Vernon Parish Democrat., 1922-06-08
DEAL
WITH SIX BIG ISSUES
Only Nine Bills Have Gone
Through Stage Of Final
Passage So Far.

Baton Rouge, La.-Six big issues,
assessment and tax reduction, sever
ance taxes and the Greater Agricult-
ural college,, race track gambling, car
bon black and piping of natural gas,
capital removal and proposed changes
in the form of government for the city
of New Orleans, were the outstanding
features at the close of the third week
of the legislature and all Of these is
sues are certain to provoke legislative
battles.
Only nine bills have gone through
the stage of final passage in the house
during the entire three weeks Of the
session. Those passed were:
Weinmann's bill to appropriate $780,
600 to defray the cost of the session of
the legislature.
Wilkinson's bill to provide police
pension fund for Shreveport
Parents bills to authorize police
juries to appropriate money for coop
erative farm demonstration work and
to incorporate the town of New Roads
Burgess two bills to authorize cities
and towns, New Orleans and Shreve-
port excepted, to have sidewalks, and
to amend the act of 1920 in relation to
prescription.
McEachern's bill to authorize estates
to lease oil, gas and mineral lands.
Shattuck's bill to exempt Confeder-
ate veterans and their widows from the
payment of occupational license taxes.
Moyses bill to fix five years as a
period for the prescription of mort
cages on movable property.
The bill by M. ]. Sylvest of Wash
ington to provide for an optional sys-
tenn for the guaranty of bank deposits
was given short shift in the house.
1t went TO the banking committee and
came back with an unfavorable report.
When it got back into the house it
was sent to the legislative cemetery
by the indefinite postponement route.
The bill was the first one of the ses-
sion to be killed by that method. Bank
ing interests throughout the state op-
posed it vigorously.
At the close of the third week 178
bills had been introduced in the house
and fifty-six in the senate, or a total
of 234 measures in both houses since
the beginning of the session.
Among the important bills intro
duced in the house were: Alexander's
bills to permit the assessment of de-
nuded land at 50 per acre upon the
execution Of contracts for reforesta-
tion and to permit the insertion of CO.
insurance clauses in fire insurance pol
icies; Womack's bill to amend the con-
stitution by making the state superin-
tendent of education elective by the
people; Perez's bill to prohibit the
adulteration of spirits of turpentine;
McGlehan's bill to regulate the sale
of fireworks, and Dymond's bill to
amend the constitution by authorizing
the legislature to postpone lhe pay
ment of taxes in cases of great dis
aster.
Constitutional kinks found by the
courts in the gasoline tax bill passed
at the special session of the legislature
are to be ironed out in bill intro
duced by A. M. Smith of Vermilion.
The act of 1921 provides for license"
tax of l cent per gallon on gasoline
sold for use in the state. The courts
held that the use of that word was
erroneous, as the constitution provides
for "sales" tax The Smith bill was
drawn to comply strictly with the con-
stitution and makes the gasoline tax
"sales" tax. There is no doubt about
the passage Of the bill, as it furnishes
revenue for the state highway fund
under the "pay-as-you-go" provisions in
the constitution.