Evening star., 1948-07-10

Grand Jury Suggests
Alcoholic Clinics ond
Sitter Penalties
Alexandrians today had promises
that steps would be taken IS
promptly as possible to carry out
most recommendations for civic i'm
provements made by q Corporation
Court grand jury yesterday.
City Councilman R.,s Samuel
Luckett said he would be willing to
sponsor an amendment to q city
ordinance to provide for commit
ment of drunks to clinics, as urged
by the jury.
City Attorney Joseph N. Pancoast
said he favored amending the law
80 that when the judge believes a
person Is an alcoholic, he can be
put on probation if he agrees to
submit to clinic treatment. II hs
fails to meet terms Of his proba-
ton, however, \ jail sentence would
be imposed.
Sitter Penalties Urged.
In addition to recommending clin.
ical treatment of drunks, the grand
jury also called for sitter penalties.
citing arrest records which show
that the 20 persons were arrested
344 times for drunkenness, vagrancy
and lettering in the last two years.
Most of the arrests occurred near
the 400 block of King street. An
establishment in this block, however.
which police say was the scene of
many of the arrests, lost its beer and
wine license July 1.
Armistead Boothe, Alexandria's
delegate to the Virginia General
Assembly, said he would INTRODUCES
legislation at the next Assembly
session to permit establishment OF
q police trial board in Alexandria.
This was another recommendation
Of the jury.
The jury suggested that the board
include a member of the bar,
member OF the police force and an
other citizen.
Kooming House Inspector.
Another suggested amendment to
the city code which Mr.. Luckett
said he would be willing to bring
up at a council meeting, would per-
nit inspection OF rooming houses In
the same manner that hotels and
restaurants are examined. The jury's
report cited rooming house st
the northeast corner Of Henry and
Oronoco streets where number OF
colored families are said to be housed
without proper sanitary facilities.
Asked about the final recommend
alton Of the report which called
for more strict enforcement OF the
code covering scavenger service, Mr..
Pancoast said he was not aware
that fee collections were in arrears
to the extent claimed by the jury.
He said he assumed he would be
supplied with an exhibit referred to
in the jury's report which indicates
that 90 housing units have failed
to connect to sanitary sewers In
violation of city statutes. The city
attorney declared that whenever
such instances are brought to his
attention by health authorities.
owners are required to hook up to
city sewers.
One OF the iu1y's recommends
tions asked that. immediate action
be started to eliminate the living
in garages and similar structures
such as exists in the garages at
526 and 528 North Alfred street"
Mr.. Pancoast said probably the only
way persons could be prevented
from living in these places would
be to oust them for maintaining
houses without sanitary facilities.
Retirement Plan Asked.
Another item in the report which
called for q police and firemeD's
retirement plan already is being
worked out by City Councilman Ev-
erett A. Hellmuth, who has been
engaged for year in studying .
pension plan for all city employees.
Col. Helmuth said he felt it would
be more equitable to adopt pension
plan that covered all city employees.
He pointed out that only recently
department heads had been required
to give him employment records.
ages and other data on all city
workers.
The main problem. he said, il to
determine how to finance the pen
sions of persons who now are about
to retire. He felt sure, however,
pension plan would be worked out