VOL. XVIII.' NO. 120 Entered 'a SeonlUjs Matter , Poatof ftea. -Factiand, Orim "PORTLAND, OREGON,- SATURDAY EVENING. "JULY - 26,' 1919. SIXTEEN PAGES. PRICE TWO CENTS on twains and riw TANOi FIVC CENT If 0 IE 1 0 UNSHIP IPLOSII '..Pacific l' Fleet Supply Steamer's V Boiler Blows Up as Boat Is ', Being Towed in Panama Canal. lll-Fated Craft's Engines Break Down :" Prior -to Catastrophe; . ;. Warships Hasten Assistance. " "By Frank O. Menk . On board the U. S. SV Arkansas, With the Pacific Fleet, July 26. (By Wireless via Colon and New York.) '(L N.. S.)Twelve men were killed on board the United Etates navy ship .Melville on Thursday night in a boil er explosion. - : The Melville was being - towed - through the Panama canal at the time by the auxiliary cruiser Prairie. AVIATOR LOSES LIFE "An army aviator- lost his life when the army plane N-9 collided with the navy plane 1458 over Ellis bay On Friday.- Ills. name was unknown and his - body bad not been recovered when this . dispatch vas written, f - t - Two other, filers werellnjured They . were Austin (rank, name and address unknown); who wu on the' naval, ma chine, and L. Dugan of the army craft. VESSELS FILL BUXKER8 f , 7 ' The Mississippi, New, Mexico and oiler Wyoming and the New;York coaled -at . the Colon docks and then proceeded to Oatun lake, where they went alongside the Arkansas" The Texas had not com pleted her coaling but v was. expected to be under way soon. ;:.-; ; : -. ; j-i-j The ships were scheduled to proceed through the canal about noon today.":' 4 - .Aumirai noumn na .m , lew outer officers of the fleet visited Oatun, lake - Krld7 afternoon and. spent some time fishing. Only the officers were" granted J shore leave owing to the 'busy coaling JTEABIJfG PACIFIC OCEAX The shins ar snectd tn amend a rln fat the Pacific end of the canal., passing into lh PkcLtlc acean Itn Uiuidiv fnr San tDtego. - ; .v, j . ' j. The Texas and Arkansas' did not re ceive their fuel at the dock but coaled from barges at Oatun lake., V - , Th first m. ' at trnnhlo nn hn.nl the supply ship Melville was received on board, the Arkansas t at - S o'clock Thursday night when a wireless ;S. O. ' S. call was received from that ship.. ' The captain of the Melville - reported . that the engine' had broken down and . that the vessel war drifting. -f The Jral , rle and the collier Orion .were near by tat the time. . ' -: i .The 'Melville is a - naval tender of : 7150 tons. . She -was built in 1916. , She -.: joined the new Pacific fleet soon after her return from the A sores where she was ion 'duty during the flights of the naval airplanes to Europe. She is now on her way to the Pacific, coast with the fleet. . TWO OIL TANKERS COLLIDE OFF S. F. Bradford, of . the Standard Oil Company - and - Frank E; ; Buck of the Associated in Mixup. - San Francisco, July 26. (I. N. S.) Colliding at sea, the Standard Oil tanner .Bradford and. the Associated . uu uniter r ranK Hi. tincK are botn putting-back into port here. "The col lusion; occurred at an early hour this morning, said a wireless dispatch to : the Marine Exchange, but details as to damage are not given. rc totn .vessels are proceeding under . "cir vwn - steam. xne oraaiora was I n route from Talara Bay for Vancou- ver. . The Buck , left Friday x evening ' for -Los Angeles.' Ther Bradford started coming through : the ;, Heads. : entrance " to the Golden Oate, : af 11;25 o'clock this morning. With telescope, ;. those watching her could "see . that her - bow was badly damaged" and that Bhe was having tflf . ficulty. - ' . THE SUNTDAY JOURNAL The Complete t Home" Newspaper of the Oregon . : Country , : ;: ' ', First in Quality . Features: ; Among the superior features of The. Sunday Journal is The Sunday Journat Magazine, rich in informing and entertaining material attractively presented. -' . -..J t - ' Tomorrow's" Magazine includes: ', - . -AMidsummer Feast Front page photograph in color. - - His Servants More Precious .Than His Wife. : The Skelelon in the Hotel Baggage Room. . - . i . : Science and Your' Soiled Collar. - '.' . ; - t x . Provident Children Short story by GfOuverneur Morris. f - A New Field of .Feminine Charm. - - AV J Health, Beauty and the Home.. . . "Iced Tea'? Gowns By Lady Duff-Gordon (Lucile).; TOMdRROW :: : Automatic and ; Manual Phones Become Unite Interchange of telephone service between the 'automatic and manual system in' Portland is now'a physical fact. Switchboards . have been con nected and the holder of an auto matic phone can talk, with the holder of a Bell phone, and vice versa, : r The automatic holder turns his dial to the number 7 and tells central the- Bell, number he wants. . The subscriber to the. manual 'system merely, calls for. the number of the automatic phone and cen tral makes) the connection.