Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1924-08-28
ASSEMBLY PASSES
OVER 400 BILLS
Special Session of North Carolina
Legislature Adjourned Saturday
After IL Days-Many Propositions
to be Voted on in November.

sembly to a close on it's seventeenth
legislative day.
Called into extraordinary session
to act upon the report of the ship and
water transportation commission and
correct errors in the sinking fund
amendment act, preparatory to ex-
pected ratification in the November
election, the assembly performed the
two duties and in addition enacted
over 400 of the nearly 600 public
and local bills introduced.
The port and water transportation
measure is accepted as the out-piece
OF legislation enacted by the session.
If the people approve the act in the
election it will supply the machinery
for inaugurating port and water
commerce development program with
an investment of $7000,000 in ter
minal facilities of deep sea and in
land ports and contingent fund of
S1,500,000 for the operation of the
state owned ships.
Besides correcting the error in the
sinking fund measure, the special
session added another constitutional
an endment proposal to the three a.
dopted for submission by the 1928
Legislature. 1t provides for an in
crease of per diep for members of
the general assembly from 81 to $40.
The special session killed bills sub
mitting three other constitutional
amendments, one extending the term
of county sheriffs and coroners, the
second providing for a judicial re-
districting and abolishing of the ro-
tation system for judges and the
third putting reduced tax rate on
money on deposit in banks and real
fy mortgages and deeds of trust.
AS the result of legislation by the
1928 regular session supplemented
by that of the special session the
people of North Carolina will vote
on the following proposals in the
November elections, besides express
ing their choice on candidates for
National, state congressional and the
county Offices:
To inaugurate port and water tran
sportation development program. Ma
chinery provided by special session.
To authorize an appropriation of
$2,00O,O0O to aid World War Vet
erans acquire farm lands. Machinery
provided by 1928 regular session.
To amend the constitution so as
to increase per diem of members of
general assembly to $40. Submitted
by special session.
To amend the constitution so as
to increase per diem of members of
general assembly to $40. Submitted
by special session.
To amend the constitution to make
inviolate the sinking fund for state
bonds. Submitted by regular session,
but discovery of error in provisions
of act necessitated it's repeal and
enactment of new measure by spe-
cial session.
To amend constitution to limit the
bonded indebtedness which the state
may incur. Submitted by regular ses-
sion.
To amend the constitution to ex-
empt from taxation mortgages and
deeds of trust on homes. Submitted
by regular session and submitting act
amended by special session to change
rate of interest on exempted mort
cages and trust deeds from 1-2 per
cent to the legal rate.
On it's seventeen days, the special
session enacted considerable num-
Der of measures of statewide i'm
portance and interest. It killed a
great many bills proposing other
measures of equal interest. One of
these was local bill to exempt Bun
combe county from the absentee vot-
ers law. The legislature wasn't as
hostile toward the law as public SEN
timent in Buncombe was represented
as being, the bill died in committee.
Among other bills that lost out
were five proposing increases in sal
ary for state officials. Another was
a bill to take the power of veto over
appointments of county welfare Off
GERS from Mrs. Kate Burr Johnson,
state commissioner of public welfare
Two repeater bills, one proposing to
strike out the foreign stock exemp-
tion clause of the 1923 revenue act,
and the other to repeal the "stop look
and listen" law met with defeat.
The stop law was amended howev-
er, partial victory for the defeat