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WEATHER. " (TJ 8 Weather Bureau Forecast.) - . Fair, continued cold tonight; minimum lne Only evening paper temperature about 20 degrees; tomorrow, in Washinfftnn with lhp increasing cloudiness, rising temperature, A • ± j ® « W1 v, Ule followed by rain. Temperatures—High- ASSOCiated FreSS NeWS at618 an^ Wirephoto Services. Closing New York Markets, Page 18 Circulation, 141,238 85th YEAR. No. 33,895. "SSSA***t_WASHINGTON, D. C., WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 1937—FORTY PAGES. **** oe> Mean. A.aoci.ud p™.. TWO CENTS. " MINERS DEMAND WAGE INCREASES New Scale Submitted for 400,000 Coal Workers as Parley Opens. LEWIS BEGINS FIGHT AGAINST OPERATORS Firms’ Demand for Longer Work Week Resisted in Counter Proposal of Union. BACKGROUND— John L. Lewis split with the American Federation of Labor over his plan for organization of labor by industries, which was opposed by A. F. L.’s William Green, who holds to craft organization. Lewis and his sympathizers formed Committee for Industrial Organization and later were expelled from A. F. L. when they refused to drop separate labor campaigns. First big test of Lewis’ power came in General Motors strike. Only partially successful in negotiations there, Lewis announced he would turn his attention next to the coal and steel industries. Bj the Associated Press. NEW YORK, February 17.—The United Mine Workers today demand ed a 30-hour work week for 400,000 miners in the soft-coal industry. The mine union, opening negotia tions with bituminous operators on terms for a new wage and hour scale agreement, also demanded: 1. A wage increase of 50 cents a day for miners paid by the day. 2. An increase of 25 cents a ton for pick mining. 3. An incease of 13 cents a ton for coal loaders and 2 cents a ton for cutters. 4. A guarantee of 200 days' work each year. 5. Two weeks’ vacation with full pay—miners paid by the ton to re ceive $6 a day during vacations. The present contract ends March 31. Operators Seek longer Week. The miners’ demands contrasted With a proposal by the operators to extend the present 35-hour week to 40 hours, with no change in tonnage rates, but a 15 per cent cut in hourly gates. Philip Murray, vice president of the miners’ union, read the miners’ pro posals, which also called for a two-year contract, time and one-half for over time, creation of a joint miners-oper ators’ commission to adjust rates for machine mining and adjustment of wage differentials between and within districts. John L. Lewis, president of the Union, still pale from the bad cold he contracted while egotiating the settle ment of the General Motors strike, sat on the sidelines while his first lieuten ant read the demands. Long arley Seen. Previously the joint conference had j organized to start negotiations that j coal men generally expect will last— I with interruptions—until the deadline I at midnight March 31. About 200 miners and 200 operators assembled in the music room of a hotel here for the conference. Having won an agreement for the United Automobile Workers with the General Motors Corp., the C. I. O. head, who also is president of the United Mine Workers of America, now is setting out to obtain shorter hours and higher pay for his own soft coal miners. After this task is completed he ex pects to tackle steel—to try to win recognition for the Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel and Tin Workers as the exclusive representa tive of all steel mill employes. Strike Talk “Foolish”. The United Mine Workers' Journal called strike predictions "foolish” in an editorial printed yesterday. "No one knows whether there will be a suspension of operations on the first of April or any other date,” the editorial said. "Only time can determine that question and all of this wild guess work now being indulged in is the merest rot.” Lewis added, at a press conference last night in Washington: “I abhor strikes. We don’t plan any strikes now or in the future. If these negotiations are unsuccessful and the working agreement is not renewed, our men simply will be out of jobs.” The operators, contending that in creasing competition from fuel oil, ■ natural gas and hydroelectricfty makes reduction, of mine costs im perative, went Into the negotiations with a demand for an increase in the irork week from 35 to 40 hours with out change in weekly or tonnage pay rates. This would mean a cut of about 15 per cent in hourly rates. USE OF SIT-DOWN STRIKE IS DENOUNCED BY SIBLEY Chamber of Commerce Head Urges Responsibility on Labor Leaders for Acts. Br the Associated Press. > MILWAUKEE. February 17.