Evening star., 1941-01-24
Maryland May Make
Defense Council Part
OF State Setup
Gov. O'Conor Suggests
Plan Be Drafted
For Legislature

For Legislature
b. the Associated Press.
ANNAPOLIS, Jan. 24.-Gov
O'Conor has announced that he will
consider the possibilities of making
the Maryland Council of Defense
and Resources a formal part of the
State government.
He said, however, he intends to
keep 1t off the State pay roll and
expense accounts. 1t costs the State
nothing now.
He has suggested to council mem
bers, he explained, that they work
up legislation to be presented to
this session of the General As
sembly. Some other States already
have taken this step, he said.
The Governor was in Washington
Sunday. comforting with Governors
of nearly all the other States and
officials entrusted with rearming the
Nation. He said he and other Gov
ernors were given to understand
that the Federal Government ex-
pected to cooperate with the States
even more closely than in the past.
Points to Authority.
IF that's going to be the case"
Gov. O'Conor said, then believe
it might not be bad idea to make
our Defense Council an integral part
OF the State government, so it can
have all the authority it needs in
dealing with the Federal Govern
ment."
The Governor would not comment
on possibilities of a special session
OF the Legislature arising from de-
fense problems after this session is
concluded. But he did point out
that Maryland budgets set aside
enough money to pay the costs of a
special session If one is necessary.
In such a case the Legislature
could be convened at any time by
the Governors proclamation.
Senator Dudley G. Roe, Finance
Committee chairman, said provisions
to grant all penal institution en-
ployes merit system protection would
be written into the laws.
Mr.. Roe announced this decision
after Willis r. Jones, Department of
Correction director. told the COM
mittee that as the law now stands
every employe of penal institutions
could be dismissed to make way for
political jobholders."
Different View.
The Board of Correction, however,
he added. has dealt with employees
as if they were under the merit sys-
tenn.
Mr.. Jones view of the employees
status differs from that of State En-
ployment Commissioner Harry c.
Jones. The commissioner holds en-
ployes in the mems prisons at the
penitentiary and House of Correc-
tion are in the merit system, but
that workers at the Jessups Wom-
ems Prison are not.
A crowd of building and loan as
ISOLATION officials, headed by Repre-
sentative SasScer, yesterday jammed
the Finance Committee room to op.
pose tax on such associations. as
specified in the new income tax law
Mr.. Sasscer said the levy would
double the tax on unearned income
for thousands of low-income indi-
viduals.
Kimble Bill Highlight.
Highlighting a 2l-minute session
Of the Senate yesterday was meas
ure by Senator Robert B. Kimble,
Allegheny County Republican, which
would abolish judges pensions. In
a statement concerning the measure,
Mr.. Kimble argued:
'I do not subscribe to the theory
that, because a man happens to be
judge, he is better than any other
honest and respectable citizen"
In direct contradiction to testi-
mony given before the Senate Mi
litia Committee Wednesday, Maj.
Gen. Milton A. Rockford, Maryland
National Guard commander. in.
formed Gov. O'Conor he definitely
did not have fears" that the pro-
posed State Guard, a home defense
unit, would sppplant the National
Guard.
Favors Bill as Drawn.
He told Gov. O'Conor he favored
the State Guard bill as drawn On
Wednesday, Robert H. Archer, Bal
timore attorney and former National
Guard officer, told the committee
Gen. Reckord feared a political Or
ganization might develop from the
State Guard setup and that he had
proposed committee to protect the
National Guards interests in Wash
ington.
Gen. Reckord will testify before the
Militia Committee next Wednesday
on the Guard bill.
Motor Vehicle Commissioner w.
Lee Elgin voiced opposition yester-
day to proposal that a small tag,
which renews a permanent license
y,1ofo oo ct 1yoor ho icc,,od Of county,