Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-06-27
GOVERNOR TO DEAL
WITH FINANCES IN
ANNUAL MESSAGE

Continued from Page u
cising Governor Hardwick for not
consenting to it's repeal last year.
Senator Watson favors legislation
to tax Invisible property. but does
| not agree with the governor that
| the income tax Is the way to get 1t.
| Differences between the governor
| and the senator on taxation, com.
! plicated by the gubernatorial con.
! test between the governor and Cliff.
! ford Walker, will form most in.
teresting political background of the
taxation debate in the legislature.
| Measures Of economy chief OF
which Is the state auditor bill, will
have the governors strong support
| leaders in both branches of the legis.
| lature. Senator Manson's bill Great.
| ing a department of audits and &C
| counts passed the senate last year
| and went to the house where II
was held up In the congestion OF
! many bills. The report Of the eff.
ficiency engineers engaged by the
governor will be used as a powerful
factor in building sntiment for a
system Of auditing all expenditures
and of budgeting all appropriations
; Capital removal Is to be renewed
by the Macon contingent, in all like
! lihood. The claim is made by those
who favor submitting the question
to the people that they have enough
votes to pass the bill in the senate
Free books for school children is
another very pressing political issue.
Senator Watson in his paper is urg.
ing the passage of this bill, which
was introduced last year by Repre-
sentative Beck. of Carroll, and re.
ceived a favorable report by the
| committee, which makes it now ripe
for third reading. Opponents OF
| the bill assert that the states finan.
clal condition precludes the possibili.
ty of even starting on a free school
| book program. They assert that q
bill providing free books would be
dead letter because the money
would not be In the treasury to buy
the books.
A bill providing for biennial ses.
s1ons of the legislature, introduced
| last year by Representative Mundy,
| OF Polk, was faVorably reported by
the constitutional amendments com
mittee, and therefore is ready to be
placed upon its passage. In view
of the general sentiment for econo.
my, it seems quite likely that this
bill will have stronger support than
ever this year. Governor Hard.
wick, as stated above, will strongly
recommend biennial sessions.
Highway Bonds
The highway bond issue will be a
red hot issue at this session, due to
the fact that it must go over two
years if it fails this time. Being a
constitutional amendment, it must
go to the people, and the next cleo
ton after the one this year will not
roll around until the fall of 1924.
Governor Hardwick is opposed to
passage of the highway bond issue
bill at this session on the ground
that it will not go to the people
under suspicious conditions. The
governor is not opposed, he says, to
highway bonds on their merits, but
is opposed to submitting a big con-
structive question like this at a time
when the people so strongly demand
economy and retrenchment. TIL.
highway bond issue advocates, on
the other hand, have organized a
powerful sentiment among county
commissioners, civic bodies, automo
bile owners and others. They con
tend that postponement of the bond
issue will sacrifice millions of fed
eral aid which the state is now get
ting, but which it cannot get beyond
1923 unless the constitution is so
| amended as to authorize, specif!cal-
ly, the construction of state high
| ways.
Another big constructive matter
to come before the legislature is
that of the port terminal. The leg:s-
lature last year created a commits.
sion to investigate the feasibility and
| adVlsability of a. State-oWned and
operated terminal at some point on
the coast. The commission employ.
, ed +. w. Cowie, builder of the Mon
treal terminal, and a port engineer
1 OF worldwide reputation, to survey
the coast line. He did so and rec.
| commended Savannah as the location
! Of the port. He has recently COM
pleted detailed plans and specifica.
tons, and the commission will trans
init the same to the legislature and
strongly recommend the passage OF
| a constitutional amendment pro
viding for a bond issue, which would
go to the people in the general cleo
ton this fall, for ratification or re.
| lection.
Rotation Of Judges
A bill is pending in the house for
| the rotation of superior court
judges. 1t has been favorably re-
ported by the constitutional amend
ments committee, and is, therefore,
ready to be placed upon it's third
reading and passage.
Bills providing for the Australian
ballot system are pending in the
house and senate. A bill providing
| for the abolition of the fees of coun.
ty officers is pending in the house.
In number of counties where fees
| are large there has been consider
able agitation of the subject It
was made an issue in Fulton coun.
ty in the special election for tax re-
ceiver last spring, and all Of the can
didates committed themselves in
favor OF the salary system.
The house and senate will convene
at 10 o'clock Wednesday morning.
with Speaker Cecil Neill in the chair
OF the house, President Herbert Clay
in the chair in the senate, and with
! Major Devereaux F. McClatchey and
! E. B. Moore in their time-honored
| places as secretary of the senate
and clerk of the house, respectively.
Preparations were made last week