Evening star. [volume], April 15, 1948, Image 1

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Truman Backs Forrestal to Limit
On Balanced15 5-Group Air Fleet,
But House Supports Symington
- 4
Votes Extra Fund
To Start Building
70-Group Force
BULLETIN
The House today passed and
sent* to the Senate a bill pro- !
viding $3,198,100,000 to start
expanding the Air Force from I
55 to 70 groups. The vote was
339 to 3. Most of the fund is
in contract authority for the
Air Force and the Naval Bu
reau of Aeronautics. This
means actual cash will have to
be put up later. Included in
the contract total is $822,000.- j
000 added by the House to the
$2,373,100,000 proposed by the
Appropriations Committee.
President Truman said today
he is supporting to the limit the
defense program outlined by
Secretary of Defense Forrestal
and he does not know why Sec
retary of Air Symington is dif
fering with the administration’s
recommendations on the size of
the Air Force.
Asked whether he plans to
"spank" Secretary Symington for
proposing a 70-group air force, Mr.;
Truman said he will have to answer
that later.
The President's comment came asi
the House prepared to vote on the I
70-group plan. The Armed Services
Committee, meanwhile, sought fur
ther facts about Russia's knowledge ;
on the atomic bomb.
Secretary Forrestal previously had
asked for a 55-group force, along
with universal military training and
a temporary draft. Mr. Truman
had called this a balanced program
which the Nation can afford.
Says Unification Will Work.
Mr. Symington told the House
Armed Services Committee Tuesday
that an Air Force of 70 groups is
more important to the country's se
curity than UMT.
House members have shown they
favor a larger Air Force than pro
posed by Mr. Forrestal.
Asked how he accounts for Mr.
Symington's stand, Mr. Truman said
he does not account for it. He
said the expanded defense program
outlined by Mr. Forrestal is a bal
anced program agreed to by all the
services.
One reporter suggested that dif
ferences between Secretaries Sy- j
mington and Forrestal may indicate
that the armed services unification j
is not working.
Mr. Truman replied sharply that
unification will eventually work, that;
the program will have to be imple
mented by Congress and the serv
ices will have to get accustomed
to it. |
Taber Offers Amendment.
An amendment adding $822,000.
000, instead of a previously planned
$922,000,000, to the contract author
izations for the Air Force was intro
duced this afternoon by Chairman
Taber of the House Appropriations:
Committee.
Debate W'as limited to a half hour,
indicating that a test vote on House
sentiment for a 70-group Air Force
would come shortly thereafter.
Advocates of the 70-group Air
Force strength had announced that
they would amend the pending $2.
376,000.000 authorization for the Air
Force and Navy by adding another
$922,000,000 to enable the Air Force
to begin negotiating contracts as a
start toward increasing its strength
from 55 to 70 groups.
The amendment as introduced by
Mr. Taber was reliably reported to
have lowered the amount by $100,
000.000, principally to help overcome
whatever House opposition might
have developed against the larger
expenditure proposal.
Mr. Taber indicated that an addi
tional $100,000,000 might have to be
obtained later, and. that, in any,
event, the extra $822,000,000 was
only an authorization for the Air
Force to enter into aircraft build
ing contracts. He said a 70-group j
force would take “some time” to
(See DEFENSETPage A-4.) i
Tidelands Oil Bill Approved
By House Judiciary Uni!
By the Associated Press
The tidelands bill was approved
by the House Judiciary Committee
today.
Chairman Michener told a re
porter that no recorded vote was
taken. He said it was not unani
mous.
The measure would grant the
States title to certain off-shore
lands and lands beneath navigable
waters within State boundaries.
A similar bill has been approved'
by a Senate Judiciary Suljcom
mittee.
The measures are opposed by the
Justice Department.
Late News
Bulletins
President Roxas Dies
MANILA, Friday, April 16 (JF).
—President Manuel A. Roxas
Is dead, Malacanan Palace an
nounced today.
Battle Rages in Rome
ROME (Ah.—A rock-throwing
throng of several hundred
leftists raided a meeting of
the pro-Fascist “Italian Social
Movement” in Tiburtino
Square tonight. Fifteen min
utes later heavy forces of riot
police had not been able to
stop the fighting.
