Evening star., 1961-05-31
Study Ordered
To CircumVent
Policy Conflict
BY GRACE BASSETT
Star Staff Writer


The President last Thursday
personally requested Congress
to support his plan TO assign
full responsibility for civil de-
fense to the Secretary of De-
fense.
But health, food, manpoWer,
and transportation prepared
ness in case of an attack will
be assigned to agency and de
partment heads, all of whom
will work with State and local
agencies, the President said.
He announced that the
office of Civil and Defense
Mobilization would be re-
constituted as a small staff
agency to assist him in CO.
ordinating functions.
The District bill, given top
priority by Commissioners for
four years, provides for con-
tinuity of the local government
even if it should have to
operate outside District boun-
daries.
Sweeping Powers Asked
1t would hand Commits
sioners sweeping powers to use
emergency funds should diSas-
ter strike and to put the Fed
eral City under a kind of mar
tial law, in cooperation with
surrounding States.
Senator Miller. Republican of
Iowa, asked District Civil De-
fense Director George R. Rod
ericks to check back with the
OCDM staff to clear the bill
with both the Presidents re-
organization plan and any law
changes to be proposed fed
orally.
Mr.. Rodericks said he had
cleared the bill informally by
telephone and was assured that
it was in line with the Presi-,
dents ideas about strengthen
ing civil defense at the local
level.
There might be some changes
dictated by a national shelter
program to be administered by
the Defense Secretary, he said.
John A. Patterson. spokes-
man for the Metropolitan
Washington Board of Trade,
assured the subcommittee the
board. now strongly behind the
local bill, would re-analyze its
provisions in the light of the
new Kennedy policy, too.
Divorce Bill Studied
In separate action, the sub
committee heard support for
legislation which would enable
divorces to be granted sooner
in the District.
The bill, under study for a
decade here, shortens residence
requirements of parties to a
divorce action. 1t also cuts
back periods of desertion and
voluntary separation without
co-habitation as grounds for
divorce.
The concept of a limited
divorce-the first step in pres
ent LAWS maintained in the
proposal. But courts could
grant final DEGREES after linn
tied divorces of only one year
rather than of two years. the
current requirement.
Supporting witnesses Joseph
O'Hara and Mrs. Una Rita
Quenstedt, representing the Bar
Association of the District; Miss
Ruth Joyce Hens. president of
the Women's Bar Association:
George Miller, assistant Cor
poration Counsel, and ROLAND
Lamensdorf of the Metropoli-
tan Washington Board of
Trade, said all differences of
opinion about the reform bill
appeared to have been COM
promised in the version before
the District Judiciary Subcom-
mittee this morning.
Other Changes Listed
Either party to a marriage
could bring divorce action if
either party had been a bona
fide resident of the District
for one year, under the bill.
Now, the petitioner must have
a one years bona fide resi-
dence if the cause for divorce
occurred within the District
and two years if the cause
occurred outside the District.
Proposed legislation reduces
from two years to one year the
period of desertion as ground
for absolute divorce. Reduced
from five to three years is the
period of voluntary separation
without co-habitation as a
ground.
This lines District law up
closely with Maryland time
limits of 18 months for both
desertion and voluntary Scpara-
ton and Virginia limits of one
year for desertion and three
years for voluntary separation.
An annulment could be OBJ
tanned regardless of past resi-
dence if either party is a resi-
dent at the time the action is
brought.
A new provision would codify
in law court rulings that a
wife could sue for support a
husband who obtained an ex
parte divorce in another juris-
diction.
His subcommittee also put
into the record letters of sup
port from Chief Municipal
Court Judge John Lewis Smith
and Domestic Relations Court
Judge Frank Myers.