Evening star., 1949-02-23
Citizens Protest
Paving Program
For Hyattsvi||e
Assembly Also Hears
Mount Rainier Dispute
On Town Boundary
BY J. l. MichoeI
Special Correspondent Of The Sfar


SpeeioI Correspondent Of The Sfar
ANNAPOLIS, Feb. 23.-Prince
Georges County delegates today
began a study of two problems put
before them by groups from Hy-
attsville, Mount Rainier and
Brentwood.
In the first of two hearings at
the State House last night, Is
citizens Of Hyattsville protested
bill to give municipal author
tiles power to pave sidewalks and
sections of five streets without
approval of a majority of prop
erty owners affected.
The town now must get written
permission Of 81 per cent of own
ers of abutting properties before
constructing streets. The bill also
would give the town the right to
build alleys without permission of
owners of adjoining property.
Orem Lists Streets Affected.
Nicholas Orem, jr., Hyattsville
town counsel, listed the streets
needing improvement as Forty
first avenue between Kennedy and
Longfellow streets, Longfellow
street from Thirty-ninth avenue
west for 162 feet, Hamilton street
between Baltimore avenue and
the streetcar tracks, Forty-second
avenue between Crittenden and De-
catur streets and Emerson street
between Fortieth street and Forty
first place.
Hugh White and Paul Dowd of
West Hyattsville asked that the
measure be discarded because it
was discriminatory and undemo-
cratic" Others who spoke in op-
position included Mrs. Dorothy
Sousa and Harry Dengler.
Mayor Caesar L. Aiello and two
members of the Town Council,
w. ]. Hellman and Hiram L. Law
renee, contended that they were
acting in good faith" in offering
the bill. The Mayor said that mo
property owners concerned are
here to object"
Wilkinson Asks for Brief.
House Floor Leader Leroy
Pumphrey remarked that the op-
POSITIONS question of constitution
ality appeared pertinent and del
egation Chairman Perry o. Will
kinson dismissed the hearing with
the request that Mr.. Orem prepare
a brief covering the point.
A question of the location of the
Mount Rainier er-Brentwood boun-
Diary line cut short a hearing on
a proposed bill to extend the
Mount Rainier town limits to in
clude all Of the $4,000, 900 Queens
town apartment project on Queens
Chapel road. Three-fourths of
the apartment property now is on
Mount Rainier's tax assessment
books.
Bert Hager, Mount Rainier
municipal counsel. said the bill
had been drawn to clarity statutes
defining the boundary line and
Vance v. Vaughn, attorney for
the town of Brentwood. asserted
that the proposed annexation
would be unconstitutional because
Brentwood had bonded indebted
ness which Mount Rainier was
not assuming.
1929 Acts Differ on Boundary.
When an attempt was made
to fix the existing boundary line
on a map, it developed that two
separate acts passed in 1929 diff
fered as to the location OF the
boundary.
In 1881, another act placed the
entire tract occupied by Queens
town within the Mount Rainier
corporate limits and a subsequent
measure, approved in 1943, took
away from Mount Rainier and
gave to Brentwood one-fourth of
the contested area.
Members of the Brentwood
group said their town would lose
$4,000 tax revenue each year if
the disputed section is ruled
part of Mount Rainier.
Chairman Wilkinson asked. op-
posing counsel to prepare memo
rando for study by the delegation.