Vashon Island news-record. [volume] (Vashon, Wash.) 1919-1954, 1931-03-12
Congressional Reapportionment


To provide a home district for Wash
ing.on's sixth congressman; Yield
Tax-To encourage refcrestation by
private owners of cutoyer lands; Party
Registration of Voters; Permanent
Registration.
Approval of "a paved highway
across the state and back" the Wash
ington loop highway bill, was given
by the house and the measure is now
in the governors hands.
The bill was one of four highway
measures passed by the lower branch
without dissenting vote. Sponsored
by Senator Jacob H. Miller, Chelan,
and 2S others, the measure was one
of program Of eight proposed roads
which would add more than 200 miles
of highway to the states primary high
way system.
The house got down on its knees
to Governor Hartley. Sixty members
who on February 4 voted for II. B.
143, designed to protect Washington
poultrymen from competition Of
Chinese and other foreign eggs, re-
versed themselves by voting to sus.
tain the governors veto. Although
the bill passed, SO to O, the vote to
uphold the veto was So to "a.
The reason why the house crawled
in the dust can be summed up in one
word--roads. Members fear the gov
ernor will veto their road appropria-
tons. Courage Questioned.
Knute Hill Of Benton, in his cam
paign to override the veto, said: 1.-THE
chief question asked by the house
about any bill is whether the gov
ernor will approve it. l sometimes
think the seagull is not the only bird
that eats out of the governors hand.
Here we are near the close OF the
session, and we have done nothing
to give the public relief from taxes.
You don't lack brains but you do lack
courage"
Hopes and desires of the "cow coun.
ties" to upset the Legislative reappor-
tionment as provided for under Ini-
tiative Measure No. 81, have been
blasted.
For the first fifty days of the pres
emit session the COW county combine
swung along carrying what it wanted
successfully and then 1t ran into the
proposed constitutional amendment,
sponsored by it's members, to reap
portion the state SO as to curb the
growing power of King, county. The
senate refused to swing enough men,
bers behind the smaller counties to
give the necessary two-thirds vote.
Reapportionment Fight.
The house leaders Of the smaller
counties swung behind the Hoffman
resolution, to amend the constitution
and provide for new legislative re-
obtaining on the final
roll call more than the required two
thirds vote. If the senate stands pat
it will block this house measure by
the same vote that defeated the SEN
ate proposal.
The only hope now rests in the
Supreme Court action brought earlier
in the session to have "57" set aside
as not being constitutional reap
portionment.
After knocking at the doors of
legislatures for six years,
the old age pension bill, sponsored by
the Fraternal Order of Eagles, was
turned away again.
A tie vote in the house, 46 to 46,
with five absentees, sealed the fate
of the measure for the session. 1t re-
CURED an affirmative vote of forty
nine, a majority Of the elected mem
bership.
House bill II is the center Of the
fight to shift taxes-the business or
CARNATIONS want budget control and
no new taxes, while the farm organ
izations want new non.property taxes
and no budget control.
Budget Control Rules.
So the budget control bill rules the
tax fight. II 1t is killed, the chances
are that the legislature will pass per-
sonal and corporate income tax meas.
ures, which, in turn, might be killed
by the veto, the report being that
Governor Hartley will not stand for
new taxes unless there is some pro
vision for holding down local expen'
litures. In other words, Mr.. Hartley
md many Of the Legislators are de-
that business and industry
shall not be taxed merely to provide
more money to spend.
While the full committees on roads
md bridges in both houses have not
given their confirmation on an agree