Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-31
POLLARD SIGNS
NEARBY VA. ACTS
Ball Park and Planning
Measure Among Those
Approved.
BY LESTER n. INSKEEP,
star Correspondent Of The star.


CLARENDON, Va, March 31.--Bring-
ing to. a close the legal session of the
General Assembly, Gov. John Garland
Pollard has signed number of bills Of
particular interest to the Northern Viz
ginia section Of the State, notable among
which are the Ball park and planning
bill, the Birrel bill to permit county
school, boards to issue bonds for the re-
funding of floating idebtedness and the
Buchanan real estate assessment bill.
The former measure, of which Senator
Frank L. Ball of Arlington County is
author, provides for the Northern Viz
ginia park and planning district and
for the Northern Virginia park and
planning commission.
Must Be Ratified.
AS finally passed by the assembly and
signed by the governor, the bill does not
become effective until ratified by the
governing bodies of the three jurisdic-
tons affected, the city of Alexandra,
all of Arlington County and a part OF
Fairfax County. The bill was amended
to provide for ratification when the city
council of Alexandria opposed the meas
ure, claiming that the city had planning
powers already and objecting to the tax
that is provided for financing the propo-
Sition.
The bill was prepared in conjunction
with the National Capital Park and
Planning Commission and has as one of
its principal purposes the establishment
of an official Virginia body with which
negotiations could be carried on in
mapping out plans for the future de-
velopment of Virginia's part Of Greater
Washington, Final action on, the meas
ure cannot be taken until after Alex
andria's new council is elected and in
stalled.
Signing of the bill that will permit
the issuance of bonds for the refunding
of floating indebtedness, as we'll as Of
bonded indebtedness, removes the last
obstacle in the way of plans for the
issuance of bonds for the enlargement
of Arlington County's educational sys-
TEN. In addition to the bonded indebt-
edness, the local school board owes
S225, 1000 in current indebtedness that.
must be cared for before the new build
ing program can be gotten under way.
and it was for Arlington's special benefit
that the bill was introduced. Under the
old law, none of the funds raised by the
issuance of bonds could have been used
for this purpose.
In Same Position.
Arlington and Fairfax Counties are
placed in the same position as cities of
$4,000 or more population under the
Buchanan real estate assessment bill.
This measure does away with periodical
assessments in counties, placing this
work in the hands of boards of equali-
zetion, which are to be appointed by the
courts. Commissioners of revenue were
formerly required to do this work.
In cities, however, and in the two
Northern Virginia counties and the
counties of Henrico and Chesterfield, all
of which are showing rapid develop
ment, there are to be reassessmentS
every four years, the assessors to be APP
pointed by the courts.
AS was to be expected, since he rec
commended such legislation in his in
augural address, the governor signed the
bill creating a continuing commission
for the study of various forms of county
government. 1t is expected that before
this commission makes its first report,
IN 1892 Arlington County viii have had
referendum votes to determine upon in
corporation or another form of govern
ment, bills permitting such action hay
ing been passed at the last session OF
the Assembly.
Another measure which received the
executive approval was the bill prohibit
ing the erection of billboardS or other
OOJGCbS tI1dL WOutQ ODStIuCb tic view at
road intersections or railway crossings.
Mileage Bills Vetoed.
At the request of the Virginia State
Highway Commission, which body
passed resolution in opposition to the
measures, the governor vetoed the bills
designating mileage under the new
Porter-R Rhodes highway act in the
counties of Page, Nelson, Greene, Blu
chanan, Louisa, Fluvanna, Pittsylvania
and Dinwiddie.
Both the governor and Highway Com
mission expressed the opinion that to
put these bills into effect would be to
set a dangerous precedent and that the
location of State highways would soon
be made in the Assembly instead of by
the commissions
THE designation of the routes" the
governor declared, should be made by
the highway commission for the reason
that the long study by the members Of
the body of road problems better en-
ables them to place roads In the inter-
est of economy and general welfare"
Another measure which the gov
ernor refused to sign was the bill re-
pealing the existing sterilization act and
re-enacting it with an extension of its
application to cases in which a social
disease was involved.
The only other bill Of particular in
tereSt to Northern Virginia which the
governor refused to sign was measure
permitting the town of Round Hill,
Loudoun County, to issue bonds to the
extent of $4,000. He declared this to
be unconstitutional.
a.