Evening Star Newspaper, July 24, 1937, Page 14

A—14 xxx 5. E.C. UNIONHITS PROMOTIONS BAN INECONOMY DRIVE Local of United Federal Workers Asks Parley on Program. NON-FILLING OF JOBS ALSO IS PROTESTED | Workers Pledge Support in Elim- inating Waste, but Deplore *'In- juries to Employes.” F YOU agree with Mark Twain that everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does any- | thing about it, you can skip this! | Because this is a story of action— a scorching saga with a hot and hap- py ending. This is a tale to prove that some- thing can be done about the weather —that no longer need Washingtonians subject themselves to the heat wave tortures they have suffered for the | past four years. Because now anybody can prove | that the official weather man who | says it really isn't as hot as it seems to be is nothing but an unqualified, super-cooled, ultra-conservative pre- varicator In the interest of those-who-doubt- The interagency economy cam- | paign ordered by President Roosevelt | had resulted today in another pro- test from employes. Members of the Becurities and Exchange Commission Local, No. 5, United Federal Workers of America, asked the commission for an opportunity to discuss a pro- gram inaugurated there which calls for non-filling of vacancies and ban: promotions in the coming fiscal year. This is the second of the new C 1. O. units to urge modification of the drive to lower expenditures, i &0 far as it will affect personnel, the Rural | Electrification lodge having filed a| similar plea yesterday. The S. E: C. union, while pledging support to “any economy measures which will eliminate duplication, waste or unnecessary Government ac- tivities,” expressed the opinion that the form the retrenchment is taking | is “disastrous from the point of view both of the employes of the commis. sion and of the commission itself." Effciency Seen Lowered. The ban on promotions, it yas added ix designed to‘lower efficiency and in- crease the employment turnover, while the non-filing of all but “indis- | pensible” vacancies will boost the| amount of overtime required of the | workers. | “We feel that the commission's ac- | tion is particularly unfortunate at the | present time.,” the lodge said, “when | private industry everywhere is raising the wage level of its employes. The | Government should be in the forefront | of any movement to better the status of employes everywhere It certainly | &hould not be the leader in le‘E‘llni{‘ the status quo.” | The 8. E. C. program—Ilikewise that | in contemplation at Rural Electrifica- | tion—is designed to go toward the 10 per cent savings which President | Roosevelt has directed all azencies to seek this year in an effort to balance the budget. The nature of these econo- mies was forecast when the order was issued. First U. F. W. Campaign. This is the first occasion on which the new U. F. W. has entered actively into employ matters since receiving | its charter from the Committee for | Industrial Organization. In the meantime, according to re- | ports submitted at a meeting of Dis- | trict members at the Hamilton Hotel last night, the work of organization 15 proceeding satistactorily. Jacob Baker, national president, outlined plans for installing local lodges gradually in each Federal agency, and the District government, | and announced that organizers also | have been placed in New York, | Chicago, Philadelphia and St. Louis. Henry Rhine, a local organizer, and one of the principals in the forma- tion of the U. F. W. left last night for an organizing trip through the South. | | | | | | | last May. INCREASE IN FUNDS | Government Collects $735,725,000 More From Corporate In- | come Levies. i Federal income from 52 of 64 classifications of taxes increased dur- ing the fiscal vear which ended June 30, the Internal Revenue Bureau s yesterday Taxes on corporate incom Federal revenue producs vielded $2.148,663,000 during the vear. an increase of $735,725,000 over the pre- vious fiscal period Liquor tax revenues climbed $88.