Evening star. [volume], September 28, 1947, Page A-17, Image 17

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Washington News "alFjc Jhnulay fltaf Travel—Resorts—Financial
WASHINGTON, 1). C.,, SEPTEMBER 28, 1947 _ . A_17
District Health
In '46 Reported
Best in Decade
“ Death Rate, Infant
Mortality Bettered
National Average
Washington was a relatively
- healthful city in which to live in
1946, the Health Department an
nounced in its annual report made
public yesterday. Exception for ve
neral disease, the District had its
healthiest year in nearly a decade.
The general death rate of 9.3 per
1.000 was a new low in mortality
statistics for the city. The death
rate for the Nation was 10.1.
There was a generally low preva
lence of communicable diseases
during 1946, with the exception of
an epidemic of measles that started
in February and reached its peak in
April. The death rate from tuber
losis also was reduced to 55.9 deaths
per 100,000 from 61.9 the previous
year. *■
Infant mortality in 1946 was 35.9
per 1,000 births while the rate for
the entire country was 36.1. Infant
deaths under one month of age ac
counted for 77.8 per cent of the
total infant mortality.
Deaths Lowest Since 1939.
The Bureau of Vital statistics re
ported that the total of 8,767 deaths
recorded in the District was the low
est since 1939. Heart disease caused
the most deaths with 2,321. Can
cer was next with 1,247, while tu
berculosis caused 525 deaths. There
were 30 cases of typhoid fever re
ported last year with five deaths,
and 36 cases of polio with three
ueatiia.
'Two hundred and twenty-three
schools, of which 50 were parochial
were supervised by 39 medical in
spectors, and outside of a ringworm
epidemic, the health of the children
was good. The Health Department
makes routine physical examinations
of children when they enter kinder
garten, first and fourth grades and
the first year in junior high school.
The Bureau of Dental Services
made 100,724 inspections of chil
dren's teeth and in 60.9 per cent of
the cases defective teeth were found.
The bureau asks for an increase in
instruments, equipment and sup
plies to keep up the work which has
been given national recognition.
4,178 Children Needed Care.
The Bureau of Maternal Welfare,
which in addition to its other work
looks after crippled ehildren report
ed that as of December, 1946, it had
on its register 4,178 children in
Washington who needed care.
The Bureau of Public Nursing re
ported that the big turnover of
nurses had made stability of service
with schools, clinics and community j
of service to patients impossible. A
deficiency in the budget caused by1
Congress granting automatic raises j
caused the bureau to drop 35 nursing I
positions to keep within its budget
limitations.
The report listed also 2,288 new
cases of tuberculosis last year, and
pointed out that there is a long list
of patients awaiting bed care, which
the department has been unable to
furnish due to the lack of nurses.
The report stated 67 per cent of
deaths from the disease was among
the colored population, and that the
greatest concentration of the disease
was in persons between 15 and 44
years old.
Many Advanced Cases.
riollinprei* Ucvcnitnl in i4» ___-i
said that 57 per cent of the tubercu
losis cases in that institution died
within 60 days after admission,
showing that many advanced cases
were brought there. It was sug
gested that hopeless cases be cared
for in the homes and make room
for those who had a chance for
recovery.
The hospital also asked for re
placements by old beds and mat
tresses and worn-out medical in
struments, and said that the psy
chiatric department had 3 369 ad
missions during the year, the larg
est since it was established. It said
that this was due to the present
day method of sending persons ac
cused of crime to the hosiptal for
an examination before sentencing
them or ordering them to take hos
pital treatment.
Glen Dale Sanitorium also report
ed that it still had 144 beds closed
because the institution was unable
to obtain the necessary nurses to
care for them. It was reported and
they^were not able to fill the vacan
cies 'because there was no place for
the additional help to live.
10,954 V. D. Cases.
The Rapid Treatment Center re
ported that more persons are tak
ing the new veneral disease treat
ment and completing it than hereto
fore, Last year 10,954 cases were
reported and the clinic averaged
nearly 1,000 new cases a month.
The center has 100 beds available
for treatment of persons suffering
from the disease and there is a
ward at Freedmen's Hospital.
The Bureau of Public Health En
gineering reported that the clerical
and inspection staffs were not large
enougn to carry out its work effi
ciently and asked aid of other Gov
ernment agencies and the public in
carrying out sanitary measures. It
praised the Police Department for
'the help it has given the bureau in
keeping down weeds and having
dirty yards cleaned and said that
the rodent campaign conducted in
the Northeast section last fall had
been a great success.
