Indianapolis Times, Volume 46, Number 196, Indianapolis, Marion County, 26 December 1934 — Page 9

/ Cover the World WMNUP SIMMS WASHINGTON. Dec. 26. —Once again, in this season of peace on earth and good will to man, the fabled land of Abvssmia is in the news. The eyes of the world are upon it. Italy's Benito Mussolini is pressing for apologies and indemnities from Abysinnia's Ras TafTari. King of Kings and Conquering Lion of Juda, for firing on his ebony troops. Isaiah, more than 700 years before Christ, called Abyssinia ‘ the land shadowing with wings which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia.” Today. Mussolini is ‘ shadowing with wings” this same area of the Dark Continent. For II Duces bombers are on the border — wings” such as the Prophet Isaiah never dreamed of. To get out of his 4i*?eulties, Ras TafTari will need all his wisdom, inherited. so it is said, from his forbear Menelik. son

of K’ -.g Solomon. For just as the imperial house of Nippcn traces its line back to the Sun Goddess of prehistoric times, the Abyssinian emperor claims direct descent from King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. Which would mean that the blood of King David, shepherd, warrior monarch of Israel, psalmist and sweetest singer known to Biblical lore, also courses through his veins. About 3000 years ago Balkis, Queen of Sheba, hearing of the glories of Solomon, paid a state visit to that ruler of Jerusalem.

Wm. I’hilip Simms

bearing him costly gifts of gold, ivory, ebony and frankincense. Os that visit, it seems, a sen was born. And. down through the ages, the torch has been passed on until today it is held aloft by the hand of Ras TafTari, of Ethiopia. Abyssinia—or Ethiopia—is regarded as probably the greatest unexploited region left in the world. It Is supposed to contain many precious metals. Some of King Solomon’s gold probably came from there and some of the rare woods which went into his temple, it is about the size of New England, New York and all the rest of the Atlantic seaboard down to and including Florida. Its climate ranges from near boiling, down in the deep valleys, to temperate in the highlands. Anything will grow there. tt n a Playing One Against the Other IT is bounded on the north \y Italian Eritrea, on the east by British Somaliland and Italian Somaliland. Kenya on the south, and the Soudan on the west. It is thus cut off from the sea. Os water power it has enough to light up Africa like Broadway. This is largely going to waste. A railroad. 487 miles long, built by the French, connects the capital with the French-owned port of Jibuti, its outlet on the Red Sea. In 1925 the Italians and British agreed to support one another's projects in Abyssinia. Britain had an eye on the w'ater power. Italy wanted to build a railroad. But little, save trouble, has come of this. Lake Tsana, source of the Blue Nile, a magnificent body of turquoise water, is 6000 feet high. It is 30 miles wide by 40 long. The Blue Nile is a real river even where it pours fr~*n the lake. About 20 miles down-stream it drops 80 feet into a narrow gorge, and in the next 30 miles it falls 2000 feet in a series of roaring cataracts. Another chute of 2000 feet occurs near the Soudan frontier. But for these waters and those of the White NilP, coming up out of the Soudan, Egypt would be just a part of the great Sahara. It is for irrigation purposes, therefore, rather than electric power, that Britain wishes to conserve this vital flood. Ordinarily a rich country like Abyssinia could hardly survive 12 months the possessive envy of the great powers. Save for Liberia, tottering Negro republic on the west coast, it is the only wholly independent country in Africa. So there would seem to be some truth in the claim that the wisdom of Kings David and Solomon trickled down to Ras TafTari. For he plays one great power against another to save his freedom and his throne. 000 Now Courting U. S. Friendship OF late this gifted person has added another arrow to his defensive quiver. He is playing up to the United States. American technicians have been invited to help westernize his country. But the struggle is not yet ended. The plotting which has gone on for years may go on indefinitely. Or it may suddenly come to a head as a result of some sensational coup growing out of just such a crisis as the present. At least 50 years ago Italy began to look toward Abyssinia. There were even armed clashes. By 1892. Italy almost had a protectorate over the area. But King Menelik —another of King Solomon's line—defeated the Italians in 1896 and repudiated the Italian influence. Since that time Italy has confined her sphere to Eritrea, a narrow strip along the Red Sea. and Italian Somaliland, another strip on the Indian Ocean. But she has never altogether given up her original aspirations. To bring Italy into the World War on the Allied side, many promises were made her. One of these promises was Abyssinia. After the war Italy claims she was double-crossed. France herself was accused of trying to penetrate into Abyssinia, and it was p: rtly to offset her that Britain and Italy entered tlie compact of 1925. Italy still feels that Britain and Fiance, having failed to live up to their word, should compensate her by giving her a free hand in the land of King Solomon's sons.

