Evening star., 1942-07-19

Essential District bills have beer
passed more expeditjouslv and WITH
less wrangling and more forethough1
than in manv years. This was made
possible partly because Of a policy
adopted by House Majority Leader
Mccormack of not delaying actor
on important District measures un-
til designated District days
Chairman McCarran of the Sen
ate District Committee and Chair
man Randolph Of the House District
Committee have co-operated II
speeding congressional action on the
more important measures. Senate
consideration of the major District
requirements has been expedited
through the services of Renah F
Camalier, counsel to the Senate Dis
trict Committee. The Commission
ers have co-operated fully with the
legislators, attending all important
committee sessions. Corporation
Counsel Richmond B. Keech has sat
with the committees as consultant
and has been called on to draft
most of the District legislation.
Hearings Start Tomorrow.
The Senate Committee will hold
hearings tomorrow on the one es-
sential emergency measure still
pending there-the revised blackout
bill, which would give the Commis-
sioners extraordinary powers to meet
any emergency, The measure gives
Government protection to volunteer
civilian defense workers and makes
provision for their medical care and
disqualification. 1t authorizes the
Commissioners to borrow second
million dollars from the Treasury
| for civilian defense. One-half Of
the sum is earmarked for protec-
ton of the water supply. Prompt
Senate action has been promised.
The House Committee on Public
Buildings and Grounds will resur.e
/ hearings Tuesday on the Downs bill
| to authorize use of part OF the
/ Capitol Grounds adjacent to Unior
| Station for erection of dornltOrle:
! for girl workers.
There are several measures which
/ Chairman Randolph hopes will serve
| as models for the rest of the coun'
| try. Among them are the blackoui
bill the District rent control amend
ment to encourage private citizens
to take in war workers, the bill TO
| high school aviation training and
the tire theft law.
| Agencies Co. ordinated.
The cooperation between Dis
/ trict officials and the lawmaker!
! also has resulted in program tt
! coordinate District agencies better
/ Two outstanding examples are the
/ merger Of the Police and Munici
| pal Courts and establishment of {
new recreation department.
The House District COMMITTEES
is to be pol}ed early this week or
three measures which Mr. Randolph
hopes the House will pass before
a recess is taken. The most i'm.
portant of these is the measure
! sponsored by Representative Nc.
/ Gehee, Democrat, of Mississippi, tt
grant relief to persons who have
! been forced to pay legalized black.
mail through system of tax GER
/ tificates issued when real estate
/ has been sold out" for delinquen
| taxes.
Mr.. McGehees measure propose
/ method by which the owner ma,
go into court and pay off his in
debtednesS with interest and again
get a clear title to his property
Representative Dirksen of Illinois
ranking Republican on the com
mittee who conducted hearings o.
this bill, has been contending tha
an entirely new system should b
adopted instead OF patchwork cor
rection of a bad law" but has con
sented in the emergency to go alon
on the McGehee bill.
The other two measures are Chair
man Randolph'S S bill to allow womel
workers at railway and bus termi
nails to work overtime during tn
war and bill urged by the Commits
sloners to permit a Jail sentence a
well as a fine for those convicte
of indecent exposure.
: Action Deferred.
Measures that have been conSid
cred in committee but on which ac
ton will be deferred for the Summe
include proposed reorganization {
the Welfare Board and a new hous
ing code. District authorities hay
been asked 10 submit drafts of re
vised legisla ton.
Another leftover bill proposes t
amend the District code on capita
punishment by substituting leths
gas for the electric chair The "a
American doctors bill is also hel
up. This requires American citizen
ship to obtain license to practlc
the healing arts. This has bee
vigorously opposed and an amend
ment has been suggested to requil
that the doctors must merely Al
application for citizenship. Actio
also has been deferred on the pre-
posal to reorganize the ONCE
coroner.
The largest single appropriate