Henderson daily dispatch. (Henderson, N.C.) 1914-1995, 1937-03-08
GASOLINE MEASURE
SCHEDULED TO PASS
Lobbyists Slated to Lose
Fight, Despite Defeat
On Friday
Daily Dispatch Bureau,
In the Sir Walter Hotel
BY j. G.. BASKERVILLE,

Raleigh, March 8-The gasoline in
spection bill is back on the House
calendar for passage on second read
ing tonight or tomorrow and Repre-
sentative Oscar G. Barker of Durham,
together with Representatives Libby
Ward, of Craven, and Thomas S. Roy
ster, of Granville, sponsors of the
bill, are confident the bill will pass as
amended, In spite of continued bit
ter opposition from the gasoline and
Oil company lobbyists The bill was
defeated in the House by a vote of At
to 46 Friday afternoon, with Speaker
H. Gregg Cherry casting the decid-
ing vote against it, motion was
then made to reconsider the vote and
send it back to committee to remove
the section requiring ports of entry
for gasoline shipments into the State.
The bill was revised so as to elimi-
nate the ports of entry section and
reported back into the House Friday
night, taking its place upon the cal
endar.
Barker Confident
Il feel confident that the House and
Senate will pass this bill, since most
Of the members of both houses now
realize it is a bill that will protect
gasoline users and save them hun
dreds of thousands of dollars a year."
Representative Barker said today.
Tire bill will not only save the more
than 100000 automobile and truck
users in the State thousands of dol
lars by insuriag them against getting
inferior grades of gasoline-or adult
Grated gasoline-but it will also assure
the State of getting more revenue
from gasoline taxes. The vigor with
which the gasoline and oil company
lobbyists have been fighting the bill
has convinced the advocates of it that
the State is by no means collecting as
much in gasoline taxes as it should be
collecting. I know it is a good bill
and that it will benefit the public,
otherwise the gasoline interests
would not be fighting it the way they
are"
The bill was written by Representa-
tlves Barker Ward and Register as
a result of the findings of the State
gasoline investigation commission
which was authorized by the 1885
General Assembly and appointed bv
former Governor J. c. B. Ehringhaus,
Representative Barker was chairman
of the commission and Ward and Roy
ster members of it. The commission
found that the States gasoline in
spection laws and specifications were
~ years out of date and recommend.
ed their revisio min order to protect
the motorists in the State as well as
the State itself. Barker is convinced
the State has been losing hundreds of
thousands of dollars in revenue every
year for years as a result Of the old
and outmoded inspection laws.
Objectionable Feature
The section to which the gasoline
companies and the opponents of the
bill objected most vigorously when
the bill was under debate Friday, was
that which would have permitted the
commissioner of revenue to set up
ports of entry along main highways
entering the State and have required
all trucks transporting more than
rs gallons into the State to register
and declare the amount of gasoline or
oil being transported into the State.
But indications are that the gasoline
trust" is opposed to the entire bill
and was merely using this section as
a smoke screen to defeat it.
The principal provisions of the bill
are as follows:
1. The creation of a State gasoline
and oil inspection board, to serve
without salary, to assist the commits
sioner of revenue in setting up def
mite standards for gasoline and oil
sold in North Carolina.
2. The requirement that every gaso-
lin dispensing pump must have dis
played on it the grade of gasoline it
dispenses, as fixed by the State board.
3. The employment of more gaso-