Richmond Palladium (Daily), Volume 45, Number 320, 22 November 1920 — Page 1

rig: VOL. XL V., No. 320 Palladium, Est. 1831. Consolidated with Sun-Telesram, 1907. RICHMOND, 1ND., MONDAY EVENING, NOV. 22, 1920. SINGLE COPY 3 CENTS

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HARDING TO TELL POLICIES NEXT MONTH

Says Sullivan President-! Elect Has Put Aside All . Matters of State for Period of Kecreation. SENATE TOCOOPERATE By MARK SULLIVAN WASHINGTON, D. C, Nov. 22. It is no secret that Senator Harding in his speeches in New Orleans just before he sailed for the canal zone, was expected to say something about the financial and business situation. It had been announced in the dispatches that he would. I have just returned from New Orleans, where I was in touch with Mr. Harding and his party, and I suspect those announcements had no more foundation than the wish on the part of some that Mr. Harding would do this. Undoubtedly a good many passionate messages have been going to the vacation party suggesting that the President-elect say something that would be soothing to persons writhing in the pains of deflation. Some of the suggestions have gone so far as to point out that it would help if Mr. Harding would appoint at least his Secretary of State and his Secretary of the Treasury at once and let them announce their plans for the new administration's foreign and fiscal policies. Harding Not Hurried. Doubtless It would help to stabilize things If business men could know Just what the programme is to be as respects foreign trade and international taxation. At the same timo to appoint these two members of the cabinet would be an obviously hurried and excited thing to do, and excited and hurried things are exactly the things that are most unlikely to come from Senator Harding. I suspect that all the recent predictions and hints that Senator Harding had done certain things or was going to do other things about various subjects, including Mexico, have Lad no relation to anything that has really gone on in his mind. He is in a serious mood, but nevertheless a vacation mood.- The people who are with him on his vacation are his playtime "buddies' rather than the advisers who will be most to tho front when he is acting officially for the Republican party or for the new administration, although one or two of these with him. are hard headed, surefooted men, quite capable of giving him sound advice in case of emergency; but I doubt it anything important or conclusive has passed through the Senator's mind about public policy Bince he started on his recreation trip. Must Wait Tin December. I doubt also whether anything whatever has materialized about this cabinet. I doubt equally whether anything will happen either as regards his programme or cabinet until Senator Harding is back in Marion on Dec. 6. For the present the public must be satisfied with what will be the chronicle of a purely recreation trip. After the return to Marion on Dec. 6, we may expect to see a succession of conferences with the Republican leaders and others, and out of those conferences a steady flow of decision and public announcements about the policy and personnel. The senate meets in Washington on the same day that Mr. Harding returns to Marion and we may expect to see the senate working hand in hand with the President-elect, the various committees getting ready and even perhaps some progress on the new programme for taxation and for other subjects of public policy. The programme will move as fast as it can be made to move, but there never will be speed at the expense of soundness. Senator Harding makes increasingly the impression of surefootedness, confidence, and the mastership that is inseparable from a right conception of his office. (Copyright 1920 by the New York Evening Post, Inc.) PHYSICIANS CONSIDER SOCIAL HYGIENE WORK WASHINGTON, Nov. 22. Nearly 500 physicians, social workers and public health officials from all parts of the country enrolled here today for a special two-weeks' training course in venereal disease control and social hygiene conducted by the United States public health service. The purpose of the course was said to be to familiarize those attending "with the recent marvelously swift advance In both the medical and social aspects of the venereal diseases," and to stress the importance of the preventive or social side of the problem, as well as the medical. The training course is conducted as a preliminary to the all-American conference on venereal diseases to be held here Dec. 6-11 the first of a series of conferences suggested by the international health conference held last year under the auspices of the League of Red Cross Societies. Kaiser's Greecian Villa Is Ready For Visit CORFU, Nov. 22 Achilleion Villa, the property of former Emperor William of Germany, is being repainted and thoroughly put in order as if to receive a guest. The neighborhood has been cleaned up, and the avenue leading to the villa from the main road, which during the regime of Premier Venizelos was known as "Liberty avenue," now wears its original title, "Avenue of William II". It is rumored here that one of the first efforts of Queen Sophia upon returning to Athens will be to secure consent from the allies for a visit of the former emperor to Corfu.

