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BLAZE SWEEPS TENTH FLOOR OF WILLARD HOTEL Washington. ? Vice - President Coolidge, several members of the senate and house of representatives and many other persons prominent in public, business and social life were among some 600 guests of the New Willarn hotel who were routed out of their beds at an early hour by a fire which swept the top floor of the ten-story structure at Pennsylvania avenue and Fourteenth street The blaze had its origin a few hours before President Harding, Mr rnnlMtro mamhora nf thP Cflb* *?**. VVVUU(>V| UlSUivvtw v. inet and senators and representatives, foreign diplomats and others had sat around the banquet board as guests of the Gridiron club at its annual spring dinner and frolic. The fire was confined to that floor and the roof above, but tons of water poured into the flames seeped through to the floors below, causing much damage. HOUSE PASSES NAVAL Bill BREAKS AWAY FROM OWN LEAC ERSHIP AND STANDS BEHIND PRESIDENT. Measure Carries Total of $251,269,00( About $18,000,000 More Than \ Was Fixed, Washington.?By the margin of 7 vote* the house broke away from it own leadership, stood behind the Pref ident and passed the 1923 naval ai propriation bill with an amendmen fixing the enlisted personnel at 86,00( The vote on the McArthur-Var 'amendment, the big point in disput< which increased the man force fror 67,000, as provided in the bill, wa 221 to 148, with two members ai swering present. Ninety republican voted against the 86.000 amendmeni while 48 democrats supported it. A bare handclap or two greete the announcement by the speaker. Th galleries, half deserted, made no at tempt at a demonstration. With the fighting section out of th way, the bill was put on its passag and went through, 279 to 78. As amended, the measure carrie a total of $251,269,000, or about $18 000,000 more than the total fixed b the appropriations committer whicl framed it. It goes now to the senate with the charge by Chairman Kelle) of the naval appropriations sub-con: mittee that many millions will be at] ded and whjch the house would hav been asked to add "had not the bii navy men changed front at last." As compared with the 90 republican who voted against the amendmeni 173 republicans voted for it, while 1 others were paired for it. As against the 48 democrats whi ( voted for the amendment, 57 demc crate voted against it, while 14 other were paired against it. nn t\vr\ t\nno c inn <5 tVlp hi 1 uavcj't v/** h*w vvvmw.wuw sailed along through unrugled seas Once, however, Chairman Kelle; broke loose in what members charat terized as a vicious attack on tlv "navy yard combination.'* chargin* that despite the arms conference ther were still demands from navy yari and naval project districts for mor money than was carried in the bill. Lady Astor Speaks in New York. New York?Nancy Langhorne Astoi the Virginia girl who married a Britisl nobleman and won the first seat ii the house of commons ever held by i woman, came back to America for i short visit. The beauty for which Lady Asto was famed in her debutante days ii Virginia is still a part of her charm She spoke with the accent of the Soutl though it has been eight years sine she has been home. The gathering of men and womei who crowded townhall to hear he speech cheered with a fervor that be spoke their admiration for Lady Ae tor's achievements. Lord Astor accompanied his Ameri can wife from England, and will g with her to Baltimore where this weel Bhe is to take a prominent part ii the international conference of th League of Women Voters. It was Lord Astor, said Lady Astoi who started her on "this downwar career from home to the house." California Hears Concerts. San Francisco.?Radio phone cot certs from Newark. N. J., and Schnec tady. N. Y.. were reported to have bee ueard in san r rancisco nomes mruuK i repeating device at the Rock Ridg radio station in Oakland. The Oai tand station established connectio with th* two eastern points two week ago. Henry M. Shaw, in charge of th nation, said that he "manifolded" th round that had traveled about 3,00 miles so that they were picked up i the home sets here. Bucharest School to Help American! Bucharest.?Children in the villag school near Bucharest have contribu ed $3 in lef (francs) to aid the chilctre of families made destitute by the d< fit ruction of the Knickerbocker theate in Washington. D. C. Unable to visualize the vast exten of the United