Evening star. [volume], November 20, 1939, Image 1

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC

                
Weather Forecast _ , ~ I
Rain or snow this afternoon and to- TOuOV S tVor NeWS TODAY '
night, p-obably ending tomorrow; con- " -
tinued cold: lowest tonight about 36. ^B 1
Temperatures today—Highest, 49, at ■ ! Nighttime on Europe's Battlefields
midnight; lowest, 36, at 1 p.m. ■ | *
From the United States Weather Bureau report. j Is Press Time on The Star
-^——- U i_ _l
_Closing New York Morkets, Poge 22._ ~__ Of) M.«„. A..CCi.t.d Pr.»«._ *
87th YEAR. No. 34,901. WASHINGTON, D. C., MONDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1939—FORTY PAGES. *** THREE CENTS. ~
~\ — — j - i —— - - -■ ■■■■ —■■ ■■■ -— -—- ■ ,
New Sinkings
Bring Two-Day
Toll to Nine
177 Dead or Missing
As Mines Replace
Subs as Menace
BULLETIN.
LONDON, Nov. 20 (/Ft.—The
admiralty announced tonight
German aircraft had "made an
unsuccessful bombing attack” on
a British destroyer in the south
ern part of the North Sea.
Br the Associated Press.
LONDON, Nov. 20—Mines at
least temporarily supplanted sub
marines as the leading sea menace
off the British coast today as the
floating explosives added still fur
iner 10 me wars gicaitrai. wcciv cnu
toll for merchant shipping. Nine
vessels were reported sunk in the
North Sea over the week end, with
177 persons dead or missing.
The sinkings included the 345-ton
British trawler Wigmore with a
crew of 16 and the 1.267-ton British
collier Torchbearer. which were dis
closed today. Four survivors of the
Torchbearer’s crew, reported to have
numbered 13, were landed at an
English port.
British Freighter Is Ninth.
In addition, the sinking of the
4.258-ton British freighter Pensilva
“by enemy action” was disclosed. It
was not immediately clear whether
the vessel was a mine victim. Her
crew W’as landed safely.
A total of 177 persons were dead
or missing in the sinkings. The
total tonnage lost was 32.006. Neu
trals lost five ships to Britain's four.
Simon Bolivar, Netherlands, 8.309
tons:
Grazia, Italian. 5,857 tons;
Blackhill, British, 2.492 tons:
B. O. Borjesson, Swedish, 1.586
tons;
Carica Milica, Yugoslav, 6,371 tons;
Kaunas, Lithuania, 1,521 tons;
Torchbearer, British, .1,267 tons;
Wigmore, British, 345 tons.
Pensilva, British. 4.258 tons.
Bolivar Loss Not Computed.
Authorities had not computed the
full loss of life in the sinking Sat
urday of the Netherlands liner
Simon Bolivar, but the number was
set tentatively at 140. Eleven were
believed drowned or killed by ex
plosions aboard the four other ships.
The admiralty accused Germany
of laying the mines, and the Brit
ish press today raged against the
Nazis, stressing the presence:. of
women and children aboard . &e
Simon Bolivar, which was bound
for the West Indies from Amster
dam.
(In Berlin, however, German
authorities declared *'a .German
mine could not have been "re
sponsible” for the sinking of the
Cimrtn DAlitro v 1
The Grazia was the first Italian
merchantman to become a European
war casualty.
May Surpass Athenia Loss.
The Simon Bolivar disaster pos
sibly was the worst to civilian ship
ping since the war started. Unless
the death list of 140 is reduced in
the final survey, it will surpass the
toll of 112 persons lost in the sinking
of the British liner Athenia Sep
tember 3.
Some of the 260 survivors of the
Netherlands liner told of harrowing
experiences between the time two
explosions rocked the ship and she
settled in water so shallow her fun
nels showed.
“It was just like hell,” a young
Netherlander said. “The first ex
plosion blew me down three decks.
I saw people blasted dead, just like
knocking down ninepins..”
Some Smothered in Cabins.
One survivor, a middle-aged man
With a battered nose, said some
passengers were smothered in their
cabins when oil pipes burst, and
others, unable to get into boats,
“slid or jumped into the water.”
