Evening star., 1947-03-31
Assembly Acts Today
On Lane Appointments
Before Session Ends
BY the Associated Press

BY the Associated Press
ANNAPOLIS, Mar. 31.-The Mary
land General Assembly prepared
today to pass on Gov. Lanes green
bag" appointments, take final ac-
ton on an $11, ,560,O 900 capital i'm
provements bill naddition to a
batcn of local measures, and end
the 1947 session.
The lest Of the administration
program already has been given
legislative approval, and there was
every indication the capital i'm
provements bill and the entire list
of appointments would be approved
with little or no debate before the
midnight deadline for final adjourn
ment.
Most of the administration mon
ey" bills were enacted last week
after a iog-jam over a measure for
a per cent consumers sales tax
keystone Of the governors fiscal
program-was broken.
Bill Finally Passes.
The bill passed both the House
and the Senate, after having been
first rejected by both houses.
The $119,0OO,O0O general funds BIZ
ennial budget bill was approved, as
well as the expenditure of 100000
600 from special funds during the
next two years.
The administrations ambitious
roads program, embodied in bills
calling for expenditure of S139,OO0,-
600 IN road construction during the
next five years, was enacted without
substantial change. It gives au-
thority for building of "self-liqui-
dating toll roads and bridges, in
cluding a $24,000,000 Chesapeake
Bay span, and increases the gaso-
line tax l cent.
The Legislature also passed an
act to raise the income tax rate,
effective in 1949, from the present
2 to 21a per cent on individual
earned income and from IL to
per cent on corporation income.
Other Accomplishments.
Other accomplishments of the 1947
General Assembly included passage
of legislation which:
Carries out most of the recon-
mendations contained in the Sher-
bow report for redistribution of
State revenues and gives the various
subdivisions large sums of money
which up to now have gone into
the State treasury.
Increases teachers pay minimums
by S700 annually. and sets up new
school construction and mainte-
nance funds.
Gives the electorate an oppor-
t,l,iity to vote at the next general
election on a proposed constitutional
amendment to limit the Governors s
tenure to two consecutive elected
terms.
Changes long standing agree
melt between Maryland and Vir-
ginia and now allows Maryland au-
thorities to try in State courts Vir-
ginians ARRESTED for Potomac River
oyster law violations.
Ends the tenure of Commissioner
of Motor Vehicles W. Lee Elgin on
April 30, two years earlier than his
regular appointive term would have
ended. Mr.. Elgin supported one of
Gov. Lanes opponents in the gu
hernatorial primary last year.
Tax Fight Recalled.
The big fight of the session was
over the sales tax bill, which Gov.
Lane signed Saturday. 1t will add
an estimated $18,000,OO0 annually to
Maryland revenues, starting July /.
Another of the 1947 session s
major controversies-one over the
question of leasing Chesapeake Bay
oyster bars-ended on a note of
compromise.
The Tidewater Fisheries Commits
sion sponsored bill to lease Chesa-
peake beds to private interests,
calling it conservation measure.
This aroused the ire of many tide
water county Senators and rip
per" bill designed to oust the COM
mission was introduced.
A bill to prohibit leasing Of Bay
beds also was introduced.
Leasing Ban Passed.
AS 1t turned out, the bill prohibit
ing leasing was passed. The
ripper" although it passed the
Senate, was sent to a House COM
mittee to die, and it was indicated
Chairman Edwin Warfield, jr of the
Tidewater Commission, would be ap-
proved by the Senate for another
term in Office today when his ap-
pointment comes up for confirma-
ton.
During the early hours yesterday
the Senate and House adopted a
conference committee report recon-
Cling differences over the race track
bill and sent the amended measure
to the Governor.
The act authorizes 100 days of
harness racing yearly and provides
not more than one license with
pari mutuel privileges shall be
issued in Frederick, Montgomery
Carroll, Dorchester, Talbot and
Wicomico Counties.
The Legislative Council was in
structed by the Senate to study the
feasibility Of a Jaw allowing tax
payers to deduct amounts paid for
Federal income tax from the earn
lngs computed for the State income
levy.
A resolution suggesting the study
was adopted at the request of
Senator Storm, Democrat, of Fred
erick County.