States, the youngster believed the collapse of the theate was a disaster affecting the entir American people. Rumanian chlldre have received much help from their li tie' American brothers and sister through the Junior Red Cross. Fines and Suspension. Memphis.?John D. Martin, pros dent of the Southern association, at nounced that Players Sehliebner an Steele of the Little Rock club an Wingfleld of the Chattanooga tear had been fined and suspended for fiv days for fighting during the game a Chattanooga. Mr. Martin explained that his actio was taken after receiving reports b telegraph and telephone form the urn plres that uft'ii iated in the game a Chattanooga A AAXJ \/4 $2,000,000 FIRE IN POCOMOKE, MARYLAND m f? . j Pocomoke City, Md.?With ten acres in the heart of the city burned over, causing an estimated property damage of more than $2,000, 000, Governor Ritchie ordered a *" company of the first regiment, Maryland national guard, at Salisbury. to proceed here at once to protect property which escaped the flames. EThe heart of the buBiness section is in ruins. Both banks have been destroyed, and in addition to business structures, 50 homes fell prey to the flames. Communli rmfuiilo world haS ACM SPINDLE HOURS INGREASI SPINNING INDUSTRY MORE AC TIVE IN MARCH THAN FEBRUARY. ACTIVE SPINDLES DECREAS Number of Spindles In Operatior However, Was Not So Large as in February. Washington.?The census bureau at nounced in a report covering the a< tivity of the cotton spinning industr for the month of March that the af gregate number of active spindl hours reported for the month wa " 7,779,280,703, as compared with 7,119 L| 576,600 in February. This estimat was based on an activity of 27 days while the figures for February wa based on an activity of 23 2-3 days. The average number of spindles oi erated during March was 33,117,84 as compared with 34,575,837 in Fel ruary. Approximately 36,870,544 co ton spindles were in place March 3] the report said, of which 31,874,49 were operated at some time during th month, as compared with 33,737,38 for Febraary and 34,457,509 for Jai uary. 1 Active spindles and spindle houn s respectively, for March for varlou ) states were announced as follows: )- Alabama, 1.208,528; 341,609,003. t Connecticut, 1,264,908; 288.485,190. ). 1 Georgia, z.bzz.ai*; ooo.boi.hoo. e Maine. 1.086.368: 244 704.550. j, I Massachusetta, 10,188,243: 2,047,985 n 625 s New Hampshire. 136,416: 32 085,79: i- New Jersey. 400.540; 90.572.606. 8 New York. 926,987; 234.340,923. t, North Carolina, 5,199,315; 1,446,126 j 278. d Pennsylvania, 137,626; 29,369,525.64! e South Carolina, 4,989,060; 1,406,903 t- 541. Tennessee. 400.139; 107.061.119. e 1 Virginia, 607.290; 151,153 277. e Afl other states, 1,050,184; 273,47( 676. d | Fifty Injured by Oil Explosion. y Los Angeles.?Probably 50 person h were injured, a number of them ft ?, tally, when an oil station caught fir r, at Downey and the fire reached undei i- ground storage tanks, causing them t 1- explode. p Downey is a small town about 1 g miles southeast of Los Angeles an its fire and police facilities were s s small that it was necessary to call o: . the sheriff here to take charge of th 6 j policing. Ambulances were sent fror , me Ciiy iniuieumiei?. 0 ! The property damage had not h?e: >- estimated an hour after the exnlosior s but it was thought that it would pro! ably not exceed $20,000. Persons neai 1 by said there appeared to be no sig: 1.1 of flames. | ! Prices For Meats Decrease. e Chicago. ? Wholesale meat price * show a tremendous decline since th e peak prices fallowing the war, aceorc 3 ing to'the American Institute of Mea e Packers. "The average value of all meat an , meat products exported during 192 was 14 3-4 cents a pound, as compare' ( ' with 30 1-2 cents in 1919." says a hu ti letin issued by the institute. "Th a average value of meat exported durin a 11913 was 11 3-4 cents a pound." a ; Steamer Brewster Sunk. r ' Norfolk. Va.?In a collision in th a James river of Brandon the Buxon lin t. steamer Brewster was sunk bv th h Lake Sterling of the Richmond-Nei e York line. One member of the crew of th a Brewster. Thief Engineer C. W. Hu? r sev. of Berkley, Va., went down wit! >- the ship. His wife received a telegrar from the Buxon line offices at Ricl mond announcing that he had beei [. drowned. o The Brewster sailed from Richmon k with a small cargo of general mere! a andise and was about half way b< e tween City Point and Jamestowr when she and the Lake Sterling cam t together. d j The Brewster is lying in 40 feet c water and is a total loss. Dinner For Lady Astor. j. New York.?In honor of Lady Astoi who described herself as a sort of cor necting link between the English n speaking people, many men and wc h m p. scores of them leaders in sundr e fields of labor, attended a dinner ur [- der the auspices of the English-Speal n intr union. s Presiding was John W. Davis, foi e mer ambassador to the court of Si e James. 