Vashon Island news-record. [volume] (Vashon, Wash.) 1919-1954, 1931-01-22
LEGISLATURE OPENS
IN WASHINGTON
Twenty-seeond Session Convenes
in Olympus With Much
Controversy.

Two Laws ta66co - ocNcTal Nuto
License Bills Appear - Loop High.
way to Serve Many - Loan Shark
Bill Up Again.
Olympia, Wash.-The 22nd biennial
legislature has opened and ground
work was laid for eight weeks of hard
labor. The session came into exis-
tence when Lieutenant.G Governor Gel
latly of Wenatchee called the senate
to order and Chief Clerk Calder of
Vancouver pounded the gavel in the
house.
Senator w. ]. Sutton of Cheney
was unanimously elected president
protempore of the senate, Herbert
Sieler of Chehalis was named secre'
tary and Dan McCush Of Bellingham
was chosen sergeantat-arms. Repre-.
sentative Templeton Of Everett was
elected speaker of the house.
The week past was probably the
busiest opening week in the history
of the Washington legislature. The
usual organization of the house and
senate was marred at the outset by
the sudden death of Representative
Scott of Clark county. His place was
taken by Joseph Hall.
The present session will be primar-
lily devoted to solving pressing tax
problem. Washington is in o sound
cash position, but real estate owners
are tired Of contributing most of the
cash. Every past effort to move part
of the burden from real property to
other forms of wealth has failed. Some
real property holders. notably rail-
roads, are in active rebellion and seek
in federal courts to have their tax bills
cut in half.
Message Recommends Sales Tax.
The time has come to slash ex-
penses and abolish state bureaus to
achieve governmental economy.
That was the meat of Governor Ro.
land H. Hartley's biennial message,
delivered to the legislature.
He promised that IL his budget is
adopted as presented, no general tax
fund levy will be made in 1881. Hart
ley spared neither offices under his
control nor those under other elective
officials as he urged that all depart
ments whose work could be done bet
ter by other hands be junked on the
legislative discard pile.
The governor took indirect issue
with his advisory tax commission by
coming out definitely for sales tax
as the only practical way of reliev.
ing the present burden on real prop.
erty.
The advisory commission had recon-.
mended an income tax instead, with
q sales tax to be considered only as
temporary substitute.
"Chaos still reigns in taxation
Hartley declared. "Cost of state gov
eminent has decreased, while local
government costs have gone up at an
alarming rate.
"Your problem is to provide funds
to take care of public expenditures
and at the same time relieve the over
burdened taxpayer. Attempts a,
equalizing individual circumstances
and robbing Peter to pay Paul will
not do the trick"
Senate Favors Income Tax.
In the senate, which probably will
tackle the tax program first, major
ity opinion is clearly for an income
tax. On the question of whether {
sales tax should be passed as an ad
junct to an income tax, opinion i!
sharply divided.
In the house there appears to b,
. three distinct groups, those favorins
an income tax and against SALE
tax, those favoring both, and thos
favoring a sales tax but opposed to al
income tax.
Governor Hartley is generally coun,
ed as supporting the last nance
group, on account of his advocacy @
a sales tax, and his failure to mer
ton the advisory commissions recon
mendation for an income tax.
Many observers believe the govel
nor's concluding remark in his mes
sage, relative to federal "snooperl
checkers, inspectors. directors, eff
iency experts, and the like" was il
tended as thrust at the federal IL
come tax system and an intimatio
that he would oppose such a tax /
| the state.
| Two Laws Passed.
Two laws were made during til
past week. Both appropriated none
for legislative expenses. A thir
measure, appropriating 100000 for u
employment relief through winte
highway work, passed the house an
was sent the senate.
~