COMMITTEES ADVANCE PLANS FOR CHAMBER OF COMMERCE TODAY

Additional activity in the matter of forming a Chamber of Commerce in this city took shape rapidly at the temporary headquarters in the K. oi f. Temple, Monday. Meetings of commit tee members to form plans for an advertising campaign and a program j for the civic luncheon scheduled for December 1, were held during the day. .Plans for a mass meeting of Richmond citizens to be held in the K. of P. Temple at 1:30 p. m. Wednesday, No- . A. 1 - J - , t ' erauer z?, were laiu ai vuuimi n- ; meeting held Monday morning. At th;s . mass meeting, all citizens who wii j to see the new Chamber of Commerce organized are expected to appear, and a larger temporary organization will be formed. To Save Large Sum. "The men who have charge of this proposition expect to save approximately $3,500, to be applied on the salary of a secretary, by organizing the Richmond Chamber of Commerce themselves instead of turning the job over to a promoting company", said an official today. "We can easily do this if the citizenship will appear at this meeting and volunteer to do its bit in the work. There is comparatively little for each one to do but it is only through a larger organization that we will be able to reach the necessary number of people in time." In order to remind the citizenship of Richmond of the meeting Wednesday, firebells will be rung at 1 : 15 p. m. as a stimulant to insure that all persons desiring such an organization will appear at the meeting. Members of the committees In charge issued an appeal to lodges and other organizations in the city Monday to defer all meetings scheduled for Wednesday evening. Dec.l, in order to allow their members to attend the civic luncheon at that time. Two rooms are being occupied by the organization in the K. of P. temple and officials announced today that a banner showing the location of the office would shortly be placed on the north side of the building. The banner will be of sufficient size to allow of its being easily read from the corner of Eighth and Main streets. Observe Civic Sunday Meeting in regular weekly session Monday morning, members of the Richmond Ministerial association pledged their backing to the new movement in a resolution favoring the organization of a new chamber of commerce. They also agreed to hold a "Civic Sunday," Nov. 2S. at which time they will speak on the subject, "Civic Righteousness." Replies to the invitations to the civic luncheon are coming in to head quarters rapidly, officials stated today. An outstanding feature of the new organization is the desire of officials In charge to have an adequate representation of women on the board of directors. As announced before, three members of the board of directors will be women, and it is the plan to have all women's organizations of the county represented in some form. IMMEDIATE REVISION OF GOVERNMENT SALE SURPLUS STOCK, URGED WASHINGTON, Nov. 22. Immediate revision of the present method of disposing of surplus government to prevent speculators from buying federal property from one department and reselling to another branch of the government at a higher figure is recommended in the annual report of Major-General J. L. Chamberlain, inspector general of the army, to the secretary of war, made public today. The necessity for the proposed action is indicated by a recent investigation that disclosed that one department of the government sold surplus cement for $V00 per ton to a civilian who immediely resold the same cement to a branch of the war department for $6.00 a ton, the report stated. Concerning hazing at the military academy at West Point, Gen. Chamberlain said that while the practice has not yet been entirely eliminated, J considerable favorable progress has . I ,A V, t A Irtlr, M f '

uvku. mauc iu mai rnu. hhi-ibiii w j of lts power today. Members of the, the hospital facilities at' Campnnlm;,tpp wprp directed tn annpar in

Benning, Georgia, is voiced in the report, the equipment there being characterized as "entirely inadequate." Prompt measures to check abuse of the army uniform are recommended the report declaring that "civilian authorities have not always co-operated to stop such abuse." JAY STORE ROBBED BY JEWELRY BANDITS Christmas season thieves made their advent in Richmond Sunday night with the robbing of the Allen Jay jewelry store. A front store window was smashed and the store was robbed of 10 watches valued at $300 Five men's watches and five ladies' bracelet watches were taken from the window of the store. Police believe the robbery was committed between 2 a. m. and 4 a. m. Monday. It is believed that the thefL was committed by out of town persons. The policeman patrolling the district says that he talked to some men in a machine at the corner of Ninth and Main streets about 2 a. m. Monday and then finished his beat at the Dickinson Trust company, where he remained for a few minutes. On coming out of the trust building he saw some men enter a machine at Ninth and Main in a hurried manner. He passed the Jay store after this time but did not notice the broken window. On his next round the theft was discovered. One of the watches was found in the alley back of the Falladium building Monday morning. This is the second time the Jay jewelry store has been robbed since last June. .The previous robbery amounted to about $250. The losses are covered by insurance.

