The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1891-11-25
A COMMISSIONER oF INSURANCE.
Annual Report CT Comptroller General
Enerbe-The States Ides Regarding
~ Honest Assessments Embodied
QA Shortages

e The annual report to the Legislature
Of Comptroller General W. II. Ellerbe,
made public Tuesday, is document
of especial interest to every taxpayer
in the commonwealth. The paper IS
exhaustive, and contains statements
and suggestions of more than ordinary
significance. Other interests attaches
II the paper inasmuch as the depart
ment represented is one Of the main
arteries in the economy of the admins
tration. The salient features Of the re-
port follows:
ANNUAL SETTLEMENTS.
AS required by law, I have person
ally attended to and made the annual
settlements in each county, except IN
few counties where l secured the SER
vices Of competent agent to make
such settlement for me.
These settlements in many respects,
in several OF the counties, have not
proved satisfactory. Numerous errors
were detected and in some cases mex
cusable irregularities were found, and
in others q shortage of accounts OF
treasurers; and in one county (Unlon)
e1nbezzlements of the school funds
were discovered. This case has been
turned over to the courts as required
by law for strict investigation and ac-
ton. The errors detected bave been
corrected, and all monies placed IN the
public treasury, except in Charleston,
where there is due from State taxes
s4s0.35, from county taxes S4,9l2.76
and school and poll S2,S02.1S, total OF
SIS, 1875. %; and in Sumter county S6l1,49
from State taxes, $3G.S9 from county
taxes, and from school and poll 1852 2.94,
total of S99S. S.32; and in Union county
$3.50 from State taxes, making a
total of S9,60S9l due these respective
funds from the three counties named.
The balance from Union county
grows oct of the county treasurer pre-
senting receipt as voucher which
properly belonged to and had been al
lowed in the settlement for lSSS-S9.
Information COMES to me that county
treasurers in some cases deposit county
and school funds in bank and receive
therefor small rate Of interest on such
deposit, and often parties holding
claims against these funds are told that
no money is on hand to pay them.
A CHANGE SUGGESTED.
The Irregularities that have been thus
revealed suggest to my mind that some
changes should be made in our system
of county collections and disburse-
ments, aud while it may have objec-
tionable features I AM now of the
opinion that one disbursing officer for
the State would remedy the existing
difficulties and irregularities.
A slight increase of the force (cleri-
cal) in the office OF the comptroller gen
eral would enable the work to be done,
and nearly every county in the State
having State repositories in them the
general public would not be inconve-
nienced nor additional expenses be in
Cured by such system of county and
school disbursements.
hepenitentiary, Sinking Fund COM
mission and other institutions OF the
State under the law collect and dis
burse money. The adjutant and in
spector general disburses the money
appropriated for the support of the
militia when he is not bonded officer.
The habit of extending the time for the
payment of taxes operates injuriously |
upon the annual settlements required
by law. The time should be fixed at
about the first of January for the pay
ment of taxes without penalty and not |
interfered with except in ordinary |
cases.
The system of one disbursing office
void save the expenses and time
necessary to send the comptroller gen.
eral to the thirty-fve counties in the
State and make bis oversight continu-
Gus or daily instead of as now only at
the annual settlements.
INSURANCE DEPARTMENT.
I beg to call your attention to the
fact shat the revenues from this source
are far less than from the same source
in other States coming under our OBJ
servation. The laws of this State now
require an annual license fee of $50,
which amounted this year to $3.50.
Also, each company doing business in
the State is required by law to return
"gross premiums" for taxation, from
which source the State received taxes
on about S150,0OO. This year the re-
turn of premiums amount to near
ST5O,000.
The three largest life insurance COM
panies doing business in this State
paid into the treasury of Georgia, as
by the comptroller general of
that State, near $4,000, and into the
treasury of South Carolina, as far as
the facts have been ascertained, $3.50.
The gross receipts have not been re-
turned regularly by any class OF com
panies doing business in the State eX-
cept fire insurance companies, and .
these have largely returned only the
gross receipts sent by agents to the :
home office, and thus a large amount
escapes taxation. There is another |
class Of companies which slip into t'ae
State without complying with its laws
in any way and do more or less busl-
ness. -. -..
The law should be made more strln-
gent along this line, with view to
Drohii,ifiou c,-oh busiposS s If now |