Evening Star Newspaper, April 14, 1937, Page 1

WEATHER. (U. 8. Weather Bureau Forecast.) Cloudy, probably local showers tonight and tomorrow; not much change in tem- perature; lowest tonight about 58 degrees; fresh winds. Temperatures—Highest, 68, at 2:15 p.m. yesterday; lowest, 55, at 6 a.m. today. Closing New York Markets, Page 16 Full report B-12. 85th YEAR. No. 33,951. Entered as second class matter post office, Washington, D. C. SINK FOES" SHIPS, INSURGENTSURGED BY FASCIST PRESS Indiscriminate Shelling of Vessels Advised—Brit- ain Taunted. FRANCE IS ACCUSED OF SENDING TROOPS Baldwin Refusals to Protect Merchant Craft at Bilbao Called “Surrender.” BACKGROUND— Despite the fact several British merchant vessels have been fired on, apparently by the warcraft of Spanish insurgents, the conserva- tive government of Prime Minister Baldwin had refused protection to ships actually within Spanish waters. Meanwhile shipowners and lead- ers of the labor party are intensify- ing attacks on his position. Bald- win is supported by Foreign Min- ister Anthony Eden. B the Assoclated Press. ROME, April 14 —Ttaly's Fascist Ppublicists accused France today of sending Algerian troops to fight for the Spanish government, taunted Great Britain for her caution at sea and urged Spanish insurgent Gen. Franco to sink “enemy” ships at will. Renewing his charges against France, the authoritative Virginio Gayda wrote in Il Giornale D'Italia: “It appears that on March 7, 250 Algerian militiamen left Tangier with Spanish passports, disembarked at Marseille and at once proceeded to the Red Spanish front. “Between March 17 and March 18 there also left Tangier for French ports and Spain another 1,000 com- batants.” This followed upon Fascist slurs on *Britannia’s lost supremacy” at sea. Lists Alleged Shipments. Gayda devoted three front-page columns to a long list of alleged French shipments and other inter- vention in Spain. He enumerated supposed French exportations of mu- nitions and airplanes, recruiting of volunteers and training of Spanish officers and pilots. French merchantmen bearing war supplies to the Spanish seat of gov- ernment at Valencia, the writer charged, sought to escape detection | by painting “American Export Lines” | on their sides in large letters. Ttaly, Gayda declared, does not in- tend “to draw from these facts any hasty conclusions which might change her policy of frank and complete collaboration in non-intervention,” but demands that other powers adopt the same policy. Eastern Problem Studied. At the same time, well-informed eircles declared Premier Mussolini | and Chancellor Hitler of Germany | were working jointly to barricade their | eastern doors against communism in order to face the international prob- | lems of the Spanish civil war with ! more freedom. The article in the semi-official Fascist organ, Il Regime Fascista of | Cremona, sarcastically asserting the Britannia that once ruled the waves | *‘can no longer defend her ships,” was | considered by informed sources to be | of considerable importance. | The paper, generally believed to key- | note opinion of the central wing of the | Fascist party, was founded by Ro- berto Farinacci, former secretary of | the party, who has often expressed Il | Duce'’s point of view and is reported at present to be on a tour of inspection | in insurgent Spain with the mission | of organizing Italian volunteers in Franco's army. | “Pretending” Charged to Britain.” The sharp attack launched against | Creat Britain charged the insular power with “pretending” to have re- solved maritime freedom by refusing to grant protection to her merchant- men within Spanish waters, blockaded off Bilbao by the insurgent fleet. England, however, the paper charged, was “competing with France and Russia” in supplying the govern- ment forces and ended the article with an exhortation to the insurgents “to have no nervousness, then, in launch- ing torpedoes and sinking enemy ships.” ‘While Fascist Italy awaited the out- | come of the outburst against Great | Britain, persistent reports of a forth- (See EUROPE, Page A-4.) TRIO SEIZES $25000 IN BANK HOLD-UP Customer and Teller Covered With Revolvers During Grand Rapids Robbery. B the Associated Press. GRAND RAPIDS, Mich,, April 14. —Three men held up a branch of the National Bank of Grand Rapids at Hall street and Division avenue this morning and escaped with a sum bank officials tentatively placed at $25,000. ‘Witnesses reported that two men entered the bank, one helding up a customer and another pointing a pistol at a teller while scooping up the cash. Leaving the bank they joined a third man in an automobile outside and escaped north on crowded Division svenue. State police, sheriff’s officers and city police immediately placed a blockade on roads leading from the city. Opera Draws Record Crowd. CLEVELAND, April 14 (#).