Evening Star Newspaper, April 23, 1940, Page 1

Weather Forecast Occasional rain tonight and tomorrow; not much change in temperature; low= est tonight about 44. Temperatures to- day—Highest, 57, at 2 pm 38, at 5:45 a.m.; 49 at 10:30 am. From the United States Weather Bureau report. lowest, Full details on Page A-2 Closing New York Markets, Page 16. 88th YEAR. No. 35,056. lerce Fighting to North of Oslo; wedes Fear Invasion Is Imminent British Meet Nazis Near Trondheim, Shell Narvik By the Associated Press. STOCKHOLM, April 23.—The newspaper Allehanda reported from the Swedish west coast that two violent naval hattles were raging today in the Skag- errak, with both surface and air forces involved. The thunder of cannonading, it said, indicated the severest fighting 80 far off the Swedish coast. At-least 10 destroyers raced past the battle area with their guns roaring, the newspaper said and dis- appeared within a few minutes. The newspaper said the battle apparently began with an attack on a transport fleet and that many fighting planes were involved. ‘Warships Shell Narvik. Attempts of the British-French al- lies to wrest the important Norwe- gian ports of Narvik and Trondheém from German hands appeared near- Ing a showdown, with the for- mer under bombardment from the sea and the latter threatened with encirclement by land. Narvik's population took cover at the British broadcast warning that the city was to be shelled, and British naval forces turned their guns on the German garrison, seem- ingly isolated in the Arctic town. Four hundred miles to the south & battle of major proportions ap- peared to be brewing as British, French and Norwegian troops, at- tempting to close a semi-circle around Trondheim, engaged in a widening series of engagements with its Nazi defenders. (The British war office report- ed that a ‘“sharp engagement” ‘was being fought north of Trond- heim. (A communique said: (“Operations in Norway are pro- ceeding in co-operation with the Norwegian forces. (“In the south our troops, in conjunction with the Norwegians, are resisting enemy pressure. (“North of Trondheim our troops have been counter-at- tacked, and a sharp encounter ensued.”) Parachute Troops Trapped. Swedish newspaper correspondents also asserted that the Germans had dropped parachute troops at Dovre. 10 miles southeast of Dombas, in a desperate and unsuccessful effort to | seize control of the railway. These reports said the parachute troops had been surrounded by Nor- wegian patrols, who killed or cap- tured the entire detachment. The German prisoners, it was said, ex- prssed surprise when told by the Norwegians that British and French troops were fighting in Norway. The British apparently were clos- ing in rapidly on Trondheim from their landing points at Andalnes, 100 miles to the south, and Namsos, and equal distance to the north. The main force of British troops working out on Namsos was re- ported to have reached Steinkjer, 50 | miles from Trondheim. Strong British forces also were said to have pushed northward from Andalsnes to Storen, 25 miles below Trondheim. Landing Unsuccessful. German destroyers stationed at Trondheim were reported to have landed troops in the northern part of Trondheim Fjord in an attempt to cut communications between the British forces at Steinkjer and Trondheim. The effort was said, however, to have been unsuccessful. Fierce fighting between allied and German advance guards was re- ported between Steinkjer and Stick- lestad, a tiny village 20 miles to the south, where contact was estab- lished yesterday. The allied force was said to include French troops and Canadian ski detachments. Sharp skirmishes also were re- ported between covering forces at Melhus, 20 miles south of Trond- heim, and at several points further east. Swedish observers believed these engagements were the prelude to a battle of major proportions, The fortress of Hegra, east of Trondheim on the railway connect- ing that port with the Swedish fron- tier, was understood still to be in Norwegian hands. Swedish versions of the situation at Narvik indicated the German force there was virtually trapped. Combined British and Norwegian forces there were said to have en- circled the city by land, while the British fleet controlled the sea ap- proaches. A detachment of Germans who attempted to drive north from Narvik were said to have been cut off at Gratangen Fjord, Cromwells Expecting Heir in August By the Associated Press. OTTAWA, Ontario, April 23— James H. R. Cromwell, United States Minister to Canada, disclosed today that he and Mrs. Cromwell, the former Doris Duke, expect the birth of a child in August. Confronted with reports that a child was expected, Mr. Cromwell authorized his secretary to announce “that information can be con- firmed.” Only yesterday the Minister an- nounced he would resign his post May 21, the date of the primary election in New Jersey, where he seeks the Democratic nomination as United States Senator. ¢ May Be on the Stockholm Reported | Bpecial Dispatch to The Star. PARIS, April 23.