0 In her speech Lady Astor put in n good word for the accomplishment c the league of nations. j. Russian Famine Under Control. e Washington. ? The American relic I- administration now has the Russia n famine under control in all the a< cossible districts, former Governo ? r*r\r\A e\f Inrliana HcwlnrpH JlftPT PHT I , vnn/ui iv-n vi ?,? ferring with President Harding an it 1 Secretary Hoover. 3 i Mortality among children has bes r reduced to normal, he reported, an e deaths from acute starvation amon n adults are rapidly diminishing, whil t the morale of the people in the famin s districts has shown an extraordinar change for the better. Business Conditions Improve. j. I Washington.?A "profound improve j ment" in business conditions over year ago throughout the country i (* shown in the latest statistics of con d i mercial and industrial movement n during March, according to the montl e ! ly survey of current business mad t public by the commerce depnrtmenl Optimism, always returning with th n opening of spring weather, the depar > ment declared, has had much to d i- with the recent increase in reta t trade and better feeling prevailed ger , rally. . I I ailUU TT IUi l liu ? I been established by tapping wires | on the outskirts. p HELPING TO SOLVE QUESTIOI e j 8 PRESIDENT MARTIN TELLS COM e MITTEE COMPANY IS READY ' TO NEGOTIATE ANEW, a g Martin Submit* Estimates for Com ). pletlng Wilson Dam to Senate t- Agricultural Committee. L, Q Washington. ? Thomas W. Martin ^ president of the Alabama Power Co j testified before the senate agricultu . ral committee, that the compan; 1 would "be glad and willing" to ente J' into new negotiations with the gov 9 j ernment for the purpose of worklnj I out a policy for the development o I the Muscle Shoals, Ala., power pre J jects. Mr. Martin's statement was maa< Jin answer to a question by Senato Kendrlck, democrat, Wyoming, as t< t whether the company officials wouli : be willing to "sit down with thfc 1 eminent'' plan a value for the proi . I erties they were interested in an< i then guarantee 100,000 horsepowe > as an income to the governmen ^ on the investment it had alread; made. , "We naturally would be interestei i in trying to solve this question." Mi ),; Martin replied. Senator Kendrick said he had no lost faitb in the government, addini that he did not want it to lose pos 8 session of the valuable properties a 1.1 Muscle Shoals. He explained that i e physical valuation of the plants couh r-1 bo determined, the power compan; o agreeing to pay 80 or 90 per cent o their present value and to take ove 5 their operation in a way which woul< d permit the government to renin pos o session in an emergencv. n Senator Norris of Nebraska, chair e man of the committee, invited Mr n Martin to give his opinion of the bil introduced in the senate proposini n the creation of a "federal chemica I, corporation" for Muscle Shoals de >- velrpment. r* "I can only say.'' Mr. Martin said n j "that we would ho vary glad to co j operate with any plan the governmen I puts out." He exnressed the belie (that the nower company could co-op s:era^e ndvantngenuslv with the cor e roration In the distribution of powe: I- throughout the country surroundini t Muscle Shoals. Estimates for cnmr,?tinB' the TVI1 d son dam. at Muscle Shoals, for ap 1 proximately $18,854 000. wer? submit d ted to the senate agricultural commit I- tee by Mr Martin. The estlmatei e were prepared by engineers ot th( g power coiunenv. who commuted th< I cost at *4 3?3.000 !ess than thost fired bv Col. W. .T. Parr?n. armv en i rtneer in chare? of the Muscle Shoali e district, when he appeared before th< e committee, el * v Twenty-two Autos Burn. Lexington, N. C.?Damage probabl: e tpproximating $30,000 to $40,000 wai done by fire here which seriousl: ^ damaged or destroyed 22 automobile.1 11 and trucks in the garage of the Moto '* Service company, destroyed tires am Q supplies and caused heavy loss fron water and smoke to the stock of thi ^ ! Barnes' Variety Store and Picke Bros, grocery store. Two buildtngi !