Chap. 165.—An ACT to amend and re-enact sections 29, and 30 of an act entitled:
An act to raise revenue for the support of the government and public free
schools, and to pay interest on the public debt and to provide a special tax for
pensions, as authorized by section 189 of the Constitution, approved April 16,
1903.

Approved March 11, 1908.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That section
twenty-nine and thirty of an act entitled “an act to raise revenue for
| eo ener ee are ———

the support of the government and public free schools and to pay inter-
est on the public debt and to provide a special tax for pensions, as
authorized by section one hundred and eighty-nine of the Constitution,”
approved April sixteen, nineteen hundred and three, be amended and
re-enacted so as to read as follows:

§29. Each express company doing business in this State, and each
steamship, steamboat and steam ferry company which may run steam-
ships, steamboats or other floating property for the transportation of
passengers or freight, shall report annually, on or before the first. day
or September, to the State corporation commission, all of its real and
personal property of every description in this State belonging to it on
the thirtieth day of June preceding, showing particularly in what city,
town, county and school district the property is located and classifying
the same under the following heads:

First. All express cars, steamships, steamboats and other floating
property, their machinery, equipments and horses and wagons.

Second. All ships, wharves, sheds, offices, stores, docks, machine shops,
granaries, elevators and other buildings.

Third. All veal estate and personal property not included in the fore-
going classification. .

Each such company, except express companies, shall also give in said
report its gross receipts and the number of miles operated by it within
this State for the year ending on the thirtieth day of June preceding.
The report herein required shall be verified by the oath of the president
or other proper officer of the company making the same.

The said corporation commission shall, after thirty days’ notice pre-
viously given by it to the president or other proper officer, assess the
value of the property of each of such companies.

Should any such company fail to make the report required by this sec-
tion on or before the first day of September, the said corporation commis-
sion shall, at such time as it may elect, upon the best and most reliable in-
formation that can be procured, assess the value of the property of
said company, and shall, unless it be an express company, ascertain the
number of miles operated by it in this State and in the execution of the
duty shall be authorized and empowered to send for persons and papers.

The State corporation commission shall assess upon said property
the taxes imposed thereon by law, and upon said companies the license
tax imposed by law.

A certified copy of the assessment, when made, shall be inimediately
forwarded by the clerk of the State corporation commission to the
auditor of public accounts and to the president or other proper officer of
each such company, and such company shall pay into the treasury of the
State by the first of December following, the taxes assessed against it.

It shall be the duty of the clerk of the State corporation commission
to furnish to the council of every city and town, and to the board of
supervisors of every county wherein any property belonging to such com-
pany is situated, a certified copy of the assessment made by the State
corporation commission of such companies’ property which assessment
shall definitely show the character of the property, its value and
location for the purpose of taxation in each city, town, county and
district, so that city, town, county and district levies may be imposed
upon the same; provided, however, that it shall be the duty of the
county superintendent of schools in each county in which any express
company, steamship, steamboat or steam ferry company owns property,
on or before the first day of July in each year, to furnish to such express
company, steamship, steamboat or steam ferry company the boundaries
of the school districts of said county wherein any such property is
situated. .

Any such company failing to pay said taxes in to the treasury within
the time herein prescribed shall incur a penalty thereon of five per
centum which shall be added to amount of said taxes.

Any such company which shall fail to make the report hereinbefore
required, within the time herein prescribed, shall be liable to a fine of
not less than twenty-five dollars nor more than one hundred dollars
for each day such company may be in default in making such report.
The said fine to be imposed and judgment entered therefor by the
said corporation commission after thirty days’ notice to any such
defaulting corporation, to appear before the said commission and show
cause, if any, against the imposition of such fine, subject to appeal to
the supreme court of appeals of Virginia.

§30. On the real and personal property of every express company
doing business in this State, and of every steamship, steamboat and steam
ferry company which may run steamships, steamboats, or other floating
property for the transportation of passengers or freight there shall be a
tax of twenty cents for every one hundred dollars of the assessed value
of the real estate and tangible personal property, and a tax of twenty-
five cents on every one hundred dollars of the assessed value of the in-
tangible property of every such company, the proceeds of which shall
be applied to the support of the government, and a further tax of
ten cents on every hundred dollars of the assessed value of all the real
estate and personal property of every such company which shall be
applied to the support of the public free schools of this State; and a
further special tax of five cents on every hundred dollars of the assessed
value of the real estate and tangible personal property of every such
company, which shall be applied to the payment of pensions.

Every such company, except express companies, which operate a
mileage and do business in this State, for the privilege of doing business
between points in this State, in addition to the annual registration fee
and property tax, shall pay an annual license tax, the amount of which
shall be ascertained, as follows: One-half of one per centum on the
gross receipts of such company.