Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-11
Reduction for School Chill
dren on Street Cars and
Buses Now Up to House.
TRAFFIC AND PAVING
MEASURES BOTH FAIL
Further Consideration of Former
Asked by Senator George After
Night Session Debates.

The bill to authorize a reduced fare
ON street cars and buses for children
going to ard from school, which passed
the Senate along with half dozen
other local measures last night, will &c
to the House today or tomorrow for the
final legislative step of working out
Senate amendments.
The new traffic bill and the new street
paving assessment measure both failed
to get through the Senate last night,
however and must await another call
Of the calendar.
The reduced fare for school children
passed the House last year, with the
rate fixed definitely at cents. The
Senate rewrote the bill to allow the
Public Utilities Commission to fix the
rate, with the provision that the school
fare shall not exceed one-half the adult
fare.
Concurrence Necessary.
If the House concurs in the Senate
amendment the bill win be completed
and will go to the President for sigma
ture The other alternative is for the
House to ask conference with the
Senate. Even if this should be done,
all indications are that the reduced fare
Dill will be enacted into law at this
session.
-.
ton of Citizens Associations, and John
j. Noonan have taken the lead in seek
ing action of this measure. Clayton
pointed out in letter to Chairman
Capper of the Senate Committee that
legislation along this line was being dis
cussed 20 years ago.
The traffic bill, which has passed
the House, was debated twice last night,
with Senator Kean of New Jersey en-
deaVoring to obtain action. The first
time Senator BieaSe of South Carolina
objected to it. Later in the. evening
he withdrew his opposition, but Sem
ator George of Georgia asked that it be
postponed, saying he thought it de-
served further consideration before
final action
The assessment bill, which seeks to
put new life into the Borland law, was
blocked by Senator Reed, Republican
of Pennsylvania, who challenged the
conStitutionality of one feature of the
bill: A large part of the Borland law
has been declared unconstitutional by
the courts, and the pending bill was
put forth to overcome the court OBJ
je5tionS by basing paving assessments
on the shape, size and value Of the
property to be assessed.
Further Study Suggested.
Senator Reed told the Senate the
provision allowing the Commissioners
to cancel assessments of the last three
years and reasSeSs under the pending
bin appeared to him to be of dubious
constitutionality, and suggested the bill
be given further study.
Among the bills of interest to Wash
ington which passed the Senate last
night were:
The House bill authorizing a building
and repair program at the Naval Hos
pital in this city. The Senate increased
the authorization in the House bill from
$500, 900 to $3,20O,000, which sends
the measure back to the House for con-
currence in the amendment.
A bill to allow the Commissioners to
close streets no longer necessary; bill
TO authorize an oil company to lay Pc
troleum pipe lines under certain streets
q bill to reimburse the Potomac Electric
Power Co. for certain work in con-
nection with the Arlington Memorial
Bridge; bill making minor change in
the law relating to degree-conferring
institutions; bill to exempt from taxa
ton the property of the National Society
United States Daughters of 1812-an of
these bills still require House approval.
Barber Sunday Closing Bill.
The Senate also passed the bill to
require the closing Of barber shops on
Sundays. The bill is advocated by Sena-
tor Copeland of New York, who regards
it as a health measure to give BARRIERS
a day of. The measure is opposed by
DR.. c. S. Longacre of the Religious
Liberty Association, who contends the
bill should not specify Sunday, because
that deprives citizens, who observe
other days of equality before the law.
The Senate also passed a bill previ-
ously approved by the House, providing
that in the widening Of Piney Branch
road on the outskirts of the city the ad-
ditional width be taken from both sides
instead Of from one side only.
The Senate also passed bill author
izing the Commissioners to provide a
building for adult tuberculosis patients
on the same tract recently acquired
for a children's tuberculosis Sanitarium
at Randall Station, Md. The bill still
requires House action.
The proposed merger OF the Washing
ton and Georgetown Gas Light Cos
was postponed again at the request Of
Senator Howell of Nebraska, who be-
lieves the bill should be amended to
eliminate the item of growing concern
value from the rate base of the gas
company. Action also was postponed
ON the bill which has passed the House
to require motorists who are convicted
OF serious offenses to establish financial
responsibility before having their per-