Questions and Answers

Q-Are gasoline taxes deductible on individual federal income tax returns? A—Federal gasoline taxes can not be deducted, but state and local taxes may be deducted if the state law assesses them on the purchaser, and not the dealer; provided the purchaser has the receipts showing payment of the tax or has a bookkeeping record of his gasoline purchases, that can be exhibited to a federal agent if required, to prove the accuracy of the return. Q —What are the ingredients of conlmon glass? A—lt is made by mixing 100 parts of white sand (largely silica>, 35 parts of soda ash (dry washing soda or sodium carbonate*, and 15 parts of limestone (principally calcium carbonate*. This mixture is placed in a crucible and heated to 1260 degrees Centigrade (2300 degrees Fahr.) or more, until it melts to a clear mass about as stiff as ordinary molasses on a warm day. In addition to these raw materials a large Dercentage of old broken glass (cullet) is also used. Q —What is the per diem cost to operate a circus when traveling, and also in winter quarters? A—Variety, the theatrical trade periodical, reported Sept. 11. 1929. that the daily expense of the Rmgling Brothers and Bamum <fc Bailey Circus when traveling was $12,000, and in winter quarters it was S2OOO. Q —What was the total wheat crop of the United States in 1933? A—lt amounted to 527.978,000 bushels. Q—When will the California-Pacific International Exposition in San Diego. Cal., open? A—May 29, 1935. Q —When and from what cause did Lew Cody, the actor, die? A—From heart disease, May 31. 1934. • Q—Who wrote the song. "On the Road to Mandalay?” A—Words by Rudvard Kipling and music by Oley Speaks. Q —ls Thelma Todd, the movie actress, married? A— She is divorced from Pasquala de Cicco. Q —Give the address or the German Embassy in Washington. D. C. A —1439 Massachusetts-av. N. W. Q —ls it necessary to have witnesses to a codicil of a will? A —Yes, It must be signed by the testator and two witnesses m the presence of each other, and must bear the date it was made.

Puli Leas'd Wire Service of the United Press Association

THE DEATH MENACE OF TULSA

Terror Rules Homes of Wealth After Slaying of Two Youths

Hit A EA S'< ri te* nnULSA. Okla, Dec. 28.—Parents look anxiously across the dinner tables here at their boys and girls home from college for the holidays. There are silences in the conversation, which swings inevitably around to the only thing Tulsans can talk about these days. Os course each parent is sure his boy or girl wouldn't know anything about the mysterious deaths of two well-connected young Tulsans, or about the mesh of amateur crime and wild carry-ings-on that are hinted as the investigation spreads. And yet—Judge Kennamer never suspected that his son Philip was mixed up in such things. And Dr. Gorrell and Protessor Born, whose boys are dead, never suspected, either. Seldom has a city been so shocked and startled, so ridden by rumors of youthful amateur crime, talk of gambling, drinking, the possibility of narcotic use, "shakedown schemes,’’ possession of knives and guns, and general talk of wild escapades among the college-age set. As new theories rise and new clews are run down in the mysterious deaths by shooting of John Gorrell and Sidney Born Jr., rumors fly about the town, and families which have youngsters in the younger social set can think of nothing but “Who will be involved next?” 000 THERE is a pronounced damper on social activities. The Quaker Drug Store, often frequented by the dead youths and their set, sees them no more. Some are actually in hiding. The High Hat Club, of which young Born has been president, and to which belonged many of the sons of wealthy and prominent citizens, has been disbanded until February. For late in January, Philip Kennamer, son of a Federal judge known throughout the Southwest for his stem administration of justice, will go on trial for the murder of John Gorrell. Gorrell. son of a well-known physician, was a student at Kansas City Dental College. He came home to spend the Thanksgiving holidays with his parents. About midnight of Thanksgiving Day, the stepson of one of the city’s leading real estate men was on his way home, and noticed a car by the roadside in the exclusive Forest Hills section, with one wheel up on the curb. 000 HE stopped, found the body of Gorrell before the wheel, shot twice through the head with his own pistol, which was found neatly replaced in its holster. A rain had obliterated all marks outside the car, and there were no fingerprints on the pistol. Almost immediately rumors filtered through to police that acer-