“Some others, though, just stayed,”
added a barefoot, shirtless British
bank clerk. “They just stood on
deck and watched us go. Maybe
they didn't get off.”
Known Ship Losses
Of Nations Now 135
By the Associated Press.
Destruction of three more British
ships—the Pensilva. Wigmore and
Torchbearer—in the North Sea to
day sent the total known ship loss
of all nations to 135. with a total
tonnage of 538,313.
The British admiralty announced
the 4.258-ton Pensilva, ninth cas
ualty of the past week end. had been
lost by “enemy action.” Her crew
was saved.
The steam trawler Wigmore, 345
tons, was sunk by a mine and her
crew of 16 was believed lost. Sink
ing of the Torchbearer, 1,267 tons
Was disclosed when four of her crew
of 13 landed at an English port.
The British blamed German-laic
mines and the Germans blamec
British mines for the wholesale
destruction. Sea warfare's toll ol
deaths was at least 2.056.
British losses rose to 71, five time:
the known German loss of 14.
For Boys and Girls
On Page B-12 of today's Star,
Jane and Fred begin a thrilling
Christmas adventure—an ad
venture that takes them soar
ing through the sky to the
North Pole, where they will be
the special guests of Santa
Claus himself. From now until
December 23. "Jane and Fred's
Christmas Adventure" will be
a dally feature of The Evening
Star, always to be found on
one of the classified advertis
ing pages.
Meet Jane and Fred today
by turning to Page B-12, and
watch for them in the classi
fied section every day.
Detroit Plant Secrets Stolen
By Germans, Dies Charges
Nazi, Soviet Agents Now 'Across Ocean'
Got Valuable Information, He Says
By the Associated Press.
DETROIT. Nov. 20—Representa
tive Martin Dies. Democrat, of
Texas, chairman of the House Com
mktee investigating subversive and
un-American activities, said in an
interview here today that Nazi and
Communist agents “now across the
ocean" had stolen “important in
formation” of military value from i
Detroit industrial plants.
Mr. Dies was here for a one-day
secret conference about such mat- |
ters.
The primary purpose of his com
mittee now, he asserted, was to
break up foreign spying and to pre
vent sabotage in industrial plants.
He cited one case of a lecturer
Cherry Trees
Bloom as D. C.
Gets First Snow
(Picture ov Page A-2.)
Washington had its first snow of
the season today—and the Potomac
Park cherry trees decided to bloom.
The snow started falling in the
downtown section shortly before
noon, but quickly melted, and the
weather man said it was all a mis
take and should have been rain. His
forecast for tonight is cold and rain.
The cherry blossoms were lured |
out by the warm weather of last 1
week and were promptly slapped j
down by the snowflakes. The blooms
were visible on a number of trees
and the weather man explained this
was possible because there has been
no killing frckt here yet this season.
An inch of'snow was reported in
the Winchester, Va., area after
morning flurries beginning after 8
o'clock.
Thermometers of the District are
headed for a low of 36 tonight, the
forecaster said, and he added that
the rain may stop tomorrow morn
ing.
The temperatures this month have
been above normal, an average of
about 1 degree. The highest regis
tered during last week's balmy spell
was 12 degrees on Thursday and
Saturday.
Plane Forced Down
By Dutch Gunfire,
Nazi Pilot Is Killed
,• (*• 'O'* . - "°J'
Th itd Casein Th tee Days
Of Gferfhan Aircraft
Being Attacked ^
-
j By the Associates Press
1 ROERMOND. The Netherlands,
Nov. 20 — A German military plane
apparently disabled by Netherlands
anti-aircraft guns Crashed in a
! meadow near here today, killing the
pilot, the only occupant.
This was the third incident in as
: many days in which German air
craft flying over Netherlands terri
tory have been fired on.
A communique from The Hague
said the aircraft flew low over Roer
! mond with the motors shut off be
fore attempting to land.
Keports irom Berlin indicated that
one German flyer was injured yes
terday when he exchanged fire with
Netherlands craft over Schlermonni
koog Island, off the northern coast.
The German plane sped away.
' A similar encounter occurred Sat
urday when two German flying
boats appeared. Both craft headed
back toward Germany apparently
I undamaged.
