Evening star., 1946-01-06
North Virginia
|LegisIatorsPIan
Session 5 Work
| Many Issues Ready
| For Opening of
| Assembly Wednesday
BY ALEX. r. PRESTON.

ny ALEA. II. PRESTON.
A Northern Virginia delegation OF
II House of Delegates members and
five State Senators completed its
legislative agenda for Wednesdays
opening of the biennial session of
the General Assembly, oldest legis-
lative body in the United States.
In addition to a number of local
measures, the delegation will be
faced by Statewide controversial
issues, including proposals to revise
Circuit Court districts, abolish the
poll tax, revamp the Alcoholic Bev-
erage Control administration, to
levy a sales tax, and a general re-
vision of election laws.
Altogether, the session promises
to be lively. Gov. Darden will SUBJ
nit his budget recommendation
for the next two years Thursday
and later will deliver his farewell
address before Gov Elect Tuck,s
inauguration at joint session jan
uary 16.
Arlington Charter Planned.
Outstanding among measures to
be proposed for nearby communities
is a charter of incorporation for
Arlington County.
1t is possible that Arlington voters
will, by referendum, choose to be-
come Virginia's third largest city.
100 years after the territory was
retroceded to Virginia by the Fed
eral Government from the original
District of Columbia. In 1846 the
territory originally taken from Fair
fax County to complete Washing
tons 10 miles square" was given
back to Virginia to become Alex
andria County"
The proposed form of city gov
ernment for Arlingtonians will not
become known until after the Gem
eral Assembly is well under way.
probably by the middle of February.
A charter commission, after hear
ings, now is drafting a plan of city
rule, and after another hearing and
flnal drafting, the plan of incorpo-
ration will be presented to the local
legislative delegation for enact
ment
Boundary May Be Settled.
Also expected to be settled by
statute is the dispute between the
District of Columbia and Virginia.
concerning the District Virginia
boundary-an issue existing ever
since the territory was retroceded
to the State with consequent con-
f1lcts as to collection of taxes, pros
ecution of crimes and other prob
lens.
Congress already has set the
boundary at the existing high-water
mark of the Potomac River with
the National Airport established as
a Federal reservation in Virginia,
Vlrginia's ABC regulations prevail
but the United States has exempted
the airport from the States s.
cents-a-gallon tax on aviation gas
oline. Virginia now must ratify
the Federal agreement.
No official word has been received
that Virginia will rescind its 2
per cent gross receipts tax on out
of-State common and contract mo-
tor carriers.
Temporary Truce.
Temporarily, the District and
Virginia have signed truce" but
retallatory measures are to be dis
cussed here this week by represen-
tatives of five other States unless
Virginia alters her stand. The tax
was imposed at the 1912 session
and may be reinstated, retroactively,
on April l.
Nearby Virginia areas are par
tlcularly perturbed by a plan of q
special legislative committee on ad-
mlnlstratlon of justice to reduce
court circuits from IS to %.
| The plan would combine Airing.
J. ton and Alexandria into one circui,
{ and would throw at least zoe. .OOC
people under one judge. Arlington,
!, delegation, Senator William D
Medley and Delegates George Damn
and j. Maynard Magruder will on.
, pose the plan as applied to Airing.
ton, Alexandra and Fairfax. Fair.
, fax would, under the plan, be cu
from Alexandria and placed in /,
circuit with four other counties.
Opinion is divided in this are,
on the proposed sales tax but +;
business lobby is almost sure to Oh
pose the measure because of tn,
5 possible trade loss by interests il
: oorderline areas next to Jurisdiction
where no such tax is applied. Stat,
Senator Andrew w. Clarke, repre-
( sentlng Alexandria, Fairfax ant
= Prince William Counties, and Dele
gate Edwin w. Lynch, Fairfax. havl
: declared they will oppose a sales tax
= Delegate w. Selden Washington
Alexandria, has publicly committe,
/. himself on two health measures ant
a local city charter amendment.
: Supports Clarke Measures.
4 Along with Senator Clarke, he vii
: support measures to increase tuber
: cuiosls sanatoria appropriations an,
: also Tor cancer control The loca
measure is an amendment to author
lze Alexandria to compel propert,
owners to construct, repair ant
maintain sidewalks, curbs and gut
e ters.
Senator Clarke will seek the ais
OF other representatives in a Cit,
Council plan to have all municipa
elections held at the same time a!
. State and National elections, rather
than in midyear, as an econom,
measure. Such a step would be SLOW
> In coming because it requires 4
constitutional amendment.
Senator Clarke has defnitel,
: committed himself to support tht
Denny Commission school improve.
ment plan covering a 12-year period
and the following four-point pro.
gram for Fairfax County schools:
!, Higher teacher salaries; construc.
: ton of class rooms, cafeterias, gym.
:. nasiums and shops after a stud,
/ discloses the percentage of perma.
r nent population; improved enforce.
2 ment of compulsory school attend.
. ance, and extension of industrial
fine arts and science courses.
n Ia T.