Evening star., 1939-06-11
By JESSE c. SUTER.


coming of the British King and
Queen should eclipse all of the
mere civic matters Of the last
week. Some one should have
taken the trouble to explain to
his Brittanic majesty, King
George VI, that the people in
this National Capital community
still suffer the same deprivation
of participation in the councils
of the Nation as the American
Colonists in the reign of King
George III. The voteleSs and
unrepresented people of the Dis
trlct, however, turned out and
We'd with their full-hedged Amer
lean brethren from the States in
welcoming these two fine young
people from across the water.
The District 1910 appropriation
bill passed the Senate on Mon
day and has been sent to con-
ference. The House confereeS
are the entire membership of the
District Appropriations Subcom-
mittee These are Chairman Col
Inns Of Mississippi and Repre-
sentatives Casey of Massachu-
Setts, Mahon of Texas, Stefan of
Nebraska and Case of South
Dakota. The bill carries an ap-
preparation Of $40 .522 .895 and in
creaSes the Federal lump-sum
payment to S7.750 000 The Senate
conferees were not named be-
cause Of the absence from the
city of Chairman Overton.
Tomorrow is District day in the
House and the revenue bill is
among the measures expected to
be considered. This bill was
reported favorably to the House
on Thursday, after an extended
executive session of the District
committee attended by 10 of the
81 members. The bill follows
largely the form in which it was
introduced. The chief difference
is the substitution of a modified
business privilege tax for the
proposed sales TAX.
A new feature is the inclusion
of provision fixing the Federal
lump-Sum payment at an amount
not to exceed s5,O0000O. This is
regarded as an attempt to kill
the increase of S275OOOO of the
lump sum made by the Senate
in the appropriation bill. AS
there will probably be only very
few members Of the House par
tlclpate in the consideration of
District legislation, little, if any,
opposition to the action of the
District Committee is anticipated.
The Senate District Committee
held tWo-hour session on We'd
nesday and voted to report favor
ably IA bills. A proposal of a
House bill to permit the Commis-
sioners, with the approval of the
National Capital Park and Plan
ming Commission, to sell District
property no longer required for
public purposes was turned down.
Among the more important of
the bills approved were the fol-
lowing: To permit condemna-
ton jurieS, in proceedings for
the opening of minor streets, to
assess benefits less than the
amount of damages and the Dis
trict to pay the difference; au-
thorizing the District to purchase
heat from the Government CEN
tral heating plant for the build
lngS in judiciary Square and the
Municipal Center; changing the
expiration date for automobile
registrations to March 81 so as
to coincide with those of Mary
land and Virginia; to authorize
the installation of additional
parking meters in the downtown
section and to put the ban on re-
tailers purchasing beer on credit.
Local Liquor Situation
Suggested for Study.
While the Senate District Com
mittee was on Wednesday con-
sidering the pending bill to pro-
hibit retailers from purchasing
beer on credit, the local liquor
situation came in for consider
able discussion. members of the
committee we're rather critical of
the generosity of the A. B. C.
Board in the granting of licenses.
One Senator expressed the opin-
ion that there were more of such
licensed places in the District of
Columbia, in proportion to the
population, than anywhere in the
country.
Senator King is quoted as say
ing that he would like to see the
House or Senate Committee, or
the board itself, give the matter
further study. Il don't know
who is on the board" remarked
another Senator, but they have
been overgenerous.
Organized citizens, especially
in the residential sections, have
been compiaining of this condi-
ton. They have been putting in
considerable time circulating Pc
titions of protest against the
granting of licenses, but their de-
sires have been. in many in
stances, ignored by the A. B. C.
Board.
Protests of the Board of Library
Trustees and the Poard of
Education against the granting
of licenses to applicants for
locations near schools, branch
libraries and the central library