- 781,000 to $594,245.000; tobacco levies, | $51,088,000 to $552.254.000, and cellaneous manufacturers' excise im- Pposts. $69,806.000 to $449,346.000 Revenue {rom the levy on gifts dropped $136,146,000 to $23,911,000, and receipts from capital stock sales | or transfers fell $1,704.000 to $31,- 350.000 Collections enue sources last year, an over the | sistant j . chief from all internal totaled $4.653, increase of $1,132, previ rev- BEATEN AND ROBBED ALEXANDRIA. Va eial) —Harrv Thomas risonburg. Va. was brought Alexandria Hospital early the Fort Belvoir ambulance ering from a fractured right co bane. He told police he had been picked up by several colored men A truck Wwho beat and robbed of 815, and then threw gide of the road near Fort Belvoir His condition was not considered serious, M(Ij; "vn'th Hits Golf Pellet With Nesting Instinct 24 of (Spe- Har- the oy today in him him out on the Caddy Finds Ball Rest- ing in Crotch of Evergreen. Many a birdie is made on the golf tourse. but Ma). Ferry K. Heath, once Assistant Secretary of the Treasury. walloped a ball yesterday on the Chev Chase Club links that had real nes ing instincts Heath sliced his drive on the seventh tee. The major had that ball feeling, but his caddie gazed into the branches of an evergreen at the edge of the fairway and there was the ball— nestied in a tree crotch, 10 feet above the ground Mrs. Pearsons Rust, J. Henri de Si- bour and Edward P. Farley of New York witnessed the satisfaction of the arboreal instincts of the gutta-percha pellet, | satisfy himself that he was right. | every heat ray reflected from asphalt, |to the commander in chief of the { well as of the Supreme Court of the | about | the-weather-man’'s-figures, The Star has instituted a new public service. On the Eleventh street side of The Star Building a huge double-faced thermometer was put into position yes- terday. Hereafier heat-harassed pedestrians at Eleventh street and Pennsylvania avenue will be able to glance up and tell exactly how hot they are at that particular spot—not how cool they would be if they were on the tree- shaded lawn at the Weather Bureau. The thermometer is expected to fill a void created four years ago when the old kiosk which stood at Pennsylvania avenue and E street, and | consistently proved that the weather man was wrong, was abolished. Time was, before they tore down the old bronze kiosk and carted it away to the foundry, when a man whose sweltering brow convinced him it was 103 in the shade, while the Weather man said it was only 95, could The old kiosk never erred on the side of conservatism. It gathered in sidewalk and building wall and told | the world “that's how hot it feels | here.” | And the sweltering man in the street would relax and grow calm and cooler with the knowledge that he | Wwas right and the weather man really didn’t know how hot it was. This caused no end of embarrass- ment at the Weather Bureau. In vain did the scientists protest that they were merely gauging the tem- perature of the free air; that they took every possible precaution to pre- vent their instruments from recording | the reflected heat from streets and buildings. | projects from The Star Building just THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C., SATURDAY JULY 24, 1937 at Giant Device. -~ % A sid the Eleventh street side of The S But the public continued to believe the old kiosk, so one cold January day in 1933 a group of workmen descended upon it and carried it away in trucks labeled “U. S. Weather Bureau.” Since then no one has been able to dispute the weather man when he says it isn't as hot as it seems. Asa | result the heated pedestrian who doesn’t like to be crossed becomes angry. This sends his blood pressure up. He becomes hotter. The Weath- er Bureau becomes cooler. It has been a vicious circle. But now things will be different. The Star thermometer is a masterpiece | of scientific ingenuity. Even the | weather man probably will admit that the heat it records is the heat felt by the man in the street at Eleventh and Pennsylvania avenue. The thermometer is designed to give temperatures at sidewalk levels with- out storing up any of the radiated heat from buiidings and pavement. It is housed in a solid bronze case and Star’s Thermometer Soothes Hot Brows Man in Street Can Appreciate How Hot He Really Is by Glance ewalk group takes a look at the new thermometer on tar Building—Star Staff Photo. aboveé the first floor. for blocks. From top to bottom the case meas- ures 4!, feet and it is 3 feet wide. Despite its size the new thermometer works on exactly the same principle as the familiar tube instruments. Like the delicate instrument that a phy- sician inserts between the lips of a patient to determine if he has a fever, and like the instruments that house- holders tack to their window sills, The Star thermometer is acuated by the expansion and contraction of mercury. The bulb and stem of the new in- strument, however, are of metal in- stead of glass. The bulb is mercury filled In response to temperature changes, the mercury expands or con- tracts, as the case may be, thereby Increasing or lowering the pressure in the tube system. The tube is connected v .th a special operating mechanism which moves the pointers on the face of the thermome- ter. Figures on the dial run from 20 degrees below zero to 120 degrees above. TIts dial is visible PRESIDENT T0 GET | NEW NAVAL ADE