Evening star. [volume], April 04, 1955, Page B **, Image 20

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

Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC

                
CLASSIFIED—READERS' CLEARING HOUSE
SOCIETY—CLUBS—FEATURES—AMUSEMENTS
*- ' ? ' " " ■* \\VJT,‘ . •""'"’ v’. ‘ 1 •wjSPP" “ *
> IQ Jjj 9!
BMb^j^* ,S?l^f-Jx<^ : " '~ y • „■?
I >. -
. ^"' ■ uffi
HP - H P
BIGGEST WEEK-END CROWD—At the center of yesterday’s gigantic open-air turnout were the Japanese cherry trees, now blooming full
at the Tidal Basin. More than 158,000 persons walked or drove by the blossoms during the day. Here, the blossoms are tossing in a brisk breeze
that »»«% the water choppy before the Jefferson Memorial. The blossom pageant played its last performance before 25,000 spectators.
, -.dfefc ii lYJraßt ifltlE^^Efi^T
-
A BIG DAY FOB FISHERMEN, TOO—Hundreds of fishermen unlimbered poles and lines from winter storage to try for
white perch, carp and herring in the Potomac River. This group is working from the Virginia side of the river below Chain
Bridge. Catches are obviously pretty good.
i9r Vi Jp jHRKySp %'
£ b tfWßtt IT i If" MKWc’.'
Wf*r Xws ia Qa v L||
i f jMgKh? «| if i a
irfnßwßTp ifYiiiii^' 11 I~iTm
HeJh Hp* m§9 : JH* B&k
- ' ; ; f BH'
—Star Staff Photos by A. C. Chinn and Walter Wood.
CHURCHGOERS—PaIm Sunday services drew record crowds of worshipers to the area’s
clumber yesterday. After morning man at St. Matthew’s Cathedral, many carry palms,
symbolic of Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem.
Bern Faces Ninth Juvenile Court Trial
A 18-year-old. who has been
freed tir eight Juries on various
charges in the past few years,
today Is sitting through his ninth
Jury trial in Juvenile Court.
The ease masks the first time
Judge Edith H. Cockrill has per
mitted reporters to observe a
Jury trial. Since January 1 the
press has been admitted to
straight bearings, but not trials.
Today’s case is the trial of a]
colored teen-ager who has been
a regular visitor to the Receiving ,
Rome- In each of the previous i
eight Jury trials, he has either j
been aoquitted or the panel has
been unable to agree.
Actually, 12 accusations have
been brought against the boy
in the past four years including
attempted robbery, assault, dis
orderly conduct, carnal knowl
edge, false pretenses and a sex
offense against a companion in
the Receiving Home, as well as
attempted housebreakings.
Today’s jury is hearing evi
dence in a charge of assault
with intent to rob which was j
1 made last February 12.
‘ Assistant Corporation Coun
sel Albert Pnvich told the Jury
l that the Government would
prove that the juvenile, with a
I friend. Alvin Gibson. 19. adored,
of the 110 block of Neal street
iNJ!., assaulted and attempted;
to rob Marvin T. Ayers, 25.
colored, of the 500 block of A
street SJS. Gibson is awaiting
trial at the U. 8. District Court
for the District of Columbia.
The alleged crime took .place,
Mr. Povlch told the Jury, in an
alley in the rear of the 1200
block of H street N.E.
j After the fracas Mr. Ayers was
[ admitted to Casualty Hospital
with a broken nose.
Defense attorney Joseph Levin
told the Jury that his young
client was nowhere in the vi
cinity of the crime and that Mr.
Ayers had wrongly identified
him.
P)e Joeniitg JSsfaf
Senate Unit Slates
2-Day Hearings on
Effects of TV Crime
The Senate Juvenile Delin
quency Subcommittee will hold
hearings Wednesday and Thurs
day on the possible effect on
children of television programs
of crime and violence.
Chairman Kefauver, Demo
crat, of Tennessee said he hopes
these hearings will finish the
subcommittee’s investiga tio n,
which began last June.
Six witnesses, including writers
on the subject, representatives
of the industry and a Federal
Communications Commissioner,
are scheduled to appear.
