Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1922-01-11
General Assembly Now in
Session.

Efforts to relieve the tax burdens
of the people by the adoption OF
new sources of revenue through what
is commonly called the painless ex-
traction method and to reduce ex-
penses all along the line will probably
be the most important work to be
undertaken by the general assembly
at the session which begins tomorrow
at high noon.
A small advance guard came in last
night and other members will begin
arriving this afternoon and tonight
and by early tomorrow morning every
member will be present. Political et-
forts Will begin to take on new lie
with the early arrivals as there are
a number of places to be filled by the
assembly.
When j. B. Atkinson, speaker +
the house, raps for order at noon to-
morrow and Wilson G. Harvey, presi-
dent of the Senate, does likewise, a
session that may go down in history
as "stormy" will be off with a rush.
Only a few changes will be noted in
the attaches, while four new members
are to be swor in. D. D. Noise, new
ly elected senator from Sumter, and
E. P. McCravey, newly elected n
tor from Pickens, will be the new
faces in the senate. Eugene S. Blease
succeeds George S. Mower as a re-
preventative from Newberry county
and j. B. Britton succeeds Mr.. Noise
from Sumter. The new senator's take
the places of Senator Clifton of Sum-
ter and Senator Alexander of Pick
ems who died during the year.
New Revenue Bills.
New revenue measures will be
among the first bills to be introduced.
The joint legislative committee on
consolidation has already drawn bills
covering different phases of its re-
port and these are to be introduced
early in the session.
In general the new revenue bills
may be summed up as follows: A tax
on gasoline and kerosese, and inheri-
lance tax, a luxury tax, and income
tax, an increase in the corporation
license tax and a small tax on hydro
electric power. Taxpayers have been
meeting in the different counties and
a statewide meeting was held in Co
ulmbia to discuss the need for chang
es in the present tax system. These
meetings have gone on record for the
new sources of revenue.
Probably the most concrete recon-
mendation so far is that by the point
legislative committee. This commit
tee proposes that a tax of two cents
a gallon be placed on gasoline and 1
cent a gallon on kerosene, that the
luxury tax incorporate %tobaccos,
theatre tickets soft drinks, auto
mobiles, etc., and that the other rec
concentrations be largely similar to
the general trend of thought. Under
the recommendations of this COM
mittee the new sources would bring
in S3,435,000 and make possible, it
is claimed, the reduction of the state
levy from ~ to four mills. An earnest
effort to reduce the millage will be
made, and even if the new sources
are not tapped it is practically GER
tain that tie levy will be cut, posi-
bly, to seven or eight mills.
Under the proposals of the joint
committee it is planned to introduce
a bill Tuesday to provide for a tenn
porary appropriation to pay state
officers and employees during jan
uary and February. This would re-
lieve the necessity of d%iscounting all
pay warrants in advance of the ap-
preparation bill, which policy has
been practiced for many years.
Three of the new revenue bills
that are being advocated passed the
house last year and are now either on
the senate calendar or in committee
rooms. Many other important bills
are also on the calendars of the two
houses.
Number of Elections.
Outside of the new revenue meas
ures elections will come in for con-
siderable attention. A successor to
the late George W. Gage of the SUI
preme court is to be chosen. This
election caused a warm fight last
year, but no decision was reached