Capt. Walter B. Woodson Will Succeed Capt. Paul H. Bastedo in Fall, President Roosevelt soon will have 3 new naval aide in Capt. Walter B. | Woodson, until recently chief of stafr Asiatic fleet. Completing his normal tour of shore duty this Fall, Capt. Paul H. Bastedo, | present White House naval aide, will | be assigned to command the éruiser | Quincy. | Capt. Bastedo has been on duty in | Washington since 1934, having served At ithe Navy Department in the office | of naval operations and in charge of the public relations division. He served as aide to President Roosevelt since Well Known in Capital. Capt. Woodson is well known in Washington. He served here as as- | udge advocate general of the | Navy on two tours of duty. He was! graduated in law with distinction from George Washington University Law | School in the class of 1914 and re- ceived the degree of LL. B. He ix a member of the bar of the Distriet Court here and of the Court of Ap- peals of the District of Columbia, as United States. He is a member the Army and Navy Club here, of the Army-Navy County Club in nearby Virginia, the New York Yacht Club, the Military Order of the World War and the Alumnj Association of George Washington University. During his time at the Academy Capt. Woodson was standing in boxing and base ball, Native of Virginia. Born in Lynchburg, Va., October 18, 1881, Capt. Woodson was appointed to the Naval Academy in 1901. His World War services as flank secre- tary and communications officer on the staffl of the commander of Bat- tleship Force Two of the Atlantic Fleet brought him a special letter of commendation. In 1922 he attended the Naval War College in Newport, I. and the following year served i staff He commanded De- | strover Division 34 of the Battle Fleet 925 and in 1930 he was appointed of staff to the commander of the | Destroyer Squadrons of the Scouting | Force In 1934 Capt. Woodson was | assigned to duty as commanding offi- cer of the cruiser Houston Capt. Woodson served here last as| assistant - judge advocate general | from 1931 10 1934 He married Ruth | Halford of this eity here in Septem- ber. 1911, and they have three chil- | dre Ruth H. Woodson, Walter B. | Woodson and Halford Woodson. | The captain is & member of the Order { the Couf, a national honorary legal | frate Capt. Bastedo was born in Buffalo, | | | of | Naval out- N. Y. February 2, 1887, and was ap- pointed a midshipman in 1904. He | served at the Navy Department from 1919 to 1927 in the Bureau of Steam Engineering. During the World War he served with the Navy in European waters. For his war services Capt. Bastedo was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal. In 1919 Capt. Bastedo served on the stafl in London of the late Admiral William 8. 8ims, who commanded the United States naval forces in Europe. TO PREACH Rev. THREE TIMES| Brubaker's Topic Is “The Ultimatum to Sin."” BETHESDA, Md. July 24—Rev.| Claude A. Brubaker will use “The | | Ultimatum to Sin" as the topic of his | sermon at the Mount Zion, Cedar | Grove and Germantown Baptist | Churches tomorrow. i His sermon at Mount Zion will be at 10 am, that at Cedar Grove at 11:30 am. and at Germantown at 3 A Assigned Here CAPT. W. B. WOODSON. Underwood & Underwood Photo. SPOLS SYSTEN FEN B STENGLE Roosevelt's Reorganization | Plan Endangers Personnel, A. F. G. E. Head Says. Declaring the reorganization legis- lation introduced in the Senate to carry out the program of President Roosevelt's special committee “holds grave dangers to Government person- nel,” Charles I. Stengle, president of the American Federation of Govern- ment Employes, said in a statement today it would ‘‘virtually wipe out the merit system, contribute nothing to a career service and substitute a spoils system more obnoxious Lhan§ that which prevailed prior to our | present civil service. The Senate bill was introduced by | the late Senator Robinson, Democrat, | of Arkansas. In effect, it would cen- | tralize authority over every executive | agency in the President | Stengle's statement was an am- plification of one previously issued, | and pointed out, as have other criti- cisms of the bill, that it contains a number of provisions that seem- | ingly conflict with each other, and | would operate to remove virtually all supervisory positions from civil service and make them subject to spoils “Through its continuing power to| reorganize. transfer, consolidate or| abolish Government agencies,” he! said, “this bill can have no effect other | than to keep the Federal service in a | state of constant anxiety and turmoil Its grant of authority to withdraw | from the classified service any position that may be deemed policy determin- Ing in character would