—Har per Sibley, president ol the United States Chamber of Commerce, said labor leaden should be “held respon sible for their acts as fully as man agement Is today." Sibley, in an address to the Mil waukee Association of Commerce last night, characterized the sit-down strike as an adaptation of the force ful methods used in Europe for po litical ends. “One conviction seems clear to business management,” he said, “and that is that wherever through collec tive bargaining representatives are chosen by employes them can be no assurance that covenants mutually binding will be honored by both par ties until the leaders of labor are held responsible for their acts as fully as management is today 1 A Paul V. McNutt Nominated Philippines Commissioner - 4 Indianan Expects to Serve Not Much More Than Year. BY J. RUSSELL YOUNG. Paul V. McNutt, whose term as Governor of Indiana expired about a month ago, today was nominated by President Roosevelt to be high com missioner of the Philippines. This post, which was made vacant during the last campaign when Frank Murphy, at the request of the Presi dent, resigned to run for Governor of Michigan, is understood to have been accepted by McNutt with the under standing that he would serve not much more than a year. The high commisisonership, which pays $18,000 a year, was offered to the former Inriana Governor during a conference between President Roose velt and Mr. McNutt yesterday. McNutt, who was at the White House at the time his nomination was announced, said he would be busy in Washington for some time familiariz ing himself with his new duties and being on hand to talk with President Quezon of the Philippines, now in this country. He said he doubt( if he would be in a position to leave for his new post within the next month. McNutt’s friends look upon him as a pesidentlal possibility in 1940, and they have reason to know that Mc Nutt, for personal and political rea PAUL V. McNUTT. sons, would not want to be out of this country for the next four years. McNutt is tall and handsome, with wavy gray hair, is only 46 years old and before his election as Governor was national commander of the Amer ican Legion. He has been an ardent supporter of Roosevelt and a firm be liever in the New Deal and has fre (See McNUTT,-Page A^57) G. M. C. Labor Relations Officers to Be Quizzed Further. BY JOHN C. HENRY. Already Informed that Pinkerton operatives shadowed nearly a dozen j labor union officials or organizers and kept close track of activities of nearly as many labor organizations for Gen ; eral Motors Corp., the La Follette Committee today was planning to question labor relations officers of the Fisher Body and Chevrolet di i visions of the giant automotive con I cern. Alfred P. Marshall and Harry Burk, labor relations officers for these prin ! cipal divisions of the G. M. system, were scheduled to appear before the committee. Because Senator La Fol lette hoped to confer this morning j with Senator Byrnes, chairman of the I Senate Committee on Audit and Con ! tool, about the requested $50,000 ap ■ propriation for the investigating group, today’s hearings were deferred until afternoon. In addition to the disclosure that G. M. paid for ‘‘wholesale’’ surveil lance of union officers and organiza tions, the committee learned yester day that the corporation had pitted its detective service, that of Pinker ton, against the Corporations Auxili | ary Co., working for Chrysler Corp., i in a suspected incident of design j piracy. [ Testimony to this effect was given j (See LA FOLLETTE, Page A-5.) GOLD FROM ANTIPODES $1,250,000 in Australian Bullion Unloaded at Boston. BOSTON, February 17 {IP).—A ship ment of $1,250,000 in gold bullion was unloaded from the S. S. Taronga at Commonwealth Pier today under guard, placed in an armored truck and started over the road for New York. The shipment, comprising 22 boxes of bullion, weighing approximately two tons, was onsigned to the Federal Reserve Bank. The S. S. Taronga, arriving from Australia, also carried a $3,500,000 cargo of wooL LINDBERGHS OVERDUE BAGHDAD, February 17 UP).—Air port officials awaiting the arrival of Col. and Mrs. Charles A.' Lindbergh expressed anxiety today when the American flyers were half an hour overdue on the trip from Cairo. The officials said a sandstorm was blowing in the desert between Damas cus and Baghdad. Votes Uncounted Due to “Party” Probe Informed Woman Election Of ficial Testifies as to Captain. By the Associated Press. KANSAS CITY, February 17.