—Rumors of Swedish origin are thick here today that a landing of German troops in Sweden is imminent—if it has not already happened. (Copyright, 1940. by the Chicago Daily News, Inc.) “Important Events” Near. PARIS, April 23 (#) —French military authorities declared today that the Swedish position had be- come the “dark side” of the Scandi- navian war situation, and *“impor- tant events” appear imminent. A spokesman at the War Min- istry’s daily press conference said that the Swedes are understood to be alarmed by indications that the Germans, extending their invasion of Scandinavia, would overflow from Denmark and Norway into Swedish territory. The warning apparently was in- Roosevelt Disavows Significance in Talks With Mackenzie King Canadian Prime Minister In Warm Springs for Two-Day Visit By JOHN C. HENRY, Star Staff Correspondent. WARM SPRINGS, Ga., April 23.— Against the background of an ex- traordinary warning to the press from White House attaches that no questions of joint Canadian-Ameri- can policy are under discussion, President Roosevelt today received ‘W. L. Mackenzie King, Prime Min- ister of Canada, for a two-day visit here. South on a vacation, the head of Canada’s war government was driven heresfrom Atlanta in a White House car, accompanied by Cnpt.' Daniel J. Callahan, naval aide to the President. His own secretary |and a State Department aide also were in the party, and Mr. Macken- zie King will be the personal guest of Mr. Roosevelt until his departure late tomorrow afternoon. Apparently aware that the Do- minion head’s visit already had stirred wide speculation that nu- merous important matters of com- mon concern to both countries were on the discussion agenda, President Roosevelt instructed his secretary, William D. Hassett, to inform news- papermen that he “hoped that no unwarranted conclusion, deductions or assumptions would be drawn from Mr. Mackenzie King'’s visit. “It literally means nothing, Significance Denied. “Mr. Mackenzie King and the President are old friends. They have known each other for 30 years. Every spring, when the Canadian Parliament is in adjournment, Mr. King takes a trip South for a rest and a holiday, and he always comes to see the President. “There never has been anything of political significance in these visits and there isn’t in this one. “It would not be good for the American position for Mr. Macken- zie King to give out any statement or to be interviewed while he is on & purely vacation trip. “No question of American or Ca- nadian policy is involved in this visit.” Problems Pending. Despite the curtain thus being drawn officially across Mr. Macken- zie King's presence in the United States, it cannot be denied that Canada’s participation in the Euro- Pean war and other ramifications of that conflict have created problems not yet fully adjusted between this Nation and our northern neighbor. One such subject is the status of Greenland, technically a possession of Denmark and definitely a part of the Western Hemisphere. With Den- mark now under “protection” of Nazi Germany, the governments of the United States, Canada and Great Britain have watched intently for any effort to extend German in- fluence into this continent. Quite probably if such were attempted the (See ROOSEVELT, Page A-2.) In Norway and Denmark By the Associated Press. LONDON, April 23—The Air Ministry announced today that the Royal Air Force bombed German air bases in Denmark and Norway last night. Incendiary bombs started a large fire on an airdrome in Norway, the announcement said. One British plane failed to return. An Air Ministry communique said: “Royal Air Force aircraft carried out further attacks on enemy air bases in Norway and Denmark dur- ing last night. “Airdromes at Kjeller and Fornebu, near Oslo, were bombed. Incendiary bombs were seen to start a jarge fire at Fornebu. “Aalborg was also further at- tacked. “German claims that four British aircraft were shot down during last night’s operation are false. One ch British Raid Nazi Air Bases| WASHINGTO WITH SUNDAY MORNING EDITION Paris Hears German Troops Move to Have Rejected Demand to Ship Supplies tended to prepare the French public for any spectacular new develop- ment. The diplomatic commentator Pertinax wrote in the newspaper L'Ordre that Sweden had rejected German demands for the