forever blast our hopes for a career service. “I make these statements without impugning pernicious motives to any | one. What is stated in this analysis | by way of comment on the bill should not be understood to apply to any person now in an executive or admin- istrative capacity. I will say that we know those who are now holding the reigns of government, but we do not know those who are to come and that is the disquieting feature of it all.” SO P TN OFFICER SEEKS DIVORCE | Col. Stanley Koch, commander of the | 4th Cavalry at Fort Meade, S. Dak has filed suit for divorce from the | former Kathryn Humphries of Wash- | ington, whom he married here in 1921. The suit was filed in Bozeman Mont., Thursday, according to the As- sociated Press Col. Koch charged extreme cruelty | and habitual intemperance. Koch was assigned to the staff of the chief of Remount Service, Cavalry, when he met Miss Humphries. The two were last on tour in Washington in 1927. NARGOTICS BILL FORD. C. OFFERED House Measure Seeks to| Regulate Making Sale and Possession. Chairman Palmisano of the House District Committee yesterday intro- duced in the House the narcotic con- trol bill recommended by the District Commissioners. The measure would regulate the manufacturing, dispens- ing. selling and possession of narcotic drugs in the District. It would make the uniform narcotics act applicable to the Capital. During the second last Congress similar session of bills were the in- troduced in the Senate and House at | the request of the District Commis- sioners. The Senate draft passed both House and Senate but was amended | in the House and Congress adjourned before conferees could adjust the dif- ferences. The only present provisions in the District law dealing with narcotic drugs are found in two sections of the pharmacy law, which dates back to 1908 and was amended in 19807 and 1927. One of these sections pro- vides that certain specified drugs shall not be sold, furnished or given AWay except upon the written pre- scription of a lawfully authorized practitioner of medicine, dentistry or vetinary medicine. The other section prohibits prescribing of narcotic drugs those addicted to the use of such drugs unless the person prescribing | does so for the cure of drug addic- tion or for the treatment of diseases, injury or deformity This section also prohibits a dentist from prescrib- ing for the use of a person not un- der treatment in the regular course of his profession and prohibits a practitioner of veterinary medicine furnishing or prescribing narcotic drugs for the use of human beings There is no provision in the exist- | ing District law prohibiting the manu- | facture or possession of narcotic drugs in the District The Harrison narcotic act is ap- plicable to the District, but being a revenue measure a number of situa- tions arise with respect to the manu- facture, sale and possession of nar- | cotic drugs that are not covered by the Harrison law. BAND CONCERT. By the Soldiers' Home Band in the bandstand at 7 o'clock tonight. John §. M. Zimmerman, bandmaster. An- ton Pointner, assistant. the | for | SUFFRAGE DRIVE FORD. C. LAUNCHED BY CITIZEN GROUP Committee of Business and Civic Leaders to Plan Procedure. BALLOT ON OFFICIALS IS IMMEDIATE OBJECTIVE Vigorous Debate on Representa- tion Precedes Decision—Next Meeting Set for Sept. 17. Launching a drive to arouse city- wide support of a demand upon Con- gress to grant the vote to the Capital, a group of citizens meeting in the board room of the District Building last night organized the District of Columbia Suffrage Association, with & mandate for immediate action. The temporary chairman of the committee, Wilbur Finch, was in- structed to appoint a committee of from 11 to 15 members to draw up a plan of procedure to be presented at another meeting scheduled for September 17, After a vigorous debate, it was de- cided that the first interest of the association should be local suffrage for the District, with the right to vote for officials now appointed by the White House, with the ultimate objective of obtaining the necessary support for the pending constitutional amendment giving the District a voice in national affairs. Finch Outlines Plans. “We are out to Americanize the national capital,” said William Maio, president of the Southeast Citizens Association, who presented to the meeting the resolution outlining the procedure for establishment of the Finch Committee Explaining how he would choose his committee, Finch said: “I will appoint a committee of as representative a group of people as is possible under the limitation of num- bers, giving each organization in the city as much representation as the maximum of 15 or the minimum of 11 