Shots Are Exchanged
By Nazi, Dutch Planes
THE HAGUE. Nov. 20 UP).—Planes
of Germany and the Netherlands
exchanged shots yesterday over
Netherlands' territory a second time
in two days.
The encounter occurred over the
j island of Schiermonnikoof. off the
north coast of Holland, when pur
suit planes of this nation attempted
to drive off a German plane flying
at an altitude of 150 feet.
The German plane returned the
fire of the Netherlands' craft and,
flying to the east, disappeared in
clouds.
The government announced yes
terday it had protested to Germany
after two German flying boats ap
peared over Netherlands’ territory
and one fired at defense aircraft
which attacked it.
described by him as a Nazi spy who
was entertained by a patriotic so
ciety, given ready access to numer
ous plants, permitted to take pic
tures and to obtain ejctensive.infor
mation >botlt industrial processes.
' Thte'lnform&tiott is now back in
Germ^jiy," :he said! /
Mr. Dies said much information
was obtained from Communist party
members disgruntled after the Ger
man-Russian alliance was an
nounced. He added:
“I intend to talk to approximately
10 of these informants today, secret
ly. Of course, I can’t reveal their
names. But I can say that four or
five of them are also members of
labor unions.”
Japanese Increasing
Forces in Kwangtung,
Chinese Report
Nipponese Cloims Troops
Have Entered Kwangsi
Are Denied
By the Associated Press.
HONG KONG, Nov. 20 —Reports
from Chungking said today a Jap
anese force landed on the South
China Coast, in Western Kwang
tung Province, already numbered
10,000 and was besng reinforced
hourly, chiefly by cavalry.
The landing was started last
Wednesday for the declared purpose
of cutting the Chungking govern
incut a urtLK uikh lucuura unuuui:
French Indo-China and British
Burma.
Chinese dispatches declared the
Japanese advance units had not
penetrated Kwangsi Province, north
of their landing point, but acknowl
edged a drive of increasing intensity
toward Yamhsien, about 25 miles
from the Kwangsi border. Last week,
the Japanese reported reaching
Yamhsein.
Thirty Miles From Indo-China.
Japanese reports placed the in
vaders within 25 miles of -Nanning,
capital of Kwangsi Province, arid 30
miles from the Indo-China road.
While a main Japanese force ad
vanced 5 miles toward Nanning,
they said, more Japanese units land
ed yesterday, pn upper Tonking Bay
and pushed eastward Within 40 miles
of Pakhoi, Tonking Bay treaty port
still Chinese-held, , t.
Chinese said a Japanese naval
landing party yesterday on the Pak
hoi Peninsula a few miles east of
the treaty port also threatened It.
As the Chinese pictured the, Jap
anese offensive their foe had fanned
out for a three-pronged attempt to
find the most vulnerable point of
the Chinese Une through foothills
protecting the Kwangsi border, only
45 miles from the coast.
Sees Defense Favored.
The Chungking spokesmen re
called that Kwangsi's strong man—
Gen. Pai Chunk-hsr—recently de
clared his militarized province would
welcome an attempted Japanese in
vasion because, he said, all condi
tions favor the defenders. Gen. Pai
estimated the Japanese would need
at least two divisions—perhaps 30,
000 men—for the effort.
Chungking officials appeared gen
erally optimistic over the threat to
n.wangsi, Dut it was recognized offi
cially that loss of Nanning, capital
of the province, about 80 miles north
of the Japanese landing position
would affect seriously Chinese pros
ecution of the war. It is a supply
and transportation key point.
Chiang New Chairman
Of Executive Yuan
CHUNGKING, Nov. 20 UP).—Gen
eralissimo Chiang Kai-shek today
assumed the chairmanship of the
executive yuan, a post equivalent tc
that of premier, replacing H. H
Kung. who became vice chairman
Chiang, at the beginning of the
conflict with Japan in 1937, resigned
as head of the civil administration
to assume command of China's
armed forces.
The generalissimo now is concur
rently president of the Supreme De
fense Council, chairman of the Mili
tary Commission, chairman of the
People's Council and leader of the
Nationalist party.
