The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-02-23
PUBLIC TO SPEAK
ON TAX C0MM|SS|0h
BEFORE COMMIT TEE
Delegation From Chamber Of
Commerce and Other Bodies
to Present Views Tonight.
Secretary Dunlap Makes Clear
the Position of Both Legis-
lators and Business Men
of City.

joint session of the committees ON
finance of the house of delegates and
the senate will be held this evening
at Z O'Clock IN the chamber of the
house. for the purpose of giving full
hearing to the public on the tax CONF
mission. There are several proposals.
in regard To this commission before
both branches OF the general assembly
and a full discussion will be mad.
According to members of the finance
committees. neither the members
from the house nor the senate are
welded to any proposition They
stated that the only reason they
recommended twenty commissioners
was to get things started and let mat
ters shap themselves in subsequent
meetings
Both committees criticised the Rich
mond chamber of commerce for
statement that the chamber had been
refused a hearing on the matter. Mr.s
Weaver, chairman of the house COM
mittee, declared the statement to this
effect erroneous, that neither commits
tee had been asked for a hearing, for
had this been done, 1t would have been
granted
In answer to a letter criticising the
position taken by the chamber, Secs
rotary Dunlop wrote an explanatory
letter to MIR. Weaver. in which he said.
Il beg TO acknowledge receipt Of
your favor of the 2lst instant, and
thank you for your consideration In
advising me a hearing would be grant
ed on senate bill No. 405 before the
Joint session of your committee and
that OF the senate on Monday evening
at 73o, and accordingly we will be
glad to have a delegation from the
chamber and other organizations
present who are interested in that
measure.
With reference to the paragraph
contained in the circular letter mailed
by me to the business men or RfCH-
mond, which paragraph you quote in
your communication. in which 1t Is
stated that the finance committees OF
the two houses ignored not only the
fchambePs proposition, but also thuts
of the conference on tax reform.
/ beg to preface my explanation by stat
ing that 1t was far from my intention
to do any injustice to your commits
! tee. and as / appear to have done 50.
I cheerfully express my regret for any
erroneous impression which may have
been created.
I'm pursuance OF a notice. a rep-
-esentative delegation from the cham
Der. consisting of all of its officers and
nearly all the members Of its legisla-
tive committee and representatives OF
/ the, Business Mems club and OF the
Retail Merchants association as
sembled in the hail leading to tho
room OF the corporation commission
and waited patiently to appear before
those committees for about two hours
those committees being in execuiv0
! session. We then asked Hon. ID. L
Toney to ascertain il any hearing
wniitd-nf- accorded and were inform
ed in response to that inquiry that the
committees had determined not to
! have hearings upon any of the bills
pending relating to the tax question:.
but would report bill of their own
! which was the one proposing the CONF
i mittee. of twenty, consisting OF menu
i bers of the Legislature"