- This .is' Aext to the last 'step -in the consolldaUon of the two. services prom ised when the Pacific Telephone t Tele graph company acquired the ownership of. the, defunct.. Home. Telephone .com pany. J - . - .. ; The final step will be taken. It Is un derstood, about the first of August, when ' the counting room of the Home Telephone -company1 at Burnslde and Park Btreets will be closed.!; - ; ; A No public announcement of the Inter change of service bas been made by the Pacific Telephone Telegraph company presumably for the : reason that some detail are yet to be arranged for but it is noted that private branch exchanges have been consolidated and that inter communication . la - possible In outside places where there Is no . private ex change. i Cooler Weather! Aid in Keeping Down Forest Blazes Fight ers Yet on Job. The Northwest forest , fire situation was .vastly Improved; with the cooler weather this morning. -Assistant LMs tflct Forester 15. Nr Kavanagh re-j turned this morning ,from the Whit-; man' forest, where he, haa been assist ing in the fire fighting work for aey- eral days, r ! D h etaotn pupf oral dayiv"Thlamilrg U n6w practical- ly under control, r It was started by campers or fisher men and spread to tone heavy, repro duction , Of .young timber on-the north; tot of the John Day river.0 The region, was almost f inaccessible and the fire; instead of burning with a straight fronti worked in patches. Jumping fromf one elevation to another. ' About: 125 men are still working on the fire" and it wfll be some time before It. will be -safe to leave It since the. big 'trees and snags smoulder for a: Joar -iimm,ri. ." The region . Is as dry' as tinder, ;there having" been no rain -since -May. : ,V; - i - The lightning fires on the-' Crater; Santiam, ?Urapqua, jr Columbia. , Oregon and Cascade forests are being handled by the i local forests; " None ara more than 10 acres in, extent and under pres ent weather, conditions 'no additional helpwlll be required. :.-fv- j ; The six fires reported -on the Colville forest' are : no w- under control. ; .t - ; T. II. Sherrard. supervisor of the Ore gon National forest, returned Friday (Concluded ea Pac Two., ColoraW 8tt) Wine, Whiskey, . Beer-T-Lots of It Seized in Baiti One hundred eighty pint : bottles of beer (4 per cent.' kind). , I Teh pint bottles of whiskey. : : r . Twenty pint bottles of dandelion wine. Many, many "dead soldiers" of the old school. i Thus Is Inventoried the stock that Of ficers Morris and Abbott said they found in a raid on the home of Charles Cullen, S34 Wygant' street. Friday night. Cullen Is said c to have been . a s hide dealer. - Officer Morris' suffered a broken wrist during the party, the accident occurring while he was tryilng to crank the police machine when it was standing at .Fif teenth ' and Wygant streets, where the police were watching the house... Officer Nelson took his place. v v -. : Company Purchases ,;'.- Collier's Weekly ''V ' ' . , . . ." rl ' New ' Tork, July- 2. ( U. P.i Collier's Weekly has changed hands today under a contract: by which " the. Cro well Pub lishing company became owner of the weekly., as-well as all other publications issued by P. F." Colllef ft Son. r FIRE srruSTioN MUCH IMPROVED W. 3. Phillips. : commercial superin tendent, said today that the consolida tion was not general yet and that only a' few private branch exchanges had been amalgamated. ' "We are working on it," he said. "It takes time to make the necessary changes.'- ' tt It is Understood that the connection of the main switchboards ' was com pleted just previous to the recent strike of operators and electricians bat owing to the strike no attempt was made to install he -aewk services' ;f.r s. t So-far as observed the interchange of service works .very, smoothly, contrary to the' assertion, made three years ago When the people voted on the question, thar it was Impracticable. The difference between the automatic and . the manual system - is, however, made apparent In the fact that the manual subscriber often gets a differ ent automatic number than the one he 'called for. " - v . .