Evening star., 1934-12-26
Commissioners Program
Would Convict on Posses.
sion of Evidence.
AUTO LIABILITY AND
LOAN LAWS ADVOCATED
Ten-Point Plan Also Includes
Limit on Appeal From Rulings
by Utilities Body.

A 10-point program Of legislation
for the District, to be submitted to-
morrow to Chairman King of the
Senate District Committee and later
to Chairman Norton of the House
District Committee, was adopted today
by the Commissioners.
Among important measures pro-
posed by the city heads are a general
automobile liability bill, the same as
that considered last session, and a bill
to place more effective weapons in
the hands of police in their cam
paign against gambling operations.
The latter bill would definitely in
clude the numbers racket in the
scope of District law enforcement,
and would make possession of gam
bling paraphernalia prima facie evi-
dence Of the intention to violate laws
against gambling
The automobile liability measure
would require that the owner of a
motor vehicle show financial RESPONSE
bility in any case in which he had been
SOAANtSI Va 1FLlS l6dN-
ing the scene of accident or failing to
pay damages awarded in a case in
which he was involved. In such cases
the permit and automobile registra-
tion cards would be taken from the
motorist until the owner paid dam
ages assessed and showed financial re-
Sponsibility for the future by obtain
ing an insurance policy, posting bond,
or making cash deposit.
Other Legislation.
Other legislation proposed by the
Commissioners includes:
A bill to regulate the foreclosure of
mortgages, the same as that proposed
last year. requiring the giving of notice
to the owner of the property and the
passing of an order by District court
prior to any foreclosure sale
bill to regulate the small-loan
business and to bring within the scope
OF control the procurer of a loan as
well as the lender, and placing limits
on the total of all charges which
may be assessed.
A bill to create a lunacy commits
sion. consisting of two psychiatrists
and one lawyer, to serve on q part
time basis, to pass upon lunacy cases
now handled by juries of laymen.
This bill would give any affected party
the right to demand jury trial.
The bill proposed by the Public
Utilities Commission to place a
definite limit on the scope of appeals
n
Commission. This is intended to limit
court appeals to tests of legal ques-
tions rather than facts.
Would Tighten Inspection.
A measure to increase the penalty
for soliciting prostitution from s25 to
500, or Jail sentence.
A measure to amend the law re-
latlng to distribution of property of
a deceased person, to place woman
relatives on the same level as male
relatives. This does not apply to
the children of a deceased person, al
ready standing on the same basis.
A measure to strengthen the pro-
cedure relating to condemnation of
dangerous buildings.
A bill to make more effective the
action of the District in forcing the
repair or the ordering of the razing of
buildings condemned as insanitary.
1t would eliminate feature of the
present law which requires the Dis
trict to pay damages in many cases.
This provision, incidentally, has
caused the District to abandon efforts
to raze insanitary buildings where the
owner fights the action.