The Brookhaven leader., 1890-01-30
THE AUDITORS REPORT.
What he has to Say About State
Taxes, The New Assessment
Law, Incompetent Assess
ors and Boards of
Supervisors.

We take the following interesting
extract from Auditor Stones biennial
report just published:
1t will be observed by reference to
proper tables, that the assessed val
ues. real aud personal, in 1888, were
1888, 1867 in 1889, were $l5S,OOO,-
600 i'm round numbers. The Real Roll
of Marion county not received.
Yielding. in 1893. .......... Si33, 2o5.1
! And yielding in 1889. ......... 533, O9o.5 81
! All receipts from this source in 1888
mn to 1st October were under the old
! levy of 9! mills, while the total of
| 1889 were under the four mills
levy.
Collected in 1888 from Privi-
leges. Observation-Disclosures. Sl94, 0U0.c"
| Collected in lSs9 from Privi-
leges. ..................... Zz',a'o'oo
to Retail. ................. 100, 3O7 81
to Retail. ................... 152, 500 90
chases and revenue. 27,151.74
Collected in 1889 from land
purchases and Tevenue...... 6,223.Sl
Collected in 1888 from ChIcka-
saw school L'd........... 6,334.32
! Collected in 1899 from Chcka-
saw school L'd............. 6,47e.46
Collected in 15SS from Il. Il.
Observation-Disclosures 39, S25 -
Collected in 1899 from X. Il.
Observation-Disclosures. 151 ,5O6.62
The collections in 1888 from all
sources exceed the disburse-
Observation-Disclosures. 23,179.46
Those in 1889 exceed dlSDurSe-
meuts to the amount off,. 25O, 40. Al
The foregoing constitute the sources
of revenue provided by law. There
are others, however, which will be
noted, but are mainly incidental. 1t
will be observed that there was paid
into the Treasury on Occount of =
and 3 per cent. fund in 1888 the sum
of 500 ,42206. This was the accumu-
lation in L. S. Treasury of the
States dividend or share of all L. S.
land sales in Mississippi for a num-
Der of years preceding, and secured
by your Exccllency. AS directed by
the Legislature, this, with former
collections from the same source,
amounting to $7S,42905 in the ag-
gregate, was distributed TO the va
rions counties through Presidents OF
of Boards of Supervisors for school
house purposes.
The last Legislature passed II new
law i'll relation to assessment of real
ity. This law has been of great ben
eft generally, and only needs few
changes in unimportant features
to render it more practical in eXecu-
ton, and ! have no hesitancy in stat
ing that, in the hands of competent
assessors, it will prove n success and
demonstrate its own utility in equal
izing assessments throughout the
State. | must be pardOned for say
ing, that many of the rolls of counties
demonstrate the fact the assessment
of property is in the hands of men
grossly incompetent.
The inspection of rolls by legisla-
tors is invited, and respectfully urg-
ed. find that great jealousy exists
over this matter of assessment be.
tween counties, and the law seems
purposely ignored; hence, | beg tC
suggest, that to equalize assessments
in a manner at all fairly and just, il
my judgment, State Board of Equal
izers will have to be created, will
power to traverse the rolls, note al
failures to comply with the law il
making rolls, and return the same fol
correction and changes when needed
Too little attention is manifestly
paid by boards of supervisors to this
matter, in passing upon rolls for tina
acceptance. The rolls themselves
evidence gross neglect or unpardon
able ignorance of the requirements o.
law on the part of boards of supervis
ors. In fact, so much can be said ant
so many are the evils that underlit
this, the groundwork of our revenue
system, that would suggest the rails
ing of committee to devise and re
port some remedy.
Assessors are really hard worked
and poorly paid. Hence but few
really capable are willing to take tn,
Office. Better pay should be provided
and better qualified officer demand
ed, even though test of competency
were required. The Office is one tina
the average electOr seems to thinl
can be filed by any "clerer, poor ant
needy citizen" No greater mistake
, can be made. Upon his work depends
40 per cent. of our revenue, and on
of it grows largely the just complain
of unequal taxation. If possible, dc
away with the incompetent assessors
An Interstate Farmers ana
Fruit Growers Convention