(Earlier Story on Page A-12.)
i
»--—--- : —
Russia Ousts U. S. Broadcaster
Accused as Spy by Ex-Secretary
Magidoff Denounced
By American-Born
Woman in Moscow
By Eddy Gilmore
Associated Press Foreign Correspondent
MOSCOW. April 15.—Izvestia,
the government newspaper, pub
lished today a letter accusing
Correspondent Robert Magidoff
of spying for an American es-;
pionage service.
Mr. Magidoff said he had been in-'
formed by the Soviet press depart
ment that his further work here i
is impossible and his further resi-!
dence is undesirable. He plans to
leave within two or three days.
Mr. Magidoff had served the Na
tional Broadcasting Co., the Ex
change Telegraph (British) and the
McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. of New
York. He once was on the Asso
ciated Press staff here. The de
nunciation of his activities was con
tained in a letter Izvetsia attributed
to a girl from Michigan who be
came his secretary after working in
the American Embassy here.
Izvetsia quoted the secretary, Ce
cilia Nelson, as saying Mr. Magidoff
had dispatched reports in American
diplomatic pouches, not subject to
censorship.
(The State Department said
Miss Nelson was hired by the
Moscow Embassy during the war
and files on her were not imme
diately available.)
• In New York. Mr. Magidoff's
mother. Mrs. Jennie Magidoff.
ROBERT MAGIDOFF.
—AP Photo.
said her son is an American citi
zen, and has two brothers in that
city. Mrs. Magidoff said she last
heard from her son in Moscow
two weeks ago.
“(“Nothing since then,” she
added, "and he is always very
good about writing.”)
The letter quoted her:
“Several days ago, while I was in
(See MAGIDOFFTPagfTA-4.) !
Truman Says Revolt
In Colombia Was
Surprise to Him
Received No Warning,
He States; Backs Marshall
On Charge of Red Tieup
Ky the Associated Press
President Truman said today
that he was as surprised as any
one else about the uprising in
Bogota, Colombia.
Mr. Truman told a news confer
ence he was very sorry that the riot
ing occurred but that he had no
warning of it.
A congressional inquiry already
has been started to find out whether
United States intelligence agencies
had advance word of the revolution
and warned proper officials.
A reporter asked Mr. Truman
whether he considered the revolt as
a warning to the Americas of the
Communist danger in this hemis
phere.
Mr. Truman replied that Secre
tary of State Marshall had com
mented on that, adding he did so
very well.
Gen. Marshall, who is attending
the Inter-American Conference in
Bogota, has blamed international
Communism for the intensity of the
uprising.
Mr. Truman said the United
States had received information
that there might be picketing or
riots at the conference.
But, he added, there was no in
dication that anybody was going
to get shot.
New Crisis Threatened
Over Rites for Slain Man
BOGOTA, Colombia, April 15 (JO
—A dead man threatened political
peace today in a riot-racked Colom
bia.
He was Jorge Eliecer Gaitan, as
sassinated leader of the Liberal op
position to Conservative President
Mariano Ospina Perez.
His widow said yesterday—the
day set for his state funeral—she
would not let him be buried untilj
tSee BOGOTA, Page A-2.)
Five Children Killed
In Burning Apartment
By the Associated Press
JACKSON. Mich.. April 15.—Five
children were burned to death to
day in a fire that destroyed a four
family apartment house 'at Van
dercook Lake, a suburb three miles
south of here.
The victims were Betty Nelson,
7, and Beverly Nelson, 6, daughters
of Mr. and Mrs. Clifford Nelson,
and Ethel Midyett, 16; James
Midyett, 13, and Jerry Tatman, 4,
all children of Mrs. Ruth Tatman.
Mrs. Tatman was burned severely
and Mr. and Mrs. Nelson were
treated for minor burns.
2 Hungarian Missions
Ousted From U.S. Zone
Of Reich on Clay Order
»
Expulsion Is Retaliation
For Looting of American
Repatriation Train
By th* Associated Press
FRANKFURT, Germany, April
15.—pen. Lucius D. Clay, Ameri
can military governor, ordered
two Hungarian missions today to
leave the American zone within
48 hours.
