Evening star., 1950-01-24
Election Contest
Study Pressed
|At Richmond
Two. Bills Offered
To Push S45,000, 900
School Program
BY q staff Correspondent Of The star

By staff Correspondent Of The Sfar
RICHMOND, Va, Jan. 24.-A
committee of the House of Dele
gates today was to continue it's
study of an election contest to
determine the winner of the seat
from Russell County.
The House Privileges and Elec-
tions Committee has voted to take
up without delay" the qualif1ca-
tions of John w. Fletcher, Inde-
pendent, whose Office is contested
by Mrs. Turner A. Gilmer, Demo-
crat.
A subcommittee reported yes
terday that the House has au-
thority to act in the matter even
though Mr.. Fletcher has been
sworn and seated. Mrs. Gilmer
contends there were irregularities
in the absentee balloting last No
vember 8 in Russell County.
Meanwhile, the House Courts
of Justice Committee will get to-
gether with a similar committee
in the Senate in an effort to set
a date for joint public hearings
on all bills to permit women to
serve on juries. Three measures
for women's jury service have
been introduced in the House and
one, in the Senate, none of which
would allow voluntary" service
by women, as recommended by
Gov. Battle. They either provide
for mandatory service or give the
judge discretion to excuse
prospective woman juror.
School Bills Offered.
Among new measures intro
duced yesterday were two bills
identical in the House and Sem
ate-carrying out Gov. Battles
$45. 100000 school construction
program. OF the total, $30,0OO,-
600 would become available to To-
calities Immediately and $15,O00,-
600 after July /, 1851. They pro-
vide that 80 per cent would be
apportioned on the basis of active
enrolment of children of school
age, but not in kindergartens. The
date would be December /, 1949.
for apportioning the. $50, ,000, GOO
and December /. 1850, for distrib-
uting the remainder.
Separate town school districts
within counties would receive their
share in proportion to the amount
OF the county's grant. The re-
naming 10 per cent of the
amounts Immediately available az
well as the money available next
iyearAsWould be set aside in I.an
equalization fund. It would bs
distributed to localities where the
need is greater and in which, a
ffeasonable effort has been made
by the local authorities to meet
their own needs" as determines
by the State Board of Education,
The localities also would be re-
quired to have a well planned
school construction program"
through June 30. 1854.
Qualifications Cited.
Another qualification for re-
celving added benefits from the
equalization fund would be for the
localities to spend from local tax
sources. exclusive of capital outlay
and debt service, an amount
equivalent to 70 cents per $I0o
OF true valuation of real estate, an
determined by the State Depart
ment OF Taxation. The bill would
also permit the Department of
Education to set aside 10 percent
OF the equalization fund to con-
struct and equip facilities for vo-
cational education.
The State Department of Edu-
cation would adopt rules and reg
ulatlons requiring localities to
prove construction projects are
needed and could be built without
excessive expenditures. The State
agency also could prescribe other
requirements before turning loose
the money.
All of the money made available
would be spent on new construc-
tlon. and not no projects already
underway, unless, in the opinion
OF the State Department of Edu-
cation. the locality has met it's
existing construction needs. In
the latter case, the money could
be applied to retirement of school
construction debt. If no need
exists in the locality, the State
would hold the funds for future
use in that area. Appeals could
be taken to the Governor.