for house trailers it is & waste of engineers' time to work on the problem,” declared one prominent {authority. “From the automobile | manufacturer’s viewpoint the house trailer does not exist, except in the one or two exceptional cases where a builder of cars is also in the trailer business.” A suite of offices devoted to attend- ing American tourists has been opened in Laredo, Tex., only three blocks from the International Bridge and on the lmtin approach to it by the Mexican Automobile Association. Senor Beli- sario Quiroz will manage the offices, which will attend to automobile per- | mits, seouring tourist cards, supplying maps and information and issuing automobile insurance with a Mexican company for all who wish to apply for |1t, as well as extending all the other services of the Mexican Automobile Association. The new offices are located at the junctions of highways 81 and 93, on Matamoros and Convent avenues. The tourist office is a non-profit, Mexican ecivic institution, and will attend all tourists who apply to it, whether they intend to take out the temporary memberships offered by the Mexican Automobile Association or not. Members are entitled to free emergency road repairs and service, legal representation in Mexico and | many other extraordinary services. Production of passenger cars and | trucks in the United States and Can- | ada showed some improvement this | week as more plants got under way on 1937 models, says Automotive Daily News in its midweek summary. Out- | put for the week ending October 10, says A. D. N, should reach a total | of 29,170, against a revised estimate | of 18,742 for the week ended October 3. This is an increase of close to {10,000 units. Reports that the Ford | plants would resume output this week | | were unconfirmed. As is usual following a change- ! over, some time is required to get | assembly lines running smoothly and another week or more is likely to | elapse before a real production pace |can be attained. With most com- or completely absorbed, it is expected, says A. D. N, that the output during the closing quarter this year will run 10 to 30 per cent above the final | quarter of 1935, depending to a large | extent upon how quickly Ford and | other volume producers get their new | models in the works. New passenger car registrations in September are estimated at 200,000 units as compared with 157,098 in 1935, which leads A. D. N. to pre- dict that close to 3,500,000 new pas- senger cars will be registered for the calendar year of 1936. This would be about 14 per cent below the record of 1929, but’ well above the average of 2,750,000 & year for the 10 years, 1925 to 1935. Last year during the final quarter 605,481 new passenger cars were registered, says A. D. N, and this year if the same rate of in- crease continues that has marked the first nine month’s record, the final quarter should yield close to 750,000 new passenger car registrations. In the commercial car field, A. D. N, points out, the picture is even more encouraging. At the end of the first nine months, with September esti- mated at 50,000 units, commercial car registrations are close to 494,000 units, which is well above the 420,252 regis- tered in the same period of the pre- vious record year, 1929. During the closing quarter of 1935, commercial car registrations totaled 113,632, Should the current rate of increase over last year hold during the last quarter of 1936 the total for that period will run to about 140,000 units, bringing total for'the calendar year of 1936 to 634,000 units. This would establish a new all-time record for commercial car registrations in the history of the industry and would be some 100,000 units above the previous record of 527,057 set in 1929. Combined passenger car and truck registrations in 1936 would thus total 4,100,000 units, or only about 400,000 less than the record year of 1929, Automotive Briefs Emerson & Orme, authorized Buick dealer in Washington, announces the appointment of three new men to their sales force. These new members are Francis Frawley, well- known local tire salesman; Rob- ert Geib, for many years connected with the automotive industry here, and George Cummings, also familiar to Washington automotive circles. Headed by J. E. Saul, Washington Buick zone manager, and. his assist- ant, Carl Gubisch, the Buick deal- ers from this territory left Washing- ton last week for a convention at the Buick factory in Flint, Mich. Dur- ing this convention the new 1937 Buick will be shown to the dealers and plans for merchandising and ad- vertising during the year will be dis- cussed. The Chrysler Motors Corp. enter- tained all Chrysler distributors and dealers in the Washington, D. C., and Maryland territory last Tuesday at s luncheon and meeting at the Shore- ham Hotel. Music