Evening star., 1933-07-02
PLAN PUBLIC WORKS
IN RHODE ISLAND
General Assembly, in Special
Session, to Enable State
to Take Part.
BY JAMES s. HART.

BY JAMES s. HART.
PROVIDENCE. r. l., July 1-Quick
to take advantage of the national in
dustrial recovery act, Gov. Green this
week called the General Assembly into
special session to pass legislation ena-
bling municipalities and the State to
receive grants and make loans with the
Federal Government for public works
construction, and allowing the State
board of public roads to receive and
expend a grant Of approximately ST.
100000 for road and bridge construc-
ticn.
An act setting up an emergency pub
lie works commission to supervise
construction and to pass upon munich
pal and State borrowings was intro
duced, and the Republican and Demo-
cratic parties fell into a wrangle over
control of the commission.
Gov. Green also took the opportu-
nifty to offer on the part Of the Demo-
cratic administration a 10 per cent
pay cut bill for State employees. a bill
to study departmental reorganization
en- the Al Smith lines in New York
State. and measure to study working
conditions, wages and hours, etc., in
industry.
Committees Work.
The Legislature met Tuesday. re-
ferred various bills to committees,
and then adjourned to Thursday to
give the committees a chance to work.
Gov. Green threatened veto Of the Re
publican measure If it were passed
because it gives that party control of
the public works projects, which might
be started here under the recovery
act. He was willing, he said, as pro-
vided in his own measure. to set up
commission of two Republicans and
two Democrats. but not three and
two The "two-and-two" would be
Finance Commissioner Frederick s.
Peck and Senator William H. Wander
bilt, Republicans. and the Governor
and Representative Edward c. Brown,
Democrats
Mr.. Peck replied on Wednesday, CIV
ing evidence of the bitterness Of the
tight for control. by stating that the
commission under the Governors bill
is given no initiating power. but only
approving power, and even that power
Is curtailed. "A man would be a fool
TO serve on such a commission and I
VIII not serve If the bill is passed as
drawn" said Mr.. Peck
Can FIJI Vacancies.
Gov Green declined to be disturbed
Tor the bill gives him the right to fill
vacancies on the commission with his
own appolntees, although an appointee
to I'LL Mr.. Peck's place would have to
be Republican, the bill states.
Throughout the State there has de-
veloped considerable controversy over
the Industrial recovery act, and its Of
fer OF millions of dollars to be borrowed
by towns and cities. practically regard
less Of their capacity to repay. That
phase Of the national act. which allows
the President to bestow such funds
without regard to constitutional debt
limits in any community or State, has
given rise here to the report that the
Federal Government does not intend to
ask Tor repayment of any part of the
more than $4,000 900 900 available for
public works construction.
Even Gov. Green himself has stated
that no one knows what the future
holds regarding repayment, and it Is
pointed out the record Is that no State
ever has paid back any part of similar
borrowings. Too, the fact that the re-
covery bill sets up a taxation system to
provide the appropriation is taken here
as an indication that no repayment will
be asked.
Warn Against Borrowing.
Then there are those. including the
National Economy League branch and
Finance Commissioner Frederick S.
Peck here, who warn against wild bor-
rowing because of the danger of sad
ding towns and cities for years to
come with the task of repayment.
Judge Antonio A. Capotosto handed
down unique sentence from the Su-
perior Court bench this week when he
confined Hermon Kronson, convicted Of
jury tampering, to his home until July
~, to receive no visitors and to be al
lowed out once a week to visit his
sister. Kronson. accused of approach
ing c juror in the contested will case
of Berman RoSenblatt, received the
sentence out of consideration for his
wife. who has been an invalid for
years.
Rhode Island, like the rest Of the
country. appears to be experiencing the
looked-for upturn. Pay rolls have in
creased considerably, and most en-
courag.ng of all are the reports Of
Director of Public Aid Edward p. Reidy
of Providence. who reports more than
seasonal falling off in the unemploy-
ment relief lists.
AAC oedtC SOilCSC Va G0utdIlO1l IIllS
week graduated i87 students, all of
them potential school teachers, and
conferred honorary degrees of doctor
of education upon Supt of Schools
Alexander j. Stoddard of Providence
and Clarence H. Manchester, retired
principal of Technical and Central
High Schools.
The Providence school department
was the target of the Governmental
Research Bureau here this week when.
after a prolonged study, the bureau
issued a report recommending reduc-
tions of S150.000 in the school de-
partment expenditures.
The bureau found, among other
things. there were too many ma jor ex-
ecutive positions in the department.
too many subordinate executives. too
many small classes. too manv exnen-
sive classes and no adequate budgetary
procedure
The bearded John S. Cole of Hon,
kinton, well known in Rhode Island
as State senator from that town in
1906-08. was killed by a savage bull
that gored him when he was out far
an evening walk.