The age-herald., 1898-02-13
Shows a Favorable and Encouraging
 State Of Affairs.
THE SYSTEM OF EXAMINERS
To Look After Tax Collections and Sherifs Has Profted the State-Too Many Pension Applications FayorabIy Reported--
 Amounts Growing Smaller.
Special to The Age-Herald.

Montgomery, Feb 12I4Auditor Whites statement of the states financial condition probably gives a clearer insight into the real status of affairs than could be gained from any other source. In substance his regular annual report for the year ending Sept. 30, 1S97 is given below:
 A general statement is given showing total receipts and disbursements of the year, together with amount of cash in the treasury at the commencement of business of the fiscal year. and amount left there at it's close. Itemized accounts of both re- ceipts and disbursements will be found in other tables contained in this report The treasurer's report will show cash in the treasury at close of business of $40 9S0. 20, while this statement shows only s31 730. .97. This difference in the two reports is ex- plained by the outstanding warrants, amounting to s9,2492f, of which the treas urer had no notice. He gives actual amount on hand, while we give amount subject to check or warrant. These two accounts balance when considered prop erly. Of the outstanding warrants men, tioned, there are $5,643.96 that were issued previous to the last year, some of them number of years ago. I recommend that an effort be made to locate these old war rants, and have them paid, as it Is not prudent to leave these claims outstanding so long,
 An Itimized Account
 A table giving an itemized account of accrued liabilities at the beginning of the present fiscal year is also given. This shows that there was at the time the amount of $393 ,S33. 78 due by the state with cash in the treasury of s40,9S0.21 to meet the indebtedness, leaving a deficit of $352,- 95357 As the last report from this of- flee did not show the amount of accrued liabilities, comparison is prevented. My conclusions that there was only a slight difference in the condition of the treasury at these two dates.
 The next table of interest gives the val uation of property for taxes for the last twenty-two years. 1t will be observed that the assessment made last year (taxes to be collected this year., which amounts to s251 ,390 ,134.5T (which exceeds the valua- tions of all others except 1S9O-91- -92-93, the boom in North Alabama); valuations of the preceding year of $242, ,341 ,79621, an in- crease of $9 33S.36 over the assessed val- ues for 1896.
 This increase will yield revenue to the state of over $5OO0O Of this increase about $l 900 is from taxes from previous years, assessed as escapes. As fifteen counties in the state show decrease of over $2,000 900 in values, the other fifty-one counties give an increase of over $10,000 900. This speaks volumes for the tax assessors of these fifty-one counties. Of the fifty-one coun- ties twenty-five show gains of over $10O.- 
 of $1.974,7S4 Mobile next with an increase of $1,1S4622 Of the losing counties there are only three that show losses of over $100,oe0 Jefferson, with loss of $1 ,292. = 5S4; Butler, with loss of $294972. and Wilcox, with a loss of $114096. Walker loses s99627 These heavy losses are cer- tainly not from decreased values of prop erty in these counties. So we must look elsewhere for the cause. Shares of stocks in banks in Jefferson county, listed for taxes for the year 1895. were valued at 962 100; for 1896 at s1 ,107,2S0, and for 1897 at $662, ,497. The loss in this one item alone amounts to $444.7S3. Since these abstracts were filed, the tax commissioner of Jefferson county has done some good work and hope he will be able to make up most of the amount of the loss in the assessment It will be noticed that the counties of Mad ison and Winston do not appear in the assessment for this year. At the time this table was given neither of them had furnished correct abstracts td this office. Even at this late date the one from Mad fson has not been returned. The addition of Madison county's assessment will add to the increase of values noticed above.
 For Feeding Prisoners
 The state paid various sheriffs Of the state thei'sum of $S9S26 for feeding pris- oners. as against $50, ,S03 for the preceding year, an increase of $9,023. Of this large expenditure, Jefferson and Mobile counties got the lions share, receiving, jointly. a fraction less than % per cent of the total expenditure. Sheriff O'Brien of Jefferson