was provided and motion pictures shown bringing out the sales, advertising and merchan- dising plans on the new 1937 Chrys- ler, which was previewed by the en- tire group for the first time. C. D. Brown, merchandise manager cf the Philadelphia region, presided and S. W. Munroe, Eastern salesmanager for Chrysler, addressed the gathering. Sulllvan Chevrolet Co., Inc, an- nounces the appointment of J, Carroll “Jack” Adams to their sales force. Carroll has been for many years & leading Chevrolet salesman in this territory and is well known in Wash- salesmen and guests from Washing- ton, Maryland, Virginia and part of Virginia were entertained last ) | panies reporting 1936 stocks almost | THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. UTO WEIGHT TAX IS HIT AFTER STUDY . in Midst of Scenic and Historic Background. By James N. Miller. ERTAINLY no other time of the year offers more ideal motoring conditions than mid- October. Now Mother Nature, ever the supreme artist, displays her trees laden with leaves extravagantly tinted in deep crimson, pale yellow, heavy brown and light orange. Especially does all this seem to be true in the case of the Old Dominion. Her mighty hills and spacious valleys are about ready for the Winter season. But not without one final fling at beauty’s shrine. Yes, early Autumn is with us once again, full swing, and manifests its welcome presence in bountiful fashion—in fertile fields, for | the most part now ploughed up in readiness for the next crop plantings; glant pumpkins, almost ripe enough for the Thanksgiving feast; mound after mound of hay and grain care- fully packed away and guarded from the forthcoming icy blasts, and turkey gobblers growing ever larger and plumper for bountiful meals just ahead. With all these new rural charms to entice us, shall we today hie away from the city and enjoy & pleasant motor journey into the Blue Ridge foothills? Front Royal, heart of Vir- ginia’s famous “horse country,” serves very well, indeed, as the focal point of an ideal circle tour, that eventually offers a brief sojourn in historic Charles Town, W. Va. Just this side of Front Royal, it will be recalled, is one of the most interesting training grounds for thor- oughbred horses in the entire Nation, the United States Army's Remount | Depot, where more than 400 fine ani- mals, fresh from their breeding grounds, have been shipped for con- ditioning just prior to issuing them to Army troops. Visitors are allowed to enter the depot grounds on Sun= days, as on other days, and a drive around the 5,500 acres on the beau- tiful estate is a revelation and a joy. Figure on about four hours of leisurely driving for this journey of less than 90 miles one way. Clip out the map on this page, prepared espe- | cially for The Sunday Star by the American Automobile Association, and your way will be easy and pleasant. First of all, head for Falls Church along the Lee Highway. You're now {on State Route 211. Stay on this until you reach Gainesville, 26 miles away, and then shift to 55, which should be followed all the way into Front Royal, 44 miles from Gaines- ville. Here you should be on the lookout for Route 55, which leads you into | Strasburg, 12 miles distant. You have | now traveled 90 miles and your cir- | cle tour is not quite half finished. By following the suggested return | route you will cover 98 more miles | before the day's journey is over. From Strasburg to Stephens City, | on Route 11, the mileage is 10 miles; whereupon Route 277 should be fol- lowed for six miles until the tiny hamlet of White Post is reached. Route 12 now leads you into Berry- ville, 11 miles away. Another 12| miles, this along Route 340, and you find yourself in historic Charles Town, W. Va. Distance from here to Leesburg on West Virginia Route 9 and Virginia 38 is 23 miles. Follow | Route 7 into Falls Church and then take the Lee Highway (211) back to ‘Washington. Distance from Leesburg to the District is only 36 miles. ROADS throughout your trip are in excellent shape, with several minor exceptions. On Route 55, about 14 miles west of Gainesville, youll find two short stretches under repair. The going is rather rough at times, and even a bit slippery, in case of re- cent rainfall. Between the town of Marshall, some five miles west of The Plains and Front Royal, two small bridge con- struction jobs have been under way for at least a month. Drive slowly through here and be on the alert for bad shoulders and repair equipment on the highway. Somewhat rough in spots is a short stretch of road between Hillsboro and Leesburg on Route 238. About seven miles long, it's not hard-surfaced and requires slow and careful driving. Now for some of the motorist’s tit- bits that you may enjoy en route. Plece de resistance, as was hinted