Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1946-06-15
New Efforts Expected
: To Get Senate Action
On Home Rule, Rents

Un Home Rule, Rents
Further efforts are expected to
be made in the Senate before Con-
gress adjourns to get action on the
one-year extension of District rent
control and the McCarran home
rule measure, both of which were
blocked yesterday afternoon.
Senator Mcmahon, Democrat, of
Connecticut, who objected to the
bill extending control over residen-
tlal rents in the District through
1947. said he wanted to wait and
see what happens to the national
price control BILL which involves
rent control elsewhere.
The home rule bill, which would
set up a seven member commission
to draft proposed city charter for
Washington, was objected to by
Senator Gordon, Republican, of
Oregon. Senator McCarran, Demo-
crat, of Nevada, author of the bill,
explained that while the long-range
objective Is to obtain congressional
action on the proposed charter and
its submission to local residents, the
pending measure does not provide |
for such referendum, nor bind |
Congress to any future action. He |
called the bill merely a preliminary
step.
Unanimous Consent Rule.
Senator Gordon explained, how
ever, that he was Directing at the
request of another Senator, who was
absent yesterday. Senator Gordon |
told reporters later that Senators |
Buck of Delaware and Revercomb of |
West Virginia, both members of the
Republican committee to study bills |
on the unanimous consent calendar,
had asked that the measure not
come up in their absence. The
Senate was working yesterday under
the unanimous consent rule, when
one objection is sufficient to post
pone action.
Senator McCarran said he would
try to get the Senate to take up the
charter bill some day before ad-
journment, when time can be al
totted Tor debate on 1t.
Majority Leader Barley appealed
to Senator Mcmahon to let the local
rent law extension pass, explaining
1t was separate from OPA. Senator
Mcmahon replied, however, that if
the OPA extension should be vetoed,
with no alternative action by Con-
gress, land We have no rent control
in the rest of the United States, why
should it be continued here?"
Favors Continuation.
Senator Mcmahon told reporters
later he favors continuation of rent
control and wanted a stronger OPA
bill than the Senate passed but felt
that the country as whole should
be treated fairly and equally.
Rent control was adopted in the
District first, because this was one
of the highest housing areas at the
start of war, Senator Mcmahon
explained.
To-day the situation in the Dis
trict is no tighter than in Hartford
Bridgeport or Kalamazoo, and if
there is to be no more rent control in
Kalamazoo, why should it be con-
tinued here?" the Connecticut Sena-
tor observed. /
The fate of OPA probably will be
settled, however, in time to afford
another chance to pass the local
rent law extension before Congress
adjourns.
Other Local Bills Passed.
Other local bills passed by the
Senate yesterday were:
To authorize the Federal Govern
ment to acquire property near Boil
Ing Field to eliminate hazards to
residents from flights. 1t goes to the
House for action.
To except property bequeathed to
the Red Cross from the District |
inheritance tax, which also goes to |
the House for action.
To standardize filing procedure
here in cases where children are /
adopted from outside the District. 1
The House likewise must pass on
this bill.
To provide for two heads of de-
partments of military science and
tactics in the public school system,
which also requires House action.
Coming Bill Referred Back.
On motion of Senator Tydings.
Democrat, of Maryland, another
District bill on the calendar, in
tended to prevent construction of an
apartment house at Sixteenth and
Shepherd streets N W., was referred
back to the Senate District Com
mittee.
Senator Tydings said he made the
request in view of recent decision
OF the Court of Appeals. This
decision upheld District Court in
ruling that the zoning Commission
had not been justified in rezoning
the area, placing it in class exclud-
ing apartment houses. Originally, in
1884, the commission had zoned it
as eligible for apartments.
When the District Court ruled
against residence owners in the
vicinity who were fighting the apart
ment house project, a bill was in
PRODUCED to have the National
Capital Park and Planning Com
missionS acquire the vacant lots
involved for park purposes. This was
the measure which was blocked