-T h r DAILY WASHINGTON MERRY-GO-ROUND By Drew Pearson and Robert S. Allen

WASHINGTON. Dec. 26.—1 tis being done so quietly that only a few know of it. but inner American Legion circles are being swept clean by the most drastic house-cleaning the organization has known since its origin. San Francisco's energetic Frank N. Belgrano, new national commander, is waging vigorous war on the "king makers,” the clique of insiders who for years were the real rulers of the Legion. He has removed them, and their henchmen, from powerful committee posts and soft jobs, and has completely reorganized the staffs of the national

headquarters in Indianapolis and the branch office in Washington. In the latter. John Thomas Taylor. long-time legislative representative, nas been retained, but his authority has been rigidly limited. Henceforth, instead of speaking for the Legion, the talking will be done by a publicity man of Belgrano's own choosing. a a a THE brief, but bitter condemnation of lynching voiced by President Roosevelt in his address before the recent Crime Conference was his own idea. In the material prepared for him for the speech numerous crimes were listed, but no mention of lynching was made. The President personally inserted his caustic strictures against this form of mob violence. tt tt tt WHEN the President is on the point of making some confiding remark to the press. Steve Early's hand of caution frequently falls upon his shoulder. Early was absent from a recent press conference. The President Mid, "No news today, boys. Steve nas gone duck-hunting and he said I couldn't tell you anything!” . . . A suite of three rooms is provided for each Associate Justice in the new Supreme Court Building. The rooms of the Chief Justice are distinct from the others in being equipped with a shower bath. . . . Comparable to the wartime newspaper, Stars and Stripes, edited for men in the service, is the sheet. Happy Days, written by and for the younger wearers of khaki in the Civilian Conservation Corps. . . . There is no race segregation policy in the reading room of the Library- of Congress, but Negroes habitually congregate at the desks in the southwest segment of of 13 girls in the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire in New York 33 years ago sharpened the resolution of two women witnesses who are now in the President's official family. One is Secretary Frances Perkins, the other Josephine Roche, newly-appointed assistant secretary of the treasury. . . . Many persons, writing to the President, are perplexed as to how to address him. Salutations on letters he has received range all the wav from "Hullo Sir” to "Your Majesty.” . . . Friends of Mrs. Roosevelt can not be sure that "Personal” on a letter will carry it through to her. Scores of people

The Indianapolis Times

'Jtlrmsdl fsfif ■ tv. iSg HHI v * mJmk jr A

Tulsa’s avid interest in the trial of Philip Kennamer for the murder of John Gorrell Jr., is well shown by this milling crowd which actually broke in the doors to the Common Pleas Court room when Kennamer appeared for preliminary hearing. More than 3000 tried to obtain entrance to the proceedings.