—The Metropolitan Opera Co.’s production last night of “Tristan und Isolde” drew 9,271 persons to Cleveland’s spacious public hall—an attendance only 154 short of what officials claimed was & world’s single performance record at the Monday night opening. Kirsten Flagstad and Lauritz Mel- chior sang. | strikes, or to wait for possible general | really for the purpose of getting into Four Women Rescued From Fire at Luray Girl Leaps 2 Stories as Flames Hit Apartment. Spectal Dispatch to The Star. LURAY, Va., April 14—Four women were rescued and a 14-year-old girl leaped to safety early today when a fire of undetermined origin destroyed an apartment house, a residence and threatened to lay waste to an entire block 1n the business sector. Damage was placed at $30,000. A high wind blew sparks in all direc- tions, and officials at one time advised the occupants of nearby buildings to evacuate, but firemen finally brought the blaze under control after a three- hour battle. The apartment house, which in- cluded a unit of four business estab- lishments on Ythe first floor, and the adjoining residence of Dr. J. M. Shirey, chiropractor, were virtually razed be- fore the fire was halted. Those who were rescued from the apartment were Mrs. Abe Zigler, a 55-year-old widow, and her 18-year- old daughter Lottie; Mrs. Wilmer Good and Mrs. Arthur E®is. Carol Good, 14-year-old daughter of Mrs. Wilmer Good, leaped to the ground from her mother’s second-floor apartment, but was unhurt. DECISIONS HELD CONGRESS SIGNAL 10 B4R SI-0OWN Senator Byrnes May Push Wagner Act Amendment, Bracing Resolution. | BACKGROUND— With Monday's sweeping afirma- tion of constitutionality of labor relations law, Congress and Federal Government now have more definite guide-posts by which to plan their Juture course in the field of indus- trial regulation. Seeking some moderation of strife in this direction, compliance with labor law will be first objective. New legislation, possibly prohibi- tion of sit-down strikes, is expected to follow. B the Associated Press. Senator Byrnes, Democrat, of South | | Carolina, said today the Supreme | Court decisions upholding the Wagner act proved that Congress undoubtedly has the power to outlaw sit-down strikes. A House committee has approved, 11 to 4, a Senate resolution condemning | sit-downs, company unions and indus- | trial espionage, but Byrnes said he was | considering stronger action. The resolution on which the House will vote next week would have no legal effect. The Southerner said he was unde- cided whether to propose a special amendment to the Wagner labor rela- | tions law that would forbid sit-down amendments. He will introduce a “labor spy” amendment, he said, to the present Byrnes law against importing strike breakers across State lines. It would prohibit the transportation of persons into another State to obstruct labor groups in collective bargaining. Would Hit Trouble Makers. Byrnes said it would “cover the evil complained of where men are brought into a plant ostensibly as workers, but unions and interfering with their ac- tivities.” Sit-down strikes may be discussed by leaders of capital and labor at a conference called by Secretary Per- kins. She said the subject would not be excluded from the meeting, which will be attended by the two rival labor leaders, William Green and John L. Lewis. Lewis’ Committee for Industrial Organization, whose members have used the sit-down strike in some in- dustrial disputes, and Green's Ameri- can Federation of Labor, whose offi- cers have condemned the new strike weapon, outlined new campaigns for more members. Green's Executive Council will meet | Monday to lay out a membership drive among skilled craftsmen. It may consider an increase in the 1 cent a month tax on members, which swell the federation’s war chest. Lewis’ organization, already active on a wide front in the mass produc- tion industries, has turned recently to organizing textile and ofl workers. Secretary Perkins announced yes- ch | minister the labor department, WASHINGTON D. 0, ‘WITH SUNDAY MORNING EDITION WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14, 1937—FORTY-FOUR HEPBURN 00515 2 CABNETMINTERS NRESSTNGC.L0. Resignations Demanded as Lewis Aide Threatens New Sit-Down in U. S. OSHAWA STRIKERS WAVE FLAGS TO PROVE FAITH Mayor Hall Wires Martin “Ulti- matum” Declaring Recognition Demand Must Be Supported. BACKGROUND— | The