right to send supplies through Sweden to Nazi forces in Norway and to use j Swedish telegraph and telephone lines. (There has been no confirma- tion for this.) Concerned by indications that large quantities of contraband goods are being slipped into Germany by neutral airlines, France and Great Britain are studying a plan to ex- tend their sea blockade of the Reich to the air. Disclosure that some form of “aerial policing” is contemplated was made by France’s Blockade Minister, Georges Monnet, who announced that he had submitted a plan of Annenberg Pleads Guilty fo Income Tax Evasion Government to Drop Charges Involving All But $1,217,296 By the Associated Press. CHICAGO, April 23—M. L. An- nenberg, defendant in the largest criminal Federal income tax case in history, pleaded guilty today to evading $1,217,296.73 of income taxes for the year 1936. The plea by the wealthy Phila- delphia publisher and former head of an international racing news em- pire was entered to the fifth count of an indictment accusing him of evading $3.258.809.97 in taxes for the years 1932 to 1936, inclusive. Fifty per cent penalties and 6 per cent interest would bring to $5548,- 384.89 the aggregate which the Fed- eral Government claimed against him, Hafner Pleads Guilty. A plea of guilty to the fifth count also was entered by Joseph Hafner, alias Samuel Goldfarb, a business associate of Annenberg, who, with 11 others, was accused of aiding and abetting the publisher in the alleged evasion. William J. Campbell, United States district attorney, informed Federal Judge James H. Wilkerson before a packed courtroom that the Attorney General had directed him to advise the court that at the time of sentencing Annenberg and Haff- ner the Government intended to dismiss all other counts of the in= dictment and other income tax in- dictments against them. “The Government,” he contin- ued, “has not agreed to make any recommendation as to the sentence to be imposed on the foregoing pleas of guilty.” Weymouth Kirkland, chief of the (See ANNENBERG, Page A-5) Reds and Cards Lose Two Games to Flood By the Associated Press. CINCINNATI, April 23. — The Ohio River won today's baseball game—and tomorrow’s—from the St. Louls Cards and Cincinnati Reds. The Reds called both contests off as the flood, rising above 58 feet, covered the outfield of Crosley Field. Another foot will put home plate under and a 60-foot stage, forecast for tomorrow, will submerge the pitcher’s mound. (Flood story or Page A-4.) Summary of Page. Page. Amuse- Obituary .._A-10 ments ____A-11| Radio . Comics __B-16-17 | Society Editorials _._A-8|Sports .. Finance _.__A-15( Woman's Lost, Found.-B-12| Page “Trail's End,” @ new serial, begins today on page B-12. The final chapter of “Repu- tation” is found on the same page. Foreign Swedes fear Nazi invasion near, Paris says. Page A-1 Naval battle reported raging in Skagerrak. Page A-1 Germans admit direct fighting in Central Norway. Page A-1 Tientsin Americans hard hit by blockade, Japan told. Page A.5 Duff-Cooper urges war on whole German people. Page A-5 National Mackenzie King sees Roosevelt today at Warm Springs. Page A-1 Fleming, Wallace criticize wage- hour amendments. Page A-3 Nichols sees new tax legislation as dead. Page B-1 Washington and Vicinity Tax Board takes income case under advisement. British aircraft only has failed to return.” <* Reich Is Reported Massing Troops At Baltic Ports By the Associated Press. LONDON, April 23.—A British news agency (Reuters) dispatch from Stockholm said today a fierce battle was reported raging in the heart of Norway for pos- session of the “gateway” to Oslo, where the great Gudbrandsdal Valley enters the southern plain near Lillehammer. The dispatcn aiso quoted the newspaper Aftonbladet’s correspon- dent in Kaunas as saying that com- prehensive military preparations are in full swing on Germany’s Baltic Coast. Masses of troops, arms and am- munitions were reported arriving at ports in the Memel region and in East Prussia from other parts of Germany. Civilians were barred from these ports, which are strongly guarded. The Reuters dispatch quoted a Swedish message from Roros as say= ing that British and Norwegian troops attacking in the direction of Hamar, 30 miles south of Lilleham- mer, have reached Moelv despite strong German resistance. Further east, German forces which had been thrusting north from Elverum toward Rena are now re- ported retiring before British and Norweglan pressure. Nazis Boast of Damage In Andalsnes Bombing BERLIN, April 23 (#)—Direct fightingbetween British and German troops in Norway was admitted here today for the first time by author- ized German sources who previously had spoken only