davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1960-01-29
Area B UItimotum
The District Redevelc

LIE OlSCrlct HeoeVelopment Land
Agency'S ultimatum to the New York
syndicate of Scheuer and Stevens, spon-
Sors OF the Southwest Area B redevelop-
ment project, is the most satisfying dis
play of responsibility by this agency in
some time. In demanding an end to
further procraStination in the construc-
ton OF Area B, the RIA has voiced a
community sentiment which might we'll
nave been expressed long ago.
Its immediate effects, Furthermore.
at least are promising. James H,
Scneuer, spokesman for the New York
group, has made no serious attempt to
minimize the disappointments of the
tagging program. He has accepted the
sharply worded reprimand of the RIA.
ana promises that positive forward
steps will be taken Immediately, that
new construction should begin in a mat
ter OF weeks, and that realistic time
table Of future expectations will be
submitted forthwith.
No valid purpose is to be served at
this point, in our view, by raking over
old ashes. A conventional construction
project, as Mr.. Scheuer notes. is in no
way comparable to the complexity of
the redevelopment process, and its re-
quirements have been source of con-
slant evaporation to the private en-
trepreneurS. Numerous changes made
IN the Area B plan, which at least to
some degree have slowed the project.
IN our opinion are all to the good. In
no way, however, do these circumstan-
ces, troublesome as they may be, really
mitigate the fact that only one 402-unit
apartment house has been built since
1855 out Of total Of some / 800 dwelling
units which Scheuer-Stevens now has
contracted to develop. Lack Of progress
IN Area has reduced public confidence
and slowed the pace of the entire re-
development program.
BY virtue of its early entrance into
the Southwest picture, Scheuer- Stevens
obtained a. number of positive advan-
tages over subsequent redevelopers, not
the least OF which was extremely rea-
sonable ground rental for initial por-
tions OF the project. Its contractual
agreement with the RIA, however, also
made 1t liable to substantial penalties in
the event the syndicate should fail to
comply with building deadlines-dead-
lines which it now is apparent cannot be
met. No one wants to see these forfei-
lures invoked unnecessarily. The de-
clslon as to whether they are should
depend entirely upon the performance
OF the scheuer-Stevens group from this
point on.
Evening star., 1960-01-29
No GoveI for Mr.. Sam!

Trying to picture Sam Rayburn
without gavel in his hand taxes the
imagination. No man has served as
Speaker Of the House of Representa-
tives as long as has the bachelor from
Bonham, Texas. Only twice since 1910
has that branch Of the Congress known
another presiding officer. With the same
authority and endurance, Mr.. Sam also
has been the man with the gavel at the
last three Democratic National Conven-
tions-in :l948, 1852 and 1856. This year,
ne says, Il do not choose" to be up front,
Il have a great desire to see one con-
vention from the floor"
There Is a lot of speculation. of
course, about what Mr. Sam will be
doing on the floor-like rounding up
votes for his Texas friend, Senator Lyn-
don Johnson, for the presidential nom
ination. Whatever he does, or however
he makes out, we hope he enjoys this
one from the floor. But for all those
attending, in person or by television,
Mr.. Sam will be missed "up Mont."
Evening star., 1960-01-29
Dinner With Ike

The nose counters report that more
than 100000 Republicans had dinner
with Ike" Wednesday night, donating in
the process some SIS million to the COP.
war chest. If these statistics are even
approximately correct, the dinners were
a partisan as well as financial success
which is all that they are supposed
to be.
In the process, of course, there were
speeches, speeches, speeches. They came
from big wigs, little wigs and inter-
mediate wigs If one had been required
to listen to all of them, which happily
was not the case, the Party of Peace
would stand indicted and convicted of
a frightful case of aural aggression. But
the Eisenhower dinner guests, who gath
cred IN more than 90 cities and shelled
out from $25 to $100 head for the priv
ilege Of listening, didn't seem to mind.
So why should anyone else complain?
The President flew out to Los An
geleS (at COP. expense) to lead the
parade of the speech-makers. Without
naming names, Mr.. Eisenhower never
IneleSS palo MS respects to his Demo.
cratic critics, brushing them aside as
political morticians" and NOISY ex-
tremists." In the main, however, the
President Travelled the high road, leav-
ing the eye-for-an-eye tactics to such as
West Virginia's Governor Underwood,
who told Connecticut dinner group
that a Democrat in the White House
would go "Stir crazy" without depres-
sion or war to occupy his time.
Some little fortitude is needed to
look Squarely into the face of the fact
that this is not the end, but only the
beginning. If this was the opening gun
of the COP. campaign, and If the DEM
ocrats fired theirs last Saturday night,
the grim truth is that some nine months
OF volleying and laundering lie ahead.
But the American voter, a durable speci-
men If ever there was one, has come
through this sort Of thing before, and
he will make it again this year.
Evening star., 1960-01-29
Educating Drivers