theory of collective bargain- ing, guaranteed, in simple, to labor by the Wagner act, has been rele- gated to background in labor-in- dustry disputes over recognition of specific unions, promoted in the main by John L. Lewis associates crusading under the C. 1. O. ban- ner. These organizers seek to sign up the majority of workers in the plants. Sit-down strikes have be- come potent weapons in forcing recognition. BULLE SAN FRANCISCO, April 14 (®). —C. V. McLaughlin, vice president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive firemen and enginemen, announced today that 8500 Southern Pacific employes would strike at 6 p.m. Friday unless a satisfactory settle- ment of their demands is reached before then. BY the Associated Press. TORONTO, April 14 —Prime Min- ister Mitchell Hepburn of Ontario to- day demanded the resignations of two members of his cabinet who have been out of sympathy with his fight to pre- vent John L. Lewis unions from gain- ing a foothold in Canada. Simultaneously, while flag-waving strike pickets paraded at the Oshawa General Motors of Canada plant to show Hepburn they were “not Com- munists,” C. I. O. union Organizer Hugh Thompson said a union official in Detroit had told him General Mo- | tors workers in the United States would “sit down again” if the company | shipped cars from the United States | to England to fill Oshawa orders. Hepburn, in a letter he dictated to | Labor Minister David Croil and At- | tornel General Arthur W. Roebuck, | told them they must step out to as- sure provincial government unity in a great Canadian “economic crisis.” He said he would not confer with either minister pending their receipt of his request for their resignations. “There ean be no turning back as far as I am concerned,” said the pre- mier after he had dictated the resig- nation letter. Undecided on Replacements. He had not decided on permanent appointments to filll the wacated portfolios. Temporarily he will ad- with | Paul Leduc, minister of mines, as acting attorney general. The premier's letter: “My Dear Colleague: “It is with deep regret that I find | myself in a position where it is neces- sary to ask your resignation as a member of the present administration. It is quite clear to me and all con- cerned that you are not in accord with the policy of the government in fight- ing against the inroads of the Lewis organization and Communism in gen- eral. “To my way of thinking, Ontario faces one of the greatest economic crises, and for that reason there must | be solidarity and unanimity within our ranks. “Grieved” by Decision. “Needless to say, the decision I have | arrived at is one that is causing me | both grief and unhappiness, but I am determined to carry out the policy that I believe to be in the best interests of the people I was elected to serve. “I deeply appreciate your loyalty up to this point and shall always remem- ber our close and intimate associations, both in politics and in a social way, and I am unhappy indeed that we have arrived at the parting of the ways on a matter of policy. “There is nothing personal in this matter, and I hope that in the future 1 shall enjoy your friendship as I have in the past.” Dapper young Mayor Hall, a sup- porter of the walkout from the big General Motors plant here by the union affiliated with Lewis’ Commit- tee for Industrial Organization, said if his “ultimatum” is ignored he would advise Canadian workers to abandon unionism. His telegram—sent on the seventh day of the strike of 3,700 workers, in which negotiations are deadlocked— was addressed to Homer Martin, De- troit, president of the C. 1. O. Union. terday the names of representatives of “The Oshawa strike,” Mayor Hall (See LABOR, Page A-4.) (See C. I. O, Page A-2) By the Associated Press. HOLLYWOOD, April 14—Greta Garbo, the once solitary Swede, but now showing signs of a slightly de- veloped gregarious instinct, may be- come an American citizen. Although pure speculation among her associates and friends, Hollywood seers looked over this evidence: First, she is building a house. Sec- ond, it leaked out that she asked George Cukor, her director in “Ca- mille,” to shop for furniture for her home while he is in Italy. Garbo’s studio associates believe Jean Hersholt, Danish actor, who is her close friend, may have advised her to become an American. Greta Garbo Building Home And May Become U. S. Citizen ground ‘that probably she wouldn’t like it. Great changes have come over the glamorous Swede, although it never has been decided whether her “wanna- be-alone” policy is strictly by choice or studio advice. Her Americanization has been a slow