-: -- - " Thts is due to the fact that he has to transmit the number to central in stead of registering it on a dial him self. ,'Jn the installation of new phones the subscriber Is to be given his choice. In the case of a transfer from an auto matic to a Bell phone or vice Versa it is resorted that a. charge of $3.50 will be made.'-:. .n.--1'?-v - f , ' TAFT DECLARES A. P. Published Confidential Letters to I Hays Without Knowledge or; Consent - - New York, July U. P.) Former President William - H. Taft today charged that "his letters to Re publican ' National . Committeeman Chairman Hays I regarding. ? peace treaty reservation were 'published inJ morning papers of Thursday without his knowledge or consent. c ' "V i f ' - ' . - .-The Associated Press, which sent out the letters, today received the following telegram frwu-i',y,iJ ."Your . association yesterday gave out two letters-written by. me to. Will Hays on-July -4 laaU "These letters were per sonal t and ; confidential aAd were so plainly marked and were published with out the knowledge i or consent of Mr, Hays myself, t I ask. In- fairness to Mr. Haya and me. at once to give this the same publicity as ..- you gave the lotterafc- .-.-f;"?-. v.. " t-.-;'-' -. P - f t .!WILt.IAM H. TAFT."i 1 m J. B.n In: Straw; Voting ' Nlne?twomen,went ;with - their hus bands down " to the army ' rcrui ting of fice at .Third and Oak Streets Friday afternoon, and were' allowed ; to cast a straw ballot lii the vote being; taken among 4 ex-soldiers.. ., ... . r ' ; . " Nine ; votes were; cast ,'.for ? prohibi tion. , i ; '. - ': , . 4 -' ;' ' :'' r In the matter' Of iiriivef salt military service; they voted; five to four against ; they split .even on the. League of Na tions, one not voUngf f and ' one- of them voted .against woman .suffrage. ' Among the jnen , also, prohibition is leading just a' little.-'bit. ' and this morning's ballot held it back T a little by registering - a majority, against It, The grand totals in ! the : Voting - are as foHows: ' i . . . -National prohibition ' . ... .520 -i 493 Universal -military service.... 7 43 , 243 The (League of Nations. .i. .755 ; 238 Woman suffrage- ,v...v.... ..s4S - 343 For the kaiser and his aides : Death, 449 ; exile, 353 ; : freedom, 54. The American f glrl- best. ,,613 ; . the.' French best, 87 ; no choice, ' 100 ; not " voUng, iVS- i : " v .' ? yi" -, a; - Pacific!TK&Ti;CoM; . Increases Its Rates In San' Francisco San Francisco. 7uly 2.(U. P-) Ef fective today, telephone rates of the Pa cific Telephone ; Telegraph company were Increased 20 to 25 per cent, fol lowing Announcement , Friday' night ' by the,company.,;:c;:,-v g The Increase, the company" said, is the result of Increased wages ..granted the operators-: and linemen as a result of the recent strike. Postmaster General Burleson has approved the rates, which Increases Individual business measured service -and private .- exchanges r from $17.40 for 730 messages, . to $15 for- S40 messages and extra calls from 114. to 3 cents each. Corresponding Increases are made in rates for coin box service. , '. That such -rates will continue in Cali fornia at least four months after! fed eral -wire control ceases was announced today by the state railroad commission. Before any reduction can then be made a hearing must be held 'and the situa tion reviewed,, v , ,f t r (w . Judge Plunges to : , : Death From rRoom . ' , , ' ' Chicago. July 2. (1 N. S.) Judge Harry P. Dolan of the Chicago municipal court, plunged from a window of his Office on the eleventh floor of the city hall today and crashed : through a ' sky light on the office of the city clerk on the first floor- He was instantly killed. It is. believed Judge Dolan ended bis life while, temporarily unbalanced mentally as a resu ci a recent illness. BROKE CONFIDENCE ioDi.ni D I V I 1 0 f POICliE President ; Wilson, Writes Senator, I LofJge Jhat No Agreement Has Been 4 Reached as to; Fund. He Cannot Supply Committee on Foreign Relations With All Information-Desired, He Says. Washirtgton, July 2. (I. N. S.) No agreement has been reached as to how Germany's - 20.000,000.000 mark s . Jndemn ity shall , be j divided among ' the allied and associated powers. President Wilson this after noon informed Senator Lodge, chair man of the foreign relations commit tee, in response .to a resolution re cently introduced by the' Massachu setts senator- and . adopted by the senate.'' f-'i" -ji-jp'h .''