The Bureau of Food Inspection re
ported that it had inspected 85,024
food establishments last year, an in
crease of 11,000 over the year before,
and said it was giving careful at
tention to frozen foods represented
as being “enriched with vitamins
and minerals.”
Food Condemned.
More than 352,800 pounds of food
was condemned at various food es
tablishments during the year and‘
cases that were prosecuted in the;
Municipal Court resulted in finest
and forfeitures of $13,725. More
th$m 23,000 dogs were vaccinated
against rabies, the bureau also re
ported.
The average cost of a prescription ;
. was 12 cents, the Hospital Permit
Bureau reported, and said that dur
ing the year it had filled 48,994 pre-:
scriptions on which it had collected
money from persons able to pay.
The bureau reported that 28.503 pa-j
tients were admitted to Gallinger,
k
Birgfeld, Retiring Next Week, ,
Recalls $1 t400-a-Year Goal
I reasury Lhief Uerk,
70, to Open Law Office
'To Keep His Hand in'
When Frank A. Birgfeld; 70, en
tered the Government service 50
years ago, he looked forward to the
happy day when he would be in the
$l,400-a-year class.
"That looked like big money in
those days, but it wouldn't go far
now,” chuckled Mr. Birgfeld, chief
clerk of the Treasury Department,
who will leave the Federal rervice
Tuesday after a distinguished career.
Mr. Birgfeld first started drawing
a Government paycheck — about
$4.50 a week—at the age of 15. He
was a messenger at the United
States National Museum, now the
Smithsonian Institution.
Studied Law to Advance.
Mr. Birgfeld, who is a lawyer, said
he started the study of law when
he was 19 because "I knew a lawyer
in the Government who was making!
$1,400 a year, and I thought it would
be wonderful if I coula make trfat
] some day.”
In 1899, he transferred to the
Treasury Department, serving as
superintendent of the Office of the
Supervisory Architect. Secretary of
lected him as chief clerk of the
department in 1924.
During the next 23 years, Mr.
Birgfeld has served with distinction
under Mr. Mellon, Ogden Mills, Wil
liam Woodin, Henry Morganthau,
jr.; Fred Vinson and the present
Secretary, John Snyder.
Values Friendships.
He values the friendship he has
had with these men, all of whom
he served faithfully and well.
There was the time when Mr.
Mellon, who just was appointed Am
bassador to Britain, insisted that
Mr. Birgfeld administer the oath of
office to him. This was done, with
Mr. Birgfeld administering a double
oath of office, one to Mr. Mellon,
and the other to the new Secretary
of the Treasury Mills.
Mr. Birgfeld also vividly remem
bers New Year day of 1934, when
he went to the White House to swear
in Mr. Morganthau as Secretary of
the Treasury in a ceremony wit
nessed by the late President Roose
velt.
When Fred Vinson, now Chief
Justice of the Supreme Court, be
came the new Secretary, he wasted
no time in paying a call on his chief
clerk.
Mr. Birgfeld recalls the new Sec
FRANK A. BIRGFELD.
retary telling him, “I’ll never forget
the courteous way you treated me
in 1929 when I was a member of
Congress and I came to see you
about some personnel matter. I’ve
always remembered you favorably
since them.”
With a smile, Mr. Bergfeld says,
“When Mr. Vinson said that, I knew
I had a good friend in my corner.”
Mr. Bergfeld has nothing but
praise for his present boss, Secre
tary Snyder. “He's an admirable
man, so humane and kind,” he told
a reporter.
Now that he is retiring, Mr. Berg
feld is going to keep up the activi
ties which have always made him a
leader in Washington’s civic life. He
plans to continue his role as treas
urer of the Washington Community
Chest, the Health Security Adminis
tration and the Treasury Depart
ment’s Beneficial Association. He
is also president of the Citizens’ Ad
visory Committee of the Salvation i
Army, along with numerous other'
civic po6ts.
To Open Law Office.
In addition to his civic work, Mr.
Bergfeld wiil open a law office "just
to keep my hand in things.”
He and Mrs. Bergfeld live at 3338
Seventeenth street N.W., where they
have resided for 25 years. They
have two children, Kenneth Birgfeld
and Mrs. Everett Embrey.