process. She has adopted many mannerisms of this country. She wears American fashions entirely. She takes an active interest in the Nation’s affairs. She is getting fairly gregarious— has been ever since she returned from Europe on her last visit and gave interviews on board the ship at Quar- antine. Hersholt, naturalized 19 years ago, has so urged other actors of Scandi- navian lands and aided them in study- ing for citizenship examinations. The veteran character actor de- clined to say yes or no regarding Garbo; he never discusses her on the Garbo now chats with others on the motion picture set, whereas she used to make beelines for her dress- ing room. She is an addict of the game of 20 questions wherein the U.S. STARTS TASK OF GOST SLASHING AS DEFICIT GROWS Roosevelt Orders Expense Cut—Wallace to Drop 850in A, A. A. TAX REVENUE UNLIKELY TO REACH ESTIMATES President Sends Letter Ordering Wide Economies to All De- partment Heads. BACKGROUND— Relief requirements still hold key to Government budget prospects with great pressure being exerted by Mayors and Governors to have Congress vote more than $1,500,- 000,000 tentatively indicated in early estimates of Federal appropri= ations As tax revenue, particularly from income levies, fell short of expecta- tions mecessity for revision of fiscal plans became evident BY the Associated Press. The administration, faced with fail- ure of tax revenues to reach estimates, began tightening Federal purse strings today. President Roosevelt instructed heads of all Government agencies to effect an immediate curtailment of ex- penditures for the remainder of the fiscal year. Secretary Wallace promptly an- nounced 850 workers would be re- moved from the Agricultural Adjust- ment Administration pay roll at the end of this month. Number of Employes. There were 7,278 persons listed as employes of this agency as of May | 15, 1935. Of this number, 5,047 were in Washington and 2.231 in the field. The employes who will be furloughed May 1, and others who have been furloughed since the Supreme Court decision January 6, 1936, will be car- | ried on the A. A. A. rolls in a non-pay | tatus after the expiration of their ccrued leave. | Mr. Roosevelt’s order yesterday said the expenditure cut would be neces- sary to prevent the deficit from being | far greater than the $2,65 estimate for this fiscal year. Letter to Agency Heads. The Chief Executive told his press 4,000 conference he had sent this letter to | departmental and agency heads: “It is apparent at this time that | the revenues of the Government for the present fiscal year will be ma- terially less than the amount esti- mated in my budget message of last January, and hence the deficit will be far greater than was anticipated unless there is an immediate curtail- ment of expenditures. “You will carefully examine the status of appropriations for your ac- tivities with a view to making a sub- stantial saving by eliminating or de- ferring all expenditures which are not absolutely necessary at this time.” Treasury officials said they did not know how much could be whittled | from projected expenditures, but as- serted substantial cuts probably could be effected. There was conjecture over whether other department heads would follow Wallace's lead in slashing employ- ment rolls. The Agriculture chief said the 850 A. A. A. employes to be dismissed had been making payments to farmers under the original crop control law. A staff of 120 will be kept to finish this work, he said. Status of Ousted Employes. The employes to be dropped will go on a register maintained in the Works ¢ Foening Star The only evening paper in Washington with the Associated Press News PAGES. *#%xx* and Wire Yesterday’s (Some retu photo Services. Circulation, 143,275 rns not yet received.) (®) Means Assaciated Press. TWO WAGE-HOUR BILLS MAY BE PUT AHEAD ' Precedence Over Judiciary Proposal Considered by Administration, BACKGROUND— President sought congressional authority to name six new justices to Supreme Court unless those over 70 retire ajter tribunal had an- nounced rulings blocking bulk of New Deal legislative program. The plan encountered bitter opposition in Senate and the bill is still in the hearing stage before Judiciary Committee. Meanwhile, the court, in deciding Wagner and Washington wage cases, adopted a more liberal view of congressional power, leading many to believe President can ef- fectuate most of program without changing court or Ccnstitution, B3 the Associated Press. Administration leaders, long in- sistent that the judiciary organiza- tion bill had precedence over wage and hour legislation, reconsidered