The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-02-15
INCREASES TAXES
ON INSURANCE MEN
Senate Raises Levy to 8 per
cent. of Companies Gross
Profits
SOME DEBATE HEARD
ON PASSAGE OF BILL
Delegates Kill Optometry Bill.
Mr.. Love Attacks State Board
of Education-Joint Commit
tees Confirm Col. Wingfeld.

/ While the House deliberated Tues
day on legislation looking to.the inn
proVement of the public eyesight, the
Senate adjusted Its glasses and went
IN search of a new source of revenue.
The lower house was chiefly en-
crossed in the bill regulating the
practice Of optometry. so as to pre-
vent unsktlied persons from treating
the eyes of patients.
| After some scouting and debate the
/ Senate fastened it's eyes on the in
/ surance companies and decided to
/ increase the tax on them to three
per cent. OF their gross receipts The
bin was passed by r. vote of IS to 5.
and the insurance will be required
to pay more than twice as much into
/ the State treasury in the future as
they do now, IL the House passes the
/ tilI.
/ The Senate passed the bills allow
( ing the people of South Boston and
| Houston to vote on the biishment
/ Of dispensary there, and measure
repeating the law under which q
sealed package emporium was inaugu-
rated in the Jerusalem magisterial
| district.
| The House passed the Senate bill
authorizing supervisors to contract
loans for the erection of courthouses
and jails The Gettysburg monument
bin was recommitted to the House
Finance Committee.
/ At . o'clock the Senate went into
executive session on motion of Senator
Echols.
Tuesday night the House Commit
tee on Mining and Agriculture Will
conclude the hearing on the Throck-
morton milk bill
The House and Senate Confirmation
Committees Will confirm the nominal
ton of Colonel j. r. Wingfield rs 4
member of the Corporation comnlis-
sion Tuesday afternoon.
Wednesday the hearings on the
| Mickharn and Byrd bills TO break
| the Baylor survey will be brought 10
! a conclusion
South Boston and Houston will vote
on whether dispensary is to be
esta blished there on December 8 of
the present year. This was decided
by the passage of the Edmondson bills
in the Senate Last week a hearing
was held on the measures. From the
amount of sentiment then against pre-
cipitating the two little towns into
the throes of a wet and dry election
il would not seem that the dispensary
will be esta blished-
The Senate also passed the bill re-
peaiing the law under which q dis
pensary was established in the Jeru-
salem magisteria district If the
House passes the bin the dispensary
will close its doors
For Home for Girls.
Senator KeezelI. for the Finance
Committee, favorably reported the
House bills providing for a $4,000
appropriation for the maintenance or
the proposed home for girls; for
memorial at the Richmond Soldiers
Home: for $3.50 tablet to Patrick
Henry In ST Johns church; for a
State accountant and uniform system
of bookkeeping In all State offices; for
levying a tax on automobiles and reg
ulating their operation. and for the
expansion of Newport News. A num-
Der of good roads bills were favorably
reported by Senator Lassiter, as were
measures defining how writ taxes may
be paid. how ministers may solemntze
marriages. prohibiting the direction
of verdicts by judges in certain cases,
styling refusal to pay for {. .. ID.
packages larceny, regulating the prac-
tice of law. and defining barratry, or
"shystering."
Adhere 30 the Calendar.
On motion of Senator Saxon Holt.
the Senate voted that after Wednes-
day no bills may be taken up for
passageein the upper house except in
the order in which they appear on :
the calendar. The senator from New
port News deemed this necessary be-
cause little progress can be made to-
ward clearing the calendar while the
solons have the privilege, with un-
-.tffifsttt4s- eefsefaty-tar take up the Last
bin on the list and have 1T considered
ahead of scores of others. This rule
witt nut--appfs- to appropriation
measures.
senator Keezell asked that the bill
rnf i,,,p hf three
per cent. on the gross receipts OF all
insurance companies in the State be
taken up Several senators onered
amendments providing for the exemp-
ton of certain fraternal beneficiary
ssoelations Senator Hart said one
per cent was enough tax to impose
on the insurance companies. lie
said the larger the tax the larger
the premiums the people will have 10 a
nav Senator Hart said the tnsur-
ance companies were more or less
eleemosynary institutions and he did
not believe they should be heavily
taxed because a large per cent OF the
money paid into them Is returned
to the policy holders.
Large Premiums Paid.
Senator Keezell said the premiums
paid into the insurance companies last
year was $3.50. 1881 ana tne
amount paid in losses was httle
more than $2.000.0oo.
.If we can't increase the tax on
a bodv of men who take in more
than $4,000. 600 above what they pay
ont, who on earth can We tax. ask
a Senator Keezeu III We can't tax b
item we viii either have to increase the
dav en- real and personal property
rrrts ON the dollar or abandon our
plans to improve the schools and
-oy, ds'
senator Folkes said ~ resolves
,tsar into a question 0f whether We
Vii, act like men ami Nirrdpiars 90
Ike fcols. II we can raiss new reve-
nue. we can't create the epilaptic ooh
ony. improve the roads, ccntttbufs ~ q
the support OF the Home for 0lxlas
care for the insane and do all thuoo
other progressive things Let - - HI