The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-12-25

the District of Columbia await the
action of the House District Com
mittee upon its return from the
holidays. House leaders, however,
declare that very few of them have
the remotest chance of being enact
Cd into law during this session of
Congress.
First Meeting January 4.
The House and Senate District
Committees will buckle down to work
on the most pressing OF these
measures Immediately following New
Years. The House District Commit
tee will hold a special meeting on
January 4, the first day after the
converting of Congress, to take up
the badly mangled gasoline tax bill,
upon the passage of which hangs the
fate of automobile license tag
reciprocity between the District OF
Columbia and Maryland.
This bill is regarded as an en1er-
&ency measure, inasmuch as the
Temporary reciprocity agreement
signed by the District Comn1issio
and the governor of Maryland is to
Be In force only from January I, to
February g.. The House committee
has already wrangled over the bill
for three days. the bone of conten-
ton being the personal property tax
feature as an addition to the tax Of
2 cents a gallon on gasoline. The
only apparent solution of the prob
lam, committee leaders state, is
agreement on a compromise, by
which the personal property tax
would be included, but with a suf-
dciently large exemption to relieve
the burden of this taxation from the
shoulders of the small car owner.
Pay Bill Next.
Among the other vitality important
pieces Of District legislation upon
which early action will be sought are
the bills increasing the pay of Dis
trict public school teachers and
policemen and firemen, street rail-
way legislation, a measure to extend
the life of the District rent act,
workmen's compensation measure, a
bill to provide for the testing and
regulation of milk, the perennial
question OF District suffrage and
bills to change the fiscal ratio exist
ing between the District and Federal
Governments, The traffic problem
in Washington, already the subject
OF an investigation by a Senate sub
committee, will undoubtedly be made
the subject Of action in the House.
The street railway question prob
ably will come in for a large share
of attention by the committee. Two
varieties Of legislation are to be con-
sidered: one looking toward a scent
fare, the other toward a merger of
the two railway companies.
Bills for Lower Fare.
Two bills to bring about a scent
fare have been introduced. One by
Congressman Fiorian Lampert of
Wisconsin, would abolish the Public
Utilities Commission and declare
void all its regulations which have
permitted fares higher than S cents.
The other. introduced by Congress
man Thomas L. Blanton, would
merely annul the rulings which have
resulted in higher fares. The object
of both bills is to return to the pro
visions of the original charters grant
ed by Congress, in which a scent
fare is stipulated as the maximum
charge.
In addition, Congressman Lampert
has introduced bill providing half
fares for District school children
compelled to use street cars in going
to and from school.
me merger I6SlSlaI1On Is or two
types, one which would compel q
merger by law and the other which
would bring about conditions which
would make a merger the only logi-
cal step facing the companies, but
which would not force them 10
merge. This latter would be in the
form Of a heavy excess profits tax.
The teachers pay increase is re.
garded by District committee lead
ers as one of the most important
pieces OF legislation, with the single
exception of the District suffra ge
and fiscal ratio questions, now
pending in Congress.
To Extend Rent Law.
Every effort will be made to force
this measure through the appropria.
tons committee and the House by
District committee members.
The rent act extension Is also re-
garded as Of vital Importance and
also viii be pushed by committee
leaders. There is a bill now pend
ing before the House District com
Ynittee which would make the Dis
trict Rent Commission a permanent
institution.
Abolition of the present 60-4C
ratio Of fiscal relations between the
District and Federal governments ia