Evening star., 1948-05-12
Parking Garage
Bill Approved
BySenate Group
Subcommittee Also
Fuvors Insurance.
Investment Plan
By Harold B. Rogers


A bill to relieve growing traffic
congestion here by construction OF
parking garages on city-owned
property was approved and sent to
the Senate District Committee to-
day by a subcommittee headed by
Senator Buck of Delaware.
The measure would amend the
1912 District Motor Vehicle Parking
Facility Act. It would extend from
the present five years to so years
the length OF leases granted by the
Commissioners to private operators
of parking lots owned by the city.
1t would require such operators
to erect parking structures and
would guarantee not only fair re-
turn on investment but sufficient
income to amortize cost OF the
buildings within so years at the
most The structures would become
District property at the end Of the
lease.
Buck Praises Measure.
Praising the measure, Senator
Buck, who is also District Commit
tee chairman, said the bill was
we'll thought out, appropriate and
timely" He said the traffic con-
gestion was bad and no doubt would
get worse.
The bill will 60 before the full
Senate committee sometime next
week, he said.
Need for the measure was ex-
planned by Irving Bryan, assistant
corporation counsel: George Ke-
neipp, director of traff1c. and P. Y.
K. Howatt, head Of the parking IA
cility.
An identical bill is pending be-
fore the Beall subcommittee OF the
House District Committee.
Insurance Bill Approved.
The Buck subcommittee also ap-
proved a bill to permit insurance
companies organized here to invest
in obligations of the International
Bank for Reconstruction and De-
velopment.
The bill was recommended by Eu-
gene Black, United States executive
director for the World Bank; Miss
Virginia Morsey, attorney for the
bank; Thomas J. Lynch, general
counsel of the Treasury Department,
and Mr. Bryan.
Mr.. Bryan pointed to the two
pending bills amending the same
District Insurance Act, recommend
ing that they should be made to
conform in whatever particulars are
necessary.
The Buck subcommittee also ap-
proved bill to authorize both the
District and the United States Gov
ernments to establish lien on dam
ages collected by persons injured in
accidents and treated at Govern
ment hospitals such as Gallinger or
Freedmens
Government Can't Collect.
Mr. Bryan explained that private
hospitals already are able to collect
for the cost of care when patients
receive damages in accident cases
where another person was found re-
sponsible and paid such damages.
The District and the United States,
however. under present law, can not
establish liens against such damages.
On the House side of the Capitol,
the Simpson Subcommittee of the
House Committee considered several
pending measures but took no final
action. The committee had before
it a bill on the Insurance companies
investments in World Bank obliga-
tions, and heard from District Off
cials the same story presented by
Mr.. Bryan.
Testify on Measures.
Appearing in executive session on
these two bills were Albert F. Jordan,
District superintendent of insurance,
and Floyd Harrison, assistant cor
poration counsel. Mr.. Jordan pre-
dicted the problem presented by the
two insurance bills could easily be
worked out.
The Senate-passed bill on insur-
ance, sponsored by Senator Brewster,
Republican, of Maine. authorized the
insurance companies here to expand
their field of investments. 1t was
under consideration by the Simpson
Subcommittee, but no final action
was taken.
The Simpson Subcommittee also
considered a Senate-passed bill to
authorize banks and trust companies
here to invest in common trust
funds, and a House bill to authorize
small companies here to take out
group life insurance for their off,
cials and EMPLOYEES,