ustxtxb_obs_1955_02_21_50_00008-00000_000.pdf

Page 8

by

Page 8 February 21, 1955 THE TEXAS OBSERVER SENATORS MOURN Bills calling for the establishment of a water program and insurance reforms advanced in the Legislature last week, but from two senators came bitter predictions of failure on both counts. Senator Jimmy Phillips of Angleton said “you can Senator Crawford Martin of Hillsboro said “any ture is seriously jeopardized.” Both made their gloomy forecasts after bills they were favoring were treated unkindly by Senate ‘committees. The Senate Committee on Insurance refused immediate approval of a bill to place sales of insurance stocks under regulation by the Securities Commissioner in the Secretary of State’s office. Despite pleas from Phillips and the bill’s author, Senator William S. Fly of Victoria, the measure was consigned to a subcommittee for an indefinite period. Phillips said Fly’s bill is “the guts of the insurance reform … the one most important bill.” Sale of insurance securities is not now subject to regulation by any state agency. Martin raised his voice in protest when his omnibus water bill was sidetracked by the Water Rights, Irrigation and Drainage Committee. He said the action challenges constitutionality o f the Texas Water Resources committee slate of nine separate bills, should they finally pass both houses. The senator from Hill County filed a minority report, following disapproval of his Senate Bill 76. He said the committee action jeopardized any water program by the Top Bills Said Sunk Early kiss the insurance reforms goodbye.” water program by the 54th Legisla be “toned down” to where the State only regulates the fireworks industry.. Fireworks manufacturers who appealed against a ban on all sales said the measure would put them out of business. Introduced late in the week was a bill which would boost taxes on cigarettes a penny a packone of Gov. Shivers’ proposals for balancing the state’s deficient budget. Kirklin of Odessa filed the bill and said he would ask for a hearing in about two weeks. Another Shivers proposal, a bill proposing a two cents per gallon boost in the gasoline sales tax, has already been introduced, but the author, Charles Murphy of Houston, has not yet asked for a public hearing. Some legislators have proposed alternate levies specifically, increased taxes on natural gas and beer. The House also advanced a bill to outlaw the sale of “lewd, depraved and corruptive comic books.” “Books” were omitted from -another bill to regulate publications. YOUR LOCAL AGENT-6 House, Senate Panels Want ‘New’ Car Limits 54th Legislature. Citing the Constitution, Martin said Article 3, Section 34 forbids passage into law a bill containing the same substance as one which has already been considered and defeated by either House. Martin’s omnibus water bill incorporates all of the features of the nine Water Resources Program bills introduced by Senator Dorsey Hardeman, San Angelo. His bill is backed by Texas soil conservation groups -and provides for organization, financing, and administration of a statewide water program. Martin’s bill does not require a constitutional amendment; the Water Resources program does. Other water and insurance reform action: The Water Resources Commission proposal for financing a Texas water development fund through a $100 million bond issue was approved by a Senate committee. A bill to bring sale of insurance securities under regulation of the State Insurance Commission won first endorsement in the House by 103 to 35. It was another victory for legislators seeking to let the insurance board rather than the Securities Commissioner handle the regulations. Neither supervises insurance stock sales now. Representative Joe Pool of Dallas, most vigorous opponent, said it fails to protect the public. “It does not do anything but clothe promot AUSTIN Dr. Hector Garcia of Corpus Christi will discuss the need for “dignity for all men in Texas” in the main address Friday night at the annual conference of the Texas Commission on Race Relations. The two-day meeting will be held in the International Room of the Texas Union on the campus of the University of Texas here. There will also be a panel discussion Friday on “the progress and unfinished business of race relations in Texas.” Saturday morning, nine students from various countries now attending Texas universities will make brief talks on “The Significance of Race Relations in World Democracy.” Dr. Garcia, founder of the American GI Forum, will address the expected 200 delegates at 8:15 Friday night on “Why we need dignity for all men in Texas.” His talk will be preceded by a report from Thomas Sutherland, director of the Commission. ers with respectability. It’ll allow them to go and sell watered stock.” Three other insurance bills received favorable recommendations from a House committee. One would in c r e a se life insurance agents’ license fees, providing funds for closer examination of applicants.. Another would increase from $20,000 to $40,000 the maximum policy to be written in group life insurance. The third would permit mutual companies to pay agents the same commissions as legal reserve companies, if they observe the same financial standards. Meanwhile, the first major legislation of the session went to Governor Shivers. The Senate passed a House bill permitting banks to operate on a five-day week. The bill will become law when the Governor signs it. The bill would reduce from twelve to six the number of legal holidays and permit banks to close any