Many people are not aware
OF the real purpose of a high
school course in driver educa-
ton. They feel that this is
not a job for the school, but
for parents and friends of
the young student driver.
High school driver educa-
tion strives, above all, to
develop proper attitudes in
the student. Classroom in
struction includes a study of
man-made traffic laws, ma
tural laws, such as friction,
centrifugal force, and gravity,
physical limitations and per-
sonality traits of drivers, the
construction, operation, and
maintenance of a car, and
problems encountered in city
and highway driving. Does
one get all this learning from
a parent or a friend teacher?
I doubt it. In the school
course, for every hour of
behind-the-wheel driving, the
student spends approximately
four hours in the classroom.
We know that the highways
OF tomorrow will handle a
record number of cars. The
drivers of these cars need
more than manipulative skill
in handling a car. If the
fatality rate is to drop, we
must educate the driver. En-
gineering and enforcement
are not enough.
A good driver education
instructor will never pass a
student who has an attitude
which will endanger himself
and others on the highway.
A Michael P. Nemchick.
Evening star., 1960-01-29
Zoning Protest
w. B. Penn.

I have Just learned through
the Connecticut Avenue Park
Citizens Association that the
final coming from single
homes to apartments on Viers
Mill road and Connecticut
avenue Glib came about
by the issuance of an amend
ment to the Maryland-Na-
tional Capital Park and Plan
ming Commission Master Plan
for Wheaton after the public
hearing on the master plan.
This is an underhanded
method of planning" and is
contrary to the public inter-
est and has, in fact, deprived
the citizens of Montgomery
County Of due process of law.
l herewith protest such &C
ton now and in the future
and request that this change
be reScinded.
further cannot understand
and am unable to get any
information whatsoever on
what criteria these planning
experts" used to arrive at
this selfish, underhanded
decision that establishes a
need for apartments in the
heart of a residential area.
This area is sorely and COM
pletely lacking in public rec
reation facilities. 1t is one of
the most densely populated
centers in the county and
there isn't a decent ball dia-
mond. or tennis court, or
swimming pool within a two
or three mile radius.
1t would take only elemen-
tary planning to ascertain
the pitiful need for recrea-
tional facilities in this area
and to zone it and buy it for
such purposes. This would
also be more logical and
more in keeping with the
already zoned private rec
reational facility Immediate
ly across Viers Mill road.
Yet the commission and the
Montgomery County Coun-
Gil used this private pool
and a special y telephone
building as poor excuses to
downgrade the land to per-
NIT apartments.
william H. Furc0lOw.
Evening star., 1960-01-29
Amused by Nixon

The report that a qualified
ghost writer is being sought
who can inject humor into
Mr.. Nixon's ampaign
speeches has fallen short of
the target. For it's not nee
essarily so that this promi-
nent public figure is no wit:
that he is devoid of humor,
and lacks the faculty Of per-
ceiving what is amusing or
comical. For what could be
more laugh-provoking than
the Vice Presidents state
ment that he would like to
see a wide-open race for the
post he now holds at the Re-
publican convention?
I am sure Mr.: Rockefeller
bent almost double with the
actual humor Of it.
Evening star., 1960-01-29
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL

bird is more triangular than
the build of most species. II
gives the appearance of be-
ing fat, but it is not.
The name "nuthatch" re-
fers to the way it hacks nuts
and seeds. notably the sum
flower seed. There is no
Matching involved, as the
name would seem to connote.
The nuthatch likes to pal
around with the chickadee
and the titmouse, sometimes
with the downy woodpecker.
This latter is another one
missing from our own yard
in recent years. At one time
we had three species of wood
peckers.
The last downy we saw
was the one we picked I'D
down the block, evidently
frozen to death one cold
winter.
1t was a beautiful creature
at close hand.
One of the best memories
OF downy woodpeckers was
that of the picture presented
by one of these and a brown
creeper at a tree base.
The tree was a big locust.
later taken down because it
had begun to pull up the
sidewalk and threaten the
house.
The downy and the creeper
went around and around the
broad base, searching for in
sects, their grubs and eggs.
There was evident in their
very actions a sort of COM
radeship, at least as far as
this can be imagined into the
lives of the feathered folk,
They certainly did not hail
each other as "Comradel"
But at the same time the
way they passed each other,
on different levels, showed
that there was some working
understanding between them.
This, evidently, is the way
nature functions, without
words or even need of them.
Bluejays steal peanuts
and the like, and hide them
in crevices of bark, where
they are found later by
smaller and less active birds.
1t would be impossible to say
there is a deal" here, but it
works out to the same in the
end
Evening star., 1960-01-29
Truman frightening

Each time Mr.. Truman
opens his mouth as a spokes-
man of the Democratic Party
he frightens additional voters
into the camp of our peaceful
Republicans.
His latest call for a man
with CUTS. to prevent the Rus
slams from conducting rocket
tests in the Pacific. sounds as
II he were ready for war to
keep the Russians out of an
area that obviously belongs
to the United States. When
is the Democratic Party going
to rid itself of the Truman
handicap in the 1860 race?
A. Bloom.
I disagree with former
President Truman that this
administration is the worst
since that of Gen. Grant.
The worst government was
the one from l945 to 1853.
1t resulted in our greatest
cost-of-living increase and a
war over Korea.
/ admit the present
government is not as good as
I would like it, due to the
fact that the American people
failed to back up our good
President by electing a Re-
publican Congress to support
him.
w n Dann
Evening star., 1960-01-29
Is the Formula to Blame?

we were pOlCely SKept1cal In these
columns last year about the new"
formula applied by the House Appro-
priationS Committee to measure the
amount to be appropriated from Federal
funds each year toward the expenses
OF its National Capital. The $25 million
recommended by the committee hap
pened to be an approximate estimate
OF the real estate taxes that would be
paid on Government and other property
in Washington that now is tax exempt.
We said then that any formula for
measuring the financial obligation Of
the Nation in supporting its Capital was
better than arbitrarily selecting some
sum out of thin air, unrelated to any,
thing. But we did not think then, nor
do we now, that the Federal payment
IN the annual District appropriation bill
should be considered a payment in lieu
OF taxes. The fairer and more realistic
formula would be to appropriate Federal
dollars in some fixed proportion to the
local dollars collected from local tax
payers. Senator Morse advocated 40
per cent That system was responsible
for the great development of Washing
ton between 1878 and about 1925. It's
abandonment was serious blow both
to the local community and the develop
ment of the city, the full effects of
which are becoming more evident
In the meantime, it is to be re-
gretted that one Of the able members
OF the House committee, Representative
Rhodes of Arizona, who was helpful last
year in obtaining the increase in the
Federal payment based on the real
estate tax formula, seems to resent
efforts of local citizens to show that
the same formula this year would pro-
duce another increase. He regards this
as taking advantage of the formula,
limiting darkly that somebody is DOCTOR
ing the figures and the formula may be
abandoned. We respect Mr.. Rhodes. but
not that sort of nonsense. When Mr..
Rhodes was about 16 years old, the
theoretical formula he favored last year
was advocated by President Herbert
Hoovers old Bureau of Efficiency, after
a long study of the problem. The
formula never got anywhere because
it called for more money from Uncle
Sam. Any fair formula of apportioning
expenses for Washington will call for
more than the dictatorial Appropria-
tions Committee decides to allot. That
is why we have no formula. That is
why we are facing another immediate
hike in local taxes, which will soon lead
to another round of tax increases. That
is why the repeated tax increases are
applied to reduce the Federal payment,
instead of the public Improvements for
which the taxes are levied.
Evening star., 1960-01-29
Historic Fairfax