earlier, is the Army’s Remount Depot. This is very easy to find, being right off the main highway, only a couple of miles this side of Front Royal. Distance from Washington is approxi- mately 84 miles. = It's not necessary to describe in de- tail the many delights found on the lovely estate. By all means visit it yourself and devise your own adjec- tives. However, here are a few high lights for your guidance: There's no annoying red tape. Simply drive into the grounds and ask the guard to let you in. No doubt a competent guide will take you on a pleasant tour of the grounds. If you inquire as to the purpose of a remount depot, his explanation will be something like this: It is & place where thorough- bred horses are raised and trained for the Cavalry, draft horses for the Ar- tillery and polo ponies for the various Army teams. On hand are more than 400 splen- did horses, including newly purchased mounts, & number of established brood mares and stallions and foals of all ages from sucklings to 4-year-olds. If this is your lucky day you'll be privileged to meet the officer in charge, Col. Warren W. Whiteside, U. 8. A. No doubt he will point out many in- teresting facts about the depot. For instance: That it has been in exist- ence since 1909, and is, with others, maintained by the Army. One of the Wednesday at a luncheon and pre- view of the new 1937 Plymouth held at the Mayflower Hotel. The meet- ing was under the suspices of the Chrysler Motors Corp. and was con- ducted by Newton Hadley, chief engi- neer of Plymouth; S. W. Munroe, Chrysler Eastern sales manager, and Paul Minnick, merchandise manager. ‘Two hundred dealers converging on Washington from all points served by the Alexandris branch of Ford Mo- tor Co. attended a luncheon and pre- view showing of the 1937 Lincoln- Zephyr cars at the Mayflower last week. Speakers at the Juncheon < most colorful mood in the form of | and business meeting which followed ;ere C. R. Mullan, branch manager; M. m’l‘n branch. Advertising and dising plans for 1937 were discussed. . Famous Horse Breeding Region in Blue Ridge Foothills is A MHill ;o ilisboro N C., “OCTOBER- 11, -1936—PART - FOUR. Gainesville AMERICAN AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION WASHINGTON [ COPYRIGHT 71468 Washington Clip this map for your trip into Virginia’s famous “horse country.” I. offers a pleasant circle tour of the Blue Ridge foot- hills. Front Royal is about four hours driving time from Washington. First head for Falls Church along the Lee Highway. You're now on State route 211. Stay on this until you reach Gainesville and then shift to 55, which should be followed all the way into Front Royal, 44 miles from Gainesville, Here you should take route 55 into Strasburg, 12 miles distant. An ideal return route is also shown on this map: Follow Strasburg to Stephens City on route 11, whereupon route 277 should be taken until the tiny hamlet of White Post (not on map) is reached. Route 12 now leads you into Berryville. From here follow route 340 into Charles Town, W. Va. Head for Leesburg on West l]irg_init_z route 9, then take route 7 to Falls Church and finally, follow 211 back to Washington. Distance from Leesburg to the District is only 36 miles. Total distance covered on this circle tour is about 198 miles. Training thoroughbred horses at the United States Army’s Remount Depot. A visit to the depot is the piece de resistance of a drive into the region around Front Royal, Va. than 400 thoroughbred horses are raised and trained for the Cavalry, draft horses for the | Artillery and polo ponies for the various Army teams. other at Fort Robinson, Nebr. The Front Royal depot is the small- est of the three. Personnel includes four officers of the Quartermaster | | Corps, two others from the Veterinary | Corps and about 75 enlisted men, plus | more than 30 civilian employes. Tiny, indeed, is Front Royal. The population of the county seat of War- ren County is less than 3,000. Yet it is of tremendous historical interest. “Stonewall” Jackson, on his way to | depots is at Fort Reno, Okla., and an- | Winchester (19 miles away) to face ’ Gen. Banks, captured this town from a Union force under Col. Kenly in 1862. U.S. A, was a part of the Union force holding the town, and with Jackson was the 1st Maryland Regiment, C. 8. A. Brother fought brother in this tragic encounter. Belle Boyd, the famous Confederate The 1st Maryland Regiment, | Here more there and sending it to Jackson and | Stuart. Twice she was sent to Wash- ington and imprisoned. Once she was court-martialed, but released. 