The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-22
GEORGIA'S INCOME AND EXPENSE LIST State Is Nearly S2OO,OOO Short for the Past Year SOME TAXES FALLING OFF AtIanta's City Council Is Believed to Be Topheavy and Plans Are Being
 Formed to Cut Down Num-
 Der of Members.
SOME TAXES FALLING OFF


 Atlanta, February 1-(SpeeiaL)-The an nual report of Comptroller General W. A. | Wright, now In course of preparation, l shows some interesting facts regarding 1 Georsia's income and expenses. The total receipts for 1908 from all sources were s, sSS. S.273.16, as against s4,S13 ss for 1901 l The disbursements for 1908 increased in even greater ratio. being s5,57O 295.51, as compared with s4, 7s7, ,469 .59 for 1907.
 The report shows that the 1868 session of the general assembly cost the state more than any other since the constitu- | tional limitation of 50 days each year was created. The 1908 meeting, including the extra session, cost s10S, ,721. .o2. This does not include approximately s50oQ as the leg islature's share of the public printing ex- pense.
 While receipts from automobile taxes more than doubled, being $14SS in 1908 as against S63O in 1907, there was a falling off of s2OO in the tax on bicycle agents One item of $10 returned anonymously through an Augusta preacher is credited to the conscience fund"
 The general tax for 1908 was S2, ,s6S ,57S. "A as against s2 ,227.97 for the preceding year. Graded occupation taxes upon cor porations increased $37, 600 over 1907. The near beer taxes paid into the treasury in 1908 were only s1s,1OO though the receipts for 1909 from this source are already more than s1OO,OOO. The locker club tax paid the state s14,S50 last year, more than half of which came from Savannah. The 1908 poll tax netted s316,OCo, as against $272,0OO in 1907.
 The railroad and other corporation taxes (ad valorem) paid in 1908 amounted to $676, ,914 .93 as against only $3O6, 1925. 42 in 1907. This discrepancy is explained by the fact that several railroads did not pay their 1907 taxes until January, 1908.
 Public schools and pensions constitute the chief items of state expense Pensions cost about $940,0O0 each year. Public schools In 1908 were paid $2,2Oe, SS6. .92, IS against 1,657, ,475 25 in 1907. Agricultural schools received $13s,O0O last year, as against only s16,0oO in 1907. Other routine expenses increased only in comparatively small amounts.
 City Council Topheavy.
 The question of reducing the member ship of Atlantas city council is being seriously agitated. The present charter provides for one alderman and two coun- cilmen from each ward. The city origin ally had six wards, hence 12 councilmen and six aldermen.
 From time to time wards have been added until now there are nine. and tenth is about to be created. This would give the city an administrative body of 30 members. The various boards and de- partmental commissions have increased in like ratio until now there are 12 members of each, or a total of 96 commissioners in the eight boards.
 It is realized that both council and the boards have become cumbersome and un- wieldy as the result of increased member ship. Often meetings are postponed for want of a quorum. Exploitation of numerous and varied views causes many delays; sometimes important matters go unacted upon for months, and occasion ally las much as a year has elapsed.
 While 1t is somewhat doubtful whether the commission form of government will receive favorable consideration, there is much present discussion of reducing the membership of council to one from each ward with five aldermen from the city at large, making the total membership 15, and at the same time reducing the mem bership of the boards to seven each.
 A member of the aldermanic board has prepared a resolution embodying the fore going provisions, and council will be called upon to act on it at its next meeting. Such. resolution would commit coun- ell to the policy of reduction, and it would only be necessary to ask the legis- lature this summer for a charter amend ment embodying that provision.
 The greatest obstacle in the way of the change is ward politics. Atlanta is4bur- dened with her full share of that brand, and if the movement fails 1t may be at tributed to that cause.
 Row Over Auditorium.
 A sensational row centering about the new auditorium armory building, which is now about completed, and which the local papers have so far suppressed promises to break out at the next meet ing of council
 u AcNOiopcu at d meeting Ol the Du1lQ- ing committee, acting on behalf of coun- ell, held yesterday, that the committee does not propose to turn over the build ing to council until May 1, and in the meantime has planned to use the struc- ture for several extensive shows and en- tertainments now widely discussed in the press. These include, among other things a big musical festival and an automobile show.
 When the building committee stood pat upon it's intention to use the building for these purposes in advance of turning it over to the city and without paying any rental therefor, member of council who was present vigorously questioned the committees right to do so.
 He maintained that the building be- longs only to the city which has paid the entire expense of it's erection, and that no one not even the building commit tee, has the right to make use of it with the pitu'c nd xx,itb