Evening star., 1955-09-04
Counties Hear
Fear Of Towns
Political Power
BY CHARLES L. HOFFMAN
Star stan Correspondent

Montgomery County Council
member today charged that "ths
incorporated towns are going tc
take over the State of Maryland.
The statement came from Mrs
Stella B. Werner at the meeting
here of the Association of County
Commissioners.
Mrs. Werner sought to block
acceptance Of a committee re.
port putting off plans for a long.
range program for the associa.
ton and appointment of a full.
time executive secretary.
She said the incorporated
towns power and effectiveness.
at the General Assembly came
from their year-round activitie:
carried on by the Maryland Mum
nicipal League, which has full.
time secretary and issues period.
ical reports from its Offices or
the University Of Maryland cam
pus.
/ Chairman Asks Delay
i Thomas Kay Of Cecil County
who served as chairman of the
committee, however. urged a de-
lay by the association until il
sees the first of a series Of better
reports on county activities
promised from the States Fiscal
Research Bureau.
Mrs. Werner got voice sup
port in her move to pave the
way for q full-time secretary
only from Robert T. Snure, her
fellow councilman. Mr.. Kay had
put the cost of maintaining q
year-round program at $4,000.
J. Thomas Kibler Of Kent
County, who heads the associa-
tion. said he would name q COM
mittee to meet In October with
a special legislative group study
ing improvements in the dis
tribution Of State funds through
the political subdivisions.
Mr.. Kay who said he had met
with the group headed by Sem
ator William James. Democrat
of Hartford. warned If the Legis-
lature puts a freeze on we're
all going to get hurt"
Education Costs Rising
The James subcommittee Is
one Of three groups studying the
State fiscal picture and seeking
a means Of economizing and
finding new sources Of revenue
to pick up q reported $35 million
deficit anticipated next year.
Tax-conscious county commits
sioners from throughout the
State were told here today that
the cost Of education has gone up
about five times as fast as school
enrolment.
Assistant State School Supt.
David w. Zimmerman said en-
rollments have increased 1877 600
or about 50 per cent In the last
10 years.
During the same period, money
spent for education has jumped
315 per cent from s27 million to
SIP million.
DR.. Zimmerman also forecast
annual increases in the future Of
SO million q year. shared Jointly
by the State and counties. He
said enrollments were expected
to increase at q rate Of $4,000
a year through 1860.
The school spokesman, who
has urged the commissioners to
work closely with county school
boards. suggested that they be
not too timid about borrowing
money for school construction.
Realty Provides Most Money
Dr.. Zimmerman said that at
present about 50 per cent Of the
cost Of Maryland's schools is
born locally by taxes on real
estate.
/ Some counties, however, get
as much as 80 per cent of their
education money from the State
while others like Montgomery,
Baltimore and Baltimore City,
get only 20 to Is per cent. The
County Commissioners also we're
informed that the Federal gov
ernment has paid for $29 million
worth of schools in Maryland
under its program of aid to Fed
orally impacted areas.
/ Twenty-one elementary schools
and % high schools have been
built with the Federal funds to
provide 1,009 classrooms to
house 26,l09 children.
These figures were reported
by B. Alden Lilliwhite, assistant
chief Of the division handling
the Federal aid program in the
Department of Health, Educa-
tion, and Welfare.
Permanent Plan Due
Mr.. Lilliwhite said the de-
partment next year will recon-
mend a permanent program for
the special aid to impacted
areas to supplant the present
legislation which has been re-
newed three times.
The County Commissioners
were to wind up their session
tonight with a banquet at the
george washington Hotel. =,
Also in attendance here from
the Washington area were
Montgomery County Manager M.
L. Reese, William B. Mckinney.
recently promoted to assistant
to the Montgomery County man.
ager; Montgomery Planning En-
gineer Harold Taubin, and
Prince Georges County Commits
sioners Jesse s. Baggett, Herbert
w. Reichelt. Lansdale G. Clag-
EFT and A. Preston Perrie.
Perry Boswell. jr., also Of
Prince Georges, led a panel dis
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