'TRASBURG, 12 miles away, is in Shenandoah County. About mid- | way between the battlefields of Cedar Creek and Fishers Hill of the Civil ‘War, the town was held alternately by spy,“used Front Royal as her base of | both armies. On a hill overlooking operations, gathering useful informa- tion from Union officers stationed the town are the remains of Federal earthworks, called Fort Banks after Decade in Capital Shows Designs (Continued From First Page.) and the Archives Building. Soon the | Apex Building, at the tip of the Tri- angle, will be under construction. That will be the consummation of & dream, pictured in men's minds only 10 short years ago. Further, the old Southern Railway Building at Thir- | teenth and E streets has been pur-| chased by the Government, another | addition to the public domain. 'O FEW men is it given to witness the fulfillment of their dreams. But such a one is Richard N. Elliott, who has served the American Govern- ment in Washnigton for more than 18 years. He is Acting Controller General of the United States now. But his close association with the de- velopment of the public buildings of Washington dated from 1917 until 1931, when he was serving as a valued member of the House of Representa- tives. During that period he played an outstanding part in rewriting the | downtown map of Washington. In June, 1917, Mr. Elliott, a Re- publican Representative from Indiana, came to Congress. He was assigned a post on the House Committee of Public Buildings and Grounds. There he labored for 14 years and when he Jeft it he had been chairman for half a dozen years—and six most fruitful years they were. He came in as a recruit and in time, by virtue of seniority, presided as chairman of this committee, so vital to the District of Columbia. Washington reaped a harvest of accomplishment in those six years, for in that brief span, as chairman of the committee, he pushed through the House measures authorizing the construction of all the Triangle build- ings, the extension of the Capitol grounds, the erection of the new Su- preme Court Building, the Capper- Cramton park-purchase act and the creation of the Arlington Memorial Bridge. Many of these were House bills to begin with. Associated with Mr. Elliott in this gigantic work were these members, composing the Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds: J. Will Tay- lor of Tennessee, Daniel A. Reed of New York, William F. Kopp of Iowa, Gale H. Stalker of New York, Charles Brand of Ohio, Anderson H. Walters of Pennsylvania, Clarence J. McLeod of Michigan, E. M. Irwin of Illinois, Charles J. Esterly of Pennsylvania, John M. Wolverton of West Virginia, F. H. La Guardia of New York, now Mayor of New York City, and Fred- erick W, Dallinger of Massachusetts— all Republicans—and these Demo- crats: Fritz G. Lanham of Texas, Edward B. Almon of Alabama, Frank Oliver of New York, John H. Kerr of North Carolina, Jeff Busby of Mis- sissippi, Clifton A. Woodrum of Vir- ginia, E. E. Cox of Georgia and Edward E. Eslick of Tennessee. Mr. Elliott pays tribute to the valuable assistance rendered the com- mittee by Will P. Kennedy of The Star's staff, designating him as “one of the able newspaper men of the country, who has given a great deal of time and labor to the question of public buildings in the District of Columbia.” Other ’newspapers as- sisted in the work. Likewise, other bers of The Star’s staff have aid- ed in publicizing various phases of the entire program. project for the Triangle started actively when President Calvin Coolidge sent a message to Congress pointing to the great need for ade- ° quate Government buildings here and advocating that $10,000,000 be ap- propriated annually in a five-year construction program. The measure was introduced in the Senate by Senator Smoot, Republican, of Utah. But the bill languished and died with the falling gavels that sounded the death knell of that Congress. Then, when Congress convened again, Mr. Elliott introduced a meas- ure providing that $50,000,000 be ex- pended for buildings in the District over five years and also that an omnibus building program throughout the country be authorized for $100,~ 000.000. This bill required that the Secretary of the Treasury and the Postmaster General should recom- mend the necessary buildings to be erected, A prominent New York newspaper described this piece of legislation as “the only sensible build- ing bill introduced in 50 years.” Secretary of the Treasury Andrew W. Mellon conferred with Mr. Elliott and the cabinet officer promised to take the public buildings measure up with the President. Three weeks later Mr. Elliott received a letter notifying him that the program did not conflict with the President's fiscal policy. The bill was steered through the House committee after a battle royal and then was placed on the House calendar. Then came the poser as to the best way to get the measure through the House. Mr. Elliott took the newspaper men into his confidence and the news of the gigantic building