GAS COMPANY WANTS BOOST

IN ITS SCHEDULE Officials Tell Public Service Commission Artificial Gas 'Costs $2.05 a 1 ,000 Cubic Feet Delivered. mbiwm PR-FNT ARRIIMhNT I IILOL.ll I O HllUUlflL.l1 I O INDIANAPOLIS. Nov. 22. Natural j gas delivered in Richmond, costs the company 874 cents a 1,000 cubic feet, j and the artificial gas costs. $2.05, ac-j cording to evidence presented today by the Richmond Light, Heat & Power company, before the Public Service! Commission's supplemental hearing for revaluation of the gas property and the establishment of new ga ' rates for the city. The company submitted several long statistical tables relating to its oprations and properties and asked that j v, in iai looivni jia llir a iurn fi i iit gas properties at $863,765, which amount, the company officials said, was the original ccst. Present day reproduction costs, they asserted, make the properties worth $1,544,984. New rates, it was said, should be fixed to give "a fair return" on the original cost and no specific charges were suggested. Johnson Testifies. Nimrod Johnson, manager of the Richmond plant, and S. M. Wheeler, a statistician, were the only witnesses at the opening of tho hearing which continued this afternoon, with indications that it would continue tomorrow Both witnesses testified regarding th? statistical tables submitted to Com missioner Johnson, who was in charge of the hearing. The city also was represented by counsel, but the early testimony was almost exclusively an explanation of the company's evidence The company contended that it suf fered a loss of net income during the three years 1914 to 1916 by the low rate charged for natural gas, these years being described by It as the period for developing the natural gas business in Richmond. During that period gas sales increased almost threefold, it was 6aid. Cost of Fuel. The consumption was 896,000.000 feet, at a total cost of $362,622 to Richmond consumers. This quantity, if sold at the old artificial gas rates of 1,000 feet, would have cost the consumers $533,380 more, the company's witnesses testified. For the cost of development of the natural gas business the company asks a return be given it of $140,000, which amount, the witnesses said, was about one-fourth of the "indicated saving to consumers during 1914 to 1916." City's Contention " Will Reller, city attorney of Richmond, claims the Light. Heat and Pnwpr rnmnnnv'a nlnn hg.Q a valna.' tion of $523,397 for rate-making purposes. Joseph Wheeler, an auditor for the New York corporation which owns the Richmond gas company, submitted fig- j ures showing that the company had! operated at a heavy loss since it began its natural gas service in 1914. i His figures fr the years 1914, 1915,1 1916, 1917, 1918, 1919 and the first eight months of this year showed a net operating income of $168,054; necessary net income, $343,282; total deficit. $175,228. The report showed that 1917 was the only year the company operated at a profit, Its return for that year being $3,884. W. H. Johnson, manager of the Richmond company, testified that gasmaking tests conducted Saturday and Sunday indicated the company was prepared to manufacture gas In an. adequate manner on short notice. POWERS OF HOUSING COMMITTEE TESTED (By Associated Press) NEW YORK, Nov. 22. The joint legislative committee investigating the house situation here farH a enm-t tfst : ... . . I supreme court to show cause why the summons issued last week for the appearnce of Miss Elizabeth O'Dea, an employe of the Builders' Supply Bureau, should not be vacated. The committee had asked her to bring books of the concern to be placed in evidence. John A. McCarthy, a contractor, obtained the order to show cause, claiming that compelling an employe, not an official, of a firm to produce private accounts represents seizure without warrant. Mayor Hylan announced that the in vestigation by the city administration I of its contracts for public buildings 1 would begin today, despite objec'ions j from Samuel I'ntermyer, the legislative committee's chief counsel, that it i was a "whitewashing operation." Georgia's Renresentatives Tour Boston Industries BOSTON. Nov. 22 Representatives of Georgia's industries headed by ; Governor Hugh P. Dorsey, arrived j here today on their tour of industrial centers. The party, composed of one I hundred and fifty educators and business men, inspected the laboratories of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where an address of welcome was given by Professor Henry P. Talbot, of the Tech administrative committee. They also attended a reception at which Governor Coolidge, vice-president-elect, welcomed the delegation in behalf of the commonwealth. Among other speakers were Gov. Dorsey and Dr. K. G. Matheson, president of the Georgia School of Technology.

