Evening star., 1936-03-27
RECKLESS DRIVERS.
ARE HIT IND, c, BILL.
BY SENATE.
Penalty of $3.50 or 80 Days
Is Provided for First
Offenders.
PROPOSED GAS MERGER
is BLOCKED BY CLARK
Vocational Training School Meas.
ure Is Ready to, Go
to President.
BY ]. A, O'LEARY,

ing were voted by the Senate in one
of four local bills passed this after
noon. but the proposed gas merger
measure was blocked by Senator
Clark. Democrat, of Missouri, who
described the Washington Gas Light
Co. as "merciless monopoly"
The other bills approved are: To
raise the five vocational training
schools in the public school system to
the status of junior high schools; to
make minor changes in the local un-
employment insurance law. and bill
to apply the uniform sales law to busi-
ness transactions in Washington.
All these bills still require action
by the House except the vocational
training schools measure, which goes
to the President.
The change in the traffic law raises
the penalty for first offense reckless
driving from 500 or 80 days to $3.50
or 80 days. 1t was recommended by
the Commissioners to strengthen their
present efforts to make the streets
safer. It passed the Senate unani-
lilOuolJ dAtC4 q III ACl oCbdIC, lll WllAAAA
Senator Borah. Republican, of Idaho,
criticized some traffic penalties as too
light.
$500 Fine Recommended.
Chairman King of the District Com
mittee explained the Commissioners
had recommended $500 fine or six
months for first offense reckless driv-
ing, but the committee thought this
too severe and reduced both the fine
and imprisonment to half those fg-
ures.
Chairman King asked for action
on the bill to authorize merger of the
Washington and Georgetown Gas
Light Co.'S. explaining that it had the
approval Of the Public Utilities Com
mission. Senator Clark had it post
p0ned until a later date, however, de-
claring:
"rregard the Washington Gas Light
Co. as the most merciless monopoly
that has come to my attention in the
utilities field and I do not propose
to approve any change in its corpo-
rate structure until give it further
study"
The uniform sales bill is intended
to set forth more clearly the rights
Of venders and vendees in business
transactions. In reporting on the
measure to the Senate Committee,
Peoples Counsel William A. Roberts
said the present laws of the District
governing sales are not clear. The
uniform sales law is in effect in AZ
States.
Protect Data From Public.
The principal change in the unem-
ployment insurance law Is to protect
from public inspection the data and
records obtained by the unemploy-
ment board from employers and en-
ployes.
In addition to the four local bills,
the Senate also passed and sent to
the President a measure authorizing
the War Department to buy strip
of Walter Reed Hospital. The area
is south of the present grounds and
extends from Sixteenth street to
Georgia avenue. The amount au-
thorized is $204,162. The War De-
partment points out this Is the only
direction in which the hospital can
expand and that more space is
needed.
The House bill to authorize a So
500, 900 ship model basin for the Navy
Department in the vicinity of WASH
ington was postponed when Senator
King, Democrat, Of Utah SAID he
was unwilling to approve an authori-
zation Of that amount at this time.
The question may come up later. after
the naval appropriation bill is re-
ported.
Share Hearing Delayed.
Meanwhile, the Senate subcommit-
tee handling the 1887 District appro-
priation bill will mark time until the
latter part of next week, when execu-
tive hearings will be resumed. Sena-
tor Elmer Thomas, Democrat, of
Oklahoma, chairman of the subcom-
mittee, left last night for Oklahoma
City, where he will preside as tenn
State Democratic Convention.
The supply bill hearings probably
will be resumed next Thursday, with
q few more department heads to be
heard, after which 40 or more repre-
sentatives Of local civic bodies will be
given an opportunity to be heard.
The request Of Representative Blan.
ton of Texas, who had charge of the
District bill in the House, to make
one-hour presentation of his views at
the Senate hearings, also will be
brought to the subcommittee atten-
tion before the hearings end. Senator
Thomas has expressed his personal
willingness to have any one who so
desires appear. It developed yester-
day, however, that Chairman Glass of
the entire Appropriations Committee
has expressed opposition to having
the bill debated between members Of
the two Houses in the Senate COM
mittee before the measure is acted on
and sent to conference.
Cut Is Major Issue.
In drafting the local supply bill,
the House cut the Federal share from
the budget recommendation of $780,.
600, to $2,700, 900, and at the same
time raised the total of the measure
by about sos, 900, to an aggregate
sum of $42,573,283. The amount Of
the Federal payment is expected to be
one of the main issues in conference.
n--x~ d.. l.