Evening star., 1947-12-14
Home Rule Bill
Draft Expected
Before Recess
p. AuchincIoss Group
To Get Initial Version
From House Experts
By Don S. Worren

From House Experts
By Don S. Warren
The first draft of an omnibus bill
providing for an elected city gov
eminent for Washington is expected
to be placed. before the Auchincloss
subcommittee of the House District
Committee before the Christmas re-
cess.
Legislative experts of the House,
laboring for three months on the
necessarily long charter measure,
now are said to be nearing COM
pletion of their task.
Presentation of their first draft
to the Home Rule subcommittee,
headed by Representative Auchin-
Gloss, Republican, of New Jersey,
would set the stage for public hear
ings. These are scheduled to be held
early in the regular session of Con-
gress opening in January.
Plan Still Being Changed.
The plan as tentatively outlined
last month by the Auchincloss group,
however, still is undergoing changes.
A half dozen issues-one being the
control of the District library sys-
tem-were considered last week.
Several additional questions are to
be restudied at meetings this week.
Final decisions on numerous is
sues may be reserved until after the
public hearings but the subcommit-
tee is pointing all efforts towards
action by the House District Com
mittee reasonably early in the forth
coming regular congressional session.
Once the legislation is reported
from the District Committee. lead
ers will seek a rule for consideration
of the measure on the House floor
to prevent it from being dependent
upon the unanimous consent pro-
cedure customarily observed in the
handling of District bills.
Auchincloss subcommittee men,
bers say Speaker Martin has prom
ised TO lend his aid in finding time
for House consideration of the reor-
ganization plan.
To Consider Library Control.
Questions as to the future con-
troll of the Districts free public
library system yesterday were
definitely scheduled for considera-
ton at subcommittee hearings early
in the next session. The Auchincloss
subcommittee, at an executive ses-
sion last week, considered protests
by DR.. George F. Bowerman, retired
librarian of the system, that it
should not be placed under the pro-
posed elected Board of Public Edu-
cation. The subcommittee decided to
final Judgment until the
question can be discussed at the
hearings.
Subcommittee members drew from
Dr.. Bowerman's published statement
on the issue, staff members said,
that he found a*aseparate library
board or department Of libraries
under the direct supervision of the
city manager would be more de-
sirable than the plan originally sug-
gested by the subcommittee. The
latter proposal was that the elected
Board of Public Education have con-
troll over both the school and library
systems but with separate superin-
tendents for the two divisions. DIR.
Bowerman expressed fears that
library needs might be submerged in
consideration of the school program
under this suggested system.
In an addition to its original plan,
the subcommittee last week pro-
posed creation of a temporary board
of three umpires to apportion as
sets of facilities now used in District
service to the United States and by
the Federal Government in services
to the National Capital.
Separation of responsibilities.
Under the Auchincloss plan there
would be clear separation of Dis
trict and Federal responsibilities.
Any future services between the two
would be put on contractual basis.
To unscramble the values of facili-
ties now used jointly or on an ex-
change or cooperative basis, the
subcommittee proposes board con-
sisting of representative of the
federal budget bureau and a rep
resentative of the proposed city
manager. These two would select an
impartial third member, who would
be chairman.
Involved in this assets apportion-
ment, officials said, are such things
as the value of the District Armory,
if the National Guard is given a
national instead of a District status,
and of District park areas which
may be transferred from federal to
district status, or vice versa.
Reports on the findings Of the
umpire board, it was assumed, would
go to the city council, to the pro-
posed Joint District Committee of
Congress and to affected govern
mental agencies. Under this plan,
the values of District and Federal
assets 1nVOlVed IN the reOrganlZa-
tion would be charged off, one side
against the other. until a net debit
balance was revealed, this to be
accounted for in appropriations.
No Amendment Setup Change.
In other deliberations last week,
the subcommittee:
/. Decided to make no change in
its original plan for amendment of
the proposed District charter, once
it is enacted. This calls for adoption
by three-fourths majority of the
council and approval by. a majority
of voters in a referendum-all sub
ject to possible veto by either house
of Congress or the President. The
new organic act, the subcommittee
believes. should provide a sufficient
dividing line between what is a
charter amendment and what is
merely proposed legislation or city
ordinance.
2. Declined to change its original
broad outline of what subjects the
council should consider proper for
submission to the electorate in q