* owned by Varner & Buchanan wer< ' /.nnoiHorohlv dflmaepd with } niau vv/noiuv i --???, e | third Buffering small damage. Th( Methodist church, which stands with in a few feet of the garage, escape* without damage. Reduction on Melons Urged. r- Washington. ? Senators represent ing the states of Alabama, Georgia Florida. South Carolina and Nortl '"'Carolina joined in a petition to thi y interstate commerce commission urp l" ing a reduction in freight rates 01 c" watermelons. The commission fo some time has been studying the proh r" lem, hut. acording to a recent state ' Iment. cannot tell when action will hi had. The senators reminded the com a mission that the present announce ment of the reduction would havi effect on the planting of crop. Two Officers and Private Killed. '' Washington.?Two marine officer n and a marine private were instantl; killed at Quantico. Va.. when two aii r planes in battle practice locked wing in the air and plunged to the ground. a . , T.tout Pari M ~ lilt* ucnti nic. ? i??i Randall, of Winchester. Mass.: Sec n ond Lieut. Duncan W. Lewis, of Mem d phis. Tenn.: Private Joseph J. Dhoghe K of Chicago. e Lieut Randall was flying alone ii e a German Fokker and Lleutenan -v Lewis was pilot of a Vought plane with Private Dhoghe. Judge Names Rat Sleuth. Montreal. Canada?An official ra a 1 catcher has been appointed for tin 3 Montreal courthouse. ' Official stenographers had thei 3 notes eaten by rats during the night ] A judge lost his gown and silk ha p : from the closet chambers. Clvl t suits involving valuable property wen 0 delayed through the disanrearance o t- records. Finally when "Kxhibit A" ii ? a murder trial was eaten, and the pris '1 oner had to be liberated from lack o - evidence, the authorities decided 1 was time to take action. EXPLOSION KILLS SEVERAL HUNDRED. I FOUR HUNDRED CARLOADS OF AMMUNITION EXPLODE AT MONASTIR, SERBIA. THOUSANDS ARE > INJURED One-half of City's Population Rendered | Homeless?Victims Mostly Chil dren ajid Soldiers. Belgrade.?Four hundred carloads of J ammunition and high explosives stor' ed near the railroad station at Monastir, southern Serbia, exploded, killing several hundred persons, wounding I- thousands and virtually destroying the h ?art of the city. One-half of the city's population was rendered homeless. ' The victims were mostly children : nd soldiers. A church in which children were worshipping collapsed under the detonation, while the barracks in which 1,800 soldiers were having lunch was destroyed. Immediately after the explosion fire i, broke out in various parts of the city. ? The panic-stricken inhabitants fled to i* the nearby woods and mountains from V ; which they watched their homes burn, r | All telegraphic and telephonic com -: munication from Monastir with the 5 outside world was cut off. Tme first f news of the disaster reached Belgrade >- j from refugees. I I e ! Pistol Battle in Birmingham. r Birmingham, Ala.?Folowing a gun0! battle police, led by Chief Fred Mc* Duff, captured two of the three men who are believed to have shot Police ^ | man s. s. uramree. i ne iniru uiau co3 caped. r j Claude Wilson, of Atlanta, one of I the captured men, was shot once ? ! through the breast. He was taken to ja hospital In a serious condition. 3 The other man taken prisoner is j Charles Wilkes who. officers say. | broke jail In Roanoke, Va? June 27. t 1921, where he was sentenced to 35 g! years in the penitentiary for burgi lary and having burglar tools In his II possession. He is In the city jail on * a charge of assault with Intent to mur3 der. ' V j Policeman A. L. Appling who was f working with Officer Crabtree at the r time he was arrested, positively iden3 titled Wilson as one of the three men i-; whom he and his partner attempted to [ arrest. ' . Additional Tax Levy Necessary. ' Washington.?Levying of additional z taxes probably will be necessary to 1 meet the deficit of more than $350,000,' | 000 forecast for the fiscal year of 1923 | by Secretary Mellon, it was said at the !. | treasury. >- j High officials of the treasury, dist j cussing the expected deficit, said that f i no consideration had yet been given 1 to means of meeting of the lack of funds but that it was apparent that r j the deficit would probably have to be ? raised by taxation, as the government '"did not have anything to sell." * | Whether the deficit would run as * high as half a billion dollars, as esti ! mated by some treasury officials, -1 could not be accurately determined at *! this time, it was said, as the various ? 