Evening star., 1939-08-06
By JESSE C. .(sUTER.

DurlnR the past 1eW weeks
there have trickled along enough
odds and ends of District legisla-
ton to hold the attention of the
civic-minded during the warm
weather, which is not calculated
to inspire one to any unneces-
sary civic activity.
The House of Representatives
on its last District day of the
session passed II District meas
ures, some of which had been
previously passed by the Senate.
The Senate last Tuesday passed
IL District bills and resolutions.
AS Congress adjourns the cal
endars of both the Senate and
House of Representatives will be
practically clear of District of
Columbia business. This by no
means indicates that all needed
District legislation has been dis
patched by the local legislature.
There still (very stilD repose
many bills and resolutions which
represent vital needs and de-
mands of these voteless and un-
represented people Of the Dis
trict of Columbia.
Buttonholing, pleading and
petitioning will all have to be
done over again when Congress
returns next winter after So
journ with "the folks back home"
who really count most in the life
of a Congressman. A fine legis-
latlve program for the District
could be compiled from the
bills introduced which remain in
the conditioned and r-cooled
pigeonholes of the committees.
There has been some legisla-
tive activity at the White House
on District legislative measures.
The President has signed most
bills and resolutions sent to him.
But three vetoed bills stand out
conspicuously among the array
of approvals. The bill to provide
shorter week for District fire.
men was vetoed on the strength
of report from the District
Commissioners. The reasons
given were the excessive cost to
the District, which would create
a deficit, and the further fact
that the local firemen are as ad-
vantageously situated as to hours
as those employed in comparable
cities.
The bill authorizing the Com
mlssioners to settle claims against
the District was among those
vetoed. This was generally re-
garded as good measure, but
the objection of the President
was based on the failure of the
bill to place any limit on the
amount of such claims. 1t is ex-
pected that a modified bill will
be introduced to correct this ap-
parent oversight.
The third bill which met with
Executive disapproval was the
bill to prohibit the wholesalers
of beer in the District from ex-
tending credit to licensed retail
ers. The President objected to
this on the broad grounds that
such legislation might be ex-
tended in other lines of business.
Local civic interest has never
been very keen for this legisla-
ton, as it appeared to be too
much in line with the idea of the
Governments becoming a collec-
ton agency for the beer whole
Salers.
The local government has been
busy trying to get the play
grounds reorganized under the
hastily drawn plan enacted as a
part of the District appropriation
bill. The difficulty encountered
by the officials in trying to work
out the new setup is an eloquent
argument in favor of keeping
important legislation independ-
ent of appropriation bills.
The Board of Public Welfare,
with the approval of the Com
misSioners, has selected a new
director to succeed Elwood
Street, resigned. The Commits
sioners have appointed a new
superintendent of insurance and
new inspector of plumbing.
The Alcoholic Beverage Con-
troll Board has taken up pro-
posal to restrict and control
liquor advertising in the District.
A hearing was held on Thurs
day and considerable interest is
being shown in this advance step
of the commission