The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-12-10
MAY REDUCE THE TAX RATE.
SOME LEGISLATORS THINK 1T CAN
BE MADE So on $1,000.

CStinx Figurcs-SaNs the Reduction
Can BE Made if the Brandon Bills
Pass-A Tree Bin Put Through
BiaI1eIy VIII Retain It's Dispen-
snry.
Atlanta. Dec. 9.-Uuless something hap
pens to the plans Of the tax reformers, the
tax rate for the ensuing two years will be
somewhere in the close neighborhood of
IS on $1,000 as against 1921 on $1,000 for the
present year.
Il viii seem from these figures that
there is a substantial decrease in the rate
of taxation promised by the terms of the
geueral.tax act ana the general appropria-
ton bills. which have both passed
through the lower house, and are now IN
the Senate.
After the general tax act had been com
peted to-day. by an amendment cutting
the tax on bicycle dealers from $500 to 800
and a reduction of the tax on commercial
agencies from $500 TO $780, Mr. Freeman,
chairman of the ways and means commit
tee. presented the figures for the direct
general tax levy. Mr.. Freeman, who has
displayed conspicuous ability in the i'm
means committee, had made a careful call
cuIation of the income and the appropria-
tions. and his figures were based upon this
calculation taking the taxable property
returned on the dgests at $i12,OOoO0O, the
figure for the current year.
His estimate was that the levy would
be 5.S5 mills or $5.35 on the $1,000. This
rate will raise approximately $2OiS000,
while the special taxes and other revenue
of the estate viii amount to about S555000,
making the gross revenue required and
provided for 81, 100000, in round figures
While the tax levy put in the bill by
the House at the suggestion of Mr. Free
man is 5.35 mills for all purposes, il is !
estimated that if the Brandon bills, reduc
ing all pensions to an INDECENT basis, which
are now in the Senate, become laws, the
savings in pensions will cut off this So
mills. leaving the net rate mills even
Mr.. Brandon says it may be that the pen
sion saving will be greater than this. The !
change in the figures will be left to the
Senate.
1t is not amiss to call attention 60 the
fact here that in all the calculations for
the tax rate next year, the treasury deficit |
that was alleged to be staring the state
in the fact at the commencement of the |
session, has been entirely lost sight Of |
Chairman Freeman of the ways and means |
committee, in fixing the levy, paid no at /
tention TO the alleged deficit, and no one |
has raised the point 1t seems to be gem /
orally agreed since the close of the fight |
over the school appropriation, that the |
deficit claim was a bugaboo 1t served |
good purpose, however, ii undoubt- |
eddy had a great deal to do with empha- |
sizing the policy of retrenchment and |
economy advocated by the chief executive |
of the state, both before and since his |
election
There were leaders among those who |
favored the 81 100000 appropriation to the |
common schools who never countenanced |
the deficit theory, and they are now tax |
ing good deal of satisfaction 10 them |
selves on account of the unanimous ac- |
ton of concoding this point by a reduc- |
ton in the tax rate commensurate with |
the reduction in appropriations
The House to-day passed bill amend |
atory of the act creating a department |
of homology by Mr. Easterlin of Macon. |
This bill requires the inspection and GER |
tliication of all fruit trees shipped into |
this state. 1t is very important to the /
fruit growers, as the San Jose scale and /
other insects threaten to do incalculable |
damage to their orchards
There was a long and hot fight on the |
bill TO abolish the dispensary at Blakelv. /
Early county. The democracy of Mr. /
Lane, the member from that county. was |
called into question. He was one of three |
candidates in the field for the legislature |
the dIspensary being an issue Upon the /
claim that Mr.. Lane had not received a /
majority of the votes Of the county and /
the protest of the Mayor of Rlalsly snI |
other prominent people of the county. the I
House refused 10 pass the bill which |
leaves Early county stin in possession of
its dispensary.
TWO members, who have not heretofore |
been seen in their seats this session. made |
their appearance in the House TODAY |
They were Mr.. Sammond of Richmond |
county who has been prevented from taxi |
ing his seat through sickness, and Mr.
John Vickers of Coffee county. The lat |
ter's absence has been more or less of a |
joke i'm the House. Mr.. Nickers, who is a !
Primitive Baptist preacher had as his op- |
ponent In the race for the legislature a |
Populist named Elijah Tanner. The con
TEST was a warm one. and on account of /
alleged irregularities one whole district
McDonaid's by name-was thrown out.
Mr.. NickerS was declared to have been |
elected after much wraugling. but when
the returns were deposited in the court
house for the night. the mysterious hand
of Providence caused the court house TO
be burned to the ground. The matter was
taken into the courts by the Popullsts. Up
10 to-day Mr.. Nickers had not thought IL
well to enter a claim TO the seat though
he held the certificate OF election from the
managers. When he came in to-day he
was the hero of the hour Mr. Knowles
of Fulton offered a resolution giving him
his seat and then the matter was referred /
10 the contested elections committee.
where II win be taken up on its merits next
Tuesday.
An effort was made In the Senate this
morning to reconsider yesterdays action
In reducing the pay of court stenographers.
but it failed. The Calvin bill to test the
constiiutionality of the 10 per cent tax
on state banks issues was taken from the
table and passed, and the university fund
ing act was also passed just as il came
through the House that is, with 49, per
cent interest, instead of per cent, the
former rate allowed.
large number of local House and Sen
ate bills were also passed and upon mo-