program for the Nation was head- lined from coast to coast. Unc™™ suspension of the rules, which barred all amendments and limited debate to 40 minutes, the measure was passed in the House. But it re- mained on the Senate side of the Capitol until Congress adjourned— and died. With the coming of a new Con- gress, Representative Elliott again in- troduced the bill. Under suspension of the rules, it was taken up once more, in due course. Again the House passed it and forwarded it to the Senate. Interested in the project now was Senator, Fernald, Republican, of Maine, chairman of the Senate Com- mittee on Public Buildings and Grounds. He fought for the meas- ure in the Senate, secured its passage, and President Coolidge signed it. This established the Triangle. ‘The power to take in property for Government purposes in the Triangle and elsewhere was liberalized in an- other measure Mr. Elliott introduced, sdding another great slice of money for Washington's development, sad Senator Keyes, Republican, of New Hampshire pushed it in the Senate. UPON the Nation's statute books stands the Keyes-Elliott =ct, which even now—with the Triangle building practically constructed—pro- vides for future expansion of Gov- ernment buildings here through land purchases, Under its authority, Sec- retary Ickes recently purchased the Potomac Park Apartments for the Public Works Administration. The Cosmos Club, the Belasco Theater and land in Southwest Washington, thorized for purchase under this far- reaching measure, still remain in private hands. Many other measures were adopted by Congress, giving legal vitality in recent years to Washingtan's develop- ment. The bill to authorize the en- \4 a narrow squeak, receiving presiden- tial sanction just a few minutes be- fore Calvin Coolidge stepped down from the White House. Mr. Elliott recalls the circumstances. The measure, fathered by himself in the House and by Senator Keyes in the Senate, had run the legislative gantlet. About 11 am. of the last Idny of President Coolidge's term of | office, the measure had been pre- | sented in the Senate, but an amend- | ment was tacked on. Mr. Elliott had to hustle to get action before the fall of the final gavel. He persuaded Speaker Nicholas Longworth to recognize him and the Senate amendment was adopted. President Coolidge was sitting at the Capitol in the office assigned to the Chief Executive, Mr. Elliott walked in with the measure and | told the President he hoped he would sign it. “How much will it cost?” asked Mr. Coolidge. “Five million dollars,” replied Mr. Elliott. “That's & lot of money, & lot of money,” said the President, with a deprecating gesture, pushing the doc- ument away from him. Luckily, Brig. Gen. Herbert M. Lord, director of the Bureau of the Budget, was standing there. “I think, Mr. President, that you should sign that measure,” said Gen. Lord. “It's an improvement that is bound to come.” With such words from the holder of the official purse strings, President Coolidge reached over and signed the measure, creating a new law, to sweep away the wartime Government hotels in front of the Union Station and create a plaza that compares with the beauties of Paris. “As far as I know, that was the last official act of Mr. Coolidge as President of the United States,” says Mr. Elliott. And so the Commission on Enlarg- ing the Capitol Grounds cartied out the work. Today, this body consists of Vice President John N. Garner as chairman, Senator Tom Connally, chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Bulldings and Grounds; Senator Keyes, ranking minority member on the committee; Senator Charles L. McNary, minority leader of the Senate; Representative Lan- ham, chairman of the House Com- mittee on Public Buildings and Grounds; Representative Bertrand H. Snell, minority leader of the House; Representative Taylor, ranking mi- nority leader on the House commit- tee, and David Lynn, architect of the Capitol. Under the aegis of this body the area just south of the Union Station has been transformed into & beautiful plaza, with a fountain, with its gay yellow night lights, playing against the background of the snowy Capitol, and an underground parking place for automobiles. anl that commission also came plans for the development of Union Square, just west of the Capitol, and for the Mzll, which is in reality a con- tinuation of the grounds of the great domed structure occupied by the law- makers. With the aid of congressional funds Mr. Lynn has razed the cheap souvenir houses and hotels that formerly exist- ed in the shadow of the Peace Monu- ment along Pennsylvania avenue. To- day they have vanished, and in their ¥ the general who built them. The bat- tle of Pishers Hill, fought 2 miles south of Strasburg, was a victory for Gen. Sheridan over