Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-04-05
Auto Inspection
Killed in Finale
AT Annapolis
Voting Machines
And Home Rule
Win Approval
BY CHARLES L. HOFFMAN
Star stan Correspondent

in the Senate on parliamentary
maneuver by Republicans Stan
ford Hoff. Of Carroll County.
and James B. Monroe of Charles
County.
The last minute rush spelled
defeat for a bill that would have
provided for a referendum in
traditionally-dry Takorna Park
on whether additional liquor IL
censeS should be granted In the
Prince Georges sector of the city.
One already has been granted.
No Effort Made
The bill passed the Houes yes
terday. It did not reach the Sem
ate Judicial Proceedings Com
mittee. however. until 11:10 last
night and no visible effort was
made to move the bill to the
floor.
Another measure originally in
PRODUCED as Statewide bill to
permit only licensed welfare
agencies to act as Intermediates
in child adoption cases emerged
from the Senate as affecting only
Baltimore City.
The Prince Georges and Har-
ford delegations early in the Ses-
sion had asked to be excluded
from the measure and by the end
Of last week all the counties had
been deleted.
The bill, as finally enacted,
bars clergymen. doctors and law
yers from acting as go-betweens
in adoption cases in Baltimore.
Left languishing in the Senate
Judicial Proceedings Committee
were bills aimed at reform in
Statewide election laws and
granting the same absentee vot-
ing privileges to civilians that
seryicemen now have.
Voters OK'd Move
The voters in last November's
election had approved4a consti-,
tutional amendment calling for
extension of absentee voting
privileges to civilians.
A bill that would have in
creased the Maryland Court Of
Appeals from five to seven mem
bers was killed in the House de-
spite a floor fight by Southern
Maryland Delegates.
The bill would have provided
an additional Judge from Balti-
more City and one from South
ern Maryland. A move by Dele
gate Lansdale G. Sascer, jr.,
Democrat, Of Prince Georges to
substitute the bill for an UNI
favorable com mittee report
failed on a voice vote.
A proposal to strip the COM
missioner of motor vehicles of
his discretionary powers to waive
the requirement that school bus
drivers be at least ID years old
was eliminated by Senate amend
mentS.
The proposal, sponsored by
Delegats Carlton r. Sickles and
c. Philip Nichols. Democrats, Of
Princes Georges was prompted
by a 1858 school bus accident on
Montgomery County's Rockville
pike in which the 17-year-old
driver and several children were
injured and one child killed.
The driver was exonerated.
Senator H. Winship Wheat
ley, jr., Democrat, Of Prince
Georges. who helped kill the auto
inspection measure. failed to
move a House-passed bill that
would have transferred juvenile
court jurisdiction in his county
from the trial magistrates sys-
TEN to Circuit Court.
The Senator early Saturday
said he intended to sit on the
bill, then Saturday night changed
his mind. BY yesterday, however,
he had reversed his stand again.
A House measure that would
have created a Worcester County
authority to build a bridge from
the Eastern Shore to Assateague
Island was killed last night in
the Senate.
The death blow was dealt by
Senator Ralph L. Mason, Demo-
crat, Of Worcester, from his sick
bed. The Senator, at home for
the past month, yesterday sent
word that he opposed the meas.
ure.
The bridge would have pro-
vided access to Ocean Beach.
Senator Monroe killed two
House passed bills affecting liq-
uor and slot machine operations
in Charles County.
Would Shift Duties
One would have abolished the
position of slot machine clerk
and transferred the duties Of the
Office to the Circuit Court clerks
Office. The other would have
abolished the Alcoholic Beverage
License Board and transferred its
duties to the Board of County
Commissioners!
Montgomery and Prince
Georges legislators succeeded in
saving Washington suburban
sanitary district residents an
estimated $250.000 by eliminate
ing Legislative requirement that
a fish ladder he built on the new
Patuxent River reservoir dam.
The municipal home rule bill
--implementing the constitu-
tional amendment passed last
Noevmber-was enacted by the
Senate late last night as 1t con-
Cured In II amendments made
BY the House.