Evening star., 1941-03-28
State Senate
Faces Fight on
Court Measure
Opponents Threaten
To Talk Bill to
Death at Annapolis
By tte Associated Press.

tough tactical problems-when t
give the Senate its proposal Il
"streamline" the Court of Appeal
and how to marshal the 18 votes t.
pass it.
They are problems taking or
emergency aspects on this third
from the-last Gay of the session, TO,
Senator Dudley G. Roe, majorit,
floor leader, is one of the announced
opponents to this piece of Gov
O'Conor'S must" legislation.
The bill to make the Appeals Cour
siX-jurist body doink only appellat,
work bears an 8-to-5 favorable re-
port from the Senate's Judicial Pro
ceedings Committee, but the report
has not been submitted on the Sen
ate floor.
Opponents claim to have 10 de-
bate-wise Senators lined against the
bill, and are said to plan to talk ii
to death if it is launched on jour-
ney through the Senate. 1t woulc
need 18 votes since it requires con-
stitutional amendment. and it still
would have to face the House.
II Bills Are Passed.
The Senate yesterday ground
through II House bills, sending them
to Gov. OConor.
One OF the major bills was the
House measure to increase benefits
under the unemployment compensa-
tion law and to reduce the waiting
time before benefits are paid to the
jobless. 1t was an administration
''blue ribbon" bill.
Another would make the penalty
for gross negligence in man.
slaughter by an automobile or other
vehicle maximum of three years
imprisonment, $1,000 fine, or both.
Facing the Senate today-besides
possible action on the Court of Ap-
FealS-is consideration of an un-
favorable report on a proposed State
Labor Relations Board. 1t is a
special order.
Last night the Senate passed by
22-to-5 vote and sent to the House
the bill authorizing the State Roads
Commission to buy the Claiborne
Annapolis ferry, and eventually to
reduce ferry rates.
Coneurs in Road Amendments.
The Senate concurred in House
amendments to bill for Roads
Commission bond issue to build a
new Baltimore washington motor
way. Costing about s3O,OOO.OOO. the
highway would be privately
financed toll road, and would revert
to the State after about 80 years.
The Senate gave the lower cham
Der these important bills to consider:
To put penal institution employees
under the merit system.
To direct the Board of Public
Works to apply excess receipts" to-
ward cutting the States indebted
ness to permit reductions in the real
estate tax.
Most of the Houses time last night
was taken up with the annual pres
entation ceremonies, with gifts 60
ing to chairmen of the major COM
mitteeS, the floor leaders and the
Speaker. The House then convened
for a brief session to clear up its
third reading file by passing 46
measures of local or minor nature.
"Sit-DOwn" Strike Bill.
One, however, was a Senate bill
aimed at "sit-doWn" strikes. The
measure would make it illegal for
employees to remain on an employ
er's property after being given no
tice to leave, and would make them
responsible for financial loss suf-
fered by the employer. 1t was intro
duced by Senator Clifford Friend,
Republican, of Garrett.
The afternoon saw John S. White,
Democrat, of Prince Georges re-
assert the power of his majority
floor leadership by calling back the
State anti-sabotage bill and per-
suading the House to remove an
amendment which would entitle
striking workers to enter restricted
areas around factories involved in
the national defense program.
Beginning with a surprise maneu-
yer at what apparently was recess
time, Mr.. White won a two-hour
fight that brought the majority back
to his opinion, after his unSucceSs-
full pleading on the same measure
Wednesday.
1t was a personal victory for MI
Whlte-he beSted Delegate E. Brooke
Lee, Democrat, of Montgomery, who
beat Mr.. White on the amendment
Wednesday night.
Deleted by Voice Vote.
Mr.. Lee, making an urgent plea fol
"unity in national defense" lost his
argument against taking something
away from labor" when the lower
chamber voted, 60-53, to reconsider
the bill and then deleted the amend.
ment by voice vote.
The measure now goes to the Sen
ate for concurrence in the amend
mentS.
The House fare-up over this bill
came on a day when Senator Cecil
c. Squier, Democrat, of Cecil an
1lOullOCu llC WOUlu SCCh d l6lGl elluuil
on the bill to ban fireworks.
BY obtaining 10000 names on a
petition, Mr.. Squier could block en-
forcement of the bill until December
8, l942-making it imperative for
the next two Fourths of July. The
Senate passed the measure with Mr.
Squier the only dissenting voter.
On the other hand, clear sailing
was indicated for the administra-
tons unified conservation plan when
associates of DR.. H. C. Byrd, Univer-
sity of Maryland president, said he
would abandon his fight against the
bill. Other reports, however, indi-
Gated he would oppose the bill when
the House acts on it. The Senate
by 16-to-10 vote, adopted a favor
able report on the proposal.
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