Evening star., 1955-03-15
Two New Bills
For Roadside
ControIReadied
Prompted by Defect
Of Measure Giving
Powers to Stute
By Gene Goodwin
Stor Stoff Correspondent

feated Legislative Council
measure that would have given
the State Roads Commission
power to control land rs feet
back on both sides of new, more
heavily travelled arteries, two
new bills were made ready for
introduction today.
Delegate Daniel B. Brewster,
Democrat, of Baltimore County
said he was putting in legisla-
tion aimed at controlling signs
and billboards alongside Mary
land highways. 1t would give
the roads commission authority
to designate new roads as
roadside protected highways"
to regulate billboards, signs and
political posters.
Delegates Carlton R. Sickles.
Democrat, of Prince Georges and
Jerome Robinson, Democrat, of
Baltimore teamed on a resolu-
ton calling on the State Plan
ming Commission to make a study
and give the Legislature
satisfactory recommendation for
maintaining the attractiveness
and value of the States in
vestment in it's highways"
Contends Order Unheeded
The resolution contends that
a 1888 special session of the
Legislature directed the plan
ming commission to prepare an
orderly plan for the develop
ment of lands along highways,
but that no such plan was ever
presented.
1t directs the planning COM
mission to come up with such
a plan by the 1857 Legislature.
Last nights House action, in
which the roadside control bill
was defeated, 70 to 43, found
the entire Montgomery delega-
ton voting for the measure. with
the Prince Georges bloc being
evenly split. Delegates Hervey
G. Machen, Ernest A. Loveless,
jr., and Perry o. Wilkinson
voted for the bill, and Dele
gates Carlton R. Sickles, J. Philip
Nichols and Lansdale G.. Sasscer,
jr., voted against it.
House Majority Leader A.
Gordon Boone, principal hacker
OF the defeated bill, conceded it
was "a weak BILL" but urged it's
passage as a matter of prin-
ciple.
Cites 12-Year Plan
ITS a question" he said, "of
whether we are going to permit
the new highways we are build
ing in the 12-year roads pro-
gram to be obliterated by bill
boards and honky-tonks such as
have been allowed on that neon
alley we call the Washington
Baltimore boulevard"
Opponents of the measure
said they felt it more proper for
counties to control roadsides
under their coming powers.
The House, in another action
last night, passed along to the
Senate legislation to make the
State Roads Commission pay for
relocation of public water and
sewer lines in it's rights of way
when they have to be moved for
road Improvements.
The bill had a close call, being
approved 63 to "a, only one vote
above the required constitutional
majority.
Opponents said it would cost
the roads commission $40 million
in its 12-year roads program.
The Washington Suburban Sani-
tary Commission, which is back
ing the measure, says it will save
about $2.7 million for suburban
Maryland taxpayers in the 12-
year program.
Slum Vote Tomorrow
The House put off until to-
morrow the final vote on legis-
lation calling for a constitutional
amendment to authorize the
Legislature to grant slum clear
ance reedevelopment powers to
Maryland cities and counties.
Delegate Blair Lee III, Demo-
crat, of Montgomery. co-sponsor
of the measure, agreed to the
postponement. after explaining
to the House that the bill is
aimed at giving counties and
cities the same slum clearance
powers enjoyed in Baltimore City
and employed in its famous block
plan for slum clearance.
Meanwhile, Mr.. Wilkinson, who
is chairman of the Prince
Georges delegation, announced
his group will hold a hearing at
pm. Thursday on a bill being
prepared for introduction and
proposed by the Master Electri-
clans Association of the county.
The bill would increase the
Electrical Inspection Board from
three to seven members, remove
their compensation and provide
that all inspection fee funds be
collected and disbursed by the
county instead of the board. 1t
also would make subject to
county inspection all work done
beyond service connections to
buildings and electrical work
when meter cut-in is not neces-
Sary.
The Prince Georges delegates
introduced bills last night:
/. To authorize the county
commissioners to increase the
annual salary of the supervisor
of assessments from $5,400 to
$6,500 and his assistant, from
$4,l00 to $500.
2. To authorize the commits
sioners to hire field supervisor
of assessments at $500 a year
for use when the new annual
assessment system goes into
effect either this year or next.