Evening star., 1953-12-27

halt. More Is bound to be
heard Of this later, however.
Only a few days ago Capital
Transit Board Chairman Louis
Wolfson told a Senate sub
committee a single transit OPP
Grafton in the area could OPP
crate on a 15-cent fare. The
basic CTC fare is II cents.
BY Jurisdictions, the years
highlights would look some
thing like this:
District
Political Scene Fl. Joseph
Donohue resigned to be re-
placed by Samuel Spencer, the
new chairman of the city's
governing board. Efforts by
the local young Republicans
to GUST Democrat Commits
Sioner Renah Camalier failed
when that Truman holdover
refused to resign.
Ldi0 Entorcement-Key gains
were made during the year.
The newly-enacted crime law
greatly strengthened the hands
Of police. prosecutor and judge
in handling community crooks.
Compulsory disqualification of
dope addicts also will become
effective when legislative au-
thority is granted to send such
addictS to the Federal hos
pital at Lexington, KY. Local
judges have become less
lenient, handing down more
consecutive instead of con-
current sentences. They also
have become tougher in grant
ing requests for psychiatric
examination into whether a
crook is able to stand
trial. Hand in hand with
this. has gone the deter
mination of the United States
attorney to prosecute every
supported charge against a
criminal. No more dropping
of a count or two in exchange
for a plea of guilty to another
charge, etc. Most recently,
community effort has been
directed at the problem of
juvenile delinquency and i'm
proving the functioning of the
Juvenile Court.
RedeUelopment The year
saw redevelopment of area B
in the Southwest actually get
under way. The first piece of
property has been acquired
by the Redevelopment Land
Agency and the first family
has been moved to other ac-
commodations. A small core
of opposition continues within
the area and may ultimately
delay the project in the courts
despite the fact that a special
three-judge panel ruled the
Redevelopment Act constitu-
tional. The RIA faces the
prospect of legal challenge
with respect to specific prop
critics, but the burden Of
proof appears to be on the
challenger. He must show the
property is not slum or con-
tributing to a slum, or that
razing it would not prevent
development of a slum.
Reorganization 1853 saw
the streamlining of the mu-
nicipal government. Many
related functions were con-
solidated and the overall
structure simplif1ed from 80
departments, agencies and
boards to some % depart
ments. It was not done
without travail. Several long
service department heads
,bucked the reorganizers sue
cesSfully. These included
Traffic Director George
Keneiph and Health Officer
Dan Seckinger. The program
hung on the brink of defeat
as many community groups
fought abolition of the Board
of Public Welfare as an ad-
miniStrative agency and the
grouping of many little satel-
lite boards into a department
Of professions and occupa-
tionS. Members of Congress
also entered the lists to at
tempt to remove the Budget
Office from the jurisdiction of
Schuyler loves Department
of General Administration. In
each case, however, the Com
missioners. despite heavy con-
trary pressure. backed up
Reorganizer Lowe. This fall
Mr.. Lowe estimated 80 per
cent. of the basic streamlining
program had been accom-
plished. The refining contin-
ues-and. it can be assumed,
so does the opposition.
Public Works-The big pub
lie works program to patch
up and improve the city's fall
tering physical plant finally
got to the Capitol too late for
consideration before the legis-
lators recessed. When they
return in January they will
find still different program.
In the interim the .Commis-
sionerS have worked out with
the Federal Bureau of the
Budget a trimming of the plan
by 10 per cent to about $306
million and a financing plan.
The plan calls for bureau sup
port of an increased Federal
payment to $40 million a year
for 10 years while the District
is to raise $40 million annually
in increased and new taxes.
Additional funds may be OBJ
tanned by interest bearing
loans from Uncle Sam. The
Commissioners propose to raise
the District share from the