Evening star., 1939-11-28

city manager" he said. 1--WE want
a city council elected by the people.
We want a government with a city
manager selected by the city council.
I'VE must have unified authority
and unified control, and we can't
have that with Government hav-
ing several heads"
In discussing the suffrage question
generally, Col. Maddox said: 1T is
impossible for me to understand how
those who lived and paid taxes when
the charter of the City of Washing
ton was repealed, and the city wholly
and entirely taken from the citizens,
allowed themselves thus to be sold
into slavery-why they did not rise
as one man and refuse to pay taxes
to support Government which had
been taken wholly out of their con-
troll; and I believe that 1t is only by
such concerted action now that the
District will get a representative
Government, both Federal and civic"
The Columbia Heights group, he
said, is opposed to any increase in
the powers of the Commissioners
unless the people are granted the
right to choose the Commissioners
or council.
Mr.. Colman, while also present.
ing arguments for District suf-
frage, voiced opposition to the plan
to abolish the Department of We
hicles and Traffic as a separate
agency and the transfer of its en-
gineering work to the Engineer De-
partment and its license services to
the License Department. He also
urged that the Board of Tax APP
peals be continued but asked the
Commissioners to abolish the newly
created Board of Zoning Adjust
ment. He protested that the Board
of Zoning Adjustment had given
the residents to understand that
Its hands were tied" in some of its
decisions.
Administration Scattered.
Miss Goldberg, In arguing for Gre
alton Of department of labor, en-
phasized that the Districts various
labor laws now were administered
by scattered Government agencies
and that there is no present pro-
vision of an adequate wage collec-
ton machinery and no provisions
for research in this field.
She said administration of vari-
GUS laws now were scattered among
the District Unemployment Com
pensation Board, the Minimum
Wage Board, the Board of Educa-
ton, the Federal Security Admins
tration and the United States Com
pensation Commission.
Taking the stand on his own be-
half, Milton S. Kronheim, wholesale
liquor distributor, criticized both the
present and proposed methods Of
alcoholic beverage control and sub
mitted two plans of his own for re-
organization of this particular sec
ton of the District government.
Fav0rs Administrative Car.
His first and preferred proposal
would set up an administrative
czar" of the liquor business as an
executive working under the Board
OF Commissioners as the legislative
power.
His alternative suggestion was that
all power over the beverage busi-
ness now vested in the Commission
ers, such as the power to enact reg
ulations, etc, be transferred to the
present A. B. c. Board and the board
be given an administrative officer
with full executive powers. Under
this setup, he pointed out. the board
would serve as a legislative and ap-
pellate body with the executive Office
handling the administrative details.
Mr. Kronheim branded the pres
ent system as weak and devious"
said he preferred even this to the
Seal proposals.
William j. Bartle of the Stanton
Park Citizens Association objected
to an Independent board Of tax ap-
peals, criticized the proposed make
up of the suggested board of civil
service appeals. He suggested that
the latter board might be made up
OF two employers, two employees and
an outsider, possibly judge. He
also emphasized the need for local
suffrage.
Hits Traffic Police Merger.
A further attack on the abolition
of the Board of Tax Appeals was
made by Guy Timer of the Bloom
ingdale Civic Association. Mr.. Tin
ner also opposed merger of the Traf-
fic Department with the police,
transfer of the hospitals from the
Health to the Welfare Department
and the abolition of the A. B. C.
Board. He spoke for an independ-
ent assessor and urged the re-estab-
lishment of the peoples counsel
D. w. Springer, of the District
Institute Of Certified Public Ac-
countants, told the Commissioners