Tabor City tribune., 1959-04-29
Legislature Readies Itself
Fer Final Round OF Work

60 unscathed.
] II this happens il will near
no pay raise for teachers or state
employees. It's too close at this
point to try to predict if we car
get an across-the-board pay
raise or not. But we're still work.
ing on it and you can look for q
new twist in that direction this
week.
On the tax side. proposed new
levies have not met with much
enthusiasm. The suggestion OF
a tax on soft drinks met with
powerful organized opposition
and It Is doubtful that the bot,
tiers will be tagged with a crown
tax. The crown tax and an in,
crease in liquor taxes were parts
of the bill to raise teachers and
state employees pay. The liquor
interests were not spowerful in
their opposition to the tax hike
j but there again in the normal re-
ticence of lawmakers to levy
taxes. even If II means better
teachers. We're still plugging for
the taxes. but our optismism has
, lesSoned.
One thing Is sure. There will
not be a tax on tobacco, I think
the show of tobaccomen in a
public hearing and the general
sentiment of the state will servo
to starvc off that source of re-
venue
In all it looks like Governor
Hodges will win major victory
in the acceptance of his budget
- including the provision fer \
Withholding system for payinG
taxes.
The GoGvernor has not Jared
so we'll in another Of his major
legislative programs - the pro-
posals for so-called highway
safety
Basically no one could be op-
posed to legislation to promote
safety on our highways. But the
way the bills were written they
threatened the constitutional
rights of all North Carolina citi-
zens and therefore went down in
undeniable defeat
We spoke last week of the bat
tie over the roads bills. The one
killed then was the bill to allow
policemen to arrest on only the
description of vehicle The 9TH
CT roads measure is one to per-
nit chemical tests as evidence
in trials of drunken driving. Here
again is a basically good idea
but the bill again is now writ
ten so that is cndangerS the
rights of citizens. IF that bill
does survive the judiciary COM
mittce it will probably prove an
other rallying point for those of
us not so inclined to follow the
bidding Of Governor Hodges
Governor Hodges sought to
balance the ledger of his lcGisla-
tive victories and defeats and
the minimum wage bill provided
a plus mark for his tally-boOk.
We've got TO give the man
credit. With one hand tied be-
hind his back with the Hender-
son textile strike. the Governor
was able TO win imprcSsiveley
with the passage of the 75-cent
pre- hour minimum wage bill in
the House
It Is expected to pass easily in
the Senate. giving North Caro-
lima the first minimum wake law
in this part of the United States.
But of course it all wasn't the
Governor. There has been con-
siderable sentiment for such a
bill. Even though il is against
my general principles TO try to
legislative so close to peoples
lives. apparently the rest of the
lawmakers don't look at 1t that
way. and have pushed it through
the legislative mill rather handi-
ly.
There has been some legis-
lation which the Administration
hadn't called for. but which il
might have expected. That is on
, the subject of the state highway
commission.
/ A House committee gave a
favorable report this week to 4
measure to return the commits
sion to the old district set up
II was only two years ago that
Governor Hodges pushed through
/ the idea Of a statewide concep
of seven Commissioners repre-