—A socially-minded election official who was too interested in attending a party "to stick around all night counting ballots" was the identification given to one of five defendants today by a Government witness at a vote-fraud trial. The Government charges the five, first of 75 indicted to be tried, de frauded 162 voters in one of Kansas City’s 460 precincts. Concerning John Drummond, Demo cratic precinct captain, Mrs Tessie Mears, Republican precinct clerk, tes tified: "Several times I overheard him say be was going to a party that night (election night last November) and be didn’t want to stick around aU night counting ballots.” Mrs. Mears, who pleaded no de fense, said she saw no votes counted, but signed the certificates “because I was afraid not to” after another wom an official allegedly was driven from the polls. Kansas City went heavily Demo cratic last November, with many of the North Side precincts of the power ful Thomas J. Pendergast organisa tion reporting as little as one or two votes for the Republican candidates. A FASCISTS ADVANCE BY LAND AND AIR Sector Between Guadala jara and Valencia Routes Now Vital. By the Associated Press. | MADRID, February 17 (A*).—Insur j gents, battling to tear Madrid's web I of roads to the coast, pushed their land and air attack today deeper into : the territory east of the capital. i The sector between the trunk j Guadalajara and Valencia highways, 1 government commanders said, has be come the most important zone of the 1 civil war, the almost dally locale of | major battles. As far toward the coast as Tarran can, more than 45 miles southeast of j Madrid, they said, insurgent air squad ' rons repeatedly bomb and machine ] gun long stretches of highway. Counter Offensive Launched. Government troops, under their newly unified command, launched a counter-offensive on the Jarama front southeast of Madrid at 5 a.m. Jose Mlaja, the Madrid front supreme com I mander, said this afternoon- "It is safe to say things have changed. In [ stead of it being we who are trying to halt the enemy, it Is they who must defend themselves against our attack." Officers said they believed the insurgents have thrown their entire air reserves into the attempt to com plete the capital's isolation. Government troops are being massed in the Tajuna River valley in Northeast Guadalajara Province to confront an expected insurgent at tack against the Guadalajara-Cuenca road in that area, which, next to the Valencia road, is Madrid's best outlet to the sea. “Force Being Overpowered.” Government reports, however, de clared the Insurgent air force was being overpowered. Daily com muniques list numbers of enemy planes lost in aerial dogfights throughout the zone. The insurgent tactics, aviation officers reported, are to make sudden tours of the contested zone, bomb important towns and attempt to dis rupt highway traffic before the gov ernment fleet can appear. Such tours fail almost invariably, they said, because the swift, govern ment pursuit planes can get into action before the raids are completed. Government troops under the per sonal leadership ,of Gen. Jose Mlaja fought tenaciously today against in surgent thrusts at a strategic by-pass intersection with the Valencia road. They held fast after battling in surgents afoot and In the air, de termined to retain at any co6t their intrenched positions near Perales de Tajuna, about 20 miles southeast of Madrid. At that spot a secondary road cuts off from the main highway, allowing supply-bearing trucks to reach Madrid from Valencia and the Eastern Med iterranean section- over a detour to Alcala de Henares, on the northeast ern route to Guadalajara. The cut-off permits the transporta tion route to avoid the bitterly-dis puted Arganda Bridge, a few miles (See SPAIN, Page A-3.) MISSISSIPPI CREST REACHES VICKSBURG “Little Possibility of Any Danger’’ Seen by Official of River Commission. By the Associated Press. VICKSBURG, Miss., February 17.— The Mississippi River's flood crest reached Vicksburg today and tumbled harmlessly toward Natches on its course to the Gulf. Levees downstream were ready for the burden and Louisiana and Mis sissippi relief agencies combined to meet any emergency that might de velop, but Col. C. Dewitt Jones of the Mississippi River Commission said there was "little possibility of any danger." Upstream the river continued to drop and the Red Cron organized at Memphis for a $3,000,000 reha bilitation program for West Ken tucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, Ala bama and Louisiana flood victims. George E. Meyer, regional Red Cross director, said 128,000 persons had been affected by the flood in the Memphis area, and that his organiza tion was caring for 96,000, a fourth of them in concentration ca^ps. Gadola Calls Action of U. A. W. Leaders at Flint Con temptuous. OTHERS DISREGARDING COURT, HE DECLARES Hints General Motors May Be in Contempt if It Attempts to Have Action Dropped. B* the Associated Pres*.' FLINT, Mich., February 17.