of sea and air battles. The fighting was reported as ap- pearing in Central Norway. The destruction of Andalsnes by German warplanes Sunday was achieved by an all-day raid, ac- cording to information received by the high command. Andalsnes, a British debarkation point, is south of Trondheim. The high command reported Ger- man bombers raced over the port in continuous waves, unloading bomb after bomb on the disembarking British troops, who jumped, panic- stricken, into the water to escape burning to death on transports set afire. According to them, the Britons' greatest disappointment came when a destroyer which was to ward off the German planes sank before their eyes after being hit squarely. Warehouses Set Aflame. The high command said An- dalsnes Harbor was demolished and its big warehouses set aflame or de- stroyed, German losses were said to have been negligible. The high command acknowledged that British warships again had pounded Narvik, one of the first Nazi footholds in Norway, but allied attempts to bolster the British- French-Norwegian forces in Norway were said to have been balked by crippling sea losses. The communique today listed one British destroyer sunk and another hit, one transport sunk and another destroyed by fire. “The submarine hunt in the Kat- tegat ylelded another success,” ft said, and “a supply steamer in con- voy destined for Norway” was tor- pedoed off the west coast port of Standlandet. Earlier, German dispatches had reported 14 British transports and warship sunk or damaged in the past two days. The high command also reported a Norwegian patrol boat destroyed. Although the British bombarded Narvik, it declared, there still was no allied attempt to land in the far northern iron ore port.. German troops were said to have (See BERLIN, Page A-5.) Today’s Star Mrs. Roosevelt says District not a good place to live. Page A-1 Overton to push for $300,000 for school buildings. Page B-1 Senate refuses to consider auto liens transfer bill. Page B-1 Police precinct report system aids D. C. traffic safety. Page B-1 Editorial and Comment This and That. Page A-8 Answers to Questions. Page A-8 Letters to The Star. Page A-8 David Lawrence. Page A-9 Alsop and Kintner. Page A-9 G. Gould Lincoln. Page A-9 Constantine Brown. Page A-9 Jay Franklin. Page A-9 Sports Big leagues may cut season due to bad spring weather, Page A-12 Start heartens fans who picked Reds as repeaters. Page A-12 Penn, Drake, Colorado games to start outdoor track season. Page A-12 Central priming clever quartet for Penn relays. Page A-13 Preview Thursday to be big factor in Kentucky Derby. Page A-14 Miscellany Vital Statistics. Page A-16 Service Orders. Page A-16 Nature’s Children. Page B-8 Bedtime Story. Page B-16 Letter-Out. Page B-16 Winning Contract. Page B-16 Uncle Ray’s Corner. Page B-17 Crossword e, Page B-17 L » D. C, TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 1940—THIRTY-SIX PAGES. *** . Naval Battle Raging in Skagerrak, iy Py 3 2 100 Flee Flames At Apariment Here; Probe Launched Volunteer Rescuer Is Overcome by Smoke; Elevator Boy Hurt Police and Fire Department au- thorities today were investigating the origin of a two-alarm basement fire which hospitalized a volunteer | rescuer and routed about 100 resi- dents of the Oakland Apartments, 2006 Columbia road N.W., from their beds shortly after 3 o'clock this morning. Chilton Johnson, 32-year-old pri- vate detective of 1807 Biltmore street N.W., a passer-by, who turned in the alarm and then ran through the building waking up tenants, was overcome by smoke. He was carried unconscious to Emergency Hospital and dismissed after treat- ment. Mr. Johnson said he lost $58 in an unaccountable menne:. | A colored elevator boy, Fred Aus- tin, who occupied a rear basement room, received cuts on both hands when he beat his way through a window and a heavy wire screen. Boy Found Almost Exhausted. Miss Marion White, one of the apartment house owners, said the elevator boy was told to wait while a fireman broke in the window and screen. When the fireman came the boy was lying outside almost over- come with exhaustion. Miss White said the fire broke out in a basement storage room. Al- though the basement blaze did not spread, two large, stuffed chairs in the hallway of the first floor were burned, she declared. She said she believed the fire had been set de- lierately and that she had told police the name of the person she suspected. The refrigeration system, the ele- vator and some of the light and telephone connections were put out of commission, according to Miss White. Building Cleared of Residents. The five-story building was cleared of all residents, some of the children and older