their strategy today in the light of the Supreme Court’s Wagner act decisions. President Roosevelt's advisers ex- pect to complete soon a new set of recommendations on establishment of minimum wage and maximum hour | standards. These may be transmitted to Congress regardless of the court bill's status. Whether wage and hour or similar proposals would get floor considera- | tion ahead of the judiciary measure | appeared to depend on how soon the Senate Judiciary Committee ends its hearings. Chairman Ashurst, Democrat, of Arizona, said the committee would consider when to close testimony at | an executive session on Saturday. | Senator Logan, Democrat, of Ken- i tucky, supporting the President, ad- vocated again that the committee agree on a closing date. Senator Burke, Democrat, of Nebraska, said the opponents still had numerous wit- nesses, but he offered to consider the possibility of their presenting written statements. White House callers veceived the impression that President Roosevelt was considering, in addition to wage and hour standards, whether recent (See DEFICIT, Page A-5.) Summary of Page Amusements B-12 Comics - Editorials Financial ___A-15 | Sports __ Lost & Found A-3 | Woman's Pg. B-14 | Obituary ___A-12' SUPREME COURT ISSUE. ‘Wage-hour legislation may precede court proposal action. Page A-1 STRIKE SITUATION. Byrnes says Wagner decision empow- ers sit-down bans. Page A-1 FOREIGN. Fascist press urges Franco to sink ‘“‘enemy” vessels, Page A-1 NATIONAL. Murray demands Federal protection for mine organizers. Page A-1 Roosevelt points out democracy’s peace aid. Page A-1 President to open observance of Pan American Day. Page A-1 Faced by deficit, administration tight- ens purse strings. Page A-1 Senate committee opens hearings on Kentucky coal area, Page A-12 WASHINGTON AND VICINITY. House body orders probe of three Dis- trict laws. Page A-1 Five escape flames of $30,000 Luray, Va., apartment fire. Page A-1 Larz Anderson rites scheduled for noon Priday. Page A-2 Reduction in milk prices impossible, says producers’ official. Page A-2 Proposed bill would tax local radio stations $22,500. Page A-3 Stock salesman accused of swindling widow, 90. Page A-4 Three C. U. faculty members elevated by Pope. Page A-6 Corcoran Ggplery trustees to act on Walker gift. Page A-71 Nice reported to be considering sales tax for relief. Page B-1 “Full Dress Burglar” convicted in three cases. Page B-1 Nurses to collect donations in hos- pitals’ drive, Page B-1 suhject tries to identify a famous person. She is good at it, too. k) (S Opposing lines drawn at transit valua- tion hearing. Page B-1 (See JUDICIARY, Page A-4.) Todity’s Star Jefferson Memorial plans reaffirmed by Rep. Boylan. Page B-1 House group to map program for D. C. tax bills study. Page B-1 | Capt. Fauntleroy, former Naval Hos- pital chief surgeon, dies. Page B-12 EDITORIAL AND COMMENT. Editorials Page A-10 This and That. Page A-10 Answers to Questions. Page A-10 Washington Observations. Page A-10 David Lawrence. Page A-11 Paul Mallon. Page A-11 Dorothy Thompson. Page A-11 Constantine Brown. Page A-11 Lemuel Porton.- Page A-11 FINANCIAL. Steel orders slacken. U. S. bonds join rise (table). Power output gains. Stocks move up (table). Page A-16 Curb list higher (table). Page A-17 Cotton mills set new peak. Page A-17 Page A-14 Page A-15 Page A-15 SPORTS. Newsom rated likely pitcher in Nats’ opener. Page C-1 Home town game proves dismal for Buddy Lewis. Page C-1 Only three big league clubs to stand pat. Page C-1 Glen Lee rated coming welter in ring game. Page C-2 Roy Crombie, D. C. lad, in amateur boxing semi-finals. Page C-2 Baer 3-1 favorite over Farr in fight tomorrow. Page C-2 Leo Walper may play in British open golf. MISCELLANY. Washington Wayside. Vital Statistics. Traffic Convictions. Young Washington. Bedtime Story. Service Orders. Nature's Children. Dorothy Dix. Betsy Caswell. Crossword Puzzle. City News in Brief. Page B-14 Page C-4 Page A-8 Latter Out. Men's Fashions. Page C-5 Page B-15 Titanic, Bearing 1,500, Went Down 25 Years Ago Today Is Anniversary of Greatest Marine Disaster. Bs the Assoctated Press NEW YORK, April 14.