South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1873-11-07

Received from all sources during
the year, 67asse e5
.o'Ai subject to draft, $685. Al 81
Amount expended during tho year
for all purposes, ~ ~ 7l95 45 Is
Leaving total balance in the ;ress-
ury, Oct |, 1873, $685. So
This balance ia made up Of tho following
distinct funds: ~ ~
Balance Of General School Fund, S234sas So
Hospi,al 4 i's55 So So
a. Fund FOR gent purposes, 3,50a 80
Total balance, Oct. , 1873, as above S243 500 So
IL will be seen that on ne lst day of o.
tober, tho beginning of the fiscal year, there
remained In the treasury but SO 500 90
subject to draft for general Safe purposes
As none of the taxes for this fiscal year are
required to be paid ia before Jan. 30, mex
the amount Of revenue coming ia during the
present quarter will necessarily be small.
aud probably inadequate 10 meet the de.
mands on the treasury. This il not a new
condition OF things; it has frequently ex.
listed before, but heretofore when 1t hap
peued that the fund provided for general
purposes was exhausted, it was the custom
TO use temporarily the General School Fund
until sufficient revenue should cpme in -
But changes 10 the Constitution and laws
have put aa end to this custom.
The General School Fund is now paya.
bic, oue-balf October ID. and tho remain
ing January ID, in each yenr-that is the
whole of this fund is distributed b, fore J,
nuary ~, when the revenue begins to cuue
10 therefore even If there were no other
difficulties 10 the way, this fuDd could not
be safely taken OF used for any other pur-
pose during this quarter. The S.honl law
(chspter l23, See. 60 of Acis 1928 J
however provides that "tbc G neral School,
Fund she'll be annually applied TO the SUP.
port OF schools throughout ihe State, and
TO no other purpose whatever" This pro-
vision of law is 10 accordance with section
., article 10, Of the Constitution, which
contains the following clause, "nor shal a.
ny money or fund be taken for any other
pur pose than that for which it has been or
may be provided"
The Attorney General was requested by
the Acting Auditor TO give his opinion as
10 whether under the clause in thc Consti
tuition just quoted, the general school fund
could be drawn upon for general purposes.
tie held that it could not be done. And
fully concur with him in that opinion. The
result may be that there will not be snfTi
clent available funds in the treasury either
% meet the ordinary expenses Of the Safe
or the expenses OF the l." gislature. But
this IL not the only difficulty The de-
maDds on the treasury during The FIRST omar
ter OF the year are necessarily increased
| owing 10 the fact that approximations were
made for the year ending S .p'emher 30
/ 1878, aud Plso the year endiug S,p,em.
/ her 30. 1871. While This was rivbt ana
I proper, yet the eff-ct j. 10 make an uuusual
/ strain W our resources al time when
they can least sustain It. Now, il il possible
/ 20 draw uppa he appropriations f,r the pre-.
/ sent year. three months before the revenue
Of the year is required IN be paid in. In
! fact one of the INSTITUTIONS of the State ha,
already commenced to draw largely on il,
| appropriation, aud there il nothing 10 pre-.
vent others from doing the same thing -
/ Under fhis system IL isspparent ihat unles.
/ there il sufficient revenue left at the close
/ ct che fiscal year 70 meet in a large measure
the waa's Of Tho fret quarter in tic uext
year, there must always be deficiency -
+ This Is not nev question csllad nlten.
/ lion 10 The 'uij"ct in my frst annual mes.
sage and IN ny last annual message, antic'-
psiing some of these difficulties I refer.
rcd 20 them with The view To such lepisla.
ton os would prevent this occurrence. -
/ Practically for some time past we have in
each year been anticipating the revenue al
The succeeding year; that is the sppropri.
atoms q one year bad to be paid in Ear
cur 81 he revenue ~ the year following IL.
! The remedy i simple. 1.-THE appropriation,
for this year sro so restricted ~ not ONLY n
meet the general expenses for The year but
slso 10 leave a sufficient balance ~ meet or.
binary expenses tor The first quarter in ~,
next year, re- will be no further trouble
/ For The h.csl year ending September 80
. 1871, there was a dc6oit of S56 400 81
for The year ending Sep,erlbcr 30, 1S72
there wssa surplus Of $40 27l 81, and fl
the year 1873, surp'us Of s., 500 20
Let this surplus be 50 increased At The clos,
Of this fiscal year that il will meet the re-
/ quirenents Of the treasury until the reve
nue. of tho next year is paid 10, and iber,
will be 20 further jar or embarrassment il
our fusncisl sysem.
ELECTION or APPOINTMENT or SHERIFF!
TO FILL VACANCIES.
Since your adjournment in April, III,
sheriff u one ~ tbs counties died OUipr