Evening star., 1942-03-03
Pencil Reform Measures
Also Before Chamber
At Amendotory Stage
BY the Associated Press.

by the ASSOCIATED PRESS.
RICHMOND, Va, March "a bill
to relieve farmers and orchardists
of motor vehicle license fees and the
State gasoline tax on vehicles used
exclusively for agricultural or hor-
ticultural purposes was before the
State Senate for final disposition
today"
The five bills carrying out the
penal reform program which has
been debated many years In Vlr-
ginia legislative halls also were on
the Senate calendar at the amend
able stage. Three of the bills, set
ting up q department Of corrections,
providing q Statewide system Of
probation and parole and abolishing
the Office of constable, already have
passed the House, though number
of changes were made in the Senate
Finance Committee.
Fund Transfers Provided.
The other two measures are Sem
ate bills and would provide the nee
essary transfers of funds for the
of the new department
and place sheriffs and city sergeants
on salaries in. lieu of the existing fee
system Committee amendments
fixed the range of salaries from
$1,000 to S6,000 compared with the
original bills $1,000 to $500.
The farmers motor vehicle bill,
a Finance Committee substitute for
the original measure introduced by
Senator Burr p. Harrison. was
amended on the floor Monday to
exempt sprayer trucks also.
Vehicles Exempted.
1t would exempt from the license
fees any motor vehicle, trailer or
semi-trailer used for farm or horti-
cultural purposes ON lands owned
or leased by the owner of the vehicle
and which is not operated en- a
public highway for more than one
mile, from one point of the owners
land to another, or for the purpose
of taking it or fixtures attached to
it to a repair shop. Before a vehicle
could move over a highway even for
repairs, however, a permit would
have to be obtained from a highway
patrolman or licensed agent of :he
director of the division of motor
vehicles.
Owners of these vehicles would be
entitled to gas tax refunds on all
fuel used for farm and horticultural
purposes on lands of the owner,
provided the owner of a vehicle
already licensed surrenders his Ii
cense plates to the clerk of the
circuit court or to the nearest Office
issuing licenses.
Subgroup Gets Labor Bill.
After prolonged public hearing
the House General Laws Committee
referred to a subcommittee yester-
day the De Jarnette bill to prohibit
the firing or hiring of worker on
defense or war projects because of
membership or non-membership in
labor union and prohibiting strikes
on such projects.
The House recommitted the Dodd
Dill to prohlb1t the sale OF wine and
beer on Sunday to the Committee of
Privileges and Elections over the
determined opposition of the spon-
sor, who said he feared the move
would kill the measure.
The Senate General Laws Com
mittee killed Senator Hundson
Cary's bill to set up a State con-
ciliation service after hearing the
proposal condemned as superfluous
by Commissioner of Labor Thomas
B. Morton at public hearing.
The committee also killed Dele
gate L. Preston Collins bill to de-
fine and prohibit the unlawful prac-
tice of medicine, which also was
aired in a public hearing. The
measure had been opposed by chiro-
practors and therapists.