Evening star., 1952-05-25

These include transfer OF ap-
lpointment Of the District Record
Stotus Of D. c. Legislation. Paoe A-l6
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Ier Of Deeds from the President to
the Commissioners, amendment of
the child labor act to permit chill
Idren to appear in stage produc-
tionS here. and a measure reduc-
ing penalty interest on delinquent
tax payments.
The list awaiting House action
also includes bills proposing an in
crease in the Districts gasoline
tax and dealing with use OF con-
fidential records of the juvenile
court.
To this are added NUMEROUS
minor bills.
Flood of Protests.
Controversies over the Senate
passed bill regulating the practice
OF optometry will be aired at a
House District subcommittee
hearing set for Wednesday at
1890 am.
Since the Senate recently passed
the bill unexpectedly after q long
delay, the House District COM
mittee has received q flood of pro-
tests. Committee agents said
these came by telegram and letter
from business and store groups
from many parts Of the country.
The optometry measure has
been the subject Of heated debate
for a decade. Bills somewhat sim
liar to the present measure were
passed by the House in the 8Oth
and 81st Congresses. They were
blocked in the Senate.
This year there was no House
bill. but a revised measure sud-
denly slid through the Senate
without any debate.
Optometry a Profession.
The bill declares that optometry
lis profession and one that is a
matter Of public concern and in
terest. deserving Of public conf
dence. It raises standards for
licensed opt0unetrists and forbids
price advertising of the services
Of optometrists.
E
House approval is expected for
the Senate-passed bill to take the
District Recorder of Deeds $3.50
job out Of the national patronage
pie counters. It was approved
unanimously recently by the House
District Committee without q con-
test. 4
This measure Stemmed from
the selection by President Truman
of an old political crony from
Kansas City. Earl Wayne Beck,
whose confirmation was blocked by
the Senate District Committee.
Child Actors an Issue.
The House also will be asked
to approve a bill to permit child
actors on the District stage, re-
ducing the minimum age from IA
to 7 years. It is urged by numer-
Gus spokesmen for the stage and
indorsed by the Actors Equity As
sociation, the labor union that
lprOtectS actors.
These sponsors testified WASH
ington has missed lot of the bet
ter shows because Of the old re-
lstraintS.
House action also is expected on
Ia Senate-pasSed bill that would
give the judge of juvenile court,
Miss Edith Cockrill, sole discre-
Ition as to what non-court agencies
should be allowed to use the con-
lfidential court records. This issue
last year provoked a hot fight in
the court staff and protests from
police and welfare units needing
access to court records to perform
their own duties.
Other Measures Listed.
The Senate-passed bill amend
ing the District tax laws, awaiting
House approval, would cut in half
the present one-per- -cent-a-month
penalty levied for delinquent pay
ments in several categories of Dis
trict taxes. There has been no
declared opposition to this bill.
/ Other bills up for House action
tomorrow include:
A bill to permit the District
Boxing Commission to use some Of
lits invested securities to finance
current operations: to make it
easier for garage keepers to col
|lect bills for storage and repair
lof automobiles; to authorize the
|use Of a triangle at Twentieth and
10 streets NV. as a memorial to
Floyd B. Olson, former governor
,lof Minnesota. and transferring
1.-THE title of Columbia Hospital in
1.-THE United States to the hospital
board.