Evening star., 1952-11-27
7 Redistrictinq
Bills Ready for
Assembly Action
10th District Would
Goin Seat in Senate,
Two More in House
By.AIex R. Preston
Star Stoff Correspondanf

RICHMOND, Nov. 27.-Mem-
bers Of the General Assembly to-
day had two redistricting bills
ready for study when they con-
vene in special session here
Tuesday.
House and Senate committees
concluded three days of meetings
yesterday when they agreed on
to reshuffle a number Of
districts involving 140 seats so as
to give urban areas proportion
ately more representation.
Based on the 1850 census. each
of the State Senate
should represent 82.967 persons
while each Delegate should rep
resent 33,186.
Counties and cities in the popu-
lous 10th congressional district
next to Washington. which now
have two Senators, would get a
third member of the Senate and
two more members of the House.
bringing the total number Of
Delegates to six. The entire area.
with 303,300 inhabitants. should
have four Senators and nine Dele
gates.
Hearing Set Wednesday.
The committees will hold q
joint public hearing on the pro-
posals at 10 am. Wednesday in
the House chamber.
This is how House seats would
be increased: Arlington. with
1876, 400 inhabitants, would get an
increase from two to three dele
gates. Fairfax and Falls Church.
with a population of 100000 would
get a second member. while
Alexandria. with an estimated
10000, would retain only one.
The senatorial reshuffling is a
little more complicated. At pres
ent Senator John A. K. Donovan
Fairfax. Alexandria.
Falls Church and Prince William
County with a population Of 190.-
400. Arlington. with its 1875. 400.
has its own Senator.
Under the new bill Prince Will
liam and Alexandria would be
eliminated from Senator Dono-
vans district leaving him with
100000 constituents in Fairfax
and Falls Church. Alexandria
would be included with Arlington
in one senatorial district with q
total estimated population of 241.-
400 but two Senators elected at
large would be allotted this area.
Norris Territory Enlarged.
Prince William would be at
tached to the more rural district
of Senator Robert o. Norris Of
Lancaster County. Also added to
Senator Norris district would be
Stafford County, which at present
is in the district of Senator Ben
jamin T. Pitts of Fredericksburg.
The territory of Senator Norris.
which would retain King George.
Westmoreland, Northumberland.
Lancaster and Richmond counties.
would be increased in size from
Al, 700 to 76,200 inhabitants.
There were changes made in
some other senatorial districts
along the east, south and western
portions of the State. In gen.
eral, two Southern Virginia dis
tricts were combined so as to pro-
vide an extra Senator for Arling-
ton and Alexandria and one for
Portsmouth.
In the reshuff1ing of House dis
tricts elsewhere these important
changes were included: The dis
trict Of Delegate Norman c. Bailey
which includes Orange and Mad
ison Counties. would be enlarged
to include Culpeper County. now
represented by Delegate D. French
Slaughter. This would increase
the size Of the district, now rep
resented by Mr.. Bailey, from 81.
900 to $4,000.
Caught in Squeeze" Play.
Mr.. Slaughter. whose present
district includes Rappahannocls
County along with Culpeper.
would be caught in another
squeeze play" Rappahannock
County would be added to Fau-
quier County, now represented by
Delegate Tom Frost of Warren.
ton. This would increase MIR.
Frost's district from 81 200 to o..
400.
Delegate Charles Unruh is an
other whose district would be
eliminated, unless he should run
against an incumbent. Mr.. Unruh,
sponsor Of much Potomac River
seafood legislation, represents
King George. Northumberland and
Westmoreland Counties, with a
population Of $4,000. The COM
mittee placed Northumberland
and Westmoreland in the district
of Delegate w. Tayloe Murphy.
The addition would raise Mr..
Murphy's district of Lancaster and
Richmond Counties - now the
smallest in the State-from 14.800
to $4,000.
Mr.. Unruh's other county. King
George. was placed in the district
of Delegate Paul w. Manns. which
would retain King and Queen. Es-
sex and Caroline Counties, thus
it from 300 to $4,000.
Delegate Charles N. Loving of
Bath County also was "eliin-
mated" when his home territory
was absorbed into a larger dis
trict represented by Delegate
Baldwin @. Locher of Rockbridge
County.
The Albermarle Green Char
lottesville district, which has Q
Of 57.400 and two
Delegates at large. was simply
broken apart so that the city. with
$4,000. would have a Delegate Of
its own and the two counties, with
81, 400. would elect the other
Delegate.
The present district which in
cludes Augusta County, Staunton
and Waynesboro. would keep its
two nelaOa taS hift itS ci1e vuo,,ld