His official retirement on Tuesday
will be marked by a testimonial ban
quet to be given him that night in
the Mayflower Hotel by his asso
ciates. Top officials from all Gov
ernment agencies wall be on hand to
pay their respects.
Fuel Oil Dealers Here
Worried Over Supply
As Demand Grows
Some Washington fuel oil dealers,
contemplating the big demand for
petroleum products and the trans
portation difficulties facing the in
dustry, are refusing to accept new
customers for the present heating
season, it was learned yesterday.
On the other hand, Robert E.
Friedman, assistant director of the
Oil and Gas Division of the Interior
j Department, speaking of the East
Coast generally, said he hopes that
the area will be able to get through
the winter with a minor inconven
ience.
"If we have a severe winter,” he
said, “there may be shortages cf
some severity up and down the East
Coast. Stocks on the East Coast are
I slightly below what they were this
time last year, although the demand
j will be somewhat greater.
Gulf Stocks Good.
“On the bright side is the fact
that stocks on the Gulf Coast—
i where most of the East Coast sup
plies come from—are slightly higher
than at this time last year. Re
finery runs are also some what bet
ter. This gives us hope of meeting
the demand, or coming pretty close
to it.
“The oil industry is operating at
capacity. It is just a question
whether that capacity is sufficient
to meet the increased demand for
oil.”
One trade association official said
he expected no oil heating difficul
ties in Washington unless there is
an unusually severe winter.
“In the Middle Atlantic area,” he
said, “we seem to be least affected
by the problems of the oil industry.
There appear to be ample tanker
facilities and no shortage of crude
oil. Also we are near Baltimore,
l where supplies come and where
j there are several big refineries.”
Most Tanks Are Full.
He estimates about 90 Der cent of
the home owners here who use oil
for fuel have their tanks full, and
that dealers have their storage tanks
filled almost to capacity.
"That will take care of about one
third of our normal winter’s needs,"
he said.
C. A. Newland. division manager
i in Baltimore for the Standard Oil
; Co. of New Jersey, said in a state
ment that his company some time
ago stopped converting heating
plants for individuals and compa
nies from coal to oil. Owners of
new houses, principally veterans,
represent the only increase in cus
tomers.
Taking New Customers.
He said the fuel oil situation is
“tight, but if everything goes all
right we can squeak through.” Mr.
Newland’s statement applies to his
company's operations in the Wash
ington area. ,
Charles H. St. John, vice presi
dent of the Griffith Consumers Co.,
says his firm still is accepting new
customers.
"There are no particular trans
portation difficulties affecting this
area and no shortage of oil,” he
said. ‘‘I do think there will be a
day or two when oil looks scarce,
but I don’t believe anyone will be
| cold.”
A canvass of other fuel oil sup
pliers revealed one who has stopped
! accepting customers, another who
; says his concern probably will re
fuse new customers next week, still
Glenn Dale, Freedman’s and the
three contract hospitals—Casualty
Emergency and Children’s.
It collected $34,860 from patients!
who could pay and. in addition, had
obtained written agreements from
delinquent accounts of hospital ex-i
penses which were also collected ano 1
totaled $73,448.
1
Flanders Considers
Quitting His Post on
Senate D. C. Group
Senator Flanders, Republican, of
Vermont, said last night he may
resign from the Senate District
Committee because of pressure of
other committee assignments.
Senator Flanders, an engineer
and banker, has been active on na
tional committees, particularly the
Joint Congressional Committee on
the Economic Report, which is in
vestigating the high cost of living.
He is also a member of the Bank
ing and Currency and the Post
Office and Civil Service Committees,
which have taken much of his
attention.
"I shouldn't continue on the Dis
trict Committee,” he said, "because:
I have not been able to give it the
time it deserves. The District Com
mittee is important and any one
serving on it should give it enough
time to attend all hearings and get
adequate information for future
i action.”
On Tax Subcommittee.
I Senator Flanders originally was
slated to be chariman of the im
portant Senate District fiscal sub-:
committee which handles the city’s
tax problems. But when he was
; put on the Joint Economic Commit
tee. he turned over the fiscal sub
committee chairmanship to Senator
Cain, Republican, of Washington,!
remaining as subcommittee member.
Senator Flanders said he is op
posed to a sales tax for the District,
which has been proposed by Senator
Cain and Representative Horan,
; Republican, of Washington, chair
man of the House Appropriations
subcommittee handling the city's big
! annual supply bill.
Income Tax Favored.
