The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1859-11-17

TAX COLLECTORS AND TREAsURERs OF
THE BOARDS OF C0MMIssI3NERS, End
THEIR C0MMIS SI0NS

'"c c"'uhs "' the banner. l hnve recently
ee'n list of the Acts PASSED by our Ins, Leg.
| is'"'ure. and whether nny were passed that
| should not have been I shall not te,nlt to
say hu: will endeavor to show that they
| fniird !" pass or amend Acts that SHOULD have
been, and in consequence Of which, the Tux
Collectors of the State and the Treasures of
| the Boards of Commissioners will this year
r"reive OF III" tax payers money, the sum Of
Twenty Five Thousand Dollars. over and above
n full compensation for their services This,
| have II" doubt. will he regarded Us rather n
h"'d assertion. shall attempt, however, by
| facts and igui cs, TO prov. it.
The Comptroller General nf the State, ms I
! think, very properly, recommended to the
Legislature in 1857, the pr"prictv Of reIur inc
| the rnic Of Commissions allowed to the Tax
Collectors. sialin, the present rate of Commits.
si"ns was affixed when the amount of Taxes
| WIS one hall less than Mt present. Since the
| large incrcnSc OF the Taxes Of the State, to re-
tam the old rates of Commissions is I'm fair and
ungcner"us. thus TO pay set of officers
double the value of their services, while others
are poorly paid.
The Legislature, however, failed to carry
WV WV recommendation. l Til Ink
h"w"ver 1t was generally expected that the
| Legislature III 1873 would act on il, but they
failed l." Il" 80. And although they raised the
| Taxes of .he State One Hundred and Fifty
| Thousand Dollars. the old rate of Commissions
was CONTINUED. which will Civ. til. Tax Col.
lrc,ors this Year upwards Of nine thousand dol.
lars nd'iitI"nal pay over last Year. and, | shall
| endrar"r To show they SHOULD have received
thnt amount less than last Year. making .irh
teen thousand .l"llnls this year. over and above
| full compensation f"r their scrvicrs
There furry six Tux Collectors in the
State. Uhc Tax Collector of Charlrston)
| receives, rs commissions, four per cent, on
| srvr"ly five thnn>an'i dollars AMI one per cent
"n The innnce his colIecti" ten collectors
receive five per cent; thirty three receive
| seven per cent. and iw" Receive len pc: cent
| ini III" average will 10 uLout Elk and a
! fourth per cent
| Now, sir, have no doubt but the General
| lnX"S of The State will amount to six hundred
| thousand 'l"nrs and the District Taxes. two
hundred ll"n-nnl dollars more, making th.
| sum "t eight hundred thousand dollars. This
at Sin and fourth per cent. will give the
round sum "f tiIiv thousand dollars MS com.
missions t" lie divided between fur,v-sx men
who. in dSchnrsiu., their duties. will ocru,y
time varying from three to ten weeks each,
| (!rrhnrs the C"lhrt"r Of Charra."n mny re-
qnirr twelve weeks, for which h: will receive
upwards of four th"nsn,l dollars Bnt will
carry the rnlcnla,i"n hile furthrr: | have
II" doubt hut an avera:r" nf seven weeks will
al, r,,,- (s,,n.
the entire tim" occupied hy The Tax Collec, ors
OF the State. about three hun.lr,, and twenty
weeks. for wl,i"h they will receive this Year
fifty thousand dollars. paid in advance.
Now. sir. my position is. that the last Lcgi.
ln'urr should have Reduced The rate "i Commits
sl"ms I" NJ least an average "f four per cent
which. w"nl'l have panl The Tax C"lrci"rs Of
the State the sim "f thirty two thou an,l dol
| lars, or one hunl r,l d"liars for cncI, week.
,rrv ices. paid in a,lvarr". l. any r-a.nn,hl,
man prepared t" say that one hundred dollars
" week Ia n"t 'nmpl'. ray. Aud this would
have savr.l T." the State the sum of eighteen
THOUSAND dollars This year.
Now, sir, having. ns I think, shown TINT the
! last Legislature. should have amended the Act
| which provides the rai OF Comm iss inn- to tn,
| Tax Collectors for receiving the Stat. and Dis
| tiict Taxes, now come to snv something Of
the amount of commissions Received hy the
/ Trras,Irers Of the Bunrls of Commissioners
'hr""gh"ut the State. ! take it for granted
:hnt the law is uniform. nn.l that the Commits
si"ncrs liz the different Districts anu Parishes
of The State receive the same raie Of comma
ei"ns. shall base my calculations on the Re.
| ports of the Commissioners Of ALbeylle Dis
| tiict.
And would just here remark that il the ALI
| hevi'le drrgat II had taken a glance at the
Reports made last October Court, hy the Treas
n:ers Of the Boards. ani especially the Report
of The General Board Of the Commissioners of
Roads, whose Comm issions amounted to the
snm of four hundred and thirty dollars, for
about one day labor they would hive seen
the pr"priety of amending the Act which gives
such pay. The Trensurcrs Of the Commissioners
of Poor and Puhlice Buildings rs their pub.
lIshcd Reports have shown, receive FIVE per
cent. commissions for receiving the Taxes from
the C"lector and paying it ont.
| have seen no published Reports of tie
Commissioners of Rou.ls for several wears.
| ubtil iisL OctoDrr But ] understand Tor the
last five years The Trensurers Of the General
| Board have received five per cent. commits.
si"ns the Whole nmonnt of the Bridge Taxes
| which they received from the Tax Collector
| and paid over to The Treasurcrs of the Sub
| Boards. The Trensurrrs ef the Sub Boards
have each received twenty dollars annually,
and the Secretary Of the General Board. ten
dollars Il iiscOyer in the Rpport TINT tl,.
Treasurer Of the Upper Saluda Board last year
only charged ten dollars.)
have no doubt. sir. but it has cost an av-
ernge Of seven per cent. for the last f ve years
to disburse the Bridge Taxes Of Abbeville Dis.
trict. And rs the Bridge taxes nre ns,,nlly as
much as the Poor anil Public Building. both.
place the average commission of the Treasurers
at sxp cent in District on which is IT,. basis
Of my calcnation for the whole Stat, AMI sun.
posing that the Taxes. assessel {, r District pnr.
j!oses in tile State, amount to two hundred thou.
sand dollars 7 Fl nd the ANN of 1 w.Iv. thou,ond