Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1909-01-21
MESSAGE FROM GOV. ANSF[
An Interesting Communication to The
General Assembly
To the Honorable, the Members of
the General Assembly of the State

the General Assembly of the State
of South Carolina:
Another year has come, and you
are gathered to- discharge the high
ana honorable duties laid .upon you
oy the people. It becomes my duty
20 give to You such information as
1 have as to the condition of the
state and to suggest and recommend
such Legislation as to me may seem
meet and proper.
State Finances.
AT your last session, you gave au-
thority to the Governor, the State
treasurer and the Comptroller Gen
eral to borrow, not exceeding FIVE
hundred thousand dollars to meet the
obligations of the State to become
due during the year 190S-such as
Confederate soldiers pensions, in
terest on public debt, appropriations
Tor the State institutions of learning
and other appropriations mad by
your honorable bodies.
1t became necessary for us to bor-
row, during the year, the full amount
SO allowed and provided for, which
amount will be repaid out of the
State taxes now being collected The
interest on said sum amounted to
$13,09S.26. This will have to be con-
tlnued yea rafter year unless some
plan is devised to catch up. I bring
this matter to your attention in or
der that You may give the same your
earnest consideration and adopt
some measure that wiz ,emedy the
matter.
In may last annual message, rec
commended the levying of special
tax each year for several years to
provide n sum so that we would not
be required to borrow I hope that
some action will be taken to place
the State on cash basis.
| refer You to the report of our
State Treasurer, which will give you
full and accurate information as to
the financial condition Of the State
Sinking Fund.
The Sinking Fund Commission has
done good work during the past
year. The assets of the several funds
managed by this Commission on De-
cember 81, 1908, were as follows:
Cumulative Sinking Fund (for re-
demption and payment of South Car
olina Brown 1-2 per cent bonds),
six hundred and sixty-eight thousand
md fifty-eight and 09-10t dollars.
($66S. .09.)
Ordinary Sinking Fund, seventy
one thousand six hundred and thirty
and 12-100 dollars ($71 ,63012).
Sinking Fund for Insurance of
Public Buildings, forty-five thousand
six hundred and eight-five and OIL
100 dollars ($45, 5,6S5.61).
All will more fully appear by ref
erence to the report of the Commits
sioncrs of the Sinking Fund
State Dispensary Building.
AT. your last session your honor
able bodies passed on Act providing
for the sale of the State Dispensary
building and lot in the City of CO.
lumbia by the Commissioners of the
Sinking Fund, placing the upset
price at seventy-flve thousand dollars.
The Sinking Fund Commission, in
obedience to said Act. advertised
the same for sale, stating the upset
price. No bids were received for
the same.
The property was turned over to
the Sinking Fund Commission by the
commission appointed TO wind up the
State Dispensary and is now in tho
possession and under the control of
the Sinking Fund Commission. Ap-
plication has been made by several
parties to lease it, but no power was
given the Sinking Fund Commission
to make n lease. They desire that
authority be given them, either to
sell or lease said building on such
terms and for such length of time as
to your honorable bodies, may seem
best for the interest of the State.
Assessment of Property.
This important matters comes up
every year for consideration, and
The question naturally presents itself,
hat shall be done? / reiterate the
plan / submitted in my message at
IL, lest session.
In this the Governor recommends
that parties making tax returns give
under oath the items of his property
and the value he places upon them,
the same to be recorded that the
equalization board may act inteli-
gently.
6uucdClon.
Much progress has been made dur
ing the past year i'll the educational
interests of the State.
High schools are being established
all over the State and the common
schools are keeping pace with the
progress of the times, as much so as
can be with the funds provided for
them. I wish TO emphasize here
what | said in my inaugural address
in January, 1907,
= "Our State Constitution requires
that we shall provide a liberal sys-
tenn Of free public schools for all
children between the ages of six and
twenty-one. We can realize the mind
of the trainers of this organic law.
"The State institutions of higher
learning are doing a great work In