Summary of Today's Star
Page Page
Amusements B-16 Radio_A-16
Comics _ B-14-15 Sports ...A-18-20
Editorials A-10 Society_B-3
Finance _ .A-21 Woman’s
Lost, Found B-12 Page _B-10
Obituary ._.A-14
Foreign.
Two-day toll of sea war is nine ships
sunk. Page A-l
Violent storms hamper Germans on
western front. Page A-l
Japanese increase Kwangtung force,
Chinese report. Page A-l
Plane disabled by Dutch fire. Ger
man pilot dies in crash. Page A-l
Prague workers deaf to agitation for
strike. Page A-3
Soviets urge world youth to oppose
continued war. Page A-6
National
Mrs. Roosevelt recommends Hoover
as refugee expert. Page A-l
Anti-trust campaign clarified for
unions by Arnold. Page A-l
Detroit plant secrets stolen by Nazis,
Dies charges. Page A-8
Three G. O. P. groups confer soon on
planks for 1940 race. Page A-16
Washington and Vicinity.
Derrick gives views at Warrenton
milk hearing. Page A-l
d
Community Chest campaign enter!
final week. Page A-l
Banneker Junior High School i;
opened to students. Page A-S
List of traffic ticket cancellations is
announced. Page B-l
Pedestrian killed on Virginia road b]
hit-run motorist. Page B-l
Editorial and Comment
This and That. Page A-ll
Answers to Questions. Page A-ll
Letters to The Star. Page A-ll
David Lawrence. Page A-L
Alsop and Kintner. Page A-l:
Charles G. Ross. Page A-l
Jay Franklin. Page A-l
Lemuel Parton. Page A-l:
Sports.
Cornell. Tennessee, Texas Aggies to]
grid list. Page A-ll
Baseball ever first w'ith Clarl
Griffith, 70 today. Page A-ll
Cards, routed by Redskins, blami
poor coaching. Page A-l!
Hokie Smith ready to defend na
tional duckpin honors. PageA-2
Miscellany
Nature’s Children. Page B-'
Bedtime Story. Page B-l
Cross-Word Puzzle. Page B-l
Letter-Out. , Page B-l
Winning Contract. ‘ Page B-l
Uncle Ray’a Comer. Page B-l
1
Arnold Tells
m
Policy on Labor
Trust Charges
Milk Probe Outcome
May Show Fate of
i Building Inquiry
BACKGROUND— rS^-.
Federal anti-trust cases against
labor unions have brought all
sorts of charges into the picture,
from show case smashing to
, strikes, threats of strikes and.
violence. Often the contentions
l here have been that labor unions
have conspired to close certain
markets. In one case four labor
officials are charged uiith . con
, spiracy as a result of a dispute
among the unions over which
1 should do what.
By J. A. FOX.
Possibility that the fate of the
anti-trust caynpaign the Department
of Justice is prosecuting in the
building industry will turn on simi
lar proceedings involving the milk
trade was seen today as Thurman
Arnold. Assistant Attorney General,
outlined the policy of the Depart
ment of Justice in those cases where
labor is accused of combining in un
lawful restraints of interstate com
merce.
The milk case, arising in tty? Chi
i cago shed, was argued in the Su
preme Court last week, and a de- i.
cision there on one of the points
that was raised—applicability of the ^
Sherman Anti-Trust Act to labor
unions—it was agreed by depart- ;
ment lawyers, w'ould be designer} j
to show just how far the Govern- I
ment would get in the building
cases where the trust laws are be
ing invoked for the first time against *
i labor
Head of the anti-trust division of
! the department, Mr. Arnold's ex- I
planation was made in a letter to !
j the secretary of Central Labor j
| Union at Indianapolis in response to
numerous requests for a definition
' of what the Government considers
I “unlawful restraint" bv unions.
Five Types Listed.
He listed five types:
Preventing use of cheaper ma
tprials. imr.mvpri pmilnmpnf nr mnrp
efficient methods.
Compelling "the hiring of useless
and unnecessary labor.”
Enforcing “graft and extortion." j
Enforcing “illegally .fixed, prices." )
Destroying “an established and le- i
gitimate system of collective bar- !
gaining.”