—Out of the mid-Atlantic darkness, blue sparks crackled “S0S...S0S...808" in the heart-gripping cry of impending disaster at sea. The calls grew weaker. Then si- lence, hour after hour, until at last word came to the shocked world that | the news that couldn't be true—was | true. Just 25 years ago today, the $10,- 000,000 White Star luxury liner Ti- tanic, the ship that couldn't sink, went down—and the cries of the 1,513 who died were forever (See TITANIC, Page A-4) GREEN ASKS QUICK HOUSING BILL0.K. Labor Held Impatient of De- lay on Four-Year Plan to Spend $1,050,000,000. Bt the Assoclated Press. William Green, president of the American Federation of Labor, told a Senate committee today “labor is im- patient over the unnecessary delay” | in adoption of Federal housing legis- lation. Green indorsed the Wagner housing bill and said “the task before us is so great, the ramifications of the prob- lem are so many that it clearly be- comes the public duty of this Con- | gress to act now.” He emphasized the word “now.” ‘The Wagner bill would authorize issuance of a billion dollars of bonds over a four-year period for construc- tion loans to State and local housing authorities. Fifty million dollars would be appropriated over the same period for operating subsidies. The money would be used to provide hous- ing for low-income families and for slum clearance. “In a very real sense,” Green tes- tified, “this bill is labor's bill. It is that because it is designed to serve the wage-earners, upon whom falls the heaviest burden of inadequate housing in the United States. “The Wagner bill will enable us to make a modest beginning toward the solution of one of our greatest social and economic problems.” “On the basis of an estimate care- fully and conservatively made,” he added, “we know that the total addi- | tional dwellings needed between now and 1950 to meet the minimum physi- cal standards and maintain family occupancy standards of 1930 will amount to 16,297,000.” silenced by | |the chill green waters that lapped | LATIN DIPLOMATS HEAR RODSEVELT President Cites Peace Aids of Democracy in Pan- American Talk. BACKGROUND— | On April 14, 1890, the Commer- cial Bureau of the American Re- | publics, forerunner of the Pan- | American Union, was founded. In May, 1930, at the suggestion of the Ambassador of Brazil, it was voted to designate April 14 of each vear as Pan-American day. By proclamation of President Hoover the practice began in 1931 with display of flags and appropri- ate ceremonies. The contributions of democratic government to maintenance of peace were stressed by President Roosevelt | today in his Pan-American day ad- dress before the Governing Board of the Pan-American Union. Mr. Roosevelt declared the 21 Amer- ican republics “believe that the con- tinued maintenance and improvement | of democracy constitute the most im- portant guarantee of international peace.” His speech was delivered from the same platform where four years ago today he outlined the “good neighbor™ policy of the United States toward Latin American nations. Leading the Nation-wide observance of Pan-American day, the President recalled the Buenos Aires Inter- | American Conference for Maintenance | of Peace, | cember and said one of its outstanding lessons “was the clear perception on the -part of the delegates of the close relation existing between international | security and the normal development of Democratic institutions. Democracy Challenged. “Democracy,” said the President, “cannot thrive in an atmosphere of international insecurity. Such insecur- ity breeds militarism, regimentation | and the denial of freedom of speech, of peaceful assemblage and of religion. Such insecurity challenges the ideals of democracy based on the free choice of government by the people themselves. “The deepest impression which I car- ried away (from Buenos Aires) was the potency of the unity of the Amer- icas in developing Democratic institu tions in the New World and by exam ple in helping the cause of world peace.” Mr. Roosevelt was escorted into the governing board room by his son, James. Col. Edwin Watson and Capt. Paul Bastedo, his military and naval aides, respectively, also accompanied him to the Union building. Secretary of State Hull, chairman of the governing board, presented the President to sthe Ambassadors and Ministers of Central and South Amer- ican nations who constitute the board. The speech was broadcast over a na- tion-wide network. Diplomats who heard the President (See PAN-AMERICAN, Page A-3.) Kidnaping of Chiang Kai-shek Told for the First Time in a Remarkable Diary Kept by the Chinese War Lord The world held its breath late in 1936 when the famous generalissimo of 400,000,000 souls was carried away to «: Sian Province by one of his own generals, weary of his L chief’s unwillingness to take the fieid against the Japanese invaders. How Chiang lived for days in the hands of the rebels in constant fear of death, while his wife, American- educated graduate of Wellesley, sought to save CHIANG. him, is revealed in the MME. CHIANG. diary and Mme. Chiang’s own story, which will appear