PAGE TWO
THE FRANKLIN PRESS AND THE HIGHLANDS MACONl^
■THURSDAY
THE PROPOSED AMENDMENTS
An Impartial Summary Prepared for the Voter
By the Institute of Government
I. Enlarging the Supreme Court and Permitting It to Sit in Divisions
Explanation: Since 1868, with the
exoeptio,n of the fourteen years
^ from 1875 to 1889, the Constitution
has limited the membership of “%e
Supreme Court to five members,
and by clear implication of the
Constitution the intention was that
the full membership sit in all cases,
•except in unusual emergencies.
The proposed amendment, if
adopted, would (1) permit the Gen
eral Assembly, when the necessity
appeared, to increase the member
ship of the Court from five to
seven, and (2) allow the Court to
sit in divisions of less than full
membership (except in passing up
on constitutional questions), thus
reducing the labor of the individual
m'embers or accomplishing the same
work with greater dispatch. The
proposal also embodies the require
ment that at least four of the jus
tices shall agree in any judgment
of the Court; there is now .no
such constitutional provision, a
through by statute three justices, as
a quorum of the membership; niay
now sit as the Court, and by de
cision a majority of those sittmg
may render the judgment ot the
°lf the amendment is adopted, the
increase in the membership of the
Court would not be automatic; this
would be left to the discretion ot
future General Assemblies.
II. Limited Property Tax Exemption for Homes Occupied by Owners
Explanation: The present State
Constitution requires that all prop-
■erty shall be taxed except such as
is expressly authorized to ibe ex
empted by the Constitution. It does
not authorize the legislature to ex
empt homes. The proposed amend
ment, if adopted, would authorize
the legislature, in its discretion, to
exempt from taxation, up to $1,CXX)
in tax valuation, each home occu
pied by th'e 'owner. It is clear from
the wording of the amendment that
the legislature could not exempt to
any extent homes which are occu
pied by tenants or renters. As to
homes occupied by the owners, the
legislature could exempt each to the
maximum allowed. Thus, assuming
that the legislature should, in the
course of time, grant the full ex
emption of $1,000, the home owner
whose home is valued at $1,000 or
less would pay no taxes on it, the
home owner whose home is valued
at $2,000 would pay taxes on the
remaining $1,000, 'etc.
The legislature would.not be re
quired to grant the full $1,000 ex
emption, either immediately upon
adoption of the amendment or
thereafter. It could grant an ex
emption of a lesser amount or
could refuse to grant any exemp
tion at all.
III. Classification of Property for Taxation
Explanation. The present State
Constitution requires that all prop
erty shall be taxed by uniform
rule, in accordance with its true
value in money. As applied to the
property tax, this prevents the leg
islature from dividing the different
types of property into various
classes and levying different rates
of tax on or applying different
scales of valuation to each class.
The proposed amendment would,
if adopted, require only that taxa
tion shall be uniform on each class
of property taxed. This would en
able the legislature, in its discre
tion, to classify property for pur-
po'ses of the ad valorem or prop
erty tax. Since the amendment does
not specify any particular system
of classification to be employed, it
is impossible to say just what sys
tem, if any, would be followed. The
legislature would have the power,
if it so desired, to provide for the
levy of one rate of tax on ibank
deposits and another rate on land
and buildings. It could, if it wished,
vary the tax rates on various
classes of property in such a way
as to encourage soil conservation
or reforestation or the establish
ment of wild life preserves or any
other objectives it might consider
socially desirable. However, it should
be understood that these examples
are given simply as illustrative pos-
siblities and not as predictions. The
legislature would not be compelled
to classify property if the amend
ment is passed. If it decides to
classify, it can classify in any way
it sees fit up to the point at which
our courts held the classification to
be too arbitrary.
IV. Raising the Maximum Income Tax Rate
Explanation: The present State
Constitution provides that the max
imum rate of tax which can be
levied on net incomes is (>%. It
also contains certain provisions
with respect .to the personal exemp
tions which shall be allowed in ar
riving at net taxable income, but
these provisions would not be af
fected by adoption of the proposed
amendment. The sole change which
would be effected by the amend
ment, if adopted, would be to raise
the maximum rate from 6% to 10%.
The 10% rate would not be requir
ed. The legislature would be allow
ed complete discretion in fixing the
rate actually levied, up to the 10%
maximum.
Under our present revenue laws
the present maximum rate of 6%
is being levied on all taxable net
income of corporations, while the
rate on individual incomes is: 3%
on the first $2,000 of net income,
4% on the second $2,000, 5% on
third $2,000, and 6% on any balance.
V. Placing New Restrictions on Public Debt
Explanation: The present State
Constitution provides that, without
a vote of the people, the State may
not borrow more than of the
total tax valuation of the property
within the State, except: (1) to
fund or refund a valid existing
debt; (2) to supply .a casual de
ficit ; or (3) to suppress riots, in
vasions or insurrections. The pres
ent Constitution contains no limita
tion on city, county and other local
debt except the provision that no
debt may be incurred, except for
necessary expenses, without a vote
of the people. This “necessary ex
pense” provision would not be
changed by adoption of the pro
posed amendment. The legislature
has placed certain restrictions on
county and city debts, but these
are, of course, subject to legisla
tive change at any time.