They were the Repatriation Mis
sion of four persons and the Resti
tution Mission of 11. The former
directed the return of Hungarian j
displaced persons from Germany to
Hungary. The latter handled the
i return of property looted by the
; Nazis during their occupation of
Hungary.
Members of the two missions have
been the only Hungarian officials
in the American zone of Germany.
Qusted in Retaliation.
An official announcement said '■
the missions were ousted in re-1
taliation for the looting of an
American repatriation train and
i’‘maltreatment of United States
personnel and other undisciplined
:acts by Soviet troops and officers
on Hungarian territory on Janu
ary 23, 1948.”
The train was carrying 488 Hun
garians back to Hungary from Ger
many under escort of one Amer
ican warrant officer and 11
American enlisted men.
The announcement from United
States Army headquarters said Hun
garian representatives in Germany
and the Hungarian government, in
an April 12 note to the Budapest
American Legation, “failed to pro
vide a satisfactory explanation of
this incident.”
Account of Incident.
The announcement gave this ac
count :
The American military repatria
tion train arrived January 23 at
Hegyeshalom on the Hungarian bor
der en route to Komarom, about 35
miles inside Hungary.
Though the escorting soldiers car
ried clearances from the Hungarian
liaison mission in Munich, Maj. Razo
of the Hungarian border police at
; first would allow the escort neither
to cross the border nor to take the
train and its occupants back to
Germany.
"It was finally decided," the an
| (See FRANKFURT.”Pag~e_A-4.)
15 Slain Daily in Philippines
MANILA, April 15. (TP).—At least
15 persons a day are killed in Philip
pine shooting affrays. Interior Sec
retary Jose C. Zulueta said today.
He blamed a superabundance of fire
arms, apparent laxity of law en
forcement, and the agrarian revolt
in Central Luzon.
Russians Isolate U. S. Airbase
Near Vienna With Road Blocks
•y th« Associated Tress
VIENNA, AprO 15. — Russian
troops today set up a roadblock
ahich isolates the American air
base at Tulin, 14 miles west of
Vienna.
The Russians demanded ‘‘grey”
identification cards.
Some United States Air Force
personnel traveling to work from
Vienna were permitted to pass after
long arguments. Others were re
fused clearance.
The road block was manned by
one officer, four enlisted men and a
civilian interpreter.
Harold Voeth. Vienna manager
for Pan American Airways, said
American military police at Tulin
\
were not allowing his employes to
return to Vienna.
The morning flight from Prague
to the United States left on schedule
since the bus passed the Russian
checkpoint before the roadblock was
set up.
It is not yet known what action
American authorities here will take.
The "grey card" identification de
, manded by the Russians can be ob
tained only after a 72-hour delay.
Grey cards never before have, been
| required for the trip to Tulin along
the occupation corridor road.
Austrian police set up a roadblock
on the road to Tulin yesterday, but
it was only to check on Austrian
automobiles. No Americana were
stopped.
i I
Arabs Defeated
In Big Battle,
Jews Declare
'Decisive Victory'
Reported Scored by
2,000 Fighters
By the Associated Press
JERUSALEM, April 15.—Jew
ish sources said today 2,000 Jew
ish fighters have scored a
“decisive victory” over the Arab
volunteer army led by Fawzi Bey
al Kaukji in Northern Palestine.
The informants reported 200 Arab
casualties and said the Jews cap
tured seven field guns.
The Arab League in Cairo had
reported that Fawzi Bey’s forces at
Mishmar Haemak, 15 miles south
east of Haifa, had been encircled
by 12,000 fighters of Hagana, the
Jewish militia, but an Arab spokes
man here declared the reverse was
true.
Stunt Laid to Arabs.
The spokesman, Ahmed Hilmi
Pasha of the Arab Higher Execu
tive. said the Jews were being sur
rounded by Arabs. However, the
Arab League headquarters in £airo
had taken a grave view of Fawzi
Bey’s situation. A Jewish source
said the Cairo announcement was a
stunt to gain more help for the
Arabs.
The Mishmar Haemak battle be
tween Hagana and part of Fawzi
Bey’s army has been going on for
more than a week.
Jewish forces were reported pur
suing the Arabs toward Jenin,
northernmost point of the Nablus
Tulknrm-Jenin triangle, the in-;
formants said. They added that in
some cases Jews cut across the hills
lining the Megiddo plain, the an
cient battleground of Armageddon,
trying to encircle the Arabs.
