Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-02-19


porations, reported favorably on Assembly Bill
No 467, as amended, and adversely upon Assem-
bly, Bills Nos AL, 473 and So
French, from the Committee Oh Crimes and
Penalties, reported back Assembly Bills Nos. 5l6
ana o23, recommending their passage.
Banbury. from the Committee on Military, re-
ported back Assembly Bill No. 5l0 recommend
ing its passage.
Lowell from the Committee on Commerce and
Navigation, reported back Assembly Bill No
500, recommending its passage.
BILLS INTRODUCED.
By Porter-To prohibit the licensing and sale
! of alcoholic liquors outside of incorporated
cities and towns. Municipal Corporations.
By Colby-Relating to partition fences. Agri-
culture.
BY Mears-To amend the municipal corpora
ton Act. Municipal Corporations.
by Woodward TO punish seduction Public
Morals.
BY Jordan-Relating to inquests held by Cor
oners and Justices of the Peace. County Gov
ernments
CLERK ALLOWED.
Moilitt, from the Mccarthy investigating COM
mittee, offered Il resolution asking tor perinls-
sion TO appoint clerk at 50 day. Adopted.
THE INCOME TAX BILL.
The first bill on the special file ASSEMBLY
Constitutional Amendment No 10. proposing an
| amendment to Article XIII. of the Constit /
| ton, relating to taXation), known as the rail
road income tax bill, was taken up.
The bill was read by sections, and when the
on the gross incomes of railroads Weavermoved
| to substitute three" per cent. for the two and
| one-half per cent" inserted by the committee.
| lie believed it was conceded that the railroads
| have hardly paid their proportion of the taxes.
| The assessments on their property are not III
proportion to those levied on other property.
! Two and one-half per cent Will lower the sum
| that should be paid by the railroad companies
| from about $4,000 to some S0DUU0. Even j
| per cent. on their gross incomes would be less
| than their present taxes amount TO.
E,.a, at htl
! mans remarks, and did not believe he could
| have investigated the subject. He didn' think
| there was any business man but who would be
willing TO pay 81 per cent on his gross income
| in lieu of the usual tax levy. The proposed in
come tax on railroads would yield constantly
| increasing sum to the State. Within five years
such tax would he believed, yield nearly
| 81, 001.00O year. 1t is generally conceded that
| the last tax levy on railroad property was eX-
| ceSSiye, yielding something like 100000. The
| proposed ~ per ceut. tax would Weldon the
| basis of last year incOmes-abOuth half million
dollars, and this viii be yearly increased. The
! rate had better be- than 213 per cent
Heath said that i'll Michigan only two per
| cent. is levied on the gross earnings OF rail
roads, and that in California the railroads pay
higher taxes than in any other state III the
| Union. He was anxious as any gentleman
on the floor TO have proper tax made Tor the
railroads to pay. As their business progresses
the amount OF tax will increase. The proposed
| % per cent. would be an increase on the taxes
now levied III many counties.
pay per cent. on his income than the tax he
now pays on his property.
-Munday said that, If he had been correctly
informed, the railroads now pay (Or should pay
something like $40 900 on gross receipts of 81
Goa, 600 per annum. On this latter sum 10 per
cent. would yield S600, 900 In taxes. The amend
ment to ) per cent would come nearer bringing
it up to the present tax on railroads II the
gross incomes of railroads will increase, so also
will the value OF their property increase The
object NOW Is to place railroad property on tar
basis OF taxation. In the East some railroads
pay as high as per cent. under the terms OF
their franchises. What ii is desired TO get ut is
rate that would be fair To both railroads and
counties.
Heath remarked that, in addition to the ~
per cent. tax on incomes it was also proposed 10
tax workshops. etc. separately.
The House then adopted the y . percent. rate,
rs proposed by the committee, and the other
committee amendments We're then seNerally
concurTcd ill.,
Woodward moved to strike out of Section the
words " Double taxation in any form is pr0hib-
tied While he was not in favor of double tax
alton himself he thought that its retention in
the bill might lead to endless dispute and liti-
cation.
The amendment was lost.
The bill coming.u up on engrossment Coleman
spoke briefly against it. He was afraid it was
too much in the interest OF the railroads.
The bill was then ordered to engrossment.
GENERAL APPROPRIATION ELL.