KILL 101,453 RATS. PARIS, Nov. 22. The total number of rats killed in Paris since the opening of the offensive September 12 last, is 101,458. No record has been kept of the births. i

America Restless?

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Sir Rabindranath Tagore. Sir Rabindranath Tagore, the great ihilosopher and mystic poet of India, who recently witnessed the YalePrinceton game, declared before leaving the university that there is no calm in America. "This is probably due to your climate," he said. "You do not commune enough with the Almighty." He said he was not surprised at the size of the crowd, for in India the football association attracts "nearly twice as many." It was the "color and organization of the crowd, and the style of play" which he noticed. FRENCH AVOID FORGE TO BLOCK RETURN OF GREEK KING TO ATHENS (By Associated Press) PARIS, Nov. 22. The French government will not oppose by physical force the return of former King Constantine to the Greek throne, which the foreign office now regards inevitable. The Associated Press was informed today. It was stated that Premier Leygues will advomte at his" meeting with" i-remier Liioyci ueorge or ureat untaln, that a joint note be sent to the Greek people pointing out to them very strongly the consequences of Constantine's restoration, prominent among which would be the withdrawal of all financial and economic support of Greece. Predict King's Return. The foreign office is convinced that the plebiscite to be held on the question of Constantine's return will overwhelmingly favor the proposition, and this has caused a change in the French attitude. Incidentally it was said, the foreign office had no information of any postponement of the plebiscite set for next Sunday. The meeting between Premiers Leygues and Lloyd George has teen advanced and probably will be held Thursday or Friday. ATHENS, Nov. 22. Members of the new Greek cabinet are working over time to establish the new regime and to reinstate thousands of functionarles and military officers removed by former Premier Venizeios. i Apparently the new ministry is attempting to pursue a policy of moderation toward followers of the former premier. An indication of this sentiment may be found in the retention of Sterialias as governor of Smyrna, while M. Politis has been asked to continue his work as foreign minister. "Please call the attention of Ameri cans to inc rncT mat tne nation is now vnited.' said Demetrius Gouneis to The Assoeirtod Pr?ss today. "This i3 shown by the joy over the nation's de-; liverance during the past few days. : We are no longer trying as assassinate : others, as M. Venizelos predicted, be-: cause of his non-election." : Weather Forecast MOORE'S SPECIAL FORECAST. . Snow will, arrive Monday afternoor or night, as the center of the British Columbia storm is moving eastward Tuesday promises to be chilly with occasional snows. No very low temperatures are indicated for the noxt day or two, as another storm of marked energy is crossing the Rockv Moun tainc. After this storm arrives, which i probably will be near the middle of this week, or shortly after, present indications are that it will be much colder. , ; ..For Indiana, by the United States Weather Bureau Rain turning to partly cloudy. Temperaturee Yesterday. Maximum 62 Minimum 50 Today. Noon 39 Fcr Wayne County, by W. E. Moore Cloudy and colder: rain will change to snow by Monday afternoon or night ; Tuesday partly cloudy and chilly; occasional snow. Weather Conditions The British Columbia storm moved southeastward Sunday, and now covers all the northern and entral states. Colder weather is following from Saskatchewan. General rains occurred last night throughout Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and Indiana, with scattered thun derstorms. Another rain storm or much energy and wide extent is moving eastward. Its center is now over the Rocky mountains.