These, in substance, were the1
; same points Attorney General j
j Murphy previously has coyered in j
i discussion of the building anti-trust
drive, and have figured in indict- \
ments obtained in Washington. St.
Louis and some other cities where
labor leaders and builders are under
charges.
Mr. Arnold emphasized that the
anti-trust laws “should not be used
j as an instrument to police strikes or
'adjudicate labor controversies, but
I repeated that they should apply
j when union activities “have no rea
j sonable connection with wages.
: hours, health, safety, the speedup
system or the establishment of the
right of collective bargaining.”
Chicago Case Cited.
This principle also conforms to
: thp indictments already returned,
j The Assistant Attorney General
cited the Chicago milk case as 6ne
where price fixing is alleged, ex
plaining that there a labor union
is charged with combining with dis
tributors and producers to halt im
portation of milk by handlers “who
refuse to maintain illegal and, fixed
prices.”
The Milk Wagon Drivers' Union,
an affiliate of the American Fed
eration of Labor, and seven officers
are named in the indictments there,
which cover 43 individuals and 14
corporations and groups, and in ar
gument before the Supreme Oourt
i Joseph C. Padway, A. F. of L.
1 counsel, offered the same conten
tion as was set up in behalf of
i labor in the building indictment
here: That the Clayton Act is a safe
guard against prosecution for what
the unions contend—and the Gov
ernment denies—are activities legi
timately pressed to further the wel
fare of their members.
The milk case was brought up by
the Government, the lower court
having voided the indictments on
the ground that the Secretary of
Agriculture is empowered under the
Agriculture Adjustment Act to reg
ulate the acts alleged to constitute
criminal offenses.
A labor demurrer to the local
building indictment, in which
Teamsters’ Union officials are ac
cused of fomenting strikes and boy
cotts in a jurisdictional row with
operating engineers that since has
been settled, is now before Justice
Peyton Gordon in District Court.
While labor has been critical of
the department’s campaign, Mr.
Arnold said that every effort is
made to be fair. The practices
aimed at, he amplified, “go beyond
even the dissenting opinions of the
Supreme Court of the United States,
which recognize a broader scope for
the legitimate activities of labor
unions than the majority opinions.
In our anxiety to be fair to labor
\ we are not subjecting t& criminal
prosecution practices which can be
justified even under the dissenting
opinions of the United States Su
j preme Court.”
t
Antarctic Flagship Due
To Sail Wednesday
i By the Associated Press.
: BOSTON, Nov. 20—The U. S. S.
I Bear, flagship of the Government's
: expedition to the Antarctic, will sail
I on Wednesday, Lt. Comdr. Richard
• H. Cruzen said today, provided a
) plane which she is to carry to the
polar regions reaches here by then.
The plane was left in Philadelphia
! by the North Star, leadoff ship of
1 the expedition, because of insuffi
1 cient storage space. The Bear’s
1 crew and dock hands hustled today
1 with the work of storing aboard 100
1 tons of supplies and equipment.
-1 ■/'the Difference
f BetvneewJack'5 Technique P?==e
-^4 and mine is That jack
DiDNT WAT TO LET THE Bft'r~~^
--3 ISTINQ Him. HE STUNG i'-•-.'• =
THE BEE. . Js ~ ~
Body of D. C. Man
Missing 20 Days
Is Found in River
Renvains Identified
Tentatively as '
Laurence O'Harrow
The body of a man tentatively
identified as Laurence OHarrow
was found in the Potomac River near
the Highway Bridge shortly after
noon today.
Mrs O Harrow was summoned to
the District Morgue to identify the
remains. The body was almost un
recognizable. having been in the
water for some weeks, according to
police.
Mr. O'Harrow disappeared mys
teriously on November 1. and since
then his frantic wife has conducted
a ceaseless search for him.
The tragic story had its beginnings
last June when Mr. O'Harrow, an
expert on Southern pine, lost his
well-paying job suddenly. He went
to a hotel that night, slashed his
throat and wrists in' a suicide at
tempt.
He was found before he bled to
death and was taken to Emergency
LAURENCE O’HARROWv
Hospital For days, he hovered be
tween life and death Snd it was
finally necessary to amutate one of
his legs—which had been injured in
a fall in the course of his suicide at
tempt.
