The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1909-07-21

Finances Is the Same View Taken
by COntrOller-General VIM. A
Wright and the Late Treasurer,
Capt. Robert Il. Park.
ATLANTA, Cain view of the
current controversy over the true
condition of the state treasury 1t
might be we'll to call public atten-
ton to several official statements
made relative thereto during the
past few months. 1t is interesting
to note that the view taken by the
new administration is virtually the
same as that which was taken by
Controller General w. A. Wright and
the late state treasurer, Capt. R. E.
Park, in their last annual reports,
besides being confirmed by the state
ments of condition on July LIST. made
by the present treasurer, Hon. j..
Pope Brown. 1t is further vouched
for by Representative Reid of Camp
bell county, who is chairman of the
ways and means committee of the
house
Those who read these statements,
coming as they do from the highest
and most authoritative of official
sources, may judge for themselves
whether Governor Brown can imme
diately or at any time within the
near future draw a warrant for
$450,000 or any other appreciate
amount for benefit of the public
school teachers with any hope of hav
ing it met without impairing seri
ously the power of the state to meet
its pressing obligations.
While the reports of the controller
and the late state treasurer were
made nominally for the year 1908,
neither was prepared until after the
period covered expired when each
could easily size up" the situation
to be confronted pending the annual
collection of taxes next December.
Each report was submitted to Gov
ernor Hoke Smith, but neither Off
cial hesitated to speak out frankly
and openly.
What Comptroller Wright Says.
Hon w. A. Wright, controller
geneEal, admits that on January 1,
1909, the state treasury was in as
good condition as on that date the
year before, and accounts for it 'by
the abnormal increase in the taxable
values of the state in 1907 over
1906, as well as the increase of our
revenue from special or occupation
taxes and from other sources, one
of which was from the collection
through a suit brought by this de-
partment against the Georgia Rail-
road & Banking Company for back
taxes on Is, 900 shares of stock of
the Western Railway of Alabama,
amounting to $4,000"
In this connection it may be stated
that the back taxes were collected
by a previous administration, and
were due on years covered by pre-
vious administration, taxes on the
same property having not yet beer
collected for the period during which
Governor Smith had the reins of
state. 1t may be stated that the re-
cent administration was helped out,
subsequent to the above report, in an
almost similar amount collected
through the settlement of a similar
case against the Central of Georgia
Railway.
The controller general continues:
1T should be stated for Governor
Smiths information, however, that
unless there be very large increase,
which l do not think we can expect,
in our tax assessments for this year,
with the still increased appropria-
tons for the fiscal year, it will not
be possible to meet the appropria-
lions, even with a temporary loan
of the full amount of two hundred
thousand dollars authorized by law"
Treasurer Parks Report.
State Treasurer Park said in his
report submitted just a few days be-
fore his death that the Smith ad-
ministration had not been hampered
by serious financial difficulties be-
cause of the abnormal increase in
taxable values for the last year, but
which was not repeated for this year.
THE last legislature appropriated
amounts in excess of the estimated
revenue, no doubt anticipating great
er receipts he said. But the tax
of two years ago were enlarged by
greater tax values, amounting in
round numbers to forty million dol
lars, while the increase in tax val
ues for last year have been about
four million dollars only. However,
increased revenues from railroad
sources-back taxes-have aided
greatly in meeting appropriations.
My experience during the last nine
years prompts me to suggest that a
more conservative and careful con-
sideratiOn of the revenues of the
state by the finance committee of the
senate and the appropriation COM