Evening star., 1949-02-08
Daylight Time
Authority for
District Backed
Senate Unit OK's Bill
FenneII Nomination
For Judge Approved
By Don S. Worren

By Don S. Warren
Without a dissenting vote, the
Senate District Committee today
ordered a favorable report on the
McGrath bill giving the Commis-
sioners- power to establish day.
light-saving time each year with.
out further action by Congress.
The committee. also by unani.
nous vote. recommended conflr.
nation of the reappoiEtLient o.
Associate Juoge Aubrey B. Fen.
nell of Municipal Court. His frs
f1ve-year term expired last july
7 and since than. he has been serv.
ing under a recess appointment.
The authority for the city heads
to place the District or daylight
time in the summer months was
championed by Committee Chair.
man McGrath, who told mis- COL
leagues it seemed unnecessary fol
Congress to take time each veal
to authorize a one-year establish
ment of daylight saving.
He noted that this had been
done in the last two Congresses.
Unanimous Approval Is Surprise.
The unanimous approval of the
bill, however, came as a mild sur
prise since it was known that sew
eral committee members were
aware of the basic objection OF
farmers to daylight time.
Senator Johnston, Democrat. of
South Carolina, one of these,
made only one reservation, which
the committee accepted-that the
Commissioners be instructed to
confer with authorities in the ad-
Joining States to prevent conflicts
in the time school children must
go to their classes.
Senator Johnston said this was
done last year and that he imag-
ined the commissioners and
county authorities could solve this
difficulty over the imaginary
District boundary line.
Senator Frear. Democrat, OF
Delaware, said he was personally
for daylight time. but that as a
farmer he recognized the reactions
of farmers to it. He said he would
vote with the committee II the
vote was unanimous.
Acting expeditiously, the COM
mittee disposed of a number OF
organization matters in the space
of a half hour. One action was
to refer to the Fiscal Subcom-
mittee, headed by Senator Hunt.
Democrat, of Wyoming, bills pro-
posing pay raises for Washington
police. flremen and school teach
ers. Also it confirmed the deslg-
nation of the three members OF
the Fiscal: Subcommittee to be
eX-officioA members of the Senate
Appropriations Subcommittee on
the District. budget. In addition
to Chairman Hunt, these are Sen
ator Frear and Senator Schoep-
Eel, Republican, of Kansas.
Recommended by Bar.
Confirmation of Judge Fennell
WIS recommended after a dele
CATION from the District Bar AS
sociation lauded his ability and
service. The group included Wal
ter NJ. Bastian. chairman, and
Godfrey L. Munter. secretary OF
the bar association Committee on
Judicial Selection. Others were: {:
Lowry Coe. president of the bar
association; George Mcneil, past
PRESIDENT: Chief Judge George
Barse of Municipal Court: Charles
Fahy, former Solicitor General Of
the United States: Emory H. Bog
ley, j. Bond Smith and William
A. Gallagher, members of the bar.
Among other actions, Chair
man McGrath was authorized to
appoint members of the staff, and
assured Republican Senators they
would have minority clerk repre-
~entation.
Procedural Rules Adopted.
The committee also adopted a
brief set of procedural rules. One
of these puts the staff on notice
that no Investigations Of admins
trative bodies of the District shall
be undertaken without the ap-
proval of the committee chair
man.
The group voted to permit use
of proxies for committee and sub
committee sessions. when ap-
proved by the committee chair
man, but proxies are not to be
used to record a quorum. Five OF
the 13 members would constitute
a quorum for general business, but
the actual vote of seven members
is required to report a bill or ap-
Ivove a nomination.
1t was agreed also that all pro-
posed legislative measures shall be
referred by the chairman to a
subcommittee for action.
All proposed bills submitted by
sources other than the Commits