The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-08-15
WRIGHT LAW
REPEAL TAKES
STAGE CENTER
Battle Over Dry Act Crowds
Tax Aid Aside on Last
Day of Legislature.
MAY AMEND WEISS BILL
Railroads Lose Fight for
Regulation of Buses
and Trucks.


than passage of any new tax meas
ures held the center of the state
legislatures closing sessions this aft
ernoon.
Senators were prepared to con-
slider sales tax. In all likelihood
it never would be approved by the
house, which has had income and
intangibles tax bills pending in the
senate for some time.
Railroads lost their fight for truck
and bus regulation and the ton mile
tax, when the dill went down to
final defeat in the senate today,
Is to %.
The measure would have placed
buses and trucks operating as COM
mon carriers under public service
commission jurisdiction and levied
a l mill ton mile tax
Following ruling by Attorney
General James M. Ogden that the
senate bill providing for public own
ership of utilities is unconstitu-
tional, the house today rushed its
own measure to fill the gap before
adjournment.
House Bill Approved
In an unofficial opinion, Ogden
indicated the house measure, as
amended in conference committee,
is free from objections which make
the senate bill unconstitutional.
The house concurred in the COM
mittee's amendment to the bill and
its proponents are confident of
passage in the house and senate to
replace the senate bill on Gov
ernor Harry G. Leslie's desk for
signature.
Amendments to the bill provide
that 5 per cent of the total voters
in the last general election, instead
of twenty-five voters, is necessary
to call an election on purchase of a
utility by municipality.
1t also provides that ten voters
can appeal to the public service
commission for ruling on rates, al
though the municipal utilities are
removed from the commissions
jurisdiction in every other particu-
lar, and that if a proposal of pur-
chase defeated in an election a
year must elapse before another
vote.
Eliminates Objection.
The ten-voter appeal to the serv-
ice commission is believed to elimi-
nate Ogdens finding that the SEN
ate bill was unconstitutional, be-
cause the commission had no place
in control of municipality owned
utilities.
In the Wright law repeal con-
ference today it was revealed an
entirely new list of amendments
had been laid before the committee,
which, it is charged, would reinstate
the Wright law. Members favoring
repeal charged markings on the
amendments we're in the handwrit-
ing of Ethan A. Miles, Indiana
Anti-Saloon League attorney.
Representative Jacob Weiss
DemD, indianapolis, author of the
house bill calling for Wright law re-
peal, and Howard S. Grimm (Rep.),
Auburn, are members of the house
committee. Both are for repeal,
the house having voted not to con-
cur in the referendum plan.
A modified Weiss bill may be Of
fered in compromise. 1t will be
backed by the G. o. P. state or
ganization, which now wants to
take the question out of the cam
paign, after putting across the ref
erendum amendment in the senate
earlier in the week.
Betting Bill Passes
No trouble is anticipated on the
pari-mutuel betting bill, as the
house is ready to concur in the SEN
ate amendments. The bill passed,
the senate Saturday. It would per-
nit machine bets on all racing, with
a s1,000,O00 revenue expected to &C
crue to the state through a 500 a
day license Zee.
While taxpayers from many sec
tons Of the state lined the gallery
and aisles with placards demanding
lower taxes" the house rushed pas
sage of several minor bills under
suspension of the rules.
AS the session opened it's last day.
the taxpayers entered the chamber
with leaders OF various groups carry
ing the placards on poles, which
were waived silently before legisla-
tors. Most of the placards bore the
name of the Hoosier Taxpayers
Union, Inc.
Most important step taken in the
house toady was passage of the SEN
ate bill providing for a five-year
moratorium on the three mile road
law. The measure, now ready for
the Governors signature, is a sister
bill to measure Suspending for
five eyars the county unit road law.
If made laws, these bills would
save hundreds Of dollars in every