Evening star., 1943-03-06
WASHINGTON D. c. SATURDAY MARCH g. 1913
Fish and Game
Bill Advanced
In Assembly
Merit System Plan on
Compensation Poy
Also Wins Approval
BY the Associated Press.


ANNAPOLIS, March g. Bills
creating new inland fish and game
code and providing for merit rat
ing system Of unemployment COM
pensation collections were a step
closer to possible enactment today
after the Maryland General AS
sem0ly sem had adjourned for the week
The State Senate by a 1912 vote
placed its stamp of approval on the
merit system bill at yesterdays ses-
sion, and then rejected move to
return the controversial measure to
the Finance Committee.
The action came on second read
ing. The bill will be placed on final
reading in the upper chamber next
week.
The bill a Legislative Council
measure introduced by Senate Pres
1dent Arthur H. Brice, would pro-
VIDE reductions in the unemploy-
ment compensation contribution
rates of employers whose workers
did not collect large sums from the
fund during the previous three
years.
Present contribution rate is a fiat
~ per cent of the payroll, but the
Dill would reduce this figure as low
as O.9 per cent for those EMPLOYERS
with the most favorable ratings.
Party lines were disregarded on
the vote by which the favorable
report of the Finance Committee
was adopted.
The principal opponents of the
bill were Senators L. Harold Sotho-
ron, Democrat, of Prince Georges
and Robert B. Kimble, Republican,
OF Allegany. while the rival floor
leaders, Senators James j. Lindsay
and Wilmer Fell Davis united to urge
adoption of the report.
After about an hours debate. a
motion by Mr.. Sothoron to recon-
init the bill to the Finance Commit
tee for further study was defeated
by an 1879 vote.
Mr.. Sothoron asserted that the
bill lis certainly going to scuttle'
the unemployment compensation
fund.
After the favorable report on the
bill had been adopted, Mr.. Lindsay
offered from the floor certain
amendments which he said had been
prepared with the approval Of the
Finance Committee by a subcom.
mittee comprised of Senators Joseph
M. George, Democrat, Of Queer
Annes, and Wilmer c. Carter, Demo
crat, Of Baltimore.
Mr.. George said the amendments
were designed to place every safe
guard in the bill against sudder
depletion of the fund.
Approves Fish and Game Bill.
The Senate gave its final ap.
proval to the fish and game bill
creating a new inland fish ane
game code entirely divorced from
the tidewater fish laws.
The measure had been up fol
f1nal passage week ago but wa.
delayed to allow minor amendments
to be made. ass ss@ s@
The bill now goes to the House
Of Delegates for consideration.
In all, the Senate received Is. new
measures and passed 6.
Two Of the new bills would:
Provide for division of the State
into forest conservation districts
and for cooperative land use
measures.
Reduce from 40 to IS the average
attendance in a school after which
the county Board of Education
would be entitled to employ new
teacher.
The House of Delegates adjourned
| for the week end after a routine ses-
sion in which it received 16 new bills
and passed none.
One Of Ghe new House measures
called for the creation of a 15-man
commission to study the problems OF
postwar work projects and employ.
ment. It bore administration sane
ton.
A plan to create a State fire in
surance fund and to provide fol
self-insurance by the State against
damage to free State property
caused by fire or windstorm was IN
troduced in the lower chamber.
Jury Bill Approved.
Speaker Thomas E. Conlon placed
| his stamp Of approval on the wom-
ems jury service bill yesterday
The meastlre, which was scheduled
for third reading in the House next
week, would permit women to serve
on juries on an equal basis with men
Women are justly entitled to the
privilege Of serving on juries and
they should be given it." the speaker