Evening star., 1935-05-18
5000 CHILDREN
AND 4 BANDS IN
SCHOOLS PARADE
Safety Patrol Dem0nStra-
ton Witnessed by Sec
retary Roper.
EIGHT STATES AND D. c.
REPRESENTED IN LINE
Constitution Avenue Lined by
Thousands and Weather Is
Ideal for Event.
Stepping proudly to the music of
IL bands, nearly 5000 enthusiastic

Stepping proudly to the music of
IL bands, nearly 5000 enthusiastic
children marched down Constitution
avenue this morning in the American
Automobile Associations fourth an
nual national schoolboy patrol parade.
In the official reviewing stand be-
tween Fifteenth and Sixteenth streets
Secretary of Commerce Roper
watched them pass and in his role as
chairman of the National Conference
on Street and Highway Safety, COM
mented over the air on the colorful
demonstration.
More than one third of the boy march,
ers were from out of town, representing
eight States, and among these units
were eight crack drill teams, which
at the close of the march engaged in
competitive drill on Constitution ave-
nue. in front of the reviewing stand.
Brig. Gen. Perry E. Miles was judge,
First prize went to a Reading. Pa,
team and second and third to Potts
town, Pa, groups.
Thousands on Avenue.
With ideal weather conditions pre-
vailing, thousands of spectators lined
Constitution avenue, many a proud
parent among them, as the uniformed
boys went by.
There was no prescribed garb for
the youthful marchers, but most wore
white trousers and the white Sam
Browne belts which are their badge
of Office. In many cases, sweaters
of varying colors contrasted in gay
confusion.
Some 80 floats we're drawn by the
patrol boys, mounted on all descrip-
tions of vehicles except automobiles
or trucks. The displays reflected weeks
of labor by students in the Wash
ington schools and most we're aimed
at emphasizing the message of safety
intended to be conveyed by the parade.
The column began forming before
9 am. and promptly at 1915, the
parade began to move away from
Sixth street and Constitution avenue.
American Automobile Association Off
cials said it took the marchers ap-
proximately an hour and a half to
clear the starting point, and about
noon the end of the column passed
the reviewing stand, turned off into
the Ellipse and disbanded.
Congress Members Attend.
number of members of Congress
occupied the reviewing stand along
with Secretary Roper, as well as the
officials who led the marching column.
At the head of the parade rode an
escort of 25 motor cycle policemen, fol-
lowed by the Navy Band.
Col. Daniel I. Sultan, District Com
missioner, was grand marshal. With
Maj. Ernest w. Brown, superintendent
of police, near the head of the column
rode Police Chief j. c. Arnold of Alex
andria Then came Representative j.
Buell. Snyder. who is from a section
OF Pennsylvania which sent 430 boys
to Washington.
Others in the first division included
Robert Bondy, member of the board
of directors of the automobile associa-
ton; Asst Supt. of Schools Robert L.
Haycock, Selden Ely, chairman of the
local School Safety Committee; In
spector Benjamin A. Lamb, William T.
Jobe, chairman of the Prince GeNges
County School Safety Committee; j.
w. Garrett, chief of Montgomery
County police, and L. Fletcher Schott,
chairman of that county's School
Safety Committee.
Montgomery Delegation.
Montgomery County had a partic-
ularly large delegation, with $50 boys
and two bands, escorted by county
motor cycle police.
Plaudits of the crowd all along the
line of march went to unit of 80
Alexandria, Va. girl cadets.
Both WRC and WJSV broadcast
descriptions of the parade from the
reviewing stand
Secretary Roper spoke for three
minutes on the parade and traffic
safety. He was followed on the air
by Ernest N. Smith, vice president
of the American Automobile Associa-
ton, and Floyd Jennings, 12-year-old
pupil of the John Eaton School, who
commented on the marching units.
A program staged by about a dozen
out-of-town boy patrolmen also was
broadcast.
This years contingent of boys from
out Of the city was much larger than
last, while the number arriving the
night before the parade was SO great
ss to prove serious problem to au-
tomobile association officials.
About 300 cots were set up in the
Washington Auditorium, converting
the building into a huge barracks.
Hundreds of others were cared for
in the tourist camp and others in
various hotels and private homes. 1t
was estimated that about half of the
visiting boys reached Washington yes
terday or last night.
Adults accompanied each contin-
gent here, and hometown automobile
clubs helped finance the trip. In
many places the clubs offered to
match dollar for dollar the amounts
raised by the boys for their expenses.
States represented included Vermont,
New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania,
North Carolina and West Virginia, as
well as adjoining Maryland and vir-
ginia.
Each year the safety demonstration
has increased in size and today's pa
rade was described as the largest and
best yet held.