The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1875-11-23
THE ANNUAL OUTLOOK
woRK Eon TIE LEGIsAATURE.
PLANS OF AUDITOR TAYLOR.
NEW SUBJECTS FOB TAXATION TO
81. -. BE SOUGHT: .'.s q.
REPORTS FROsI THREE GREAT. LITE.
iRARY INSTITUTIONs. ia


reports of the Boards OF Visitorsof the Deaf.
DHmb, and Blind Asylum, University OF
Virginfa, and Virginia Military Institute.
and also some OF the, Views which viii be ex.
pressed ID the forthcoming report OF the
Auditor of Public Accounts. sThs, Auditor
discusses the Gnanciai condition Of the State,
and fss ssppgehensiye, that theeSssessmens OF
lands now going on will result in q
large reduction Of taxable values,
and render it Impossible TO carry ON
the State Government and par four per cent.
interest. unless the deficiency is msde up
from Some new quarter. He suggests that q
tax be placed upen the consumption OF
spirituous liquors. % The condition Of the
Deaf, Dumb, and Blind. Asylum appears to
be good. Its work. is indeed noble one.
The University, though it has had much to
struggle against, is gradually developing Its
strength, and becoming better and better able
to fulfil its high part as an educational insti.
tuition. The Board appeal to the State for fur
thsr help. The Virginia Military Institute, re.
built and refurnished at great cost, mainly
through the efforts of its superintendent
finds itself in some finarcial difficulties too
and asks the aid OF the Legislature. all ,oi
these institutions show in detail what they
accomplished during the past fiscal year;
how the appropriations granted them were
expended, and what their necessities de.
mand for the new fiscal year, which com.
menced on the -1st of November.
The Auditors Report.
Auditor Taylor has been for some time
engaged in preparing his report. It. will
however, not be ready before ue1tweek.
1Therep0rt, it is understood, advises that
additional compensation be given county
treasurers, as the duties imposed upon them
have been largely increased. Some of the
best of the officers refuse to qualify again
from this cause and only yielded their deter.
mination upon the earnest solicitation Of the
Auditor. .xas-r .te.a
The criminal charges are said to be greatly
in excess Of those of last yeer-a little over
500 900. The Auditor thinks that as long as
these charges are required to be paid out o!
the State Treasury they will continue to. be
very large !; but ii they were dsfrayed by
counties and corporations in which they are
incurred they would be materially decreased.
:. The returns of the assessors under the re.
assessment act have not been made to the
Auditors office in time for his report. He
has, however, expressed himself as appre.
heIsive that the reduction in values will be
so great as to affect the revenue of another
year. He says that calculations show that
the present rate of tax upon the present
values of land aud property will not be suf.
icient. even with the revenues to be derived
from licenses, to defray the necessary ex.
penses of Government and pay four per
centum interest on the public debt. Still
less will it be sufficient when the revaluation
of land is completed edand constitutes the basis
of taxation for the coming year. This alter
native is then presented: either the rate of
tax must be increased or other subjects must
be ascertained the tax on which will yield
the amount of revenue needed.
A new plan suggested is to tax the con-
sumption Of liquors in this State. He esti-
mates the annual consumption of alcoholic
spirits in the State of Virginia at about two
million FIVE hundred thousand gallons. A
tax Of thirty cents gallon on this amount
he believes would be moderate, and would
bring into the Treasury an income of about
six hundred thousand dollars annually. he
is Of opinion that the experiment might at
least be tried. .>@
While his annual report has not yet been
placed in the hands Of the printer, Auditor
Taylor does not hesitate to give his views on
tie subjects indicated therein. The idea of
tax upon the consumption OF liquor is not
original with him, but has been before the
Legislature on previous occasion.
Deaf, Dumb, and Blind.
The Board of Visitors of the Deaf, Dumb,
and Blind Asylum transmit the report of the
superintendent to the Governor with only
a few remarks Of their own. The Superin.
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