Evening star., 1940-06-08
Bills Would Bar
Aliens in Dentistry
And Podiatry in D. {.
Measures Pass House
And Go to Senate With
Committee Changes

To practice dentistry or podiatry
in the District hereafter, applicants
for licenses must be citizens of the
United States or must hasten to
declare their intention of becoming
citizens, if Congress approves terms
of the bills to regulate the pro-
fessions now awaiting Senate action.
The measures already have been
passed by the House and were re-
ported favorably yesterday by the
Senate District Committee, with
some amendments.
The bills as passed by the House
provided that such licenses may
not be granted unless the applicants
were citizens. The Senate District
Committee modified this somewhat
to provide that the applicants must
be citizens or must have declared
their intentions by the time the
bills became law.
Alien Number Seen Small.
Whether there are any alien den-
lists or podiatrists now in licensed
practice here remained uncertain
last night although DR.. Harold
Hertford, president of the Board of
Dental Examiners, said if there were
any alien dentists here the number
no doubt would be very small.
DR.. Hertford said the provision
was not inspired in any way by the
current American preparedness
drive, or anxiety over the war, since
members of the District Dental So
ciety began drafting the pending
measure two or three years ago.
I'VE dentists simply believe it
would be better for Washington pa
tients if dentists who wish to prac-
tice here were required to be citi-
zens of the United States. he said.
1T would tend to prevent aliens
from coming here, practicing for a
time, then going back to their ma
tive lands or elsewhere. Perma-
nence of residence tends to stimu-
late the dentist to do better work,
having to face his customers who
may have complaints"
District officials were hoping today
the Senate would act next week on
the Is bills reported favorably YES
terday, particularly those to liber-
alize the District Unemployment
Compensation Act. to permit
s2,O0O,O0O to $4,000 1000 saving in the
Districts P. w. A. charges bv a
lowering of the per cent interest
on the loans, and to authorize the
Commissioners to obtain a $3.50. 900
P. w. A. advance for construction
of separate building to house the
Office of the Recorder of Deeds.
Unrelated Rider Attached.
While Senator Tydings, Democrat,
of Maryland succeeded yesterday in
attaching rider" to the unemploy-
ment compensation bill which would
require further House action on this
measure. House sponsors of the bill
were not particularly worried. The
rider" would exempt farm co-opera-
tives from the District income tax
law, similar to exemptions now
granted under the Federal law
Chairman King of the Senate Dis
trict Committee and Corporation
Counsel Elwood H. Seal urged Sena-
tor Tydings to seek other means of
fostering his bill, but the Marylander
was adamant. Representative Nc
Gehee, chairman of the Judiciary
Subcommittee of the House District
Committee, last night planned to
plead with Senator Tydings to with
draw the rider" However, he said,
if the amendment is accepted by the
House it would in nowise affect
operation of the unemployment
compensation law.