The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1897-01-05

no time for further dc,ays, especially |
as the law fixed stitne for the paying |
out OF the money, and thers was inn
patience among those emitted to the
money.
These Irregularities will, ia time,
adjust themselves, and the local boarda
may be expected to be more prompt,
but it should be remembered when
there Is any complaint that the fault
was not at this end OF the line. With
the pension applications that were APP
proved, In what Is known as class c.,
each Of the pensioners received S19.40
This Ia little enough, but Mr.. Norton
In speaking about the matter to-day
said that next year, with the applica-
tions that were not properly prepared
and the new ones that would come in,
he would not be surprised to see the
amount of each soldiers pension in
this class reduced to $40. Now the
question the General Assembly will
have to decide is whether 1t wants to
give $40 to the many or more to those
who are more In need.
MI. Norton, who has had consider
able experience in the matter OF pen
sions, and who is himself an old soldier,
says hat he will make two, or three
recommendations to the General AS
sembly that he hopes will be carried
out. In the%first place, he says the
pension and tax departments should
be entirely divorced, The one depart
ment should have absolutely nothing
to do with the other, and with this
view he will recommend that the coun-
ty treasurer and county auditors be
taken of the pension board5, as the
present plan, in hi. opinion, will in
jure either the pension or the tax de-
torfpnant NJ xhi~lr, <Lok fla ,ooffa,,
of pensions should be first referred to
the township board OF assessors, and
that the township assessors should in
turn report to a central board al the
county scat, and that this board should
report to theState board. He thinks that
such q plan would work more satisfac-
torily than at present. He also wants
to see pension work turned over to the
office of the Adjutant and Inspector
General, and have all the papers ex-
amined and made up there, while the
w%arrnts can continue to come through
the Comptroller Generals Office.
Mr. Norton also thinks that it is very
necessarily hat there should be some
expert accountant and tax man con
nected with this office. Such a man,
he thinks, has been needed for some
time. He cited an instance in Edge.
field where one grand jury wanted the
books examined, and n subsequent
grand jury did not care to employ ar
expert accountant to do the work. A
good deal OF trouble with the tax de-
partment in the various counties is or
account of the infamiliarity Of the
officers with the books and methods,
and a good nan could easily straighten
out things and get the tax machinery
back in the right groove. He says
there is nothing wrong with the taX
machinery, but that sometimes it il
not properly carried out, and then the
trouble arises. With such an expert
as he would like to have attached to
the Comptroller's Office he thinks q
great deal Of good can be done, and
there would he general satisfaction
with the innovation as soon as 1t was
tried. Now, whenever any such work
has to be done, experts have to be en-
ployed at large salaries, INC often the
counties decline to meet the expense
and necessary work is not done, where
as If the State had such q man regular.
ly connected with the tax department
1T would be his duty to correct all the
bad bookkeeping that may occur in
the tax department in any part Of the
State.
Talking about tax matters Mr.. Nor,
ton said that he proposed recommend
ing to the General Assembly that the
law be so amended that ali school
claims should pass through the hands
of the county superintendent OF schools,
or III this Is not dono, that the county
school officer be given a report of al
money spent on account Of schools
He says that it is very important tina,
the school superintendent be advised
OF all school expenditures, so as tC
know how to make up his report and
settlement sheet. 1t would, he thinks,
be as well IL all claims be approved by
the county school officer, 80 as to unity
the system throughout the State in al
Of the departments.