Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-04
IMPORTANT
| D. c. BILLS PASSED
Closing Sessions Record In
cIudeS Cut Fare for Pupils
and HaIf-HolidayS.

Although some District legislation
died with the Seventy-first Congress to-
day, the short session which began in
! December saw many laws of interest to
Washington placed on the statute books.
The record of this session is marked
by the enactment of two proposals that
have been sought for many years,
namely, a Saturday half-holiday for
Government employees throughout the
year and reduced car fare for school
children.
other important LEGAL measures which
became law are: A new traffic act,
establishing a department of vehicles
and traffic to take the place of the old
Traffic Bureau, vesting full responsible
ity for making regulations in the Com
missioners, requiring title for all auto
mobiles beginning with 1882, providing
for co-ordinated action by the Commits
sioners and the Utility Commission on
matters affecting both boards, an6'
giving the courts more leeway in fixing
traffic penalties.
A new paving assessment law, which
seeks to overcome the unconstitutional
features of the Borland act by consid-
ering the shape, area and value of lots
instead of the front footage only. 1t
also requires cancellation of all paving
assessments of the past three years, re-
assessment on the new basis and rebates
where payment was actually made dur
ing that time on the old basis.
Outdoor Signs Regulation.
A law, advocated by more than sixty
civic groups, giving the Commissioners
broader authority to regulate outdoor
signs in the National Capital
For the annual expenses of the Dis
trict government during the IL months
beginning July !, Congress included in
the local appropriation bill approx
imately $45,672, 900, based on a con-
tinuation of the current arrangement
of $4,000 as the Federal share and
the remainder out of District revenues.
Senator Bingham, Republican of Con-
necticut, in charge of District finances
in the Senate, felt that, since the Mapes
Committee of the House had not COM
pleted its study of fiscal relations, the
agreement arrived at for the present
fiscal year should remain pending a
final report.
An innovation in the writing of Dis
trict appropriation bills was made by
Senator Bingham's subcommittee this
year of holding open hearings. Here
tofore the hearings have been in execu-
tive session.
While the District committees were
putting through these strictly local
measures, other appropriation laws car
rted further inStallmentS of funds for
going forward with the Federal building
program and improvement projects of a
national character in and around
Washington.
Outstanding among these items was
the fund of $2,700,000 placed in the
last deficiency bill to go on with the
building of the Memorial Boulevard
along the Potomac to Mount Vernon,
so that it viii be completed for the
George Washington Bicentennial cele-
bration next year.
Salary Increase SheIved.
The recommendation of the Budget
Bureau in December that Congress be-
gin a systematic program of promoting
hundreds of Government employees
whose salaries are below the average of
their respective grades was shelved until
next year. The budget officials had
suggested spreading the total cost of
these tncreaseS-$14, 000, 000-over a
three-year period. The Senate made a
fight in behalf Of this program, but, as
the session drew to close, yielded to
the House in order to get through the
essential departmental appropriation
bills.
The Blaine subcommittee of the
Senate District Committee went on dur
ing the short session with its inquiry
into real estate, security and mortgage
foreclosure conditions in Washington,
after which it brought forth two bills
one to regulate the sale of stocks and
bonds, through the Public Utilities Com
mission, and the other to set up a new
system Of forecloSing mortgages here.
The Senate passed these two bills, but
they failed to get out of the House
District Committee, which held them
over for further study in the new Con-
gress. The third bill recommended by
the Blaine subcommittee, to establish
licensing system for the real estate
business, also failed to receive action
in the House after passing the Senate
at a previous session. All three of these
bills viii have to be reintroduced in the
new Congress and considered by the
Senate again.
Howell Measure Sidetracked.
Senator Howell, Republican of Ne
braska, succeeded several times in get
ting his District prohibition bill be-
fore the Senate, but 1t was sidetracked
for appropriation bills and national
problems several weeks ago and never
to be reintroduced and start over again
in the new Congress.
One Of the measures which passed
in the closing weeks was a resolution
sponsored by the late Representative
Cooper of Wisconsin, to call B street,
leading to the Arlington Memorial
Bridge, Constitution avenue. Within a
few days after the resolution became
law Representative Cooper, veteran of
many years in Congress, died. The
sanfO resolution established the name
of Louisiana avenue for the new boule-
ward to extend across the enlarged
Capitol grounds, from Union Station
to Pennsylvania avenue.
This Congress also changed the name
Of Iowa Circle to Logan Circle. Dur
ing the session the Senate confirmed
the following nominations:
For the District Court Of Appeals,
Justice William Hitz, formerly of the
District Supreme Court, and Judge D.
Lawrence Groner, formerly Of Federal
Court in Virginia; for the District SUI
preme Court, Judge James M. Proc
tor; for reappointments in Police Court,
Judge Isaac r. Hit and John P. Nc
Mahon; for reappointments in Munich
pal Court, Judges George C. Aukman
and Nathan Cayton; to be recorder of
deeds. Jefferson S. COaRe,