Historic Fairfax Courthouse, seat
of the county government since 1900
and, before that, thriving crossroads
town dating back to pre-Revolutionary
days, is moving, rather belatedly, to save
some of its venerable buildings from the
march of progress. A bill to enable
Fairfax to designate and preserve build
ings of historic or special architectural
interest is now before the General AS
sembly We hope the Legislature will
approve the proposal, for number Of
old structures of historic associations
already have been replaced by modern
construction.
The town and county take their
name from Lord Fairfax, first proprietor
of most of the land in nearby Virginia.
George Washington was well acquainted
with the settlement in his younger sur
veying days and he helped to supervise
construction of the courthouse, begun
late in the 1700s and officially opened in
1900. The wills Of George and Mary
Washington are on file in the old court
house, improved in recent years with
additions conforming to the original
architecture.
During the Civil War the town was
the scene Of number of skirmishes and
raids, the most famous of which was the
night raid by Mosbys Rangers on Union
troops camped there. During that raid
Colonel John S. Mosby captured General
Edwin S. Stoughton, in command of the
Federal troops One Of the structures
which Fairfax authorities wish to pre-
serve is the brick rectory of Truro
Parish In which the sleeping general
is said to have been awakened by a slap
administered by the Confederate cav
alryman. Another is the remodeled
home of Antonia Ford, rebel spy who
later married the Union officer who
arrested her.
here are other buildings in Fairfax
Evening star., 1960-01-29
UNIVERSITY PARK. Md.
anNA-- Cs..

ON1V6tto11 HAtLh, Mo
Dear Sir:
II have never written to
you before, but your report
ing a few days ago that you
haven't seen a rosy-breasted
nuthatch for some time
prompted me to write.
Beginning about five years
ago. I have become a real
lover of birds. maintaining
at present 7 feeders and 2
bird baths in my back yaro.
This time of the year it
is such a delight to watch the
chickadees. tufted titmouse,
purple finch, and a daily Wis
itor, a red-breasted nuthatch.
Surprisingly, it is only on
occasion that I see the white
breasted nuthatch.
The red breasted one
comes several times each day
and as far as I can tell is
alone. He is really worth
watching.
Sincerely. D. r. H."
Whether in red or white,
the nuthatch is one of our
most interesting birds.
It loves to fly from one
tree trunk to another. usu-
ally from a higher position
to a lower.
The clean-cut lines of this
species intrigue as well as
delight; the actions of the
bird vie with its beauty.
AS soon as a few trees in
a yard go down, away fly the
nuthatches.
They love trees.
Probably no bird has a
crush on a tree as much as
this one.
There. is something about
the very way it flies from
trunk to trunk. All birds
love trees, of course, in their
way.
Tree boughs and branches
we're made from the very
beginning to At bird claws.
Or was 1t the other way
around?
Did the birds, over the
countless centuries, curve
their claws to clutch the
branches?
This is the old dispute
beyond settling. To the birds.
certainly, it makes no diff
ference. When a bird settles
down to sleep, the muscles
of the legs tighten the claws
so that the creature will not
fall off.
How wonderful are the
ways of nature!
This is just another way
of saying that there is an
interrelation between nature
and her children. If it were
not so, there would be no
children.
II
A suet cup affixed to a tree
trunk is a sure-f1re nuthatch
attractor.;
The Cd Astruction Of this
Evening star., 1960-01-29

well worth saving for future generations
to admire. If ways can be found to
preserve these structures without seri-
ously interfering with the prosperity
and growth of the old town, they should
be undertaken before it is too late.
Evening star., 1960-01-29
FHinq Rules

