Evening star., 1941-02-27
Gas Tax Fund
Fight Faces
Legislature
Heaps PIons to Offer
Bill to Cut Share
Of Baltimore City
By the Associated Press.

bS the hSSOCldIcu EIcos'
ANNAPOLIS, Md, Feb. 27.-A
major tussle over gasoline tax
revenues and appropriations faced
the Legislature today after Gov.
O'Conor signed the State revenue
bill. reducing the income tax. and
putting on the statute books one
Of the administrations major OBJ
jectives.
The new income tax law, reducing
levies on unearned and earned in
come, became effective with the
Governors signature yesterday. 1t
will cat 81 100000 of the States
revenue annually
Heaps to Offer New Bill.
AS the Legislature convened for
today's session, Delegate Marshall T.
Heaps, Democrat, of Hartford, an
nounced he intended to introduce q
bill to effect more equitable" dis
tribution of gasoline tax revenue.
His measure, he said, would re-
duce Baltimore City's share of the
Accent gas tax yield. Mr.. Heaps
added he tentatively had in mind
restricting the city's share to not
more than Is per cent of the taxes.
Gov. O'Conor. in his $106, 1854, 900
budget. has allotted Baltimore City
$4,637,477 for 1912, or 28 per cent
of the funds expected to be raised
by the 2, Ia and Il cent gas taxes
and by motor vehicle fines and
forfeitures, truck license fees and
franchise taxes.
Under Mr.. Heaps plan at least
$500,00 annually would be Topped
off the city's share of the taxes.
No Record of Items.
County committee members, seek
ing to learn how Baltimore City ex-
pended its road funds, were told
that the city receives its share of the
gas tax direct from the State con-
troller and that the commission had
no record of Baltimore City's ex-
penditures item by item.
For all we know" Mr.. Heaps
asserted, Baltimore City might be
using the road funds for general
governmental purposes"
Two major bills promising sharp
debate were before or headed for
the Senate.
One was the administration nat
ural resources centraliza ton meas
ure, introduced yesterday by Senate
President Arthur H. Brice. The
other was proposal by Senator
Dudley G. Roe, Democrat, of Queen
AnneS to introduce a bill to elm
mate the veterans preference clause
from the State merit system law.
No sooner was the conservation
bill submitted than William L. Hem
derson deputy attorney general,
reported 1t contained an oversight
that might result in dismissal of
all present employees of the State
Conservation Commission.
New Board Contemplated.
Mr.. Henderson explained he had
thought existing statutes would pro-
vide for automatic transferral of
these employees to the new depart
ment of tidewater Fisheries pro-
posed in the bill He said immediate
steps to insure automatic transfer
would be taken.
The bill would create a board of
natural resources to coordinate
activities of all conservation depart
ments and establish besides a new
tideWater fisheries department,
department of geology, mines, and
water resources, and director of
research and education.
Senator Roe said a majority of
the Senate Finance Committee
favored eliminating the veterans
preference clause in the merit sys-
tenn, but that he would withhold
introduction of repeater until
data on operation of the preference
method had been received from the
employment commissioner.
Opponents of veterans preference
argue that it vitiates the intention
of the merit law. 1t gives veterans
extra points in merit system ex-
aminations, and places them at the
head of eligible lists if they pass.
BY 6-to-5 vote, the Senate Com
mittee on Judicial Proceedings voted
unfavorably on the bill to make jury
service for women mandatory.