Evening star., 1941-04-01
Maryland Assembly
Ends After PASSING
Record Mass Of Bills
Most of O'Conor's Must
Program Is Approved;
Defense Fund Voted
By the Associated Press.

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ANNAPOLIS, April MARY
lands 1941 General Assembly sang
a weary swan song at 7:l9 am.
today,
The Senate signed of at that
moment, ending l9-hour session
that witnessed both houses slam
ming through 240 bills to the Gov
ernor, a fight on the House floor
and success for all but seven OF
the administration bills.
Debate over a judges pension
bill-with the upper chamber finally
also agreeing to a House-approved
conference committee report for a
s3,000-a-year compromise on the
measure-tied up the Senate for
hours.
But long before that, Gov. O'Con-
ors hopes for an adjournment by
the constitutional deadline-mid-
night last night-had been blasted.
910 Out of LAO Bills Pass.
The House quit at $50 am. in
burst of back-slapping and Aud
Lang Syne" after holding on for
three hours in the possibility the
Senate might refer measure to 1t
for amendment or other action.
The legislators, weary and with
frayed nerves bringing a sudden
outburst against a news photogra-
pher, passed most OF Gov. OConorS
must bills" but put the death fin
ger on his proposals to "streamline"
the Court of Appeals and to over
haul the tax collection structure.
Out of the confusion OF the early
morning hours came this picture OF
the 1941 accomplishments.
A total of ,440 billS-an all-time
record-poured into legislative hop
pers, with about 910 of them win
ming through both houses. The 24o
passed in the final day represented
almost IS per cent of the total.
But this Legislature failed OF
rnuch-advertised idyllic goal-to ad-
journ on time. The hopeful predic-
ton had been for an end by pm.
Monday night. That turned into
an April Fools Day joke.
Jai Alai Licensed.
IT surrendered, too, to the Balti-
more City grand jury an investiga-
ton of an alleged "shakedown" for
money to kill liquor licenses legis-
lation.
On this final day of turning out
bills in grist-mil fashion the Leg
islature
Authorized purchase of Claiborne
Annapolis Ferry, to be operated by
the State Roads Commission, and
voted for licensing of jai alai, a
BASQUE version of handbaN, in
Montgomery County, together with
pari-mutuel betting on it. The jail
alai bill is subject to referendum:
In defense matters the Assem-
bly,
Authorized an s11,0O0,OOO Roads
Commission bond issue, with $5,000,-
900 to be used for defense roads
and bridges; gave housing authori-
ties permission to build homes for
defense" workers; legalized the
Maryland Council of Defense; voted
to suspend civil proceedings against
persons in military service and to
let drafted employees keep their
merit service rating.
JobIess Fund Liberalized.
On employment questions it lib
eralized unemployment compensa-
tion benefits and cut the waiting
time for payments and clarified the
law: separated the State accident
fund for workmen's insurance
company from the Industrial
Accident Commission, and placed
certain employees of penal 1nstitu-
tions as well as the attorney gen
eral and his departmental employees
under the. merit system.
1t also increased the maximum
pension for retired judges to $4,000,
graduated downward for lesser years
of service, and regulated both sale
In Maryland and shipment into the
State of prison made goods.
Roads came in for attention be-
sides the $l1, ,000, 900 bond issue and
a ferry. Other legislation gave the
commission broader powers to &C
ouire rights of way for roads, to
establish "freeways" and parkways,
and to license roadside billboards
for highway Identification.
New Race Track Tax.
In more or less strictly financial
matters, the Legislature added $780,
900 to a $2117,O00 bond issue to re-
build the academy at Princess Anne
razed by fire; taxed half-mile race
tracks 2 per cent on bets exceeding
s5o0,O00 to help finance equalization
of colored and white teachers pay;
cut the motor vehicle titling tax
roughly in half, and voted to have
all excess receipts above $2,000,00C
applied toward reducing the States
Indebtedness and the real estate tax