Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1875-01-23

give the condition Of the Treasury for
the fiscal year ending September 80,
1874, % follows: So. 49, 49,.
Balance in the Treasury,
October l ,1S73, - = $243, 596 81
Receipts from all sources
during the year, SO - 695,95l IA
,@sI ~ - J.. RI. 49,
Total amount in Treas .r--'
during the year, - - $685., 47 SO
Amount disbnrsed for -
allpurposes during the
year. $780,, 1S3 IS
Amount Of error in 1871,
corrected this year, 81
------------ 1857 1888 81
Balance in the Treasury
October /, 1874. 81 $2S2 1864 II
This balance in the general Treasury
is made up of the following distinct
funds
Balance of general School
! Fund, 1921, go "a
! Balance of School Fund 22,SS2 81
Balance of Fund for, gem
eral purposes 80 D,6O3 10
Balance of Building fund 1852 81
Making total balance in
the Treasury, Oct; l,
1874 as above -. $2S2 1854 II
In the balance of $50, 603.93, appli-
cable TO general purposes, is included
the sum of SlS47O, borrowed for the
use of the State, and not yet paid. L
recommend that an appropriation be
made to pay this sum with interest due
thereon. The foregoing statement
shows the healthy condition OF our fl
nances; all the demands upon the
: Treasury have been met, and a substan-
tial balance left to carry over to the
present fiscal year. The last Legisla-
ture failed to impose the tive-eents tax,
heretofore known as the hospital, or
building tax, and consequently the rev.
enue for the present year will be con-
sideraby reduced. L estimate this
reduction at 100000 i'll round numbers,
consequently the appropriations for this
fiscal year must necessarily be less than
heretofore, for even if it should be your
pleasure 10 restore this tax, it can only
avail for the next fiscal year. This is
greatly to be regretted, tor at least two
of the public institutions need liberal
appropriations for construction Pur-
poses. l recommend that this building
tax be renewed for one year.
The law regulating the public de-
posts needs revision And amendment;
it is a system of patchwork made up
of the provisions of the Code, the Acts
of 1870, 1871 and 1928. Without
referring specifically to the several acts,
it is sufficient to say that under the pre-
sent law, the deposits can only be made
with the bank or banker'tlat has given
security and agreed to pay at least four
per centum interest, that the deposit
shall not exceed the amount of the
security, and.that the money collected
in any senatorial district shall be de-
posted in some one of the designated
repositories situated therein, and the
deposit of funds shall be as nearly
equal in each senatorial district as prac-
ticable. Several difficult questions arise
in the execution of this law. In two of
the senatorial districts there are no
designated repositories. in two and per-
haps three of the other districts the
amount of security rendered by the de-
positories does not equal the amount of
revenue collected in the district. What
is to be done with these cases? No
provision exists in the law for these
contingencies. These causes also for
bid equality in the deposits in the sew
eral districts. But there arc other rea-
sons why it is difficult to preserve this
equality. No practical means are pro-
vided for making or keeping up the
equality of deposits in the districts.
The Board of Public Works designates
the repositories, but can transfer funds
from one to another only in case Of in
sufficient security, aud no officer is
authorized to make transfer. Again,
the deposits are made directly by the
sherlffs or other persons indebted to
the State, or the money is paid to the
Auditor and by him deposited, while
on the other hand tRe.money is checked
out by the Treasurersi as.leng as the
ultimate authority 1oracOntrol over the
public funds is so'ihach. divided up,
there is little hope, 81, maintaining an
equal distribution among the districts.
An examination of the Tressurers Re
port. will show that great inequality
still exists. The policy .adopted by the
last Legislature Of .eqaaiizing the de-
posts among the several districts is
eminently just but to preserve it and
make it effective theI power must be
lodged in some officer or board to regu-
late or control the deposits and checks,
and make transfers offpnds when neces-
sary to do so to attain the end desired.
In former messages" Icalled atten-
ton to the practice of making appro-
priations which expire some months
before the assembling of the succeed.
ing legislature. The last Legislature,
for example, in making appropriations
provided that all money appropriated
to be used within said fiscal year, and
not drawn within the period OF the said
fiscal years, ending respectively on the
thirtieth day of September, 1873, and
on the thirtieth day of September, 1874,
should not thereafter be drawn with
out authority of laws" and that no
0money. Shall be drawnfron the treas
ury beyond the appropriations hereby
made lnless the same il authorized by
the constitution or by some general law
not provided for lin this act" The last
clause of the act justauotet in some
what ambiguous. understand it to