Evening star., 1924-01-11
GAS TAX BILL DEFEAT
UNANIMOUS TRADE BOARD PLEA
Senator Ball Says CitiSens Not Be Blamed for Fight
on Measure-Declres Congress Treats Capital
as Hamlet.

Unanimous adoption Of a resolution
urging that the gas tax bill for the
District be killed If the proposed
personal property tax amendment is
retained and stirring address by
Senator L. Heisler Ball, chairman of
the Senate District committee. on the
gas tax and the attitude of Congress
to Washington. featured last nights
meeting of the Washington Board OF
Trade at the willard Hotel.
Other speakers on the program
were Senator Lawrence C. Phipps.
chairman of the subcommittee on
District appropriations; William
Mather Lewis. president of George
Washington University. and Bert
Miller, commissioner of insurance.
The, gas tax proposition was
traffic expert and chairman of the
special traffic committee of the
board, who related in detail the steps
taken by the committee to obtain
passage OF the bill in it's original
form; and action to defeat 1t as 1t
He presented the resolution ask
ing that the bill be killed II the per-
sonal property amendment was in
cluded. which. he said, would mean
an additional 100000 a year tax on
District motorists. Several times
during the reading of his report Mr..
Rayner was interrupted by enthusi-
astio applause. and at its conclusion
1t was adopted without dissenting
voice.
Text of Resolution.
The resolution follows:
"A proposal has been made to in
corporate into the gasoline tax bill
an amendment to retain the personal
property tax in the District of CO.
lumbia.
Such an amendment would in
crease taxation on District motor
lists approximately 100000 per year.
This additional burdensome and
Unnecessary taxation is not in ac-
coIrlanca with the original proposal
OF the District Commissioners, which
Wasi merely to change the method of
collecting the same revenue and not
to decrease or increase that revenue.
The purpose Of the original bill
was to obtain reciprocity with Mary
land through a two-cant tax on gaso-
line in lieu of the personal property
tax and the tag fee.
THE Washington Board of Trade
em7hatically protests against any
LII lhe vi AZ lHdi pill anu URGES
that in the event a change is con-
templated the bill Immediately be
killed"
Ball Defends Board Move.
Declaring that he would not insist
on the amendment providing for the
personal property tax, and asserting
that Washingtonians could not be
blamed for their attitude toward ad
ditional taxation as long as Congress
failed to appropriate up to the mon
ey raised, Senator Ball said that he
did not believe Congress was show
ing good faith in appropriations for
Washington.
"I do think" he said. that the gas
tax with the personal property
amendment is fair, inasmuch as
Washingtonians would only pay on
about the same scale as do those in
the states, but, with the present sit
uation existing and the money lying
idle in the Treasury, citizens Ut Wash
ington should not be blamed for their
attitude. Money raised in the states
from auto taxation is almost .nva-
riably used for the building and MAIN
tenance of roads l have been wLn-
dering If the citizens of Washington
would approve of the bill in its
amended form IL a clause was added
which would guarantee the expendi-
tuTe of surplus moneys on the streets
and highways OF the District. If this
was done thee would be some reason
for raising an additional 100000 per
year.
"I do not believe that Congress
realizes its responsibility to the ey-
tent it should. 1 believe that some
members of the body still feel that
they are legislating for a small ham,
let and not city of nearly 100000
people. They do not realize the tre-
mendous population increase and do
not grasp the fact that the interests
of Washington have more than kept
pace with this increase.
In traffic matters alone and I