The general appropriation billwas then taken
vision appropriating 81, 900 for two years salary
for the state Engineer was reached, COrcoran
moved to strike it out. He argued that it was
never the intention to make the Office d cOntin-
uouS one. He hoped there would be no appro-
pTiatiOn made Tor the State Engineers depart
ment.
May said the gentleman from san joaquin
surprised him. His statements were about
misleading as anything he had heard upon this
floor, and that was saying great deal The
gentleman said the office had been created for
u special purpose-to afford relief from the ny
draulic mining evil 4; but the law says 1t was
created in the interests of irrigation, and irriga
ton is yet to become the great question in this
state. If ever state Engineer was necessity,
that necessity exists to-day, more imperative
than ever There never was Il question as to
the propriety of paying the salary of the State
Engineer; and the urgency for continuing the
department was never so great now.
COrcOran repeated his argument, asserting
that the state Engineer had expended $4,000,
and had not done II - worth OF work The
Engineer had violated his faith with the peo-
pie. He asserted that that office had used pub
lie money in making Il magnificent map of
Haggin ~ Teyis' great ranch, and cnntended
that all the work required OF the state Engineer
could be done by an attache of the surveyor
Generals Office.
Munday said he no doubt thought that the
aninus of COrcOTdu' : remarks had grown out of
personal prejudice against State Engineer Hall.
He was satisfied that the work accomplished by
the State Engineer was Of the greatest value 10
the state. The time may come when the service
of such an officer may be dispensed with, but it
had not yet arrived. The question is-nOt
whether Stockton wants a state Engineer, but
whether the SltNc wants one.
May said the salary of The Engineer is fixed by
law, aud the only question Is whether the APP
preparation be made in accordance with the
law, or a deficiency lie allowed to follow The
senate Committee had examined into the
affairs of the state Engineers Office and
had been thoroughly convinced of the ne
cesSijy Tor continuing the Office. The whole
trouble seemed 10 be that Mr.. Hall had intertercd
with the plans of certain parties who wanted %
reap pecuniary benefit from the sewerage work
in stockton.
Goucher said he had become convinced that
the state Engineers Office is Indispensable 10
the state NJ this time. now that the irrigation
question is becoming such an important one.
Inc work accomplished by the state Engineer
was OF the greatest value, as any member might
ascertain by making an examination into the
affairs OF that department.
Colby spoke against the appropriation. and
charged that the failure of the work done under
the Drainage Act was owing To the incapacity
of the Engineer.
The salary provision was then adopted as also
were the other items for the Engineers Depart
mCut.
These changes were made in The provisions Of
the bill genera. appropriation billj as il came
from the committee.
For pay OF porter in Adjutauj- General oinee,
500 per year, instead of 500.
For aunory rents aud other expenses Of the
National Guard ss.UUO, instead of $4,000.
For support of the Insane Asylum at Stock
ton, Sl0JtOJ. instead Of cS69.VU0
For TWO inirmarcS at Napa, $4,000, instead of
$1,000.
For library at state Normal school at san
Jose :! OUQ, instead of $500.
For new District Agricultural Societies Nos
II, - ana 49,, 81 800 each.
The items OF >il5,clJ for the support of minor
orphans. half orphans and abandoned children:
$4,000 for the use of the state Board OF Hurti-
culture, ana $500 for the reimbursement OF the
state University under the Act of March /. ISL
were stricken on, OF the bill, as some OF them
are embraced IN other bills
\ Long and heated debate occurred on Blacks
motion to increase the CONTROLLERS contingent
fund from S3jJ to y. 10 per anuum. During the
debate IL was alleged that one OF the Controllers
DEPUTIES had spent much OF his time in elec-
tionccTing and from that il was argued that the
Controller did not require the extra sum for
more deputies ON the other hand il was con
tended BY the friends of the Controller that it
would be impossible for him 10 pursue inyesti-
CATIONS into the accounts of county Auditors
and away back through State Departments with
his present allowance Tor clCTk-hirc
Pending The discussion the hour for the noon
recess arrived.
Afternoon Session.
The House rcassemblcd at ?. NJ, Speaker
Parks in the chair, and went into Committee of
the Whole for the further consideration OF the
debate followed uponthe proposition to increase
the Controllers contingent expense fund in
which considerable party feeling was mani
tested. Finally. by vote of II ayes 20 IS noes,
the Assembly refused 10 agree 10 the amend
mcnt.
several other minor amendments were offered
ana defeated.