San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-01-30
|bEXAR COURT
! bill SPEEDED
THROUGH HOUSE
delegation Satisfied; Meas
ure Now in Hands
OF Printer.
PASS OIL TAX BOOST
House Would Increase Oil
Revenue-Up to the
Senate Now.
PASS OIL TAX BOOST

Pexar county, after which some speed
Jas displayed in pushing the new
peasure. ......
Last week Representative Davenport
fzoduced a bill in the House Great
khg the Oath district court. This bill
as deferred to the House committee on
idiciary, where it remained until Mon
by evening. At the request of Mr..
davenport it was withdrawn from that
bmmittee and referred to the House
bmmittee on judicial districts. Once
efore that committee, Davenport sub
tuted a new bill for it and obtained
favorable committee report. The bill
BIS now gone to the printer to be
,inted. The new agreed bill provides
r district court of general jurisdic-
pn, but is designed primarily to re-
Eve Judge Taylor's court when the
liter is congested with criminal bust
fss.
Davenport declared Monday night that
is bill was agreeable TO the entire
eXar county delegation.
Representative Dielman, of San An
nio, Tuesday introduced a bill in the
souse, amending the law creating the
Iunty court Of Bexar county for civil
ses, so as to allow Judge McCollum
lrnett, of that court, to appoint an Of
ial court stenographer. At the present
ne no such stenOgrapher is provided. =,
Decision Up to Senate.
1T is now up to the Texas Senate to
eide whether the gross production tax
1 IL Der cent on crude oil, shall
increased to 3 per cent. The lower
buse, after debating the proposition
day, finally passed the Coffee bill,
bich provides for this increase, by a
tie of 100 to 10. There is title chance
at the Senate will provide a greater
crease than that provided by the
puse. Probably an effort will be
de to clip l per cent from the House
.rease and make the tax = per cent,
an increase Of IL a cent over the
esent tax. The bill is expected to be
ZEN consideration in the Senate dur
the present week.
As the bill was originally introduced
Representative Coffee, Of Wise, it
divided for an increase from IL per
1t to 8 per cent. Mr.. Coffee, in an
borate speech, urged the House to
s~>he bill in that shape, although the
use committee on revenue and taxa
had agreed on per cent tax.
Representative Satterwhite, of Car
offered an amendment to the bill
ing the tax at per cent. Represen-
i've Burmeister, Of McMullen, offered
amendment TO the amendment, fix
the tax at . per cent while Rep
entative Patman, of Cass, offered a
Istitute for both amendments, making
tax 4 per cent. The substitute was
Gated by vote of 80 to %, the
rmeister amendment lost, % to 90
lie the Satterwhite amendment was
pied by a vote of 105 TO %.
Before a final vote on the bill was
len Representative Smith. of Travis,
brief speech, opposed the bill, de-
ring that while the Legislature was
ooting at the big companies it was
king the small companies, its best
nds." He said il was like killing the
BE that laid the golden egg.
Tax TO Go to School Fund.
mother feature of the oil tax bill is
all of the tax is to go TO supple
kt the available school fund. An
tndment to that effect. offered by
preventative Bonham. of Bee, was
pted by vote of 81 to IS. Bon
explained the dire need of the school
Il for money, and said this would
tally relieve the situation. At the
Kent time only one-fourth of the oil
fuction tax is diverted to the avail
school fund. Representative Sat-
white said he estimated that by
bling the gross production tax on oil,
b / IL to per cent. the revenue
Id reach approximately $5,000,000
Against Pending Tax Measures.
representative Hardin, of Kaufman.
announced that he is strictly
INST the multiplicity of what he
ns the drastic tax measures now
hing before the legislature" and
il these measures are permitted
kecome laws the industrial enter
Is in Texas will be severely Grip
ms they aim at every public
ty and business concern in the
do not understand where this
asonable demand for increased reve-
comes FROM" said Hardin. THE
liant cry is for more taxes. more
5, and this, in spite of the fact
our nd valorem taxes have just
raised to the constitution limit.
hing an increase of S4.00O0OO a
] deny there is any need, or
excuse, for further taxation.
It is true there is deficit in the
bury. but that deficit was caused.
by lack of revenue, but by an Cx-
of cxtravAgant appropriations. 1t
s not TO have occurred to those tax
usiasts, that the best way IL TO
I've the cause. The bringing in of
revenues will simply be tHmpta-
TO further eXtravacance and the
ion of larger deficits in the
Re.
{ is utterly absurd to contend
the state government must spend
ons of dollars more than 1t ever
before, especially when these ex-
billions must come from legitimate
less concerns, which are already
ring from an excess of legislation
which are vitality interested in
Sell being of our state and all the
Il in It."
lil To Affect Public Utilities.
+ general public utilities bill. as
II to by the League of TEXAS
lcipalities, is to be introduced in
legislature within the next day or
lrhe bill places the public utilities
s-te jurisdiction Of the commits
but does not attempt TO fix the
to be charged by such utilities.