—Cir cuit Judge Paul V. Gadola, announc ing that auto strike leaders must ap pear personally to purge themselves of contempt citations for violation of an injunction granted to General Motors Corp., asserted today that "the court system cannot be treated as these men have treated it in the last few weeks.” The leaders he named include of ficers of the International Union, United Automobile Workers of Amer ica, and of its local units which en gaged in sit-down strikes in two Fisher Body plants and one Chevrolet de partment here. "Contemptuous Action." "Already.” the judge said, "we are beginning to see the results of their contemptuous action People who are being served with papers in less important law suits are laughing at the court officers and pointing out that the court was impotent to enforce its will upon the strikers and to pun ish them for non-obedience.” Writs of attachment for strikers and union leaders were obtained by General Motors attorneys February 4. Sheriff Thomas W. Wolcott delayed attempts to arrest the "stay-in” strikers pending negotiations in De troit which resulted in a peaceful set tlement February 11. The union men evacuated the plants under that Agreement in which General Motors consented to dismissal of injunction proceedings dependent upon "the will of the court.” G. M. C. Lawyers Confer. John Thomas Smith, general coun sel for General Motors, and Roy E. Brownell, of the corporation’s Flint counsel, confered with Judge Gadola yesterday. Judge Gadola said he told them that General Motors officials and attor neys "might find themselves liable for contempt citations," if they at tempted to persuade him to drop the action. He said he had no desire to "send any one to jail,” but asserted that the strike leaders must appear before him, "acknowledge the jurisdiction of the court and apologize for their con temptious actions." ARBITRATION PLAN TALKED. Union Submits Proposals at G. M. C. Conference. Br the Associated Press. DETROIT, February 17.—Negotia tor* seeking final settlement of griev ances involved in the recent Oeneral Motors strikes turned today to discus sion of seniority rights and speed of operations. Officials of the United Automobile Workers of America carried into the conference room a proposal for a per manent tribunal to decide ‘'past, pres ent and future” union grievances in General Motors plants. Wyndham Mortimer, first vice presi dent, heading the U. A. W. A. con ferees, withholding details of the union plan, declined to comment on (See MOTORS, Page A-5.) NEALE GETS AIR POST Pennsylvania-Central Appoints D. C. Man Operations Head. PITTSBURGH, February 17 The Pennsylvania-Central Airlines an nounced today appointment of J. H. Neale as superintendent of flight op erations. Neale has been first pilot for Penn sylvania Airlines for many years. The company said he would be transferred temporarily from Washington to Cleveland and later would be assigned permanently to Pittsburgh headquar ters. /Tknow^ /JUST HOW YOU FEEL, . l HOMER.! J I FROM HSIBRIDGE Several Believed Hurled Into Bay as Golden Gale Cat walk Collapses. B» the Associated Press. SAN FRANCISCO, February 17.— The construction catwalk of the vast Golden Gate Bridge collapsed today and several men were believed to have plunged into the ocean. The walk, used in building the giant span, crashed through part of the safety nets. "We don’t know how many men were carried away,” the engineer’s office attendant at the scene reported. "The men were stripping away the timbers when something gave way suddenly with a loud noise.” Seven or eight men were believed to have fallen about 300 feet to the water, but this could not be verified until the roll was called. The catwalk, for men to traverse the bridge while working, ran beneath the two giant suspension cables. The safety nets were placed beneath the long span to prevent men from top pling off into space. They already had saved lives of 11 workers. Witnesses said the timbers and ma terials of the catwalk suddenly tore loose and fell Into the safety nets. The nets were ripped loose and the mass of debris fell into the water. ALASKA’S 1936 TRADE 108 TIMES COST TO U. S. "Seward's Folly” Enjoyed Com merce Valued at $115,963,586 Last Tear. B7 the Associated Press. JUNEAU, Alaska, February 17.