The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-08-12
GOVERNOR INSISTS !. ON TAX MACHINERY AS NECESSARY FOR NEW REVENUE BILL
Tone of Statement Published Sunday Interpreted as Meaning Executive
 Is Worried
By W. J. ROLES.

Montzomery. August H. Special That Governor Knby is not entirely sats fled with the lesislative situation with reference to. the general revenue bill is patent from the long and labored state ment issued by him Saturday and print ed in the Age Herald Sunday. He says he is satisfied that the bill will be passed by the legislature substantially as it is. He states in positive language that the bill will pass, but the tone of voice in which he utttred the statement indicated that an interrogation point might be ap- propriately placed at the end.
 The past week was not a happy one or its leaders in the house and senate The general revenue bill had hard time in the house. It got through only after the entire taxing machinery had been torn out and the old system re- stored, The income tax stayed in as did the excess profit section, but the latter was sliced in two The coal and iror tonnage tax also was kept in. but the coal tax at only two-fifths of the rate usually fixed by the budget committee,
 Early in the fight to put the bill through the house, the administration realized that it had hard fight on its hands. It developed into a much harder fight than they had anticipated. The man selected as floor leader to put the bill through fell down on his job and I nasty caucus of administration forces transferred the burden to other shoul iers. The cog that had slipped didn't slip again. but opponents of certain features of the bill, encouraged by a victorious preliminary skirmish, felt encouraged. and tackled the bigger job energetieally
 if not successfully.
 When the revenue bill reached the sen ate a slight skirmish took place. A move which looked like an effort to railroad the bill through the senate without giv-
 ing its opponents a chance to be heard or to discuss it. was started, but the oppo- sition now wide-awake on the job, block ed the movement, if it was really intend ed as a signal for the steam roller to start.
 The senate committee on finance and
 taxation to which the revenue bill was referred. demanded more than one day in which to consider the bill It was recalled that it contained over POO print ed pa ges and that the house had spent about two weeks in its consideration. Those demanding more deliberate con sideraton of it in the senate, insisted that the one day proposed in motion to adjourn over from Tuesday to Thurs day would not be sufficient time for the committeee to properly inform itself. I Hence, adjournment was taken for two | days.
 | Then on Friday when the two houses I met again, the senate committee was not ready to report. It had set Monday and | Tuesday for further hearings and con sideration of the revenue measures. 1 It is not believed the committee will l be able to report the bill next Wednes- | day when the senate reconvenes. As l Thursday will not be a Legislative day | it is now believed that the bill will not | be reported to the senate before the early part of the week following. The senate is expected to restore the taxing machinery to the bill. This was stricken out by the house and it is gen.
 orally predicted by members of the house
 and by others who have sounded the
 temper of that body. that the house vii not agree to this restoration
 l The senate is also expected to restore | the sections exempting the machinerS
 and raw materials of water power com.
 panies, shipbuilding plants and other in. duStrial concerns rom taxation for period of years. These sections now r
 the statute books of the state, were
 written in the original bill, but striclS- | an out by the house. The house. it is
 stated, will not agree to these sections
 being restored
 The strongest fight now being mad, | against the bill is that of the bushes. | people who have suddenly awakened t. | the significance of the income tax ant | excess profits sections. They have organ l ized and appointed a statewide commit l tee to conduct the fight on these sec l tions. Every community in the stat | has sent in protests against the incom, and excess profits tax and it is now pre- dicted that they will be cut out
 There is a growing sentiment agains the coal and iron tonnage tax, but a l it now stands it looks like these two sec l tic,x .,t;ll he t,i inc in, ha 4h..,..