ENGLAND TO STRENGTHEN IRISH FORCE

Sending of Additional Troops to Ireland Being Seriously Considered at War Office This Afternoon. MURDERS IN DUBLIN! . i 'T!v Associated Press) DUBLIN, Nov. 22. Twenty-six per-; sons are dead and 70 are lying in hospitals as a result of Sunday's orgie of assassinations and the wholesale! shooting in Croke Park, where sol-1 dters fired on the crowds which had gathered to witness a football game, between the Dublin and Tipperary teams. Dublin's apprenhensions that reprls-: als would follow last night proved unfounded and It is believed that government reports of three or four riots in the city after midnight were due to; the outrages near Dublin. ' Aside from military activities and : searehings, including Mansion House,; armored cars passing through the streets and the fact that all thorough-1 fares leading out of the city were, closely watched, Dublin and its vicin-1 ity were quieter today. It appeared that yesterday's outbreak, following the lines of other Irish disturbances, was not being sustained. The shooting in Croke Park is de-; fended by the authorities on the ground that they had reason to believe that men from the provinces had participated in yesterday's mur- j ders and were present at the football' match. The design of the militaries, it was said, was to prevent their exit and search each individual as he passed out through the turnstiles. LONDON, Nov. 22. The sending of additional troeps to Ireland is being seriously considered, it was stated at the war office this afternoon. London was waiting anxiously and 1 fearfully this morning for further news from Dublin following the reports of yesterday's horrors, hut up to early afternoon only meagre dispatch es had been received. Reports to the Irish office from Dublin, which were in hand by noon, said three or four unidentified persons had been killed in that city late last night. Several policemen had been killed in other parts of Ireland, the Iri3h office announced. A brief telephone message at eight o'clock this morning, had reported the city at least temporarily quiet; Then same gap in the. reports, up to the noon hour, but whether this indicated a censorship was not known. Meager reports during the night stated that shooting was going on as a sequel to yesterday's assassinations and the subsequent clash between the military and a crowd at Croke park. Murder Stalking. Murder stalked through the streets of Dublin yesterday, and at nightfall the meagre reports received here indicated that at least 25 persons had been killed and upwards of 100 more or less reriously wounded. The day's' disorders, which added an appalling chapter to the tragedy that has been enacted in Ireland for the past several months, began with the apparently deliberate shooting of fourteen men, who for the most part were military officers. During the afternoon, Irish constabulary, or "black and tans" raided Croke park, where a football game was in progress and in the melee which resulted at least ten persons were killed. Communication with Ireland was seemingly interrupted last evening, but the latest advices declared that fires had broken out in various parts in the city. Shooting again began in the streets just before midnight and it was asserted a number of persons were killed. Yesterday's murderous outbreak in Dublin produced in Jhis city a sensation comparable to that which followed the Easter rebellion of 1916. Thought Last Outburst Recent declarations by members of the British ministry, to the effect that their policy was succeeding, that outrages were decreasing in number and that the authority of the law was being reestablished, had been hopefully welcomed by the general public. The people today recalled with astonishment such phrases as were uttered a fortnight ago by Premier Lloyd George, who said: "Unless I am mistaken, we (Continued on Page Sixteen)

Red Cross Pageant Pleases Hundreds Who Pack Coliseum

"Money. We can get that all right. It's the membership we want your coperation in building up a better, aj healthier America," is the keynote of the Red Cross membership drive and ! is the plea Mrs. Ruth Worrell, of j Dayton, made while speaking to the hundreds who packed the Coliseum, ' Sunday afternoon at the formal opening of the Fourth Roll call of the Red Cross. Colonel Traub, scheduled to speak, failed to arrive. The enthusiastic and inspiring woman who spoke so ardently for the Red Cross Sunday afternoon in collaboration with her sister wrote the pageant "The Red Cross of Peace," given Sunday afternoon. It is a perfect portrayal of the need for the Red Cross end its peace program, and the great spectacle as presented Sunday showed the results of splendid management and efficient co-operation of the director, marshals, and 196 people who took part: - Opening By Orchestra. The prelude opened with "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" played by the Richmond Symphony orchestra and DeKoven's "Lest We Forget" by a double quartet composed of Mrs. L. E. Harter. Mrs. F. W. Krueger, Mr. Hutchens, and George Hodge. While