— Seward’s folly—the Territory of Alaska—enjoyed commerce last year valued at $115,993,586, 108 times more than the United States paid for it 69 years ago, Collector of Customs J. J. Connors announced today. Connors said 1936 was one of the most prosperous years in Alaska’s his tory. Gold and silver shipments, totaling $16,870,580, were the largest in 27 years. Salmon shipments set a record in both pounds and value. More than 407,000,000 pounds, valued at $46,173, 176, were exported last year. Zaharoff Estate $965,515. LONDON, February 17 (/P).—Sir Basil Zaharoff, Europe’s “mystery armaments salesman,” who died at Monte Carlo November 27, left an estate in England valued at $965,515, officials disclosed today. Summary of Today’s Star Page. Amusements B-20 Comics_B-15 Editorial —- A-lf Financial — A-17 Lost St Found A-3 Obituary —A-12 i Page. Radio.B-16 Short Story .B-12 Society_B-3 Sports_A-14-16 Woman’s Pg. B-14 FOREIGN. French prepare to bar flow of volun teers to ■Spain. Page A-l NATIONAL. Compromise courts plan submitted by Wheeler and Bone. Page A-l Labor group for, farm group against, court plan. Page A-l Congress leaders approve Roosevelt farm tenancy program. Page A-2 Federal prison system employes put under civil service. Page A-2 Green expulsion pondered by col leagues in local. Page A-S “Black blizzard” visits Oklahoma for third day. Page A-8 WASHINGTON AND VICINITY. Winter’s heaviest snow results in two deaths. Page A-l Baltimore divorcee, shot by married man, fights for life. Page A-7 Congress acquiesance hit by John D. Hamilton in speech. Page A-3 Fight for school funds waged before subcommittee. Page B-l Jacobs sought as first fiscal hearing witness. Page B-I United States fleet to maneuver in Pacific. Page B-l EDITORIAL AND COMMENT. Editorials. Page A-l* This and That. Page A-l* Answers to Questions. . Page A-l* Washington Observations. Page A-l* l David Lawrence. Page A-ll Paul Mallon. Page A-ll Dorothy Thompson. Page A-ll Constantine Brown. Page A-ll Jay Franklin. Page A-ll SPORTS. Humor, tragedy, drama in Spring base ball training. Page A-14 Plan for basket ball “czar” gets backing. Page A-14 No aerial circus curb seen in new grid rules. Page A-14 Eastern High again nears basket ball title. Page A-14 Joe Louis on mettle against Natie Brown tonight. Page A-15 Steele due to outclass Risko in title tilt. Page A-15 Fairway watering at Columbia nears completion. Page A-16 MISCELLANY. Washington Wayside. Page A-2 City News in Brief. Page A-7 Young Washington. Page A-8 Traffic Convictions. Page A-9 Vital Statistics. Page B-5 Bedtime Story. Page B-13 Nature’s Children. Page B-13 Dorothy Dix. Page B-14 Crossword Puzzle. Page B-15 Letter-Out. Page B-16 Betsy Caswell. Page B-14 Men’s Fashions. Page B-13 Winning Contract. Page B-13 FINANCIAL. Speculative bonds gain (table). Page A-17 Power output down. Page A-17 Steel upturn continues. Page A-17 Insurance sales lag. Page A-17 Stocks edge up (table). Page A-18 Curb list mixed (table). PageA-19 I “Numbers Writer” Is Arrested As Police Seek Link Between Raid and Taxi Pushed in River __ License Plate Found Along Sea Wall Is Traced to Suspect—Three Arraigned on Charge of Running Lottery. Pursuing their investigation of a possible connection between a gambling raid last night and the discover}- of a battered taxicab in the Potomac River, police today arrested Maurice Sweeney. 29, self-styled “numbers writer.” Capt. Arthur E. Miller of the third precinct said Sweeney, who lives at 3232 Thirteenth street, was arrested after a license plate, found at the point where the taxicab was pushed over the sea wall, had been traced to an automobile listed to him lire iracxs in tne snow indicated* the taxi had been pushed into the river by a second automobile, which has not been found. The taxi is owned by Clair A. Kensinger, who lives on the second floor of 2423 Pennsylvania avenue, directly under the headquarters of an alleged numbers syndicate that was raided last night. Police believe Kensinger's taxi may have been pushed into the river as a reprisal by gamblers who mistakenly believed he had "tipped off” police concerning the operations of the syndicate. Three Men Are Arraigned. Three men arrested in the gambling raid were arraigned before United States Commissioner Needham C. Turnage today and released pending grand jury action under $2,000 bond ► each. They are Ellis L. (Sugar Pops) Solet, 30, of the Pennsylvania avenue address; Edward J. Julia no. 31, of the 4400 block of New Hamp shire avenue, and Edward Oliver, 27, of the 1400 block of Fairmont street. They were charged with operating a lottery. Sweeney was booked at the third precinct for investigation. He told police he didn’t know why the license tag was assigned to him and knew nothing about the car to which the tag was listed. At the hearing before Tumage, At