The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-03-03
Measure as Amended
Passes Upper House
by Vote Of 35 to 2.
HAILED AS STEP
TO SALARY BASIS
Creates Commission, to Which
Fee Officers Must Make An
nual Detailed Report of Re-
ceipts and Disbursements,
and Fixes Maximum
Compensation.

By vote of 90 10 Q. tho Senate a.
It's afternoon session yesterday passed
Senator Vests bill creating a com
mission To consider the compensation
OF court clerks snd other dual officers
Of the cities and counties and the
state. and establishing u maximum
coTnpensation scale graduated accord
ing 10 population. The measure Is
better known az tho antifec bill and
It's passage by the Senate Is regarded
a. Il long step In tiic direction Of plac-
ing all officers Of this character on =
salary basis.
AS originally drawn the bill pro-
vidcd maximum compensation OF
sS.ooe applying to officers In cities and
counties Of the largest population with
correspondingly lower maxilnuns for
cities and counties of lees populations
in the bill as amended by the Finance
committee and passed Yesterday the
highest compensation for cities is fixed
al $500. and the maximum for coun-
ties nt $4,000
Hichmond Treasurer Excepted.
y special amendment offered by
senator Cannon. and incorporated i'm
inediately before the bill was passed
permits cities of $4,000 population or
moro to supplement the salaries OF
their tf.asureis with AN additional an
preparation from their own municipal
Golfers, but limits the combined salary
paid by the State and city To any such
IL asurer TO $4,000 n year. The amend
rnent. OF course. affects only the city
Treasurer OF Richmond
Senators and public men who have
~aEcd war upon the fec system were
elated last night ut the passage OF the
ilrst effective untifce bill that has ever
received the approval of the Virginia
Senate. IL was agreed that the com
81 rh ,lt,lx
liberal. but this defect. If 1t proves TO
be defect, il is believed, can he cor
rected by 4 subsequent Legislature
The central provision of the bill, and
the one which Is regarded as most
promising oil ultimate throughgoing
reform. creates q commission consist
ing OF the Governor, the Auditor OF
Public Accounts and the state Ac-
countant. To which all officers and
clerks affected b. the act are required
To submit annually report showing
all fees allowances and commiss IONS
paid into their Offices and the sources
from which they are derived.
Scale Effective January i, 1915
Incef new section added by the
Finance Committee. the provisions
limiting the compensation of the Of
ncers do not become effective until
January !. l9lC. The sections relating
To The nling Of tho reports are opera
tive from the day on which the bill
becomes law.
lhe auilice agitation became acute
at ;he last session of the General AS
semi bly,, when Senator Nest int, Oh uceu
nn antifee bill. which failed OF pas
sage. In the Owing hours OF the l,i-
session, the Senate auopleu II resolution
Instructins the clerk OF the oena,e ~
ASK tor statements OF receipts ana eX-
penditurcs from several classes OF
county ana city oniceis.
in Obedience To this request the off,
ceis approached submitted more or less
abridged statements, which were taDu
lated ~ the Senate clerk and sub
mitted TO the upper house when II con-
vcned This year.
Within the nIst ten days OF the pres
ent session senator West introduced
his second antiiee bill. creating a COM
mission 10 consider the general qucs-
ton oi compensation, and establishing
y maximum compcnSa tion scale which
ranged DOWNWARD from S3.5UV Il year.
\ determined lobby made war on tho
measure, and the Finance Committee
nnally reported the bill III practically
it's original form, changing only the
compensation scale. The ma Aimun
for the largest cities was Increased
by the committee from S3,5o0 to $500,
with relative increases all down tho
line.
he iHtHucd pili cOHt;tneu II sec
tion making it imperative AK TO coun-
Ties with population OF less than
$4,000. aud as La those whose area Is
less than nifty square miles. 1t was
also made imperative as to cities oi
less than lo.ooo Inhabitants and towns.
Exemptions Stricken ONT.
The exemptions were attacked when
the bill was taken UP yesterday by
Senator Paul, who succeeded in secur-
ing the adoption of amendments which,
while in no way affecting the compen-
eation scale provided III the measure
make all counties, regardless OF popu-
, iation OF area. and all cities and towns
that have population Of 1000 or over
their officers 10 submit un annual report
to the commission.
AN amendment offered by Senator
raxton. and urged by Senator's Saun-
dcrs and Hart. proposed to give city
councils and county boards OF super
visors the right 10 supplement out or
their own treasuries the COMPENSATION
OF any officer whose compensation was
limited by the hill. The amendment
was opposed by Senator West and SEN
ator Featherston as hostile to the prime
object OF fee reform II was put to a
vote and defeated - to Il.
Senator Holt sought To restore tho
| provision exempting from the opera
tion OF tho bill counties less than fifty
square miles In area. The amendment
was designed to relieve Elizabeth
city County. whose residents, Senator
Holt said do not desire any change
from the present system. IL was voted
down by substai tial majority.
Bili Is Passed.
With the amendments out OF the
no a N.