Will Seek Relationship
“The hearings will attempt to
establish whether there is a cas
ual relationship between the vio
lent programs so prevalent on
television and the alarming rise
in juvenile delinquency," Sen
ator Kefauver said.
Both hearings are scheduled
for 10 a.m. in the Old Supreme
Court chamber in the Capitol.
These witnesses will appear
Wednesday:
Dr. Eleanor E. Maccoby, de
partment of social relations.
Harvard University, author of
“Television—lts Impact on Chil
dren”; Harold E. Fellows, presi
dent. National Association of
Radio and Television Broadcast
ers, and Dr. Ralph 8. Banay, re
search psychiatrist, Columbia
University.
FCC Member to Appear
Witnesses scheduled for Thurs
day are:
Miss Frieda B. Hennock, mem
ber of the Federal Communica
tions Commission; Dallas W.
Smythe, of the Institute of Com
munication Research, University
of Illinois, and William A. Wood,
station manager of WQEfi, an
educational television station in
Pittsburgh.
Dr. Paul Lazarsfeld. media re
search specialist at Columbia
University, also may appear
Thursday.
The subcommittee held three
hearings on the subject last year.
It feels that testimony it heard
was Insufficient* to prove any
thing about the effect of the pro
grams.
Transit Studies Raise
In Cost of Tokens to
Five for 90 Cents
The possibility that Capital
Transit Co. soon may seek a two
cent increase in the cost of
tokens was seen today.
Transit officials have discussed
the matter Informally with the
Public Utilities Commission. It
was said there was a chance a
formal application might be
made this month.
The present rate for tokens for
street car and bus rides is five
for 80 cents. This is four cents
cheaper than the straight fare of
20 cents. The new scale would be
five tokens for 90 cents.
Objected to Spread
At the time this system was
approved by PUC in January,
1954, Capital .Transit pointed out
the differential between cash and
token fares had been widened. It
objected to the four-cent spread,
when historically the difference
had been two cents.
Part of the subsequent dip In
revenues was attributed to this
disparity.
In a monthly repqrt Issued
today, Capital Transit showed a
net loss of $12,345 for February
compared with a net income of
$47,606 for February of 1954.
Operating revenues slipped
from $2,089,256 for February,
1954, to $1,924,15? this year.
While operating revenues were
down $236,019 for the first two
months of 1955, an increase in
non-operating revenue due to
the sale of property gave the
company a net income of $63,623
for 1955 compared with a $54,160
net income for*the first two
months of 1954.
The transit company gave no
tice in its annual -.report last
month that a new fare increase
was to be requested to offset
declining business and rising ex
penditures.
Expect Wage Demands
It was believed that any move
for the token fare increase would
not entirely satisfy the company’s
demands. One official estimated
the token increase would bring
In not more than $400,000.
Company officials look for a
union # demand next month for
wage increases which would
more than wipe out any gains
made by a token fare advance.
Capital Transit has been
gearing Its ultimate rate in
crease request to two other pend
ing matters. One is a proposal
being considered by the House
District Committee to give the
PUC authority to increase fares
for school children from the'
present 3 cents to one-half the
adult fore.
The other is a PUC proposal
to trim about half a million off
the Capital Transit gross receipts
tax bill. This failed to meet
the approval of the District Ad
visory Council last week and
probably will meet the same fate
from the Commissioners.
D. C. Policeman's Wife
Shoots Self in Head
A policeman’s wife, mother of
two small children, was in criti
cal condition today with a bullet
wound In the head.
Mrs. Ann S. Thompson. 27,
wife of Ninth Precinct PVt. Don
ald E. Thompson, 26, of 131
Webster street N.W., shot her
self with his service revolver as
her husband watched.
Detective Bergts. Albert Mode,
and Edwin Coppage said Mrs.
Thompson declared she was
going to “end It all.” They re
ported she had threatened sui
cide several times in the past.
Mrs. Thompson, mother of
Donald, 3, and Jeffrey, 1. was
given six pints of blood at Emer
gency Hospital.