?' -r -V;' "-,- ' Attempts have been made .to arrive at the agreement, as provided .for in Ar ticle 237 i. of the r treaty, the. president wrote, but he. has not been Informed if one - has been' arrived at. . - ' . The text of the- president's letter fol lows ;..?; f-? . . ' V?l y ; r . ' In response to your letter of July . 23 requesting me ,on .behalf of the committee on foreign relations to send to the committee tite agree- ment referredtoln. Article 237 of the treaty , with . Germany. -In the event that such an agreement; has been, determined-upon by the' allied" and associated government. I would -say that so far as I know an agree ment has not yet' been reached. , As I recollect: the business arr attempt : was being made to reach "such ' an ; t " agreement, but . I " have ; not yet ;. learned of ani agreement having been1 - reached.; . '" .:.".' ' ..-V; . 1 May -if, hot "addr. wthnregard to . other t-reuuesta which . 1 Jiave T- 1 ; ceived from' the committee forV.pa. ; pera, and 1 inf ormatioa ' of. Various J - sortfC'thatn was not able o bring Ti . 'if rora Paris a - complete file ' of pa-.; pers. I brought with me onfy . thoee which . happened tojv in my hands j " when 1 left France. Those alone 1 constitute a considerable .mass ofy papers and I have been going over them as rapidly aa time; and my en-, ' gagements permitted, and must. beg. - the - committee's .Indulgence , for , the Jdelay in' informing them what I can ' supply them iWith. a ; .. s-'Vv--- ; . Article ' 237 1 of the , treaty says that successive Instalments of the. repara tions paid, over by Germany In the at lsf action of claims will be divided by the allies In the proportions which have been determined by them in advance "on a basis of general equity and of the rtehts of each." '- : The damage . for 'which . compensation is to be made by Germany Is to be ae termined by a reparation committee composed of representatives Of the al lied governments.:' " Tne commission must determine the damage for which Germany will pay and notify that -gov ernment .of its obligations by May 1, 1921.' -5 - - - ; 1 WILSON TO ' LE.WE FOR - - - COAST AUGUST 8 ' OR 9 Washington. . July . :ML ,K ' S.) That President Wilson will start his speaking tour i probably August t or; 9 vC-as indicated at the ,' White House thia afternoon when" It was announced that,' he , would, make speeches on his way to the coast, where ' he was to meet, the Pacific fleet on August . 15. It was ? pointed out that by - leaving August 's he would have seven days to reach the Pacific" Senator King,- who called at the White House today, was assured , the president would make at least one speech '- hi .Utah. ; : The president had decided td ' go" to the capitol , today to confer ; with , Dem ocratic leaders, but4 abandoned the plan when, he learned that Senator1 Hitch cock,, minority leader, was in Boston, and that- many other Democratic sen ators were , out L of the city, t" I ny e s tlgatbrs of c I 'ii Heet?C Washington, ? Juiy r 28. -N:! Speaker of the House Gillett this after noon announced .the' -'personnel of ; the special house committee to investigate the ' United States snipping ooara and Emergency Fleet eorporaUon. The com mittee follows: i; ; ;t if , ; Representative Walsh of Massachu setts, chairman Kelley. ulchlgan ; Hadley, Washington, and Foster, Ohio. Republicans ; Steele. Pennsylvania, and Connally, Texas, Democrats. 1 1 U;:S.;Hoias?X)verS 'M . . 9 Billion'I. 0. U.'s Washington. 'July" 26. (U. P. The United States now holds 9.61S.400.927.$5 worth of ,L O. U.'s of the allies. ;,: This total was reached today when -a new loan was made to France for 3157,549.000. France - alone . now owes, the United States $3,810. 023,800, the treasury depart ment annot0ieed .-f..-" Canadian Reciprocity Act Repeal Is Sought ' "V - - ; ' Washington, July 6. -U; P.) Re peal of the Canadian reciprocity act will b asked 1 by the bouse "ways and means committee. - Chairman Fordney, Michigan,' stated today, v V: - . - Choosing "Cop'! As Uncle leads To Man's Arrest Patrolman Knew Brother Officer Owned No Such Fancy Car as One in .Question. V:T Erwia Chrlstman. 2 el Thirteenth street, erred Friday night when he chose a patrolman tor an "uncle." 