Evening star., 1949-03-29
Senators Decide
ToPass on PSC
Nominations
KimbIe Proposal
Voted Tentatively
At Annapolis
By J. l. Michoel
Special Correspondent Of The Stor


By J. l. Michoel
Special Correspondent Of The stor
ANNAPOLIS, Mar. 29.-In what
servers called the shrewdest leg
ative maneuver of the current
,ssion, Senate Minority Leader
,obert Kimble last night gained
>ntative approval of a move which
ould require Senate confirmation
OF members of the State Public
Service Commission.
Senator Kimbles' action came at
the end of a stormy three-hour
session and was in the form of an
amendment to a bill which would
raise the salaries of PSC members
from $4,000 to $4,000 a year and
increase the chairman's pay from
$1,000 to $4,000.
1t was offered Unexpectedly
after a series of amendments pro-
posed by Senator Goldstein, DEM
ocrat. of Calvert County, had been
overwhelmed, and was carried by
a It'll roll call vote.
Amendments Outlined,
The chief aim of the Goldstein
amendments was to increase PSC
membership from three to five and
to require the commissioners, the
general counsel, and people S
counsel to work a full five-day
week instead of the few hours
each week they now devote to
their official duties.
Protracted debate before the
vote on the amendments brought
observations from several Senators
that the recent increase in tele-
phone rates would not have been
ordered If the commissioners had
given all their time to official
affairs. They explained that it
would have required $50 hours
to hear opposing arguments and
that much time was not available.
In another action, the Senate
passed bill which fixes the State
real estate tax at Ills cents on
each 500 of assessable property.
It also passed House bill which
provides that tavern operators or
employees shall not be held liable
for selling alcoholics to minors if
they have exercised "due caution"
in attempting to ascertain a pros
pective patrons age. Counties
exempted are Allegany, Calvert,
Charles, Frederick. Garrett, Prince
Georges, Somerset, Hartford and
Wicomico.
Commission Ousted.
The Senate voted to ouSt the
dissension-ridden Tidewater Fish
cries Commission and reorganize
the entire Maryland oyster con-
servation program.
BY a 1873 vote, the senators
sent along to the House an ad-
ministration bill calling for the
replacement of the present three
man paid commission with five
unpaid commissioners and a full
time director of Tidewater fish
cries.
The Senators buried a batch of
tax bills, but had to debate and
defeat one on referendum to de-
termine whether the people want
a graduated income tax.
In the face of administration
orders that tax legislation is to
stop for the 1949 session, the Sem
ators without comment allowed
f1ve bills to go back to the Finance
Committee. They will become SUBJ
jects of study by special commits
sion to be created to look over the
States entire tax system.
Storm Offers Comments.
But Senator Storm, Democrat,
of Frederick declined to let the
graduated income tax measure to
60 back without speaking his mind.
After he and Majority Leader
Sothoron had debated for half an
hour, the Senate voted, 20-S. to
recommit the bill.
Earlier the Senate sent back to
committee measure to cut gross
receipts taxes for railroads.
One of the bills killed was
another by Senator Storm to cut
the tax on unearned income.
Others would have increased
personal property tax exemptions
on farm implements, allowed man
ufacturers and business men ex-
emptions on $4,000 worth OF stock
and cut the franchise tax on
mutual savings banks.
Amendment Defeated.
In the House a constitutional
amendment limiting the President
of the United States to two terms
was defeated.
Sixty delegates favored a reso-
luton, 10 more than the number
opposing it, but they lacked by
two the majority required to pass
a measure in the Maryland Cen
eral Assembly.
The issue was not altogether
dead, as two similar resolutions
have been introduced in the Sem
ate.
Declining to heed the COM
plants of smaller counties, the
House froze it's membership at 1913.
The vote was 70 to "a on the bill,
which previously had passed the
Senate. It now goes to the Gov
ernor.
Delegates from st. Mary's and
other small counties put on a
fight and in the balloting were
aided by most of the Republican
minority.
The House agreed tentatively to
allow Gov. Lane to choose his own
mental hygiene commissioner
with a compromise proviso his Sc
lection must be approved by the
mental hospitals Advisory Board.
; Held os ShopIifters