Evening star., 1944-03-07
3Virginia Bills
On Soldier Vote
Up for Hearing
Senote Finance Unit
Prepares to Report
Budget Measure
Ey the Associated Press,

lCOHlpuCdUeQ problem OF extending
the voting privilege to Virginians in
the armed services and the work of
completing the record breaking
budget bill claimed a major share
of the attention of legislators today
IN the fast-waning hours OF the 1914
General Assembly session.
Three war voting bills, one the
Weaver Senate bill and two others
to broaden provisions to include an
armed force poll tax fund" and to
allow voting for State and local
offices as well as national, were set
for q special hearing today after
Gov. Darden advocated their pas
sage in a special message.
The three measures. which the
Governor said he believed will ef-
fectively provide full opportunity to
members OF the armed forces to vote
in all elections to be held in Vir-
ginia," differ to some extent from
the bill sponsored by the American
Legion and passed unanimously by
the House.
Written Application Required.
Under the new proposal, written
application is required of the would
be voter Tor payment of his poll
taxes and for registration. The
House bill would provide automatic
payment OF all poll taxes for the
servicemen.
The Senate Privileges and Elec-
ttons Committee arranged a special
hearing today on the bills.
The House, meanwhile, received a
House joint resolution requesting the
Federal Government to give earliest
possible attention to adoption of
legislation to provide counties, cities
and towns with compensation in lieu
OF taxes lost by reason of Federal
acquisition Of Virginia property for
war purposes.
The sponsors, Delegates j. May
nard Magruder, Arlington, and G.
Alvin Massenburg, Hampton, cited
the report of the Conservation Com
mission In l943 that the Federal
Government had acquired 8,172 acres
IN Elizabeth City County, or about
one-sixth Of its area, and more than
5000 acres In Arlington County, rep
resenting about one-fifth of the
county.
Teachers Pay Resolution.
The Senate received a resolution
sponsored by Senators Harry c.
Stuart. M. M. Long, j. D. Hagood
and Maitland Bustard which would
request the localities to increase
wherever possible the salaries Of
school teachers from the additional
81, 900, 900 being appropriated to the
cities and counties. The resolution
was referred to committee.
Although the counties and cities
are not required by the acts appro-
priating" the additional $4,000 900
to the localities ito expend same
for the purpose of increasing teach
ers' salaries" the resolution said,
yet the governing bodies of the
counties and cities have the power
and authority" to do this.
The resolution also said that such
additional appropriations to the
counties and cities have been made
with the hope on t: = part of the
members Of the General Assembly
that their said governing bodies, in
recognition of the paramount i'm
portance Of the public schools. may
find 1t consistent with the public in
terest in their localities to use same.
or a large\ part thereof, for such
salary increases"
The House adopted q resolution
calling for appointment OF a seven-
man commission to study the ad-
visibility Of sales tax and the
method Of distributing the proceeds
of such a tax for the benefit of
schools and the relief of real estate
taxes.
Delegate John B. Spiers, Radford,
shepherded the resolution through
the House and explained that it
called for the commission to report
by October
The resolution calls for three
men to be appointed from the
House, two from the Senate and two
by Gov. Darden
| The House also adopted Senate
joint resolutions providing for a
study by the Legislative Advisory
Council of industrial development
OF Virginia after the war and pro-
viding that Congress be requested
to allow local governing bodies to
dispose Of war emergency housing
projects.
Chairman Aubrey G. Weaver of
the Senate Finance Committee said
the budget bill would be reported
today and that the committee had
rejected the Caudill amendment to
increase from 5000 to $500 the State
aid per teacher unit for the second
year of the next biennium. The
committee worked intensively over
the week end to complete its work
on the appropriations measure and
bring it to the floor of the Senate.
Civic Meeting Postponed
| 1la