Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-24
WASHINGTON
The Passing Of Room 10
Reporters Must Reform in New Louisiana Avenae
Headquarters to Get Cooperation of Police.
Former Colorfnl Quarters Closed

Tn0Se UBIQUITOUS ana generally anon
yrnous gents who supply US with our
daily quota OF crime news--the police
reporters-last night took last lingering
looks at Hollywood bathing beauties
ravishingly rotogravured and flaming
fiare-heads profiigately plastered upon
the walls of old room 10 at the District
Building, their office for many years,
and settled themselves uneasily and
uncomfortably amid bare and uninspir-
ing surroundings in the new police press
room at 462 Louisiana avenue.
|. Uneasily they took those seats and
uncomfortable they found them, for in
them they found. themselves In o bril-
liant light Of respectability.
They left behind them not only the
printed reminders Of good jobs well
done in days gone by, not only the
pictured pulchritude of daringly dressed
damsels, but many legend Of things
dear to the heart Of the police reporter;
things that never get into print, but
nevertheless formed an ever -diverting
part of the days and nights they spent
gathering the news of the police pur-
suits In old room 10.
Gone Is Urge to Beat Police.
Gone with room 10 is the old urge to
beat the police to the story, for the by
word of the new quarters and the new
position of responsibility Is cooperation.
the police get what the reporters dig up
and $he reporters get what the police
dig up. and neither holds out on the
other.
Gone also is the reportorial boyish-
ness which characterized the idle hours
between stories In old room 10. Over on
Louisiana avenue the bare walls must
remain bare, the reporters must realize
they are stern men, dealing with the
stern things Of life, striving for their
daily bread with no time In working
hours for the play that was part of the
game Of police reporting from old
room 10.
Into the limbo OF forgotten arts they
flung one OF the best developed by
products of police reporting-the art of
applying fantastic mustachios to the
shapely upper lap Of Clara Bow, tempt
ingly portrayed beside the flaming
Busch Slayers Die"
They took to Louisiana avenue with
them the memory Of homelike room,
with its door ever open, reckoning to
the dfsreputable as well as the respecta-
bic; the portals Of which admitted rs
many Of the higher as Of the lower
class, and vast number OF those who
might be considered neither disreputable
nor respectable-but news.
Shelby In Farewell Talk.
Inspector William S. Shelby. chief
OF the Detective Bureau and their chief
source OF supply for news, rave them a
little talk as they babe farewell to
room 10 last night at the evening roll
call-whereof all this respectabiIity.
Admitting that there has been too
little cooperation between the police
and the reporters in the past, with the
police ever anxious to get something
past the newspapermen, and with the
newspapermen just as anxious to turn
the tables. he said new order of things
would come into existence In the new
press room over on Louisiana avenue.
There, he said, he personally, and the
members OF his command, would extend
every courtesy to the police reporters.
He said he and his men would give out
the news as 1t came to them, hold
nothing back and expect conscientious
treatment Of it by the newspapermen.
He said he expected the reporters TO
adopt the same policy with the police
and giving them what helping hands
they could offer.
Pointing out that new ONCE IL but
q material thing, he said 1t neverthe-
less provided the opportunity for hin,
to unburden himself Of q lot OF things
he has been wanting TO say to the
newspapermen on this matter Of co.
| operation. The police, he said, have
been instructed to cooperate with the
newspapermen 50 long as their conduct
warrants cooperation.