weekday they choose. A five-day week v rould not be mandatory, only permissive. A bill. to limit maximum working hours of firemen in cities of 10,000 to 40,000 won House approval and was forwarded to the Senate. Abill to prohibit state payment of unemployment benefits to workers idled because of a labor dispute in an integrated plant was given an 11 to 4 endorsement by the Senate State Affairs Committee. Known as the “Ford Company” bill, opponents of the measure dubbed it the “Model T” bill because it “takes unemployment compensation back 20 years ago.” Senator George Parkhouse of Dallas authored the bill to prohibit the payment of jobless benefits in situations similar to the Dallas Ford assembly plant, where workers were idled because of a strike by members of their union in River Rouge, Michigan. It was opposed by both the AFL and the CIO, along with the mayor of Corsicana. Houston Clinton, an attorney for the Texas State Federation of Labor, termed the bill “special interest legislation at its worst,” and declared that “Texas workers, whether union or hot, are penalized for working for big integrated operations. Parkhouse said the purpose of the bill was to prevent a Texas employer from having to “finance a strike against himself” by having jobless benefits of his workers charged to his account and raise his unemployment compensation insurance rates. A bill to outlaw fireworks in Texas was consigned to a Senate subcommittee. It is believed it will The Commission is a P,rivatelysupported group organized “to foster racial understanding and cooperation founded on the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of men, and to work through all possible channels to correct racial inequalities and injustices.” Religion, education, labor, business, the press, and the armed services are expected to be represented. Participants at the panel Friday afternoon at 2 p.m. will include Monsignor James Boyle of San Antonio; Rev. Edmund Heinsohn, Unisersity Methodist Church, Austin; Chris Dixie and Robert Eckhardt, Houston attorneys; U. S. Tate, Dallas attorney; Mrs. Nanie Belle Aycock, Texas Southern University, Houston; Carter Wesley, editor, The Informer, Houston; and Ronnie Dugger, editor, The Texas Observer. Mrs. James S. Crate of Houston is chairman of the Commission. AUSTIN House and Senate committees were torn between two touchy alternatives last weekthe cleaning up of admittedly shady and unscrulous practices in the auto industry and the legislating of competition right out of it. More than 100 members of the conscience striken industry appeared before House and Senate State Affairs Committees in a fight over outlawing new car sales on used car lots and the licensing of dealers. The Senate committee endorsed, with only one dissenting vote, a bill which would take the “new” out of automobiles on used car lots. Independent dealers asserted the bill would squelch competition, since they consistently peg their new car prices below those of franchised dealers. The licensing measure would prevent any but franchised dealers from selling new cars as such. ton introduced a bill that would permit immediate revamping of the membership of the Veterans Land Board. Instead of the Governor, Attorney General and Land Commissioner being members, he proposes membership include the Land Commissioner and two citizens appointed by the governor. The franchised dealers are naturally for the measure, authored by Senator Gus Straus of Hallettsville. It would also provide for licensing of the dealers. On the same day the dealers appeared before a House committee considering similar proposals. They admitted to the lawmakers that the industry needs “cleaning up” with such conviction that the House committee voted to more than double suggested fees set for annual new . and used car dealer licenses. It was sent to subcommittee for a week’s study. Representative W. G. Kirklin of Odessa suggested the increase in rates, over those suggested by Representative J. 0. Gillham. Kirklin said: “I don’t think either side here smells like a rose, and if the automobile situation is as bad as these men have pictured it themselves, this is going to cost the comptroller plenty of money to enforce the act.” A long list of abuses in the trade were aired: the present “open certificate” system where a new car can be driven miles before being the subject of a first sale; where new cars are towed across the Nation with their speedometers disconnected; where wrecked cars have been completely rebuilt and sold as new. `Dignity of Man’ Garcia Topic At Race Relations Conference Chances are you already know the local agent for your own union member-owned ICT Insurance Company. If you do, then you’re already familiar with his personal service to you and your community. Perhaps you know him as a neighbor even as a close friend of your family. But in case you don’t know your ICT agent, there is a still greater reason why you should meet him. Not only is your ICT agent a good citizen and your friend, he is your partner as well. As a representative of your company, your ICT agent shares with you its growth, success and stability. His success as an ICT agent contributes to your success as an ICT owner-customer. It’s just good business to do business with yourself. If you haven’t met your ICT agent, call Western Union operator 25. It’s time you met your partner in progress. Howdy, Partner! Owned by Union Members Building a Better America 320 fiXEME HOME OFFICE: Dallas, Texas Bniack Cag, President any” The ICT Insurance BSI Company