will permit. I will choose the mem- bers through consultation with mem- bers of the organizations of business men, citizens' associations and other groups.” | It was suggested from the floor:of | the meeting that the committee should include representatives of the busi- ness associations, citizens' associations, the Central Labor Union, the Phrent | Teacher Asociation and colored | groups. Two Issues Vie. Vigorous disagreement on the question of whether the first objec- tive should be national representa- tion for District citizens or local suf frage threatened continually to d rupt the meeting, and was brought to & head when John Paul Jones, vice president of the Federation of Business Men's Associations, moved to strike out from Mayo’s resolution all reference to local suffrage. Jones' | amendment was beaten by 18 to 30. | Opposing Jones’ proposal, William | | McK. Clayton, one of the most ac- | tive members of the Federation of Citizens’ Associations, told the meet- | ing it might lead the new-formed | | association into the semblance n!" treading on the toes of the Citizens’ | Joint Committee for National Rep- resentation, headed by Theodore W.| Noyes | “I would throw no monkey wrench into the machinery of that organiza- tion,” Clayton said. “The only thing that could be inferred from our ac- tion if we devoted ourselves to insur- ing national representation is that we are not satisfied with what it is do- ing. We don't want to hurt its plans in any way. We want to embark on an unexplored trail. We want to get a ballot box here We want something now. A hungry man wants | bread now.” Sees Help for Committee. “If we throw our efforts behind those of the other organization, we are helping it.” Jones replied. | “This amendment.” Jones said in| support of his proposal, “will give us everything.” “Sure, 20 years from now," inter- jected Louis I. Obergh, an attorney “If we had had national representa- tion,” insisted Jones, “would the Sen- ate have passed the revenue bill with its income tax for the District today? No. If we had had local suffrage, would the Senate pave passed it? Yes.” ALL KITTEN.S WELCOME Even “Alley Cat” Variety to Get Chance Here Next Saturday. Even the “alley cat” variety will be welcome at a Kitten show to be held under the auspices of the Columbian Cat Fanciers, Inc., at the Lewis Hotel Training Schools next Saturday. There is a special place for the “al- ley cat” Kittens on the program. Prizes and trophies will be awarded for sev- eral different classes of kittens. The public is invited to enter kittens for the show. Detailed information may be obtained by telephoning Lincoln 1967 or Cleveland 7581 | | Sanctity of Personal Mail Will Be Respected by Bureau The sanctity of personal mail is to be respected by the Commerce De- partment, it was made known today as a result of a departmental teapot tempest over a memorandum to Bu- reau of Fisheries employes notifying them they had better arrange to have personal mail sent home, as all mail Teceived at the department would be opened in the mail room. The “threat” that personal mail would be opened, said to have been made in an office memorandum from the Bureau of Pisheries, was charac- terized by department official fortunate” and “impolitic." not, be carried out, they said, and per- sonal mail will not be opened The incident is said to have grown out of a routine notice sent through | the department from the office of the | chief clerk last March requesting em- ployes to have personal mail sent to their homes. Such ‘“reminders” are circulated at intervals in most gov- ernmental departments, it was pointed | out, in an effort to relieve depart- mental mail clerks of a heavy burden of non-official mail. 4 “In a department as large as Com- merce,” it was explained, “there is a tremendous amount of mail to be handled daily, and if there is any large amount of purely personal mail, it just adds to the burden and may become s0 troublesome as to delay official business.” The memorandum of last March, it was revealed, was merely a request to all employes, which said: *To relieve the department of the work involved |and to effect prompt delivery, it is | requested that employes, so far as possible, have their personal mail ad- | dressed to their residences.” The notice to Bureau of Fisheries employes contained a paragraph read- ing: “So that there will be no fur- ther misunderstanding, all incoming | mail, including mail marked ‘personal’ or ‘confidential,’ will be opened and stamped in the mail room.” The Fisheries notice, department officials said, apparently was issued in an effort to strengthen the earlier notice by “putting teeth” into the re- Quest, Music Protests W.P. A. Cuts As 70 Jobless