exclusively in The Evening and Sunday Star Beginning Friday, April 16. which he attended in De- | HOUSED.C. GRo ORDERS PROBE OF THREE STATUTES Alcohol Control, Public Util- ity and Auto Responsibility Investigations Set. COMPULSORY JURY BILL FOR WOMEN IS KILLED Committee Sees Need for Revising Laws on Basis of Complaints by Its Own Members. A complete examination of the Dis- trict alcohol beverage control, public utility and automobile financial la was ordered today by the House Dise trict Committee. Three special b committees will be appointed to make the investigations. Action was taken after bitter ate tacks on the Capital Transit Co. for seeking a higher token fare, on the Alcohol Beverage Control Board for closing liquor establishments for faile e debts on e and ioners for seeking au thority to suspend automobile dri permits for the failt to satisfy judgmen age under $100. The committee also “killed” recommended by the Commissioners which would have made the service of women on juries compulsory. Under existing law a woman cannot be forced to serve on a jury. for property d The studies of the liquor control, public utility and automobile financial responsibility ac t revisions ct conditions of members com= are necessary to co which the committee plain. Service Called “Disgraceful.” The proposed invest act creating the Public | mission resulted from | Representative Schulte. Indiana of street car and bus service. Calling attention to the Capital Trane sit Co. valuation hearings being cone ducted by the commission, Schulte branded the transportation service as | “terrible and disgraceful” and pro- tested against a valuation which would entitle the tra company to in- creased fares. “People are packed into the cars and busses like sardines,” he declared. “Even the people who control the | transportation service refuse to ride |in their own equipment.” | Representative Dirksen, Repub- |lican, of Tilinois, urged the examina= tion of the liquor control law after | Representative Palmisano, Democrat, of Maryland, charged that the Alco- holic Beverage Con: Board was acting as a “collecti | liquor wholesalers by | mits of ret bills prompt trol board 1 investigating subcommittee to explain their action. Responsibility Law Assailed. The attack on the automobile finan= |cial responsibility law was led by | Representative Nichols, Democrat, of | Oklahoma, when Chairman Norton |asked the committee to consider & | Senate-approved bill to permit susa pension of a driver’s permit for fail- ing to satisfy a judgment of any | amount. Permits cannot be sus- pended under existing law unless the | unsatisfied judgment amounts to $100 ‘or more. | “This is the most ridiculous piece of | legislation that has ever come before this committee,” Nichols declared. Dirksen pointed out the proposed | legislation would have “a great nui- | sance value” in the event of trouble between taxicab operators. liability insurance for s is the only answer,” Nichols said. The taxicab situation is the biggest traffic problem in this city.” The bill proposing to make women's services on juries compulsory was tabled and its reconsideration during the present Congress prohibited on motion of Palmisano, which was adopted by a six-to-four record vote. The vote was as follows For tabling: Palmisano, Schulte Kennedy of Maryland and Quinn of Pennsyivania, Democrats; Cole of New York, Republican, and Hull, Progres- sive of Wisconsin. Against Norton | of New Jersey and Nichols, Democrats, and Dirksen and Bates of Massachu- setts, Republicans. Representative | Arnold, Republican, of Illinois, voted | present. WOMAN IS HELD IN BANK INQUIRY Unable to Raise $1,000 Bond on Charges of Irregularities in Accounts. Mrs. Elizabeth Wallis Pusser, who lives with her 12-year-old daughter at 1312 Fairmont street, is in cus- tody of the Federal Bureau of In- vestigation, charged with “irregular- ities” of $3,000 in her accounts at a Baltimore bank, where she was em- ployed until recently. Mrs. Pusser waived a preliminary hearing when arraigned today be- fore United States Commissioner Needham C. Turnage and was re- committed to Federal custody when she was unable to raise bond of $1,000. Officials of the F. B. I. said she will be taken to Baltimore for a hearing tomorrow before a United States com- missioner in that city. She is chargey specifically with violation of the na- tional bank act. Special agents of the bureau ar- rested the woman last night at her home here. They said shortages were discovered |in her accounts at the Highland branch, Equitable Trust Co., of Balti« more, dyring an examination of the bank last month. 4