Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-03-29
Charter Group
Will Seek Veto
|0f Bond Issue
Charge Foes Plan
To Use 5 Million
Fund in Election

The Montgomery County Charter
Committee will ask Gov. O'Conor
to veto the $5,000,O00 Montgomery
County bond authorization bill re-
Gently passed by the Maryland As
sembly on the ground that the
county machine hopes to use the
funds to defeat the charter move
ment in the next election, it was
disclosed today.
Veto of the home rule" bill also
will be asked on the grounds that it
is poor substitute for a charter
government and will confuse the
taxpayers, and of the Park and
Planning Commission bill on the
grounds that it increases the power
of an agency which is not response
BILE to the people.
At a meeting in the Chevy Chase
Woman's Club last night the Char
ter Committee decided to make
preparations for the election in 1916
of a charter board to draft a char
ter responsive to the will of the
people" for submission to the vot-
ers in 1943.
Four Proposals Considered.
Reviewing the county legislation,
Frederic P. Lee said the County
Postwar Planning Committee had
considered four major proposals for
fundamental changes in the county
Recommendations rule, civil service.
county manager and nonpartisan
elections.
The "home rule" bill as finally
amended, Mr.. Lee said, is nothing
more than joke. 1t does not bring
the making of legislation back to
Rockville where it belongs, but
merely extends the commissioner
ordinance making powers from the
suburban districts to the entire
county, he said.
The civil service bill Is only a
faltering step" in the right direc-
ton, he declared; the county mana
ger proposal has been eliminated
and an innocuous county supervisor
substituted; and the nonpartisan
ballot idea killed in the committee.
In the place of these proposed
reforms the county got 10 new Jobs
and salary increases totaling SOS 900
annually in addition to the pot" of
SIS, 600, 000-a tidy little backlog for
the machine to use in fighting the
charter In the next election" Mr..
Lee declared.
Dean James j. Hayden described
the legislation creating a county
supervisor as an "unholy tumble of
contradictions. In one paragraph
the supervisor is made the master.
Dean Hayden said, and in the next
he Is referred to as the servant.
Civil Service Bill Criticized.
Mrs. Dean Dinwoodey spoke in
opposition to the civil service bill.
saying that it met only one of seven
requirements of good civil serv-
ice bill, that of providing for ex-
aminations.
James v. Bennett explained the
functions of the Park and Planning
Commission bill which enlarges the
powers of the commission and in
creases the salaries Of its Mont
gomery County members.
Lewis B. Sims said IL per cent of
the total revenue of the county goes
for interest on debt. 1.-The debt ad-
ministration in Montgomery Coun-
ty is not satisfactory and has not
been for many years." he declared.
A basic tax rate of SITS would be
required to pay off bonded indebt-
edness which falls due this year, he
said.
New officers of the County Char
ter Committee were announced as
follows: Allen Gardner, president:
Mrs. Vestus Wilcox and Dean Hay
den, vice presidents; Mrs. Maybelle
PICKLE, secretary: Evarts ]. Wagg,
treasurer; Mrs. James ". Bennett.
finance chairman; Mrs. Marquis
Childs, education and publicity:
Mrs. Miner Hostetler, field division;
James C. Rogers, legal, and John
Willmott research