Evening star., 1945-02-25
District Suffrage
Report Possible
This Week
Commercial Rent
Control Proposals
To Get Hearing

Congressional committees this
week are scheduled to take action
on half-dozen district questions,
including suffrage, disqualification,
slum clearance and a District judge
ship.
Subcommittee No. of the House
Judiciary Committee is expected to
meet early in the week at the call
of Representative Celler, Democrat,
of New York, its chairman, to or
der favorable report on the Sum-
ners-Capper joint resolution en-
powering Congress to enfranchise
the District. If the subcommittee
arranges its meeting in time, the
proposed constitutional amendment
may be considered by the full Ju-
dietary Committee Thursday. At
least majority of the subcommit-
tee supports the proposal, Mr.. Gel
ler says.
Declaring District veterans of
this war feel rather strongly" on
the subject OF suffrage, Comdr. Lee
Pennington of the District Depart
ment of the American Legion in a
letter yesterday to Chairman Celler,
called for early passage of the reso-
luton.
Rent Hearing Due.
Public hearings on commercial
rent ceilings for the District will be
opened tomorrow before the Ma
tional Defense Subcommittee OF the
House District Committee.
The investigation was requested
by Chairman Randolph of the House
District Committee after he had
received complaints of rent goug-
ing" from tenants of various office
buildings in and near the downtown
business area. Some business firms
protested that they had been evicted
so that their quarters could be
leased at higher rentals.
The hearings will be conducted
by Representative Murphy, Demo-
rat. of Pennsylvania, the subcom-
mittee chairman. Other members of
the group are Representatives
Combs of Texas and Healy of Cali
fornia, Democrats, and Beall of
Maryland and LIE Fevre of New
York, Republicans.
To Study Hospital Center.
Tomorrow morning also a subcom-
mittee of the Senate Judiciary Com
mittee opens hearings on the slum
clearance and rehousing bill offered
by Senator McCarren, Democrat, of
Nevada. The hearings are expected
to continue Tuesday and Wednes-
day, under plans announced by Sem
ator McCarran, who heads the sub
committee.
Washington need of a modern
hospital center, to replace some of
the older and inadequate private
hospitals, will be considered at a
public hearing Tuesday morning
before Senate District subcom-
mittee headed by Senator Tydings,
Democrat. of Maryland. The group
will consider the bill of the Mary
land Senator to authorize a Federal
appropriation for a center operated
on self-sustaining basis by affilia-
ted nonprofit hospitals.
The nomination of Judge Nathan
r. Margold of Municipal Court to
be an associate justice of District
Court will be considered by Sem
ate Judiciary Subcommittee at pub
lie hearings beginning Tuesday
morning. The subcommittee is
headed by Chairman McCarran of
the Judiciary Committee, and in
cludes Senators Wheeler, Democrat,
of Montana, and Moore, Republican,
of Oklahoma.
Bar Group May Testify.
Those supporting the nomination
are expected to be heard first and
the lead will be taken by Senator
Chandler, Democrat, of Kentucky
Judiciary Committee member. The
opposition is expected to include
spokesmen for the District Bar As
sociation which recently voted 804
to 200, in a referendum, against
promotion of Judge Margold to the
District Court.
Tomorrow is District day in the
House. Mr.. Randolph plans to call
up bill to extend, for the duration
and six months, the present modi-
fication of the District Minimum
Wage law which permits women to
be employed more than eight hours
in one day and up to 81 hours a
week. The present wartime amend
ment will expire June 80. The Mn
imum Wage Board is authorized to
permit employers to assign women
workers to extra hours of duty, at
time and a half pay rates. when
such action is found essential to the
war effort.
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