The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-02-20
Washington News
By Associated Press

Washington, February 19.-The em- bassy in Mexico City and the American consul at Progresso have been instructed to investigate further circumstances un- der which D. Clarence Gibboney of died recently at Progresso. Official re- ports said the men were drowned when the boat in which they were cruising off the lower east coast of Mexico foun- dered, but recent unofficial published re- ports indicating that they might have been killed by bandits prompted further inquiry.
 Methods of safeguarding the country against typhus infection caused con- troversy between the health service and the state department recently. it was learned today. It was asserted at the state department that a suggestion for Ia temporary ban immigra tion from
 infected districts in Europe had been opposed by the health official when put forward at a conference attended by |senators, health service and state de- partment officials and others. Health service officials were said to have ex- pressed confidence that they could ham dle the situation.
 Sixty-nine per cent of the worlds pe- troleum production in 1919 came from the United States, a compilation made disclosel The world total was placed at 5A, ,sS5 coo barrels. of which the Amer ican output was 37,719,000 on preliminary figures Mexico, with S7073,000 barrels, or It per cent, standing next, and only one other country, Russia, reaching , per cent of the grand total; 9S per cent came from the United States. Mexico, | To ct India Rll- mania, Persia and Galacia.
 Secretary Payne signed an. agreement with the national safety council today pr oviding for the bureau of mines 10 furnish a travelling mine safety engineer to visit and advise mine operators re- garding safety methods. c. l.. Colburn formerly assistant chief mining engineer, has been appointed to the new position.
 Contraction into eight administrative districts instead of 13 was announced to- day by the American Red Cross organiz- ation. The new divisions will be known as the New England, Atlantic. lake southern, central southwestern. Pacihc and northwestern. Eventually the north western division, including oregon, Washington and Idaho is to be ~4consoll- dated with the Pacific division and ao- ministered from San Francisco. The
  Connecticut, Pennsylvania. New Jersey, Maryland and Delaware.
 Accidents take the lives every year of 20, ,00c children up to the age of IA years. the Red Cross disclosed today in a tab l1 900 child deaths between the ages Of It and are due to accident, while from 1a. to IA years the ratio is TIT to the thousand. Si ss Warning that ''insidious propaganda IS being waged with view of misrepre. serting conditions in Porto Rico, Felix Cordova Davila commissioner from the island, in an address to the public to- day, declared there was no denying that an elemtnt in Porto Rico favored ln- dependence. A large part of the pop ulation, however. does not favor sepa- ration from the United States, he added. Enactment of the F'ordhey emergency tariff bill would constitute suicloa' blow' at American commerce, Edwin >F'. Sweet, assistant secretary of commerce declared today in statement. II the measure becomes law, MT. Sweet said' retaliatory tariffs are certain to 1e nm posed by all the more important coun- tries, including Canada and many Of the South American states.
 Railroads of North Carolina were or dered by the interstate commerce com mission today to increase their passeh- ger rates to the level of those in effect in interstate commerce, to take effect March g, 1921. The roads were also ordered to reduce the baggage allowance Of 200 pounds per passenger to 150 pounds as required by interstate regulations, and to maintain charge of IS cents against passengers travelling within the state who board trains without tickets at sta- tions where they could have obtained ticketS