Evening star., 1937-05-07
ASSEMBLY ADOPTS
RELIEF MEASURE
Taxes on Incomes and Pin
Ball Machines Included
in Maryland Program.
BY JACK ALLEN,
Stan Correspondent OF The Star.

Stan Correspondent OF The Star.
ANNAPOLIS, May THE State
Assembly adopted $4,960,000 social
welfare tax program early today and
brought its special session to close
4:l0 am, Is days after it had been
called upon by Gov. Harry w. Nice to
draft substitute for the relief -bookie
bill
Completion of the task came at AIS
o'clock this morning with Senate con-
Currence in House amendments to a
relief measure evolved in the upper
,, chamber and the remaining time was
devoted to clearing legislative files of
other matters of secondary Importance
The bill as it now stands ready for
the Governors signature represents
compromise between the programs ad-
vanced by the two chambers and was
worked out by leaders yesterday to
bring to an end deadlock in which
relief legislation had been entangled
for six days.
1t incorporates the following levies:
Floor tax of 2l2 cents per gallon
on whisky. which would raise $500,0o0.
Tax of rs cents per barrel on beer,
$3.50, 900.
10 per cent tax on cosmetics, $275,-
900.
One to ten per cent tax on amuse-
ments. s25O,oOO.
Re-registration of automobile
drivers, except chauffeurs, 100000.
Stamp tax on legal documents.
s425 900
Tax on pin ball machines, $3.50, 900.
Tax on automatic music devices,
$4,000.
Tax OF one-h half Of l percent on
personal and corporate incomes, ST.
100000.
Automobile fitting tax of per cent,
e55o,oo0.
The schedule shows the program
would produce but S4,96o,0OO an
nually. whereas both houses had set
$5000,000 as their goals. Legislators
said, however there is no accurate
! means OF gauging the revenue from
registration OF motorists, pin ball ma
chimes, music boxes, documentary
revenue likely would reach s5,OOO,o 900
or more.
Saved by One Vote.
Presence OF the pin-ball machine
item threatened at one juncture to
throw the entire program into a con-
ference committee, which undoubtedly
would have prolonged passage of
the bill for some time and might
have resulted in an entirely different
tax schedule emerging from the parley
The new obstacle appeared likely as
result Of Senate opposition to the
proposal, but was finally eluded by
the narrow margin OF single vote,
motion that the upper chamber refuse
to concur in the House amendment,
which would have killed the tax los
Ing by a vote of 13 to IA.
Even before it SKINNED through to
adoption the pin-ball machine pro-
posal delayed passage of the bill for
several hours and caused the relief
measure to be recalled from the
Senate for revision and readoption by
the House after it had passed that
body.
Dorsey's Plan Defeated.
Delegate Philip H. Dorsey, jr, St.
Marys County. then endeavored to
afflx an amendment empowering the
commissioners of that county to utilize
$1,000 Of its annual relief ALLEGATIONS
for the transportation of parochial
school children, but the proposal
failed
This disposed of, the bill was
adopted by II to 20 and sent over to
the Senate. 1t was called back for
revision before consideration in that
branch when Senate members discov-
cred the pin ball clause also legalized
claw and clipper" machines and
baked on the adoption OF that item
Recalled, the bill was amended to
exclude the latter machines and also
to add another change making the pin
ball law imperative after April 80,
1889, and this time it passed by vote
of 79 to 80
Senator ]. Allan Coad of st. Marys
bitter opponent of the income tax
launched TRADE against that provi-
sion OF the bill and against the pro-
the States current ALLEGATIONS for relief
BY approximately $4,000 900.
Effective June l.
The income tax and music box
amendments the only controversial
items in the bill as it came over from
the House, other than the pin ball levy
both were adopted and the bill as a
whole finally passed, 10 to 9.
The relief bill was amended in the
House to allow 100000 annually for
administration expenses, instead of the
100000 proposed by the Senate. and
Senator Coad also attacked the bill
from this angle. No formal attempt
was made to revise that particular
section, however
Adoption of the measure came 81
days after the State Assembly passed
the relief -bookie bill, which was subse-
quently vetoed by Gov. Nice at the
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