Evening star., 1937-02-14
BY JESSE C. sUTER.

BY JESSE e. SUTER.
~ IsTRICT affairs, Just now.
seem to be unusually
prominent on Capitol Hill.
- Monday, the House Dis
trict Committee claimed its first
District day. Though the House
convened at noon, 1t was near
3 pm. when the Speaker an
nounced, To-day Is District day."
and recognized Chairman Mary r.
Norton of New Jersey. A large part
Of the intervening time had been
consumed in the consideration Of
the conference report on the de-
ficiency appropriation bill. This
included some roll call votes which
take high rank in the House Of
Representatives as time consumers.
Mrs. Norton called up the Ken
nedy bill for repeal Of the red
rider and this monopolized practi-
cally all the remaining time Of the
House session. Chairman Norton,
however, did succeed in calling up
the Juvenile Court bill and its con-
sideration was carried far enough
to make it the unfinished business
before the House on the next Dis
trict day, February %.
Monday at the Capitol was also
notable through the opening
of hearings before the House Sub
committee on Appropriations on
the District appropriation bill for
the fiscal year 1888. The first to
appear at this hearing were the
District Commissioners and Audi
tor Donovan. The hearing, in &C
cordance with the usual custom, is
conducted in executive session The
courteous and sympathetic interest
OF members of the subcommittee
was very marked.
In the Senate on Monday,
through an error in Identification,
the Senate's anti-gambling bill was
passed. when it was expected that
the bill being acted on was one
defining qualifications Of lawyers
practicing before the District
courts. This error was discovered
and corrected later in the day.
The Senate on Wednesday took
up and passed its bill against gam
bling, S. I'll. This bill Is similar
to the bill which passed the Senate
in the 74th Congress but failed to
get action by the House District
Committee. 1t is designed to take
care Of the numbers racket and
some other forms of gambling
which have been very difficult to
handle under existing Law. The
Senate on Wednesday also passed
S. 936, the uniform sales act.
It has been announced that the
two Subcommittees of the House
District Committee. one headed by
Representative Kennedy of Mary
land and the other by Representa-
tive Jack Nichols Of Oklahoma, will
begin Joint hearings on the Jacobs
report on Tuesday next. One of
these committees is charged with a
consideration Of the legislative fea-
lures Of the report, and the other
with the revenue and fiscal fea-
lures.
Considerable dissatisfaction exists
among members of the House Dis
trict Committee over the delay in
obtaining reports from the District
Building on proposed legislation.
This is not occasioned by any neg
lect on the part Of the Commits
sioners. but by the red tape which
has been introduced in recent years
requiring the Budget Bureau to
pass on all such questions before
the Commissioners shall report
them to Congress Under the plan
in operation from the beginning Of
the District up to recent times, the
contact between the Congress and
the local government was direct
and free from any unnecessary cir.
cumlocution.
The District Commissioners and
their subordinates will be very
much occupied for some time to
come through a justification Of
their estimates before the Appro-
priations Subcommittee. Com
missioner Allen, however, has found
time to make a suggestion which is
causing some comment and has
aroused considerable interest. It
Is, in effect, that through the adop-
ton of a system Of payment OF
fines in installments Tin worthy
cases., the number Of persons
being confined in the Districts
prisons may be reduced. This sys-
TEN would be a saving to the tax
payers through reducing the
number of prisoners to be sup
ported and would also relieve some
families of hardships occasioned by
the confinement Of the bread
winner Of the family.
The Public Utilities Commission,
1t is understood. plans to conduct
public hearings on the transporta-
ton fare issue. A date will be set
soon by the commission for the
first hearing on the fixing OF q
valuation for the properties Of the
Capital Transit Co. Another
hearing will follow on the ap-
plication of the Capital Transit
Co. for q fare increase. This ap-
plication was filed some time ago.
but the case has been held up until
the completion of the valuation.
The long-expected order Of the
commission establishing the all
day express bus service from Ia
koma is still awaited. There has
been no explanation made by the
commission as to the cause for the
delay.
The House Favors a "Pink Rider"
But Senate Votes Extinction.
WIDESPREAD has been the dis
w epnoiptrnent that the HOJs4