The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-02-02


to the company the interest. which
amounts to about $780,
President H. NJ Conner of the Central
of Georgia Railway Company appeared
before the board and made a statement
as to why the Central had resisted the
payment of the taxes under the bill. There
is a clause in the old Centrars charter
which provided that it should be taxed only
one-half of / per cent. on it's net income,
applicdb BILE of course, to that portion on
the main stem between Savannah and
Macon.
The Central supposed that was the only
tax it would have to pay, so when the
Glenn bill was passed and an effort made
to collect the taxes from it, it resisted
on the ground that it had charter rights
which exempted the property. The de-
cision from the supreme court of the
United States as to the liability of the
Central came after the reorganization of
the property.
President Conner said the Central had
made no provision for the payment of the
taxes, and. in fact, did not have the money
to do it. The payments might have to e
/ spread out over one or two years, he
stated.
President Conner told the commissioners
! he had made the same proposition to all
! the counties and municipalities through
/ which the road runs between Savannah
and Macon. All of the municipalities,
! with the exception of Savannah, have
| acted and have agreed to accept the prop
osition, taking the principal and relieving
! the company from the payment of the
] SH,t. .sA ton he, nj
would be submitted to the council of Sa-
vannah, and he hoped it would act as the
| other municipalities had done.
With regard to the counties, he said,
! Chatham, Efingham, Screven and Burke
! have not yet been heard from, Jefferson
county has declined the proposition, Will
! kinson county has accepted, Jones county
! has agreed to remit one-half of the in
| terest, Baldwin county has accepted, and
! Bib county has declined. President Co
mer said he hoped 20 have those counties
| which have declined reconsider the ques-
| tion, as the matter was one of great i'm
| portance to the road.
The total amount of the taxes to be paid
by the Central under the Glenn bill in
these counties and municipalities is $1l5,-
1854, and there is a large amount of in
| terest on this sum, as the taxes extend
| from 1890 to 1895, inclusive. The amount
| due in Chatham county is, according to
/
{ general, SIS 1854, and the amount of in
| terest due is "a, $3.50.
| "The amount is a pretty heavy one for
| a new concern" President Conner said
| land we felt, under the circumstances
we could ask the municipalities and coun-
ties to accept the principal without the
| interest If the commissioners can see
their way clear to consistently remit the
interest, we would feel greatly obliged"
| 1t was announced at this point that the
controller had made mistake in comput-
ing the taxes, and had made the rates for
some years too small, the total being
about eighty mills. This, it is said, all
! bring the total amount of taxes up to
/ something between $4,000 and $4,000, and
will also increase the interest to some eX-
tent.
President Conner said the company was
perfectly ready and willing to pay the
principal amount whatever it might be,
and only asked to be relieved from the
payment of the interest 1t was decided
then to refer the matter to the committee
! of the whole.
1--WE understand the question l think -
Chairman Dale said to President Conner
as he was leaving, I'VE know just Row
| poor you are, and the only question is,
how much of the milk of human kindness
we have
That's it," President Conner said, "and
in addition to that the fact that you are
getting $4,000 more than you expected to
get"
Eyes, and more than you expected to
give" retorted Chairman Dale.
That's correct, too" President Conner
said.
Chairman Dale then went on to explain
that the commissioners had made provjs-
ion for the expenditure of about $4,000
more than they had assessed for.
'Well, you are stll in by $1,000" Presi-
dent Conner said.
The proceedings which followed devel-
oped the fact that there was an absence
of that milk o. human kindness to which
Chairman Dale referred. The chairman
read a couple of letters from the control
Ter general in one of which he appeared
to advise the county to accept the propo-
sition made by the Central, and another
in which he said ne had left the matter
wholly in the hands of the county author
tiles without advising them on the cub
ject.
The commissioners had before them the
opinion of the county attorney, Mr.. j. r.
Saussy, who told the board that the mat
ter of remitting the interest on the taxes
was entirely discretionary with them, as
1t was a simple matter of compromising
a debt and they had a full right to do II
if they saw fit
'"The question is" Chairman Dale said
whether we snail make a present of
S4,26S75 to the Central Of Georgia railroad
company, or any part thereof, or shall we
require them to pay the money due into
the treasury Of the people?'
Commissioners Chaplin and Kehoe were
the only other members Of the board pres.
emit aud they both agreed with Chairman
Dale that the money should be paid in.
asmuch they said as all the other roads
in the state had had TO pay It, Tlereunon
the committee OF the whole made the fol.
lowing report, which was unanimously
| adopted:
"The board Of county commissioners can
find no authority TO authorize them ia
accept i'm satisfaction of the taxss duc
the county of Chatham by the Contra. ot
Georgia railroad any less amount thar
that fixed by the law, aud the~-ec,.s dc.
cline the proposition made by the presi.
dent of the company TO pay the pra1cipa1
of the taxes In settlement Of the whole
amount due"
IL may be that the Central railroad an.
thorites will make another attemrt "a
get the county to relieve the company OF
this interest. II appears to them TO be
hardship, especially in view OF the fact