Evening star., 1939-04-25
Public Order Unit
OF Board Of Trade
Honors 0deII Smith
City Financing
Discussed at Meeting
For Veteran Choirmon

District officials and members Of
the Public Order Committee of the
Board OF Trade joined last night in
the Mayfiower Hotel to pay tribute
to Odell Seymour Smith for nearly
quarter Of a century of service as
committee chairman.
The committee meeting, attended
by more than so city leaders, though
In large part devoted to tributes
to Mr.. Smiths energetic work on
behalf Of civic improvements, was
given over to discussion of the pend
ing District appropriation bill. 1t
was agreed to ask for a larger sum
Tor the District Fire Department.
The bill calls for 2l5O.OOO during
the coming fiscal year, but the COM
mittee voted to request Congress to
increase the amount to 2,2O6 900,
which would bring the figure on a
par with the current appropriation.
FIRE Chief Porter as guest of the
committee. answered questions about
the department and suggested the
larger figure. 1t was pointed out
mat though the city population has
greatly increased. the fire depart.
ment Is on 1929 level when the
city had less than a half million
people. The pending bill would re-
duce the force by prohibiting re.
placements which, it was declared.
would destroy the efficiency" of the
department.
Tells of Equipment Needs.
A 5000 increase in the appronri-
alton for civil workers and equip
ment also was recommended. Chief
Porter told the group that consider
able new equipment was needed. and
particularly mentioned gas masks,
which he said were outmoded He
said number of the masks. bought
IN IVA, have become antiquated.
The committee called on Mai.
ernest w. Brown, superintendent of
pollce, to discuss his departments
proposed appropriation. but he
stated 1t did not seem the time to
ask TOR more money, because the
budget for next year was about the
same as the present one. He also
INDICATED that with the additional
20 men provided, there was no need
Tor more now.
Dr. James A. Nolan, director of
the Criminal Justice Association.
told the committee that crime of a
major nature had been greatly re-
duced during the last year. He
pointed out there were 2.70O fewer
cases last year as compared with
the previous IL months. This. he
said. was the result of speedy trials
and heavier penalties.
Colladay Lauds Smith.
Edward F. Colladay paid tribute
TO Mr.. Smith and recalled the
change in recent years of citizen
demands on Congress for appropria-
tlons for the District. Since Con-
gress has greatly curtailed the
FEDERAL payment TO city support, he
SAID, local taxpayers have become
more conscious as to the part their
money plays in city financing. They
are less inclined now to ask Congress
Tor money for local government,
realizing that they have to pay for
what they get. he pointed out.
Engineer Commissioner David
McCoach, jr., lauded Mr.. Smiths
work with the committee and briefly
discussed local affairs. Another
guest, Judge Stedman Prescott OF
the Circuit Court at Rockville, Nd.
also spoke highly of the committee
chairman. as did Charles Bates. q
committee member.
Justice Bolitha j. Laws of the
United States District Court for the
District Of Columbia gave a 20-min-
ute talk on the duty of a citizen as
a Juryman. He showed that though
judges and the courts are charged
with giving justice to all it is really
the Juryman vino must make the
final dispensation of justice. JUS
tlce Laws called on the business
and civic leaders to give public aid
oy sitting on juries. Intelligent
Juries. he said, are the surest way
to approach complete justice. He
lauded a number of prominent men
who, he said, are sacrificing their
own business to sit on q Jury in
court now.