Mr. O’Harrow was finally nursed
back to health in their expensive
new home in Hillandale, near Silver
Spring, and his wife tried to stir
the desire for life in him. He started
looking for another job and one day
late in October he told her he had
found a position with the Federal
Housing Authority and was to start
work November 1.
That day, Mrs. O'Harrow drove
him to the office and upon arrival
found that he did not actually have
a job, but was to take an examina
tion for a position. She left him
unattended for a few minutes in
the F. H. A. offices and when she
returned he had vanished.
He was virtually a helpless crip
ple and Mrs. O'Harrow was near a
breakdown from anxiety.
Roosevelt Wants to Cut
Deficits. Says King
By the Associated Press.
Senator King, Democrat, of Utah
reported after a White House con
ference today that President Roose
velt had shown great interest in
finding a way to prevent large Fed
eral deficits.
The Senator, a critic of large-scale
deficit spending, told reporters he
was very much pleased with the
President’s attitude regarding econ
omy and taxes. He declined to
elaborate.
R. F. C. Head Discusses
Lending Program
Emil Schram, chairman of
the Reconstruction Finance
Corp., will be the guest speak
er tonight on the National
Radio Forum over WMAL at
10:30 o’clock.
Mr. Schram, successor to
Jesse Jones, will discuss “The
R. F. C. and the Business
Lending Program.”
The National Radio Forum
is arranged by The Star and is
heard over a coast-to-coast
network of the National
Broadcasting Co.
..*■
Two-Gun Woman Kills
Lawyer in Dallas Street
Victim, Accused of Attacking Her,
Asks Mercy as She Fires Eight Shots
Pp tVir t rcAffintoil I lim. . _ _ 1 1. • _ 1 i I- m i
DALLAS. Tex., Nov. 20.—A womar
armed with two guns shot dowr
Brooks Coffman. 39, an attorney, or
Main street today. He died a hal
hour later.
Miss Corrine Maddox. 26. whon
Coffman was charged with stabbinj
with an ice pick last, May. surren
dered to police soon after the shoot
ing.
“I have just shot Brooks Coffman.
Assistant District Attorney Jimrm
Martin said she told him.
Coffman was under a charge o
assault to murder for the ice-picl
stabbing of Miss Maddox. Mis
Maddox, found wounded at a grave
pit near Irving, Tex., recovere(
after several weeks in a hospital.
George Lawton, telegraph com
pan.v representative, told newspaper
men he was sitting in a main stree
office when he saw a woman shoot
ing at Coffman. She had a revolve
and an automatic pistol.
uiic uyci nun, auuui o icct
away, firing into him," Lawton said.
"He was trying to hold himself up
i ; with one hand and hollering and
pleading for mercy.”
After the stabbing Coffman ap
i peared at police headquarters and
: announced: "I have killed a woman.”
■ Passersbv had found Miss Maddox
• at a gravel pit near Irving. She
, told officers she was stabbed after
she refused to accompany Coffman
to California.
, The assault-to-murder case against
’ Coffman was set for trial October 9.
‘ but was passed by the State because
1 of the inability of Miss Maddox to
l appear.
On that occasion the State sent
■ Dr Horace E. Duncan, county health
■ officer, to examine Miss Maddox,
t He reported the woman's condition
• would not permit her to come to
r court, and the case was passed in
definitely.
Delays of U. S. Goods,
Citizens at Tientsin
Laid to Japanese
Difficulties at Barriers
Increasing, Welles
Says at Conference
Despite the American contentior
that citizens of the United States
have the right to conduct trade ir
Tientsin. China. Japanese military
authorities there have been delay
ing both American citizens anc
American goods, according to re
ports reaching the State Depart
ment.
Acting Secretary of State Welles
: in response to inquiries at his pres:
conference today, said that diffi
culties of "transit'' at the Japanesi
j military barriers around the foreigr
concession were increasing. Thesi
reports came from the Americar
Consul General, John K. Caldwell
at Tientsin.
The general attitude of the Unites
States on this question had beer
presented to the Japanese govern
ment at Tokio in the past, and thi
question had been under discussior
between local American authoritie:
and Japanese authorities manj
times, it was indicated here.