Give Concert Giuseppe Creatore leading his musical “protest” LONG-HAIRED maestro with | his 70 unemployed musicians| hand did he lead, but Creatore #emed | turned Lincoln Park into a concert theater last night. They said they were protesting against their dismissal from W. P. A. music projects in Philadelphia and New York City and the dismissal of thousands of others from Government | relief employment rolls. They complained not with placard- bearing pickets nor the sit-down strike. They protested with Souza, Herbert, Rossini and Bizet. Their instruments were their weapons, and with them they captured more than 500 who crowded around the improvised band- stand to listen to the protest. It was a mixed audience they played to. Young and old, rich and poor, tramp and white-collar worker—all listened enthusiastically and cheered wildly at the close of each selection. The conductor was Guiseppe Crea- tore. His Washington audiences of a quarter century ago would hardly have | recognized the man, but they would have recognized his mastery of his men, even though they were musicians whom he had never faced before with his baton. His arrangement of the “William Tell” overture, too. would have stirred the memory of some. His excerpts from “Carmen” would have struck even a more responsive chord. —Star Staff Photo. Not only with his baton and free to bring forth an extra fullness with | | his iron grey hair which normally | hung over his collar but with the | | swaying of his body would sweep | wildly through the air and frequently | over his face. His men, all of them lifelong mu- sicians who know no other trade, plaved on for two hours, frequently to the rumbling accompanyment of a | passing street car and the honk of | an automobile. Not long after the music started, several members of the United States Navy Band, who said they used to play with some of the men on “stage,” were seen scattered through the au- dience. | ©One of them said they had come | over after their concert to greet some of their old friends, “This is real music. I'd like to | hear more of it,” he remarked. Creatore and his unemployed lhnw?d low as they were applauded | after their final number. They had the stage bearing of the real musisians they are. Where are they going from here? They say they are going back to Philadelphia and New York and prob- ably continue their jobless existence— unless they are reinstated on Govern- ment music projects. BARNARD RITES SET FOR TODAY Services for Retired Head' of D. C. Penal Institutions to Be in Pohick Church. Funeral services for Capt. Morris Macy Barnard, 75, retired general superintendent of District penal in- stitutions, were to be held at 5 p.m. today in the Pohick (Va.) Episcopal Church, following a brief service a half hour earlier at his late residence, Dunmovin, near Pohick. Capt. Barnard died late Thursday at his home. Rev. C. A. Langston, rector, officiate at the church services and Rev. F. L. Morrison, Methodist minis- ter at Occaquan, will officiate at the services at the home. This service is to be attended only by members of | the family and close friends The list of honorary pallbearers includes prominent officials and other | | close friend of Capt Barnard. active pallbearers list consists of em- ploves of the reformatory and work house. The District Commissioners yester- day adopted a resolution expressing regret over Capt. Barnard's death and praising his long service. The resolu- tion read, in part “Capt. Barnard entered the service of the District of Columbia as an assistant superintendent of penal in- stitutions on December 25, 1916. He served in that capacity until Novem- ber 1, 1923, when he was promoted | to the position of general superintend- ent. Upon reaching the compulsor retirement age of 70 years he w continued in the service by authority of an executive order exempting him | from the provisions of the law govern- ing compulsory retirement. Capt. Barnard served as general superin- teadent until April 30, 1937, when he retired at his own request “Under his supervision, the Dis- trict of Columbia Penal Institutions at Occoquan and Lorton were regard- ed for many years as models of the open unwalled type of institution. In the administration of the penal in- stitutions, Capt. Barnard proved him- self possessed of great common sense and practical good judgment in the handling of prisoners. He was al- | ways kindly, although firm and reso- lute when necessary, and while he | had in mind the necessary custody of the prisoners who were intrusted | to his keeping he had in mind also | the eventual return of most of th'v; prisoners to the community, and the | desirability of returning them with such attitudes that, if