Evening star., 1926-10-20
TAKE UP DEFERRED
D. c. LEGISLATION
Commissioners and Advisory
Council Consider Bills Con-
gress Failed to Enact.

Eeclassification of proposed legis-
lation for the District which failed Of
enactment at the last session of Con-
gress. was started by the Citizens
Advisory Council at a joint confer
ence with the Commissioners last
night in the District Building. More
than a score of old bills, together
with a projected measure now being
drafted to force a merger Of the
Washington traction companies. were
| referred to various committees for
consideration, and on the basis of
their reports. to be submitted Novem-
Der 2, a new legislative program for
the forthcoming session of Congress
will be formulated.
Bills Urged for Consideration.
The council was urged by Jesse c.
Suter, its chairman. to head the list
in order Of estimated Importance with
! The same three bills that had prec-
odance on last years legislative pro-
gram--one providing for the creation
Of commission to recommend a
more equitable distribution of ex-
penses for the District between the
municipal and Federal governments:
another providing for the repeal of
the Borland law. and the third author
izing the Commissioners to eliminate
all remaining railroad grade crossings.
The proposed merger legislation
was referred to a special committee
for study. The committee, composed
Of W. l. Swanton, Fred S. Walker
and Harry n. Stull, also was In
structed to cooperate with Maj. w.
f. r. Covell senior assistant en-
gineer commissioner. who is prepar-
ing the bill.
Another New Proposal.
laid before the council by Commits
sioner Bell, is bill designed to initiate
an engineering survey of the Chesa-
T AXE and Ohio Canal with view to
having the Federal Government &C.
quire property and rights pertaining
thereto for park extension, and to
facilitate water power and water sys-
tenn development. This legislation, the
Commissioner said, should originate
in the Office of Maj. L. S. Grant, Sd,
director of public buildings and public
parks of the National Capital, since 1t
should be entirely a Federal enter
prise.
The engineering bill providing for
the construction of a new Chain
Bridge, which was never reported out
by the House District committee at
the last session of Congress, was given
special consideration by the council
after Commissioner Bell had pointed
out that the expense of the project
should be borne entirely by the
Federal Government. The council
voted unanimously to join with the
Commissioners in urging that the
Federal Government pay the entire
cost Of the bridge.
Bridge Needing Attention.
While the Virginia abutment OF
Chain Bridge is in disrepair. Commits
sioner Bell explained that 1t Is not re.
garded as unsafe, but might have tC
be closed at any time for rehabilita
ton. Attention of the council was
called to the plans of Arlington Coun
ty, Va, to attach a Pinch water
main to the bridge to carry water from
the District reservoir to its projected
distribution system. and Col. Bell
pointed out that the Commissioners
would have to give the county permis.
sion to carry out that plan.
Commissioner Dougherty called the
councils attention to the congestion
at the Police Court and the plans to
relieve it through the erection Of a
new court building. He also referred
to the crowding in the BLACK Maria"
which transports prisoners from the