Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1935-05-26
ACTION ON CRIME
REPORT DELAYED
AT LEAST WEEK.
District Committee Faces
Other Pressing Matters
Wednesday.
FIGHT TO BE WAGED
FOR NOTIFICATIONS
Controversial Points May Require
More Than One Meeting
for Completion.
BY JAMES E. CHINN.

BY JAMES T.. CHINN.
The House District Committee, II
was learned yesterday, will delay fnal
action on the partly approved report
If its Crime Investigating Committee
for at least another week.
Despite the anxiety over the ulti-
mate fate of the report and the de-
sire of the Crime Committee to get 1t
before the House without continued
DELAY. Chairman Norton of the Dis
trict Committee has found it virtually
impossible to hold a meeting this week
to resume consideration of the con-
troversial features.
The whole District Committee Will
meet in regular session Wednesday,
but there are so many other pressing
matters scheduled to be called up
that Mrs. Norton does not believe any
time can be allotted to the crime re-
port. which already has taken up the
last two meetings of the committee.
A special meeting of the full Dis
trict Committee for the sole purpose
of considering the unapproved Sec
tons of the crime report has been
suggested for Friday, but so many
members have other committee meet
ings on that day Mrs. Norton Is con-
fident the report will have to await
final action until next week.
Vigorous Fight Expected.
There is serious doubt, however,
whether one more meeting Will De
sufficient to dispose of the report. The
next section to be taken up crltlclzes
United States Attorney Leslie c. Gar
nett and his Police assistant, Karl
Kindleberger, and also recommends
their immediate removal. 1t constl-
tutes the most controversial part OF
the entire 55-page report. A vigorous
fight is expected to be made to have
both the findings and the recon-
mendations modified with respect to
Garnett and Kindleberger.
One section of the report relating
to the Police Department already has
been changed in an effort to nulllfy
the recommendation for retirement OF
the so-called high command. In
stead of recommending retirement OF
all officers above the rank of captain
who have reached so years of age, the
report, as it now stands, fixes IS as
the retirement age.
There are no ranking officers on the
force 65 years old at the present time
and the amendment apparently would
save Police Supt Ernest w. Brown
and Inspector ThaddeuS r. Bean and
Albert j. Headley, all of whom have
passed the threescore mark.
The amendment, however, is regard
ed as ambiguous because the commit
tee left in the same section of the
report a statement declaring that the
present Police Department high COM
mand should be placed on the retired
list and replaced by younger and more
vigorous men,
Jury Service Question.
Aside from the fourth section relat-
ing to Garnett, the other two sections
on which action US not been taken
deal with jury service, Police Depart
ment housing facilities and recon-
mend appointment of a permanent
commission to keep constant check
on the crime situation in the District.
With the crime report temporarily
sidetracked, the District Committee
will go before the House tomorrow and
attempt to push through at least half
of the IA bills on the calendar.
The District was cheated out of its
last day in the House two weeks ago,
but Chairman Norton has been given
assurance by Speaker Byrns that only
District legislation will be considered
tomorrow.
The first bill to be called up carries
Mrs. Norton's old-age pension pro-
gram. The other major bills are those
providing unemployment compensa-
ton, authorizing the construction of
two new bridges and an underpass
across New York avenue northeast in
the area between Florida and West
Virginia avenues, and giving police
and firemen the privilege of living
outside the District in the so-called
metropolitan area.
Also on the calendar are bills de-
signed to tighten the District liquor
control act, providing for abolition of
the so-called hidden bars and au-
thorizing creation of commission to
select site for the proposed munich
pal airport. Several of these measures
are highly controversial and may not
be called up for fear that they will
prevent action on other measures Mrs.
Norton would like to have passed.