Smoldering Animosities and
Air Safety" Charles Bartlett
detects distinct satisfaction
in the (aviation) industry
that pilots are getting what's
coming to them Cfrom FAA)
combined with q strong dis
inclination (of management
to become involved"
While there may be some
poetic justice in arbitrary
groups receiving arbitrary
treatment (from manage
ment's viewpoinD what is
much more important is that
two wrongs do not make a
right, such as can happen
when a government bureau
adopts arbitrary methods and
abuse Of power even though
in the name of a good cause.
In a personal effort to de-
termine If this is what has
been taking place in FAA's
first year Of existence. I have
attended almost every public
session OF the Senate Avia-
tion Subcommittee current
investigation.
If one thing emerges from
all the varied testimony of
the Government groups
1t is that they are concerned
about FAA's arbitrary rule
making procedures and deci-
sions.
Even Senator Monroney
commented that the Air
Transport Association and
the Air Line Pilots Associa-
ton. which frequently have
opposing views, were this
time in agreement on the
point Of FAA's rule-making
procedure.
Senator Engle, while COM
menting on FAA's enforce
ment methods and powers. in
effect said: "FAA makes the
rules for pilots, then it is the
judge. jury and prosecutor in
enforcing them. and finally it
wants TO pass on appeals.
This violates every concept Of
Anglo-Saxon law and JUS
tice."
I mention these things be-
cause ! believe Mr.. Bartlett's
article is slanted, and prob
ably more so by the last
paragraph which states that
the chances that FAA's au-
thority may be curbed by
Congress is dim with each
succeeding crash and par
ticularly the one which took
the life Of Senator Cape
hart's son.
That unfortunate crash
was in a foreign country on
a foreign airline. Mentioning
1t only beclouds the issue
more than 1t is confused.
am sure Congress knows the
difference between too much
power In any Government
bureau, and air safety.
Robert E. Trimble.
y y
The airline pilots have no
reason to insist upon edi-
torial support in the current
unhappy dispute with the
Administrator of the FAA. I
am sure. however. that The
Star will be the first to ac-
knowledge that we are en-
titled to factual reporting. In
a feature article in Sundays
Star. Charles Bartlett. refer
ring to the Nations airline
pilots. states: well paid
(from $4,000 to $4,000 a
year, :"
To set the record straight:
/. The majority of all air.
line pilots earn less than
$4,000 a year.
Q Last years earnings
figures are not yet available
but 1t would surprise me
nightly If even one airline
pilot earned $4,000 last
year. Certainly no airline
pilot flying within the con-
tinental limits of the United
States approached that fig
ure.
Edward A. Thorpe,
Member, Wage Policy Com
mittee, Air Line Pilots As
sociation.
Evening star., 1960-01-29
VSTAS IN SCIENCE
By THOMAS r. HENRY
Hypothesis on Radiation and Cancer

There probably is no "safe
limit" Of atomic radiation in
causing cancer.
The greater the dose, the
greater will be the incidence
Of the dreaded cancerous
maladies which soon would
reach such a limit as would
be intolerable if the human
race is to continue"
This hypothesis is advanced
In a report to the American
Association for the Advance
ment of Science by DR.. Har-
old F. Blum of the National
Cancer Institute. 1t is based
on his own experiments in
causing cancer in albino mice
by exposing them 10 ultra
voilet light. 1t would obvi-
ously be impossible, he points
out, to test animals in the
same way with actual atomic
radiations and much that has
been written about these in
the past has been without
much factual basis. But the
effects of any sort Of radia-
tions may be considered as
roughly similar.
The ultraviolet, DR.. Blum
says, almost certainly causes
skin cancers in man. The
prevalence Of such cancers in
the white race throughout
the world varies directly with
the intensity and duration
of sunlight. They always ap-
pear on exposed parts of the
body, chiefly the face. They
are rather less abundant
among Negroes whose skin
has a somewhat protective
outer layer.
DR.. Blum worked with
albino mice to determine the
mechanisms of such cancer
formation. The same sort of
skin cancers found in hui
mans appeared, he found,
directly proportional to the
degree of exposure. There
was no exposure whatsoever
that did not cause a small
percentage-that is, there
was no safe limit"
'N0t Safe Dose"
Sunlight. he points out,
contains an extremely small
amount Of the cancer-produc-
ing rays. They are believed
to be the same as those which
cause sunburn. The mice
were exposed to MANIFOLD as
strong doses as are encoun-
tered in nature. to the point
where 100 per cent developed
fatal cancers.
The human race, says his
report, has been exposed to
minute amounts Of the same
kind of radiation as that
from an atom bomb explo-
sion, in the form of cosmic
rays and from radioactive
materials in the crust Of the
earth. However small, it is
not a safe dose" There is
evidence that it always has
been responsible for some
fatal cancers.
Now, he says, If the parallel
to ultraviolet is valid, the
rate of cancer formation
will go up at a definite cal
culable rate with any in
crease whatsoever. There
can be, and never has been,
any safe level" as some have
claimed.
His calculation on cancer
genesis, he stresses, are quite
apart from those that may