Evening star., 1950-01-23
Assembly 10 GET
$45,000,000
School Request
Gov. Battles Proposal
Ready for Submission
To Both Houses
BY the Asseeiotsd Press

H4\nMONO, va. Jan. Z3.-lne
first Of Gov. Battles legislative
recommendations-emergency bills
appropriating $45, ,ooo,o 900 for local
school construction-were ready
for introduction in the General
Assembly today.
Parallel bills will go into both
House and Senate, sponsored by
Chairman Howard H. Adams of
the House Appropriations Com
mittee and Senator Robert O.
Norris. chairman of the Finance
Committee in the upper branch.
Both bills doubtless will carry the
names Of quite a few other ad-
ministration supporters as CO.
patrons.
The timing of the introduction
was right for speedy action on the
program carrying out Gov. Battles
campaign pledge. The House Ap-
propriations Committee and the
Senate Finance Committee will
meet at pm. in a joint session.
Governor May Appear.
Gov. Battle may appear at the
joint meeting to give force to his
request for prompt committee ac-
ton. He said, however, if he
drops in on the meeting it will be
more or less an informal call.
Delegate Adams said the Joint
group would name a chairman
probably Senator Norris, who sue
ceeded Gov. Battle as head of the
Senate Finance Committeeman
then set its schedule for hearings
on the $597 900, 900 budget bill.
These hearings, which have
considerable bearing on the ulti-
mate shape of the appropriations
act, provide an opportunity for
various groups. institutions and
agencies to have their day in
court on their money requests.
Institutions of higher learning
doubtless will be on hand in an
effort to increase budget provi-
sions for their building programs.
Their requests were trimmed
sharply in the budget to leave
funds available for Gov. Battles
$45 100000 local aid program for
school construction.
8 Per Cent Sales Tax Urged.
There was new comment on the
Governors school plan, mean
while, from the sales tax side of
the fence.
DR.. Jack w. Witten, delegate
from Tazewell, said he didn't
think the budgeted funds for
schools were sufficient. He rec
commended a new 8 per cent
retail levy to bring in annually
just about the amount Gov. Bat
tie proposes to hand the localities
in a lump sum for building pur-
poses.
DR.. Witten conceded, however,
he didn't think a general sales
tax had ghost of a show at the
present session. But he said he
believed Virginia ultimately would
adopt the sales levy and he in
tended to keep the issue alive
until the majority came around
to his way of thinking.
The House has a 2 per cent
sales tax bill now before it, in
troduced by Delegate Samuel e.
pope of Southampton. .,---
To Meet on Election Contest.
Aside from money matters, a
House committee will resume its
deliberations on the contested
Russell County election. The
privileges and elections body,
headed by Floor Leader Roy B.
Davis of Halifax, will hear from
a three-member subcommittee
on the legal course to be fol-
lowed. The House already has
seated John w. Fletcher Of Hon.
aker, whose victory by a margin
OF 300 votes was challenged by
Mrs. Turner A. Gilmer of Leb-
anon. Mrs. Gilmer charged fraud
ulent handling Of some absentee
voters ballots,
And on the matter of voting,
Gov. Battle had something to say
over the week end. He said it was
not his present intention to make
any recommendations on repeal
OF the poll tax as a prerequisite
to voting.
But he indicated he might
change his mind If it looked like
Congress might pass such legis-