The proposed income tax for
Washington, as originally suggested
by the joint House-Senate fiscal
snhrnmmit'tpp fnr f.ha Fiifitripf mac
, approved by Senator Flanders, but
he thinks the O'Hara amendment
finally written into law in the
House emasculated the measure.
The amendment, sponsored by
Representative O'Hara, Republican,
of Minnesota, now exempts all
Federal salaries from the new Dis
trict income tax.
Senator Cain has introduced a
bill to repeal the entire individual
[ income tax section of the new
revenue act here.
i --— _ -- |
another who is accepting new cus-j
tomers “with discretion," and a
fourth who says flatly, “We are ac
cepting new customers.”
There has been much discussion
of transportation difficulties, but it
is conceded this applies mostly to
the Central States, which are de
pendent on tank cars and pipe
lines.
A second problem is the demand
for petroleum products, chiefly
gasoline, which is greater now than
at the peak demand during the
i war. The industry has not been
able to expand its facilities at a
j rate sufficient to meet this demand.
Warns of Shortage.
Meanwhile, in Cleveland, J. Atlee
; Schafer, head of the American Re
! tail Coal Association, told President
: Truman that a serious shortage of
residential coal would confront the
j Nation this winter unless Govern
ment coal export policies were re
: vised.
Mr. Schafer, in a telegram to the
| President, said the association was
• “gravely concerned over the Gov
' ernment's present coal export pro
gram’’ and said that as a result “the
domestic consumer and our domestic
economy” had been left in a "pre
carious position.”
“Unless some provision is made
j soon by the Government, the result!
i will be a serious shortage of resi
' dential fuel in the coming winter,”!
' the message continued.
i
Co-Operation
Held Vital for
Bay Fisheries
Potomac Group Told
Both States Should
Have Same Rules
By James Birchfield
Star Staff Correspondent
SOLOMONS, Md., Sept. 27.—John
Clark, chairman of the Maryland
Tidewater Fisheries • Department,
told members of the Interstate Com
mission on the Potomac Basin here
today that co-operation between
Maryland and Virginia is essential
to save the vast Chesapeake Bay
fishing industry.
Commission members are on a
three-day cruise of the Chesapeake
Bay area as guests of the State
of Maryland aboard the yacht Po
tomac. Mr. Clark told them it Is
impossible for Maryland to protect
her fisheries unless Virginia enacts
concurrent legislation.
Expressing hope that closer co
operation would result from studies
of the Maryland-Virginia compact
now being made by the joint com
mission. Mr. Clark said that Mary
land is now conserving oysters,
crabs and fish that are being caught
largely by Virginia fishermen.
i’U UCBUAlUii
“What we do here in Maryland,
in effect," Mr. Clark said, "is to
preserve a part of our fish each
year, only to have them gobbled up
by Virginia fishermen who have
no restraint on fishing practices.
“In Maryland we limit the num
ber of licensed, commercial fisher
men, and in doing so, we assure
a high percentage of escapes. This
provides breeding stock. Unless Vir
ginia also takes protective meas
ures, our regulations are useless.
“We must consider the entire
Chesapeake Bay as one vast area
It is impossible to practice conserva
tion on one end of the bay when
the other is left wide open. Unless
we can get together, we will not
have an important fisheries indus
try in years to come.”
Example of Co-operation.
Raymond V. Long, chairman of
the Virginia Planning Board, who
heads the commission this 'year,
told Mr. Clark the work of the com
mission is an example of what co
operative action between States can
achieve.
Mr. Long said that through work
ing closely with member States, a
greater degree of pollution control
work has been accomplished in the
Potomac Basin than would have
been possible if no means of cp
ordinating the efforts of the various'
States were available.
Pointing to recent conferences be
tween representatives of West Vir
ginia and Maryland in which plans
are being made to clean up the Up
t,v'* • . uuiig oniu o
results are obtainable ^hen twb
States work in earnest toward the
solution of a common problem.
Inspect Month of River. *
Leaving the dock at the Chesa
; peake Biological Laboratory here
!tnis morning, commission members
i sailed down the bay to inspect the
mouth of the Potomac River. A
proposed cruise to picturesque Tan
gier Island was canceled because of
lack of time.
On the return to Solomons, com
mission members were given a typi
cal Southc... Maryland steamed oys
ter supper, State Senator Louis
Goldstein of Calvert County was
host.
