NEW YORK.—I came down from the country Sunday afternoon, and though I always dislike cloudy holidays, I must say the weather lightened the traffic and we came into New York without any difficulty at all.

I went on the television program, "Between the Lines," and then had a nice long evening to catch up on all the little things that needed to be done and which were waiting on my desk.

Living, as I do just now, in two places, I am very apt to find the things I need are in Hyde Park instead of being in New York, and vice versa. But, on the whole, I find that a delay of two or three days is often not as vital as I sometimes think it may be, which is a good thing to discover!

I have just been sent a letter about some Federal legislation for the tax relief of the severely and permanently physically handicapped who have an orthopedic disability.

The Ways and Means Committee of the House has received this bill, HR11546, which was introduced by Congressman Eugene J. Keogh.

This bill is "to provide a deduction for income tax purposes, in the case of a disabled individual, for expenses for transportation to and from work; to provide an additional exemption for income tax purposes for a taxpayer or spouse who is physically or mentally incapable of caring for himself."

Some disabled persons are able to accumulate enough money to buy a car and, if they are fortunate, they are able to operate the car themselves. But many of them are never able to do this and they have to use taxicabs or enter into some kind of a pool in which someone else drives them to and from work.

Whichever way they manage, it costs them a great deal and they need relief from taxation on the part of their income spent for this purpose. A large number of permanently physically handicapped taxpayers are in the low income group and they have a number of expenses which are brought on by their handicap.

For instance, they require more help than an able-bodied person. Added to this expense is the wear and tear on clothing and the fact that clothes and shoes often must be specially made and adjusted to them.

This bill would be an encouragement to a handicapped person to remain employed and off the relief rolls. It would give such married persons a double exemption for medical expenses and would take into consideration the higher cost of living due to their physical handicaps.

The bill is supported by a number of individuals and organizations concerned with the well-being of handicapped persons, who form a considerable number of our population.

I hope that many people will write their Congressman supporting this legislation.