'Patrolman Gordon Wright stopped Chrlstman at ' Fourth 'and' Salmon streets for failure to show a light on a Car he was driving. - - -.; "Whose car is this? he asked. - "It belongs to my uncle, Russell Still welt, on the day: police force," was the answer. . s. ' Wright looked at the car. It was a brand new big car. And bis good friend, Russell Still well, was, he knew, the pos sessor of an elderly little car. - 'At police headquarters," Chrlstman confessed that he had stolen the car. It belongs to Mercer Basel. ' 1936 Willow street. Basel : had " parked "the car at Sixth and Salmon streets. Chrlstman Is employed by the Portland Taxi ga rage. .; - . . Commander of Disciplinary Bar ' racks Using Knowledge of ? r . Human limitations. , ; - Leavenworth, Kan., July 2. i. N. S.) By a' process of "nibbling,' tha authorities of the disciplinary barracks . of the United States army here expect to break the spirit of the 2500 strikers In the prison and have them back at work Monday. , . The' priaonr management is taking the course of letting the strike frenzy wear itself out whHe the men. remain closely? guarded In the cells. ' '' . ff? nf .-Not one of. the -prisoners has done any work since Tuesday-morning-, when they refused to go about: tneir,duUeaf Since then . they; have .'been stocked up every minute., bread and water, being passed through "ceir bars to them twice Ajday FOOD - LEFT tS-Mim.J ' Some of the leaders "of the strike re fused at .first to -accept the dry 'bread, demanding regular, prison or army fare. . In .such-f cases, chunks of bread "have been placed on the corridor floor Just beyond- reach--of the s balky prisoners and haw been permitted to He there ia plain sight of the strikers. 'In almost every case, after a day or two of starva tion, the prisoners have begged for the bread which they had refused. In . other ways the . prison manage ment is trying to break the will of the strikers. ' ; The soldier guards, are given rations of all kinds of dainties and sub stantial food' in plain sight of the balky prisoners. '. : . f - 1 MAUI WAHI TO WOM Many who have begged for permis sion to go back to work have been re fused thaa permission and they are known : to be trying to persuade the strike leaders to agree to "return to work with . them,' In that way Commandant Colonel Sedgwick Rice expects to have the strikers asking for another chance to work. . HnanpiersAre ; : Ready to Extend . w Germany Credit Berlin. July 23. (Delayed) U.s P.) New York financial interests have of fered to extend -Germany a credit of 3100,000,000 for the purpose of food and raw materials,' according to dkble ad vices received, by 'the Deutsche bank here today, from Martin Nordegg, Ger man financial . agent. , .Nordegg saidin his cablegram he would not , close any negotiations until he arrived here and disclosed who had offered the credit' and the terms of the advance. , " Three big electrical : companies' in Germany, . the General,' Siemens and Bergmann are planning to import 'week ly immense food shipments from Amer ica, it was learned today. , These com panies will distribute the food : among their 150.000 employes instead of rais ing -their t wages. Bergmann, . formerly a partner , of Thomas - Edison, is the prime- mover in -the -enterprise. " ..' I. ' "... -Tlj- -,:", I Husband Seeking i Stifling Wife; Is 5? p Offering : lie ward 'Here's a possible alibi . if . your wife sees you with another woman. ' Twenty-flte dollars reward has been offered by the -husband of Mrs. Vlrtle Walker, 10S Seventh avenue north.' Se attle, for Information leading to her discovery.- According to Information given the Portland police by Mr. Walker It is believed that she has come here from Seattle after leaving her home, a girl of 3 V4 years and a boy of 2, and inci dentally a husband, on June 29. The woman is 22 years old. r Sleuth Partakes; . Goes to Hospital -'V- . - ' an Francisco, July 28v L N. S.) John. 8. Dalton, government operative who says he -was set to ferret ; out ir regularities tn the liquor department of the Letterman general hospital , here, ' is ' himself in a hospital today? after drinking . denatured H alcohol. - Dalton says he was poisoned by soldiers at the i hospital during hia" investigations when they gave him the flrtrA of poison. STRIKERS SPIRIT SUBTLY ATTACKED mm ifiH Slffill Definite Plans for Reorganiza tion Legislation Begun by the .. Senate Military Committee. ' . . . . Secretary Baker Declares That After- September There Will Not Be Sufficient Officers. Washington. July 28. (L N. S.) Definite steps for army reorganiza tion legislation were taken this after noon by the . senate military, affairs committee when a subcommittee waa appointed to begin hearings within a short time. On: the subcommittee are j Senators .Wadswortb. '. of: New York.