Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-07-11
Senate Passes
Is District Bills,
Rejects 0nIy2
Votes $40 Increase
For City's JobIess;;
Limit on Tuxis Fuils
By Don S. Warren

~ ASu Sa V9lbSU
The Senate yesterday quickly
passed. without objection, 10 Of
the 20 measures favorably re-
ported from the Senate District
Committee at its busy session
Friday.
Several Of the measures are
relatively important.
One calls for liberalization Of
the District Unemployment
Compensation Insurance pro-
gram.
This provides for an increase
from $40 to $50 in the maximum
amount weekly benefit pay
nnents to the jobless and an in
crease from 20 to 20 weeks in
duration. The latter is linked
with an alternative of 80 per
cent Of the pay of the claimant
during his year base pay period.
Under the measure, a revision
Of the 1943 law, a person who
loses his job would receive a
maximum of $50 for 26 weeks,
or SO per cent of what he had
been paid in the past year,
whichever was the lesser.
Sitter Requirements.
The compromise bill passed by
the Senate also carries sitter
requirements for qualification
and. for disqualification of any
worker who has obtained bene-
fits under fraudulent claims.
House subcommittee action
may be taken this week on this
compromise bill, under the plans
OF Representative Tale, Repub-
liean, of Iowa, chairman of the
Insurance subcommittee of the
House District Committee.
Representative Tale particle
pated in the joint hearings with
the Senate subcommittee and,
without committing himself on
details of the bill, told the SEN
ate District Com mittee he
thought the revised bill was a
very good compromise.
Also approved by the Senate
was a bill to provide for the Sc
lection of District delegates to
the national political party con-
ventions at primary elections,
which would be held here under
the regulation and control of a
board of election. This question
has been under debate in and out
Of Congress for several years.
Approved also was a bill to
abolish a time honored law ban
ming human occupancy of houses
fronting on alleys. Both District
and planning officials have
agreed to this change since new
laws on Slum clearance and new
moves by property owners to re-
build housing have removed the
old problem of alley dwellings.
d. c. Gets $2sO.Ooo Grant.
The Senate also gave its UNI
qualified approval to d bill au-
thorizing a Federal grant Of
$3.50, 900 toward the construction
of q grade separation structure
on the line of New York avenue
Me-, where it will cross the
tracks of the Pennsylvania Rail-
road as a connection with the
new Washington Baltimore park
way.
Officials said this grant, re-
duced from an original proposal
of $780, 900, would leave the Dis
trict with the requirement of
meeting about $4,000 of the
projects cost.
Two bills on the Senate Dis
trict Committee list failed to win
approval. One was a measure to
require Metropolitan police to
keep open to public inspection
all records Of arrests. Approval
on the consent calendar was
blocked by an objection made at
the request Of Senator Johnston,
Democrat, Of South Carolina. He
told reporters he thought there
was too much business of trying
to legiSlate on everything. He
said he thought the question Of
open or confidential arrest was
IAN administrative matter"
However, proponents Of the
bill held out the hope that the
South Carolinian would later
change his mind when he was
assured that the bill had the in
dorsement Of many groups and
officials, including Police Chief
Robert v. Murray.
Bill Limiting Taxicabs Fails.
The other bill that failed of
Senate passage was one to give
the Public Utilities Commission
power to regulate and limit the
number Of taxicabs licensed to
operate in this city. Unanimous
consent was refused at the re-
quest Of Senator Erwin, Demo-
crat. Of North Carolina.
This freshman member Of the
Senate District Committee told
his colleagues Friday that he
was fundamentally opposed to
this type Of legislation. Citing
experiences in some other cities,
he raised the question Of mon
opoly by big feet operators.
Senators in favor of the bill
advised him that the pending
District measure contained spe-
ctfic provisions designed to pre-
vent monopoly not
included in the laws of some
other cities. Mr.. Erwin. however,
was not satisfied. and blocked
unanimous consent for passage.
Four of the 10 bills approved
by the Senate now go to the
White House for signature.
These measures would:
Permit payment of trust funds
by savings and loan associations
to the beneficiary on the death
a.