One Jewish report said a British
commander of a gun crew was
among the Arab army dead.
Six Villages Captured.
Jewish fighters recently have cap
tured six Arab villages near Mish
mar Haemak, but one Arab source
said this was a planned withdrawal
by Fawzi Bey to “lure the Jews into
a pocket.”
Arabs and Jews battled on in
other parts of the Holy Land.
Hagana announced that it had
captured the Tel Litwinsky campj
near Tel Aviv today after a house
to-house battle in which at least 21
Arabs were slain. Tire camp was
built by American forces as a rec
reation and hospital center during
World War II. It was abandoned
(yesterday by British forces. Arabs
entered it last night.
Jewish sources said nearly 200
| public air raid shelters are being
ibuilt in Jewish sectors of Jerusalem
I because of a possibility of air raids 1
from neighboring Arab nations.
Arabs Reported Ringed
By Jewish Troops
I CAIRO, Egypt, April 15 (.-’Pi.—
Arab League headquarters said to
day it fcas received reports the Arab
army of Fawzi Bey al Kaukji is sur
rounded *by 12,000 Jewish soldiers at
Mishmar Haemak in Northern
Palestine.
! Trans-Jordan's foreign minister,
! Fawzi Mulki Pasha, relayed an urg
ent appeal for help to King Abdul
lah Ibn al Hussein.
•The serious situation must im
prove in the next few hours.” Mulki
'said. "The Mishmar Haemak
i fighting is a major battle which, if
j won by the Arabs, will be a fatal
blow to Jewish ambitions.”
It was reported Hagana, the Jew
ish militia, had organized a huge
j counter-offensive and may be try
j ing for a knockout blow.
Mulki indicated the Trans-Jordan
| Arab Legion would intervene on an
' unprecedented scale if Fawzi Bey
, (See PALESTINE, Page A-4.)
Story oi Red Planes
Over Alaska Backed
By the A:socioted Press
KETCHIKAN, Alaska. April 15
Publisher William L. Baker, writing
from the Ketchikan Chronicle after
a three-week tour of Alaska, said
today that Representative Smith,
Republican, of Maine is "correct”)
in saying that Russian planes "have
violated Alaskan skies.”
The article added, however, that
both American and Russian planes
have-crossed the border into each
other's territory over a period of
several months.
(Mrs. Smith, a member of the
House Armed Services Commit
tee, said in Waterville. Me.. Tues
day night that "* * ♦ The peo
ple have not been told that the
Russian press and radio speak of
Alaska as a partr of Russia and
that jet planes have violated
Alaskan skies.”
(Air Force headquarters of
ficers in Washington and Maj.
Gen. Joseph Atkinson, com
mander of United States Air
Forces in Alaska, both said they
had received no reports of Rus
sian activity over Alaska.)
The publisher said also that a
“mystery submarine.” first reported
seen in Kiska Harbor by an Ameri
can pilot over two weeks ago, lin
gered in Aleutian island waters for
about 10 days. Several thousand
personnel at Aleutian bases w’ere
alerted and all leave* were can
celed for men of sea-going craft,
Mr. Baker said. 1
i
Truman Likes New Balcony,
But Can't Use It—Too Busy'
Disclaims Any Selfish Interest in Job;
Cites Jefferson Design and Row of 1855
- By Joseph A. Fox
President Truman today de
fended the controversial balcony j
in the south portico of the
White House on esthetic grounds •
and said at the same time that
he didn’t expect to get to use it
because his days are so full.
But in the next breath he asserted
that he expected to be around for
the next four years to enjoy the new
addition if he did have the oppor
tunity. .
The president turned to the sub
ject of the balcony at a news con
ference when reminded that for
some weeks he has been promising.
to “lecture” on the subject and had
said a week ago that he was just
about ready to have hrs say.
When the point was raised by a
reporter today, the President took
from his desk a picture showing
the completed balcony and said he
wanted to make it clear that he
did not have a selfish interest in
constructing it.