'contingent items of revenue and exJ penditures taken into consideration in s figuring the finances for the coming: - fiscal year made an aco/irate determi* < nation of the expected deficit imposJ sible. Officials asserted, however, a considerable deficit was certain. Committee Favors Loan to Liberia. p Washington.?By a vote jot 13 to 9, 5 the house ways and means committee / favorably reported the Fordney resos lution authorizing a loan of $5,000,000 r to the republic of Liberia. 1 The credit was first authorized in l 1918 after Liberia entered the war on e; the side of the Allies, hut was never t: put through. Secretary Hughes, apb i pearing before the committee, urged e i that the resolution be adopted by Coni : gress "as a matter of national honor" b and denied that the legislation had - been advocated by American banking i interests, who, he said, held only a ; fraction of outstanding Liberian bonds. Radio CommiMion Favored. : Washington.?Legislation creating ,, an adjunct commission of ten to adl vise the commerce department in the e control of radio communication will be recommended to Secretary Hoover i in a report being prepared by the rar dio conference. i-1 The full conference has adjourned b subject to the call of the chair and e will continue to function in an ad i- visory capacity until the special com> mission Is created. The commission e would consist of five government members and five civilians. Cantonments Will be Abandoned. b Washington ?Decision to withdraw y from the cantonments at Camp Lewis, Washington, and Camp Dix, New Jers ! sey. the troops composing the divisions now stationed at those posts and to scatter the units in the permanent '-'army posts within the two corps areas has been reached by the war departt. ment. The djcision was made in connection with a prolonged study of the i distribution for the regular army on a t basis to provide at the same t:mo for ?. economy of operation and efficiency I in training. Love Will Show Way. ' Chicago. ? One hundred dollars a ? month is salary enough to get married r on. Judge Asa C. Adams declared in 1 the court of dorntstic relations. He t ' expressed this opinion after an analy1 sis of hundreds of cases of domestic ? infelicity which come before him. f "A young man with a salary of $100 1 ; a month can safely marry?if the wo. man he chooses is the right type." f said the judge. "Any couple can get t along on $100 a month if they love onn j another." I ILL SUBMIT OFFER FOB MUSCLE SHOALS PROPOSAL TO BE SUBMITTED BY ALUMINUM WHEEL COMPANY OF AMERICA. NEW JERSEY CORPORATION Expects to Have Formal Proposal Ready For Delivery to Secretary Weeks By May First. Washington.?R. R. Grant, of Eliza netn, cn. j., president 01 me aiuiihuuhi Wheel Co. of America, announced after a conefrence with war department officials here that he would formally submit an offer for development of the government properties at Muscle Shoals, Ala. His proposal, he said, was yet in a tentative form, but would be written in a completed draft as soon as the projects could be inspected and certain basic data obtained from government officials. Mr. Grant left for Norfolk, Va., to confer with the fertilizer interests which he hoped to interest in the Alabama properties. Depending upon the result of the Norfolk visit, he said, he would either go direct to Atlanta, Ga., Birmingham, Ala., or Florence, Ala., to continue his preparation and collection of data. He expected to have th^ formal proposal ready for delivery to Secretary Weeks by May 1, provided the ordnance, quartermaster i and engineer bureaus of the war department give their endorsement when it is put into finished form. ' "My plan call calls for the creation of a government controlled corporation," Mr Grant said. "When this is I accomplished, I suggest as its first act the mortgaging of the properties in order to make an immediate return to the government for the investment it already has made. i "T^atpr'* he continued, "a second mortgage would be arranged and securities sold for the raising of money needed to bring the projects to a completed stage of construction and operation. including the hydro-electric units !proposed and nitrate plants. In that ] way the projects can be developed i I without imposing any additional bur- i den on the federal treapury, and at, 1 the