The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1892-10-05
rSpecial TO News and Courier.

SpSClal 10 NEWS duu COul1Sl. -
COLUMBIA, September 29.-Just at
this time last year the matter of assess
mentor taxation Of the personal pro-
perty in the State>was exciting wide
spread interest owing to the greatly in
creased assessments brought about by
the efforts of Comptroller General
Ellerbe, and much more property than
had ever been known before was placed
on the State tax books, even the "sole
back" mules coming in. It was quite q
revolution that Comptroller Ellerbe
claimed to have effected in the tax
machinery of the State, and be pro-
missed as soon as the Legislature met to
do much greater things. But the Legis-
lature did not respond to any extent
and the Courts decided against him in
test cases brought up.
So. far this year it has been impossible
to secure any definite Information in
regard to the returns of property for
taxation, although the auditors have
sent in most Of their blanks and the
sheet is practically complete. Rut it
now appears that this years sheet will
show that the returns of property as
compared with last years returns will
show considerable decrease.
Chief Clerk Norton, of the Comp
troller's Office, was seen to-day about
the matter. He said that there would
be no;increase this year in. the amount
of property returned, but that there
would be a considerable deficiency.
The returns on the stsore back" mules
would hold their own. He cannot say
how large decrease there will be this
year in the total figures, but it will be
considerable. He says this is due to
various causes.
In the first place the decisions of the
State Supreme Court in the test cases
have prevented the auditors from rals-
ing property under Section 2S9 of the
General Statutes, and there has been
a great deal of evasion uuder these de-
cisions. IL fact, they have been hiding
their property behind these decisions
extensively.
Another cause of the decrease Will be
the omission of assessments on the side
tracks of the railroads of the State.
Last year this class of property was
assessed and came in the total. This
wear all such assessments have been
abated and will not be counted at all.
Another important cause is that
under recent Act Of Congress foreign
land associations are exempt from
charges for State taxes, and their pro-
perty can no longer be placed on the
tax books and assessed. This is due to
the fact that bonds held by non-resi-
dents cannot be taxed except in the
place where their holders reside.
The Comptroller has been longing
for the four years period for the reas-
sessment of real property in the State
to arrive so that the State board of
equalization could meet and reassess
this class of property, as it claims, on
par with all other property. But
when the dates, etc, in regard to this
were looked up to-day it was found that
the State board netin July8, 1890, and
as the Act makes it impossible to reas-
sess under every four years and not
only every FIVE, it will be JEly, 1884,
before any change can be made. The
signal failure Of the efforts of the
Comptroller to have reassessment Or
dered by the lastLegislature has already
cen mentioned very fully.
Such is the situation at present as far
as the tax department of the State
Government Of South Carolina is con-
cerned. ~