-. Sutherland. W.Va.; New.-In-diana; Frellnghuysen, New; Jersey; Chamberlain.: Oregon; Thomas, Col orado,' and Fletcher, Florida. : . s 5 Obstacles in the path of the wars de partment caused by the reduction of the army by congress were laid before the committee by Secretary of War Baker, and General March,-chief of taff.- w There will not be sufficient officers after September 30 to carry on the work of the army. Secretary Baker said, and he declared there would be a snortage of staff officers necessary' to i wind up the business of the war department. . He urged the - passage of Senator .Wads worth's bill, which would allow 18.000 commissioned officers during the cur rent fiscal year. Under present condi tions less than 12.000 are allowed. Enlistments Tare ,; being made at the rate of 1000 a day now. Secretary Bak er said. No progress' is" being made in the 'organisation of ; national guard.' he declared., adding: that .immediate steps must be taken to organize a national guard in- order' that- federal " troops need not - be called .upon . to .do purely local duty. ehortage ,of .' off loer in the air service .and the medical " corps wilt be" most serious; he said..- , j" General March stated that an air serv ice, with 6000 officers and 31.000 men had been contemplated but' that under present 'laws -tne' air "service wlU have hardly more than; gOO-sofficera, -Large 4 quantities of- war .material are left exposed to the elements because of lack of personnel to trarVfer It. General March sa)d. , - '.?'.,.'-'.. ';-.. . - The American army constitutes about 200.000 men In France and 300,000 in the United 'States, "General March said. . STRENGTH OF ARMY OXE FIFTH OF. WHAT-IT WAS ARMISTICE DAY , Washington, July 28.--(I. N. i- a The strength of the army is now less than one' fifth, of , what It : was on the day the armistice was signed. the war department - announced today. - Up to June 26. 3.028,487 officers and men had been discharged, of which 402.187 were demobilised" during fjune..; Sailing from Europe totaled 1.767,327, and en listments r7.289. . ' J Of the 704.845 officers and men re maining in the army, 234.975 , are in Europe, 262.801, In the United States, 8477 in ' Siberia and the remainder at sea: and ? Insular, . possessions. All of the first division and a large part of the fourth have sailed and the second , has .been assigned , to early convoy. :..." ' ' ; Kaareoj Stahlberg Elected: President ; , . Finnish Republic - : . Washington. July ' 26. (I, N. S.) KaareoJ Stahlberg was elected president of. Finland at a session of the diet Fri day night the state department was ad vised "this' afternoon..: 'y-f ;:: ? Stahlberg ' was elected by a vote of 143 to 11 over General Mannerheim, thus ending the regency of the latter. Ban Is Lifted From Passports to Europe ''.' ' - :'' ' . . l ' '' . Washington, July- 26. Restrictions of passports to Europe are to be relaxed Immediately, - Secretary Lansing - an nounced late Friday. Passports will now be issued to. all countries except "enemy countries and Russia, when applicants can show -. the object of Uielr visit is legitimate and reasonable, he said. Be ginning on 'November 1, - passports will be; issued r to persons .wishing to Visit Europe for pleasure purposes, he said. Patrick Gudahy Dies From Heart Trouble Milwaukee, July . 26. U. P.) Ar rangements were being made today for the funeral of Patrick Cudahy.- one of the big figures in the packing industry, who died suddenly of heart failure after dinner last night. He was the third of four brothers who founded the Cudahy Packing bouse. : Only the youngest, Ed ward, survive. , . Chicago Gas .Rates ; - Ordered Reduced Chicago,. July 26. (L N. S- By r der of the state public utilities commis sion" gas rates to the consumer in Chi cago , have been reduced 3 cents per 1000 cubic feet. : Tha commission -rejected' a petition of the gas company to increase its rates 6 cents 1009 cubic feet. , .:- ;- ; ' V-'.':' -J '-; ' Nine Boys Are Drovned Vhen Craft Capsizes Two Boys' Camp Directors Lose Their , Lives With Lads as Wind Overturns Boat. - Spring fi el d, Mass., July 2 6. Searchers with grappling hooks were still dragging the waters of Big Pond, at, .East Otis today, following the drowning Friday of nineboysand two men directors of the Springfield Boys' club, who were camping on the. shores of the lake. Six bodies had been re covered up to midnight. , Leonard , Santasiero, 23, one of the camp