The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1911-02-24
FEW REVENUE BILLS
Corporations Have Easy Going, While
Appropriations Climb to Total
of 1882, ,46O.4s.

| Few bills which will increase the
revenues of the state were passed at
the session of the legislature just
closed. The only one which will have
any pronounced effect in swelling the
funds was presented by Represent.
ative Mckinney Of Baker, regulating
and requiring the registration of aut-
omobiles. which is expected to yield
about SIS. to the state during the
next two years. Several other bills
which may bring total of $40. 900
into the treasury III the sbiennisi per
iod received favorable consideration.
! but these are all.
The Mckinney bill requires every
owner of an automobile having rat
ing of 80 horsepower or less, to pay $3
to the secretary of the state for regis
tration. Owners having machines
rated at more than 80 horsepower
are required to pay $5. Every person
or firm having several machines pays
$40 for the registration of ALL If an
auto is sold it must be re-registered
and another fee is exacted.
There was also bill passed author
izing the state to sell some asylum
land near Salem which is not needed
and this will bring about $4,000. Reg
istration of trademarks will also bring
several thousands into the treasury
and few others will bring similar
amounts.
The corporations escaped In easy
fashion at the hands of the lawmakers
who not only failed to pass most Of
the bills putting restrictions upon
them but also killed any giving the
state additional revenues from them.
The public service commission bill
was the only one of Importance Ielat-
ing to the corporations which passed
and the big interests did not make
very much of fight upon it. Some
of the bills defeated were the eight
hour law which would have affected
the Oregon City paper mills to the .ex-
tent Of at least $50, 1000 year and the
ANIME telegraph and telephone bills.
The railroads and other public serv-
ice corporations made strong fight
on the proposal to require them to
keep set of books in this state and
this bill was killed off in the closing
hours in the house by Thompson of
Lake. after it had passed the senate.
| The request for the passage of suoh
measure was made by both the rail
road and tax commissions. Many
public service companies which oper-
/, ate extensively in Oregon and main
/, tain headquarters here keep their
hooks in New York CITY. When the
! railroad commission or tax commission
+, desires to obtain any figures 1t must
wait until they can te sent here from
the east. Another objection the menu
bers of the commission make to this
custom is that it gives the companies
time, if they desire, to juggle their
books and figures go as to deceive the
members of the commission.
To the total of appropriations as
voted by the two branches of the leg
islature has been added an appropria-
tion of $340. 900 by the eleventh hour
enactment of tho Mariner state aid
bill, which with two minor appropri
alton bills reconsidered in the senate
late Saturday afternoon, made the
grand total of appropriations enacted
cy the twenty sixth legislative assem-
bly, $4,S92. .480.43. which is an in
crease over the appropriations. of two
years ago of $1.804. 972.92. an in
crease of more than so per cent.
While 1t is not claimed for these
figures that they are absolutely cor
rect. the actual appropriations made
by the legislature at this session will
not vary from them in any material
degree. They include the annual ap-
| preparations made by this Legislature
for the next biennial period only and
do not include continuing appropria.
tions made by the legislatures of for
lmer years. These figures include only