Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-05-15
Resolution URGES
REPEAL OF 19O8ACT
Chamber of Commerce Also
Asks Retention by Treasury
of D. C. Tax Surplus.
HEARS TALK ON THE WAR

| Repeal Of the act Of 1909 limiting the
annual estimates of the Commissioners
to twi3 the city's revenues and the
ienactment of a law requiring the Sec
rotary of the Treasury to keep surplus
District tax moneys available for 1u-
ture District needs were urged by the
Chamber of Commerce at its meeting
at GIL 18th street last night.
Both these matters were acted on
unanimously upon recommendation OF
Henry B. F. Mcfarland, chairman OF
! the chambers committee on District
finance.
| Mr.. Macfarland's report stated that
the law of 1909 prevented the Commits
sioners from presenting to Congress
| all of the Districts needs. The report
also called attention to the fact that
the surplus District tax money now in
the United States Treasury is more
than a million dollars.
Ferry to Potomac Park Urged.
The chamber adopted resolution Of
fered by Charles A. Baker, urging Con-
gress to pass the necessary legislation
to establish a municipal ferry to carry
people from the 7th street wharves
across the river to Potomac Park,
which, the resolution stated, is now IN
accessible to people who do not own
automobiles.
The chamber appropriated $50 for the
war garden committee Of the District
Council of Defense, and $25 to encour-
i age gardening among the city's school
children.
In the discussion which preceded the
appropriations Henry H. Classic warn
ed that unless every family In the
United States grows all the food prod
ucts possible in home gardens 1t will
soon be necessary for everybody to re-
duce their consumption OF food 70 per
cent in order to keep the armies In
Europe we'll fed.
S. T. Cameron reminded the members
| that every ton of food raised in the
city relieves the railroads of that much
space on freight cars to haul war
munitions to the seaports for France.
Others who spoke on the home garden
Brown and C. J. James.
sergt. Heffernan Talks.
The members Of the chamber forgot
| the business matters of the meeting
when three Of Gen. Pershing's fifty
strobe into the room. attired in all the
equipment Of the men in the trenches.
They were greeted with cheers.
Sergt. John ]. Heffernan, Washing
ton man and a seasoned veteran Of the
Spanish war and the campaign in the
Philippines, stirred the chamber with
his plain but graphic story OF the
situation in France.
'Of course, this war is bigger than
anything we've seen before, but it's a
creepy war;" said Heffernan., Instead
of getting out in the open and fighting,
you lay in a mudhole while the shells
(xx,hi IND
know when one of them will bury you
In the mud. But if we can get our
airplanes over there and get the boche
out in the open we'll lick him in forty
days and it hasn't taken us forty years
to get ready to do it.
Send More Letters to Boys, He Says.
Write often to the boys in the
trenches. but don't send them useless
Injuries" he urged. Sergt Heffernan
said he knew many men in the trenches
who have not received letter from
the parents of others were taking up
ship space with talcum powder and cold
cream.
What good is cold cream and talcum
powder to US when we're mud from
head to foot. You've got plenty Of
money on this side. and all the boys
over there ask is that you use it to
back them up. Give them plenty Of
chow and tobacco and that's all they
want"
The American soldier does not fear
being wounded, said Sergt. Heffernan,
because he knows the Red Cross is pre-
pared day and night to care for him.
Corp. Guy E. Smith told what con-
stitutes a days work in the front-line
trenches and Private John frederick
gave a demonstration of the use of
/ the gas mask. The three soldiers were
introduced by Henry ID. F. Macfsr-
land, chairman Of the local Red Cross
committee, under whom they are speak
to arouse interest in the Red Cross
campaign.
Films Show Red Cross Activities.
| Following the talks, the scenes which
the three soldiers had described were
shown to the chamber in films taken
on the western front for the use of the
Red Cross in its campaign. The pictures
depicted in every detail the work of
comfort which the Red Cross is doing
| for the n-combatants as well as the
soldiers in France.
! The president of the chamber was
instructed to name delegates to the
annual convention Of the National As
ISOLATION of Manufacturers to be held
| in New York May 20, Fl and %. A
motion also was adopted calling for the
appointment of a committee to con.
slider the advisability Of having an out.
ing this summer.
idustrfes Association, a committee Of fha
l n q mi vii