Flemming to Speak
Arthur 8. Flemming, director
of the Office of Defense Mobilisa
tion, will speak at a dinner
meeting of the Clarendon
Methodist Men’s Club at the
Clarendon Methodist Church,
Sixth and North Irving streets.
Arlington, Va.
WASHINGTON NEWS—COMICS—RADIO
MONDAY, APRIL 4, 1956
Sun-Drenched Cherry Blossom Holiday
Jams D.C. Hotels, Parks and Traffic
BT HARRY BACAS
Washington buttoned up for
its workaday routine today after
a sun-drenched holiday binge
of sightseeing, cherry blossom
pageantry and just plain Sun
day driving yesterday that had
police working until after dark
on some traffic snarls.
A day of warm winds and
brilliant sunshine surprised fore
casters and brought tourists and
local citizenry alike out into the
parks and roads for the biggest
week end of the year to date.
At the Tidal Basin alone,
where the cherry blossoms are
In full bloom. Park Police
counted 158,070 persons, 33,000
more than on Saturday. More
than 25,000 assembled at the
Jefferson Memorial to see the
Anal performance of the gala
Cherry Blossom pageant, wind
ing up a six-day stand.
Today was to be fair but cooler.
Hotels Crowded
Many hotels today were still
full of guests and turning down
applications, as a new crop of
tourists came in on the heels
of those who left town last
night.
The traffic jams started early
in the afternoon. Thousands
attended church yesterd&y for
Palm Sunday musical services,
went home for lunch and then
hit the road simultaneously.
The Financial Crisis We Face -
Real Estate Tax Increase
Weighed as Unhappy Solution
A simple way for Congress to
pick up nearly $2 million addi
tionally a year to run the Na
tion’s Capital would be to take
another crack at that old whip
ping boy. the real estate tax on
Washington property owners.
Faced with a growing deficit,
tax planners are talking about
Fifth ot a Seriei
hiking the rate 10 cents on each
SIOO assessed valuation. To the
property owner this has a famil
iar ring, for during the past 15
years the rate has risen 26. per
cent.
Whether Congress will adopt
this as part of the combination
answer it must find for the city’s
financial problems is uncertain.
Not Happy Solution
A special tax-hunting com
mittee of District officials has
recommended it to the Commis
sioners as a possibility. It is a
solution, however, which they
are not eager to adopt—for sev
eral reasons.
One is that the real estate tax
rate, along with that on business
personal property, is the only
escape valve for the Commis
sioners in case of financial dis
aster.
Under the law, they cannot
spend more than the city takes
in. If necessary, they must raise
the rates on those two taxes to
cover any shortage—and there
are periods of the year when
Congress is not around to handle
the problem.
They are hoping, therefore,
that a drive to equalize real es
tate tax assessments—increasing
the total .yield from real estate
taxes—might produce as much
money as a simple boost in rates.
10-Year Task
Records for assessment work
done before the early 1940 s are
conceded to be in bad shape.
Assessor James L. Martin has
estimated, however, that with
three more assistant assessors—
a total of 13—and th< necessary
staff to back them up, he can
complete reassessment of the
city in 10 years. To give him a
start on the project—which
should produce a year-by-year
rise in total taxes—the Commis
sioners are ready to ask for some
$46,000 to hire the additional
staff.
On the simple ihatter of rais
ing the real estate tax rate, some
spokesmen for property holders
question whether the saturation
point has not been reached.
Simply stated, the question is:
How much will businessmen and
home-owners stand before they
join others who have taken to
the suburbs?
What irks opponents most is
the fact that real estate already
is bearing the largest share of
the burden. Thirty-one per cent
of the entire general fund, or
$40,850,000, is estimated as com
ing from real estate this fiscal
year.
A 10-cfent increase might not
be considered a knockout punch
in itself. But those who cry
-Foul ” point out that realty in
creases would be coupled with
others like sales and Income
taxes already adopted or pro
posed.
Add to that the possibility of
increased workmen’s compensa
tion and unemployment com
pensation insurance, if Congress
adopts them, and the sock would
really hurt, say the real esteters.