the Confederate Gen. Early. Points of interest are: Battlefleld Crystal Caverns, about a mile north. Open 24 hours daily, all year. Admission, 75 cents. On the grounds are infantry breastworks thrown up by Gen. Sheridan during the second year of the Civil War. Frontier Fort, the old Hupp home- stead, built in 1755 and used as a fort in Indian attacks. The walls were loopholed. Grave of an unknown soldier, on the highest mountaintop about 3 miles north of Strasburg. This mountain was used as a signal station by Union and Confederate armies. Berryville has already been de- scribed in a previous week-end motor trip. However, in case you missed The town, with a population of about 1,100, is in Clarke County and was originally known as Battle Town. Daniel Morgan, one of the early set- tlers, served under George Washing- ton with 100 expert rifiemen when the Revolution broke out. Nellie Parke Custis Lewis, Wash- ington’s sister, lived in the town and died here in 1852. Today her estate, privately owned, has one of the Na- tion's best known racing stables. Its Town, W. Va., on Route 340, is 12 miles. The seat of Jefferson County was laid out by Charles Washington, George's brother, who lived here, as did several other members of his dis- tinguished family. John Brown was tried and hanged here in 1859. The of Nation l over to the newly-built Constitution avenue. One day Representative Elliott was sitting in his office on “the Hill” when in came Chief Justice William Howard | Taft. To have the Chief Justice of the | United States as a visitor at any time is honor, indeed. They shook hands | and the rotund and hearty Chief Jus- | tice sat down—bent upon an historic | mission. | “I want you to build me a bungalow | for the Supreme Court,” said the Chie{ Justice, with a chuckle. “You are giving me quite a package,” | replied the cha n of the House | Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds. “Well, you have quite a reputation | for getting things done along that | line,” responded Mr. Taft. The buildings' measure was then pending in the Senate, but it was ex- plained that the new Supreme Court could be arranged. Mr. Taft wanted an amendment to authorize the Secretary of the Treasury to purchase the land for the building, and this was ulti- mately done at a cost of some $1,764,- 000. The desired amendment was tacked on to the bill that received the President’s signature. ‘Then Mr. Elliott introduced the bill in the House that set up the United States Supreme Court Building Com- mission. This consisted of Chief Jus- tice Taft, Associate Justice Willis Van Devanter, Senator Henry W. Keyes, chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds; James A. Reed, former Senator from Missouri; Mr. Elliott and Representative Fritz Lanham of Texas, ranking minority member of the House Public Buildings and Grounds Committee. Mr. Lynn was member and executive officer. And today the new Supreme Court Building stands—a reality and an achievement. It is another memorial to the industry of these latter years. When Mr. Taft passed off the scene, Mr. Hughes took his place on the com- mission. And the names of the mem- bers of the commission stand appro- priately engraved at the front of the monumental building. MR. ELLIOTT and Senator Fernald were summoned to the White House one day during the Coolidge administration, for the President from Vermont wanted to know the cause of the delay in enacting the Arlington Memorial Bridge measure. This had been urged for many years by the ‘Washington Board of Trade and other local authorities. A measure to bring this about was introduced in the Sen- ate by Senator Fernald and in the House by Speaker Gillett. It passed the Senate and was reported out of Mr. Elliott’s Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds. But it stayed on the House calendar for many a day. And Mr. Coolidge wanted to know the reason why. He indicated clearly that he favored the measure without reser- vation. Back in the House, Representative Elliott had sport with Speaker Gillett and Majority Leader Longworth, tell- ing them the President was getting disgusted with their lack of action on the bill. “Is he for that?” they asked, per- plexedly. “Yes,” replied Mr. Elliott, “and he wants action.” 