The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-03-01
BILL
in FINAL HEkR|NG
House Finance Committee Takes
Kick at PROSTATE
Measure.

According to agreement. argumen
was had yesterday morning before
the House Committee on Finance OF
| the Myers Statewide bill. This meas
ure, which had previously been re-
ported unfavorably by the Committee
| on Privileges and Elections, was Sent
to this committee. 1t was announced
| in the outset that the committee de-
sired to hear nothing except argument
on the financial question involved.
Mr.. Myers opened the debate. lie
| said that as a general proposition the
| liquor business makes drunkards and
| paupers out OF good citizens and in
creases criminal expenses. The fl
nances of the state would not, he
said, be hurt in view of the proposed
amendment providing that in no case
should prohibition become operative
before January l, 1912.
Senator STROBE came next. He said
his attention had been called to the
fact that sometimes clerks of courts
do not have complete records of regis
tration. He therefore would arrange
it so that the registrars should be re-
uulred to furnish these lists.
Give SIX Months Time.
AS to the date, he said this was
fixed in the bill as on the first OF
| May succeeding the election. Now II
was proposed to make 1t January /,
1912. He was also willing to put 1t
| six months after the election. The
| date which happened to be the fur-
| thest off would be tho one operative
| In this case, the saloon Keepers would
have at least six months time TO close
up their affairs.
| The income from license taxes on Ii
| -nt, hn
! about sS5O,0OO. The Holt bin would
probably increase this to from 5000
| 600 to S600.O00 If the theory of this
| bill were correct, he said, and the peo-
| ple ought to be given the right to
vote on the question. then the LeSis-
! lature should not assume the tespon-
sibility as to finances. 1t would be
merely an argument in the campaign
and one for the people to settle.
According to L. B. Thomasson. the
first speaker against the bill, the reve-
nue. from the Byrd or Holt bill would
be about 100000. The state has. he
said, Invited the brewers to come here
and invest, They have done so IN
large amounts ranging from 100000
for the smallest brewery to 100000
for the largest, The proposition OF
the Myers bill was to destroy large
taxable values and the property of cit
iZens without compensation.
Mig Brewing business.
Reading from the report of the Com
missioner OF Labor, he showed that
the breweries rank NTH in the State
among, manufactures. The value of
their product, was twelfth, while they
are second in the amount of wages
paid direct to employees, without
counting the work given to hottlers,
printers and others.
Should the bin pass and the people
vote dry the State would be compelled,
on January /, 1912, to refund about
$3.50, 900 in licenses for tho balance OF
that license year.
He asked ii the Legislature is pre-
pared 10 increase the taxes on the
farmer to make mp the deficit and II 1t
will vote TO shut down the virginia
breweries. destroying their property,
and hand the bnsineSs over TO the
Pabst, Anheuser-Busch and other for
,egn breweries, ~
Samuel II, Kelley closed the argu-