tain young society man had been boasting about drug stores and beer parlors that he had killed Gorrell. Then Floyd J. Huff of Kansas City, an aviator, came forward and told that this same young man had shown him a purported "ransom note” one night and confided that he intended to kill Gorrell. Suddenly Philip Kennamer, 19-year-old son of Judge Franklin E. Kennamer, gave himself up to police and confessed the killing of Gorrell. Tulsa sat back with a shock which has been renewed every few days since. Kennamer claimed self-defense. He said Gorrell had been planning to extort money from the family of Homer Wilcox, wealthy oil man, by threats against their daughter Virginia. Kennamer, who professes an affection (all unknown to her) for Miss Wilcox, said he was trying to head off Gorrell’s extortion scheme so as to make himself a hero in her eyes. 000 HE quarreled with Gorrell, who drew- a pistol. In the fight over the gun. Gorrell was shot, Kennamer said. Richard Oliver, Gorrell’s roommate at the Kansas City College, however, told authorities that Gorrell had been afraid of one “Bob Wilson.” When Oliver was on his way to Tulsa to tell his story, he recognized “Wilson” on the train,

she does not know are writing to her, using these phrases: “Confidential,” “Personal,” "Not to be opened by any one except Mrs. Roosevelt.” a a a ONE of the few foreign ambassadors who has consistently gone to bat for payment of war debts to the United States is astute Andre Laboulaye, envoy of France. He has argued with his government that the time may come again when France will need American military support, at which time war debts will rise up as a bitter memory. . . . During the Government-inspired Town Hall Forum, Norman, Thomas made slighting remarks about the patronage politics of Jim Farley. Afterwards Atty. Gen. Cummings stepped up and defended his Cabinet colleague. He told Thomas that he owed Farley an apology. Thomas flatly refused. . . . Ham Fish is worried about what to do with the gorgeous Order of Cespedes presented to him by the Cuban Government. He went all the way to Havana tc have the decoration hung around his neck, now finds that he can not legally accept it. He is thinking of having a special act passed by Congress okaying his acceptance. (Copyright, 1934. bv United Feature Syndicate. Inc.) HANGOVERS PLENTIFUL IN RESTAURANT LOOT Whisky, Beer and Wine Are Stolen During Christmas Holiday. The boys “are having a few drinks on the house" today, if the police reports of their activities can be relied upon. Someone broke into the Eva Truemper Restaurant last night and stole two cases of beer. 13 quarts of whisky and 4.60 in cash; total value, 533.20. Ted's Restaurant. 925 N. Ulinoisst, reported the theft of $30.50 in cash, and Philip Kraft. 1120 Unionst. reported the theft of several Christmas presents in liquid form, consisting of wines and whiskies valued at SIOO. They were stolen from a parked car. Christmas presents of a total value of $24 were taken from the parked car of Robert V. Davidson, 1540 Park-av, he reported to police. They consisted of clothing. \

INDIANAPOLIS, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER “6, 1934

and jumped off at Claremore to tell police “Wilson” was aboard and had eyed him menacingly. "Wilson” turned out to be Kennamer. Miss Doris Rogers of Pittsburg, Kan., Who had been Gorrell’s fiancee was able to throw little light on the strange affair. Stories and rumors began to fly. There were wild tales of a “society gang of thrill-mad youths.” Tulsa did not believe, does not yet believe, half of them. But the identification by one witness of Kennamer as one of five youths who had robbed him in Wagoner, Okla., the day before the Gorrell shooting lent color to the tales of an "amateur crime wave.” Others of Tulsa’s "younger set” added to the stories. Ted Bath, a friend of both Kennamer and Gorrell, told of being approached by both to get him to join in blackmail schemes aimed at "shaking down” rich oil men by involving their daughters in compromising situations and photographing them thus. He refused, but certain negatives now being held for the trial in a police lock-box are believed to lend some color to his story. Wade Thomas, the proprietor of a beer parlor frequented by Gorrell's and Kennamer’s crowd, was locked up for a week, but later released. an tt MEANWHILE, mysterious threats began to come to those who had told what they

