The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-12-11
The Messenger Bureau,
Raleigh. \. c. December 6

annual meeting Of the Children's Home
Aid society, which is doing so great a
work in North Carolina. He says it
has so far cared for $50 children. These
have come from about 60 counties in
the state. Good homes have been found
for these little ones. During the ex-
1stence Of the organization only two
of these being only 6 months OF age.
of the children have died, the oldest
At Raleigh the society has a house in
care Of a very capable woman where
the children are kept until homes can
be secured for them. This plan has
been found to serve admirably. A
charter is granted by the state to the
Bank of Lilesville, capital stock $40, 900,
to do a commercial and savings bust
ness.
The Woman's Christian Temperance
Union will have a meeting at the city
hall tomorrow, when Governor Glenn
will make an address and introduce
Mrs. Minnie Curtis, of Sherman, Tex
as a widely known worker in this geat
order.
Among the arrivals here are Senators
R. w. Turner of the first district and
G. 4. Webb of Asheville.
All the field workers who will con-
duct the Farmers Institutes for the
next two weeks left today for the
eastern part Of the state, except DR..
TAFT Butler, who makes a hasty trip
to Statesville to inspect the state test
farms there.
The Raleigh & Durham Electric Rail-
way company which two years ago got
a charter from this city and Durham
asks that the date for the beginning Of
work be fixed within two years from
March 3rd, 1905.
The Capital City Telephone Com
! pany which it is said, proposes to con
solidate the Bell and interstate COM
panies asks for a fifty year franchise,
saying it will erect a building and put
wires under the ground. The boycott
of the Interstate went into effect to-
night at midnight by the Merchants
Association Of the city, which ordered
all telephones cut out.
The federal court continues to turn
out a number Of moonshine convic-
ton sdaily, and it is rapidly filling The
Wake Jail. Sentences are severer than
they were formerly.
State Auditor Dixon abs nearly
completed his letter to the governor,
transmitting his report for the fiscal
year ended Nov. 3Oth. The balance on
hand of the general fund a ear ago
was 1882, ia, the receipts from all
sources during the year $2,228,47S. The
r,y1~1 CO 40 100 1aovfYtC
the balance 1888, OS2. It will be re-
membered that the State Auditor told
your correspondent three weeks age
that tn balance on hand would be over
$500, 900. The balance Of the education
al fund on hand is $50, 525, the dis
bursements during the year having
been $50, 685 and the receipts $125,951.
The state debt, 4 per cent, is $4,l3l.-
$50; 6 per cent. $2,720,0 900. There are
yet outstanding of old North Carolina
railway construction bonds 6 per cent.
unredeemed, s22, 900. The total debt
is therefore $6,S73,450. The state owns
so, 900 shares of North Carolina railway
stock, So, 900, 200; 1866 shares At
lantic & North Carolina railway stock;
'lexander county bonds ST.
$50; 5,4O0 shares Wilkesboro & JeffeT-
son Turnpike Co., S54, 900; total invest
ments, s4,323.550.
State Auditor Dixon, as secretary OF
the Soldiers Home reports 115 present
a year ago, SIS admitted, % dropped, p
died. The annual appropriation is $b,-
900. During the year $25, 900 was e1-
pended in providing additional rooms,
re-roofing buildings, etc. The pension
roll shows IA, O35 pensioners. an in
crease of 719, to whom S273,479 was
paid. Besides this there was paid to
totally disabled soldiers, sc Of whom
were not on the regular pension rolls
$4,000.
Speaking about the assessment o.
property for taxation the auditor says
the operation Of the revenue act can
not be equitable or just until there IS
general supervision; in one county the
assessment basis produces an equitable
value, but in another there is an en-
tirely different basis, * that a man IN
one county pays double the tax on his
property that another man does in an
other county on property OF equal
value. This is manifestly unjust but
the legislature, though attention has
been called to it, has never done am
thing to remedy the ouble. Inc au-
ditor says that there are As counties Id
the state which receive from the treas
ury Of North Carolina for public
schools, pensions, insane. etc, more
money than they pay into it for all pur-
poses. He says: Il can understand
very we'll why some Of these counties
should come up to the defect but there
are many of them in this list because
of the ridiciously low assessment OF
property, which is unjust to the other
counties which had to bear their bur-
den and Is also a disgrace to the coun-
ties so under-assessed." The auditor
earnestly hopes that the governor will
call the attention Of the legislature To
this matter in his message so the tax
alton may be equalized.
The board of agriculture adjourned
this afternoon after being photograph
ed by Curator Brimley of the state mu-
scum. The final work was farewell