Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-06-26
Assembly May Divert
Motor 77axey to ReHeUe
Shortage IN the Treasury
Two Bills Introduced in
State Legislature to Help
Tide Over Temporary FIJI
nanciaI Stringency

Both branches Of the state legisla-
| cure held short sessions Friday morn
ing, devoted chiefly to the introduce
| ton of new bills. They adjourned
shortly before noon, to meet again at
| 10 o'clock Monday morning.
/ Efforts to relieve the temporary
| financial stringency of the state
| treasury took definite form with the
| introduction in the house by Repre-
| sentative George Carswell, of Wilkin-
son, of two bills providing for the di-
| version of the motor vehicle license
| tax fund into the general treasury
and the replacement of this fund
from the ad valorem tax revenues
before December 20, 1920.
| The introduction of these two bills
had been previously indicated by
| Mr.. Carswell. who is chairman of the
| house appropriations committee, in
speech delivered on the opening
day of the 1920 session.
Under the present statute the mo-
tor vehicle license tax fund is main
general funds of the state, to be
| used only for the construction Of
good roads under the direction of the
state highway commission.
NF. CdTSW6lI UlllS PROPOSES IudI
| this fund, which amounts to about
| $1,700,000, shall be used to liquidate
| appropriations to various state de-
! partments and institutions now re-
naming unpaid. He also proposes
to use part of this fund to meet
| the general expenses of the state,
in view of the shortage of funds in
the state treasury and the pressing
necessity for additional finances to
tide things over until fall, when the
great bulk of the ad valorem tax
money is paid in
Under the provisions of the COM
| panion bill, the full amount of the
| motor vehicle license tax fund divert
ed for these purposes would be re-
placed by December 20, 1920, to be
held for the original purposes for
which the fund was created.
While it is anticipated that con-
siderable opposition will be mani
| Tested Uncertain quarters, leaders in
the house predicted Friday morning
that both bills would pass by large
majority. Mr. Carswell has given
notice that he will press both meas
ures vigorously and secure early
consideration both in committee and
| before the house.
view to ascertaining the exact fl
| nancia1 status of the treasury, the
house adopted Friday a concurrent
resolution introduced by Mr.. Moye,
| O1 IldnuO1pH. pTOVlQlnS IOr the APP
| pointment of a joint committee to
investigate the financial condition of
| the state relative to the existence of
a casual deficiency. The members of
| this committee will be the speaker
| of the house, the president of the
| senate, the chairmen and the vice
chairmen of the appropriations COM
mittees of both houses, the comp
troller general, the state treasurer,
the secretary of state and the gov
ernor.
The committee is charged with the
duty of making an immediate inves-
| LEGATION, and if a casual deficiency is
| found Of making recommendations to
the general assembly as to the best
method of obtaining relief.
After passing. two OF, three local
bills and, permitting the introduce
| ton of about twenty-five or thirty
| new measures, the house adjourned at
| Ills o'clock until Monday morning
at II o'clock, Central time.
Announcement has been made that
on Tueday afternoon a public hear
| ing will be held on the tax revision
| measures before the ways and means
! committee of the house. These two
bills, introduced by Mr.. Arnold, of
| Clay, after submission by the state
tax commission, which held public
tate, were tentatively considered
| last year and have now reached their
! third reading in the house. At the
request of Mr. Arnold however, they
! have been recommitted to the ways
and means committee for further
/ consideration.
MI. Rogers, of Ebert, has been
somewhat embarrassed by a pub
lished error in regard to his bill
amending the motor vehicle license
tax act. He has introduced meas
ure fixing the license tax on cars
with not more than twenty-three
horsepower at IS instead of the
vertance it was published as SIS. His
! measure also provides a tax of 80
| cents per horsepower for each horse
power in excess Of twenty-three.
Bills Passed
The following bills were passed
by the house:
By Mr.. Tankersley, of IrWln-To
pay $50 to Mrs. D. W.. Pope on &C
count of pension to the late Mrs. S.
c. Faulkner.
vide a pension for Mrs. Francis
Shores, of Floyd county.
STATE SENATE ADJOURNS
UNTIL MONDAY MORNING
After a session Friday which lasted
for just thirty-f1ve minutes, the SEN
ate adjourned until IL o'clock Mon
day morning.
Nine new bills were introduced,
nOCdDl6 among L1leSe DelIlS d OIL ny
Senator Ivan Allen, of the Thirty
fifth district, which would regulate
the sale and inspection of automo-
biles. 1t provides for a uniform
bill of sale which shall be inspected
by the sheriff of the county in which
the sale is made, and arranges for
a permanent record of bills of sales
of automobiles in the office of the
secretary of state. This is COM
, painion bill to that introduced Thurs
day in the lower house by the Full
ton county delegation.
Senator Smith, of the Seventh dis
| trict, called for action on his bill
which proposes to amend the law
! in regard to warehouse receipts,
adopting in regard thereto the uni
| form warehouse receipt act. This
bill was advanced through It's third
reading, and deferred by unanimous
consent for final action on Monday.
Discussion was begun on the bill
by Senator Doris, of the Forty
eighth, relating to regulating mar
riages and marriage licenses, and it
| was indicated that vigorous opposi-
ton would be offered against passage
| of the bill.
Advocates of the capital removal
| bill would not talk in the senate
hall Friday on their plans, but. it was
limited that preparations are being
made to have the bill given it's final
reading on Thursday or Friday of
next week.