Evening star., 1926-04-04
THREE D. c. BILLS
PASSED BY SENATE
Gas Merger, Police Pension
and False Crime Report
Measures Approved.

Showing a desire to expedite pend.
ing District legislation. the Senate
yesterday afternoon passed three
more local measures. The bills
authorize merger of the Washing.
ton and Georgetown Gas Light Com.
panies. pay approximately sos 900 in
back pensions to retired policemen
and hremen and make it an offense
to report a fictitious crime to the
police.
The police and firemens back pen.
sion bill has passed the House and
Is therefore ready to be sent to the
President for signature. The gas
company merger bill and the measure
relating to false police reports have
not been acted on by the House.
Eight Passed In Two Days.
This makes total of eight District
bills favorably acted on by the Senate
within the past two days. When the
hour Of adjournment arrived yester-
day the Senate had almost reached
ON the calendar the bill passed by
the House to provide the people of
the District with adequate bathing
pools to take the place Of the Tidal
Basin beach, which was abolished last
year. This bill will be reached the
next time the calendar is taken up.
One Of the most important local
measures still in committee is the
traffic bill, and the committee had
hoped TO report it out yesterday
afternoon. Senator King, Democrat,
of Utah. asked for q few more days
TO study its provisions. pointing out
that he had been busy during the
past few days with the subcommittee
working on the District appropriation
bill. His request was granted, and
the committee is expected to take
final action early this week.
Early passage of the traffic bill by
the Senate Is desirable, in the opinion
of local officials, because it would
provide new and satisfactory
method Of reissuing automobile
operators permits which expired
March 81. Under the original traffic
act of last year all permits expired
simultaneously, and the task OF re
newine the many thousands of per
mits at one time would have necessi-
tated considerable additional appro-
priation.
Under the pending bill outstanding
permits would he renewed gradually
and would be good for three years
from the date Of renewal.
Revocation Also Provided.
The other important provision OF
the pending measure is that 1t would
enable the director of traffic TO sus-
pend and revoke operators permits
when il is in the interest of safety.
Under present law permits can be
revoked only following conviction OF
certain serious violations. Under the
new bill a driver whose permit had
been revoked would be entitled to
have the action reviewed by the DIS
trict Court of Appeals.
William p. Emo. who has made
study of traffic control for a NUMBER
of wears. appeared before the senate
committee Yesterday and filed several
of his booklets on model traffic reg
ulations for the consideration of the
committee in connection with the Dlll
now being considered.
Senator Jones, Republican Of Wash
ine7ton. presiding in the absence OF
Chairman Capper, told Mr.. Emo that
since the present session of Congress
is nearing an end the committee prop
ably will have to confine itself TO the
measure which the House has acted
on. with slight amendments.
The Senate acted favorably on the
gas company merger bill after senator
Sackett, Republican,, of Kentucky. a
member of the District committee,
had explained it was In the interest
of economy and could not be &C
10. . l,A avis inc Ytf
act. He explained that the terms of
consolidation must be approved by
the utilities commission. The meas
ura also authorizes the commission
TO permit the merger company to
issue additional capital stock upon
terms to be approved by the com
mission.
False Reports Explained.
The bill making il an Offense TO
give the police a false report of
crime was passed after Senator Jones
had explained to the Senate that the
detective bureau has been put TO
great trouble investigating fictitious
stories of holdups and similar serious
crimes without having any means of
proceeding against the persons who
file such reports.
Senator Jones pointed out that
there were IS such reports made
to the police with a few months and
that detectives had to be taken off
legitimate investigations to run down
these fictitious reports.
The pension bill, as soon as it is
signed by the President, will make
available to veteran eX-memberS of
the Police and Fire Departments re-
tirement allowances, which they did
not receive from 1911 to 1915. In
cases where the men have died the
allotments will be paid to their