The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-02-03

hSuiinS SeSteTuuS AFTERNOON by the
Senate Committee on Roads and In
ternal Navigation. only to emerge from
the executive session, which followed
the argument, with substitute rob-
hing 1t of half Its sting AS drafted
by Senator Holt, the bill provided for
u division of the total rolling stock
tax among the several counties through
which the railroad In question passed,
on the basis Of the relation which the
taxable value of the roads property
in the county bears to the taxable
value of the whole road within the
State
The substitute measure, which was
] adopted by the committee after a
heated session behind closed doors.
which lasted moro than an hour. gives
10 per cent of the tax to the terminal
cities. and provides for a division OF
the remaining 60 per cent among each
of the counties, on the basis of the
total assessed value of the road within
it's boundaries. The substitute was
fought bitterly by the advocates of the
Holt bill, who recognized In Its pro-
t visions the destruction OF the hope of
Newport News and other aggrieved
towns that were expecting to break
the etrangle hold of the terminal cities
on tho rolling stock tax.
Present Distribution Unfair.
The present law, when gives certain
cities the exclusive benefit of the large
rolling stock tax, said j. a. Massie,
city attorney OF Newport News, was
manifestly unfair. He made the first
speech at the hearing. and took the
case of Newport Nows as an instance
of the discriminatory nature or the
present arrangement. The city gives
the large rolling stock equipment
which tho Chesapeake and Ohio main
tains in Newport News an expensive
police and fire protection, and yet re-
ceives not a cent in return from the
tax on It, Instead. all of the tax goes
to Richmond. the headquarters of tho
system In Virginia.
: The only revenue which Newport
/ News derives rom the road, he said.
Is the actual property tax on l 1-3
miles OF track and the buildings which
The railroad maintains there. Tlc
number of full car loads handled at
that point, as we'll as the number of
: cars on s!detracks. he said, was In
| excess of the number at any point IN
! Virginia except Richmond, and came
F, close even to the number here.
Tax 1t Where 1t Is.
| The only equitable arrangement, he
| Insisted, was t. tax the rolling stock
! where IL Is. H, believed the Holt bill
provided the best solution. He saw
40 justice. he said, In permitting any
{, city because 1t happens to be head
| quarters, to collect q tax on property
which to a large extent, never enters
| ITS limits.
/ Colonel George Wayne Anderson AS
! sistant City Attorney of Richmond.
; took up the defense OF the cities, and
i in a speech of remarkable power and
clearness, stated the main objections
! 10 the Holt measure. He took cx-
ceptlon to the statements circulated
1 by the opposition that only four or
| Ave cities In the State will be af-
| fected BY the passage OF the bill.
Twenty cities. he stated, will be
directly involved. many of them SO
| seriously as to cripple them forever.
Would Destroy Roanoke.
The Holt bill could not be made law,
| Colonel Anderson stated, without de-
stroyinG the city OF Roanoke, which
| derives onc-third of It's revenue from
| tho rolling stock tax, and has built up
| a school system and other civic enter
prises through its means. To take
this income away at one swoop would
| precipitate nothing less than d
cata strophe. Alexandria, Bristol, Dan
vale, Franklin, Fredericksburg. Har-
! risonburG, Norfolk, Petersburg, Win
| chester, Richmond, and ten other cities,
ne said would be simil .rly affected.
He could not understand the cry OF
tho opposing side that the counties of
the State received the short end of
the railroad taxes. The counties. said
Colonel Anderson, are to-day collect
! ing taxes on S5S,000,000 worth OF rail-
1 road property, while the cities are col
| Letting upon only sa3,0OeoOo. Traced
+ to It's source, he declared, the value
OF railroads property within the
| counties Is measured by the value OF
the road as an Garner of dividends,
which, In turn, depends largely upon
the traffic OF the large cities and ship
: ping centres.
| Question Between Towns.
| The counties. he argued, do not enter
into the question at all. He admitted
! the value OF the argument against per
F; hitting any one city TO enjoy the en-
tire rolling stock tax of the road, but
Insisted that the division OF this rev
enuc is entirely a question between the
cities They, MS the feeders and traffic
centres of the road, arc the only ones
entitled TO the tax upon its rolling
| stock 1t Is the cities. he said. which
| police and protect the cars us well as
! furnish them with freight, the counties
doing nothing, but furnish right OF
! way.
| The bill now proposed" said Colonel
! Anderson. lis nothis more than an at
! tempt To force Il division Of the spoils.
| 1t will direct into tho treasures OF the
counties, which are already receiving
the major part of the tax OH the other
! physical property of the railroads, the
greater part of the rolling stock tax.
| which belongs peculiarly to the cities.
| The wrong Why.
Granted that Newport News has Il
! grievance" said Colonel An 1crson.
"she has adopted the wrong way to
remedy it. In order to put her hands
on d small proportiorato share OF the
rolling stock tax fund, she Is willing
! to bring embarrassment upon twenty
| sister cities and scatter the rest of the
| money among counties which arc al
ready drawing moro benefits than the
cities from the presence OF the rail-
| roads" Thirty-seven OF these counties,
he reminded tho committee. are draw
Ing from the State annually more than
they pay In, their total deiici. amount
Il Al