Evening star., 1942-02-09
Virginia House
Fight Expected
On Three Bills
Annexation, Wine
And Small Loan
Measures Coming Up
By the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
RICHMOND, Va, Feb. 9.-Several
bills of controversial nature hold
promise Of bringing to the House Of
Delegates this week the first major
debate Of the four-week-o legis-
lative session.
On the House calendar are bills to
decrease the maximum interest rate
allowed small loan companies from
3l2 to 2 per cent, to restrict the
sale Of fortified wine to State liquor
stores, and the Chapman bill to
freeze" all annexation proceedings
for the duration of the war.
All three measures have been ad-
vanced to the amendable stage.
Civilian Defense Bill.
The Senate has for confederation
a revised civilian defense bill re-
ported Friday by the Senate Courts
of Justice Committee. The bill
comes before the Senate substan-
TALLY as it passed the House last
week and provides for the delega-
tion of broad powers to the Gov
ernor as the directing head Of the
civilian defense organization.
Also on the Senate calander Is
the House bill carrying out the
recommendations of the Moore
Commission for governmental re-
organization, but Senate considera-
tion will await the presentation Of
recommendations to the Senate
General Laws Committee by the
Virginia Izaak Walton League chap
ters, which are interested In the
effects of the measure on the Com
mission Of Game and Inland Fish.
cries.
Were Darden's Recommendations.
The small loan bill. introduced by
Delegate William ]. Gibson Of
Fredericksburg. and the fortified
wine bill, introduced by Delegate
Robert Whitehead of Nelson, would
carry out major recommendation
made by Gov. Darden, in his inaug-
ural address.
The House Appropriations Com
mittee arranged to meet today to
resume work on the s217 ,o00, 900 gen.
eral appropriations bill. Chairman
Frank Moore, said the committee
might hold afternoon and night ses-
sions, in an effort to get the bill to
the floor early.
The House Courts of Justice Com
mittee planned to hold a public
hearing this afternoon on the Moss
bill to exempt 500 month of the
salary of the head of a family or
householder from garnishment, and
set a $50 exemption for all wage
earners. Present exemptions are
s75 for heads of families and moth
ing for unmarried wage earners.
Judges Indorse Proposal
Judge Luther B. Way of United
States District Court for the Eastern
District of Virginia joined Judge
John Paul of the western district
in indorsing proposed small-loan
legislation.
In a letter to Senator Charles w.
Crowder of Richmond, patron of the
Senate bill to forbid small-loan COM
panies from using financial state
ments against a borrower in litiga-
ton, Judge Way not only Endorsed
the Crowder proposal. but also sug-
gested that the legal interest rate
should be cut from the present "A
per cent to from II to 10 per cent.
Judge Way told Senator Crowder
that, in his opinion, the sman-loan
laws are responsible for a substan-
tial percentage of the bankruptcy
cases in Virginia, which has more
bankruptcy cases than Maryland.
West Virginia and North and South
Carolina combined.
For the fiscal year ended June 80.
1941, Judge Way said, Virginians
commenced 2,131 bankruptcy cases,
as compared with "a in South Caro-
lima, 268 in North Carolina, 140 in
Maryland and S43 in West Virginia.