In California

Last March, by act of God and the frailty of human works, 350 persons were killed when the St. Francis dam in Ventura county, Calif., burst. Last week, the city of Los Angeles and the county of Ventura, basing the value of life upon the earning power of the dead, made settlements to heirs of between $11,000 and $20,000 per victim. Some heirs, dissatisfied, were suing for as high as $100,000 per adult victim, $35,000 per child victim. A firm of Stockton lawyers was asking one-third of these sums for handling the suits.