Evening star., 1931-12-09
Capper Introduces Proposals
to End Alley Dwellings and
Merge Car Lines.
KVALE, IN HOUSE, ASKS
BAN ON DEATH PENALTY
Measures in Both Chambers Seek
Compulsory Taxi Liability-King
Wants D. c. Spokesman.

Six local measures, the first to bt
offered in the Senate since the new
Congress convened, were introduced
this afternoon by Chairman Capper Of
the District Committee. They were al
referred to that committee and will
be taken up for consideration soon after
the vacancies on the committee are
filed.
The bills are: The street railway
merger plan, which was before the last
Congress, but did not pass; the bill tc
bring about systematic elimination O!
alley dwellings by converting alley
properties to other uses; the Park anc
Planning Commission bill to expedite
the development of the memorial park
way along the Potomac by authorizing
early expenditure of s3,0o0,000 of Tho
Federal fund provided for in the
original law; the bill left over from the
last Congress to require flnancia
responsibility Of taxicab operators; the
bill authorizing the establishment oi
credit unions in Washington, and a
bill to create board of indeterminate
sentence and parole.
Howell Introduces Dry Bill.
Senator Howell, Republican, Of
Nebraska, promptly reintroduced his
proposed dry enforcement measure tc
supplement the Volstead Act in Wash
ington. This was debated in the SEN
ate at the last session, but not voted
on The Senator reintroduced it in
the form in which it was pending al
adjournment with the amendment the
the Senate already had made.
The bill would give all District
policemen prohibition enforcement
authority, instead of having only a
limited number assigned for that pur-
pose, and would revise the conditions
under which search warrants could be
obtained for dwellings upon informa-
tion that they are being used for the
manufacture or storage of liquor for
sale.
Proposes d. C. Spokesman.
Senator King of Utah, ranking Demo-
crat on the District Committee, In
troduced seven local measures, including
a bill which would authorize the Com
missioners to have an officer of the
District government on the floor of the
House and Senate to answer questions
and participate in debate whenever Dis
trict matters are taken up,
The pther subjects on which Senator
King proposes new legislation are:
A bill giving the Commissioners
broader power to make municipal
regulations on any subject concerning
which such power may, consistent with
the Constitution, be delegated to them
including all license fees.
Foreclosure Bill Offered.
A bill making the District assessor q
competent witness to testify in con-
demnation cases as an expert on land
values.
A bill similar to one of the Blaine
bills, to set up new method of fore
closing mortgages, requiring an order
from the District Supreme Court
There would have to be a period of six
months grace between the interlocutory
order of the court and the final decree
of foreclosure, within which the de-
fendant in the proceedings could pay
the amount due, plus 10 per cent in
terest and costs.
A bill authorizing the Commissioners
to pay small claims up to 81 900 and
authorizing $4,000 a year for this
purpose.
Senator King had two other bills, one
TO regulate the procedure of releas-
ing deeds of trust and the other amend
ing the District condemnation law.
Alley Cleanup Bill Changed.
In transmitting the alley dwelling
bill TO Senator Capper, Lieut.. Col. u.
S. Grant, Sd, Of the Park and Plan
ming Commission explained changes
which have been made since the last
session. The former bill provided that
the President should take the initiative
In eliminating the alley dwellings, while
the new draft would place this power
in the District Commissioners. The
United States Housing Corporation
would be used by the Commissioners as
the agency to carry out the program.
The original bill provided for an ap-
preparation of $4,000 900 the first year
while the present bill provides that dur
ing the first year there would be used
only s5o0,000 of an unexpended bal
ance of existing funds of the Housing
Corporation
Col. Grant points out in the lettel
that it is fitting that the housing cor,
poration should be the agency to &C.
complish this alley Improvement plan
since the act creating that corpora.
tion provided that the expenditure II
the District of Columbia shall be mad,
with view to caring for the ALLEY
population Of the District when the
war Is over"
ID. c. Parole Board Proposed.
The movement to abolish inhabited
alleys here has been going on during
the past 20 years. Legislation to &C
complish 1t was enacted just before tn,
World War War conditions and litiga,
tion over the terms of the prior legis
lation have delayed final accomplish
menS
The basic principle of the new bill il
to convert alley dwellings to othe
uses.
The indeterminate sentence anc
parole bill would create a board O.
three persons to determine when pris
oners sentenced in the District Of Co
lumbia should be released within GER
tain minimum and maximum limita.
tions
House Has Variety of Bills.
A wide variety of bills affecting tn,
District of Columbia and vicinity wer
introduced yesterday promptly afte
adoption of the rules in the House
These included such proposals as a II
per cent reduction in the pay of al
Government employees, speeding up o
work on the George Washington Me
mortal Parkway, abolition of capita
punishment in the District, proposal TO
merger of the street railway companies
a measure to put taxicab operator
under bond and proposed regulation o
the sale Of Kosher meat.
Representative Robert F. Rich, Re
publican, of Pennsylvania, who is
wealthy manufacturer and bank di
rector, appointed to serve out an un
expired term in the last Congress, in
troduced a measure providing that n
employe of the Federal or District gov
eminent in the District should receiv
more than 90 per cent of the norma
salary.
Scant support for this measure wa
shown in q hurried canvass of mem
hers nf the Rraisa trdau vy,1sf of u,boy,