Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-05-30
NORTHUMBERLAND
Passes Hospital Bill
4-3 Vote Endorses
So Million Bond
Financing Plan
BY CHARLES L. HOFFMAN

BY CHARLES L. HOFFMAN
The Montgomery County
Council today passed by a Altos
vote the Silver Spring Hospital
bill.
The vote came shortly after
the Council opened its legislative
session. Voting for the bill were
its sponsor, Council President
Robert T. Snure, Charles H.
Jamison, Jerry T. Williams and
Wilbur N. Baughman.
Voting against the bill were
y. Grahame Walker, Grover K.
Walker and Mrs. Stella B. Wer-
Iner.
A spokesman for the Thir-
teenth District Referendum AS
ISOLATION. organized recently to
fight the bill, said petitions al
ready had been prepared to force
a referendum on the measure.
Need 5000 Signers
Such a referendum would re-
Iquire five per cent of the. reg
Iistered voters or more than 5000
signatures. The referendum
would be countrywide although
the hospital bill provides for a
special tax on the Silver Spring.
Wheaton area only to help
finance construction of the So
million, 225-bed hospital.
Action yesterday on the meas
Iure saw nine amendments voted
on and three of them fall in
defeat.
The bill authorizes issuance Of
So million in bonds to help A.
nance construction of the pro-
posed 225-bed hospital at Forest
Glen road and Sligo Park.
The bonds would be paid of
by tax not to exceed Z cents
per 500 of assessed valuation
on all property in the 18th elec-
ton district excluding the In
Icorporated areas.
Final Action Waits
The bills sponsor, Council
President Snure, sought final ac-
ton on the measure last night
but agreed to the delay when
Councilman Wilbur Baughman
baked.
Mr.. Baughman, smarting from
defeat of an amendment that
would have excluded from the
hospital district an area near
IOlney, asked for the delay. The
excluded area would have includ-
ed Mr.. Baughman's fashionable
subdivision. Gayfields, he said.
Mr.. Baughman said the exclu-
sion was sought because the area
is a heavy contributor to the OPP
erations of the nearby Montgom-
cry General Hospital and Sandy
Springs.
The major amendment-in eff
feet substitute bill-was de-
feated by 6-to-l vote. 1t was
the proposal of Councilman j.
Grahame Walker.
Mr.. Walker wanted to supplant
the present Medical Care Com
mission with new Hospital
Commission. The commission
would have been required to con-
duct a new survey of hospital
needs and recommend hospitals
for construction. Title to all such
hospitals would remain in the
county and construction costs
would be financed by a county,
wide tax regardless of where the
hospital was located.
Leading the fight with Mr..
Snure against the Walker
amendment was Mrs. Werner.
I'VE should weigh carefully
before attaching any new tax
rate for any service" Mrs. Wer-
ner said. Instead she proposed
a binding referendum on
the bill to get the sentiment in
the county.
Measure Loses, 4-3
She saw her measure defeated
4-to-3 after County Attorney
Charles M. Irelan questioned the
authority of the council to
initiate a referendum.
Mr.. Irelan said the State law
granting powers to chartered
counties made no provisions for
such referenda. Mrs. Werner
said, however. that attorneys
had told her there was no ex-
press prohibition in the act to
the county's initiating a refer
endum.
She urged the passage of the
amendment even under the
cloud noted by the County At
torney and said the referendum
should be put on the ballot II
it were not tossed out by the
courts.
Supporters of the bill got a
big psychological boost yester-
day when the Medical Care
Commission recommended its
passage.