LOSES HIS CLOTHING AS DOMINOS GALLOP Gerald Israel “Puts Up Shirt” as Security; Winner Forecloses. Two men w r ere under arrest today as a result of what police say was a Christmas Day craps game. Complaining that spme one had deprived him of cash, clothing and jewelry, Gerald Israel, 29, of 2003 Singleton-st, finally admitted to police he was a victim of the galloping dominos, police declare. Patrolmen Charles Viles and Frank Zunk accompanied Israel to the home of Nate Perkins, Negro, 909 Charles-st, and heard another version of the Christmas calamity. Perkins said he had lent Israel a small sum of money and the latter’s clothing was assigned as security. In true banker spirit, he had been compelled to foreclose on a loan past due, he said. Police, unable to locate the lost jewelry, returned Israel's garments and then charged both men with vagrancy.

SIDE GLANCES By George Clark

r. j V rftv A 5 I I ! ; 1% ' s '! H-VJ: 4 .'r ;iK\ Wi . iWA - - •'" J _ / ' NEA SERVICE. INC. T. M. REG. U.s.'PHT.OFT.

“X^sayJf a fellow really loves you the color of your finger*, nails isn’t going to matter much.’*

Virginia Wilcox

———— _—

Richard Oliver

knew of the affair. ,A police guard stood at Oliver's home. Bath had left town. Richard Bard, who had been with Gorrell earlier on the evening of his death, left A. and M. College at Stillwater, and Miss Bettie Watson, co-ed at the University of Oklahoma, was threatened, apparently because of her story of threats by Kennamer against Gorrell. Homer Wilcox Jr., son of the oil magnate mentioned by Kennamer as object of extortion plans, was fined $75, and a companion, William Paden, was also fined for "destroying public property” by shooting out two street lights at a place which was only a few hours later to become the death scene of Gorrell. Thus, by a coincidence, the street was dark w’hen the shots were fired that killed Gorrell. Sidney Born Jr., president of the "High Hat Club” and the son of an oil engineer, had driven Kennamer to a Tulsa hospital to meet Gorrell the night of the latter’s death. Born and Kennamer had spent the night before Thanksgiving together at a hotel. On Dec. 9 at 1:15 in the afternoon, young Born tried to call Kennamer at the jail from a drug store pay phone. He w’as unable to speak with Kennamer. Muttering his disappointment, he left the store.

IN OLD NEW YORK By Paul Harrison

NEW YORK, Dec. 26.—Here are some random notes on how to start a day wrong: There’s a stack of mail on my desk which is sure to be 99 per cent hash, and the usual collection of scribbled memos from the previous afternoon. "Mr. Dietz called.” says one. Which Mr. Dietz—Ed or Ben? David is probably in Washington, or San Francisco, or somewhere. Or is it Howard Dietz, the show-writer? Yes, it turns out to be Howard; something about a party. "Baron wants you to be his guest Wednesday.” Baron who—

Kolsky or Suriani?? Surely not Baron Wrangel. And his guest for what—breakfast, bridge or a hockey match in the Bronx? The phone rings, and it's Ted Baron. A date for lunch. The phone rings again. “Hello, Paul, this is Evelyn. You know— Evelyn Brdnshgjkldf. I think you're too mean for not coming to the party . . . The party at the Waldorf. Everybody was there, just everybody. Who —well, I don’t remember all of them of course, but there were a lot of important people. Anyway I

Philip Kennamer

Sidney Born, Jr.

ONLY 20 minutes later, he was found dying in his automobile of a gunshot wound in his head. His car stood near the spot where Gorrell had died. "Suicide,” decided police, assigning fear of being drawn into the Kennamer-Gorrell affair as a motive. "Murder,” said Sheriff Charles Price and the boy’s relatives, who cite his "level-headedness” and known good spirits that day. Search for a mysterious "man in a black overcoat” reported seen running from the scene failed. So complicated has the case become that a New York newspaper man who covered the Hall-Mills case says here that mystery was child's play compared to the maze of contradictions and the walls of silence that surround this case. So worried have Tulsans become over the implications of strange goings-on among their young folks that a grand jury investigation of all the circumstances has been asked, so that anxious parents may either know the worst or stop worryinging over "younger set” activities that may overshadow even the two tragic deaths. All sorts of sensations have been promised by both prosecution and defense investigators at the trial, which will be started in late January. But in the meanwhile sleep for the families of Tulsa's "upper Crust” will be troubled and disturbed.

