Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-20
Last Call for District Bills.

| IlOfHt-SuebCIl, anu WIFI IuuCIi JOChCyulS
in both House and Senate by members
endeavoring to get their pet measures
passed, it is time for concentrated
| effort on whatever District measures
are to Be enacted in the ten remaining
legislative days.
Four important pieces Of District leg
/ islation passed by the House last week
were favorably reported by the Senate
District committee last Wednesday
and are now awaiting action on
/, the Senate calendar. These are the
bill authorizing acquisition of four city
squares for a new municipal center;
one authorizing the establishment OF
Children's tuberculosis Hospital at
cost of five hundred thousand dollars;
another to give legal status to the
Womens Bureau in the Police Depart
ment, and the one authorizing con-
struction of six additional bathing
pools. There. should be no delay in
completing legislative action on these
four measures, now so well along to
! the final stage.
In the interest of free government
and the right of the people to rule, the
House leaders should no longer pre-
vent the House membership from voting
on the Dale bill to liberalize the Civil
Service retirement law. especially since
nearly three hundred members of the
House have signed petition to the
leaders asking that they be allowed to
keep their pledge to the people by
voting for this measure, which has long
since passed the Senate.
Action should also be taken by the
House, either under special rule or
under suspension of the rules, on the
new Lehlbach- Brookhart-Ce pay re-
lief bill for hundreds of thousands OF
Government employees. Both House and
Senate members of the Civil Service
committee have agreed upon this COM
promise bill to correct injustices and
ineouities that have resulted from the
WEIGH pay bill, largely through an in
depreciation of the controller general,
contrary to the intent Of Congress.
The Senate has several other espe-
cially important measures pending, some
Of which are really in the interests of
the Federal Government--for example,
the condemnation bill to facilitate ac-
QUESTION by the Federal Government of
land in the triangle south of Pennsyl-
vania avenue to the Mall. With the
appointment of a new District Supreme
Court Judge, whose immediate major
duty will be to handle condemnation
cases. it is essential that this pending
measure, long ago approved by the
House. should not hang IRE In the
Senate.
Chairman Capper Of the Senate Dis
trict committee has been promised oy
the steering committee a chance to
bring UP the street railway merger
resolution after the reapportionment
bill has been disposed of. Chair
man Zihlman Of the House committee,
after conferences with House leaders,
expresses confidence that the bill will
be passed In the House. Action Is ex-
pected in both House and Senate at an
early date.
The Farmers Market bill, passed by
the House last session, is on the Sen
ate steering committees program 10 De
called up after the Nicaraguan resolu-
ton. This legislation has developed into
a firht between Maryland and Virginia,
with Senators Tydings and Glass In
bitter controversy.
The District airport bill seems to face
the likelihood Of being put over for
decision in the next Congress. The
bill to establish the airport at Gravelly
Point is on the House calendar and
Chairman zihlman has been instructed
to seek a special rule. Meanwhile
Senator vandenberg, who has been
making a special study of the airport
problem. has sponsored joint resolu-
ton which has been passed by the
Senate. and an identical copy In
troduced in the House by Chairman
zihlman, providing for a Joint commits
sion to study the Federal departments
needs for airport and landing fields, as
well as the local municipalities require
rnents. Action should be taken on
either the Stalker Gravelly Point bill
or the vandenberg resolution before
Congress adjourns
The free text book and educational
supply bill for the junior and senior
high schools has been passed by the
House. 1t is on the Senate calendar
The Senate will probably substitute the
House bill to facilitate procedure. But
Senator Phipps thinks that the bill
should be amended so as to provide
free text books to junior but not to
senior high schools and not to include
the issuance free of general supplies.
This brief summary shows that there
: is considerable important legislation for
the District to be acted upon within
the next nine days.
-----A----N~a@s-A--
. | FT,rnt~lrv mag exnecfAd tn All I.en{y1 e