Evening star., 1950-02-04
.bi|I-Screeninq'
RowContinues
AT Annapolis
Renewed Floor Fight
Due Monday After
Committee F1oreup
By J. L. MichoeI
SpseiaI Correspondent Of The Stor

Dy y. -. NlESHU6I
Special Correspondent Of The stor
ANNAPOLIS. Feb. 4.-Mary-
land legislators today began a
weekend recess after staving off
floor battles over Gov. Lanes bill
screening" plan.
Leaders announced that here
after the Assembly will convene
six days a week until the 30-day
session ends March 2. The Senate
Will reconvene at 2 pm. Monday
and the House at 8 pm.
Both houses raced through brief
sessions yesterday without a re.
newal of the screening" fight,
but the controversy brought a
bitter verbal exchange between
Senate leaders.
Principals were Senate President
Byrnes and Senate Minority Lead
er Kimble. Echoes of the dispute
reverberated through the State
House and brought predictions of
a week end devoted to mapping
strategy for a renewed floor fight
Monday.
Stalks Out of Meeting.
Angry when refused considera-
ton of an Allegany County school
bill, Senator Kimble stalked out
OF a Rules Committee meeting
yesterday and vowed he would not
return until his measure reached
the Senate floor. AS he left he
said to Senator Byrnes, a col
league on the committee:
This is small, cheap-time pol
itics."
Il ask you to conduct yourself
with decency as Senator" replied
Senator Byrnes.
The debate began when Senator
kimble asked that his bill be re-
ported to a standing committee.
What is the emergency" in
quired Senator Sothoron, Senate
leader and the third
member of tt committee.
Senator Kimble said his county
wanted to proceed with a $780,
900 school building program. SEN
ator Byrnes replied that no action
could be taken because copies of
the bill had not been printed.
Political Reasons Charged.
Thumping Senator Byrnes' desk,
the minority leader charged that
the Senate President was with
holding the bill for political rea-
sons. .--
Later in the day Senator Kim
BILE said he had reconsidered and
would return to his post on the
committee.
"The new rules which I helped
promulgate," he declared. make
it mandatory that the minority
floor leader serve on the Rules
Committee. 7 will continue to
serve, although I violently disa-
gree with the purposes for which
the committee is being used"
Among Senate bills introduced
yesterday was a measure requir-
ing all State departments and
agencies to obtain approval of the
Governor and budget director be-
fore requesting or receiving Fed
eral funds. The bill applies to
material and equipment.
Chiefly affected would be the
University Of Maryland, the. State
Roads Commission and the State
Department of Health, Education
Welfare and Employment Secur-
ity. These agencies now handle
each year more than $4,000, 900
of Federal money.
A decision on a perennially hot
iSSue-whether annual auto in
spections should be required
was postponed by the House Ways
and Means Committee. The pro-
posal ran into unexpected oppose
tion.
Would Lift Tax on Meals.
Committee Chairman Pumph-
rey, Democrat, of Prince Georges
ordered the bill neld up after an
hour of bitter argument. Mr..
Pumphrey said he would invite
representatives of the State Mo-
tor Vehicle Department to appear
at another hearing. Chief objec.
tion voiced was the cost of setting
up inspection stations and the
proposed annual So inspection fee.
A revenue measure initiated
yesterday would lift the sales tax
from restaurant meals. Another
would require the University Of
and some other de-
partmentS to turn over to the
State treasury amounts received
from fees and levies in excess of
budget estimates. ....
The House Judiciary Committee
rejected a repeater of a poison
paint" law passed in 1949, enacted
over the protests of the State
Health Department. The depart-
ment said the law is unenforce-
able. The statute requires warm
ing labels on children's furniture
and toys finished with paint or
other material containing lead or
other poisonous substance"