same time, giving it an immediate I return of the money it already has < sunk in the various works at Muscle < Shoals." I < j Oid Hickory to South Carolina. Knoxville. Tenn?Tnc fourth annual j reunion of the Thirtieth division, Old ] Hickory Association of World War , Veterans, will be held in the summer | or early fall, preferably at a South , Carolina city, the place and date to , he selected by the executive commit- | ,tee at a meeting later in the spring, l ' This statement was made hy Capt. < Frank P. Bowen of the Old Hickories , on the return of himself and Col. .Tames A. Gleason, president of the as- ^ sociation, and Guy H May, members , of the committee from Tennessee, following a meeting of the committee ^ held the day previous. All members ( were ? in attendance at he meeting with the exception of Mr. Barton of ! Nashville, it was stated. In discussing the action of the committee, Cap- j tain Bowen said> "It was the sense of the committee J that some city in South Carolina would be entitled to the reunion this year, and the naming of the place and j exact date for this convention was deferred to a later date in order to attnrii in Smith Carolina an on- ' portunity to bid for the convention. j Farrar's Farewell Appearance. ' New York. ? Geraldine Farrar's ' farewell appearance with the Metro- 1 pclitan Opera company was.the greatest triumph ef her career. She sang for her swan song the role < of Zaba. which she created at the Met- ] ropolitan. and then, crying and laugh- I ing, wa? carried from the auditorium < on tile shoulders of stage hands, while ] the great aud ence cheered and show- 1 ered her with flowers and gifts. Long before the time for her performance, crowds of opera lovers, f Farrar lovers, crowded into the lobby ] of the opera house, clamoring for tick- i ets. I Had Impressions of U. S. Currency. ) Washington?Louis Harris, former < Philadelphia business man. under ar- I rest at Minneapolis, had in his pos- j session "photographic impressions'" of ( $26,500 of United States currency. < Chief Moran said he is still waiting for a detailed report from his agents at Minneapolis. Moran said further, that until further investigation is completed, he is unable to say what dis- j position will he made of Harris" case. ( The secret service is seeking to find , out how Harris came into possession | , nf fhp imnrnssinns Trouble Brewing in Belgrade. Rome?Following insurrectional out breaks in Belgrade the government ( has ordered the arrest of all Montenegrins and Intellectuals connected ' with the recent uprisings, according , to an Exchange Telegraph report re- j ceived here. , The mountain passes are filled with rebels who have pitched camp and are awaiting the decisions of the Genoa conference before they decide on ac- . tion of any kind. It is believed here that grave events ( are impending. . Situation is Grave. Tuncia. Miss. ? William D. Head. , president of the 36th section cf the 1 Mississippi levee district, announced 1 that the situation near Ruth Landing, [ ' four and a half miles from Tunica, was ! ' "very grave" as a result of continued sloughing of the embankment. "The |( situation is very grave." Mr. Head i said. "A force of 500 men worked through the night erecting a banquette ' and the same crew continued at work all day. More sand and bags are needed." [JitMrfatsh l^UbvrCsl - tm&. jrwify ui~tfiepatm mtulmr HELPING TO SOLVE QUESTION PRESIDENT MARTIN TELLS COMMITTEE COMPANY IS READY TO NEGOTIATE ANEW. Martin Submits Estimates for Com_l_il til 11._ _ n._ C -I .? prcimy fviiouii uain iw Agricultural Committee. Washington. ? Thomas W. Martin, president of the Alabama Power Co., :estified before the senate agricultural committee, that the company tvould "be glad and willing" to enter Into new negotiations with the government for" the purpose of working put a policy for the development of the Muscle Shoals, Ala., power projects. Mr. Martin's statement was made in answer to a question by Senator Kendrick, democrat, Wyoming, as to A-hether the company officials would be willing to "sit down with the government'' plan a value for the properties * they were interested in and :hen guarantee 100.000 horsepower is an income to the government en the investment it had already nade. "We naturally would be interested in trying to solve this question," Mr. Martin replied. Senator Kendrick said he had not ost faith in the government, adding that he did not want it to lose possession of the