The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1939-01-19
CONSERVATION, AN OLD
LEGISLATIVE BUGABOO,
BOBS UP AT ANNAPOLIS
Maryland's Natural Resources
Becomes Number One Battle
Of Legislature

An old legislative ugaboo-conser-
vation-reared up on the General AS
sembly yesterday, temporarily over
shadowing the administrations high
speed efforts to get its reorganization
program under way.
Overnight, the problem of what to
do about Maryland's natural resources
became the prospective No. 1 battle of
the 1889 legislature.
Although working otherwise in APP
parent surface harmony, speeding
Gov. Herbert R. O'Conor's legislation
into the hoppers at machinegun speed,
blocs were forming rapidly in both
House and Senate to oppose the O'Con-
or plans for the Conservation Commits
sion.
AS secondary potential trouble-mak-
ers, administration proposals for reor-
ganizing the State Roads Commission,
the Labor Department and the Acct
dent Commission, popped up for atten-
ton.
Court Bill Is introduced
Principal reorganization bills intro
duced yesterday were aimed at revi5-
ion of the Justice of the Peace system
in Baltimore and the counties, involv-
ing creation of Peoples Courts. The
bills provide for a constitutional
amendment, which will be submitted to
the voters at the next election.
The Peoples Court proposals were
not a part of the recommendations
made by O'Conor's special reorganiza-
ton committee, but were in line with
proposals made by O'Conor during his
gubernatorial campaign.
Nineteen members of the House
joined in dropping conservation bill
into the hopper, well ahead of the plan
which the administration is whipping
into bill form Their measure has the
backing of wild life and sportsmen's
organizations.
Both bills, however, follow the same
general plan, requiring creation of a
seven-man unpaid Conservation Com
mission to work with and advise a
salaried director. The sportsmen's bill,
however, would have the advisory COM
mission name the director; the admin
istration measure would make the di-
rector gubernatorial appointee.
Bills Differ In Details
In the creation of subdivisions, too,
the bills differ in details, with the indie
pendent measure listing division OF
Education and Public Relations which
is not included in the administrators
proposal.
Conservationists and would-be con-
servationists were engaged in hot de-
bate by mid-afternoon, and the trend
of debate indicated that, for the first
time, the legislators were at odds on
such fundamentals of both plans as
the advisory committee.
Even leaders identified closely with
O'Conor's forces were apparently
swinging around to oppose a multi
member group, some preferring one
commissioner, others yielding to a
possible three-man advisory commits
sion.
The concensus seemed to be that it
would be difficult to find seven fully
qualified persons to serve without
salary.
O'Conor, meanwhile, said his recon-
mended conservation bill probably
would not be ready before the end Of
the week or early next week.
Seventeen Bills Are introduced
Yesterdays session duplicated Tues
day nights in unusual freedom from
legislative delay. In all II bills were
dropped into the House and Senate, 10
in the lower branch and seven in the
upper.
Both adjourned until noon today.
About two hours after the legis-
lators had scattered through the
Statehouse to organize committees,
Chairman j. Glenn Beall of the State
Roads Commission, accompanied by
commission auditor William A. Codd
and Thomas Jenifer, Special Assistant
Attorney General assigned to the com
mission, arrived for a conference with
the governor.
They presented a detailed sum-
mary of the commissions financial po-
sition, it's contract commitments, and
prospective commitments state
ment the governor demanded from the
roads unit last Sunday.
O'Conor said later he would have to
study the voluminous report and break
down the figures before making them