Evening star., 1951-02-22
Hughes Offers
bill for Stiffer
Gaming Laws
Maryland Gamblers
Would Get at Least
Yeur If Convicted
BY stoff Correspondent Of The ster

ANNAPOLIS, Feb. 22.-Legisla-
ton to require all convicted gam
blers to go to Jail for at least one
year is before the General AS
sembly.
The bill, which also would COM
pei courts to impose prison sem
tences on law enforcement officers
who know about gamblers, but
'wilfully" fail to prosecute them,
was introduced in the House yes
terday by Delegate William R..
Hughes. Republican, of Prince
Georges County.
Other legislative developments
included:
/. The Senate passed and sent
to the Governor a bill setting up
a Department of Liquor Control
in Montgomery County, with a
director to be appointed by the
county manager.
2. A report by a Senate sub-
committee on the need for addi-
tional buildings at the University
of Maryland in College Park was
held up because one of the groups
members refused to sign it.
3. Action on a bill calling for
erection of a SIS million State
Office Building in or near An
napolis. scheduled yesterday, was
postponed until March z on mo-
ton of its sponsor. Senator Louis
PhippS, Democrat, of Anne Arun-
del County.
Minimum Fine Is Raised.
MIR. Hughes measure would
make gambling a felony and pro-
vides for mandatory prison SEN
tences of at least one year and
not more than five years for per-
sons convicted of the offense any.
where in the State.
In addition, it would raise the
minimum fine for gambling from
5000 to $500 and the maximum
from $1,000 to $4,000. Both a
fine and prison sentence could be
imposed at the courts discretion.
The same provisions would ap-
ply to any police officer. States
Attorney, sheriff, deputy sheriff
or justice of the peace who "wil-
fully fail to prosecute gamblers
whom they know about.
The Prince Georges delegate.
who campaigned on an anti-gam-
bling platform last year, believes
the drastic penalties would drive
gamblers out Of Maryland, and
tighten up law enforcement.
Authority Is Same.
"All too often" he said, gam
blers merely have to pay a fine
that's just peanuts to them. But
they can't buy their way out of
a Jail sentence, which would break
up their business"
The proposed Liquor Control De-
partment in Montgomery County
would have the same authority
over liquor sales which is now
exercised by the liquor board
whose members are appointed by
the Governor.
Transfer of that authority to
the county has long been sought
by home rule advocates and was
in the Republican platform last
year.
Another Montgomery bill set
ting up a three-member board
of license commissioners. which
would have jurisdiction over the
issuance of beer licenses in the
county, has passed the House and
is awaiting. final action in the
Senate. This function also is
now exercised ty the liquor board.
Members of the Board of License
Commissioners would be appointed
by the county council.
Group Fails to Agree.
Plans by a three member Senate
subcommittee to submit its report
yesterday on the University Of
Maryland's building proposals ran
into difficulty when William Mason
Shehan, Democrat. of Talbot
County said he was unable to
agree with the two other mem-
bers. They are Senators Phipps
and John Raymond Fletcher, Re-
publican, of Prince Georges
County.
Senator Shehan gave no reason
for his refusal to sign the first
draft of the report, but he indi-
Gated he did not approve of tactics
used by DR.. H. C. Byrd, university
president, in building up the
institution.
The subcommittee was appointed
last week by the Senate Finance
Committee which is considering a
bill to clarity authority given the
university last year to issue it's
own construction bonds.
Three Bills introduced.
According to the bill, the uni
versity plans to issue about $3.6
million in bonds for three dormi-
tories, 10 other housing units for
fraternities and sororities stu-
Gent union building and a com-
bination physical education-audis
torium building.
Three bills involving the Wash-
ington Suburban Sanitary Com
mission were introduced in the
House by the Montgomery and
Prince Georges County delega-
tions. They would:
/. Authorize the agency to re-
quire underground construction of
utility lines in areas Zoned for
industrial, apartment or commer-
cial use.
2. Make it a misdemeanor to
violate commission drainage sys-
tenn rules.
3. Provide a new plan for is-
suance of commission bonds.
The Prince Georges delegation
introduced a bill which would au-
thorize District Heights to borrow
up to 8 per cent of it's assessable
base for public improvements.
Another bill, sponsored by Dell