The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1907-10-23
R RI SECOND :
MORE MONEY NEEDED
And Gov. AnssI Wants to Raise
The Tax Levy.

His First Annual Message VIII Dea
Largely With the Problem of Taxa
ton and the Needs of the Schools
A dispatch from Columbia to ThS
Florence Times says in his annua.
message to the legislature Governor
Ansel will recommend that the state
tax levy be increased, but just to
what figure he has not himself YET
decided. He has been considering
the advisability Of recommending an
increase of two mills for three con.
seductive years, being anxious to
yank the state out Of its disastrous
floating debt policy and place it upon
a firm cash basis to remain, but the
legislature would never do anything
of the kind with an election coming
upon them next summer, and SO it is
likely that a more moderate increase
will be recommended, say something
like half a mill.
The present levy is four and a
half mills, having been decreased half
a mill by the present legislature and
a half mill by the preceding legis-
lature. In 1905 the levy vas placed
at 5 IL mills upon the recommends
ton of Governor Hayward, also for
the purpose of placing the state on, a
cash basis. Afterwards the legisls
ture banking on an increase In tax
values reduced the levy, although it
increased the appropriations each
year. -
The reports of county auditors are
coming in rapidly now, and the comp
troller generals Office will ina few
weeks be in a position to say what
the total tax values for 1907 will be.
Nearly every county 10 far show a
decided increase over the previous
year, due principally to the increase
in railroad assessments. Some OF
the counties show increases of over
a million dollars, while many show
additions of half a million or more.
1t is estimated that the. total increase
will be about $20,000,000. The rail-
roads alone have been increased over
S12, 600.
The states total assessment for
1906 was $249,534, 532, the increase
being due to the quadrennial assess
ment of real estate. The 1907 as
sessment will therefore be about
1858, 500, 900. Half a mill addition
al levy on this would yield $134,500
and the five mills on the twenty mil
lion dollars increase would bring in
another $4,000 bringing up the to-
tai income for next year $234,000
above that for the present year. This
would about cure the floating debt
evil, provided the appropriations are
not increased. The state treasurer
has already borrowed $350,000 this
year for current expenses, in spite Of
the big increase in tax values for
1906.
1t seems practically certain that
the appropriations of the coming leg
islature will reach high water mark
in spite of the warning of next sum-
ner's elections. A strong fight, lead
by Governor Ansel himself, will he
made to have the salaries of all state
| officers raised, and an equally deter
| mined effort will be made to have the
| supreme court and circuit court
| Judges salaries raised and each court
,t~enographer provided with an as
| ,istant. Which will mean an addi-
ional appropriation Of about s10,-
300 to $4,000.
Winthrop College will ask for $780,
| 700 for a new dormitory, the cleo
ions will cost $4,000 extra, the
tate board of health will ask for the
Establishment of a $4,000 tuberculo-
| is hospital for the state hospital foi
| he Insane, the reformatory at flor
nee wants sabout $500 to gets Its
.ork properly started, the new high
chool system will need about $780,
| 100 and the militial will ask fol
about $4,000 to enable it to so
| ,uuip itself as to be able to pass the
| requirements Of the Dick law.