torney Harry T. Whelan, representing the alleged gamblers, raised several objections to the validity of the war rant used by the raiding party. It (See GAMBLING, Page A-2.) SENATE BACKS UP RED RJDERREPEAL Again Takes Sweeping Ac tion by Striking Out House Modifying Clause. For the second time in two weeks the Senate this afternoon voted for outright repeal of the red rider, which prohibits the teaching or advocating of communism in District public schools. Taking up the House bill, which would only modify the rider to permit teaching, while retaining the ban against advocacy, the Senate struck out all after the enacting clause of the measure and substituted the bill previously approved by the Senate for complete repeal. The measure goes back to the House, where two courses of action are pos sible—either a move to concur in the Senate repeal amendment, or sending the whole question to conference. Probabilities are conference will be sought between the two houses. No Negative Votes. Although a brief spirited debate was engaged in before the Senate acted, no negative votes were heard when a viva voce vote was taken on the motion for repeal. Majority Leader Robinson joined with Senators Wheeler, Democrat, of Montana and Black, Democrat, of Alabama in urging removal of the entire rider from the statute books on the ground it is an unnecessary reflection on local teachers. Sectors Borah, Republican, of Idaho and Lee, Democrat, of Oklahoma also urged repeal. The discussion started when Chair man King of the Senate District Committee said fee had been asked by citizens of the District to request that the House bill be referred to the Senate Education and Labor Com mittee for further hearing. Although he did not try to block action on the repeal measure, Senator Glass, Democrat, of Virginia entered the debate to denounce communism. He declared that all the controversy over the red rider has been “nonsense” over a provision which simply pro hibits the teaching or advocating “of the miserable doctrine of communism.” The Virginian also flayed the rul ing of the controller general’s office, which has made it necessary for ail school employes to file statements every pay day that they have not violated the rule. He said there was nothing in the wording of the act to justify the requirement imposed by the controller general. One of the highlights of the de bate came when Robinson empha sized that the school teachers of the District were singled out as the ob ject of this prohibition, and that no other employes or officials of the Qov (See RED RIDER, Page A-5.) i COLD TO CONTINUE AFTERFATALSNOW - Minimum About 26 Tonight. Boy and Woman Killed in Accidents. Clear skies and continued cold were in prospect today as the Capital and its environs shoveled out of a half foot of snow that was responsible in directly for two fatalities. The Weather Bureau forecast con tinued cold tonight, with a minimum temperature of about 26 degrees. To morrow is expected to bring increas ingly cloudy skies, rising temperature and probably rain late in the after noon or tomorrow night. Despite the low temperatures, park officials announced tere would be no ice-skating today or tonight on the Reflecting °ool or at other places, due to thin ice. The victims were an 18-year-old boy, killed in a coasting mishap, the first of the year, and a 73-year-old woman, who lost her life when struck by a street car during the blinding storm. The boy—David L. Waple, 1627 Hobart street—collided head-on with a taxicab near Klingle Bridge as he sped down Klingle road. He was dead on arrival at Mount Alto Hospital, where ha was taken by the driver, whose name was given by police as Arthur E. Bingler, 28, of 323 First street northeast. The sledding accident occurred about 2 aun., several hours after Waple and two companions had finished earning some "spending money” by cleaning off sidewalks. Waple was a former student at the Abbott Trade School and later was employed as a mechanic. His mother, Mrs. E. J. Wanle. has six daughters and two other sons. The traffic fatality involved Mrs. Anna M. B. Eslin, 1113 B street north east, who was knocked down yesterday (See WEATHER, Page A-2.) 2,000 DIE IN FLOOD Portuguese East African Riven Overflow After Rains. CAPE TOWN, South Africa, February 17 {Jf).