Evening star., 1952-07-09

SOuHIy AttOIHSy ioIu
To Check Legality Of
Proposed LocuI Action
Montgomery County Attorney
David Macdonald yesterday was
directed by the county council to
study the legality of a county
wide rent control law.
Mr.. Macdonald specifically was
instructed to study both State
and Federal laws bearing on the
powers and limitations put on
the county in the rent control
matter. -
The councils action followed by
q week the killing of rent control
by Congress. effective September
80 in all but critical areas.
Public Hearing Planned.
Councilman Harold Hammond
yesterday declared that, before
any action on controls is taken,
. public hearing will be held. He
added the council would have to
be convinced there was a definite
need for rent control before local
laws could be passed.
The council also made public a
letter from the County Real Es-
tate Board asking that action be
withheld until council members
could be presented facts concern
ing local conditions.
c. r. Graham, president of the
board, said the real estate group
would furnish information on re-
quest Of the council.
Yesterdays action was pre-
ceded by a declaration by Henry
Horner Smelling. president of the
County Civic Federation, that he
would call an emergency meet
ing Of his group. unless an i'm
mediate solution" is found to the
rent control problem.
10000 Units Affected.
Some 10000 housing units in
the county are affected by the
blow dealt rent control.
Council members yesterday also
took issue with a recent accusa-
tion by DR.. Christopher T. Bever,
director Of the mental Hygiene
Clinic. He had said the county
was shirking its duties to the
mentally i'll.
DR.. Bever had declared that
eight out Of 10 psychiatric pa
tients handled by the county dur
ing the first four months of 1852
spent some time in the county
Jail.
County Manager Irving G. Nc
Nayr said the county now has a
procedure for the immediate
commitment of mental patients
to State mental institutions.
Explains Arrests Of 10.
Mr.. McNayr told the council,
however, that about 10 patients
were jailed first, but only because
they had been arrested as drunks.
He said they were moved as soon
as it was determined they were
mental patients who needed hos
pitalization.
Mr.. McNayr said there is no hos
pital in the county that has a
psychiatric ward. He added there
is q possibility that one of the
local hospitals will install such a
ward in the near future.
Mr.. McNayr said it is too costly
and impractical for the county t.
consider setting up its own inter-
mediate institutions for t',e
handling of tubercular, or mer, a
patients slated for admission to
State hospitals.
The county council also ap-
proved purchase of a parking lot
site for $4,000 in the Montgomery
Hills subdivision, Silver Spring.
Council members said the lot
will be developed with proper
screening as a model parking lot.
County employees now are draw
ing up a landscaping plan for
the lot. which will provide a park
like area around it.
Wheaton Lot Hearing Set.
A public hearing also was set
for July 20 on the purchase, for
some $4,000, of another lot in
the Wheaton business section.
In other action yesterday, the
council approved a salary increase
from $4,000 to $500 for Juvenile
Court Judge Alfred D. Noyes.
Judge Noyes will begin operating
on a full-time basis.
Nine other department and di-
vision heads yesterday were
granted salary increases of from
$3.50 to $575 annually. Most OF
the increases are less than the
5 per cent cost-of-living increase
granted other county employees
earlier this year.
Councilwoman Stella B. Werner
yesterday was renamed to an ex-
officio position on the County Wei
fare Board. Fifteen persons also
were named to three-year terms
on the County Commission fol
Youth, and four persons were
added to the county payroll.
D,,.:nn..lsnon.a Taw