possible, they would become useful and law abid- ing citizens. “As a public official he won the respect and regard of the whole com- munity. “The Commissioners adopt this resolution as a mark of respect to his memory and of the sincere regard for the inestimable services which he rendered to the District government.” BEACH SCENE OF HIKE Wanderbirds to Learn of Shells at Plum Point. The Wanderbirds Hiking Club will foraage the woods for a hike along the beach at Plum Point, Md., tomorrow, with Dr. Titus Ulke, geologist, as their guests to explain the various shell formations. The hikers will leave at 9 a.m. from 1416 F street and return about 5 p.m. R. M. Petta announced. The group will take lunches and swim, it was said, | i will | The | ELECTRICITY RATE TRIM FOREGAST Half Million to Be Cut From | D. C. Charges in January, Elgen Says. At least a half million dollars will | be cut from Washington's electric bill, already the second lowest in the | Nation, next January, Public Utilities ;Commissioner Riley E. Elgen prom- | ised yesterday. “It's no secret that the rate will have to be cut under the sliding scale agreement,” FElgen said.’ “The ex- act amount of the cut can't be de- termined yet, of course, but it will be at least as much as the cut in January when reductions totaling | $504.021 were ordered.” Elgen said he did not wish to en- gage in a controversy with Repre- sentative Walter Pierce of Oregon, who charged on the floor of the House | that the Potomac Electric Power Co. | was exacting “unconscionable profits” from local taxpayels and failing to | pay adequate taxes. Pierce said fail- ure to properly tax local utilities is costing the District $2,000,000 a year. “Taxes paid by ‘the utilities are fixed by Congress.” Elgen said. “The commission has no power to fix the rate of utility taxation.” $6,765,302 in Cuts Ordered. Elgen pointed out that since 1924, when only eight out of 95 large cities charged higher electricity rates than were paid in the District, reductions totaling $6,765.302 have been ordered by the commission. As a result the Federal Trade Commission recently reported that Washington's rate is the | second lowest in the country. “Our rate is so low now it is no longer comparable with the rates charged by privately owned electric power companies in other large cities,” Eigen said. “For comparative rates we use those of the municipally owned | power companies which make no profit.” Washington's rate in the 25-kilo- watt-hour class, Elgen pointed out, is 98 cents. Only Cleveland, which has a munidipal power plant, is lower with an 88-cent rate. In the 100-kilowatt-hour elass Washington's rate of $3.10 compares with $2.80 in Kansas City, Mo.; $2.12 in Takoma, Wash.; $3.02 in Spring- field, Ill. $3.05 in Cleveland, and $3.04 in Los Angeles. In all the | other cities the power company is | municipally owned. U. S. Pays 1 Cent Per K. W. H. Elgen pointed out the Federal Gov- ernment pays the P. E. P. Co. only 1 cent per kilowatt hour for the power it consumes. Without commenting on the ade- quacy of taxes paid by the company, Elgen said: “Out of every dollar listed on local electric bills, 13 cents is for Federal and District taxes. The average for the country is 14 cents.” It was pointed out at the District Building that any increase in utility taxes would have to come from the company’s excess profits which now | are ploughed back to the public in | the form of reduced rates. | Vacation Is Officer's Reward. EVANSTON, Ill. (#.—Ten times in | more than a month a burglar has | entered Evanston homes, pulled down | the blinds and ransacked the. places after helping himself to food #nd drink in the ice box. The crimes were petty, but irritating to police. 80, Chief William O. Freeman offered AIRPORT BILL HELD KEY TO EXPANSION OF PRESENT BASE Officials Reported Ready to Spend $500,000 for New Runways. SUBSTITUTE SPECIFIED FOR MILITARY ROAD Measure Would Permt Corpora- tion Farm and Lagoon Areas in Development, BACKGROUND— An “ultimatum” from airline pilots on July 7 that they will re= fuse to fiy from Washington Air= port unless safety conditions are improved within 60 days precipi- tated greatest local airport crisia in 11 years of agitation for an ade- quate air terminal here. District dirport Commission a few days later, after 14 months of delibera- tion, recommended a site at Camp Springs. Md., for a Federal airport. Opposition of the Navy is believed to have doomed this site, An improvement program which will make Washington Airport “adequate and safe” for all types of alr trans- port operations for years to come will be undertaken immediately if Con- gress enacts a bill introduced late yesterday to close Military road and transfer to the