Evening star., 1950-12-10
Maryland Politics
Nearby 6. O. P. Delegates to Assembly Plan
To Hummer at Some Controversial Projects
By J. B. Zotmon

Montgomery County's all-Re-
publican delegation to the Mary
land General Assembly will be
loaded for bear" when the States
lawmakers meet January 3 in An
napolis for their biennial 90-day
session.
Principal targets of the Mont
gomery group will be the Demo-
crat-controlled Maryland-Nati
Capital Park and Planning and
Washington Suburban Sanitary
Commissions.
From boring Prince
Georges County will come the first
G. o. P.-controlled delegation in
at least 40 years, all set to repeal
the controversial Sothoron Act.
Statewide interest will be To-
cused on possible further modifi-
cation of the per cent sales tax,
already changed to exempt all
purchases of less than 81 cents, as
we'll as soaps. soap powders. baby
oils and baby powders.
If the Montgomery legislators
are successful in their attack on
the two commissions-and they
are confident of it with a Repub-
lican Governor in the State House
for the first time since 1898
Montgomery will experience the
most eeping governmental
changes since the voters adopted
a county charter two years ago.
They also hope to have enough
ammunition left to bring down the
county's Liquor Board and Board
of Education, both of which are
headed by Democrats, and repeal
the Lindsay law which prohibits
non-partisan elections OF County
Council members.
Long Criticized
The Park and Planning Com
mission, whose six members are
appointed by the Governor, serves
the suburban areas of both Mont
gomery and Prince Georges
Counties.
Created in 1927, it has jurisdic-
ton over planning, park land ac-
QUESTION and development, recre-
alton and building and electrical
inspections.
Long major object of criticism,
Republicans and other home-rule
advocates have attacked it as being
too far removed from the control
of the voters.
The delegation, according to
State Senator Dewitt S. Hyde.
wants to strip the commission of
its recreation. building and elec-
trical inspection functions in
Montgomery and transfer them to
appropriate departments under
the County Council.
Also under consideration, he
said, is legislation to establish a
separate planning commission for
the entire county, which would
take over the planning and sub
division control powers now exer-
cised in Montgomery County by
the present Park and Planning
Commission. Appointments to the
new commission would be made by
the council.
The new agency would work
with Prince Georges County and
the National Capital Park and
Planning Commission in buying
and developing park land, and
would propose zoning changes to
the Montgomery Council.
He also said it might be deslr-
able to create co-ordlnatlng
group with representatives from
both counties to deal with the
national commission.
Plans for Liquor Board
Such far-reaching proposals
would. of course, destroy the Park
and Planning Commission as far
as Montgomery County is con-
cerned. But Mr.. Hyde emphasized
it would not interfere with its
authority in Prince Georges Coun-
ty.
Under the present setup," he
said, "the commission is one
agency on paper but is actually
two separate agencies in operation,
because the zoning ordinances,
recreation programs and planning
are different in the two counties.
Even the bonds sold by the COM
mission are used for different pur-
poes in each county"
The Washington Suburban San
itary Commission also has jurisdic-
tion in suburban Montgomery and