Evening star., 1952-08-31
Metropolitan Scene-
District Government Has q Surplus
Of S. i Million 1t Can't Touch
By John W. Thompson, Jr

"SHS~s S''
those enjoyed by countless
workers all over the country"
This hot issue is due to boil
over when Commissioner Renah
Camalier gets a report from
Fire Chief Millard Sutton-if he
gets report.
SoIoons VS.. Churches
Prince Georges County may
follow the Districts lead in
setting a distance limit between
licensed liquor establishments
and schools and churches.
It's not likely to start an area
trend, however, because Mont
gomery County has only a few
licensed clubs and inns, and Vir-
ginia has no on-sale licenses.
District regulations specify .
400-foot distance limit. Prince
Georges civic hackers of the
plan are talking in terms Of
1000 feet. The County Liquor
Control Board says it may put
the proposal before the State
General Assembly.
\ + \
The Brink Cose
Next time you're in a mood
to say something nasty about
the Police Department, remem-
ber the speed with which Chief
Murray's squads broke the
$65,000 Drinks truck robbery
and the Roland White murder
case.
While you're having your next
parking ticket served up with
something short of the courtesy
you think a generally law-abid-
ing citizen is entitled to. some
other members of the force may
be making it pretty unhealthy
for thieves and killers around
here.
In the Drinks case, it was
Maj. Murray himself who gave
his men the tip that cracked
the theft. In the murder case,
homicide and juvenile squad
men pieced together the trail
that led to the 17-year-old
killer only a few hours after the
body of the victim was found.
Both police and newsmen
were unhappy with Drinks CO.
operation but at least one re-
porter is glad they got their
money back. She says Drinks
was able to give her two nickels
for a dime once to help her feed
q downtown parking meter.
Retirement Procedure
Under pending plans, the
Board of Police and Fire Sur
geons will come under the juris-
diction of the Health Depart
ment. despite the vigorous OBJ
lection of the board.
This is the first move in years
to provide some supervision for
this outfit. Up to now 1t has
been operating in sort Of ad-
ministrative vacuum. The Com
missioners knew it was there
but each thought the others
were looking out for it. Result
-no one did.
The Commissioners also would
do well to check up on how
other big cities handle retire.
ments of their policemen and
firemen, particularly for dis
ability. Under present practices
here, case histories are kept
confidential. The doctor-patient
relationship is generally invoked
when questions arise about spe-
cific cases. But this tax-free
type of retirement has been
too easy to get. It may be that
changes more basic than shift
of this board to the Health De-
partment are required.
+ + + 4
Botes' Loss Unmourned
District officials are shedding
no tears over Representative Joe
Bates defeat In the recent Ken
lucky Democratic primary.
The former chairman OF the
appropriations subcommittee
that handles the District budget
was privately known as Meat
ak" for the way he chopped
up some Of the money items.
On the other hand, the de-
cision Of Representative Fur
colo, Democrat, Of Massachu-
sets not to file for reelection
will cost the city. q friend IN
court. Frequently, on the floor
of the House. he has fought
against efforts to reduce the
Federal payment.