Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-11-03
yelling Fdvors
Less Licensing
For Businesses

Engineer Commissioner Alvin
c.. yelling said last night he
favors less rather than more
licensing of businesses in the
District.
The District probably ought
to get out of the business of
licensing in certain areas" he
said on the WWDC program,
Report to the People," He will
stress the danger of overregula-
ton to General Administrations
Director Schuyler Lowe, who is
to make a survey aimed at es-
tablishing broad licensing pol
icies for the District.
The study is expected to take
six months. It was requested
by Licenses and Inspections
Department Director Cabell
Gwathmey, who called current
licensing a patchwork, not a
policy"
Pending Proposals
In the meantime, Col. We'll
ling said he would recommend
against two pending proposals |
to start licensing television re-
pairmen and general contrae-
tors.
He said he Joined Mr.. Gwath-
mey ''in the view that protec-
tive services to the public would
not justify the cost of licensing
the television repair business.
The formal recommendation to
abandon this licensing proposal
will go to the Commissioners
next week.
The question of licensing
general contractors has been
tossed to the Commissioners
Citizens Advisory Council. Such
regulation was promoted by
citizen groups interested in
protecting home owners from
INSCRIPTIONS dealers who col
lect money and fail to make
improvements. The District Law
Enforcement Council has urged
a breakdown through better
enforcement of new laws for
such dealers, rather than a Ii
censing system for their vic
tins.
Although Col. yelling did not
specify the areas" in which
licensing should be abandoned.
he said licensing should not be
maintained merely because it
was valid years ago.
Small business licensing
seemed to be the most out
moded part of the patch
work." Mr.. Gwathmey said.
Motion Pictures
Operators of motion picture
machines, for instance. must be
licensed under an old police
regulation. 1t was designed to
protect the handling of Tex
plosive-type" films now hardly
ever used. Mr.. Gwathmey noted.
He said scores of licensing
rules need to be scrutinized.
Then, they must be put to the
test of two major arguments
for and against licensing, he
added.
For licensing in many areas
are scores of persons victimized
by "sharpies" operating legally,
but unfairly. District officers
are handicapped in tracking
down these dealers if they have
no record of their names, adj
dresses or businesses, Mr..
Gwathmey explained.
On the other hand. licensing
officials must decide if they are
justified in loading licensing
costs on all citizens because a
few people are taken in by
sharp dealers.
The study will consider the
whole gamut" of licensing
practices in the light of these
two considerations, according
to Mr.. Gwathmey.
Col. yelling said he was par
ticularly interested in setting
up broad licensing policy.
II am inclined to emphasize
one aspect that might not be
stressed by persons making our
study" he said. There is a..
probability that the District is
licensing in certain areas we
could we'll afford to get out Of.
What we have to guard
against is allowing the licensing
operation to become all-con-