Smyrna times., 1951-05-03
NEWS AND
COMMENTS
From the Delaware House of
Representatives
REP. CLARENCE S. COLLINS

Dy
REP. CLARENCE S. COLLINS
This week ending Friday, April
27, 1851, also ends the 74th legis-
aative day for the session. The end
of the session shouldn't be too far
away now.
las predicted last week, the bill
authorizing the $3,90O,000 bond is
sue for completion of the Delaware
River Memorial Bridge passed the
House unanimously on Monday.
On Wednesday, the House bill
designed to set up machinery to
acquire the ferries also passed by
unanimous vote. Under this bill the
State Highway Department has
the authority to acquire the ferries
by negotiations and if this should
fail, then condemnation proceed
ings would be started. A special
session of the Legislature would be
called later for approval of the
price and authorization of the
bonds.
A bill allowing continuous show
ing OF moving pictures throughout
the afternoon and evening on Sun
day was defeated 21 to 12. This
bill would have eliminated the pre-
sent church going period of 6 to
s pm. The bill was restored to the
calendar by the sponsor for future
consideration.
A bill appropriating $4,000 an
nually for the development of way
side sites in Delaware for picnick-
ers and tourists also passed.
A claim in the amount of &c.
985.17 passed the House unani-
mously which will pay DR.. William
T. Chapman of Harrington salary
and expenses for period he served
as a member of the Industrial Ac-
cident Board. His appointment was
never confirmed by former Govern
or Bacon and the new incoming
Governor Carvel replaced him with
"a man of his own choice which
meant DR.. Chapman served for al
most two years without compensa-
ton.
The much discussed gas sign bill
passed in the House also on Mon
day by a vote of 20 to IA. The same
bill was defeated on April 10. This
bill is designed to eliminate "gas
war; advertising. 1t is the hope of
majority of the owners and oper-
ators of gas stations that the pre-
sent gas war in Delaware will be
wiped out by the passage of this
bill. On Monday when this bill was
called up for voting large group
Of gas station personnel were on
hand to see the bill passed.
ALSO, bill passed in the House
appropriating $219, ,120 for the next
two years for 18 school districts
where the unit system fails to pro-
vide funds to continue with the
needed teachers. Smyrna is not in
cluded in the 18 districts as the
unit system has worked out very
we'll here.
The writer's bill which would
permit Smyrna officials to acquire
additional lands for construction
of a sewage disposal plant, electric
substation, ETC., passed unanimous
ly in the House. $1,4o0,000 to be
turned over to hospitals through
out the state during the next two
years for care of INDECENT sick, etc.,
was approved by a House bill on
Wednesday. The figure is arrived
at by multiplying the number of
beds in the hospitals concerned by
$3.50. Although this appropriation
of state money for hospitals is
routine in nature, I am for one,
wondering why so much money is
needed for charity. Everyone
have ever talked to who has been
hospitalized has been forced to pay
the bill before being released. ]
have yet to find anyone who hasn't
paid his bill in full.
All members of the House eau
cussed this week on over 35 bills
prepared by the Attorney Generals
Office. The bills are all very excel
lent measures designed to tighten
the anti7gambling laws, to give our
law enforcement officers more
power in cracking down on crime
by really giving them tools to
work with and to also correct,
change, or otherwise bring up-to-
date laws now outdated as they re-