valuable properties at Muscle Shoals. He explained that a physical valuation of the plants could ho determined, the power company igreeing to pay 80 or 90 per cent of their present value and td take over their operation in a way which would permit the government to regain possession in an emergency. Senator Norris of Nebraska, chairman of the committee, invited Mr. Martin to give his opinion of the bill introduced in the senate proposing the creation of a "federal chemical :orporation" for Muscle Shoals development. "I can only say," Mr. Martin said, 'that we would be very glad to cosperate with any plan the government puts out." He expressed the belief that the power company could co-opsrate advantageously with the corporation in tHe distribution of power throughout the country surrounding Muscle Shoals. Estimates for completing the Wilson dam. at Muscle Shoals, for approximately $18,854,000. were submitted to the senate agricultural committee by Mr. Martin. The estimates were prepared by engineers of the power company, who computed the tost at $4,328,000 less than those fixed by Col. W. .T. Barren, army engineer in charge of the Muscle Shbals district, when he appeared before the :ommittee. Twenty-two Autos Burn. Lexington, N. C.?Damage probably approximating $30,000 to $40,000 was Jone by fire here which seriously lamaged or destroyed 22 automobiles ind trucks in the garage of the Motor Service company, destroyed tires and iupplies and caused heavy loss from water and smoke to the stock of the Oomoa' Variotv Rfnre and Picket Bros, grocery store. Two buildings iwned by Varner & Buchanan were ilso considerably damaged, with a third suffering small damage. The Methodist church, which stands within a few feet of the garage, escaped without damage. Reduction on Melons Urged. Washington. ? Senators representing the states of Alabama, Georgia. Florida, South Carolina and North Carolina joined in a petition to the nterstate commerce commission urging a reduction in freight rates on watermelons. The commission for >ome time has been studying the probem, but, aeording to a recent statenent. cannot tell when action will be lad. The senators reminded the comuission that the present announcenent of the reduction would have ?ffect on the planting of crop. Atlanta.?A storm of cyclone fury swept through Louisville, Ga., accordng to dispatches received here, leavng great damage in its wake and outing off the town from outside comnunication. No lives were lost. I {ehtfUj- , tdv*> A ^ Two Officers and Private Killed. I Washington.?Two marine officers and a marine private were instantly killed at Quantico, Va., when two air. planes in battle practice Ipcked wings , in the air and plunged to the ground. The dead are: First'Lieut Earl M. Randall, of Winchester, Mass.; Second Lieut. Duncan W. Lewis, of Memphis, Tenn.; Private Joseph J. Dhoghe, of Chicago. N / Lieut Randall was flying alone in a German Fokker and Lieutenant Lewis was pilot of a Vought plane, with Private Dhoghe. Judge Names Rat Sleuth. Montreal, Canada.'?An official rat catcher has been appointed for the Montreal courthouse. Official stenographers had their notes eaten by rats during the night. A judge lost his gown and silk hat . I from the closet chambers. Civil j suits involving valuable property were J delayed through the disappearance of ^ j records, * many wnen mniDii a- in a murder trial was eaten, and the prisoner had to be liberated from lack of evidence, the authorities decided it was time to take action. WaRhington.?The recording of accredited delegates and alternates had reached above 2.000 when the thirtyfirst Continental Congress of the Daughters of the American Revolution convened in Continental hall, thereby assuring, genergl officers said, the s < largest meeting in the history of the society. Th^ first session of the congress was given over largely to the formalities 9 of opening except for the annual address of Mrs. George Maynard Miller, president-general. JelephopJl _j ? m when you want that next job of i Printing You will get first-class work, and you will get . it when promised, for having work done , when promised is one I of the rules of this office. . j If you prefer, send the order by mail or bring 1 it to the office in person. Let U? Show You || * What Wo Can Do || gjlUUttl!iWpi|HW^ Patronize Our Advertisers They are all boosters and deserve your business. 11 ?* PRINTING &? ! not the cheap kind but the good kind done here.