Evening star., 1946-07-28
Major D. {. Bills
RaceC|ock in
Dying Congress
Senute Schedules
Consent Calendar
Call Tomorrow
By Don S. Worren

LaSt-chance" efforts to push
number of important District mea-
sures through the dying 10th Con-
gress will be made early this week.
Among items involved are a stop
gap Federal building program in
cluding the planning of $12,720, 900
District Courthouse; liberalization
of the District teacher retirement
system; completion of legislative
action on stronger controls over
communicable diseases; and pro-
vision of three more judges for Mu-
nicipal Court, to prevent bad log
Jam in its docket.
The consent calendar of the SEN
ate, where most of the bills cur
rently are posted. is to be called to-
morrow, if present plans carry. A
number of the District bills on that
list are expected to be approved.
Passage there would boost their
chances of enactment before the in
tended adjournment Friday.
House Balks at Action.
Those bills still awaiting House
action are in danger, however, for
the House is in a more determined
golng-home mood, and Republican
leaders yesterday began objecting to
any bill that had not been reported
by appropriate committees.
In addition, prospects grew slim
mer that there would be a quorum
of House members present Friday,
suggesting the death at this session
of any measure to which a single
House member voiced objection.
Proponents of the increase in the
membership of the Municipal Court
bench refused last night to give up.
Chief Judge George P. Barse yes
terday said he could not understand
why anyone would want to block
the measure or how it could be
called controversial Not only are
the proposed three additional judges
badly needed to prevent the docket
from falling far behind current busi-
ness, but approval of the bill would
not increase District financial wor-
r1es since the court produces three
times the amount of its operation
costs. he said.
When House Minority Leader
Martin yesterday began to insist on
formal hearings on bills before they
were called up for House approval,
Acting Chairman Healy of the
House District Committee was about
ready to abandon hope for the
judges bill. He was willing to call
a hearing for tomorrow, but Repre-
sentative Dirksen. Republican, of
Illinois is reported to have suggested
1t would be useless at this session.
This situation may change, how
ever, if the bill is passed tomorrow
by the Senate and sent. to the House
for action.
Building Bill Sidetracked.
Representative Lanham, Democrat.
of Texas, chairman of the House
Public Building and Grounds Com
mittee, waited in vain yesterday for
a chance to bring up the building
bill for House action. He said he
would try again tomorrow.
The bill provides for details for the
site, financial arrangements and the
drafting plans for the new District
courthouse space, and carries au-
thority for new General Account
ing Office Building, a film storage
and another Federal Office building
in the metropolitan area.
The bill also authorizes some S3O.-
100000 for sites and plans for ur-
gently needed Federal building prof.
ects throughout the country.
Before adjournment, Congress is
expected to complete actions on the
communicable disease bill, giving
new powers to the District govern
ment to compel recalcitrant patients
to take treatment or accept quar-
antine. The measure, as adopted
by the House, has been favorablv
reported by the Senate District Com
mittee and is on the calendar for
action
Deputies Due Approval.
Senate approval also is expected
to be given this week to the House
bill providing for the employment
OF three additional deputies for the
District register of wills.
At the call of Acting District
Chairman Healy, the House passed
and sent to the White House the
Senate bill to close the Office of
the Recorder of Deeds on SATURDAYS.
1t also passed a bill for the paw
ment of salaries of employees of the
District Child Day Care Centers who
worked without funds from June 30
to July 1S, awaiting anticipated
passage of the then pending legis-
lation making the centers the official
obligation of the District government
for the next year.
The House yesterday held over
bills authorizing the flash method
OF pasteurization of milk, recon-
mended by the District Health De-
partment, the United States Public
Health Service, the Budget Bureau
and the District Commissioners: and
the bill to permit the reappointment
OF members of the District jury
Commission without the present re-
quirements of three-year gap be-
tween terms of Commission mem