Evening star., 1936-01-05
CUMMINGS URGES
SMALL ARMS CURB
Extension of Regulations
Held Vital in War
Upon Crime.

lcutleSSly, Out BTcdVeT SUCCESS COulQ DC
attained If Congress deprived gang
land Of the legal use Of pistols and
revolvers, Attorney General Cummings
declared yesterday in his annual re-
port to Congress.
Describing as pressing problem"
the traffic in and possession Of fire.
arms by criminal groups. Cummings
urged strongly" that the Federal law
regulating sale Of machine guns,
sawed-off shotguns and rifles be ex-
tended to include the gangsters ia
vorite hip-pocket or shoulder-h holster
variety of weapon.
Sportsmen's organizations have re-
sisted past efforts to control traffic In
pistols and revolvers on the ground
legitimate users Of such weapons
would be affected. In this connec-
ton Cummings said:
THE honest and law-abiding citi-
zen is caused no greater hardship or
burden by such regulation than by
the requirement that he register his
automobile. while the system Of reg
istering pistols and revoivers will place
a potent weapon against crime In the
hands of law-enforcement officers"
Tax Would Be Exacted.
Regulation of the guns would be
effected through imposition of NOM
inal tax on all transfers of owner
ship, with a requirement for regis
tration of the sale with the Govern
ment. The plan was found to be sue
cessful with the large guns.
Commenting on the enthusiastic
approval given the Federal Bureau
of Investigations Police Training
School. the second session Of which
begins tomorrow, the Justice Depart
ment head urged establishment Of
similar training courses In crime
prosecution and prison administra-
ton.
]. Edgar Hoover. investigation di-
rector, reported his G-mer had q
busy year in their roundup Of kid
uapers, extortionists, bank robbers
and other predatory criminals" Dur
ing the year. there were 40 convic-
tions under the "Lindbergh law" and
more than sl50,000 of ransom money
was recovered.
A total of 3,717 convictions was
obtained in the various cases inves-
tigated by the bureau. netting de-
| PENDANTS eight life sentences. besides
prison terms aggregating 6,788 years
and fines amounting to $3.50 ,974. Con-
victions we're obtained in 81 per cent
Of all cases brought to trial.
s3s,4S1.6 .686 Saved or Recovered.
Total savings and recoveries of
stolen property, ransom. etc. during
the year amounted to $38, ,48l .686,
whereas the total cost of operating
the bureau was only s4626.51S.
The drive against crime has re-
suited In overcrowding of Federal
prisons, 1t was reported by Sanford
| Bates, Federal prison director. The
/ prison population increased from H..
! 20l to Baltimore than 1000 prison.
ers in excess Of the previous record
| peak.
I'VE are again deeply concerned" I"
Bates said, "at being confronted with
overcrowded conditions in all but two
or three of our institutions. The re-
lief which we expected to come from
the repeal Of prohibition has not
| materialized."
| The proportion Of prisoners COM
mitted to Federal prisons for liquor
law violstions is nearly as large as
during prohibition days, when about
half Of the prison population was
composed Of the bootlegging element.
Legal Cases Numerous.
Much Of the report is. devoted to a
review of the departments strenuous
activities during the year in Federal
courts, due to litigation over New
Deal laws. After summarizing the
A. A. A., N. r. A., T. v. A. and other
New Deal cases which have been
| spread on the front pages of news
papers, it was declared:
Perhaps no other year in the his
| tory of the antitrust division has wit
messed the handling of so many i'm
portant cases as the past year"
Assistant Attorney General Frank J.
Wideman, in charge of the tax divi-
| sion, reported saving TO the Gov
ernment of S47.098, $50 as a result of
| tax prosecutions
Assistant Attorney General Joseph
B. keenan, of the criminal division
pointed to successful series of prose-
cutions in kidnapping, extortion and
other cases. He said the Justice De-
partment. with the cooperation of
the Treasury, is determined vigor-
ously to prosecute all form of liquor
tax evasion and other frauds upon
the revenue"