Evening star., 1947-07-28
eRuIeUnit
Calls Meeting
For Tomorrow
AuchincIoss Terms
Transition Period
A Major Problem
By Harold B. Roaers

tiAiOio ~ N0SSIS
Chairman Auchincloss of the
House District Subcommittee on
Home Rule and Reorganization
of the city government an
today he will meet with
associates at 2 pm. tomorrow to
chart the committees program
for this summer.
A bill is to be drafted some time
before the next session of Congress
in January, Mr.. Auchincloss said, to
propose some form of self-govern-
ment for the District. One of the big
problems. he indicated, will be how
to provide for the transition from
the present commission form of gov
ernment here to whatever the new
regime shall be.
To make the transition smooth, he
feels, may be somewhat difficult, es-
peciauy since this community for
many years has been without any
form of suffrage.
Dthu " Htttnu hcttlus.
One of the first things to be con-
Mr.. Auchincloss suggested,
is some reorganization of the city
government so it could operate more
if it should be shifted
from it's control under three COM
to what probably would
be an elected council.
Mr.. Auchincloss said the session
tomorrow will study the proposals
advanced during a long series of
hearings, which closed last Friday.
In the meeting tomorrow will be Mr..
Auchincloss, Representative Deane,
Democrat of North Carolina, the
ranking minority member of the
committee, who has taken an active
part in the hearings, and DR.. George
Galloway and Clarence Pierce of the
subcommittee staff.
While emphasizing that the pro-
posed city charter would be incor-
porated in bill of his full subcom-
mittee, Mr.. Auchincloss said he per-
sonally now favors a general con-
solidation of the present complex
form of city government. The one
outstanding board which should be
kept separate, Mr.. Auchincloss said.
would be the Board of Education.
Much testimony to this effect had
been put into the record during the
hearings.
Points to Home Town.
The Board of Education might
even be elected, Mr.. Auchincloss
said. He pointed out that in his
home community in New Jersey, the
school board Is not only elected but
fixes its own budget. This budget Is
approved by vote of the people, he
explained, and it's inclusion into the
city budget is made mandatory.
During the summer. advice will be
sought from about 200 schools and
colleges on the proposed Govern
ment plan. An illustrated pamph-
let is being mailed out to the COL
leges, Mr.. Auchincloss said, with re-
quests 1OT SuBSeStlOilS.
At the present. Mr.. Auchincloss
says, the committee seems to favor
an elected city council form of gov
ernment, with city manager to be
appointed by the council This pro-
posal has been widely discussed, with
considerable favorable sentiment.
Perhaps there also should be an
elected prosecuting attorney, Mr..
Auchincloss said.
Meanwhile, the failure of the
Senate to, take any action on plans
for District home rule drew strong
criticism from Wilbur S. Finch,
president of the District central
suffrage committee.
"Keenly Disappointed"
Mr.. Finch, who also is chairman
of the committee on national and
local self-government for Washing
ton. said the groups he represented
were 'keenly disappointed" because
none of the bills for home rule
reached the Senate floor.
'The McCarran bill providing for
the establishment of a Federal city
charter commission was introduced
in the Senate several months ago.
but was constantly by-passed," he
eaid.
"Just before adjournment the bill
received enough support from the
Senate judiciary Committee to be
placed on the unanimous consent
yet the objection of one
member (Senator Revercomb. Re-
publican. of West Virginia) halted
action on It,"
Objects to One-Man Veto.
Mr.. Finch pointed out he was
not objecting to opposition to the
bill, but to the fact that one men,
ber of the Senate could block action
on measure affecting the entire
of the city.
I'VE believe Senate procedures
which allow one person to stop
action on measures affecting an un-
city to be an undemo-
cratic way of doing things" he said.