8o action he got. The House leaders pushed the measure and it was passed in jig time. Not alone has it authorized the stead stands & pleasing strip of green- | building largement of the Capitol Grounds had | sward. The view is uninterrupted now é / Described Conditions Are Especially Favorable for Enjoyment of Autumn Weather. are important events of the region. Points of interest include: Mordington, home of Charles Wash- | ington, built before 1799, and situated | Just outside the town. Harewood, on the road to Middle- way, built under the direction of George Washington, and the home of | killed that one, here are a few highlights: ] location is 2 miles east of Berryville. | Distance from Berryville to Charles | horse shows and horse-racing season | his brother, Samuel. In the drawing room of this house Dolly Payne mar- ried James Madison, later President of the United States. Episcopal Church graveyard, con- taining graves of the Washington family. Masonic Cave, where George Wash- ington attended the Masonic meetings and carved his name on the rock. Court house (1810), scene of the trial of John Brown. Driver. .. Can You 9 ‘Answer This AAA TRAFFIQUIZ 1. In what size community is the pedestrian in greatest danger of death from automobile accident? Check in Rifht Space. ) Towns under 10.000. ) Small cities between 0,000 and 100,000 population e () Large cities over 100,000 population. 2. What is the chief reason why it is unwise to stop right opposite the scene of an accident? a( ) The guesomeness of the scene may unnerve you and later cause you to have an accident. b ( ) Frequently other acci- dents are caused because mo- torists congregate at the scene of an accident, and you are taking an unnecessary risk. c( ) You will retard traffic movement. 3. Last year the number of persons in automobile accidents for every 100,000 population was a ( ) Nine. ) Nineteen. ) Twenty-nine. ) Thirty-nine. 4. y is it unwise to change tires on the highway? a ( ) You may retard iraffic b ( ) You may be hit by a passing car. e ( ) You may be arrested for illegal parking. 5. The requirement, in some States, for drivers to make out accident re- ports is for the purpose of a( ) Gathering facts for use in improving traffic conditions b ( ) Prosecuting the drivers involved. c( ) Furnishing insurance companies with accident infor- mation. a ( b ( 1 Answers to Traffiquiz. 1(a); 2 (b); 3 (c); 4 (D); 6 (a). Shelter-Belt Trees Live. AN UNUSUAL record for survival is reported in connection with | the shelter-belt planting of trees. According to Earl W. Tinker, as- sistant chief of the Forest Service, more than 80 per cent of the trees | have survived and some already have shown a growth of 16 feet. The trees already are functioning | in part as a barricade against wind, according to Mr. Tinker, who de- | scribed crops he found maturing close by the trees where two years ago nothing but dry, parched ground was to be found. - He paid high tribute to the farmers who cultivated the trees, working at times when the weather was extreme- ly hot, sometimes with the mercury rising to 107 degrees. secure a magnificent new thorough- fare—Constitution avenue, the former B street, northwest—running all the way from the Potomac River to the Senate Office Building. Further, it directed the widening of Twenty-third street, from Constitution avenue to Washington Circle, another project that remains to be fulfilled. In the accomplishing of this ambi- tious scheme, a number of archaic buildings, including the old St. James Hotel, were torn down, after acquisi- tion by the Government. Through that area, Constitution avenue runs today. The Capper-Cramton park-purchase act, another legislative achievement of the past decade, became law on May 29, 1930, and is far-reaching. The Kansas Senator, the publisher, Arthur Capper, who has taken an unusual part in the development of the Na- tional Capital, is coauthor of the measure. In the House, it was fathered by the former Republican Representa- tive from Michigan, Louis C. Cramton. This bill was referred to Mr. Elliott’s committee and reported out. It came up in the House and was passed by unanimous consent. While the debate ‘was on, & couple of members strolled in. “What’s going on?” they inquired of a colleague. “‘Oh, one of Dick Elliott's petty park bills,” he responded. ‘This “petty park bill” authorized the expenditure of $16,000,000 in the Dis- trict of Columbia for parks, play- grounds and recreation centers; somse $9,000,000 for nearby Maryland ané Virginia parks and some $7,500,000 for developing the George Washington Memorial Parkway, which is to run southward from Great Falls to Mount Vernon, Va, and Fort Washington, Md. The measure died in the Senate that first session, only to be revived again and placed on the statute books. Government officials are still engaged upon this extensive program of de- velopment for the public benefit. And what shall the morrow bring? The post-war period has been indeed fruitful for Washington. If the next decade or two can matcb it in fecund- ity, the National Capital will truly be that magnificent creation that George Washington envisioned it—one that mirrors the glony of the Republic, the capital of the capitals of the world. Authorized Distributors Delco Batteries CREEL BROTHE 1818 4+ ST.NW.-+-DEcarva 422!