! Members are scheduled to leave
here tomorrow, cruise up the bay
and land at Annapolis in the after
noon.
Discussion Groups Planned
At Silver Spring Library
A group reading and discussion
program for adults will be started
at the Silver Spring Library at 8
p.m. Thursday, Mrs. Louise Fergu-;
son, librarian, has announced.
The program will start with the[
reading and discussion of the Dec-;
, laration of Independence and will
be directed by William Lurie, who
! has been a leader in one of the
District libraries.
| Registrations for the program,
which is patterned after those given
in the District under the guidance
of Dr. John Powell, are now being
accepted at the library. There are
no fees or educational requirements.
Family of Four Can Be Fed for $18.33 a Week,
But Clever Planning to Stretch Dollars Is Needed
Menus Devised in 1946
Are Checked Against
Current Prices
By Violet Faulkner
Food for four on $18.33 a week.
Yes, it can be done, believe it or
not. We admit it all takes time and
more than a bit of clever planning
to stretch those food dollars with
the present high prices.
We have taken a weeks’ menus as
prepared by the Bureau of Human
Nutrition and Home Economics of
the Department of Agriculture. At
the , time these menus were planned
in May, 1946, the estimated food
cost for a week came to between $15
an'd $17 for a fajnily of four. I have
taken the same menus and checked
them against prices as of September
25,1947. Let’s see how they compare.
This typical American family con
sists of Mother, Dad, 2-year-old
Jane, and 6-year-old Tommy.
Mother does her own work and
shops in the neighborhood stores.
They have a small garden so when
home-made relishes app>ear in her
menus you know they were put up
in the family kitchen. She checks
food prices carefully and diligently
and the family eats good, nourish
ing meals.
Dad’s Lunch Included.
We are assuming dad either eats
his lunch at home or carries it
when the weather is bad. In that
case Mother is usually able to put
the same foods in his lunch box that
he would have eaten at home. For
instance, if it’s on a day when she
planned creamed eggs for lunch, she
puts a duucu imiu-uuweu egg sana
wich in the lunch box, with lots of
lettuce to make up for the salad at
home. The children are old enough
to eat the same kind of food as the
rest of the family if it's simply
prepared.
In the matter of meat, of course,
comes the biggest problem. In the
1946 shopping list a two to three
pound shoulder of lamb was called
for, but we have substituted three
pounds of beef tongue as a better
buy today. The chuck roast of 1946
is on the list today but the meat
available at our price of 47 cents a
pound is a lower grade though
Government inspected and graded.
But let us start off on the week's
menus and see what our family can
have to eat at that price. As every
thrifty housewife knows, it pays to
take advantage of week-end specials.
On Friday when mother markets
for the next week, she buys as
many staples as possible and enough
fresh vegetables to last for several
days. This week she found the
3 Vt -pound chuck roast for 47 cents
a pound; while she was there she
picked up the rest of her groceries
that she expects to use during the
week. In the accompanying table
I have listed the items and the
prices she paid. As the week goes
nrt vmi will caa hnnr cHa wnrlrc iheco
foods into her merus.
Menu for Monday.
Breakfast
Prunes (with Orange slices)
; . Hot Oatmeal with Milk
Toast * JfaisaVine
Milk for Children
Coffee for Adults
Lunch.
Cream of Tomato Soup
with Toast Squares
Shirred Eggs. Spinach
Bread Margarine
Baked Indian Pudding
Milk
Dinner.
Beef Casserole with mounds of
mashed potatoes
• Beef left from Sunday pot roast)
Green Peas Fruit Salad
Bread Margarine
Sponge Cake Milk
Tomorrow we will follow our
family through another day and
see how mother deals with her fod
problems.
4 Sailors in Robbery Get
Suspended Sentences
Four. Annapolis sailors convicted
of robbing a Washington man re
ceived suspended sentences of two
years each, in Anne Arunddl County
Circuit Court yesterday.
The four were accused of robbing
Charles L. Holland, 1621 T street
N.W.. They are Charles G. Juether,
19; Theodore C. Milligan, 22; John
!McGurrin, 21, and Denver L. Lance,
21.
Elks Plan Oyster Roast
An oyster roast will be held by the
Silver Spring Elks Lodge next Sun
day on the Gude and Abrahams
.farm, Damascus.
