The Times News

House's Adoption of Revenue Bill As Amended by Senate Is Expected With Final Action by End of Week

Growing Sentiment Indicates Action Without Sending Measure to Conference, Which Would Speed up Final Passage
By J. C. Baskerville The Times-News Bureau Sir Walter Hotel

RALEIGH, May 1.--The much amended revenue bill as finally agreed upon by the senate, exempting essential foods from the 3 per cent general sales tax and increasing the franchise taxes on the power and telegraph companies, will probably prove acceptable to the house, with the result that its final enactment may be possible by the end of the week. It is hardly probable, however, that both houses can finish up all their unfinished business by the end of this week and adjourn sine die. It is believed that final adjournment is now possible by May 10 or May 13 at the latest.

There is a growing sentiment in both houses that the house may now agree to the revenue bill as passed by the senate without sending it to conference and thus materially speed up its final enactment. Until the senate made the changes in the bill it did Saturday, it was generally agreed house members that the house would refuse to concur in the bill and send it to conference.

There was a growing feeling in the house that the senate had been too liberal with the power companies and other utility companies in removing the house amendments boosting the taxes on these, and that it had been too hard on the people by boosting the sales tax to 3 per cent. But now that the senate has back- tracked by increasing the franchise taxes on the utility companies enough to recapture almost all of the ad valorem tax reduction they will get and has also adopted a provision to exempt flour, meal, meat, milk, sugar, lard and coffee from the sales tax, indications are that the house is going to be pretty well satisfied with the bill and accept it as it is.

The revenue bill passed its first reading in the senate Saturday, will pass its second reading Monday night and third reading Tuesday. It will then come up for first reading in the house Wednesday for second reading Thursday and third reading Friday.

If the house concurs in the senate amendments without change, the bill will go to the governor Saturday. If it sends the bill to conference, final enactment will be delayed at least a week.
HOUSE'S ADOPTION OF REVENUE BILL BY SENATE IS EXPECTED
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Thursday and come pass its third reading Friday, provided there is no delay of any sort in the house.

The bill will have to be read on three successive days in the house, regardless of whether the house accepts the bill as it passed the senate or sends it to conference, because of the increase made in the sales tax and other taxes. For if any material change is made in the revenue bill in either house, it must pass three separate readings in each house again. So if the house should make any material change in the revenue bill when it gets over there again Thursday, it would not only have to pass three readings in the house, but go back to the senate again for three more readings. But this is not regarded as likely.

If the bill should be sent to a conference committee by the house, as some think, will be done anyway merely to insure a close inspection of the bill and to make some minor changes, the conference committees could not be appointed and do any work on the bill before Thursday. If the committees could reach an agreement by Thursday night, the conference report could then be adopted on first reading Thursday night, on second reading Friday and third reading on Saturday. But to do this, the house would have to talk much less and show a great deal more speed than it has so far. So if the bill is sent to conference there is really not much chance for the conference report to be finally adopted until early next week.