Evening star., 1924-04-01
DISTRICT HEADS OK.
3 WELFARE BILLS
AND CURB ON GUNS
Unified Board, Compulsory
School Attendance and
Parole Body Favored.
PLAN HEAVY PENALTIES
FOR ILLEGAL FIREARMS
Children's Guardians, Charities
Board and Girls Training School
Would Be Under One Head.


Would Be Under One Head.
Three measures to improve pub IL
welfare work in Washington. and q
drastic measure to regulate sale and
use of firearms in the District of
Columbia, received favorable action
at the meeting of the board of Com
missioners today.
The most important was the bill
drafted by the commission on public
welfare legislation, creating board to
public welfare, to take over the duties
now performed separately by the board
of children's guardians, the board of
charities and the trustees of the Ma
tional Training School for Girls.
They also made favorable report
on the Capper compulsory school at
tendance bill and referred it to the
budget bureau for its sanction.
The third piece of legislation was the
Ball bill esta blishing a board of parole
for the District which also was sent to
the budget bureau.
The bill sent to Congress on regulating
sale of dangerous weapons Is the most
far-reaching yet advocated. 1t outlines
IN detail JDo COnQlllOHS uiutE ~ili1h
weapons shall be sold and under which
individuals may be licensed 10 carry
them.
Precautions for Sales.
A citizen is permitted to keep a re
volver in his home or place of business
without license but dealers must fol-
low the same precautions in making all
sales.
Here are some of the outstanding pro-
visions OF the bill:
If any person shall commit or at
tempt TO commit crime while armed
with deadly weapon he snail, IN ad-
ditioH to the penalty for the crime,
be imprisoned for five years for being
armed.
For a second or third offense under
this section the court may impose
double or treble penalty. and for a
fourth offense the persons so con-
victed shall be imprisoned for fifteen
years.
Prima Facie Evidence.
In the trial of person for the
commission of a felony or of an at
tempt to commit felony against
the person or property of another,
the fact that he was armed would
be prima facie evidence of intent TO
commit said felony.
To carry a concealed weapon with
out a license on the person or in &
vehicle shall be punished by impris-
onment for not less than year.
The section covering the sale Of
weapons provides that no weapon
shall be delivered by the dealer on
the same day application is made.
And when delivered revolver shall
be unloaded and securely wrapped. A
sale shall not be made unless the pur-
chaser is personally known to the
dealer, or presents clear evidence of
his identity.
No revolver or imitation thereof or
placard advertising the sale of same
shall be displayed where it can read
lily be seen from outside the store.
The bill provides penalties for Vlo-
lations of the license law, for false
information about a sale or purchase
and for altering Identification records.
Will Go to Coolidge.
Although they indorsed the bill
creating a welfare board. the Com
missioners announced they would
submit it to President Coolidge be-
fore having it introduced into Con-
gress, for the reason that it aboiishes
the Board of Charities, the members
OF which are now appointed by the
President
This bill is the first to be submit
ted to the Commissioners by the com
mission on public welfare Legislation
and is regarded by that body as the
foundation of its task of revising all
welfare laws for Washington.
1t is intended to promote efficiency
by unifying under a single control
welfare questions now scattered be-
tween several agencies. The bill was
drafted following a public hearing at
h n IN raAIS oh 8fVR,.O
favorable to the general principle
of unifica ton.
The new board would be composed
of nine unpaid members appointed by
terms. 1t also creates a director of
public welfare to handle the work
under the direction of the board. The
salary of the director has not yet
been determined upon.
The employees of the several exist
ing agencies are transferred to the
new board. In addition to the duties
OF the three mentioned boards the
new, board will supervise the Jail,
workhouSe and reformatory, Home
for Aged and Infirm, tuberculosis
Hospital, Gallinger Hospital and the
municipal lodging house.
Provides School Census.
The compulsory school attendance
bill makes it the duty of every parent
oIiu " Keep CnllQren In
school between the ages of seven and
sixteen.
The bill provides that any child be-
tween IA and 16 who has completed
the eighth grade may be excused from
school, provided he is actually and
regularly employed. The bill also
makes provision for the board of edu-
cation TO take a school census of all
children between the ages of three
and eighteen.
This census would not only give an
accurate record of the children who
should be in school, but also would
give the school board advance in$or-
nation as to the number between
three and seven for whom provision
would have to be made in the class
rooms within succeeding years.
The parole bill creates a board that
would be charged with the duty of
paroling prisoners of the District
upon certain conditions after they
have served a stated part of the SEN
tence imposed by the court. A num-