The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1950-06-22

WOlUGI why OSOOP OoNAo, VI
the Morning Herald editorial staff,
failed to publish that real scoop he
got Con himself) in Richmond dur
ing his recent vacation.
I hope the robbers are caught,
Vernon.
BY this time I imagine the Mayor,
as well as all departments in the
city government, which includes
boards and commissions appointed
by the Mayor, have learned that
members of the Council, while will
ing to go along with the Mayor on
many of his proposals simply on his
recommendation, take an entirely
different attitude when matters come
up that concern their own Wards,
or the Municipal Light Plant.
Sometime ago, when the Mayor
proposed that a contract be entered
into for providing water for homes
along the Dual Highway, it only took
the Council a matter of a half an
hour or so to agree to the proposal,
But a few weeks later, when the
Council was asked to approve pro-
ject for supplying steam heat to the
Washington County Hospital from
the Light Plant, the members of the
Council refused to take any action
on the proposal until such time as
they were fully acquainted with
every aspect of the project, and that
matter is still in allegiance.
Then on Monday afternoon at 4
o'clock, a special meeting of the
Mayor and Council was called, at
which the Mayor asked the Council
to approve an ordinance waving the
regular taxes for the Hagerstown
housing authority's low cost housing
project and substituting in its place
a percentage of 212 per cent of the
yearly rentals, which is the Gus
tomary procedure in all federal hous-
ing projects,
1t was expected that it would take
but few minutes for the Council to
approve the proposed ordinance, but
such was far from the case.
During the discussion that follow
ed the reading of the proposed or
dinance by City Attorney Urner, it
became apparent that the members
of the Council had not been fully in
formed beforehand of all the details
concerning the two proposed pro-
jects, one in the Suman Alley section
for colored residents, and the other
in the Lanvale Street.-The Avenue
section for white residents, and three
of the Councilmen, Jack Hellane,
Roy Knight and Mel Jennings, stated
that they had received several OBJ
jections to the proposed sites but
that they had not been able to prop
erly answer these objections because
they themselves were not fully in
formed as to what the proposals
were.
After a lengthy discussion Coun-
cilmen Hellane and Knight then had
the meeting adjourned in order that
they might personally contact some
of their constituents and give then
some more facts on the subject, anC
it was not until after HOO o'clock or
Monday night that the ordinance was
finally approved.
Under the Federal Housing Pro
gram all cities in which these low
cost houses are built are required tt
waive taxes in lieu of rent per
centage, and to be perfectly truthful
the rent percentage is usually higher
than the tax rate that was being re
ceived before the housing develop
ment was completed. In the cast
of Hagerstown and Washington
County the city will receive 215 pc
cent of the annual rent from the pro
jects and the county will receive
712 per cent.
The same type of ordinance wa
presented to the Washington Count.
Board of County Commissioners a
their regular meeting on Tuesday
but the Commissioners postponet
action on the. matter until yester
day, in order that they might Obtain
more information.
There is no question in my min'
that the low cost housing projects ar
helpful to any community and Ha
gerstown is very fortunate in bein
included in the program, but l hop
from now on that both the Mayo
and the Housing Authority will d
everything in their power to see t
it that not only the members of tn
Council, but also the press, are give
full information regarding what
going on, SO that the public can b
kept informed and thus avoid ur