He added that the proper reasons
had never been attributed to him,
and that critics thought it was a
selfish reason. The President then
explained the portico was designed
by Thomas Jefferson; that it was
first built with very narrow spindly
rSee BALCONY, Page A-4.1_
Lawson Questioning
On Communist Ties
Is Ruled Pertinent
U.S. Rests Contempt Case;
Thomas, HouseCommittee
Head, Is Only Witness
By Chris Mathisen
Film Writer John Howard
Lawson was asked a proper
question when the House Com
mittee on Un-American Activi
ties inquired whether he was or
ever has been a member of the
Communist Party, Justice Ed
ward M. Curran ruled today in
the scenarist’s District Court
trial bn a charge of contempt of
Congress.
The Government rested its case
immediately after Justice Curran's
decision, having offered as its only
witness Chairman Thomas of the
committee.
Showing increasing annoyance at
efforts of the defense to introduce
evidence Intended to show aq ab
sence of Communistic influence in
! Lawson's screen work or Hollywood
! in general, Justice Curran finally
1 interrupted Charles Katz, one of the
corps of defense attorneys, to de
clare:
"I’ve heard enough. I shall now
rule that, as a matter of law. the
question was pertinent to the in
quiry.”
Motion Overruled.
Mr. Katz immediately moved to
strike the testimony of Mr. Thomas
bearing on this issue and was
! promptly overruled. Assistant Unit
ed States Attorney William Hitz then
announced the prosecution had com
pleted its case.
The shadow of the United States
Court of Appeals had hung over the
Lawson defense'as it sought vainly
to introduce material aimed at
showing the committee had no rea
son to believe there was any Com
munist infiltration of the motion
picture industry, and, therefore, no
basis for asking Lawson about
Communist Party membership.
Justice Curran ruled yesterday the
query was proper, but agreed to let
(See LAWSON. Page”A-4.)
AP Men Fail to, Find
Red Tanks in Berlin
0
By tht Associated Press
BERLIN, April 15—Unconfirmed
reports attributed to British sources
said today the Russians had moved
more than 100 tanks into Berlin’s
southeastern outskirts.
But an Associated Press corre
spondent and photographer toured
the Soviet-occupied suburbs where
the tanks were reported concen
trated and saw neither tanks nor
unusual troop activity.
A high British official commented
on the report, “If so—what of it?”
German press dispatches said new
units of Russian Mongolian troops
had been moved into the rural
Schwanebeck district northeast of
Berlin, displacing Germans from
their homes.
No Russian comment was avail
able. Such military information is
regarded as secret.
German press reports about Rus
sian troop movements in the Soviet
zone, which surrounds Berlin, have
been increasing during the current
inter-Allied tension here.
American Diplomat
Among 30 Dead in
Constellation Crash
18 Others From U. S.
Also Listed as Killed
In Eire Accident
By the Associated Press
SHANNON AIRPORT, Eire,
April 15.—the Empress of the
Skies, a Pan American World
Airways Constellation, crashed
coming in for a landing here to
day and 30 persons, including 19
Americans, died in the blazing
wreckage. The plane was bound
i from Calcutta to New York.
Marc Worst, 38, of Burbank,
Calif., was the sole survivor.
He said the force of the crash
threw him out through the baggage
compartment. His wife, waiting
at the airport to meet him, wit
nessed the tragedy. Mr. Worst is
manager of Lockheed Aviation
Corp.’s base at Shannon. Lock
; heed builds the Constellations, four
! engined craft costing about $1,000,
000 each.
The passenger list included the
; name of George Henderson, 34, of
, the American legation, Damascus,
Syria. Also listed were his wife and
13-month-old son.
(In Washington the State De
partment said Mr. Henderson
recently was transferred to
Dhahran. Saudi Arabia, as an
American diplomatic official.)
(Mr. Henderson formerly was
Second Secretary of the Embassy
and Consul in Rome. He headed
an American mission which
(See PLANE, Page A-3.)
Anderson Says He'll Quit
Cabinet on May 10
By th« Associated Press
ALBUQUERQUE, N. Mex., April
15.—Secretary of Agriculture Ander
son said today he will leave Presi
dent Truman's cabinet May 10.
The next day he is to speak before
the Economic Club in Chicago. Sec
retary Anderson arrived early today
to lay plans for his campaign to
seek the Democratic senatorial nom
ination in New Mexico.