airport part of the Arlington Experimental Farm and the Boundary Channel lagoon, it was promised today by airport officials. It has been reported the airport is willing to pay up to $500,000 for new runways and other improvemants re- garded as necessary to make the local fleld adequate for the operation of new high-speed airliners. “If this bill is passed,” Samuel J. Solomon, manager of the airport, said, “we will undertake a construction program which will give Washington an airport capable of taking care of all local needs for years to come.” The bill, introduced in the House by Representative Andrew J. May of * Kentucky, member of the House Mili- tary Affairs Committee, would trans- fer to the National Airport Corp. the Military road right of way, totaling nearly 4 acres and would permit it to lease for $1 a year 53 acres of the Arlington farms and to lease for the same amount the entire lagoon area, with the right to fill the water area. Substitute Road Specified. The airport corporation would be required to pay not to exceed $25.- 000 to the Arlington County Board for construction of a substitute road around the airport and might be re- quired by the War Department to widen and deepen Boundary Chan- nel and construct a seawall along the 1.500-foot lagoon front which it would fill. The May bill was introduced & few hours after the Aeronautics Subcom= mittee of the House Naval Affairs Committee had voted unanimously to Oppose construction of a local air- port at Camp Springs, Md. The sub- committee voted to recommend that the full committee should take all possible steps to block the Camp Springs project on the ground that it would destroy the usefulness of a $1,000,000 Navy radio project now under way at Cheltenham, Md., three miles from the airport site. Defeat of the Camp Springs project was predicted at the Capitol today as & result of the subcommittee action. This would leave Washsington with no hope of an improvement of the local alrport situation except the possible improvement of Washington Airport, it was explained. The May bill, referred to the Mili- tary Affairs Committee, authorizes and directs the Secretary of War to convey a quitclaim deed to the Na- tional Airport Corp. for the portion of Military road between United States Highway No. 1, at the Virginia ap- proach to Highway Bridge, and the boundary of the Arlington Experi- mental Farm. The right of way is 70 feet wide and the tract includes 3716 acres. The remainder of the road between the farm boundary and the underpass at the Pennsylvania Railroad siding, would be leased to the airport for $1 a year for a perfod not to exceed 50 years and “only for such period as the adjoining land shall be used for an airport.” The conveyance and lease would not become effective until the airport corporation had paid “not to exceed $25.000" to the Board of Commis- sioners of Arlington County for con- structioon of a substitute road, Lease Not Over 50 Years, The Secretary of Agrictulture is authorized and directed to lease to the airport, “under such terms and conditions as he may prescribe,” the portion of Arlington farms east of the Pennsylvania Railroad siding. The lease would be for not to excesd 50 years, at $1 a year, and only while the airport remained in operation as an airport, The Boundary Channel lagoon lease was under the same conditions, for 50 years at $1 a year while used for alrport purposes. The Secretary of War is authorized to lease to the air- port the portion of the bed of tne Potomac River adjoining ‘the airport, extending about 1,500 feet upstream from the Boundary Channel Bridge. The lease would stipulate that the airport, “if deemed necessary by the Secretary of War,” would be required to widen and deepen Boundary Chan- nel proper and construct a retaining wall along the entire frontage, with- out expense to the Government. The water area which would be added to the airport under the terms of the bill, it is said, would be larger than has been contemplated under any of the earlier proposals for en- largement of Washington Airport, be- ginning with those of the Bingham Commission nearly six years ago. Details of the runway layout which would be constructed have not yet been worked out, Soloman said The Commerce Department now is drafting instructions to airlines pro- hibiting operation of large, high- speed airliners at Washington Air- port under wind and weather condi- tions which are considered dangerous with the present layout. The War partment has notified the Com- Merce Department that airliners are atiliberty to use the new Bolling Field & week's vacation with pay to the officer who captures the burglar. \ wi conditions at. Washington Air- re regarded as hazardous.