Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-07-27

it entirely and support the state
government by an income tax.
This further argument is made by
the advocates of an income taX-that
the value of a business or manufaC-
turing concern cannot be accurate
ly determined by the value of it's In
vestment in physical property, but
consists in it's earnings. A manu-
featuring concern, for example, may
have physical property worth $780,
100000. The income tax advocates
argue that the correct method Of
taxing such a concern, and all going
I concerns, is upon it's income instead
of upon the value of it's physical
property.
Up. to the present time the ap-
where all appropriation bills eman-
ate, has reported none of the mass
of bills before it, aggregating So
next Tuesday afternoon to get down
to business. 1t has been waiting to
see what progress could be made in
the way of Legislation to raise moro
mittee enumerated above has recon
mended the income tax, the appro
priations committee will likely put
its influence unitedly behind the bill
to push it through the house.
Why Veto Is Likely
Whatever appropriations the COM
mittee recommends are likely to be
qualified with the proviso that rev
enue legislation be passed at this
session This proViso, as a matter
Of course, the house and senate can
disregard if they are a mind to. They
! can pass as many appropriations as
! they see fit, but any appropriate on.
passed without additional revenue are
nothing but paper. They cannot be
paid. Those already passed cannot
be paid in full, much less additional
! ones.
! If the legislature. therefore, sends
down to the governor an arnful Of
appropriation bills without accom-
| panying them with a revenue bill the
governor is quite likely to veto them
all and call an extra session for the
exclusive purpose of reorganizing the
states finances. The red-ink items
on the state treasurer's ledger al
ready are. to omany for the COVER
norS comfort. without adding more
Ihlrty.three days Of the legisla.
! tive session are "over the mill" and
nothing has yet been done to i'm
prove the states finances. Ninety
| per cent of the present session, as Of
nearly all sessions, has been taken
up with the abolition or recreation
of county treasurers, the amendment
Of acts establishing city courts and
county boards of commissioners, the
amendment of city charters and SIM
liar local matters. This habitual
waste OF legislative sessions in grind
ing small gr1st has promted the sug-
gestlon OF numerous plans for han
ding local bills in some different
manner: 1t takes practically as
much time TO pass a bill abolishinpa
d county treasurer as to pass bill
exception that local bills are rareiv
Il ever, debated But the absence of
oepate is more than offset nv tho
multiplicity Of this class of bills
Wnlch swarm like flies on the caIen
Jar OF every session.
The Highway Legislation
Inc highway program waits on
the hnal disposition of the KNIGHT
resolution requiring the state high
way board to prorate the automobile
fund among the counties accordine
20 post road mileage. The resolu-
tlon went to a vote in the house
last Thursday afternoon and would
nave been passed but for a parlia
mentary tangle which made it neces-
sary to postpone final action. The
resolution is scheduled as a special
! order in the house next Wednesday.
Representative Knight, of Berrfen
county, the author of the resolution,
threatens to oppose the highway bond
issue bill, which comes close behind
his resolution on the calendar of the
mouse, unless the highway board is
required to prorate the automobile
tund. He says he does not wish it
prorated permanently, but only until
the issuance of highway bonds at
which time the fund will be applied
to the interest and amortization of
the highway bonds
His contention is that the coun-
ties want the fund prorated in the
meanwhile "as an evidence of good
faith" Other members of the leg
lslature contend that the people at
home" are clamoring not for a scat
tering here and there of the auto
mobile fund, but for prompt con-
struct1on of a state highway system.
But to satisfy the supporters of
! the Knight resolution and push along
the bond issue bill, upon which
hinges the life or death of the en-
tire highway program, a majority
of the house seems to have made up
| their minds to let it go through.
They figure that the state highway
board will make the most economi-
| cal use of the fund that will be pos
sible under the circumst ances, de-
spite the handicap of such distri-
| button, and the one redeeming fea-
| ture of the Knight resolution, as
| they look at it, is that it leaves the
fund in the hands of the board to
eNpend wherever and in whatever
manner they see fit, just so they pro-
rate it among the counties