Mr. Caldwell telegraphed recently
that there had been reported onh
1 See JAPAN~Page~A^87)
$178,373 Pledged,
Increasing Chest
Total to $1,518,722
75.93 Pet. of Quota
Raised With Drive
Ending in Two Days
With only two days remaining in
its campaign, the Community Chest
| has a total of *1.518.722.06—or 75.93
per cent of its quota—pledged by
139.807 contributors, accordmg to re
J ports at its eight report meeting at
; the Willard Hotel today.
Additional pledges of *178.373.09
| were reported from 22.086 contribu
j tors today.
1 In a plea for intensified efforts to
.; raise the quota, Lawrence Williams.
! J president of the Washington Board
i of Trade, told the workers:
■ “It is far cheaper and much more
effective to develop good citizens,
i | healthy in mind and body, than it
i is to maintain hospitals, jails,
asylums and other institutions of a
: corrective rather than a preventive
i nature.
i Chest President Coleman Jennings
' declared that “failure is incon
ceivable when we know that every
dollar less than our goal would
withhold from some man. woman
1 (See CHEST, Page A-3.)
Mrs. Roosevelt Recommends
Hoover as Refugee Expert
tier Deri Hoovers name was
broached at Mrs. Roosevelt’s press
conference today as a possible can
didate to head an organization co
ordinating all refugee work.
Mrs. Roosevelt told the news
paperwomen she thought no one
had as much experience as Mr.
Hoover in working for refugees.
She said such an organization is
still in the stages of discussion and
that she thought it was particularly
desirable as a means of making only
one financial appeal instead of
many and as a way of cutting down
on the overhead of a large number
of separate organizations.
The Red Cross, she pointed out, is
financed entirely by voluntary con
tributions and only does an emerg
ency job. She cited the large num
ber of other organizations designed
to help the Polish, the Chinese and
the Spanish refugees and also those
who have been admitted to the
United States under the regular
quotas but must have help in adjust
ing themselves to the life here.
The Government, she said, would
have no part in financing the or
ganization except that if it eventual
ly became necessary for various
governments throughout the world
to contribute to alleviate human suf
fering, this Government would also
play a financial part.
An evil of having so many differ
ent organizations, was, she said, that
prospective contributors after sev
eral appeals, get confused and do
not look into any of them.
She also discussed at her press
conference the new American Youth
Commission report which asked for
employment of unemployed youth.
She said she didn’t agree with the
argument that young people with
out jobs might become a restless ele
ment in the community and stir up
war feeling. She said she has found
no desire in youth, either employed
or unemployed, to go to war.
Still discussing youth problems,
she said Government projects for
girls were more costly than those
for boys because girls needed more
chaperoning. She pointed out that
families, while perfectly willing to
turn boys out on their own, were dis
turbed about letting girls go out
for training unless assured of super
vision.
She cited as an example a girl’s
camp she was interested in at Bear
Mountain which was finally closed
because its organizers felt they had
no right to spend so much money
per capita when the money could be
spread over a wider group in other
ways.
Asked what housewives should do
in the face of rising prices for food,
she advised them to find out from
their Agricultural Bureau what sea
sonable prices would be and then
report back to the bureau any un
seasonable rise in prices.
She said she thought an effort was
being made by Government agencies
to try and keep prices at a more
normal level than during the last
war, but that it was up to the con
sumer to provide the Government
with information so that the Gov
ernment could bring pressure to
bear on stores where prices appeared
unreasonable.
a
Milk Relief
Plan Praised
Af Hearing
Low-Cost Program
Would Aid Farmers,
Derrick Says
By BLAIR BOLLES,
Star Staff Correspondent.
WARRENTON. Va.. Nov. 20—All
the farmers supplying milk to Wash
ington would benefit from the insti
tution of a program of low-price
milk sales to relief clients and low
income groups in Washington, B. B.
Derrick, secretary of the Maryland
and Virginia Milk Producers Asso
ciation. said in the courthouse here
today.