persons be- ing carried down the fire escapes by firemen or other tenants. The ten- ants, many of whom took refuge in an apartment house next door, were able to return to their apart- ments before dawn. Except for a smoked interior in the apartment immediately over the store room, the upstairs apartments were un- damaged. Nine fire engines and three fire trucks answered the two alarms, and a crowd of several hundred per- sons assembled. Police pointed out that the blaze was in the area terrorized by a “fire- bug” late in November, 1939. On the night of November 26, beginning shortly before 3 a.m., fires broke out in rapid succession in seven apart- ment houses within a four-block radius of Eighteenth street and Co- lumbia road N.W. Quick work by firemen, however, prevented serious damage or injury to residents. In mid-December, police arrested an 18-year-old colored boy and charged him with setting two fires in the 1300 block of Ninth street N.W. Florida Girls Dressed Like Spaniards Visit D. C. Mrs. Roosevelt predicted at her press conference today that the group of high school girls from Coral Gables, Fla, who presented her a Florida orchid earlier would get considerable attention around town. / She referred to them as “exciting- ly dressed.” The girls, who called themselves Cavaliettes, wore Span- ish costumes with sleek back satin trousers, bright red bolero jackets and wide black sombreros, from which red balls dangled. Mrs. Roosevelt was late at her press conference, as she explained it, because she “lost” a group some- where in the White House and fin- ally located them in the east room. ‘When . she got together with them, she bought the first ticket for the Democratic Club fete at the Shore- ham Hotel, May 4. More than 50 Barnard College students were guests at the White House last night. Mrs. Roosevelt said the girls discussed with her op- portunities in the Government for college girls. - Ganging Up! ¢ Foening Star ‘From Press to Home Within the Hour’ Most people in Washington have The Star delivered to their homes every evening and Sul () Means nday morning. Associated Pr. THREE CENTS. Texas Hailstorm Piles Up Stones Car-Fender Deep By the Associated Press. PARIS, Tex., April 23.—A 20- minute hailstorm, so heavy it piled stones fender deep against auto- mobiles, damaged homes, stores and trees an estimated $500,000 yesterday and injured two men. Melvin Williams, 32, a mechanic, suffered a broken back and Edwin Cothran a shoulder fracture. A building in which they were work- ing caved in, presumably from the weight of water. W. N. Furey, managing editor of the Paris Daily News, estimated the damage at more than $500,000. “It seemed like the bottom just dropped out snd it piled hailstones over the streets from curb to curb,” he said. Telephone circuits were disrupted. Kaufman, Tex., reported 50 per cent of the fruit crop stripped from the trees and some damage to build- ings. District Tax Board Takes Income Case Under Advisement Henning Refund Appeal To Await Action in Sweeney Test NEW D. C. TAX LEGISLATION held “dead” at this session of Congress. Page B-1 By DON S. WARREN. ‘The District Board of Tax Ap- peals today took under advisement the first appeal by a District resi- dent for a full refund of payment of the District’s personal income tax on the argument that he was not “domiciled” here although he has worked and resided here. District tax officials anticipate they will re- ceive a huge list of guch cases. At the same time, while District tax experts estimated they may re- ceive between $2,800,000 and $3,000,- 000 from the District’s corporate and personal income levies, some officials tempered optimism by re- calling that income taxpayers will have two years in which to file & claim for refund. It has been esti- mated, although no tabulation has yet been made, that perhaps 10 per cent of persons making income tax returns to the District made such ‘payments under protest at the time the returns were filed. Test Brought by Navy Worker. The first formal test of whether & Federal workers who came here D. C. Nota Good Place To Live, Declares Mrs. Roosevelt Advocating Suffrage, She Says Greatest Need Is For Active Citizenship Washington is not a good place to live, Mrs. Roosevelt said today, advocating District suffrage to get the people of Washington “really excited” about its evils. She told her press conference she hadn't yet evaluated the most strik- ing evil she had found on her tours of the city, “but what I get out of it is that the District for the aver- age citizen is not a good place to live.” Probably the greatest need in the District, she added, is for a very active citizenship. She said she thought having