POLAND BREAKS OFF PEACE NEGOTIATIONS AT RIGA CONFERENCE (B Associated Press. WARSAW. Nov. 22. Negotiations looking to a permanent peace between Eoviet Russia and Poland have been broken off by the former at Riga, v here the delegations have been in conference. Great soviet armies are being gathered to crush General Balakovitch, commander of "irregular" forces which have been operating east of the armistice zone between Poland and Russia proper, and other Bolshevik legions are persuing shat

tered Ukrainian armies which are flee-! ing from the region west and northwest of Kiev. All along the southeastern frontier of Poland there is pouring a perfect rabble of refugees, civilian and military, who are seeking safety before advancing wave of Bolshevik armies. This condition of affairs has caused grave concern in this city, notwithstanding the official optimism over the break in the Riga peace conference. It is stated the soviet government refused to go on with the peace negotiations because some Polish troops 1 ave notwithdrawn to the line fixed in the preliminary treaty between the Bolsheviki and the Warsaw government. It is stated the demands of the soviet delegation will be met and that the pour parlers will be resumed almost at once. Commissioners sent into Lithuania by the council of the League of Nations have been held up by damaged bridges, and apparently have been able to do little toward reaching an adjustment between the Lithuanian government at Kovno and the "central Lithuanian republic" established at Vilna by General Sellsouski. GERMANY'S PROTEST AGAINST MANDATES HANDED DELEGATES j fBy Associated Press) GENEVA, Nov. 22. Germany's protest against the method of distrlbutj ing mandates by the allies among j themselves has been distributed ' among the delegates to the assembly j of the league of nations, j The text of this protest has been j withheld from the press, but it seemed I probable It would be brought before the assembly today and would be referred to the committee of mandates without debate. The . Greek delegation has been reduced to one as a result of the political upheaval in that country. Demetrius Caclamanos, Greek minister in London, and M. Rebedgy have withj drawn, leaving M. Politis, former minI ister of foreign affairs, as the sole i representative of Greece. The order of business today called 1 for a discussion of resolutions introduced in the debate of the report of i the council of the league. These comI prised a demand for intervention by i the league in Armenia- A number of : delegates were prepared to demand that the league ask the powers to orl ganize sufficient force to prevent the i wiping out of the Armenian nation and people. LOCAL WOMEN HURT IN AUTO ACCIDENT Mrs. Charles Gildenhar. 51 S South Eighth street, was painfully injured when the automobile in which she ! was riding was crowded off the road rear Sycamore Hill, east of Richmond, about 2:30 p. m. Sunday. Mrs. Snyder 1 received several cuts about the head ; and face: Mrs. Gildenhar had her j hands and arms hurt and suffered I some internal injuries, it. is thought. Mr. Gildenhar and small son, and Mr. Snyder escaped without injury. The former was driving. A machine driven by some people from Columbus Ohio, who did not j give their names, endeavored to pass I Mr. Gildenhar. It was said the driver ; of the machine failed to sound his j horn, and as Mr. Gildenhar saw him trying to go round on the narrow j stretch of road he turned his machine too far to the side of the road in an I effort to keep from being hit, and the ! machine went over the embankment, j The women were brought to the 1 office of Dr. S. C. Markley. the orchestra played, the Spirit of Humanity entered, wearing a robe of yellow and headband of gold. She was followed by Florence Nightingale and Clara Barton, nurses, and maimed Civil War veterans who formed a tableau on the steps of the raised platform of the stage with the Spirit of Humanity as the central figure. Mrs. Rudolph Knode, who is a striking young woman, played the part of Humanity splendidly. Mrs. Walter Davis as Florence Nightingale and Miss Helen Nicholson as Clara Barton in the dress of the period were very quaint. The nurses were Mrs. Walter Engle and Mrs. Ed Williams and the f-oldiers, Whitney McGuire, Paul Miller and Scott McGuire. Red Cross In War. The first action showed the Red Cross in war. Mrs. Richard Study as Red Cross of War in a cream colored robe and with a wreath of red flowers in her hair made a commanding figure for the center of the tableau. Grouped about the Red Cross of War and the Spirit of Humanity were the Junior Red Cross, two young women of the Motor corps, members of the sewing, educational, surgical dressfng. and knitting depart ments. two womtn of (Continued on Page Seven)

