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Show Congress May Impose a Gasoline Tax WASHINGTON. Taxntlon of gasoline by the states Is spreading so rapidly as to threaten to become almost universal throughout the country. Information In-formation assembled by the bureau of public roads of the Department of Agriculture Ag-riculture sliows that 33 states and the District of Columbia had gasoline taxes In effect during 1024., Of the thirteen states without this form of tax, two have enacted new laws since the beginning of the present year and three of the others have Increased their rates. In view of the effort of the federal government to abolish wartime taxation taxa-tion as rapidly as possible, treasury officials are closely observing this marked state tendency toward Increased In-creased taxation. That a federal tix on gasoline also niay be imposed Is considered entirely within the realms of possibility, although members of congress from states where gasoline taxes are already In effect are Inclined to oppose any additional burden of this churacter by the national government. A suggestion for a gasoline tax as a substitute for some of the taxes which have been considered obnoxious was before congress during consideration of the Inst revenue law and Is certain to be put forward again in the forthcoming forth-coming revision. Congress lust year enacted a gasoline levy law for the District of Columbia. The figures of the bureau of public roads show that the gross receipts from state gasoline taxes In 1024 amounted to $79,734,400. Of this $48,-711,702 $48,-711,702 was applied to highway construction, con-struction, the balance to other purposes. pur-poses. The largest amount collected by any state was $11,003,222 by California with an impost of 2 cents per gullon. Next came Pennsylvania with $0,-080,541, $0,-080,541, also from a 2 cent tax. Indiana In-diana collected $4,025,372 with a 2-cent 2-cent tax; North Carolina took In $4,-520,048 $4,-520,048 at the rate of 8 cents per gallon; gal-lon; Georgia collected $4,527,471 with a 8-cent tax, and Texas raised $3,802,-7W $3,802,-7W with a 1-cent tax. Among the eleven states which are still holding out against the plan are some of those with larger Industrial cities, Including New York, Illinois, Massachusetts and Ohio. The others are New Jersey, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Mis-souri, Nebraska, Wisconsin and Rhode Island. Rome of them have the proposal pro-posal pending In the legislature. Why Sea Food Has Become Expensive In 30 years the catch of shad along our Atlantic coast has decreased to only a quarter of what It was, and the price to the cousumer has Increased fivefold. The catch of sturgeon In rivers and lakes has fallen to little more than one-eighth of what It was, and the price In the markets has correspondingly cor-respondingly Increased to eight times what It was. The catch of lobsters Is about one-third ' of . that of former years, while the price Is nine times as great. These are facts, officially obtained by Secretary Hoover, and referred re-ferred to the governors of the seaboard sea-board states for their consideration. The causes are obvious to all. They are chiefly two: Wasteful and de- SECRETART HOOVER Invited the governors of all the marl-time marl-time states from Maine to Texas to send representatives to a conference last week to consider the conservation of food fish til Atlantic and Oulf coastal waters. . Simultaneously Simultane-ously the Navy department announced forthcoming exploration and survey of the Gulf and the Caribbean, and perhaps per-haps ot much of the Atlnnttc ocean. In order to study the problem of eon-serving eon-serving and cultivating the food resources re-sources of the sea. The coincidence is significant. Indeed, there Is need -of prompt and vigorous action, If sea food Is not almost al-most to vanish from our markets. It Is easy to say. of course, that the At- stryctlve. njethods of taking the fish, and pollution of rivers, bays and coastal waters generally with sewage, sludge, oil and other matter stupidly called "'waste.1' Of course, it has seemed to short-sighted persons "the easiest way" to get rid of such stuff, simply to pour It Into the nearest water. wa-ter. Rut the easiest way Is sometimes the worst way, In economics as well as In morals. Jantlc 6cea,n Is too Ug tor man to exhaust, ex-haust, and that its supply of edible fish i Illimitable. But every one who has looked Into the matter knows thai that Is sheer nonsense. The cold fact is that our supply of sea food Is already al-ready sorely depleted, so that some of the choicest varieties, once abundant abun-dant and cheap, are now scarce and costly objects of luxury. Three Major Problems of Next Congress ! THREE major problems will occupy oc-cupy the attention of the next congress, In the opinion of Senator Sena-tor Frank R. Willis of Ohio. The first of these problems, Senator Willis said, Is tax reduction; the second, such amendment of the rules as will facilitate public business and still preserve pre-serve the right of legitimate debate, and the third, the world court. The most Important of these three questions, the Buckeye senator believes, be-lieves, Is tax reduction. "Lightening, of the tax burdens of the people Is made possible by the very satisfactory returns from the tax laws now in force and by the substantial substan-tial economies that have been effected," effect-ed," Senator Willis said. "The $100,-000,000 $100,-000,000 surplus this year and the estimated esti-mated surplus next year of $300,000,-000 $300,000,-000 make certain important tax reduc- prompt action when congress meets. This plan will make unnecessary any special session of congress. General revision of the tariff Is not desirable and will not be undertaken." Senator Willis declared In favor of changing the senate rules to facilitate the business of the senate and at the same time permit debate. "Vice President Dawes Is not proposing' pro-posing' any specific change In the rules, as I understand," Senator Willis Wil-lis said, "but he Is calling the atten. tlon of the country to the need of revision re-vision to eliminate filibusters and prevent pre-vent abuse of power by Individual members. In so doing, General Dawes Is rendering valuable public service." The world court problem Is to be taken up early In December for final decision, and Senator Willis said be will press for consideration of a resolution reso-lution he Introduced In the last regular regu-lar session ot congress and reintroduced reintro-duced at, the special session of the senate In March, which embodies the reservations proposed by . President Harding. Secretary Hughes and PrelV dent Coolldge. . tlon. 'A million a day of tax cut away,' will be the slogan of the next congress. "The way and means committee of the house will begin preparation of the new tax bill early In October, so that the measure will be ready for Changes in Departments at the Canital I tine bureaus, and it was then left to the President to decide whether the ! patent office was to be classified as a scientific bureau.- The present Intention of government govern-ment heads with regard to the bureau of mines has not been stated, although officials gave It as their opinion that the transfer of the bureau from the Interior department to the Commerce deportment would need specific authorization au-thorization from congress, inasmuch as the bureau was nlaced In tha Tn. FURTHER changes In the organization organi-zation of the government depart-' ments are looked for following the transfer of the patent office from the Interior department to the Department of Commerce. The transfer trans-fer affected 1,240 employees. The patent-office transfer carried out one of the two recommendations with regard to changes In the lineup of the Interior department bureaus recommended by the Joint congressional congres-sional committee on reorganization of terior department by congress. Ertenslve changes In the personnel of the patent office are not contemplated. contem-plated. Secretary Hoover said, adding that better organization of the government, gov-ernment, to secure economy and effl. clency, requires that functions of similar simi-lar major purpose shall be grouped to getlier. Change In the procedure, with respect re-spect to protection of rights of American Ameri-can patentees In foreign countries forecast by Mr. Hoover. Integration in the Department of Commerce of bureaus tlealing vifh commerce and Industry are regarded by the Joint congressional committee as proper and advisable. the executive departments. The other recommendation involved transfer of the bureau of mines to the Commerce department. Secretary of the Interior Work and Secretary of Commerce 'Hoover, who are represented to be in complete accord ac-cord with the recommendations of the Joint committee, discussed the transfer trans-fer for several months before it .was made. Doctor Work secured an opinion opin-ion from the attorney general as to whether the act of 4fX authorizing the President to transfer bureuui from one department to another without with-out specific authorization of congress was a continuing act He was informed in-formed it was with regard to scien- |