Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1953-03-29
MaryIand's
Budget kCut
Conferees
Trim Is Secret,
But Is Reported
To Top 81 Million

~ UD SNSSssotoo BtoSo
ANNAPOLIS, Mar. 28.-Sen-
ate and House subcommittee
finished spadework on Mary
lands 1953-54 budget today and
we're reliably reported to have
deepened the hole already dug
in Gov. McKeldin's spending
program.
They were set to transfer their
million-dollar penny pinching to
the administrations bond bill
that totaled $15.2 million when
Gov. McKeldin had it intro
duced.
How much they had trimmed
from the $195 million operating
budget was a secret.
Best reports were that the
series of conferences among
members Of the Senate Finance
and House Ways and Means
Committees had evolved cuts ex-
ceeding the 50 million already
sanctioned by the House.
Expected to Lower Total.
The two majority leaders.
Senator Goldstein and Delegate
Logan said the exact figures
would be made public Monday.
These are expected to lower the
grand total from its present
$193,314,00O.
Meanwhile, q delegation Of
State and Baltimore public well
fare officials appealed to the
Governor for help in restoring
funds chopped from their budget.
The House accepted its Ways
and Means Committee recon-
mendation to strip 1928, 900 from
relief payments and administra-
ton, plus more thousands from
training schools run by the vel
fare department.
Senate Minority Leader Kim
BILE said he would contest so
hefty a cut in both welfare and
medical-care allowances. The
House removed 500, 900 from city
and county programs for treat
ing the needy.
Too Many New Autos.
Senator PhoebuS. Republican
OF Somerset, also attacked the
retrenchment in welfare.
The Somerset Senator said
also he would move to prevent
any State department. from buy
ing new cars in the fiscal year
beginning July /.
II have seen too many shiny
new automobiles which take
money from the poor" Mr..
PhoebuS said.
His amendment would exempt
only the Governor.
After two days Of meetings, the
conferees approved many Of the
House cuts, restored a few and
extended others. Informed sour
ceS said some money was re.
turned to the controllers Office
for income-tax investigations.
The Senate committee repeatedly
was forced to yield on taking
away funds for operation Of the
State yacht Potomac.
One money measure awaited
for weeks by the legislature had
not turned up before the week
end recess. This would authorize
another bond issue for building
at the University of Maryland,
which President H. c. Byrd has
said he would request.
At last report, dissatisfaction
on the part of the Governor with
some Of the financing provisions
had caused the attorney generals
Office to abandon drafting the
measure.
One major issue, which has
been slowly suffocating in the
Senate Finance Committee, is
the assessment bill promoted by
the Montgomery County Coun-
Gil.
Annual Assessment.
That bill which would allow
counties to put assessments on
their tax books annually, even
thought they will start reasseSs-
ing on three-year cycle next
January, passed the House last.
month. The bill is important to
Montgomery and many other
counties because the amount a
county may borrow Is figured on
its total assessment. Under the
new three-year cycle law, the
aSsesSable base would be frozen
for three-year periods until all
property in a particular county
is reasSessed. That would also
freeze the ceiling on bonded in
debtedneSs.
Montgomery County officials
have said that unless the bill
now f1oundering in committee
becomes law, their school build
AAAS o4AA OVAAC4 NdpAOd4 1k11k4OtC"
ment programs will have to
come to q virtual standstill.
House Passes So Bills.
The House in burst of en-
ergy today passed a total Of So
bills and enacted Is on the first
Saturday meeting Of the 90-day
session.
Among the bills passed were:
/. Compulsory automobile in
Surance.
Q. Exemption from the sales
tax of traded-in farm ma
chinery.
8. Easing Of the tax on mutual
savings banks.
4. Property tax exemption for
poultry up to six months old.
S. Prohibition Of evidence OBJ
49, Axy ,s,t..n d. ...s~aaS