The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1919-02-21
n..ESUME OF WORK OF
OREGON LEGISLATURE
Last Week of Session Begins
with Work in Both Houses
Badly Congested.


sion--Inheritance Tax Bill Passed
People to vete on County Salary
Inereases-Longer Legislative ses-
sion Proposed-BaIiot for Absent
Voters-Tax on Motor Fuel Passes
Persistent Office Seekers Hit.
Salem.-The present legislature In
one respect at least has followed pre-
cedent for it started out on the clos
ing week of the session with the legis-
lative hopper clogged with undisposed
of business. Both houses are badly
congested with work and the closing
days will witness the usual confusion,
heated arguments and strenuous ef-
forts to save pet bills. 1t seems to be
the habit of legislatures to fritter
away much valuable time during the
early days Of the session with useless
discussion on unimportant bills, while
the money and other important meas
ures are held back for committee tink-
ering and then rushed through during
the closing hours when there is little
time for consideration.
Practically the only important piece
of legislation to its credit when the
legislature started out on Monday was
the appropriation of 100000 for the
soldiers. No road bills had been
passed and all the big appropriation
bills had not been presented.
Antitrust Paving Bill Passed.
Stormy times are expected over
road legislation this week. The house
and senate started the week at logger
heads over the ANTITRUST paving bill
which passed the senate last week al-
ter an extremely bitter debate.
| BY vote of 81 to 8, the senate
passed bill 67, the chief of the four
anti-patented pavement bills.
The bill as passed is identical as
reported by the majority Of the roads
| and highways committee and favored
| by those seeking to curb the paving
trust, with the exception of the MoseI
amendment to section 7, which now
says: "All contracts which may be
awarded for laying any pavement OF
for the purchase of any material, mix
\ ture or process entering therein, shall
/ be awarded to the responsible bidder
submitting the lowest aggregate bid
under the specifications in the class
of pavement which the public authori
ties mentioned in section of this act
shall determine to accept"
Those who have been strafing the
patent paving company fought the
minority report of the road commit
tee, which recommended the adoption
Of the words, considering quality ant
durability" which gave this discretion
to the state highway commission IL
awarding contracts. Over these fou
words the battle was waged in th'
| senate.
i Moser's amendment is construed a.
tying the hands OF the state highwa.
commission, by those who voted nc
The others say not.
The addition of the four word
would have given the commission tn
power to use its judgment in select
ing pavements and awarding bids.
Strong opposition developed agains
the senate antitrust paving bill whe,
it reached the house and the ire @
house members was aroused b
threats of certain senators to defea
the s10,O0O,0OO road bonding bill Ill
less the house enacted the senate bill
Tax on Estates Proposed.
Estates in Oregon will contribute a
extra 100000 ANNUALLY to the stat
treasury under the provisions of Rel
resentative Schuebels Inheritance ia
bill which passed the house. The bi
) is a compromise measure over hous
bill l, which would have produced q
annual revenue of approximatcl
$350,000 from inheritance taxes. Thi
ibill, it is said, will produce revenu
of approximately $160,000 annually.
Exemption is provided on estate
up to $4,000, but above that amour
the tax is assessed against the estat
, and not against the distributed share
as under the present law. Additions
tax, over and above that assesse
against the estate, is imposed agains
shares which go to others than tn
: direct heirs of the decedent.
Y Local Autonomy for Counties Faveret
By adopting senate joint resolutio
:. IA, introduced by Senator Farrell. tn
!. senate went on record in favor OF tai
d ing from the legislature authority |
increase the salary Of any state o