The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-08-25
AUSTIN FOR FIRE MARSHAL

CCnnle w. Austin, who made an un- successful race for the democratic county. is a candidate for state fire marshal MT. Austin. while chief of police of Birmingham, waged relent- less warfare against blind tigers" and is given large share of the credit for breaking up that illegal traffic. He has the indorsement of number of the prohibition leaders in Jefferson county and is understood to have a good following through the state who will push his claim for this office
 Rev. Brooks Lawrence, superinten- dent Of the Alabama Anti-Saloon league, it is stated, will keep hands off in the matter of patronage. He made the statement since the primary election that he would not ask Cover
 nor Kilby to appoint any particular
 person to office, and that he will neither make recommendation, nor write letter of indorsement for any one seeking favor at the hands of the governor. He has taken this stand, he explained, for the reason that he wants to be free to criticize the ad- ministration if in his opinion, it de-
 serves to be criticized. It is known
 that several applicants for appointive offices have vainly sought his ln- fluence in their behalf. To all of these he has given the same answer, that is, that he will take no part in the se- lection of men to fill the offices under the new administration. However he
 says. he will not be averse to giving advice if Governor Kilby asks for l.. TWO IMPORTANT QUESTIONS Two of the most important ques-
 tions to come before the next legisla- ture and over which there will no lsdn hn ufr f;srb+ and taxation, and a workmen's com pensation act Increased taxes is rec ognized as an imperative necessity. The floating debt. variously estima ted at from $3,000,000 to $5,0oO, ,000, must
 be taken care of. MT. Kilby hopes to wipe 1t out entirely during the four years of his administration, and he wants to do this without raising the tax rate.
 One source from which large amount of revenue may be collected without increasing the rate and which has never been given very much con- sideration in Alabama. is incomes. Es- 1 inmates of the probable revenues from this source, made by persons who | claim to be familiar with incomes in
 the state. place the annual income at
 rate of one-fourth of 1 per cent on 1 incomes of exceeding 5000, at some
 thing over $l.o00.0 900 a year. If the
 exemption is limited to incomes of l $2000 the revenue would be much lar ger.
 In nearly every northern state in- i comes above certain amount, usually
 from 5000 to $3000 are taxed, and
 they form one of the chief sources of | revenue in those state. Very few of
 the southern states have ever resorted to this method of raising revenues,
 but with her finances in such a de- ] plorable condition, those who advocate
 an income tax, declare that in this way 1 only can Alabama get out of debt and 1 meet her current obligations.
 WORKMEN'S COMPENSATION l The Alabama Federation of Labor will ask the legislature to pass a ] workmen's compensation act modelled 1 after the Ohio law. The Ohio act has
 been copied by most of the 30 other 1 states that have laws on that subject and is considered as perhaps the best of them all.
 The Ohio act provides for a state Ifund made up of contributions from
 employers of labor and out of this tho 1 expenses of the commission adminis- tering 1t and the compensation to in- | 1ured employees are paid. It is com
 pulsory upon every employer of five ! or more persons to contribute to thi, fund, and failure to do so deprives the employer of the three common law defenses of contributory negligence
 fellow servant and assumed risk, leav- ing to the court and the jury only the question of the extent of the injuries
 and the amount of damages to be as- sessed.
 Liability insurance companies. un- der the Ohio act, which has been in force since 1912. with amendments .n 1914 and 1916. are excluded from the
 state. The liability companies con-
 tested the law through the Ohio and federal courts, but it's validity was upheld in all of these.
 LIABILITIES COMPANIES OF. l POSE
 | It is understood that liability insur-
 ance companies will oppose the pass age of any workmen's compensation i law by the next legislature, and fail- ing in that. they will, is is said try to
 have written into it an optional clause
 under which the employer may either fcontribute to the state fund or take l out insurance with a private corpora
 AAsr ;uh ~g-