Evening star., 1933-12-24
ByRD'S GAS PLAN
HOPE OF DEALERS
Price Equality With District
Sought by Outlying Filling
Stations.
BY JACK ALLEN.

Operators Ct independent gasoline
filling stations in suburban Maryland
abandoning all hopes of preserving the
present equality of their prices and
those Of the Capital through modif1ca-
ton of the N. r. A. petroleum code
are now advocating the adoption by
Congress of the Federal gas tax plan
evolved by Senator Harry Flood Byrd
Of Virginia.
Under the Byrd set-up a Govern
ment tax uniform in every State would
be imposed 10 wipe out for all time the
widespread differentiation that now
exists in gasoline prices throughout the
country because of the varying tax
rates levied by various States.
Each State would receive its pro rata
share of the revenue derived from the
tax after the Federal levy is deducted.
G. Wady Imirie. President of the Mont
gomery County Automobile Dealers As
sociation, said last night that inde-
pendent gas dealers in Prince Georges
and Montgomery Counties have placed
their stamp of approval on the Byrd
plan as last resort to maintain the
equalized District and suburban Mary
land prices afte- two Of their own
plans were Spiked"
Code Will Force Higher Prices.
The National Recovery Administra-
tion's petroleum code prohibits dealers
from absorbing the 2-cent difference
between the Accent Maryland tax and
the 2-cent District rate, and Maryland
prices will soar cents a gallon above
those Of Washington as soon as the
code goes into effect.
Operation Of the code was recently
postponed for an indefinite period, but
may become effective at any time,
Imirie said
Maryland dealers met their first set
back in the fight for permanent equali-
zation of Capital and suburban Mary
land prices when the Maryland attor-
ney generals Office ruled that their
proposal to nave the State Legislature
reduce the Accent Maryland tax to 2
cents in the area of Maryland adjacent
to Washington would be unconstitu-
tional.
N. r. A. officials Killed Move.
The second reversal came when off,
cials Of the N. r A. turned down an
appeal to modify the oil code to permit
dealers in the so-called ID. C. price
dIcd Vi MAI yldHO anu NHBIIlld "
continue to absorb the difference be-
tween the Maryland and Virginia and
District tax rates after the code be-
comes effective.
With those two proposals placed In
the discard, Maryland dealers have
turned to the Byrd plan as a last hope
to continue operating on q price scale
similar to that of Washington dealers,
Imirie declared.
He said that Senator Millard E.
Tydings Of Maryland has promised to
cooperate in the movement and will
confer with Senator Byrd shortly to
discuss the plan Of the Virginia legis-
lator. which already has been approved
by dealers in Arlington County, Alex
andria city and other section Of Vir-
ginia adjacent to the Capital
Dealers in the two nearby States feel
that adoption by Congress Of the Byrd
plan is their cnly hope to survive after
the code becomes effective. Imirie said.
The higher lates that will prevail in
Maryland and Virginia unless such q
step is taken will force many operators
to close their stations and throw thou
sands Of employees out of work.
The governments Of the two States
also will feel the sting Of the price dif-
riod last year when Maryland dealers
were forced to impose the full Accent
per gallon tax on motorists the State
suffered a $4,000 loss in revenue be-
cause nearby Maryland automobile
owners purchased their gas in the Dis
trict.
Motorists from the %. C.. price
area" also feel the effects Of the price
differentiation when they travel In
other States. The tax runs as high as
cents q gallon in one State, Florida,
with an additional 1-cent tax in
Florida towns, Imirie asserted.