J. MILLARD TAWES, Governor                      469

Whereas, these conditions should be called to the attention of the
appropriate Federal officials who are concerned with safety of work-
ing conditions of longshoremen and stevedores so that steps can be
undertaken to alleviate the danger which exists; now, therefore be it

Resolved by the General Assembly of Maryland, That Federal
safety officials are urged to take necessary action to safeguard the
working conditions of longshoremen and stevedores in the port of
Baltimore; and be it further

Resolved, That copies of this Resolution are sent to the Federal
Safety Commission, to Arthur Mottley, Safety Division, Department
of Labor, both in Washington, D.C. and to Senators Beall and
Brewster and to Congressmen Fallon, Friedel, Garmatz, Lankford,
Long, Mathias, Morton and Sickles.

Approved April 7, 1964.

No. 17
(House Joint Resolution 40)

House Joint Resolution making application to the Congress of the
United States for the calling of a Convention for proposing an
amendment to the Constitution of the United States.

Whereas, The Supreme Court of the United States in the case of
Wesberry v. Sanders has held in effect that an overwhelming majority
of the congressional districts in the several States of the Union do
not conform to constitutional requirements with respect to the
comparative number of voters and inhabitants in these districts.

As a result of this decision, it now becomes apparent that in the
absence of legislative action to the contrary, the size and the
boundaries of the congressional districts throughout the country may
ultimately have to be determined by the Federal Courts.

These proposals should be resolved by legislative and not judicial
action. They concern problems which until recently were described
by the courts as "political," and for this reason should be the re-
sponsibility of the legislative branch of the government.

There is much speculation throughout the country as to the precise
guide lines that should be followed on the matter of the size of
boundaries and congressional districts. These questions could speedily
be resolved by an amendment to the Federal Constitution, which,
once and for all, would resolve the problem of congressional districts
and establish the necessary guide lines as to their size and boundaries.

For these reasons, it is vital that under the provisions of Article
V of the Constitution of the United States, the legislatures of the
several states should unite in an application to the Congress of the
United States requesting that body to call a convention for proposing