NEW WEATHER APPARATUS ON EXHIBIT HERE—This spec
troscopic hygrometer looks like a strange new weapon, but it
actually is an instrument which enables meteorologists to
“shoot” the sun to get an idea of how much moisture is in the
air. Shown inspecting the hygrometer at an exhibit in the
Commerce Department yesterday is Miss Anita Young, 19, of
Bernardsville, N. J. The moisture measurer and a number of
other weather instruments, such as ceilometers and buoy-typ^
automatic weather stations, will be on display at the Commerce
Department until October 7, in connection with the Interna
tional Meteorological Organization’s conference of directors.
—Star Staff Photo.
A
i s itm® ||
* m
jj| mrm# m
A Supermarket clerk checks the total on food for four
which can be bought for $18.33 a week. Not all the food pur
chased such as 17 quarts of milk, is shown in the photo, how
ever. - —Star Staff Photo.
| The Shopping List
2 heads lettuce, 12c per head, $ .24
1% lbs. beans, 17c per lb._ .26
2 Jbs. carrots, 15c per lb. _' .30
2l/i lbs. spinach, 12c per lb. ... .30
1 lb. squash_ _ .08
1 head cabbage, 4 lbs., 5c per lb. .20
1 No. 2 can green peas_ .10
1 can lima beans . 21
5 lbs. oranges, 8c per lb._ .40
1 20-oz. can grapefruit_ .16
1 46-oz. can tomato juice.19
3 lemons _ .19
2 lbs, sweet potatoes_ .13
15 lbs. Irish potatoes •.. .49
2 lbs. apples _ .27
1 No. 2 can apple sauce_ .16
1 29-oz. can peaches_ .26
1 lb. prunes . __ .21
15-oz. pkg. raisins ..,_ .18
3 pounds other fruit—
1 can fruit cocktail _ .39
No. 2*3 can plums.— .29
1 jar prepared prunes_ .19
1 bunch celery, 10c per lb..15
2 bunches beets __ .13
I lb„j$)ions ... - .08
17 qts.' milk (not bought all at
one timel, 17c a qt. _2.89
1 14%-oz. can evap. milk_ .11
lb. cheese _1..:_ .15
1 lb. cottage cheese .15
314 lbs. chuck roast, 47c per lb. 1.65
3 lbs. beef tongue, 33c per lb... .99
3i lb. beef liver _ .45
1 lb. haddock __ .35
2 doz. eggs- 1.461
8-oz. split peas, 14c per lb. ... .07
Peanut butter (uses 14 jar dur
ing week) _ . .09
3 loaves enriched bread, 11c a
loaf _ .33
3 loaves wholewheat bread, 12c
a loaf .._ .36
1 loaf rye bread.. .13
48-oz. pkg. rolled oats __ .29
1 small pkg. Rice Crispies or
similar _ .13
5 lbs. flour (uses 1/5 of it) ... .09
7-oz. pkg. macaroni_ .07
1 pkg. corn meal _ .20
1 box crackers_-.. .25
’4-lb. bacon. 75c per lb.38
114 lbs. margarine _ .53
Vt lb. shortening.. .15
14 pt. salad oil. 20
2 lbs. sugar, 46c for 5 lbs._ .23
Preserves or honey or molasses .43
14 lb. coffbe __ .22
Spices (bought as needed) _ .25:
2 pkgs. prepared Jello pudding .20;
Total cost . *18.33
landlords Withdraw
Campaign to Obtain
Blanket Rent Boost
District landlords have agreed to
withdraw their drive for a blanket
15 per cent rent increase. Rent Ad
ministrator Cogswell said last night.
Mr. Cogswell said, however, that
the building owners have not aban
doned their campaign to obtain ap
proval of rent increases. i
Mr. Cogswell said it was decided'
at a meeting with representatives;
from the Building Owners and Man
agers Association to have the land
lords petition the rent board indi
vidually for rent increase, rather
than press for a blanket 15 per cent
raise for all. 1
| “I explained to them that it would
take two or three months or even
■ longer for me to study the petition
I for a general 15 per cent rent raise,”
;Mr. Cogswell said. "There are so
' many factors involved that it would
take at least that long before a
decision could be made.”
The building owners decided that
; it would expedite matters if rent
increase petitions were considered
on their individual merits, Mr.
Cogswell said.
I At the meeting, the builders com
mittee told Mr. Cogswell that both
maintenance costs and taxes have
i gone up and that they feared that
i these items would continue to in
crease.
