Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1941-02-20
Legislative News
BY c. G. MANN,
Representative from Pine County

Representative from Pine County
The days are getting longer, not
only from weather standpoint, but
also from legislative viewpoint. Our
general orders, the list of measures
to be considered by the entire men,
bership sitting as committee Of the
whole, is now nearly three printed
pages in length and rapidly getting
longer. Saturday and evening ses-
sions will start soon, which is earlier
in the session than ever before.
New Legislation.
Roy Dunn, House majority leader,
is i'll, this week, in hospital so the
work of the Rules committee is at
standstill, but the work of passing
laws goes on. Most of the laws passed
so far, and up for consideration, are
amendments to existing laws. How
ever, two new pieces of legislation
are before us; one setting up the
fund to pay wild game damages, and
another to tax banks on an income
tax basis, rather than on their shares,
as has been done in the past. It
seems this is absolutely necessary due
to Federal laws which forbid the tax
ing of the personal property of ma
tional banks, considered national
agencies, by the states. suggested
in the tax committee that this sys-
tenn, in lieu of personal property tax
es, be extended to all businesses and
individuals, but was told this was
impossible unless we change our en-
tire system of property taxation, and
find some other means of raising reve-
nue. for governmental purposes.
In regard to this sales tax is
much talked of among legislative
members, but in view of administra-
tive promises on this during previ-
Gus campaigns 1 doubt that sales
tax will ever be introduced at this
session.
The Four Cent Tax.
The four-cent gas tax was passed
out of the committee on Motor We
hicles and Motor Vehicle Tax Laws,
on Tuesday, and will undoubtedly
pass the House by large majority.
The Senate, I understand, is reluc-
tant to pass the gas tax increase
unless the one mill tax on property is
repealed, while we from northern
Minnesota will try to keep both.
The subcommittee on Old Age
Assistance Lien laws met Friday
morning, and decided to bring out a
committee bill, combining features
of several measures introduced. Al
Oberg of Chisago county, my very
efficient colleague, is chairman of
this subcommittee. A test vote may
be taken of the House to determine
how far the majority of the members
want to go on the lien provision.
To Hold Hearing.
A hearing on our bill to pay the
indebtedness of some SO school dis
tricts in IL counties has been granted
by the Appropriations committee for
Thursday morning of the week you
read this, and it is expected that a
lot of people from Cloverton, Mark
vile and other districts affected will
be here for the hearing. To me this
is one of the. most important pieces
of legislation of the entire session.
Mr.. Cowles of a Minneapolis daily
newspaper VIII accompanied Mr..
Wendell Willkie to England, recent
ly, talked to the legislature at three
o'clock, Friday afternoon, telling
much of conditions in that country,
and his talk was interesting and in
structive. Governor. Bushfield of
South Dakota, was also visitor to
the House that day and said he ex
tended greetings from the best state
in the Union to the second best state.
Cowles spoke for nearly an hour on
conditions and conclusions he had ar
rived at in England and said that
his belief was that greater and con-
tinued aid to England was essential;
that Lincoln once said that no country
could survive half slave and half
free, and that neither could the world