CHARGES rVCPER MAKERS KEEP '
UP PRICES
Washington, Dec. 15. Att'y Gen.
Gregory today turned over to Ass't
Att'y Gen. Todd, government "trust
buster," serious charges preferred by
H. D. Varner, North Carolina, pub
lished, tending to show "an under
standing" between some manufac
turers of news print paper to main
tain "ruinous prices."
Valuer's action in going right to
headquarters with his charges fol
lowed his appearance before the fe3
eral trade com'n which has been In
vestigating the alleged "paper trust"
Varner told the attorney general
individual publishers are afraid to
testify against th& paper manufac
turers for fear of having their paper
supply summarily cut off.
Many small papers, particulary in
the south,' Varner said, are on the
verge of positive bankruptcy .from
the present price of paper, when, in
deed it is possible' to get it at alL
Manufacturers itfan effort to con
ciliate the publishers urged they in
crease subscription prices and adver
tising rates, thus throwing the bur
den on the public, said Varner.
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TELEPHONE OPERATOR IS THE
HEROINE AT FIRE
Helen Eviston, telephone operator,
is the heroine of the fire that threat
ened the lives of 200 girls at the Ori
ental candy factory at 1858 W. Aus
tin av. today. She stuck to the
switchboard until all employes were
notified of the fire. - The building is
a five-story structure.
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New York. Insurance agents
heaved a sigh of relief over today's
announcement that Mischa Elman's
$300,000 wrists and fingers were not
injured in taxi accident that smashed
up the violinist. ' ,
New York. Ocean liners delayed,
conditions rapidly approaching traffic
tie-up and streets being clogged with
snow as first real storm of winter
gained headway.
DEFECTIVE MECHANISM TO
BLAME FOR LIFT DEATHS
Defective mechanism of the eleva
tor in the Florsheim Shoe Co.'s build
ing caused the accident Nov. a in
which 7 were killed and 14 injured
the coroner's jury has decided.
After hearing testimony to tne ei
fect that in the Florsheim building
none of the elevator operators seem
to have received outside instruction
but were taueht the
knack of running lifts by men whose
experience was limited, the jury add
ed in Its verdict tnat steps snoum oe
takm to comnel alf operators of ele
vators used as common carriers to
pass a rigid examination. Th jury
believed none should be permitted to
run a lift unless possessed or a cer
tificate issued by a competent au
thority showing them to be properly
qualified.
FIREMEN HURT IN BLAST
Firemen Francis J. Murphy, Lieut.
Theodore Leudtke and Chief Chas.
Heaney were injured in a fire and ex-
plosion at 1235 Macedonia st. this
morning. Murphy was badly burned
about the face and taken to St. Eliz
abeth hospital.
Fire resulted when Mrs. Mary Gre
garck went into the basement of the
place with a match to tend to some
frozen water pipes. Flames worked
up f o the first story and an explosion
followed. Fifty people living in the
building escaped. .
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CITY TO LAY OFF MANY?
With, estimated revenues $4,000,
000 less than, those of this year ex
pected in 1917, the city niay have to
lay off hundreds, perhaps thousands,
of employes, C6mptroller Pike esti
mated yesterday.
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Oskaloosa, la. Fire which gutted
K. of P. and Eagles lodge buildings in
heart of town today believer-tinder
control, after burning fiercely for
nearly six hours and doing upward of
, $250,000 property ,damage.
Mai