White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1923-02-09

protecting the dairy industry. bat
lobbyists employed by the butter sub
stitutes manufacturers deny that the
senate will act favorably on the msa.
sure.
Seattle and Tacoma are quarreling
with the water power companies In
the legislative chambers over the en-.
actment of legislation which would
permit municipalities to develop and
sell electricity outside of corporate
limits. Both cities have power sitea
capable of generating more electricity
than is needed In the two cities and
they wish to sell to other western
Washington municipalities. but tho
Stone & Webster people, owners Of
the large power plants under private
ownership. are fighting the Seattle
Tacoma program. The Legislature IL
divided over the issue for the reason
that many house and senate members
do not believe that municipalities
should be permitted to enter into com.
petition with privately owned plants
unless the cities are willing to pay
taxes to the state on their plants
and Seattle and Tacoma nave not
agreed yet.
There Is another quarrel in the leg
islature, too. 1t is one Of tho most
interesting fights Of the session since
it involves the railroads and the
Stone & Webster people. whe are ia
accord on most issues. This quarrel
has grown out of the agitation nov
current In legislative circles to place
gross earning tax on motor bus
lines. The Stone & Webster interests
own the interurban line which oper-
ates between Tacoma and Seattle and
between Seattle and Everett and thew
also own motor bus lines which feed
the interurban, much to the disgust
of the railroads.
And there is the fight going on In
the legislature between real estate
men and the large private and pub.
lie utilities of the state. The real
estate men believe that property, or
real taxes, can best be lowered
through state income tax. They say
1t will raise approximately 100000
year and the property taxes will be
| reduced in proportion. But the private
and. public corporations refuse to &C
cept the view advanced by the real
estate men. They say the income tax
would have result of reducing prop
erty taxes during 1928 and 1924, but
insist that the next legislature will
find new ways of spending money
and that Washington will awaken
some spring morning to discover that
property taxes are back up to normal
and that 1t Is leading an income tax
around by the hand. The quarrel be.
tween the interests affected was
thoroughly aired in the joint house
and senate committee on revenue and
taxation, but gradually 1t is spreading
through the membership of the two
houses. The farmers favor the in.
! come tax, capital opposes it.
Women Settle Peacefully.
Early in the session the club women
Of the state had their hearts set on
obtaining an appropriation from the
legislature for the reopening Of the
women's Industrial home at Medical
Lake. For time they were belliger.
emit, but at a meeting held in Olympia.
January "a, they reached the conclu.
sion that 1t would be impossible to get
the money they wished and their pro.
gram was amended. They decided to
ask the legislature to refrain from re-
pealing the act which established the
home with the understanding that al
appropriation would be requested for
the home in 1926.
But all OF the quarrels over pro;
grams have not and probably will not,
be settled as peacefully as was the
tilt between the club women and the
legislature.
Labor, with its legislative program.
has encountered the opposition Of en-.
ployers who do not believe that In.
dustrial insurance act should be
amended to increase awards to In.
jured workmen 100 per cent. The
State Federation of Labor has intro
duced bill embodying the wishes Of
its members; employers of the state
are preparing to introduce a measure
and the state department Of com.
merce and labor has introduced q
third bill. The last named bill car.
rtes an advance of Is per cent In
awards. Some Of the employers are
willing to endorse it. Others want Is
increase the awards only 10 per cent
and that is where labor and the en-.
ployers are divided.