The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-03-30
REVENUE BILL IS GRADUALLY BENG HAULED ID DEATH House Turns Down Report and Another Committee
 Must Be Named O'NEAL SEES FIGHT FROM THE GALLERY Back Tax Commission Feature Still Sticks in Craw of House-The
 Senate Concurs by De-
 cisive Vote
By BERRyMAN- c. BETTY

By BERRiMAN~ C. BETTY
 Montgomery, March 30-(Special,)--As silent as the traditional Hector, who was mauled by the brave Achilles the state revenue bill was left at 12:3O o'clock this morning in precisely ahe same po- | sition where it was when the measure passed the house of representatives a l week ago.
 | The conference committee, which has been sitting on the measure since last Friday night, made it's report at tonight's session of the legislature and the senate promptly concurred in this report by a vote of 19 to g. But the house of rep resentatives again failed to concur in th3 amendments, necessitating the appoint ment of another conference committee by the two houses to sit on the meas ure throughout Thursdays recess in the | hope of again coming to such an agree ment as will enable the passage of tue measure at the next legislative session on Friday. This is the last day allot- ted to the bill in which to become a law.
 Back Tax Feature | The back tax commission feature. | which was the bone of contention in the previous measures and which was the | one obstacle to agreement of the old conference committee, was again the | troublesome question at tonights ses- sion of the two bodies, inasmuch as the | report of the committee on the bill again incorporated this provision. While the | dead" insurance clause was omitted | from the bill in report of the confer ence committee the balm was not con- -t1 irta fnr al nf house.
 l The fine hand of the administration in 1 the struggle in the house was evident l throughout the debate of the night on 1 the question: the killing blow which the | senate had administered in adopting the report being lodged in the lower cham her. While the administration friends in the senate were not able to hold their opposition to the report with any degree | Of advantage an exactly contrary posi- | ton was nofed in the house. where that body failed to concur in the report by a vote of 57 to 4S. This vote was as foi- Jews:
 How They Voted
 l Ayes-Almon, Acker, Bell of Autauga, Bell of Pickens, Brind)ey, Brown of Tuscaloosa Burton, Bush, Capps, Gran ford, Fletcher, Fowll<es, Fuquay, Gewin, Greene Helms, Hood, Jackson, James, Johnson of Clarke, Judge, kilburn, Law son, Letson. LumplSin, Merrill. Merritt, Molton Mulkey, McGowen, Page, Pe- gram, Percy. Ramsey, Rice, Richeson, Ryldnce, Smith. Stollenwerck, Walden, Whatley, Wireless, Williams
 | Nays-Arnold, Avery, Barnard Brewer,
 Boswell, Brown of Pike, Butt, Carroll, Chamberlain. Darden, Dennis, Eastis, Edmonds Flanagan, Griffith, Horton, | Euddleston, Jenkins of Baldwin, Jenkins of Bullock Johnson of Fillmore, John cIan k ieyl Lavender, Lee Lloyd, Martin of Cal houn. Martin of Jackson, Mastin, Mat | thews Miner, McCurdy, Mcdonald, Mo Lendon, Nicholson, ONeill. overton, Parks, Pharr, Pittman, Popwell Pruett, Qup. Roberson. Sanders, Strickland,
 Waddell, Waits, Walker, Wilhite | Wright.
 Outlook Is Gloomy
 Whether or not tine action of the two houses in again taking to arms is indca- tive of an early death of the revenue measure could not be determined after the adjournment of the two houses this morning It is taken, however, that un- l less the Senate recedes from it's amend ment with respect to the curtailment of powers of the county back tax commits | sioners the measure cannot possibly be passed at this session. Governor Emmet l d clared his opposition to the tax commits sion feature, addressing a letter to the conference committee to impress his views upon that body.
 | The new conference committee which jhas been appointed to further investigate | the disagreement in the house consists of Senators Plowman, Spragins, Tunstali, Sherrod and Merrill and Representatives 1 Brindey, Percy, Rice. Pitts and Arnold. The committee has announced meeting for Thursday morning at o'clock.
 Committees Exhaustive Report The report of the committee was an | exhaustive one, covering In detail prac- tically every amendment to the original | bill as offered either in the house or the senate. The most salient features of the report were those sections which referred to the powers of the state tax commission, and to the duties of the county tax commission.
 | Especial features in the report were | recommendations that the senate recede from its amendments with respect to the insurance clause. in which property was | authorized to be assessed at its insur- | ance value; that the senate recede from | it's amendment which fixes SO per cent | of property value as the basis of tax ation, and that the house recede from It's action in objecting to the curtailment of the powers of the county back tax commissioners.
 Respecting this power of the county | back tax commissioners, the committee | recommended that such commissioners | be allowed fees on escaped taxes and l licenses, but not on tax raises Tax | raises under the bill as suggested by the | committee are to be made the duty of 1 the tax assessors, who are to be all | lowed commission of 5 per cent, but on a graduated scale. Tax assessors in none of the counties are to be allowed | fees higher than $500 per year. Tax assessors in counties of population between 5000 and 10000 are allowed com missions totaling sl00 per year for every | 1O 900 increase in population above this number an additional $50 per year can | be realized.
 | With respect to the enlargement of the duties of the state tax commission the report suggested that an appropriation of s400O0 be allowed for the employment | of experts to assist in the equalization | of taxes These assistants are to be appointed by the state tax commission, the confirmations to be made by the governor. s1. Avoids Malice Motive
 Motives of malice on the part of tax assessors in the assessment of taxes are a~~-~~~~~~~~~~