Rent Boosts Possible
' Then, too, there’s the proba
bility of higher rents in apart
ment and business houses.
The District tax rate has been
a favorite target for members of
Congress striving to keep down
the Federal payment to the Dis
trict.
Just before World War II the
rate was sl-75 pet SIOO assessed
valuation. That hung on until
1947, but since then spiraling
budgets have caused three rate
increases.
The figure was upped to $2
in 1948. to $2.15 in 1950 and last
year to $2.20. Since each 5 cents
brings in about $0504)90 under
present nsscsmacnt standards,
the 10 cants would give the Dis
trict about SIJ union toward
Fpr much of the day, auto- j
mobiles were lined up bumper
to-bumper around the Tidal
Basin and on the approaches to j
all the Potomac River bridges.
Lines of cars were backed up
on Olebe road from Chain
Bridge almost to Lee' highway.
Other lines crept at snail’s pace
around the Lincoln Memorial,
in front of the Lee Mansion, on
the Virginia side ot Key Bridge
and on both sides of the Four- j
teenth Street Bridge.
In the cherry blossom area
three Red Cross first-aid stations
treated 21 cases of foot blisters,
headache and skinned knees.
None was serious.
All Police on Duty
Park Police had every man on
the force on duty except for the
ill and those on leave, to handle
the crowds, but the roads just
weren’t big enough.
The spring weather, with
temperatures near 70, brought
on a rush of lawn mowing and
belated leaf burning in residen
tial neighborhoods.
Other thpusands made their
first trip of the year to area
! beaches, or took to the country
roads tor a look at the spring
foliage.
At the Botanic Garden, where
the white glory of new Easter
lilies has replaced the flame
colored azaleas, more then 14,000
solving its search for more
revenue.
In arguing real estate taxes
one can prove almost anything,
or nothing, from the welter of
statistics comparing the District
picture with other communities. j
It is necessary to compare more
than the assessed rate. One must
consider how near its true mar
ket value the property Is being
assessed.
While the District rate is less
than in many other cities, Mr.
Martin believes the assessment
range of from 40 to 60 per cent
here gives District home-owners
none the best of it compared
with surrounding areas. Business
places are assessed much nearer
the full value.
Surveys and studies bear this
out. For example, a rundown
published recently by this news
paper revealed that realty taxes
on a $15,000 home would be slßl
IN the District compared with
$l9O in Montgomery County,
sl7l in Prince Georges County,
sl44,in Arlington, $l5O in Alex
andria; $165 in Falls Church and
$162 in Fairfax County.
Comparable Rate
Should the District rate be
boosted to $2.40, it would com
pare with these rates of nearby
areas (with percentages of as
sessment of true market value
also listed):
Montgomery County—Assess
ment between 50 and 55 jkr cent,
residential rate varies between
$1.98 and $2.93.
Prince Georgese County—As
sessment between 50 and 55 per
cent; rate, $1.98 ($2.08 where
fire protection tax is added).
Arlington—Assessment about
32 per cent; rate, $3.
Alexandria—Assessment 36 per
cent; rate, $2.75.
Falls Church—Assessment 40
per cent; rate, $2.75.
Fairfax County—Assessment
40 per cent; rate, $2.70 ($3.10 if
in sanitary district).
Proponents of a higher Dis
trict real estate tax Include those
who believe the population is
beginning to level off and that
the prospects of greater receipts
from income and sales taxes are
slim.
Much of the population is
spilling over into Maryland and
Virginia and there is constitu
tionally nothing the District can
do about annexing the land to
which some of its citizens have
moved.
Tomorrow: The sales tax
has already had a rocky path.
What's It’s future.
A ulljoujlft for Soiiag
Lenten Reflections by People You Know
BY THE MOST REV. JOHN M. McNAMARA
Auxiliary Bishop ot Washington
A wise man has said: “If our society fails to reconcile
material with moral progress and to develop men’s higher
faculties while satisfying his lower wants, It is defective
and contains within itself the germs of its dissolution. For
the end of society is not to multiply
unnecessarily the means and oppor
tunities of indulgence but to form
strong’ and noble men and women.