While not commenting on what
action the District rent board will
take, Mr. Cogswell said that he
thought the builders had taken "the
right action” in agreeing to ap
proach the rent rise problem on an'
individual basis.
1 M I ^ II
l\\- Acre oaaen rarm joiq
At Auction for $28,800
One of the large farms of Mont
gomery County sold at public auction
yesterday for $28,800 to Hatton D.
Brown of Barnesville, Md.
The 277-acre farm near Dickerson;
of the late William H. Baden, i
former trust officer of the Wash
ington Loan and Trust Co., was sold
by the executors of the estate. An
11-room dwelling house and farm
buildings are on the property.
Less than 50 persons attended the
sale at which bidding was light.
The opening offer was'l5,000.
Mr. Brown said that he had no
immediate plans for use of the
property but probably would resell.
The estate includes some of the
most attractive rolling farm land
of the county and is a mile from the
Potomac river.
-:
Wheaton Commerce Unit
To Hold Dinner Meeting
i
The Montgomery County Com
missioners, members of the Mary
land National Capital Park and >
Planning Commission, and repre-!
sentatives of the press will be guests
of the newly organized Wheaten
Chamber of Commerce at a dinner
meeting "at Olney Inn October 7,
Thomas Q. Oyster, president, has
announced.
Pinal plans for the dinner will be
made at the chamber’s September
meeting at 8 p.m. Thursday at the
Olenmont School.
9
——-e- - i'j—
Members of 42 Units
Attend Convention of
Montgomery Firemen
Members of 42 volunteer fire de
partments In Montgomery County,
other sections of Maryland and
nearby Virginia yesterday crowded
into Kensington to attend the 25th
annual convention of the Mont
gomery County Association of Vol
unteer Firemen at the Kensington
Firehouse.
Association officials, who estimated
the turnout at approximately 1,000
firemen and their wives, said it was
one of the largest in the organiza
tion's history.
The small Montgomery County
town was bedecked with pennants
welcoming the firemen and roads
in the area were jammed with
visitor’s cars and fire trucks.
Beauty Contest and Parade.
Highlighting the affair were a
beauty contest to select "Miss Mont
gomery County Fire Service of 1947”
and a parade.
Winner of the beauty contest was
Miss Mary Ellen Horman, 17, of
Hyattstown. on the Frederick
County line. She received $25, a
trophy and a year's scholarship to
a Washington modeling school.
The scholarship fit right in with
Miss Horman's plans, because she
"always wanted to be a model,” she
said. She added it was the first
beauty contest she had ever entered.
Approximately 100 fire trucks par
ticipated in the parade with the
$75 grand prize for the best ap
pearing Montgomery County fire
pftmnomr rrr»fnor tn + ffilvop Qnrinff
Volunteer Fire Department.
Other Awards Listed.
Other prizes were awarded as fol
lows :
Best-appearing engine company,
$30, Glen Echo; second best-appear
ing engine company, $20, Warrenton,
Va.; best-appearing truck company.
$25. Cottage City; best-appearing
ambulance, $25, Hyattstown; most
men in line in uniform, $35, Silver
Spring; company coming the longest
distance, $25, Mt. Jackson, Va.
Best-appearing ladies’ auxiliary, j
$20, Laurel; best-appearing nonfire
department unit, $20, Silver Spring
Boys’ Band: best-appearing band or
drum and bugle corps, $25, Rosedale,
and best comic entry, $5, Gaithers
burg-Washington .Grove.
After the parade, the Burtonsville, \
Glen Echo, Kensington and Silver
Spring departments demonstrated
their equipment by putting out two
oil fires in a wooden structure erected
| for the purpose in a field near the
| firehouse.
A softball game between teams
representing the eastern and west- j
! era areas of the county ended in an
j 11-11 tie. The Burtonsville Depart
j ment won the tug-of-war contest
; while the horseshoe pitching game
i was won by Glen Echo.
—
Montgomery Unit to Meet
Dr. Bertha Paulssen, sociologist
at the Lutheran Theological Semi-|
nary, Gettysburg, Pa., will address
the Montgomery County Education
Association at 8 p.m. October 9 at
Leland Junior High School, accord
ing to Mrs. Elizabeth C. Macdonald,
City Heads Offer
Suggestions on
Redevelopment
Urge Planners Keep
In Mind Economy,
Tax-Exempt Land
The District Commissioners yes
terday called on the National Cap
ital Park and Planning Commis
sion to keep economy, the District's
huge assortment of tax-exempt
land and the views of city officials
constantly before It in drafting the
comprehensive plan that is to
chart the city's course of future
slum redevelopment and preven
tion.