Lewis Hearing Ends;
Court to Announce
Decision on Monday
Contempt Case Concluded
After Final Arguments
Lasting Only Half Hour
By James Y. Newton
The contempt of court trial of
John L. Lewis and his United
Mine Workers ended today in
District Court and Justice T.
Alan Goldsborough postponed
until Monday at 10 a.m. a de
cision as to innocence or guilt.
Justice Goldsborough postponed
decision after hearing the Govern
ment argue that a “Clear and con
cise” case had been made out against
the defendants, and the defense
contend that the Government with
the help “of thousands of FBI
agents and others have failed to
produce any evidence” of guilt.
Summary arguments required only
a half hour and the trial ended at
10:30 a.m. today. Welly K. Hopkins,
chief Lewis attorney, presented only
a few extemporaneous words in his
final address to the court.
ClvU, Criminal Contempt Charged.
Mr. Lewis and the UMW are
charged with both civil and criminal
contempt resulting from their tardi
ness in heeding a court order issued
April 3 to call off the strike which
is still going on among some of the
400.000 miners. Mr. Lewis did in
struct the miners on Monday to
return to work after he won settle
ment of the pension dispute that
touched off the strike.
Justice Goldsborough will say
Monday whether he thinks Mr.
Lewis and the union are guilty of
contempt. In event of conviction
he then will assess penalties on
which he may use his own judg
ment. There are no legal limits on
fines or jail sentence that could be
imposed on the civil contempt
charge.
Reports from the coal-producing
States showed that about 250,000
UMW members had returned to
work, many of them reporting yes
terday for the first time since the
strike began March 15. Other
thousands are maintaining a wait
and-see attitude, having decided to
, remain idle until they see what
Justice Goldsborough s decision is
in the trial.
No Testimony by FBI.
Mr. Hopkins, in his brief final
argument, said:
“The defendants aver and say
that the record in this case, taken
as a whole, fails completely to
establish a case of civil contempt
or criminal contempt against the
defendants or either of them.”
Then he made the statement that
the Government, even with FBI
help, had failed to produce evi
dence of guilt. The reference was
to reports that the Justice Depart
ment sent its agents into the coal
fields to gather Evidence against Mr.
Lewis and his union. However,
there was no testimony by the FBI
in the trial.
Assistant Attorney General H.
Graham Morison argued that the
defendants were clearly in contempt^
for continuing the mine work stop-'
page for a week after the court
ordered them to end it. That re
straining order was issued April 3
TseiTcOALTPage A-4.)
Big Practice Squadron to Take
Midshipmen on Summer Cruise
By W. J. Wheatley
The largest practice squadron eve»
mobilized for summer sea training
of midshipmen will leave Hampton
Roads, Va., June 7 for a tour of
European and Mediterranean ports,
the Navy announced today.
In addition to 2.460 midshipmen
from the Naval Academy, the ships
will take aboard 735 midshipmen
from 11 Naval Reserve Officers
Training Corps’ units in various;
colleges, approximately 500 officers;
and enlisted men of the Naval Re-;
serve, and 25 June graduates of the
Military Academy at West Point.
. The entire group, with the battle
ship Missouri as flagship, will as
semble June 5 at Annapolis Roads
in Chesapeake Bay at the mouth
of the Severn River to take the
midshipment aboard. They then
will go to Hampton Ro^s to pick
up the NKOTC stuaents ana ne
servists.
Included In the group will be
45,000-ton aircraft carrier Coral Sea,
the heavy cruisers Columbus and
Macon, the destroyers George K.
MacKenzie. the Ernest G. Small.
Power, Vesole. Bordelon, Leary,
iGlennon and Dyess and the land
ing ship Donner.
The first port of call will be Lis
bon. Portugal, where the ships will
remain from June 21 to 26. They
are scheduled to visit other Euro
pean and Mediterranean ports, but
the complete itinerary has not been
arranged.
The NROTC units will be from
Holy Cross College, Harvard Uni
versity, Columbia University, Penn-,
sylvania State College, University of
South Carolina, Tulane University,
University of Mississippi. Vanderbilt
University, University of Oklahoma,
University of Texas and University
of Missouri.
