The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-11-25
ANNUAL SETTLEMENTS.

NNSuStbUlS
shortage of accounts Of treasurers; and in one coun-
" OUniOn) entertainments 81 the school funds were
discovered. This case has been turned over to the
courts rs required by law for strict investigation ana
action. The errors detected have 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 I!9l2l6, aud school ana
poll So, S92.1S, q total OF SS,i65,29: and in Sumter
county $6l7,49 from State taxes, $50. SO frou, c9un,
tv taxes, and from school and poll S2G2.94, o total oil
$685.. 81 and in Union counay $4l5,3O from State
taxes, making q total of S9,6OS,9l due these respec-
live funds from the three counties named.
The balance from union county grows out OF the
county treasurer presenting receipt as d voucher
which properly belonged to aud had been allowed
in the settlement for lSSS-S9.
Information comes to me that county treasurers
in some cuses deposit county and school funds
in bank and receive thereof IL 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.
AcuANGE SUGGESTED.
The irregularities that have been thus revealed
suggest to my mind that some changes should DE
made In our system of county collections and dis
barsements, and while it may have objectionable
features ! nm now of the opinion that one dis
bursting officer for the State would remedy the eX-
listing difficulties and Irregularities.
A Slight increase Of the force (clericai) in the office
of comptroller general would enable the work TO
be done and neal ~ every county in the State hav-
ing State repositories in them the general public
would not be- Inconvenience nor additional expenses
he incurred by such a system of county and school
disbursements. ,
other institutions OF the State under the law collect
and disburse money. The ~adjutant and inspector
general disburs-s the money appropriated for the
ina litia when he is not Il 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 payment Of taxes with
out penalty and not inferred with except IN eX-
eases.
the expenses aud time necessary to send the comp
trollcr general to the thirty five counties in the
State and make his oversight continuous or daily In
stead uf rs now only at the annual settlements.
There is also al old balance due in Kershaw Coun-
ty. coming over, however, from a compromise VI
there in the settlement for the preceding
year. The grand Jury of this county has taken the
In hand under order OF court anu o speedy au-
is hoped for.
INSURANCE DEPARTMENT.
beg to call your attention to the fact that the
revenues from this source are far less than the same
source in other States coming under our OBSERVATION.
The laws OF this State now require an animal license
fee OF $50, which amounted this year TO So,So.
Also. each company doing business III the State Is
required by law TO return gross premiums" for tax
alton. from which source the State received taxes on
about S55O,DOO. This year the return uf premiums
amount to near 500, UO.
The three largest life insurance companies doing
business in this State paid into the treasury OF Geor-
cia, us reported by the comptroller general OF that
State, near $4,000, into the treasury 0f South Gar
DINA, as fur us the fucts have been aSeerlalheo, Glow
The gross receipts have not been returned regular
" by any class Of companies doing business IN the
State except fire INSURANCE companies, and these nave
largely returned only gross receipts sent by agents
to the home office, and thus o large amount escapes
taxation. There is another class of companies which
slip into the State without complying with It's laws
in any way and do more or less business.
The law should be made more stringent along this
line, with q view to prohibiting sucn business. AS
IL now stands the law affords no adequate protection
to the assured in cases Of losses where contested and
judgments obtained, as IN many cases no property
Is owned in this state sujcct to the process o1 law
now is for the comptroller general to revoke the
license of such companies, which prohibit further
lawful business, but does not nflOru relief 70 Inc
citizen of the State who took risks with such com-
panies.
the State, in South Carolina bonds, made with the
State Treasurer. would remedy this difficulty, but
should not be SO large rs to BIZ ut all burdensome TO
he insurance companies.
other difficulty with wild cat companies, by prevent
iuc their entering the State Ut all, and imposing upon
her citizens as now Is sometimes done.
All companies admitted into South Carolina should
be charged at least the same fees and charges that o
south Carolina company would, by the State lncor-
purating such company to 10 business In such state
or county. In other words the comptroller general
or insurance commissioner should be given authority
to grade the charges against u company by those
made by the cumpany's own State 50 Us To make our
insurance law reciprocal rs between the State Ut Of
other counties.
OF insurance commissioner, but, with his present
experience, inclines to the opinion that an insurance
department, either separate o~rsublect 10 the cohtr0l
of the Comptroller General, would be Il matter OF
--... - H.. tat n nparl Cunrns1 hy nw
with efficient management, would increase the rev.
enues to the State prOportionately to that Of other
states from this source.
Ii the idea advanced under
another head should prevail, then there would be need
of O subexHiriner, and the insurance commissioner
could be gwen such authority IS this interest may
require. Then q large number Of interests and bus
mess in, and seeking tU come into this State, that
now pay nothing or comparatively nothing, under our
laws, for the support Of the government. .
Building aud loan associations, foreign land and
loan associations cannot be reached advantagously
except by some system OF license, and should be
classed with insurance companies and made to con-
tribute their portion of taxes toward the support OF
the government whose protection they enjoy.
There is also u large interest that now comes under
the law known US that affecting hawkers und peddlers,
which should be placed under the same condition
Of law and made TO do their duty as to taxation.
In concluding this subject, the law should be SO
amended that any ind every class OF business IN, or
seeking to enter the State, can be reached and made
TO pay u tribute to the government whose citizens the
business seek to make money out OF or investments
among, This cannot be done except by some system
Of business which will i"rce payment therof In ad'
vance, us many are ephcmeral III character and vanish
from search or sight before the tax collector cali get
around.
Let every interest, individual and business be forced
to pay u just, fair and equitable percentage OF the ex.
penses Necessary to guarantee protection " such
interest, individual Ur business by the govern.
mrnt under whose jurisdiction the individual may
live or the interest may lie or business DO done.
TAXABLE PROPERTY.
The total taxable property of the State for the fsica'
year ending 3ist October 1871, is Sl6S, 242, 6I9, against
ST. ,6iO,2lS over last year. About 81 per cent. U
this increase is due to the increased assessments upon
railroads, banks and other corporate property in the
State.
Some complaints have been made US to this special
class of increased assessments but II is not belle we'd
nor has il been shown that these assessments
are above the true value in money Of the property
assessed.
No complaints have reached this Office from the
increases on other classes Of personal property. 1t
is known that the increase comes almost entirely
from taxable property other than real estate.
This Legislature, in my Judgement should order
q re~assessment of real estate in South Carolina. as IL
Is known that the average assessment upon this class
of taxable property is not much above 81 per cent
Of its real money value, which difficulty can now be
remcdied only by the authority OF law coming
through the action Of the Legislature.
There arc, Us | have good reasons to believe, mill.
ions of dollars OF other taxable property in this State
not now upon the tax books, nor con it be fairly reach,
ed by the present laws promptly and efficiently.
The fact that q large amount OF property escapes
taxation altogether and that values are placed 50 low
upon other property makes the burden upon that
class of property, honestly returned and assessed
unbcarable and vicious, and hence largely the caust
for the complaints against high taxation from that
class Of taxpayers.
With the re-assessment of real estate let the legis
lature also provide u systen-a law that wIlI.reach any
and every class of taxable property in the State
every class and and Kind be reached and placed up"r
onr tac hooks.