The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1929-02-07
GRANGE BILL
WILL BE ON
1880 BALLOT
, ocislature Rejects Power In
Des ;tiative - Defeats Old-Age
pension Bill ~ Showalter
School Plan Expected Daily
pu RICHARD HAMILTON

Nh. ~ of taxes has become the
,.;nate note of the Legislature,
ool a;.h as this is being written, has
Wanaged Wn to put in 90 days with
a,,t n'sI1 running a temperature or turn
ous ont any new laws. So far, the
%t ua;r;t Of peace and good will has
spara;,ed to such an extent that
,en old-timers concede that they
a. not know the answer.
~ Frankly. this reporter is stump
j Either the legislators have
ssen hos awed by Governor Hartley or
g .hsv have finally succumbed to the
ulsas ra for brotherly love OF the
minister's, who pray over them
daiIy. Off hand, it seems that the
credit credit must go to Mr.. Hartley. He
@ Sas heen on the job only four
rsars. ,sa hut he has pounded and
founded. while the ministers have
bsen working for a long, long time,
rravinp over the legislators morn
mo after morning, session after
session. cos and perhaps they have
finally managed to put over their
stuff. !,
Then, again, maybe the prevail
;no order is due to a combination
of the three forces, because, to tell
tbe truth, Mr.. Hartley seemingly
has lost the chip that, they say, ne
nsed to tote around on his should
-. So perhaps it is the millenial
dawn breaking over Olympia, but
more likely it is nothing OF the
sort.
Seriously, however, the Legisla-
ture is worrying over tax prob
lens. but it is willing to let the
governor have the first chance to
outline plans for tax revision.
Within the week, national banks
have won their suits for tax ex-
emption on the grounds that their
competitors, such as mutual banks
and savings and loans associations,
are not taxed and the decision
means that, unless the Legislature
works a new method for taxing
national banks and all other fin
ancial institutions on the same
basis, the tax load on general
property will be increased by
$93O,00O annually. Then there are
the railroad suits and the growing
demand for tax relief for property
The danger is in the possibility
of the Legislature throwing. up It's
hands and saying that nothing car
be done until the Constitution is
amended to permit classification
of property. Such an eventuality
might result in emergencies te
force a special session in 1880. The
trouble might come over a short
age of current funds in three OF
four counties of Eastern Washing
ton, due to the holding out of taxes
by the railroads, and by move
ment among state banks to take
out national charters.
But something may be done
shortly. Mr.. Hartley is slated te
submit special tax message In 9
day or two, which will probably be
delivered as this letter reaches
the reader. So there is considerable
speculation as to what the govern
or will recommend.
1t looks, for one thing, as if Mr.
Hartley will have to recommeno
an excise taxa sort of business
income tax-which might be ap-
piled uniformly to commercial
banks, savings and loans, bone
houses, mercantile establishments
manufacturing concerns, etc. Thai
sort of tax, if it could be fastened
on the savings associations, would
make it necessary to shift the
S930,000 taken off banks to gener-
al property.
Then there is the question OF re-
Heying property. Mr.. Hartley has
heard all sorts of suggestions or
that score. There is talk of sales
tax, general income tax, excise
taxes on sales of electric power
franchise taxes on stage lines, ex.
els taxes on cigarettes and tobac-
co, etc. But Mr.. Hartley has dis.
taste for so-called nuisance taxes
SO what will he do?
Of course the Governor will
renew the recommendation for 9
Classification amendment to the
Continued on Page Four.)