Among Legislative Changes, 1921 General Assembly Decided Insane Belong in Hospital, Not Jail, March 9, 1921

North Carolina Legislature Closes Epoch-Making Session

By Jule B. Warren, Correspondent

Raleigh, March 9—The 1921 Session of the General Assembly has:

• Passed road bill providing for construction and maintenance of a state system of hard surfaced and other dependable roads in North Carolina and the inssuance of $50 million in bonds for this work.

• Raised the salaries of all state officials to $4,500 per year and provided increases for some of the other older employees of state.

• Provided pension for members of the judiciary who have served 15 years and have reached the age of 70, who may retire on part pay and qualify as emergency judges.

• Created the office of Commissioner of Revenue who will have general charge of all taxation work in North Carolina.

• Put all of eastern North Carolina under the stock law.

• Written a revenue bill which will raise nearly $7 million annually without a tax on property.

• Provided for a revaluation of property values in the state which have decreased n values since the 1920 special session of the legislature.

• Provide $1 million for pensions for old soldiers.

• Increased appropriations for maintenance of all state institutions, a total of over 2 ½ million.

• Provided $6.745 million for permanent improvement and enlargement of all state educational and charitable institutions.

• Amend the medical practice act, bringing the code up to date.

• Revised the banking laws of North Carolina.

• Passed what is nown as the par clearance bill, allowing state banks to charge for exchange.

• Killed the 8 per cent interest bill.

• Killed state-wide tick eradication campaign.

• Killed motion picture censorship.

• Killed all prohibition legislation except local.

• Killed the bill providing enforcement of power contracts.

• Passed the municipal finance act in accordance with suggestions of the mayors and other municipal officers of the state.

• Made provision for putting all insane people in the state in hospitals and taking them out of jails.

• Made provision for the treatment at state hospitals of inebriates.

• Repealed the 1919 law requiring the removal of the state penitentiary and conversion of the old building into an asylum.

• Redistricted the senatorial districts in North Carolina.

From the front page of The Charlotte News, March 9, 1921. (To learn more about the reporter, Jule Warren, go to https://www.ncpedia.org/biography/warren-julius-jule.)