The Daily Alaska empire., 1949-02-21
! PER GENT CITIES SALES
 TAX BILL IN
S400 SaiIboat Tax Bill Re- introduced : Blanket
 Ballot Debated
By JIM HUTCHINSON

By JIM HOlCdESCN
 A bill to clear the way for cities to impose two per cent sales tax was introduced iIS the House today.
 Rep. Doris Barnes. Wrangell Re publican, introduced bill with 8 proviso that such a tax would have to be approved by a city referendum vote before city coun- cil could enact it.
 A revised version of the sail driven fish boat tax came back to the House this morning as it opened debate on the proposal to eliminate cross-party voting on the blanket primary election ballot.
 Rep. Chester tRed) Carlson, Cor dova Democrat. reintroduced his sailboat tax bill with the license fee cut from $500 to $400. It also eliminated the operator from tax liability. leaving the tax strictly up to the owner.
 The $500 bill passed the House, and was killed in the Senate last week. Carlson said the intent of the bill was to force the federal government to allow power-driven boats to be used in Bristol Bay fishing. They are now forbidden there by federal regulation, al- though the Fish and Wildlife Ser vice has recommended elimination of the rule.
 Carlson said all the saiiboats tire company owned. Some Senate 1 objection to the operator" term inology was encountered last week on the ground that it might apply to the fisherman.
 Rep. William Egan. Valdez Dem- ocrat. moved to suspend the rules and rush the new sailboat bill through second reading, but the motion lost on IA to 8 vote Then Rep. Alfred Owen. Jr., Anchorage Democrat, got suspension of the rules to avoid sending the bill to committee, which will speed it's arrival on the floor from the bot tom of the calendar
 Teachers Salary Increase
 The bill to authorize $500 salai. increases for teachers and super lntendents in all divisions came back from the Ways and Means Committee with do pass" recommendation. It was intro- iuced by the three women mem pers of the House-Essie Dale, Doris Barnes and Amelia Gun dersen.
 To clear up it's ever-lengthening calendar, the House voted to have night session Wednesday.
 Mrs Dale's bill to revise the blanket primary law provoked a lively House debate. but no vote was reached prior to the noon re. cess.
 Rep. Glen Franklin, Fairbanks Democrat, moved to strike out the section against cross-over voting The bill provides that candidates of each party would be listed sep arately with the warning that the whole ballot would be thrown out if voter crosses from one party to the other.
 Franklin argued that the 1946 referendum showed that the people want to vote for the candidates they favor in the primary, regard less of party.
 Blanket Ballet Abuses
 Mrs. Dale said the blanket ballot IS provided by the i947 legislature nas developed abuses. with mem- bers of one party crossing over 10 vote for weak members of the oth- CT in the hope of getting the weakest opposition possible for the general election.
 Rep. Warren Taylor. also Fairbanks Democrat, argued that the referendum mandate was only to abolish the necessity of vot- CT declaring what his political par ty was when he asked for a pri- mary ballot. He declared the cross party voting absolutely does away Wjtb fho fuuo rfx, c~,c<a,~, v+