Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-03-22
Fourteenth Street
Bridge Tops List
At House PorIey
BY ALEX r. PRESTON

Inc full House District Com
mittee has been called into its
first business meeting of the cur
rent session of Congress to act
on pending legislation, including
"a bill increasing the authorized
cost of the Fourteenth street
bridge.
I This was announced following
meeting of the Judiciary Sub.
committee today at which three
bills were reported to the full
District Committee.
Chairman Mcmillan, Democrat
OF South Carolina, said the first
business session of his group
Will take up any other bills that
may be ready to be offered by any
OF the subcommittee. The only
other session of the full commits
tee was for the purpose of organ.
ization on January %.
The Fourteenth street bridge
authorization bill was reported
yesterday by a subcommittee
headed by Representative Davis.
Democrat of Georgia.
AS introduced, that measure
was to have increased the total
authorized cost from 81 million
10 SIG million. The subcommittee
tackled on an amendment. how
ever. al the insistence of Rep
resentative Smith, Democrat OF
virginia. to increase the total
cost by another SIS million.
lhis is to allow construction Of
a double-draw span on the
bridge so that river traffic can
be maintained up to Georgetown.
Three Other Bills
Three bills reported by the
Judiciary Subcommittee. headed
by Representative Alternately.
Democrat Of Mississippi, were
the following:
One by representative
Matthews, Democrat of Florida,
authorizing the District of CO.
lumbia reformatory at Lorton,
Va, to sell copies of historic gun
mountings and carriages to
States other than the District.
This measure, which cleared the
House last session. is designed
to meet demands by the State of
New York and others to use the
expert copies at historic sites and
Tor museum display purposes.
A second bill by Representative
HYDE. Republican of Maryland,
would extend the so-called Uni
form Simultaneous Death Act to
apply to the District. The meas
ule, requested by the bar asso-
, citation. is designed to settle
tricky questions of inheritance
and the rights of survivorship
when a husband and wife die
simultaneously, as in an auto
mobile wreck or other disaster.
The third measure given sub
committee approval today was
offered by Mr.. Abernethv at the
request of the District Commits
sioners. 1t is designed to en-
courage automobile dealers to
lend more vehicles to the schools
for entertaining programs. The
bill would exempt the dealers
from paying registration fees and
the District excise tax on such
vehicles as long as the machines
are being used by public. private
or parochial schools.
Measures TO Be Screened
+ Altogether the Judiciary Sub
committee has 25 other bills on
its calendar. Chairman Aber-
ncthy and Representative O'Hara
of Minnesota, the ranking Re-
publican member, were expected
to confer shortly to go over these
measures with the idea of de-
termining which may require
public hearings.
Legislation pending before the
Judiciary subcommittee deals
with District home rule. revisions
of the alcoholic beverage control
law, a uniform reciprocal nom
support law among others.
4 Meanwhile. the Davis subcom-
mittee probably will meet some
time next week to act on the
bridge-tunnel legislation Of Rep
resentative Broyhill. Republican
of Virginia. Public hearings on
those two measures. one for a
bridge and the other for a tun-
mel at Constitution avenue, were
concluded yesterday at the time
action was taken on the Four
teenth street bridge bill The
exact date OF the meeting on
the Broyhill bills has not been
set.