The proposed amendment would,
if adopted, repeal the above-men
tioned provision with respect to
State debts. It would also insert a
new provision affecting both State
and local debts. This new provision
would allow either the State or a
local unit to borrow, without a
vote: (1) to fund or refund a
valid existing debt; (2) to supply
a casual deficit; and (3) to sup
press riots, insurrections or inva
sions. It would also allow 'either to
borrow, without a vote, (4) in an
ticipation of tax revenues payable
within the fiscal year, to an ex
tent not exceeding 50% of such
revenues. Except for those four
purposes the State could not bor
row, during any biennium, without
an approving vote of the people,
more than two-thirds of the amount
by which its outstanding debt was
reduced during the preceding bi
ennium; and no local unit could
borrow during any fiscal year, with
out an approving vote of the people,
more than two-thirds of the amount
by which the outstanding debt of
the unit was reduced during the
preceding fiscal year.
To illustrate the way this amend
ment would operate, suppose a
county desired to erect a new court
house at a cost of $100,000 and
wished to borrow the money with
which to do it. Suppose that dur
ing the preceding fiscal year it re
tired $100,000^ i,n outstanding bonds.
If the intention of the amendment
IS followed, this county could only
borrow $66,666 during the current
fiscal year unless authorized to ex
ceed that figure by a vote of the
people. Consequently, the county
would have to submit the issue of
the court house bonds to a vote.
THE FAMILY
DOCTOR
JOHN X6EPH GAMEiMfi
SUNSHINE A DRY HEAT-
GOOD
The ‘infra-red ray” is one of my
stand-bys in giving local, office
treatment where heat gives bene
ficial results. In long experience in
the application of heat to the body,
I am able to state the following
facts.
There is a vast difference be
tween LIGHT and DARK heat
when applied to the body. There
is also great contrast in the effects
of CONTACT heat, and heat com
ing from a distance. Heat in con
tact with the body cannot be tol
erated by the skin, if it is really
hot enough tb produce lasting ef
fect; therefore I prefer heat com
ing from a luminant eighteen or
twenty inches distant.
The infra-red ray is of positive
value in treating diseases of deep-
seated glands. The heat should not
come through a glass bulb in its
passage to the patient, but should
come from an electrically-heated
body direct.
There is all the difference imagin
able in DRY heat and MOIST heat.
I prefer dry heat in reducing
chronic inflammations of stubborn
kinds, such as arthritis, and chronic
congestions.
The heat-waves stimulate circula
tion locally, in organs over which
they are applied. Fat patients with
synovitis in the knee-joints are
greatly benefited by DRY heat,
from a distance of twenty inches,
25-minute sittings, daily. Wet heat
in contact does little or no good.
It is possible to heat tissues two
and a half inches deep from the
surface, with the infra-red ray ap
paratus, One cannot bear contact
heat with volume enough to reach
deeper tissues.
Sunlight is dry heat, and is one
of natures greatest health-givers;
It has a definite percentage of the
ultra-violet ray. Modern apparatus
dly? treatments on cloudy
Banish Bdy and
Perspiration Odors
withYODORA,th.d««d„ant
cream which J
«nd countwaete odora.
will not Stain
whether imder'^e arm
of the other
▼alnable. Itl* . " “®st
odorT * «»enfrali2er of
champ Fagmerette
'(S
POMONA, Calif. . . . Miss Grette
Ter Maaten, X5, American-born
Dutch • girl of Norwalk,. Calif.,
(above), is the chanipioii farmer
ette of the state. She pitched hay,,
churned butter and husked corn
to defeat all contestants in tHe
finals at tlxe Fair here.
Farmers Advised To Keep
Their Best Turkeys
High turkey prices during the
Thanksgiving and Christmas holi
days aften tempt producers to sell
their best birds and keep slower
developing turkeys for breeding
purposes.
That’s about the worst think they
could do, commented C. F. Parrish,
extension poultry specialist at
State college.
Now that the holiday seasons are
not far off, he said growers should
classify their birds into three
groups; breeders, market turkeys,
and culls.
Although the very best birds
should be saved for breeders, tbere
will be many good birds available
-
for marketing,
make every otc
market bir^
Parrish pointed ouf"
lurkey meat is , ■
a luxury
therefore qualityV
mand higher Bri. ^
meat products of 1
value. sju,
Early hatched,
quick maturing p„i,; 4
toms are given fi
Consequently, thes/
type selected fo7
ers should also be i, u ^
well balanced, and
formities. '
The market tiirt», ,
divided into two twn
for Tl.a.k,giS '• »
Christmas. ^
In the first group
birds that have W
reasonably free fromp.J,
and appear ideal forJJ::
in November. Confine '
place that is not too
birds should be placed
ond group where they *
longer time to develop I,,
ing placed on the market
Wash parsley in ]„t,
yoo want to improve its 1
make it easier to chop
r\0 you tulftr biirnlnj,,!
too fr«|u«nl urim(iM,ii
hMCMcne, diziineB, le '
leg pains, iwellingt ««
under the eyes? Are you fc.
ous—feel «ll unstrung ui
know whsf Is wrong?
Then give iom» tlit,,,
kidneys. Be sure they fund,
ly for FunciiontI kidney iw.,
mils excess waste to liayiniij
and to poison nd upsttl
system.
Use Doin'i Pills. Dou'i Ml
kidneys only. Theyarem
the world over. You cm gun.
uine, time-tuted Don't ilail
store.
I
32-Piece set of China«
with each Bryant Lai
Range. A modern weW
range that makes cookiij
pleasure.
$5.00 Down
$s>.00 a Monlli
N|Tieft
Bryant
Furnituire Co
franklin, n, c
President Roosevelt
And
Congressman Weaver
stand by their
of achievement.
Tbi
records nee
a no'
fense and no
is offered.
CONGRESSMAN WEAVER
A Good Record is Safer Than Good