The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1897-12-02
G0H.OTERRALL'S .AESSHGE
To- HELEGISLATURE
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| JAMS OF the cities and the counties i'm.
medtately around the cities The aver.
age cost OF maintaining convlcts In the
penltentiary Is fifteen cents per day
and this includes clothing and the pay
OF guards. The expenses of supporting
prisoners In jail constitutes large an.
nuai charge on our treasury. He re.
commend thatAthis matter be carefully
considered. with view Of reducing this
item OF expenditure. IL II can be proper
ly done.
static EXPENSES.
On the first day OF January. 1902. we
VIII pass from a two to a three per cent.
Interest rate on part of our public debt,
which Will add $4,000 to- our present
Interest Obligation.
The expenditures of the State now ore
equal to her revenues We must pre-
serve the credit and honor of the Com
monwealth, and be prepared to meet
promptly our contract with our cred
itors four years hence. We must econ
omize as far as possible, cut down our
expenses wherever it can be done with
proper regard to the administration Of
the law and the imperative demands of
the State. The General Assembly at its
last session made some advance in the
reduction Of criminal charges, and by
virtue of lts legislation there was a saw
Ing of S65,00Q during the fiscal year OF
1862. He recommends the appoint
ment ola special joint committee to look
into the various items constituting the
annual charges on the treasury, and to
suggest means for increasing the rev.
enues, 60 that you may have in succint
form such information as may enable
you to determine deliberately wherein
there may be savings, as well as addi-
tons to our revenues
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
-FERTTLIZER TAX.
From the report of the Commissioner
of Agriculture the total realized last
year from the. fertilizer tax was only
$500, which was even less than in the
year 1S95-'9G. yet the sales In the State
reached 19S79S tons.
The Commissioner calls attention to
the handsome revenue the State of
North Carolina receives from the same
source. and gives the following strik-
ing figures:
1s92-Tons sold, 1oi,17S-tax collected,
$26,O44
1S93-Tons sold 145, 466-tax collected.
1886
ls94-Tons sold. s1,245-tax collected,
2,S1O
1895 Tons sold. III .2os-tax collected,
s2S. 552
ls96-Tons sold, 1s7,249-tax collected,
s46,S57
1887 40 months)-Tons sold, 21s,o55-
tax collected, s50,794.
1t will be seen that North Carolina.
under tonnage tax of 25 cents re-
ceived on 2lS,055 tons. the sum of $780,
T9i. while Virginia, under her system,
on 1888 tons, received the insignin-
cant sum of $4,000.
The farmers of Virginia pay as much
Tor fertilizers per ton and buy nearly
as much as the farmers OF North Caro-
lima, yet that State collects from the
manufacturers five times as much tax
as Virginia. Tha' is n loss to Virginia
ana no gain to the farmers. In fact,
this State realizes less revenue for the
quantity of fertilizers sold within her
borders than any other State in the
Union. He recommends an amendment
or the act regarding the sale of fertil-
:Zers, approved March Sth, 1884, so as
TO impose tonnage tax upon all sales
made In the State, and requiring every
package to have n tax tag appended
thereto before the same is delivered to
the purchaser.
THE OYSTER LAWS.
The Governor deals very fully with
the oyster question:, and The Virginian
presents in full his views on the sub
ject.
Virginia's wealth, he asserts In her
waters can hardly be overestlmaed She
has 2ol.2l6.3 acres OF natural oyster
beds, rocks and shoals, and 400, 900
acres of planting ground. and from this
immense area she has received as reve-
rue for the years 1894. 1895, 1896 and 1897
The infinitesimal sum of Sl31. G30.SS
(Which was more than in any previous
four years., and the expense of main
tanning the police vessels and executing
the law amounted to $1l6.SS5. 10, leaving
net balance Of oclly $l4.745.2S. In
1867 the receipts from the oyster tax
were S29,9S5.20; expenditures. s31 .693 a.
That there is something radically
wrong in system of taxation from
which the State derives so little reve-
nue. from such immense wealth every
reasonable man must admit. when he
considers the multitude of people who
ire engaged every season in catching
and selling oysters. and conducting
lucrative business therefrom.
What, then, is the trouble? 7 will
endeavor TO point out the difficulties in
the way.
Constitutional Provision.-Article X,
Section 2, of our Constitution declares
that mo tax shall be imposed on any
Of the citizens of this State for the
privilege of taking or catching oysters
from their natural beds with tongs in
the waters thereof. but the amount Of
sales Of oysters so taken by any cti-
zen in any one year may be taxed at
rate not exceeding the rate of taxation
imposed upon any other species of
property"
Prior to the present Constitution no
such limitation had ever been placed
upon the power Of the State over her
waters. This provision is wrong in
principle and, in my opinion would