The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1908-11-10
THEY CAN'T AGREE
ON THE DIVISION OF THE
SCHOOL FUND.
Calhoun County. Dissatisfied With
the Report of the Commission A
pointed to Settle the Matter.

It seems hard to am1caDly auJuS!
the financial differences between Or
angeburg and Calhoun counties.
Orangeburg. accepts the finding OF
the commission appointed to adjust
the matter, but it seems that Cal
houn county is not satisfied. The
St. Matthews correspondent of The
News and Courier says, in speaking
of the settlement:
'The latest development in the
matter is that Attorneys J. A. Mer-
ritt and Buyck & Mann. represent
ing D. S. Murph, superintendent OF
education, and P. L. Crider, treas
urer of Calhoun county, petitioners.
appeared at Chamber, Berkeley coun-
ty, before Judge Aldrich, praying for
a. mandamus ordering Stiles R. Nell
ichamp, superintendent of education.
and A. D. Fair, treasurer of Orange
burg county, to appear at St. Mat
thews on November IS, 1908, and
show cause why they should not
pay to the proper officials of Cal
houn county the sum of s4,14S.S7
Z school funds due the latter.
after reviewing the merits of the
case, the petition for mandamus ends
as follows: That the said balance
Of S4,143-S7 your petitioners are
informed and believe is true state
ment of the funds now in the hands
of the treasurer of Orangeburg
county, the good and lawful money
of the said districts and portions
of districts now in Calhoun county,
taat demand upon the treasurer of
Orangeburg county has been made
for the said funds, but for some rea.
son, unknown to your petitioners,
the said demand has been refused
and the payment of the said sum
denied.
Judge Aldrich acceded to this
prayer of the petitioners, and the
case will be heard here on its mer-
its on November IS.
Another matter of, more than
passing interest is the apportionment
of the Orangeburg county debt be-
tween the old and the new county.
This. as figured out by the majority
of the commission appointed by the
Governor to adjust matters, is IN
round numbers, $4,000. During
the new county fight. the newspapers
and officers of the old county secuted
the idea that there was any debt.
To be perfectly fair and frank, the
leaders of the new county moved
heaven and earth to show that there
was debt.
''It transpires, however, that the
old county borrowed money in tn"
spring to float the ship of State until
fall and il is urged that when the
fight for the new county was won in
February, 1908. the taxes of 1907
should have been applied to this
debt and would have settled same in
full, lsaving clean sheet when Cal
houn county was formed. Believing
this, some members Of the commits
sion were dissatisfied with the find
ings of the majority and have rem
dered minority report.
..Messrs. J. H. Loryea and T. a.
Amaker, the Calhoun members, rep
resenting that minority have said
in substance that the findings o. the
majority as. to the Indebtedness Is
excessive; that the 14th day of Feb
ruarv. 1905, when the new county
of Calhoun was voted in, should
have been taken as the basis OF set
tlenent and not Auril 22t that any
Indebtedness accruing after Feb
ruary IA was irrelevant; thai the
new country was entitled to one
fourth interestSin the common fund
arising out OF the common fund de-
rived from taxes, revenues and other
wise for the past year; that all per
sonal property purchased with funds
common to both counties should have
been considered as asset to he duly
distributed as the interests OF eacn
might appear.
There was also most emphatic
dissent from the manner of distribut-
ing dispensary profits. These prof.
its for April, May, June. July, W
gust and September amounted TO
s5,791.O1. It is alleged that the
mere fact that Calhoun county had
no board of control at that time ana
Orangeburg was forced TO supply
the new county dispensary WIN
whiskey, gave the county no grounds
moral or legal. for pccketing all the
funds.
Considerable sums of money
have heen expended for chain gang
nurnoses since the establishment OF
the new county, and large sums ex-
nen1ed upon the public buildings OF
the old county. and it is urged that
to include these items in the settle
ment was unjust and unfair.
Furthermore, it is asserted, that
no delinquent taxes collected In what
is now Calhoun county, have been
credited to that county. nor has II
heen given any credit for that por-
tion of the Communication tax that
was collected by Orangeburg from
neraons living in Calhoun. 1t IS
further alleged that it was unjust
tn base settlement upon the sworn
statements of officers instead of pro-
ducing the books. Lastly, it Is cou-
nd