The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-02-28

last year 10 S7I.o1I
US rtes,nSr H. OF the Board lot, OF Agri.
warrant. ahu ccpsider the language
used unjust and urcaiied for. and cal
over over the State as to the Agricultural
''The member from Warren is quoted
as saying. went on AIR. Adams. read
Ing from The Times Dispatch Of Thurs
day. that the Department of Agricul-
ture expended TINS fund absolutely
without any supervision or control by
the General Assembly l am not here
TO argue whether those funds should
think tho statement has done the de-
partment an injustice when IT has lived
up TO the letter of the law. and has not
act Of this General Assembly. The
funds OF the department are not only
10000 year Is specified In the act as
TO how II shall be expended. The bill
names the amount the fertilizer inspcc-
Iowances TO the horticultural society
ana Tor other purposes. Salaries and
may be found in the Acts of 1908 or
1910 We are not spending tho peoples
knowing anything about IT,
Follow Acts III Assembly.
There is balance over and above
ance Is expended according to act
OF the General Assembly. IN publishing
bulletins. 1t may be held that these
every succeeding General Assembly.
but as they are acts which any ASSEM-
bly, ma, may amend. IT is very close to it.
me 10 give this House the impression
that these accounts were never OK
ahmed. The itcmizcd report shows for
itself The accounts are audited by
committee Of the board every three
months. ana are covered in a report
mage tax is paid 10 u great extent by
manufacturers from outside of Vir-
sinia-in the last analysis, Of course.
IL is paid by the farmers who use fer
tillzer. II is specific tax in addition
10 the general tax rate for q specific
purpose, to protect the users of fer
ullzerS from miSbranded and adultc-
rated stuff.
,n Put ut 1t I'm. in the treasury. Il you wish
Is appropriated out for the purpose for
| which II was collected. and that you
don't give 1t to the University. OF Vir-
such diversion will violate the spirit Of
the law. If the Legislature were TO
take some part OF this fund for any
was raised, nonresident fertilizer man
ufacturers may bring suit and BIO re-
lieved OF the tax. AS they have been in
system Wrong. says Weaver.
II don't believe the Department of
has any more loyal friend than myself.'
said Mr.. Weaver in reply Il have
supported the present commissioner
!
Office. and IL my mind does not change
viii do SO again | was not making
y but qn a the GtheT H
or this house to a system which. in
my Judgment, Is Fundamentally wrong
me by the Auditor of Public Accounts.
and l gave my authority. find he
has not gone far enough. Only yester-
day we debated bill as to the auto
mobile tax. amounting to about SIS 900
year, which goes to the road fund
should show In the appropriation bill.
so that when your constituents ask
what you are doing for roads. you can
give an answer that is complete and
businesslike statement, and not n half
truth that only mentions a part OF the
funds. The people of this State have
right to know what their money Is
spent for. and the appropriation bill
ought to show every item of expendi-
Vouchers Not Itemized.
&C. AS h 10 my TREND fr9m Charlotte, who
ture. VIII Say That 0a the "a aud digoicu Of
Public Accounts has no way under high
heaven of knowing what the warrants
ought TO be some check. Whenever
he AuatoF Pays for warrant, he he should
t.on of the member from na cb tnG dtsen 70
q. letter addressed to him by Auditor
Moore on August %. 1912. aslting that
purpose they are drawn. II just Illus.
trates the point / make. | have no
grievance against the department. and
l say again that the commissioners is
my friend. and | would not favor d.
verting any part of this tax TO the
is BUT aG b saf he ys
House bill No. IFS, the general Con
federate pension bill. was called up
ments Captain Baker, patron OF the
bill. explained that the State had APP
propriated last year 100000 for pen
uneNpended.
The committee. after giving the mat
ter careful study. had reported u bill.
pension allowances OF 20 per cent, and
carried y, an appropriation Of $4,000,
lieved was all that could be given at
this time Since then a number or
amendments have been introduced at
the instance Of various Confederate or
ganiZations, further increasing the al
lowances. changing the property ex-
emPtion and changing the date allow
ed for widows who married Confederate
soldiers after the war. in q letter to
the committee, Auditor Moore reported
many pensioners would be added TO the
rolls by reason of the extension of ex-
emptiens. He believed that If the
would require pension fund Of $780,
oGv year to carry out Its provisions.
90. No Reduction In Tax Rate.
II think IL is proper for me to say to
this Assembly" said Chairman Brewer,
Of the Appropriate Committee, that
ties 5hs afP op ibs 4s, bill rspo5tea
for the second year s7.O4e.l7s.i1. I
have gone personally over the figures
and estimates, as has Auditor Moore
and Afr. Sale, of his office Counting in
the special appropriation bills now on
the calendar. to the best OF our calcu-
la lions. you VIII have n surplus In the
treasury Mt the end OF the two years
OF Sl3.47S.22. The bill carries $4,000
for pensions for Confederate soldiers
for each year. an average increase of
20 per cent. and. az you see. leaves n
close margin These additional amend
ments will require that 100000 n year
be taken ont of the bill at some other
point"
Before the amendments were taken
up In order the hour of vacating the
chair arrived. and the bill went over
until to-day.
Colonel Brewer. chairman of the
House Appropriations Committee.
moved to strike from the calendar
House bill No. 175. which proposed a
reduction In the general state tax rate
on real and personal property from IS
cents on 500 81 cents .orbn o,,rry