Evening star., 1944-02-05
Virginia House Holds
First Saturday Session
To Study Budget Bill
By the Associated Press.

BY the ASSOCIATED Press.
RICHMOND, Va, Feb. 5.-The
Virginia House of Delegates met
for its first Saturday session today
to clear Its calendar of local and
uncontested minor bills while the
Senate was in recess until Monday.
Members were busy, however,
studying the provisions of the $685.
100000 budget bill, reported yester-
day by the House Appropriations
Committee and set for special and
continuing order in the House We'd
nesday.
Budget Director j. H. Bradford
estimated tentatively that the COM
mittee amendments raised the ap-
preparations about $345,000 above
the revenue estimates made in the
fall Of 1943. However, figures of the
controller indicate that the revenue
for the current fiscal year will be
considerably larger than expected,
and the biggest item added by the
committee, $29O,000 capital out
lay for Catawba Sanitarium. will
come out of the surplus available
June 80, the end of the current fiscal
year.
Teachers Offered 5000.
The committee made the State
appropriation for public schools 5000
per teacher unit for each year of
the biennium, but the total appro-
priation would be the same as under
Gov. Darden's recommendation for
S840 for the first year and $500 the
second year. Another committee
amendment provides that cities and
counties will not be required to pay
more from local funds for inStruc-
tional costs than was paid in 1923
or 1884, whichever is larger.
Just before the committee report
ed the bill yesterday the Virginia
Association of School Trustees,
which includes most of the school
board members in the State. in
formed the Governor and the As
sembly that it considered the $1,000
per teacher unit asked by the De-
partment of Education the mini
mum to make possible efficient op-
Grafton of the schools" The trus-
tees letter to the Governor was
signed by W. A. Sherman, Fairfax,
among others.
The trustees association said it
would support amy measures you
deem necessary to meet this end"
and Its president. r. B. Crawford.
Farmvllle, said this included a sales
tax.
Salaries Raised.
Other main changes made in the
budget bill by the Appropriations
Committee included raising from
$4,000 to $500 the salaries of the
State auditor and the members of
the Industrial Commission.
Confederate pensions also were
increased sufficiently to give veter-
ans 5000 instead of S84O a year.
Group l widows would get s24O in
stead of $3.50 a year, and Group 2
widows S1S0 instead of $144.
OF wide interest was an increase
OF approximately $4,000 for the
blennlum to the Department of
State Police for troopers who have
served for two years in Glass S un-
der the Personnel Act, to be ad-
to Glass 6.
Maj. G. w. Woodson, superintend-
ent OF State police, appearing before
the Senate Finance Subcommittee
investigating starvation wages for
some State employees. said an era
OF crime was to be expected after
the war and that he wanted salaries
large enough to attract men to the
department who could combat it
successfully He asked an increase
IN base pay from $125 to $50 for
troopers. Many department heads
hled reports with the committee
showing the status of low salaries.
Higher Wages Sought.
The subcommittee was named
after Senator Ralph Daughton as
serted that starvation wages" were
being paid many State employees
and had sought for them added
compensation greater than the IS
per cent bonus recommended bv the
Governor for the first $4,000 of
income.
The Senate Finance Committee
has before it resolution for an
investigation of the operations and
policies OF the State Liquor Control
Board, passed by the House yester-
day. Delegate Paul Crockett, York,
who with Norfolk delegates spon-
sored the resolution, said it would
be friendly investigation"
I'VE hear the board may have
strayed little too far from the
people" Mr. Crockett said. 1--WE
are a little closer to the people, a
little more amenable to them. and
we may bring to the board some
new thoughts and some new points
OF view"
Board Policy Criticized.
Mr.. Crockett criticized partic-
ularly the boards policy prohibiting
husband from buying for a wife.
Or vice versa.
L fear that what's happening
may be furnishing some power for
the cannons," he said.
The House passed and sent to the
Senate the administration bill to
make Mary Washington College at
Fredericksburg liberal arts college
for women as an integral part of
The University of Virginia. 1t also
passed IS to Is the McCue-Y Yates
Campbell House bill providing that
each county shall repay into the
State treasury for forest fire pro-
lection and fire fighting a sum not
to exceed in any one year an amount
equal to l cent per acre of forest
land.
We are about to open up a second
front. Open up your purse or wallet
and buy that extra hond