The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-06-25
STATE BOARD OF
TAX ASSESSORS
is WANTED BY THE HOUSE
PASSED HALLS BILL BY A VOTE
OF 1875 TO 3.


House Measure.
Atlanta, June 24.-By the extraordi-
nary vote of 125 to 8 the House to-day
passed the bill by Hon. Joe Hill Hall
of Bibb, providing for a state board
of tax assessors. who shall pass on
ton property now returned to the Cor
troller General.
The sentiment OF the House was
clearly and Enthusiastically in favor of
some legislation on this line, for the
objections to the present system have
become deep-rooted since the results
in the cases of arbitration of franchise
tax returns under the present SYSTEM
which provides for a different board in
each case, there being consequently as
many different results in the final as
sessments made.
Mr.. Halls bill, as it passed the
House, provides for a board of three.
to be known as a state board of asses
sors. to be appointed by the Controller
General. All corporation returns shall
be made to the Controller General as
they are at present. then within fifteen
days after the returns have been re-
ceived the Controller General shall call
the state board together and submit
all the return to them. This board
shall pass upon and finally determine
all of these returns. and In cases
where they are considered too small,
the board shall make such assessments
as ii sees fit, from which there shall
be no appeal.
These assessments are to be made
for a period of three years, except
in cases where a change is needed. Any
change made at a called meeting of
the board shall stand only until the next
regular meeting of the board. The
members of this board are to receive
$500 a year salary and travelling ex-
penses.
The foregoing are the main features
of the bill, there being many details
with regard TO the manner in which
the duties Of the board shall be per-
formed
Mr. Hall spoke earnestly In behalf Of
the measure, declaring that the present
system of assessing these corporations
was worse than no system at all. He
declared that returns OF S50000.000
should have been had under the fran.
ichise tax law, whereas the returns
were only S13,000,000.
A substitute offered by Mr. Gambler
of De Kalb, providing for county
boards Of tax assessors in each county,
as we'll as state board, was defeated.
1t being urged that this measure was
too complicated and not understood by
those who had heard it read. Then Mr..
Halls bill was taken up, passed with
out opposition and ordered immediate-
ly transmitted to the Senate, where Il
is said the chances are all in favor of
it's going through and becoming law.
This is the first bill passed bv the
House at this session, and was practi-
cally the only matter of Importance
that came up to-day.
Harden on Fish Law.
Quite a number of new bills were
introduced, among them being one by
Mr.. Harden of Chatham. providing for
an amendment to the game and fish
law so as to prevent catching fish with
seines, nets, etc, between March 10 and
July /, instead of between June l and
Sept. l. as the bill stands at present.
Mr.. Harden says his bill is intended
to correct an unintentional error in
the game bill that was passed last
year.
Mr.. Wonble of Upson introduced a
bill to compel all street car companies
in the state to provide either separate
cars or separate compartments for
white and colored passengers. This
measure requires that such cars and
compartments as the case may be
shall be marked plainly For white"
and Fer colored.' Any violations Of
this measure are made nisdemeanors.
Mr.. Gambler of De Kalb introduced
a bill to provide uniform date
throughout the state for the return of
property for municipal taxation.
In the Senate.
Following closely upon the vigorous
fights made in Fulton and Chatham
counties against the practices of money
lenders, Senator Howell of the Thirty
fifth introduced in the Senate to-day
three bills that are designed to correct
many Of the evils complained of. These
bills look to the regulation of the
business of money lending, to amending
the code with regard to the foreclosure
Of chattel mortgages and to prohibit
ing any badliff from making an arrest
except on a warrant charging crime.
The bill to regulate the business of
money lending provides that every per-
son engaged in such business shall
do so under license from the city. town
or county in which he operates: that
he shall give bond in the sum of $500
to the Mayor OF the city or Ordinary
Of the county, upon which suit may be
brought for any damages claimed
that every money lender shall keep a
book In which all transactions shall be
correctly recorded, and that this book
shall be opened to the inspection of the
Mayor or Ordinary or their authorized
agents; that the rates of interest TO
be charged shall not exceed the fol-
lowing For any loan of S25 or under.
not over Is per cent per annum; for
S25 TO $50. nos over l6 per cent. $50
to 500, IA per cent. for 800 to $1,000.
not ever 12 per cent. and over $1,000.
per cent. In addition to this. the
money lender shall be allowed to charge
fee for arranging the loan of 81 to
81, depending on the amount of the
loan.
The terms of this bill are not to ap-
ply 70 regularly chartered banks Vlo-
lations of the act come under the mis-
demeanor section Of the code.
Another Judges Bill.
Senator e. H. McMichael introduces
a bill providing that the justices OF
the Supreme Court shall be elected
by the Legislature and that the Su-
preme Court justices shall appoint the
Superior Court judges Of the state.
This Is the NTH bill on the subject
of electing Superior Court judges that
has been introduced ~ the present
session.
IN executive session. the Senate re-
eeived the following appointments from
Continued on sixth page.