Evening star., 1953-03-28
Ocean Beach Bridge
Up for Vote, With 3
Conditional Provisos
By q stoff Correspondent Of Tn. Star

~ " S'o'' ~OIISSPOU0SuI OF lHe SI0b
ANNAPOLIS, Mar. 28.-Rough
waters still lay ahead today for
a bill asked by Ocean Beach,
Inc, to allow it to build private
bridge across Sinepuxent Bay to
ASsateague Island. ...
The House yesterday adopted
three restrictive amendments but
turned down several even more
drastic ones. The final vote,
which had been scheduled
yesterday. was put over until
today.
Meanwhile, there were reports
that the Senate, which already
had approved the measure as in
troduced by Senator Ralph L.
Mason. Democrat, of Worcester
County. might recall it for some
amendments Of its own.
The amendments adopted by
the House yesterday would re-
quire the corporation to post a
100000 bond as some sort of
guarantee that the span would
be completed. Delegate Henry
H. Hanna, jr., Democrat, of
Wicomico County, sponsor of
that amendment, said he feared
the corporation might use pas
sage of the bill to promote sale
of lots on the island off Ocean
City. Md, and never build the
bridge.
Deadline Postponed.
The two other amendments
adopted would require the cor
poration to begin construction
of the span by January /. 1855,
and complete it by June l, 1857.
Delegate Dan Brewster, DEM
ocrat, of Baltimore County
fought in vain for an amend
ment to strike out a provision
to exempt the corporation and
its property from taxation by
the State and Worcester County
until the bridge is built and paid
for. His amendments also would
have deleted a section outlining
what financial obligations the
State would have to assume if it
ever decided to take over the
bridge. His amendments failed,
Al to 20.
Mr.. Brewster was particularly
upset about a provision in the
part he moved to delete to re-
quire the State, if it ever chose
to take over the bridge, to pay
the corporations promotion costs
in connection with the span, mot
to exceed 10 per cent of the sum
of the cost of constructing the
bridge and its approaches and
acquiring interests in real prop
erty."
Marshall Move Fails.
After Mr.. Brewster's amend
mentS were rejected, Delegate j.
PAUL Marshall, Republican, of
Montgomery tried to strike out
the provision on the promotion
costs. That failed, 81 to 18.
1T looks to me like they are
trying to drain every cent from
the State they can," Mr.. Mar
shall argued.
I'm in favor of the purpose
Of the bill, shut we've got to pro-
tect the taxpayers of Maryland.
"Ten per cent of the total cost
Of the bridge would be something
over 500, ,000."
The only transportation to the
island now is a three-car ferry.
Lobbyist Coaching Charged.
Leon Alderman Of Washington
is principal stockholder in the
corporation.
During the debate, Delegate
Robert Cannon, Democrat, of
Wicomico. demanded that the
floor be cleared of lobbyists. with
the charge that "the delegates
from Worcester County are
being coached, word for word %
He referred to Jack Culver, a
weekly newspaper editor from
Worcester County, who is q di-
rector Of the Ocean Beach Bridge
Corp. q subsidiary of Ocean
Beach, Inc. Mr.. Culver was sit
ting alongside the three Wor-
cester delegates as they defended
their bill as purely a local meas
ure. which would put valuable
new property on their tax books.
After Mr.. Cannon's demand,
the House Speaker invoked a
House rule. and Mr.. Culver
! scooted out Of the chamber.