Evening star., 1935-02-20
Fight on Auto Liability Meas
ure Throws Meeting
Into Furor.
BLIND PENSION CHANGE
DEFEATED BY GROUP
Absconders and Descent and Dis
tribution Proposals Also
Are Favored.
After a stormy executive session the

After a stormy executive session the
House District Committee today or
dered a favorable report on five
measures to be taken up in the House
Monday, the next District day.
The principal conflict both in the
open meeting and in the executive
session was over the automobile
liability bill, which already has passed
the Senate and which previously twice
passed the House. A representative
of small number Of independent
taxicab operators had polled the COM
mittee membership, insisting that he
had not been given an opportunity to
be heard in opposition to the bill.
On this ground, several members OF
the committee, including Represent
atives Hull, Progressive, of Wisconsin;
Quinn, Democrat, of Pennsylvania, and
Nichols, Democrat, Of Oklahoma,
sought to have the bill. which has
already been reported. recalled for
amendment.
Want Compulsory Insurance.
The independent taxicab operators
protest they are in favor of compu,-
sorry insurance rather than the auto
mohile liability measure. In executive
session, however. the committee de-
cided to leave the bill as it is on the
House calendar.
The next important discussion was
over the rewritten Ellenbogen bill pro-
viding for pensions for the needy
blind. This bill was reported with an
amendment providing for examina-
| ton by an aculist rather than by
physician. Representative Patman,
Democrat. of Texas offered amend
ments to limit the amount Of pension
to be paid, but the committee rejected
all these amendments. The bill au-
thorizes an appropriation 7of $4,000
for pensions without limitation on the
amount to be administered by the
Board of Public Welfare without any
administrative cost, so that the full
amount of the appropriation author
lied would go to the needy blind.
Other Measures Approved.
The committee also favorably re-
ported bills to incorporate Trinity Col
lege, to cover the estate of persons who
have disappeared, commonly called the
"absconders' bill," which would make
allowances for the widow and de-
pendent children; the bill giving
women equal rights with men in in
heritance, commonly known as "the
descent and distribution" bill. which
has been before the House for the past
SIX years, and the unlawful entry bill,
sponsored by the District Bar Asso-
ciation.
In the open session the committee
heard Mrs. Mahlon Pitney, whose hus-
band was a United States Supreme
Court justice. She presented petit
ton signed by 1000 Washington resi-
dents protesting against the smoke
nuisance here and opposed to the
burning of soft coal in the District.
While other members of the committee
promised their cooperation. Repre-
sentative Ellenbogen of Pennsylvania
said he would fight the bill to the
last ditch" and Representative Quinn
of Pennsylvania also opposed the leg
islative proposal. Representative
Dirksen, Republican, of Illinois, rank
ing minority member, asked that his
bills covering rent profiteering and for
abolition Of the hidden bar in the Dis
trict should be referred to the Pal
misano subcommittee for hearings.