Such characters are not created by
indulgence but by self-control which
comes of self-denial.”
If this truth had taken a deeper
hold on the minds and hearts of our
people there would be fewer prob
lems on our list of worries. One of
the outstanding problems on this list
is juvenile delinquency, which would
not be a problem if it were not* for
adult delinquency. For the most *«"•««
part, juvenile delinquents reflect the Image of adults who
are a law unto themselves, especially those whose conception
of true happiness Is that which prevailed in the days of the
Caesars—to eat one's bread without labor and spend one’s
time In amusement.
The cure for juvenile delinquency will not be wrought
by those responsible for the curse. Our hope for a cure lies
with those who believe that: “Unless the Lord build the
house, they labor In vain that build it”; who count the
wealth of the country and measure its strength not in term*
of gold but of Christian manhood and womanhood and who
hold that the spirit of sacrifice is the soul of love for God and
country. ,
Tame new— Margaret C. Bchwetnhaat
B **
visitors were counted. More than
3.000 persons visited the orchid
house to see the beauties.
The National Rifle Association
closed its $1 million exhibition of
antique guns at the Willard
Hotel, with a count of more than
4,000 visitors.
On the river, boaters and fish
ermen were out in strength. A
wind that rose as high as 38
miles per hour raised occasional
whltecaps on the sunlit water
and held down the sailing, but
canoes and powerboats were
everywhere.
Fishermen were taking white
perch and carp from the Potomac
with rods and reels and hand
lines, while the C 6s O Canal was
yielding mostly eels and snap
ping turtles.
Young and old alike trooped to
the Zoo for a look at Dr. William
Mann’s latest acquisitions. Zoo
police counted more than 50,000
persons by sundown and sang
the same refrain as other parks
officials; “It was the biggest day
of the year.”
Church attendance was at a
seasonal peak, too, although
Easter services next Sunday
should attract even more.
At the National Presbyterian
Church, even though President
: Eisenhower was not in town to
| attend, more than 1,500 persons
filled the sanctuary, chapel and
I basement for the 11 a.m. service.
Man Now in Prison
Indicted Anew on
Narcotics Charge
A man already serving a prison
term for narcotic law violations
today was indicted on a charge
of faciliating concealment of
narcotics seized at his home in
the block of Taylor street
N.E. last January.
He is Won Sing Lee, 49. The
narcotics were estimated to be
worth approximately $4,000, As
sistant United States Attorney
John C Conliff, jr., said. Ac
cording to the indictment the
items seized included 91,490
grains of gum opium, 6,598 grains
of smoking opium, 6,719 grains
of yenshee and 446 grains of a
heroin mixture.
In another indictment Clyde
R. Royals, a Hampton, Va., con
tractor, was accused of filing a
with the Air Force
in April, 1952, in an unsuccess
ful effort to collect $12,699 from
the Government.
A 40-year-old woman was in
dicted on charges of embezzling
more than S6OO from the North
Carolina Mutual Life Insurance
Co. while working as a cashier
bookkeeper. She is Britainia E.
Pannes, colored, of the first block
of U street N.W. The company
has offices in the 2000 block of
eleventh street N.W.
Madeline A. Allen, 30, colored,
of the 600 block of K street S.W.,
was indicted on a charge of pet
forming an abortion on a 13-
year-old colored girl last Feb
ruary.
Roland Hall. 61. of the 700
block of F street S.W., was in
dicted on a charge of attempted
carnal knowledge Involving a
6-year-old girl.
The indictments were among
a total of 24 returned by two
grand juries before Judge Charles
F. McLaughlin of the U. S. Dis
trict Court for the District of
Columbia.
\ .
Civitan Lunch Tomorrow
The Civitan Club of Washing
ton will hold a luncheon meet
ing at 12:30 p.m. tomorrow in
the Mayflower Hotel.
Conventions
Today
Conventions in Washington
today are;
National Peanut Council,
which began a five-day meeting
Saturday at the Shoreham Hotel.
Southern Shade Tree Confer
ence. which opens a three-day
meeting at the Washington Ho-
Wb ■■HHI
K-