LIGHT PLANT BREAK CAUSES CONFERENCE

Local Manufacturers, After Months of Annoyance, Forced to Close Plants Monday by New Breakdown. COMMISSIONER COMING BULLETIN INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.. Nor. 22. When Fred B. Johnson, a member of the Indiana Public Service commission, was advised today of another partial suspension of operation at tho Richmond municipal light plant, due to machinery trouble, he directed Earl Carter, assistant chief engineer of the commiselon, to go to Richmond to attend a conference of Richmond business men who were to meet late Monday afternoon to discuss the situation exisiting at the municipal plant. Mr. Carter will arrive at 5 o'clock. Tho commission is well advised of conditions existing at the Richmond plant. If the Richmond business men decide to petition the commission to Investigate the affairs of the Richmond plant with the end in view of determining whether it is providing the required service, the commission is prepared to take prompt action. "I believe that If I told the executive officers of our company the condition of the local municipal plant they would insist that immediate ateps be taken to move a large part of our factory to some other city. Wo are suffering losses every week by tho shut-downs, and I believe that these will continue under the present management. The conditions at tho light plant. In my estimation, are almost hopeless unless the management' can be taken out of the hands of the present city officials." Manufacturers Disgusted The above statement, made by an official of one of Richmond's largest manufacturing concerns Monday morning after the continual breakdown of power service from the Richmond municipal lighting plant had caused him to dismiss his employes for the day, accurately summarized the feelings of manufacturers over the city Monday morning. Weeks of annoyance and power trouble reached a climax Monday in a decision of local manufacturers to hold a meeting to consider the power situation. Members of the Yonug Men's Business club and the manufacturers of the city will meet In the directors room of the American Savings and Trust company bank to consider what recourse can be had for the failure of the city plant to furnish adequate current. The meeting has been called for 4:30 p. m. Power ff Four Times. Power in West Richmond "was entirely off four times Monday forenoon, and some plants were forced to suspend operations entirelyManufacturers calling the plant to discover the cause of the power suspension were informed that it was due to the poor coal which prevented the firemen from getting up steam. Disinterested observers, however, are of the belief that the failure of power was due as much to the general Inefficiency of the plant as to any other cause. Poor service has been the outstanding feature of the plant's operation in the last few weeks. James P. Dillon, superintendent of the plant, could not be located Monday. Persons who have gone through the plant assert it is in a deplorable condition. Steam leaks from rusting pipes continually and water covers the floor to adepth of three Inches spots. Manufacturers assert the service given by the plant has been growing poorer during the last few weeks instead of better. Statements Cover Situation Statements covering the situation at a few of the plants that were forced to shut down because of the laclt of power follow: At the National Automatic Tool company plant, workers were dismissed at 11 a. m., today, after the power had caused a loss of about an hour's time. They were told to come back at 1 o'clock. Some of them failed to return, resulting in additional loss to both plant and men. Officials are considering the installation of a separate power plant. "The power situation is getting to be a joke," said an official of the Richmond Piston Ring company. "Over an hour was lost by our company Monday morning. In a busier season this would be a very serious matter." All workers at the K-D Cabinet company plant were sent home after the power had failed four times during the forenoon. Two and one-half hours' labor for twelve men. was the loss sustained by the Land Dilks company, according to George Dilks, secretary and treasurer of the company. Clay Township Farmers To Meet Friday Evening Members of the Clay Township Farmers' association will meet in the K. of P. hall Friday evening, according to an announcement by the township director. Claude KItterman, president of the county bankers' association, and County Agent Dolan will be among the speakers of the evening. A meeting of the board of directors of the Wayne County Farmers association will be held in the county court house at 1:20 p. m. Saturday. The meeting has been called by-T. C. Davis, head of the county federation, and in the statement all. directors arc requested to be present or send substitutes, as important business will be considered.