directors, made heroic efforts to save the boys. Me leaped from the launch into the struggling . mass and seised four, bur their weight proved too much and be sank with them clinging to him, :. -.:w-;vt --:-Vtf -.:-;:- When his body was recovered - this forenoon the bodies of the four boys were locked to bis in a death grip. Cr. The accident followed a gust of wind which whipped t the ' waters of the, lake and overturned 'a flat bottom boat that was taking- a party of campers-back to an island following, a, baseball game on the mainland. . Grief stricken relatives of the boys will insist upon ' a tliorough investiga tion to place responsibility for the ac cident, it was said here today. -. The flat bottom boat In which the boys were riding sank when the launch which was towing them turned back to the mainland. ; A huge wave capsized the boat and - the struggling boys were thrown into the water. Witnesses said all succeeded in cling ing to the craft, but when one let go and started to sink the others let go and attempted to rescue him. In the confusion and struggle which followed, all went down. The ' two directors were pulled down in the melee while trying to save the youths. ' - - -; AIR MAIL SERVICE Operation of ' Planes' , Resumed Mnder Agreement jThat Inves- ; tigattpn s JoBa Made - New Tork,, uly '2. I.' X S.) An aerial mall service between New York' arid Chicago waa. resumed to day, following an agreement reached between striking pilots and the post office department. . " '. Pjllof-Harold Lewis- took off. in the first mail plane ' for the west at 8:27 o'clock after a delay of more than three hours, . He carried ten pouches of mail for the. West and headed for Bellfonte, Pa., the first scheduled stop. " Officials said mails , would start - for Washington before noon. ... - -i The decision of the mall pilots to re sume their schedule was reached after postal officials had : agreed to , thresh the whole series of differences out at a conference with representatives of the viators. The conference will be held in Washington today or. Monday. : -: The aviators' principal grievances are the. discharging of two. of their' number for refusing to take the air in what they considered unsafe . machines and unsafe weather. . - Conservatives in Germany Blamed For Hun Defeat London. July 26. (L N. a Wild scenes during which Socialists Jumped to their feet shouting "Murderers 1" at the Conservatives, marked . the speech of Finance Minister Math las Ersberger in the German national assembly , at Weimar, said an Exchange Telegraph dispatch from Copenhagen today. There: was . tremendous uproar - when Erzberger declared that "for four years Germany has - been under, a military dictatorship." .sThe conservatives were charged with responsibility for the con tinuation of the-: war and the ultimate defeat of Germany. . ;' -.- Karl Hefferich, former J minister of the German treasury, delivered a sharp attack - against Dr. Ersberger. whom be accused of favoring his own personal Interests at the expense of the country. In an article in the Reichs Zeltung. , Gertrude; Hoffman i Went to See Sister j Didn't Tell'Husband ' . ' -f;-, - - New Tork, July 26. dV. P.) Gertrude Hoffman, dancer, returned to her home here today, after' an .absence- of three days. She was visiting a sister and for got to tell her husband, H was stated. The dancer disappeared " Wednesday night. :: leaving : her husband in Fifth avenue to enter a drug store to make a purchase. When she did not reappear Hoffman investigated and found no trace of her. - - : r Gertrude' Hoffman Is a' sister of Mra M. IL De Lahunt of 393 East Sixteenth street north. Mutual Financial Support Proposed Paris. July 26. L N. a) Signer Tittonl. the Italian foreign minister, has submitted to the council of five a plan whereby the mutual financial support, practiced . among the allied and asso ciated powers during the wan will be continued Into peace times." The council today had a draft of the proposed alli ance Under consideration. France Is said to be strongly in favor of the Han. STR E S SETTLED UWwmuui PORT -III I tl: BE'lllilfEl Contention Portland Should Be . on Lower Rate Basis Than As toria Prompts Visit to Latter. r ''. SjhSSJMMMWMSMSMM t" Commissionrr to Go Tomorrow. ; Probably by Auto j Hearing to Open; in : Seattle on Tuesday. Having' heard during : tho week much of the contention that Port land, 100 miles nearer the Inland Empire, is 'entitled to a lower rata than