Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1949-06-06
District Pension,
Pay Bills Voted
ByHouseGroup
Juvenile Judeeship
Action Put OFF After
Lively Debate

UlllS duu ulIle mlIlOT MEASURES
we're approved by the House Dis
trict Committee at a long session
today at which the Districts home
rule bill was not acted on and a
lively debate over an additional
Judge for the Juvenile Court de-
layed action on that bill.
The committee:
Approved measures to provide
sick leave for public school teach
ers; remove inequities among
teachers pay relating to their
tenure Of service; increase PEN
sions for policemen. firemen, their
widows and orphans, and to
authorize by law one day off in
seven for the park police. These
are House bills and have not yet
come up for Senate action.
Approved nine minor bills re-
lating to probate and domestic re-
lations matters.
Already passed by the Senate.
these bills will come up for House
action on District day next Mon
day.
Optometry Bill Approved.
Approved bill to regulate the
practice of optometry and sent
1t to the House calendar for ac-
ton.
Delayed action on a long pend
ing bill to permit the District
Commissioners to destroy weeds
on private property and sent the
measure over for future action.
The home rule question came
up during the session only when
Representative Kennedy. Demo-
crat, of Massachusetts,. asked what
the program for 1t was and
Chairman Harris of the judiciary
subcommittee said the proceed
ure would be determined when
his group discusses the measure.
He was not ready to announce
any date for a subcommittee
meeting or hearings.
The Juvenile Court measure was
strongly urged by Representative
Harris, Democrat, of Arkansas, as
an emergency. He pointed out
that Judge Fay l.. Bentley Of
Juvenile Court is a voluntary
patient in st. Elizabeths Hospital.
and a Municipal Court Judge has
to be assigned to the juvenile
bench, despite the fact that the
Municipal Court docket is heavily
congested.
Several Object to Bill.
Objection to the bill was raised
by several members of the COM
mittee and on a tie vote OF 8 to
9, 1t went over for consideration
by the committee later.
Mr.. Harris explained that an
unusual and embarrassing situa-
ton" here had been considered by
the court. the Commissioners and
the Justice Department. all OF
which had approved the tempo
rary, emergency judgeship bill.
Particularly pressing, Mr.. Harris
said, is the congestion of business
in Municipal Court, which now is
deprived of one of Its judges,
Nadine Gallagher. who is handling
the Juvenile Court assignment.
The bill under consideration,
Mr.. Harris emphasized, provides
only for an additional judge now.
but stipulates that the existing
judgeship held by Judge Bentley
should be abolished at the end of
her term. August IL. 1852. This
stipulation, he emphasized, would
leave only one judge on Juvenile
Court as a permanent provision Of
law.
Asks About Terminating Post.
Representative Miller asked why
Congress could not terminate the
Judge Bentley judgeship since it
had been created by Congress. He
saw no reason to continue judge
on full salary who is incapacitated.
Under Supreme Court decisions.
Mr.. Harris explained. 1t would be
very doubtful" If Congress could
terminate her position since she
was appointed and serving for a
'given and specific time"
Corporation Counsel Vernon
West testified that the salary in
her case pertains to the Office
itself and not to the person and
under court decisions the jurist
is still entitled to her salary of
$4,000 a year.
Representative Harris said in
vestigation of the jurist's Civil
Service status showed that If she
were to retire at the end of this
month she would be entitled to
an annuity of $4,104. If. however
she continued as judge until the
expiration of her term in 1852. her
retirement would be $4,000 year.
Weed Bill Discussed.
Representative O'Hara. Republic
can, of Minnesota, who voted
against the bill. said he was con-
cerned about the creation of an
other judgeship while continuing
the present judge until she dies,
removes herself from the post, or
completes her term.
Mr.. O'Hara said every one is
sympathetic, but the question OF
paying her full salary and creating
q new judgeship is something that
should not be DONE"
He said he considered that the
retirement she would get If she
left the bench now would be suffi-
cient to support her.
Mr.. West. however, questioned
whether Judge Bentley could be
compelled to retire.
The committee spent some time
discussing the bill to permit the
Commissioners to destroy weeds
on private property but put the
measure over for later considera-
ton. Objection was raised to the
provision for a SIS penalty for
private property owners refusing
~ e,,f v,cadc Rapraeopfa tive