Peninsula Enterprise

News Items From
Virginia Legislature

Legislative activity gained intense momentum Wednesday with liquor, old-age pensions, highway, horse racing and heart balm controversies projected into the General Assembly foreground. Highlights were:

Strenuous Senate committee opposition to the search and seizure without warrant provision recommended by the ABC Board, with a subcommittee indicating it would recommend killing the bill. Adoption of the measure, opponents said, would "take us back to prohibition days" and endanger the success of the ABC control system. Observers heard that a bill permitting hotels to sell liquor by the drink is slated for introduction in the Senate.

A statement by Arthur W. James, welfare commissioner, that 12,000 Virginians 65 years of age and over are on public relief rolls, coupled with his belief that "a dole is much cheaper than institutional care," made before the Assembly old-age pension cost investigation committee.

A statement by H. G. Shirley, highway commissioner, before Senate-House roads committees, relative to a bill regulating trucks, that his department "is $500,000 in the hole without turning a wheel," adding there can be no construction on either primary or secondary roads in the next two years without benefit of Federal aid.

Introduction of a pari-mutuel betting bill in the House sponsored by 24 members, reviving the horse racing bill passed by the lower branch two years ago, but killed in the Senate.

Favorable action of the Senate Courts of Justice Committee on bills abolishing alienation of affections and criminal conversation as causes for civil action.

Of considerable interest was the introduction of two House bills giving localities with liquor stores a larger share of the ABC profits and Senator Morgan R. Mills' bill seeking $250,000 appropriation for purchase of the Ford lot and construction of a State library building.

The Senate adopted a unanimous committee report dismissing the election contest brought by former Senator Roland E. Chase, Republican, against Senator Robert F. Parker, Democrat, representing Wise and Dickenson Counties. The two Republican members of the Senate, Taylor Vaughan and Thomas J. Wilson, did not vote.

After investigation of the written record, the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee reported there was insufficient evidence to sustain charges of fraud and abuse of the absent voters law and emphasized no evidence linked Senator Parker with any alleged violations. In fact, only three or four of the more than 15,000 votes cast could be questioned as to their legality, the committee decided. Senator Parker's majority was 895.

Each branch passed three bills, none of major importance and accepted Fredericksburg's invitation to be guests, with wives of the legislators, at a George Washington birthday celebration on February 22.

A recommendation of the Governor's Advisory Council to permit search of baggage and vehicles, without a warrant, on suspicion of transportation of illicit liquor, met strong resistance in the Senate General Laws Committee. Senator Vivian Page, Norfolk, pointed out "they couldn't search your bags under the prohibition law." Senator L. G. Muse, Roanoke, said the bill as written would allow police officers to stop and search automobiles at their pleasure. Senator W. Stuart Moffett, Staunton, asserted activities of prohibition officers in the "dry" era may account for lack of enforcement measures in the ABC Act.

Declaring the repeal of fees previously allowed prohibition officers lessened enforcement, T. McCall Frazier, ABC board member, said there is much transportation of illegal liquor in some sections.

Resentment against the entire control system would follow enactment of a search and seizure provision, without a warrant, several Senators said.

A bill placing the licensing of 3.2 beer under the ABC Board and making the license year conform to the fiscal year was favorably reported at an afternoon meeting of the Senate Moral, Social and Child Welfare Committee. A special hearing on the Parker bill to prohibit beer and wine sales on Sunday has been set for next Monday at 4 o'clock.

Answering questions relative to relief-old-age assistance plans, Welfare Commissioner James told the Assembly committee of six that he had filed with Governor Peery a plan for an expanded welfare system for Virginia which includes administration of old-age pensions, in event such a bill was enacted.

Of the 12,000 relief load at this time, he said about 8,000 are on emergency relief and the remaining 4,000 on the pauper list or in almshouses. A dole is always less than the per capita cost of institutional care, he added. He estimated that one-third of relief cases are persons over 65, under average and not depression conditions.