suffrage would make it more active. “At least I think it's worth try- ing,” she declared. “Anything to make the people of Washington really excited about the situation in the District.” Her only specific criticism at the conference was on the lack of an industrial safety code. She said she was shocked to find that the city didn't live up to any safety code, called it “a dreadful thing” and added that a safety code is elemen- tary in any industrial life, An Average City. Mrs. Roosevelt said that the Gov- ernment worker on the whole has a more secure existence here than in the field, but pointed out that Wash- ington is no longer restricted to Government workers, “no matter how much you would like it to be.” She emphasized that Washington has become an average city with the ordinary situation of any other city. Mrs. Roosevelt also warned at her press conference that the Nation was getting “an attitude of thz jit- ters.” Expressing alarm at growing fears of people in the United States, she declared: “Even with Norway’s experience I think we should be careful to oper- ate under the same rules we have always operated under and not give up the old procedures which were designed to protect our personal liberties.” She said she had the feeling that what had happened in many Euro- pean countries during the last few years has been the result of the fears people have lived under. She went on to say that she found many people in the United States now lay- ing stress on things which a year or two ago they wouldn’t have thought about or been afraid of.” “We must beware,” she declared, “lest in our anxiety to protect our- (See APPEAL, Page A-4) (See MRS. ROOSEVELT, Pg. A-4) Highly Efficient Plane Detection System Devised for U. S. Army War Department engineers have developed for practical military use what is believed to be the most suc- cessful method of airplane detec- tion yet devised. Col. L. B. Bender, chief of the research and development section of the Signal Corps, said last night that though the nature and exact details of the detecting method must remain a military secret, it is considered highly effective and its results go far beyond what ex- perts believed possible even five years ago. Col. Bender was one of three Sig- nal Corps officers to address mem- bers of the Washington section of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers in the auditorium of the Potomac Electric Power Co. Soon to Go Into Service. The new detector, Col. Bender said during the question period fol- lowing the speaking program, will be placed into service with the in- fantry units of the Army within a short time. The device is successful in lo- cating the range of planes to an efficiency of 2 or 3 per cent, he said, and can determine their position from both vertical and horizontal angles. In answer to a question on the method of laying temporary com- munication lines from a moving vehicle, Col. Bender stated that a device now has been developed from which wire is forced at a speed [y greater than the conveyor and tossed off the roadway, even into tops of trees. Maj. R. B. Moran, chief of the war plans and training division, who dis- cussed modern methods of field com- munications in an illustrated talk, said all tanks now are equipped with radio receivers, and transmitters. ‘The engineers also were informed that field units of the Army had little use for one-way radio equip- ment, using two-way systems almost exclusively Units Must Be Flexible. Maj. Moran pointed out the im- portance of keeping communication equipment of fighting units highly portable. “It must be light, extremely rugged, capable of being placed in operation quickly, capable of being dismantled for transportation and it must be as simple 1n operation as possible,” he said, adding that such requirements preclude the use of commercial equipment in most in- stances without considerable modi- fication. - Maj. Paul C. Gripper, chief of the plant and traffic division, said that there now are 90 radio stations pro- viding communication between the War Department and the headquar- ters of corps areas and departments, and between the latter and the more important posts within their juris- dictions. . F. W. Willcutt, chairman of the Technical Sessions Committee of the engineers, presided at the meeting. Reorganization ForD. C. Voted By House Group ‘Little Hatch Act’ Deletion Is Only Major Change BACKGROUND— Original Griffenhagen reor- ganization plan called for city manager and municipal depart- ments. Commissioners opposed and appointed “kitchen cabinet” to study problem, out of which came Seal proposals. Revising Seal plan, Commissioners sent it to Congress. Since then prob= lem