Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-03-09
Prompt Signing
Within q Few
Days Expected
By GENE GOODWIN
Star STAFF CORRESPONDENT

bile a twice-enacted bill creating
Ia powerful. quasi official Mary
land Port Authority.
| Aides in the Governors office
here said the chief executive will
sign the bill as soon as it reaches
his desk, probably early next
week.
The bill was re-enacted by a
one-day special session of the
Legislature yesterday, an action
Eapplauded by Gov. McKeldin in
a special message as AN out
standing landmark in Maryland
progress"
, "Its good results in a greater,
growing Maryland will be mani
fest in the years and decades
ahead" the Governor told the
Legislature.
Seaway Competition
Senate President Louis L.
Goldstein also congratulated his
colleagues for enacting the port
authority bill. He said it Is
needed to offset the loss in COM
merce the Baltimore Harbor will
suffer from construction Of the
ISt. Lawrence Seaway.
The So million-a year port
authority is charged in the bill
with responsibility foR attract
ing new commerce to Maryland
waters.
To start off with, the author
lily is authorized to float a SIS
million bond issue to buy harbor
facilities now owned by Balti-
more City, and construct new
ones.
1t will operate from revenues
derived from an increase in the
corporate income tax from the
present Az per cent rate to a
S per cent rate.
! Exempted from jurisdiction Of
the new authority, under terms
of amendments accepted by the
Legislature, are Talbot and
Queen Anne Counties and most
of Anne Arundel County.
Clincher on Enactment
| The port authority bill was
passed by the regular 30-day
session of the Legislature, which
adjourned a week ago, but was
enacted by special session
yesterday to clear up doubts that
had been raised as to its con-
Stitutionality. The bill amended
several local laws of Baltimore
City, and 30-day sessions can
not legally consider local bills
unless they are of an emer-
gency nature.
Also re-enacted by the special
session, which lasted about eight
hours. was bill authorizing the
Prince Georges County Commits
sioners to float a $2.5 million
bond issue for an addition to
Prince Georges General Hos
jpital.
TWenty-three bills were intro
,duced in the special session, but
only Is were enacted. The House
leadership allowed delegates to
put in any bills they desired.
but the Senate restricted its at
tention to bills recommended by
the Governor and those involy-
ing local bond issues.
Committee Kills Eight
This resulted in six House bills
and two Senate bills being killed
IN the Senate Rules Committee.
Among these was a Prince
Georges delegation measure
seeking to impose a fire tax On
residents of the I'd Precinct
OF the 14th (Bowie) Election
District for the benefit of the
Glenn Dale Fire Department.
Among bills enacted was ore
amending the recently enacted
public utility seizure law to pro-
vide that the Governor can
name members of the three
member board of arbitration if
the company or union fail to
designate their members or tail
to agree on designation of the
third member.
Gov. McKeldin took advan-
tage of the presence here of
Senate President Goldstein and
House Speaker Luber to call a
bill-Signing session in his Office
late in the day. The signatures
of all three officials are required
to turn bills into law.
Sixteen acts were signed, Is
from the regular session and
one technical re-enactment from
the special session. bill Clarity
ing the revenue authorization Of
the State Roads Commission in
connection with construction of
the Northeast Expressway. Mary
lands first toll road. to be con-
structed between Baltimore and
the Pennsylvania border.
One of the bills signed into
law by the Governor would "''-
thorize Baltimore City and the
counties to borrow a Total [. .,5
million under the States credit
for school construction. That
allows the city and the counties
to take advantage of the lower
interest rate the State is able
to obtain on the bond market.
Two other bills signed yester-
day would strengthen the powers
of the Maryland Tobacco Au-
thority and abolish the Standard
Salary Board in favor of a NV
five-member board headed by
the State commissioner of per-
sonnet.
Cnnnl Hike SUNDAY