Mr. Derrick was the first witness
at the public hearing called by the
Agriculture Department on the asso
ciation's proposal for the re-estab
lishment of Federal supervision of
Washington’s milk shed with a
schedule of minimum prices to be
paid by the dairies to the farmers
nrnHiirincr millr fnr rrmcnrrmtiftn
the District area
The present lack of uniformity of
price scale will mean disaster for
the farmers in the Washington shed,
Mr. Derrick said. The proposed
scale is:
Three dollars seventeen cents a
hundredweight for milk produced
for fluid consumption by farmer*
holding District Health Department
permits.
Two dollars and seventy-one cents
a hundredweight for milk sold in
the Washington suburban area by
distributors lacking District permits.
Two dollars and seventy-one cents
a hundredweight for milk to be sold
at an especially low retail price to
low income groups.
Five Cities Have Special Price.
Mr. Derrick observed that the spe
cial relief price is in force in New
York. Kansas City. New' Orleans,
Chicago and Cincinnati, which are
among the cities where Federal milk
supervision has already been set up
through the sort of milk marketing
agreement and order that Mr. Der
rick's association seeks.
On the matter of relief milk. Mr.
Derrick said:
"It is generally considered that
the demand for milk is relatively
inelastic; that is, price change*
do not have as much effect on con
sumption as is true with many other
commodities. However, surveys have
demonstrated that this relative in
elasticity does not apply in the very
low' income groups.
I "For example, recent survey in
North Atlantic cities revealed that
I familioc vrith Cl 9H ta crvonrl fnr fnn/H
per wgek per adult consumer con
sumed 75 per cent more milk than
families with only $1.60 a week per
adult consumer.
“The association feels that tha
relief clients are now buying very
little fresh milk, but if milk could
be gotten to them at a much lower
price that they probably would con
sume a substantial amount.
“It is felt that aside from human
itarian implications of such a pro
gram. the farmer will derive sub
stantial benefit. For example, if
cheap milk w'ere made available to
these relief clinets. it would tend to
cause them and their children to
acquire the milk drinking habit, and
when they found themselves in more
i fortunate financial circumstances
! they would no doubt continue to be
good milk consumers.”
Market “Overly Competitive.”
The farmers in the association,
Mr. Derrick said, supply more than
80 per cent of the milk used in the
Washington area—which extends
beyond the District line well into
Montgomery and Prince Georges
j Counties as far in one direction
as Fruitland and in another as
Wheaton.
Mr. Derrick said that while asso
ciation members—scattered \2W
\ strong throughout Virginia. Mary
land, West Virginia and Pennsyl
vania—sell their milk in three class
ifications on varied price schedules,
the dairies buying from unorganized
I producers buy on a flat rate, which
gives the independent farmer less
than the association farmer. The
| result, he said, is an unstable mar
ket, overly competitive.
Mr. Derrick observed:
“Such a condition is disastrous to
a milk market and is seriously im
pairing income of farmers in this
shed. If the local market is to be
kept on a sound basis the cost of
milk to all handlers should be the
same.”
Class 1 milk is milk for fluid use.
Class 2 is milk for consumption as
cream, cream buttermilk, cottage
cheese and all milk not in class 1 or
class 3. The price proposed in the
suggested marketing agreement and
order is $1.98 a hundredweight.
Class 3 milk is milk for ice cream.
The proposed price is to be based
on a formula dependent on the
price of butter.
Complex Provisions.
The schedule includes also a num
ber of complex provisions lor rais
—-o r**vvu uvu wnitv otaia
of minimum prices.
Mr. Derrick pointed out that as
.46 cents differential is proposed for
surburban dairies selling milk not
produced under District health regu
lations because the cost of produc
tion in meeting the District require
ments is high. The non-District
producers supply about 4,900 gallons
a day sold in the Maryland subur
ban area. Eight thousand gallons
io into that area from dairies buying
from farmers meeting the District
regulations.
The Warrenton court house was
crowded with dairy representatives
and farmers and Washington con
sumer representatives.
The hearings will be held tomor
row in Frederick, Md.—in the county
which supplies Washington with
most of its milk—and will close
Wednesday at the Agriculture De
partment in Washington.
Glen J. Gifford, from the office of
the solicitor of the Agriculture De
partment, Is presiding over the hear
ings.