Evening star., 1948-04-18
Daylight Saving,
D. +. Rent Bills
Near Final Vote
Fight on House Floor
Expected on Measure
To Set Clocks Ahead
By Harold B. Rooers

Congress may complete action this
week on bills to extend District
rent controls and to approve day
light saving time here.
The Senate-passed bill to extend
rent control to next March 81, has
been amended by a House District
subcommittee, but is expected to be
approved in some form by Congress
and sent to the White House.
Under the rent bill some proper
ties. heretofore under control of the
rent administrator, would be decon-
trolled. Affected would be new con-
Struction and housing accommoda-
tions created after March 81, 1948,
by conversion of buildings or facili-
ties or both not heretofore used for
housing accommodations"
Hotel Rooms Would Be Freed.
Also freed would be nonhousekeep-
ing, furnished housing with two pay
ing tenants not members of the
landlords family, and hotel rooms
used exclusively for transient oc-
cupancy."
The present District rent-control
act, which already has been extended
one month, will expire April 30.
The daylight saving measure, al
ready passed by the Senate, has been
favorably reported to the House
District Committee. A fight is eX-
pected on the floor Of the House,
however, led by opponents of day
light saving time.
Both the rent and daylight saw
ing bills will be considered by the
House District Committee at a spe-
cial session at $50 am. tomorrow
with prospects that they will be
fsvorably reported.
1t is hoped the measures will go
to the calendar tomorrow night.
If so, they could be called up for
debate and a vote when the House
reaches it's calendar Tuesday. But
District leaders may ask for a spe-
cial rule for more floor debate.
The daylight bill would authorize
the District Commissioners to estab-
lish daylight saving time beginning
next Sunday. There were reports
that efforts may be made to amend
the Senate bill. 1t would let the
Commissioners set the clocks ahead
each summer in the future.
Several other District measures
are slated for action on the House
side of the Capitol this week. If
sent to the House calendar by the
District Committee they could come
up for vote April 26, the next Dis
trict Day.
The Senate-approved measure to
exempt certain out-of-town concerns
from payment of the new business
franchise tax, probably will be
favorably reported by the Bates
fiscal subcommittee to the full
House District committee Tuesday.
Representative Bates. Republican,
Of Massachusetts, subcommittee
chairman, said he favored the
Senate version worked out after
Joint hearings by the House and
Senate District fiscal subcommittee.
Eight Measures Up Wednesday.
The business franchise tax bill will
he among eight District measures
TO be considered by the House Dis
trict Committee beginning at $50
am. Wednesday.
Seven of these will be brought up
for action prior to the most i'm
portant and final one on the sched-
ule which is the Auchincloss bill
for Home Rule and Reorganization
Of the District Government.
The others are the bills to
strengthen the sex offense laws: to
extend for one year the District S
program for day care of the chill
dren of working mothers; include
under authority of the Washington
Hospital Center bill private hos
pitals which did not join in the
center; regulate the practice of op-
tometry here; establish the new
Catholic archbishop of Washington
as a corporation for conduct of
church business, and increase the
board of trustees of the Protestant
Episcopal Foundation of the Dis
trict from IS to 80.
No congressional action will be
needed now on a controversial bill
for construction of Arizona avenue,
because the dispute between Dis
trict commissioners and the Office
Of National Capital Parks was set
tied last week. The parkway would
run from Canal road through the
Glover -Archbold park to Tenley
circlo n W.