The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1868-01-10

uucntS VI NA@C - - NO@-S
Receipts from all sources, in ,..e5,
cludiDg balances $4,7ITll9 ~
r taor DIsBuRsENESrs- ieiH
Civil Expendit'pSI AS, ,I39.74Is Faf ers
Sinking Fund.- 1,506, ,939.00 -ss,tlsrl
School Fund -. 2,36I, ,626.00 a
Smaller Funds 29,926 O9
------ S4,3406 632. SO
Estimated bal. Nov. Is, s. 1876, 1885
The whole amount OF taxes levied by the
State Government during the year has been
alt, ,s6S, ,437 "a, of which an except the
amounts above reported as collected for the
State Treasury, has been collected and dis
bursed in the counties, cities and villages,
for local purposes. The delinquencies and
costs of collection have been more than or
diDalily Fight, amounting in all to but 2
sic per cent. of the total levy. - i-
The valuation of the property Of the peO
pie of the State uppni the grand dupliGats Is
81 ,l3S, ,754 1890, beipg an increase Of $32,-
545, $500 upon the valuation Of last year.
This increase iss'''in svery great measure,
owing to the INCREASED accuracy and care in
the administration of the laws, and the
growing familiarity Of local boards Of equal
ization with their duties under the statutes.
The Commissioners Of the Sinking Fund
lave, during tie year, paid $7S2S26 50 Of
the funded debt Of the State, leaving out
stsnd.nge gil 03I;94I So The question Of
providing to- the stailnents To be paid
dnring the next three years, VIII. be before
you. The present rate of levy will not be
quite sufficient for the purpose, about $450,-
jg0 beitg required In addition 30 what viii
be raised beFsbY. The Recommendations OF
the Auditor OF s ale, that brief temporary
loan be made for the purpose, is supported
/ by the fact that it. is very probable that the
present rate of taxati0p,, without increase,
would, in very short period, paw both the
succeeding iustailments of the debl and the
loan thus raised the expenditures from the
Trs ssury being exceptionally large at this
time, by reason of the erection and enlarge
ment Of Benevolent Institutions, aud the
necessity of refnnding TO the National Banks
taxes which have been sdjudged by the
Coorts 10 have been unlaRIully collected.
/ therefore concur in the Audii0r's recon-
mendstion.
By provision Of the annual appropriation
bill of last yeaf the Auditor was authorized
TO transfer, temporarily, balances of various
funds to the Sinking Fnnd and to pay there
with PORTIONS Of the debt of the State, there
by stopping interest thereon. The expsota-
tions Of advantage from this statute have
been realized without any practicable detri-
ment to the business of the Treasury, and
by this means saving has Been made Of
the sum Of $37, ,43O.64, which would other-
wise have been paid as interest on the debt.
The plan is so nanifestly economical and
proper, that l recommend that it be made
permanent.
: The usual examinations Of the Treasury
have been made during the year; aDda spe-
cial examination under the statute was made
by. Hon. G. W. POtwin and the Secretary of
State in August; the funds belonging to the
State being found accurately to accord With
the balances shoEn'by the books of the Au-
dltor's aud Comptroller's uifise>. The re-
port OF The special commission will be found
among the papers transmitted herewith.
The last Legislature directed commission
to be appointed to revise the tax laws of the
State, and report what changes are necessary
10 systematic and make consistent the ex-
isting statutes relating to this important sub
iect Their examinations have disclosed
great many Inconsistencies and incoBgraous
provisions in our financial legislation, and
the result Of their lsborious Investigations
will be found in their rep0rt, which will be
before you. The necessity for their work is
made manifest by the exhibit of numerous
contradictions and anomalies which they
disclose, and the remedy will, as believe,
be best found in the adoption Of the bills
they recommend. a 9IrlEi fssst ,Hi
During the past season the proceeds of the
sales of the lands given to the State by the
Federal Government for the endowment of
an Agricultural and Mechanical College,
have all passed into the Treasury, and that
endowment Fund is now complete. 1t con-
sists of capital of $340,894.40, on which
nearly twenty thousand dollars of interest
have accrued within a few weeks. The dis
possl OF this fund has been vigorously dis
cussed at each session of the General Assem-
bly, for four years past, but no definite settle
ment has been made OF plan for its use.
The fact that the proceeds of the sales of
scrip had not been fully realized, has DO
doubt, had much influence in delaying final
action; but as the money is now in the Trea-
sury, The time seems to have come when its
use should be definitely determined. The
Executive messages, reports of commissions
and investigating board, laid before your
predecessors in Office, contain full discuss
ions of the various schemes for its applica-
tion, and the people of The State will look
to your wisdom to make the fund available
as soon as possible to The classes of our
youth and the industrial Interests it was in
tended to benefit. =a ts t@ et!f
The report ofslhe Commissioner of Com
mon Schools is again delayed by causes be-
yond his control, to which reference was
made in my last message. The need for a
revision Of The school laws, so as to en- force
more reliable and prompt returns of the
facts needed to base legislation upon, be-
comes more and more evident every year.
In my epinieu. the stability of our Govern
ment and the preservation of the liberties of |
the people depend more upon the efficiency
of our common school system, and the re-
suiting intelligence Of the rising generation,
than upon all things else Other interests
may be important, but this is is vital. n AS
a means of improving this efficiency would |
earnestly recommend two changes in the !
system: Is;-The establishment of County |
SUPPLEMENTARY and 2d-The distribu- |
ton Of the public money in proportion to
the number of pupils in actual attendance
at the schools. as-a 14p-
rhe former o.. these recommendations is
made 10 accordance with memorial of the i
leading teachers and educators of tho State,
and is based upon the acknowledged neces-
sity for bringing the stimulus OF competent
supervision closer home to our district
schools. The second is warranted by sound
reason and by The experience of those States
which have adopted the rule If energy on
the part of scheol officers and parents in pro-
curing constant. and regular attendance of
children a /. school, is rewarded by increasing
their share Of the public fund, The timulus
is found practically 10 be most powerful in