—More than 2,000 Mozambique natives of Portuguese East Africa were estimated today to have been drowned when the Komatl and Umbulusi Riv ers overflowed after five days of tor rential rain. The rivers were reported to be in flood for many miles. The city of Lourenco Marquez, on the south coast of the province, was cut off from rail way and telegnph communication. News of the colony’s plight and the efforts of widespread havoc and loss of life came from brief radio reports and pilots of planes flying through thunderstorms. % SENATORS OFFER NEW COURT PLAN AS COMPROMISE FOR RIVAL GROUPS Constitutional Amendment Is Proposed to Empower Congress to Re-enact In validated Laws. WHEELER AND BONE SEE SUPPORT FOR MEASURE Believe Advocates and Foes of President's Reorganization Pro gram May Unite on Move Pat terned After “Madison Amend ment.” By the Associated Press. Senators Wheeler. Democrat, *f Montana and Bone, Democrat, of Washington proposed today a consti tutional amendment which they pre dicted would be "accepted as a. com promise” by both opponents and sup porters of President Roosevelt’s ju dicial reorganization program. Their proposal—patterned after the "Madison amendment’’ originally con sidered during the constitutional con vention—would empower Congress to re-enact by a two-thirds vote agiy Federal law invalidated by the Su preme Court. No action would be taken, however, until a new Congress had been elected after the Supreme Court's decision. Wheeler—an opponent of t Presi dent's request for authority to increase the high court’s membership unless justices now over 70 retire—suggested that the amendment might be speed ily ratified by special convention* called in each State, a method pro vided in the Constitution, but rarely used. Support of Norris Expected. Senator Norris, independent, of Ne braska and other so-called "liberals’’ who have criticized the President's plan were expected by some Congress men to back the Wheeler-Bone com promise. Wheeler said he would not oppose additional measures for curbing the Supreme Court's power, if his pro posed amendment were adopted. He speciScallv indicated that he might support Norris’ plan for requiring a 7-to-2 vote of the court to Invalidate acts of Congress. Asserting the Madison amendment had been advocated by manj eminent statesmen ever since the Union was founded, Wheeler said it was the only proposal which avoided "many criti cisms advanced by both liberals and conservatives.” "This is the only amendment that the Supreme Court could not whittle away by interpretation.” he explained. "It is not subject to modification by interpretation in light of the due process clause and other parts of the Constitution. "At the same time, it is a safeguard against dictatorship or mob-rule, be cause Congress could not override the court’s veto until after an elec tion in which the issues would be fully discussed.’’ Wheeler said he would agree to modification of the amendment to permit Congress to override a court decision by a mere majority, rather than a two-thirds vote, if adminis tration adherents insisted on such a change. The Montanan said he probably would introduce the amendment in the Senate this afternoon. Wheeler will explain the proposal in a radio speech Friday. Labor Group Backs Plan. A pledge by Labor’s Non-Partisan League to support enlargement of the Supreme Court coincided meanwhile with an expression by the National Grange of doubt as to its wisdom. The entrance of these organiza tions into the judicial reform con troversy—first of their kind to speak formally—was followed by diverging (See JUDICIARY, Page A-4.) INDEPENDENTS’BILL PASSED BY SENATE Billion Dollar Appropriations Measure Sent to House With Amendments. By the Associated Press. The Senate today passed the billion dollar independent offices appropria tion biU without debate, and sent it to the House for consideration of Senate amendments. Within 10 minutes after Chairman Glass, Democrat, of Virginia, of the Senate Appropriations Committee, re ported the measure to the floor a half dozen committee amendment* were adopted without discussion. One struck out a House rider which would have prevented congressional investigating committees from bor rowing technical assistants from ex ecutive agencies. Some Senators predicted a pro longed fight if House Representatives try to reinstate that provision. Other amendments slashed $15, 294,000 from the $986,360,000 appro priation caUed for by the House. The Senate cut $15,000,000 from Social Security Board funds, reducing sal aries of board employes $1,000,000 and eliminating $14,000,000 intended for grants to States for unemployment compensation administration. SPEEDS PIUS’ RECOVERY VATICAN CITY, February 17 (JP)— Dr. Aminta Milani ordered an intensi fication today of treatments to hasten Pone Plus’ convalescence. The physician prescribed massage and continued electric ray application* to restore strength to the pontiff* muscles which grew flabby during his many weeks of illness.