has been to reconcile com= mission proposals with bill by Representative Kennedy of Mary= land based largely on Griffen= hagen proposals. By JAMES E. CHINN. The full House District Commit- tee today approved the modified plan for reorganizing the municipal government—a plan designed to ine crease efficiency and economy. Action was taken at an executive session that lasted nearly 214 hours and was attended by two members of the “kitchen cabinet” of the Commissioners—Corporation Coun=- sel Elwood Seal and Capt. H. C. Whitehurst, director of highways. The reorganization legislation now will be placed on the House calen- dar in time for consideration the next “District day,” May 13. The plan approved by the commit- tee is substantially the one recom- mended by the Commissioners and revised slightly by the Special Sub- committee on Reorganization, head- ed by Representative Kennedy, Democrat, of Maryland. It bears little resemblance to the original program for revamping the munici- pal machine as proposed by the Chicago firm of E. O. Griffenhagen & Associates, which made a com- prehensive study of the present sete up more than a year ago at the direction of the Senate and House District Committees. One Major Change. Only one major change was made | by the full committee in the reor- | ganization plan as finally approved ! by the subcommittee. It deleted en= tirely a section that would have es- tablished a “little Hatch Act in the District—a section forbidding mu- nicipal employes to participate in pernicious political activities. The committee decided such a provision had no place in a reorganization plan. The other charges, all minor in character, were made to clarify the reorganizatien bill. In final form, the modernization program will not disturb the top set- up of the municipal government. The Commissioners will continue as both the governing and policy=- making body with slightly increased powers. The revised plan, however, provides for the creation of an ad= ministrative assistant to the Com= missioners whose chief duty will be to make detailed studies and inves- tigations of all departments to en- able them to determine what future changes should be made in the mu= nicipal setup to increase efficiency and economy. 11 Departments. The plan also calls for a reshuf- fling and consolidation of the hete erogenous array of municipal agen= cies into 11 basic administrative de= partments which will be under the | general control of the Commis- | sioners. These departments would be: Finance, Law, Engineering and Public Works, Personnel, Police, Fire, Health, Insurance, Licenses, Public Welfare and Vehicles and Traffic, Another feature of the moderniza=- tion program would divorce the Bude get Bureau from its present control over the District budget. The reor= ganization bill specifically provides that the Commissioners shall submit the budget directly to Congress on the first day of each regular session. Although the proposed legislation gives the Commissioners authority to abolish or create any department or bureau or realign and consoldidate departments, this cannot be done without the specific authority of Congress. The bill provides the reorganiza- tion plan shall be put into effect by the Commissioners within 90 days after enactment of the legislation. The Original Plan. The original reorganization plan sponsored by Representative Ken- nedy was based on recommendations of the Griffenhagen firm. It called for sweeping changes in the exist- ing municipal setup. One of its fundamental proposals was the creation: of a city manager to serve as the executive head of the District, leaving the Commissioners to function as the governing body only. The Commissioners, in their own reorganization program, developed by the “kitchen cabinet” proposed creation of a paid council of nine citizens to advise them on tax, budget and legislative problems. The subcommittee, however, sjiked that recommendation before the revised plan reached the fuli committee. Approval by the full committee of the revised reorganization plan rep- resents a victory for Representative Kennedy, who for several years has fought for changes in the munici- pal machine that would increase its efficiency and at the same time save taxpayers of the District thousands of dollars a year. Norwegian Division’s Surrender Reported By the Associated Press. BERLIN, April 23—DNB, German official news agency, reported that the greater part of a Norwegian division surrendered today southeast of the Norwegian port of Stavanger, after heavy fighting in mountainous country. It was not possible immediately to estimate the number of prisoners or the extent of the material taken DNB added. ’