thought you might like to print a story about the cocktail mixing contest, and the winning recipe. You take equal parts of 's gin, 's vermouth and ’s rum, add a little 's grenadine, white of one egg and serve with a slice of—Oh. you say you can’t print it. Sorry; goodby.” Now who in the dickens was that? a a a T ETTERS from press agents. After opening the first five I discover that one orchestra leader, one vaudeville actor and a song w-riter all happen to have observed that with Christmas trade booming the way it is, Santa Claus must be trying to establish a dictatorship. Great minds, apparently, all read the same humorous magazines. Don’t select the best jokes, either. A hotel man telephones and says the grill in his place is starting a series of celebrity nights, so will I please drop in Tuesday evening and he will see that I am introduced. I plead a previous engagement rather than tell the fellow what I think of the celebrity-night racket. Too many clubs advertise “stars of stage, screen and radio” among their guests of honor, and masters of ceremony constantly are interrupting perfectly good floor shows to introduce broken-down chorus girls and amateur harmonica players. People who amount to anything patronize spots where they won’t be called on for simpering bows and free entertainment. a a a A YOUNG man comes to the office to see me. Puts his hat on my typewriter, a sheaf of clippings on my desk, takes a few sighting shots with some vague remarks about the glamor of Broadway, and finally confesses that he wants to be a New York columnist. He is a soda jerker and the clippings represent his contributions to a drug store advertising sheet. I advise him to stay where he is and write movie scenarios. He goes out happily in search of a plot. The mail again. Sam Blank is casting anew musical comedy. Baby Leroy has anew tooth. Nastia Poliakova will sing at the Kretchma.

Second Section

Today s Science By David Dietz IN a row of little glass dishes at the Carnegie Institution of Washington are some specimens of snapping shrimp, little creatures of the ocean, which, to the eye of the layman, look like miniature lobsters, each about three inches long These little shrimps, the objects of an investigation by Dr. Hugh H. Darby, biochemist of Physicians and Surgeons’ Hospital, New York, and research

Doris Rogers

Homer Wilcox, Jr.

Entered ss Second-Class Matter at PostolTicp. Indianapolis. Ind.

associate of the Carnegie Institution, Wasnington, may prove to be the biggest biological news of 1934. It is entirely probable that they will mark the beginning of revisions in some of the most fundamental theories of biology. Under normal conditions, the snapping shrimp, like his big cousin, the lobster, has one large claw and one small claw. As with the lobster, either the right or left claw may be the large one. If you examine 1000 shrimps, you find 500 of each. Mr. Darby found that he can take a shrimp with a large right claw and a little left one and turn him into on with a large left claw and a little right one. More than that, he can turn him into a shrimp

