Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1913-02-20
live per Cent. Loans on Real Els.
tate or Personal Property
Exempted.
lLL OFFSETS ARE ABOLISHED
question of New Building for
State Purposes to Be Sub.
mitted to the People
March 4.

Montpelier, Feb. 1S.-Actual accomplish
nent in the matter of taxation is record
j to-day, the House adopting the Senate
amendment to its bill, increasing the rate
pr interest on exempt loans from four and
half to five per cent. The bill as finally
,assed exempts from taxation loans on
cal estate or personal property at a rate
lot exceeding five per cent, and aboishes
Ill offsets
Following the custom which it has origi-
hated at this session the Senate this
norning, in committee of the whole, went
nto executive session to consider the bill
and spent about two hours in discussing
ut, with the result that at the reconven-
ng in the afternoon Mr.. Blanchard OF
Orleans, as chairman, reported that the
committee recommended that the interest
rate on exempt loans be raised from four
and a half to five per cent. This was
adopted without debate
AMENDMENTS VOTED DOWN
Mr.. Darling of Orange proposed a
referendum vote, the bill to take effect
April l, 1914, If the people approve It
lat the regular March meeting of 1914 or
April l, 1915, If they fail to approve 1t.
his was defeated by a vote of IA to L.
The bill was ordered to a third reading
by vote Of II to 9.
Mr.. Dale sought to have an amendment
attached providing that the bill shall take
effect April l, 1914. Mr.. Blanchard OF
orleans favored this proposal, claiming
that il was necessary to enable manu-
facturers to adjust themselves to the con-
ditions the bill would create. Mr.. Nc
Feeters thought there should be no post
ponement. The vote on this amendment
was 10 to 19. and the amendment was
lost.
LINEUP ON ITS PASSAGE.
On the question of passage, the vote
was IS to 10. Those voting yes we're
Senators Barber Batchelder, Bigwood.
Chaffee, Croft, Darling of Caledonia,
Dodds, johnson, Laird McFeeters, Mower
Preston, Qunlan, Roy, Sherwin and
Wallis. The negative votes were cast by
Sena tors Rabbit, Blanchard of Orleans,
blanchard of Windsor. Dale, Darling Of
Orange, Davis Dyer Of Rutland, Elliott,
Henry, Pollard.
1t has been feared by some that a
special session of the Legislature would
be necessary to adjust certain statutes
5n the event of the adoption by the peo-
pie of proposed amendments to the con-
stitution. A Joint resolution adopted by
the House this morning makes the first
move toward removing that necessity.
This provides that the Governor may ap-
point a commission of three who shall
Examine the statutes to determine what
. changes may be necessary TO make them
| conform to the changes in the constitu-
| ton. When this commission has made
Its report it will be possible to enact the
necessary legislation. to take effect only
IN the event of the adoption of the con-
stitutional amendments.
BUILDING GOES BEFORE PEOPLE
Whether or not there shall be a new
building for State purposes rests with
the people. The House spent most Of it's
time this morning discussing the action
of the Senate in striking the referendum
feature from the bill and refused to &C
cept the amendment. The Senate voted
to insist on its amendment. but afterward
receded that there might be time to place
the matter before the people at the
March meeting.
The House this morning voted to sus
pend rule q. following the action Of thu
Senate last night in suspending rule 20
which will expedite legislation by per
hitting bills to be acted upon without {
delay of "a hours
PRIMARY BILL KILLED.
The House has killed the preferen
tial primary bill sent over by tn
Senate The bill was the subject o
long debate. Mt Jose Mr.. Crosb,
md other progressives urged amend
nents to make this a direct primar!
bill, but these were voted down ant
the bill was defeated, no strong sup
port being given 1t.
on the commission to determine tn
advisability of the State being rep
resented at the Panama Pacific ex
position in 1915, the Governor has APP
pointed Senator r. W. McCuen C
Vergennes, Col. F. S. Billings o
Woodstock, Redfield Proctor Of Proc
tor and George 3, Drury OF Esse
Junction The Governor, lieutenant
governor and the secretary of stat
are members of the commission ex
officio. The Governor has also ap
pointed Charles u. Watson chairma
Of the public service com mission.
Governor Fletcher has requisite
the opinion of Attorney-Genert
Brown in regard TO the tax bill. be
Ing desireous of learning whether
not 1t places the banks on an equant
with private persons, and whether
not the State will be deprived OF whe
amounts to a franchise tax on th
part of the banks. He has not r.
ceived an opinion from the attorney
general tonight but there Is HIT
doubt that he will sign the bill an
will notify the Legislature in Oh
morning that he has done so.