Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-07-18
ACTION ON TAX
REPEAL UNTIL THURSDAY
Supporters Still Unable to Get
Majority Needed to Get
Bill on CaIendarN

Monday morning the supporters of the
bill to repeal the tax equalization law of
1913 again postponed their attempt to
take the bill out Of it's regular place on
the house calendar and have it made a
special order. Friday the repeal advO-
Gates obtained the postponement on this
action until Monday and now they have
postponed it until Thursday. 1t requires
a three-fourth majority of those voting
to get a special order for bill, and 1t is
generally understood that the repeal
supporters have so far been unable to
get this majority and that the postpone
ment is for the purpose Of mastering
this required strength, if possible.
An effort in another direction. was
made by those who want the tax law re-
pealed, in the form of new bill intro
duced by Representative Rich Of Miller.
The bill, in the usual course of proceed
ure, would have been referred by the
speaker to the ways and means commit
tee, but on a motion by Representative
Miller, which passed, the bill was re-
ferred to the general agricultural COM
mittee No. 2.
The ways and smeans committee has
already made an adverse report on one
bill to repeal this tax law, and so the
supporters are evidently trying to get
the bill before a committee which they
think will give a favorable report, in
which case the repeal bill will take its
usual course on the house calendar.
The house then took up the consid-
Grafton Of the state highway commits
sion bill. Various substitute bills have
been introduced and the reading and
discussion of these was begun.
HIGHWAY COMMISSION.
The discussion Of the various state
highway commission bills was in prog
ress when the house adjourned Mon
day and was continued until Tuesday.
Representative Turner, Of Brooks, au-
thor of one Of the bills offered as a SUBJ
stitute for the comittee bill, made mo-
tion, which passed, that copies of these
substitutes, together with the federal
good roads bill, be printed and placed
on the desks of the representatives
Tuesday.
Representative Jones, of Coweta. spoke
in behalf of this bill. This was the only
argument on the question Monday. Rep
resentative Turner took the floor to
speak for his substitute with only five
left. He made the above motion
and will take up his bill Tuesday
Representative Turner's bill substau-
TALLY provides that the state highway
shall consist Of the chair
man of the prison comission, the deans
of the civil engineering department at
the University Of Georgia and Georgia
Tech and two citizens appointed by the
governor and that one of these citizens
shall be chairman of the commission.
The bill further calls for one high
way engineer and provides that up to
Is per cent Of the white convicts in the
state shall form road gangs to be work
ed by the commission. The federal
fund for good roads shall be received
and expended by the commission. Also
the taxes from the motor licenses Of the
state shall be collected and expended by
the commission.
Representative Jones' substitute pro-
vides that the commission shall consist
Of the prison commission and that the
three commissioners. shall receive an ad-
ditional $1,000 per year as salary. It
calls for four highway engineers in
charge of four districts into which the
state is divided under the bill. The
federal fund shall be collected and ex-
pended by the commission. There is a
100000 surplus in the treasury from the
state motor licenses and the Jones bill
provides that this be used in defraying
the expenses Of the administration of
The commission.
ANOTHER HIGHWAY BILL.
Still another highway bill offered to
he house as a substitute for the COM
nittee bill was introduced by Repre-
Beck, of Carroll. This bill
provides that the commission shall con-
sist of the chairman of the railroad
commission, the secretary of state and
state geologist. The commission shall
nave two highway engineers. The pro-
visions of Representative Beck's bill
,all for a distribution of the federal |
-oad fund bv the commission amopS
he counties according to the r. F. D. !
mileage in them. The work Of the /
state roads shall be under the super /
71sion in each county of that countys /
Dad commissioner and these commits |
'ioners shall be ex-officio members OF 1
he state highway commission.