with two large claws or with two small ones Then if he chooses, he can turn him back into the sort of shrimp he was to start with. That there should be the possibilitv of such variation within a living creature is anew and startling fact Every biologist concerned with the study of ftTa& 6 tE g h ht and 0 0 0 Grows New Claws snapping shrimp has a peculiarity which it raiJilT i With many other crustaceans, if it catches its claw in something and can't get loose it merely shakes the claw off and swims awayTthshiJ h fvJ°?h ° f the . claw . ls only a temporary hardship. for the snapping shrimp molts every 10 davs shedding his old shell. After molting, it grows back anew claw. s s Dr. Darby found that time was the chief element involved and that whether the shrimp developed a large or small claw depended upon when the creature lost a claw. f° un d that if he caused the shriump to lose the claw immediately after molting find then 36 '2 hours later the large claw, it grew back two large claws. If, however, the shrimp did not lose its claws until four days after molting, it grew back two small claws. By careful timing. Dr. Darby found it passible to put one shrimp through many changes, shifting the large claw from right to left, causing the creature to develop two large claws, or two small ones at will. Apparently, the process causes the shrimp no particular inconvenience. As yet Dr. Darby has not worked out a complete theory of what happens. His present theory is that there is a chemical substance in the blood of the shrimp, some sort of horipone, which causes the development of a big claw. His belief is that whichever claw begins to grow the fastest, absorbs all of this stuff and so the creature grows one big claw and one small one. In nature, this is a haphazard occurrence, hence 50 per cent of the shrimps have the large claw on the right and the other 50 per cent have it on the left. 000 New Problems Created IF, however, the removal of the shrimp's claws are so timed that the new claws each get an equal dase of the hormone, then the result is the development of two large claws. On the other hand, if neither claw gets the harmone, then two small claws result. , , Now it can be stated that, students of heredity have probably never thought that such great developmental changes could take place within a single hereditary pattern. Undoubtedly, the biologist shown a shrimp with two large claws would have termed it a "mutant,” that is, a creature with altered heredity; for example, one in which some changes had taken place in the chromosomes of the germ cell. Many new problems are therefore advanced by Dr. Darby's discovery. Since studying the snapping shrimp, he has found the same thing to be true of the fiddler crab. He also believes that further study will show the same thing to be true of other crustaceans. Dr Darby believes that our notions of growth processes will have to be revised. Instead of being steady and continuing processes, he thinks that many of them are cyclical, depending upon the presence of definite chemical stimulators at definite times. Any interruption of these cycles are accompanied by wide variations, he Delieves. In general, he believes that studies such as his will show that there is much greater variation in the development of hereditary patterns than biologists have previously supposed.

Deaths Increase

THE mortality rate for 1934 shows an increase over 1933 but is still among the lowest the nation has ever had, according to Dr. Robert A. Fraser, chief medical director of the New York Life Insurance Cos. Basing his conclusions on life insurance figures, Dr. Fraser reported to the Association of Life Insurance Presidents that the mortality rate for the present year will be 346.3 per 100.000 policyholders. This is an increa.se of 37.6 per 100,000 over 1933. In terms of totals, he said, this means that there will be about 58.000 more deaths in the United States during 1934 than there were in 1933. About 8000 of these 58.000 are to be accounted for by the increase in population, he said, while another 5000 are attributed to the increase in automobile fatalities. The record of deaths from automobiles is particularly shocking, as Dr Fraser points out. because they may be properly considered preventable fatalities. One may very well ask w r hat the point is in saving people from death by disease if they are to be killed by careless automobile drivers who are driving at rates of speed w'hich make adequate control of their cars impossible. Total deaths from automobiles in 1934 is 36,500. "There is no other cause of death in which prevention measures are so extensive,” Dr. Fraser says, ‘‘yet instead of making headway against it, we are. principally through sheer carelessness, continually back-sliding.” a a a FATALITIES from the group of diseases including heart disease, chronic kidney disease, apoplexy and arteriosclerosis, far outweigh those from any other source. Dr. Fraser reports. The combined fatalities from this group are 279.7 per 100,000 policyholders. Deaths from heart disease showed an increase of 3.6 per 100.000 for 1934 over 1933, he continued. Life insurance policyholders dying from cancer in 1934 numbered 94.3 per 100.000. This marked an increase over 1933 in which the rate was 88.3. a a a REGARDING increases in heart disease and cancer, Dr. Fraser points out that these disease* are most prevalent in middle and later life. “As we know, biologically the span of life has certain definite limitations,” he says. "Consequently an increase in mortality from these diseases need not be regarded as indicating a forced retreat in our fight against disease and death, but rather as a necessary result of the great saving in lives at the younger ages.” Pneumonia also sh wed an increase in 1934 over 1933, the rate going v.p from 55.5 per 100.000 in 1933 to 64 in 1934. However, there was a slight decrease in the death rate from tuberculosis. The death rate from automobile accidents was 24.3 per 100.000 policyholders, an increase of 3.5 per 100,000 over 1933.

David Dietz