Evening star., 1944-02-27
Virginia Senate
Passes Bill for
Pardon Board
Approves Game Plan
Substitute; Acts on
Literary Fund Freeze
BY the Associated Press.

LlCl1MOND, feD. Z0.-1Qe SenaCS
today passed unanimously a COM
pittee substitute for the Long
Stuart-Stephens Senate bill revising
the Game Commission Acts of 1912
and 1890, and the House bill provid-
ing for an election this fall on con-
stitutional amendments to freeze
the Literary Fund at $4,000 900 and
to create pardon board with power
to commute capital punishment.
The Senate Finance Committee
reported, 10 to g. the Boatwright
House bill to permit counties, cities
and towns to adopt local ordinances
paralleling the Alcoholic Beverage
Control Act and thus to get fines
and forfeitures now going into the
Literary Fund
The Finance Committee also re-
ported the Stephens resolution for
a thorough study of all phases Of
public school work, and the Senate
adopted it.
Boundary Bill Recommitted.
The Senate sent back to the
Finance Committee for further
study the Medley bill amending. the
Virginia District of Columbia
Boundary Act to exempt from State
taxation gasoline used in aircraft
at the Washington National Air
port.
Senator Y. Melvin Hodges,
Mecklenburg, asked the Finance
Committee to report his resolution
for an early study of the need for
a sales tax, and contended it would
not interfere with the Stephens
resolution or the Spiers House reso-
luton for a study of the sales tax
by the Legislative Advisory. Council.
Mr.. Hodges would have a report
made by October l, while the coun-
Gil under the Spiers resolution
would not report for two years.
Asked by Committee Chairman
Weaver if he thought $500 per
teacher unit would solve the prob
lens Of the school system, Mr..
Hodges said he thought it was going
to require s3O,000,000 to put Virginia
iS~AN~ONc
Game Bill Goes to House.
| The game commission bill, op-
posed by the Izaak Walton League,
and with the Commission of Game
and Inland Fisheries divided, now
goes to the House where sports
men will ask for a hearing before
the Committee on Game and Inland
Fisheries.
The original bill contained pro-
visions eliminated in the commit
tee substitute, but the measure is
still opposed because of limitations
placed on the commission's eXecu-
tive director. Generally, the present
law gives him authority that the
; original Long-Stuart-Stephens bill
| placed in the chairman and that
5 the substitute gives the whole COM
mission. The Izaak Walton League
! and four of the nine commission
, members say the bill does not ac-
, complish its ascribed purpose Of
clarifying the law.
The passage of the House bill for
a vote of the people on freezing of
the Literary Fund at $4,000, 900
brings to an end a move begun
several years ago by Senator Ralph
Daughton, Norfolk. If a favorable
. vote is received, this fund from
which localities borrow for school
purposes will remain at the slO.-
100000 figure and fines and for
: FIXTURES which have built it will
hereafter go into the general fund
of the Treasury.
Daughton's View.
, Mr.. Daughton today opposed
vigorously the Boatwright bill to
, let localities parallel the ABC act
, and get the fines on the ground that
it would take from the Treasury
funds the assembly might appropri-
/, ate for schools. The Norfolk Sena-
tor said that under prohibition a
! defendant without money was tried
F under State law, costing the State
money, while defendant with
! money was tried under local ordi-
5 nance so that the locality could get
, the fine and that he feared a re-
turn to this situation.
If favorable vote is obtained
this fall on the creation of a par
: don board with power to commute
| capital punishment it will relieve
. Virginia Governors of task which
: has required a great deal of their
, time. This is one phase of the Gov
, ernor's work which the public does
not see, but which requires a great
, deal of study and consideration.
The House of Delegates was in
. recess today, but the Senate, faced
with long calendar and antici-
pating the budget bill during the
latter part of next week. passed l8
bills and advanced a long list of
others before adjourning until noon
Monday, 1t skipped over the con-
troversial Daughtrey bill to give the
: localities an additional sl,666 900 Of
the State liquor monopoly profits.