Astoria, Interstate Commerce Commissioners Hall, Daniels and Eastman announced this morning their; determination to visit Astoria, They will leave for the city at th mouth of the Columbia Sunday morn ing, probably going by automobile, and win spena some time in going over tne port facilities of . Astoria under the guidance of B. F. ; Stone, chairman of the Portof Astoria commission. OPENS AT SEATTLE TUESDAY " The Columbia basin rate hearing will be adjourned from Portland to Seattle at the . close of the Monday .afternoon . session, beginning in the Pugrt Sound ' metropolis next Tuesday iiiornins. Puget Sound's and Astoria's side of the controversy will be heard there a" much of the evidence of the railroaS will be introduced there. .' i While - nominally the hearing, com menced in the complainant crty, In re moved to the defendant community in the ; Columbia" basin rate action is for the '.purpose f of . . convenlenclng I'uitPt Sound interveners, and .witnesnes, the transposition is regarded actually aa a concession : to th competitive spirit which .would cause Seattle io cxprens resentment were the entire caue to le presented before the Interstate Com merce commission. . WAEBEHTOW COMPLAINT HEAIXO Not long, ago a ' Wajrtranton. busiiie man. paid 380 additional freight charges to the S., P. & S. railroad for moving a carload of Utah coal the 816 miles be tween 'Astoria and Warrenton. , Warrenton's separate action, petition ing , the Interstate Commerce commlx sion for rates from transcontinental and Inland Empire points on a parity with Astoria, was commenced this morning. Testimony, offered by J. O. Barr, a civil engineer, Under examination con ducted by O. B. Stetters, showed Wsr renton's ambition to be classified as a seaport. A. J. Parrlngton, a traffic ex pert, provided charts showing that the railroads charge Warrenton an average of fi cents a hundred pounds mora on carload freight than Astoria. : C. "A. Hart, of counsel for the rail roads, interposed a statement that there will be no objection to granting War-' renton rates on a parity with Astort when applied to freight moving from transcontinental and Montana territory, but that the matter of rates from the Inland Empire, the railroads had endeavored to interpret the spirit of th interstate commerce commission in the Astoria case. This decision, he said, grouped Astoria with Portland and Pu get Sound for rate making purposes, but did not Include Warrenton in the family. SHIPS GOHE FOB GOOD Incident to another phase of the hear Ing, Mr. Hart stated that the S., P. A H. does not expect to return the steamships Great Northern and Northern Pacifio to the Flavel (Warrenton )-San Fran cisco run. because these - vessels were sold outright to the government. An Interesting fact brought out at the Friday evening session of the Columbia basin rata hearing is that the railroad Investment between Portland and Van couver. Wash., is $9,000,000. Railroads have spent approximately $1,000,000 a mil between Portland and Vancouvt-r, said C A. Hart of counsel for the rail roads. On this basis, he asked W. J, Kinney, witness for Vancouver, If he thought the rate to Vancouver should be as much as to Portland by way of the 8., P. tt tL Mr. Kinney answered that what Is good enough for Portland is gooa enougn xor Vancouver, A. force outside the competition of the communities has shaped the advantage in rates and port business which has given Seattle a leadership over Portland, declared W. D. B. Dodaon, executive sec retary of the Portland Chamber of Com merce,, testifying Friday afternoon. t v,. -, He referred to the railroads. . He said that they have concentrated ' ww. v. ' 0. v iiiiiiviiv.i m.f .iiiaiiu ,41,1 plre traffic at the Puget Sound terminal. That they have made transshipping contracts with Oriental steamship lines that make Seattle a port of entry. .. They have encouraged the building of (Conctoctat on Paca Kip. Column Six) 150,000 Troops in Silesia Are Urged Paris, July 26. (U. P.) Marshal Foch recommended to the council of five today that the allies maintain 150.000 troops as an army of occupation In lit per Silesia. - His recommendation pro vided for 6000 American troops among this number. . Death Comes to Sir Edward Poynter . London. July 26-fL N. S.) 5'lr i: J ward Poynter died today. Kir VAwnrft Poynter has long been a prominent fig ure 'in British art circles. For a num ber ' of years he - was vr' ' t r f the Royal Academy and c:r- j the National Gallery. 1