Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-03-28
PENROSE TO HOLD
LEGISLATURE OPEN
Work Will Be Finished by
June, but Adjournment
Will Be Delayed
RRUMBAUGH THE CAUSE
Closing Assembly Would Leave
Too Much Power in Hands
of Governor
By a star Correspondent
HARRISBURG, Marc

NldrCn ZS.
The legislative program mas rnally been
wapped out The actual work of the ses-
s,on will close between May Is and June
4 according to present plans. One or more
,fecesses will then be taken until about the
end of october when, final adjournment will
be taken.
The Penrose leaders in the General AS
sembIy are making the war crisis an ex-
cuse for holding the Legislature In session.
At least technically, until late in the year
for the purpose of holding a club over the
head of Governor Brumbaugh and his ad-
minIstration.
Should the Legislature adjourn sine die
after the appropriation bills have been
passed finally the Governor would hold the
balance b of power in any factional fight
that might crop out within the organiza
tion The Penrose leaders recognize this
fact and have laid their plans accordingly
They propose now that the General Assem-
bly remain in session, without exorbitant
cost to the Commonwealth. until late in the
year. as was done during lie Spanish-A Amer
ican War.
WILL REMAIN READY
The revenue-raising measures and the
general and other appropriation bills will
be rushed through the Legislature in the
hope of a recess being taken about the
middle of May. Instead of adjourning sine
die however. the Legislature will simply
take a recess and VIII be in n position to
be called into active session at mo-
ments notice without much extra cost to
the State.
The Senc 1ors and Representatives re-
ceive stateS jalares for each session. So
do the permanent employees of both houses.
The per diem employees, however, will be
discharged as soon as the recess is taken,
according to the Penrose program, and there
would then be no criticism of an expensive
session.
The revenue-raising measures will not
make their appearance until after the gen.
sral appropriation bill is introduced in the
House next Monday night.
At the same time the report of the Econ
omy and Efficiency Commission, which has
been working for sixteen months on a
program for reorganizing the departments
and bureaus of the State government, is
expected to be made public. The report
according to advance gossip contains some
startling recommendations.
The report was placed in the hands of
Governor Brumbaugh today Whether he
will permit it to be made public at all
after he has perused it 70 causing consid-
cradle discussion on Capitol Hill
The general appropriation bill. together
with the special appropriation measures,
will provide for a total of less than $71 ,O0O,-
i 600, according to Chairmen Buckman and
Woodward, of the appropriations committees
of the Senate and House, respectively. Two
years ago a total of S67,500,0O0 was APP
propriated.
The revenue-raising bills, which will be
introduced late next week at the earliest
= include the following:
A tax of . per cent on the value of coal
and coke prepared for sale.
A tax of 2 per cent on the value of oil
and natural gas at the well.
A tax of one mill on all stock of manu-
featuring concerns.
A tax of per cent on direct Inheritance
A tax of one mill on real estate.
A tax upon the sale of tickets for all
theatrical performances.
These measures, all told, would increase
the annual revenue of the State by between
$12,000,000 and $15,O00,0O0. All of them,
however. are not expected to be passed
As chairmen of the appropriations com
mittees explained today, they are being
offered simply for a scramble" and the
State will have to take whatever additional
revenlles it can through whatever bills are
finally passed. The bill taxing manufac.
turers one mill. for example, has little
chance of being passed.