Home Rule Bill
Voted, 6-1, by
Subcommittee
Dirksen Schedules
Meeting Wednesday
On Auchincloss Plan
By Don S. Warren
By a 6-to-l vote, the House
Home Rule Subcommittee today
ordered a favorable report on
the revised Auchincloss bill for
an elected city government here.
Representative Jones, Democrat,
of Alabama, who voted for the bill
made the reservation he would take
any stand later that he deemed
necessary in the full House District
Committee and in the House.
At the same time, Chairman Dirk
sen of the full committee, scheduled
a meeting of that unit for next
Wednesday. If necessary, the entire
day will be devoted to the 160-page
bill, he said.
Those voting for the committee
report were Representatives Auch
incloss. of New Jersey; Allen, of
California: McGarvey, of Penn
sylvania. and Jones, of Washington,
Republicans, and Deane. Democrat,
of North Carolina, in addition to
Mr. Jones.
McMillan Opposes Bill.
The only member opposing the
bill was Representative McMillan.
! Democrat, of South Carolina, form
i ea chairman of the District Com
mittee.
He did not attend the subcom
j mittee session, but sent to Chair
;man Auchincloss a letter in which
I he directed that he be registered
'against the bill, and said:
•'I have not been convinced that
1 the taxpayers of the United States
desire to have the affairs of the city
of Washington turned over to a
municipality when every person has
an interest in the United States
Capital.”
Mr. McMillan said it was im
possible for him to attend today’s
meeting, because he had promised
to appear in the interest of one
of his bills before the Veterans’ Af
fairs Committee.
Official Referendum Set.
The bill calls for an elected city
council of 12 members, and an eight
member elected Board of Education.
In addition, there would be elected
a nonvoting District delegate in
the House.
The new charter measure, as it
may be finally passed by Congress,
would be subject to approval in an
official referendum for District resi
' dents next November 15.
The council could propose general
city legislation, but to be effective,
such acts would have to be approved
affirmatively by a joint resolution
passed by both House and Senate,
and signed by the President.
Soldier Drowns in Jump
From Sousa Bridge
A man identified as Army Pvt.
John M. Plachowicz of Bolling
Field drowned in the Anacostia
River today after leaping 52 feet
into the water from a point near
the center of the Sousa Bridge.
Two witnesses driving by saw the
youthful soldier walking toward
: Washington on the north side
of the bridge. Looking back
through the car window, they saw
| him halt, take a couple of puff*
ion a cigarette, remove his gray top
icoat, then climb to the rail and
leap.
He struggled to keep afloat for
about three minutes, then disap
peared under the water.
The witnesses, Edward R. Beisler,
5112 Eighth street N.W., and David
Stein. 1305 Fern street N.W., said
a motorboat was 50 to 100 feet from
the struggling man. The boatman
I apparently was trying to start the
motor and paid no heed to the cries
of spectators who quickly gathered
on the bridge and at both ends.
Fair Weather Promised
Tomorrow and Saturday
Washington has had Its quota of
rainfall this week, according to the
Weather Bureau, but still may look
for the Potomac River to swell to
flood stage at Chain Bridge by early
tomorrow.
Mostly sunny weather was expect
ed today with the highest temper
ature in the lower 60s. Tomorrow
and Saturday also promises to be
fair. A low of about 38 degrees is
scheduled tonight.
While the rain measured in the
Washington area since Sunday has
i oeen slight, tabulated at .32 of an
j inch in the 24 hours ended last mid
! night, the fall has been steady and
’much rain has fallen in the Upper
! Potomac Basin.
The crest expected here early to
morrow is from Cumberland, where
the river reached a foot below flood
stage Tuesday night.
No overflow is expected below
Chain Bridge, where the water
probably will remain within its flood
limits, it was said.
Funny Things Happen
Beyond Whoa Thar
There’s some mighty pecu
liar goings-on in Appleknock
Territory, beyond the Whoa
Thar River.
For one thing, Jasper Jooka
is planning an unusual sur
prise for Elizabeth Chugg’s
birthday. But Jasper’s no
good brother Jason is aiming
to spoil it, if he can. And
Judge Haz Bean, owner of
Appleknock, is apt to compli
cate things as much as he can.
It all adds up to an amusing
new daily comic strip, “Jasper
Jooks,” that starts Monday,
April 19, In
&tar