Evening star., 1951-04-03
MckeIdin Wins
Fund Shift as
AssembIyQuits
Desks Clear of Most
Major Bills at End
Of 90 Day Session
By q s.eff corre.ponden, d rhe star

SSSShSu
BY q ssoff Correspondent Of The s.ar
ANNAPOLIS. April 3.-Mary-
lands 1851 General Assembly
passed into history today.
The House grew weary of wait
ing for bills to cross the corridor
and adjourned sine die at 1853
am. The Senate called it quits at
1888 am.
Before Assemblymen left for
their homes. desks were cleared
of most important measures intro
duced during the 90-day meeting.
Starting the final day, Senate
Democrats acceded to Gov. Nc
Keldin's plan to finance State
police pay raises by shifting funds
from the States Road Commits
sion to the Motor Vehicle Depart
ment.
In return, the Governor gave
the Democrats surprise.
Proposed by Democrats.
It was the only major brush
Maryland's first Republican Exec
utive in IA years had with the
Democratic majority in the course
of the session.
The surprise was the Governors
revelation that the fund transfer
plan. f1ercely fought by Balti-
more's Mayor, Thomas D'Alesan-
dro and other party leaders, was
originally proposed by two Demo-
cratic Office holders.
They were, the Governor said
with a chuckle, State Controller
j. Millard Tawes and Treasurer
Hooper s.. Miles.
Bonus Measure Fails.
One major bill failed. It was
the proposed $50 million veterans
bonus which. if passed, probably
would have been vetoed because it
provided for increases in beer,
wine and liquor taxes.
A bill providing 81 million for
civil defense was sent to the Gov
ernor after several Senators at
tempted to attach amendments
for building projects in their
counties which would have raised
the bills total to $2.5 million.
Criticized by their colleagues
for "out and out pork barrel
moves" the Senators finally with
drew the amendment.
Gov. McKeldin, during the
night sessions, sent to each house
a message saying:
There is nothing in the $163l
million budget or in the acts of
this Legislature calling for any
new taxes or any increase in exist
ing taxes.
This" he added, "is in itself
an accomplishment in these times
Of rising COSTS"
New District Approved.
A major piece Of legislation
enacted gave Maryland seventh
congressional district, contained
entirely in Baltimore. The new
Representative will be elected in
1852.
The an-Republican Montgomery
County delegation won major
victory in its home rule program
earlier when it pushed through
legislation calling for a non-par-
tisan elected School Board, subject
to a referendum in November.
Other Montgomery bills ap-
proved by the General Assembly
would transfer building and elec-
tr1cal inspections from the Mary
land-National Capital Park and
Planning Commission to the
County Council; abolish the Liquor
Control Board and transfer its
functions to County Department
Liquor Control and a Board of
License Commissioners, and au-
thorize the County Council to ap-
point Montgomery members of the
Washington Suburban Sanitary
Commission. ALI commission mem
bers now are appointed by the
Governor.
A major Prince Georges County
bill passed was to repeal the con-
troversial Sothoron Act, which had
been approved at the 1850 session.
Tax on Trucks Defeated.
The 1851 legislature also was
marked by the. victories of the
truckers lobby and the defeat of
most Of the recommendations of
the Maryland State Tax Survey
Commission headed by Richard
w. Case.
A bill which would have i'm
posed a ton-mile tax on heavy
trucks (and added 81 million an
nually to State revenues) was de-
feated after a series of Senate
hearings, as was one which would
have lowered maximum truck
weight limits.
The General Assembly did
lower the limits on a few truck
weight classifications while rails
ing one or two others and made
the penalties for overlooking
tougher.
The Case commission spent the
better part of a year on a survey
OF Maryland's tax and licensing
setup. Its recommendations re-
suited in more than a dozen bills
which would have revised the in.
come tax, licensing, assessment
and corporation gross receipts
laws.
All except the income tax bill
were either killed outright or sol
revised that little of their original
content was left. That measure
makes minor changes in the un-