Notice was served to this effect
in a letter to MaJ. Gen. U. §. Grant
III, planning commission chairman,
by John Russell Young, president of
the board of commissioners. The
letter was prepared by Engineer
Commissioner Gordon R. Young, ex
officio member of the planning
commission.
Gen. Grant, whose staff is start
ing a long-range slum rebuilding
and prevention program under the
authority of the city’s Redevelop
ment Act of 1946, had asked for the
reaction of the city heads to an
outline of the ground to be covered
in the plan.
Suggestions Listed.
Early last week the planners an
nounced they would retain the
services of Harland Bartholomew,
St. Louis planner, to help them.
The letter offers the help and ad
vice of the District Government,
then suggests:
1. That the planners make "full
use” of Gen. Youne’s 11-vear Dlan
for municipal improvements. High
way Director H. C. Whitehurst's
surveys of the city's highway needs,
the expressway and underground
streetcar proposals of the highway
department’s out-of-town consult
ants, the E. J. Greiner Co. of Balti
more, and the DeLeuw. Cather Co. of
Chicago, and the long-range re
commendations of the District Motor
Vehicle Parking Agency for reducing
parking congestion in downtown
Washington.
2. That they keep in mind that
Washington taxpayers already are
being severly penalized by the fact
that more than 50 per cent of the
land area of the city is tax exempt
and that they see if there is any way
to get some of the land now exempt
back into circulation or used to
better effect.
Urge Cost Estimates.
3. That they couple their recom
mendations with cost estimates so
the plan will not prove “futile and
academic.''
The letter states in connection
with the second point that “there
has been no attempt to make a com
prehensive study of these public
land holdings with the idea of fitting
them intelligently into a civic plan.”
Several times legislation has been
introduced calling for a survey of
such land by a three-map commit
tee consisting of the president of
the Board of Commissioners, the
chairman of the National Capital
Park and Planning Commission and
the Federal Works Administrator.
On the list to be surveyed were
the Soldiers' Home, Fort Sims, St.
Elizabeths Hospital farm, Columbia
Institution for the Deaf. National
i raining ocnooi ior jjoys ana
others.
But the legislation, which was
supported alike by the planners and
the Commissioners, never was
passed.
Must Agree With Act.
The plan the commission is now
starting must be made, according
to the redevelopment act, before de
tailed plans to rebuild specifio
blighted areas can be started.
The act intends that the plan, by
eliminating from the future as
many past mistakes in developing
the city as possible Will prevent fu
ture slums at the same time re- i
development attempts to cure areas j
now obsolete and decadent.
It is to cover virtually all phase*
of city development from railroads
to zoning and from school sites to
wharves, highways and transporta
tion.
Actual rebuilding of areas already
decadent will be done by the city’s
five-man Redevelopment Agency
which is authorized to spend a $20,
000,000 revolving fund over a long
period of years to buy up old sec
tions of the city and contract the
rebuilding of it to private firms, or,
in some cases, public housing agen
cies.
Tax Study Unit to Meet
In Prince Georges
The Education and Tax Study
Group sponsored by the Prince
Georges County League of Women
Voters will hold its second meeting
at 8 p.m. Wednesday at the County
Service Building, Hyattsville.
Dr. Clarence A. Newell, associate
professor of educational administra
tion at the University of Maryland,
will conduct the meeting.
Falls Bring Death
To 3, Injure 24
Others in Homes
Falls continue to be the leading
cause of local home injuries, bring
ing death to three elderly person*
and broken bones or bruises to 24
others last week.
Two babies suffocated during the
'week, bringing home accident fatali
ties for the year to 151, still slightly
below the 162 recorded during the
same period in 1946.
Accidental discharges of firearms
sent two boys to the hospital. One
youngster was wounded in the foot
while playing in his yard by a bullet
that went through three fences. Its
origin was unknown. The other, a
youth of 17, shot himself in the
hand while-cleaning a pistol.
Burns occurred when children
spilled hot coffee and soup on them
selves. Another child brushed
against an electric heater, while a
gas heater exploded in the face of
an adult.
One young housewife cut her
knee with a knife while paring
vegetables in her lap. Another frac
tured her shoulder by falling out of
bed. and a third caught her finger
in an electric mixer.
IZZ-H