Evening star., 1935-04-17
NEW BILL TO DROP
COMMISSION VETO
Measure to Enlarge Power
Will Be Stripped of De-
bated Features.

Stripped of all controversial fea-
tures, over which storm OF protest
was raised in recent months, the
proposed bill to enlarge the powers OF
the District Commissioners Is to be
revived and forwarded to Congress
At this session.
The section to give the Commits
eioners power of direction and veto
over the Board of Education and all
other agencies supported out of Dis
trict revenues, and other protested
paragraphs, are to be dropped from
the present bill.
The Commissioners said they still
believe in the principle of centralz-
ing municipal authority in the Board
of Commissioners and there is sug-
pestion the controversial features may
he revived at the next or some later
session of Congress.
There is no chance of passage OF
the bill at this session, however, II
these provisions are retained, Commits
sioner Hazen said. In just what form
these features might be revived later
was not made clear.
New Draft Planned.
BY formal order of the Commls-
sioners, Corporation Counsel Pretty
man was instructed late yesterday TO
eliminate all controversial points from
the bill and to submit a new draft
for action of the Commissioners.
Hazen previously had stated he was
onnosed to the section giving the city
heads powers over the citizens boards
and recognized the protests voiced oy
many organized bodies of residents.
Sections of the original bill to De
dropped in the revision, according to
present plans, are those to give the
Commissioners the following powers:
To prevent the entrance into the
District or to cause the removal from
the District of any large body OF per-
sons that might cause disorder or tend
TO disturb the orderly transactions OF
public or private business. This was
designed to give the city more definite
mowers of dealing with groups such as
the bonus or hunger marchers.
To prevent or restrain utterances
which tend to incite crime or violence
or threaten the overthrow OF organized
government.
Nomination Power protested.
To direct or prohibit action by any
official. employe, agency, committee,
commission or board financed in whole
or III part from the revenues Of the
District except judges. officials and
employees of the courts, and those
of the Public Utilities Commission
whenever in the judgment of the
Commissioners such direction or pro-
hjbition is advisable in the public
interest.
The bill also stated the list of
District boards to be named by the
Commissioners, including the Board
of Dental Examiners. Nominations
10 this board now are made by the
dental profession and absence of this
feature was protested. This section
likely will be dropped.
The whole bill likely will be re-
written. Prettyman said. Only new
powers would be stated. 1t had been
intended that the original bill would
amount to a new organic act and
many present powers were restated IN
that bill.
Prettyman plans to retain clauses to
give the Commissioners power to settle
law suits where the payment is less
than 500; to clarity the Commission
ers' powers on finances and taxation;
to broaden and clarity the statement
of the Commissioners powers over use
of streets, the laying of pipe lines,
authority and responsibility in cases
of street distractions. control over
traffic. removal and impounding of
cars parked so as to impede trafhc;
to invoke rules intended to prevent
the spread of any contagious or infec-
tious diseases (the present law carries
a stated lisD; to permit the diSinter-
ment, removal and transportation of
bodies; to make special arrangements
for inaugural, convention or other
large gatherings of visitors; to exer-
else broader control over inspection of
plumbing and gas fittings; and to re-
state, broaden and clarity powers over
opening, widening, extension or i'm
proving streets, alleys and other pub
lie grounds.