The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-10-28
PLANNING ID FILL
 HOLE IN TREASURY
Tax Commissioner Working on
 Problem of Getting Money
WILL NOT RAISE SCALE
Collectors Will Enforce SO Per Cent Assessment Provision However. Governor Makes Ap-
 pointments.

l Montgomery. October 27.-(Special )-"To fill up the hole in the state treasury" or to provide some means for assisting in filling up the financial gap of the com | monwealths coffers, is believed to be one of the problems confronting the state tax commission of Alabama. It is int- l mated that the commission will get busy I in a very short time, looking to a sou- tion of the problem, but as yet no def- mite programme has been mapped out. | The state needs the money and the sup position Is advanced that there will be general tightening up on assessments re- quired by the commission this year. al. though it is not believed that last years | 60 per cent assessment scale will be raised.
 It is not likely that the tax commis- sion will get down to real hard work before December, but in the meantime it is expected the commission will be in conference for the purpose of deter mining fully what shall be done. J. B. Powell of Greenville, and Col Harvey E. Jones. members of the commission. were at the capitol today and Judge J. J. Mitchell. president of the commission, is spending today in Anniston. He IS expected to return to Montgomery to- night.
 The commission will this year adhere l to the instructions of last year requiring that property be assessed at at least 60 per cent of it's actual marketable value. but, it Is said that the commission will | be much more rigid in seeing that prop erty is properly assessed. There Is an impression that there is much real estate and personal property in the various counties of the state which is not as- sessed at anywhere near 60 per cent of it's value. Along this line the belief is that the frightening up will be made
 By the early part of next week it is intinnated a letter will be sent to the various county tax assessors giving them instructions on matters concerning as- easements in their localities, but this let ter will not, it is said. mention yet the per cent basis for assessments.
 GubernatoriaI Appointments.
 Governor Conner today named jury com missioners for Calhoun county and ap- pointed two registrars for Lowndes
 The Calhoun commission is composed of r. M. Formby, Piedmont; J. Malone Ledbetter Anniston, and William H. Griffin, Oxford.
 w. H. Shanks and J. R. Bell were appointed registrars of Lowndes county
 The governor also appointed W. c. Cox of opelika jury commissioner of Lee county, to take the place of J. W. Wright of Auburn, who was named by | Ipx- hut xuI,o could not serve because he is a city | official of Auburn.
 Thirteen more counties are left in which jury commissioners are to be ap- pointed.
 Agent Appointed.
 The Southern Iron and Steel company of Birmingham filed papers at the cap 1 itol today announcing the appointment of A. R. Forsyth as agent of the com- pany in Alabama to succeed M. Lee Bon- ner. The papers recite that the corpor- ation's principal place of business in this state remains at Birmingham.
 Committee of Public Health. Ten members attending a specially | called session of the state committee of public health drew up a petition at a session today and presented it to Gov. B. B. Conner, in which the state is asked to make arrangements whereby more space can be procured at the capitol for the state board of health. In the petition | it was pointed out that the growth of the Pasteur institute and of the chemical | laboratory had rendered such changes | imperative.
 | According to Dr. w. Fl. Sanders, state | health officer, ''the crying need for more nVNah hlA fnr A1,a | calling of the committee into session." He | says that the present quarters are in | every way inadequate and incapable of handling the mass of work which is daily done.
 The committee present were Dr. San ders, Dr. " P. Gaines of Mobile. Dr. 8. G. Gay of Selma, Dr. M. B. Cameron of Eutaw, Dr. T. L. Robertson of Birming- | ham, Dr. D. F. Talley of Birmingham, pr. S. W. Wech of Talladega, pr. L. | W. Johnston of Tuskegee, pr. Glenn An drews of Montgomery and Dr. I. L. Wat kins of Montgomery.
 A Narrow Escape.
 Engineer Wesley Rass of the Western Railroad of Alabama, residence at At ! lanta, gives graphic description of a narrow escape from a bad accident which | train No. 36 figured in Tuesday night The engine was pulling passenger coach which groaned under the weight of hun dreds of fair visitors.
 While rounding the sharp curve near Choctaw, according to MT. Rass, the trunk of a tree, which was straddling the l track was discovered. Not having time l to pull the air brakes. the engineer threw wide the throttle, and sent the wheels over the trunk without any damage what ever.
 Call for Executive Committee. Dr. Clarence J. Owens, commander-in- | chief of the United Sons of Confederate | Veterans, announces that a meeting of the executive council of the confederation | will be held in Montgomery on Monday, | November S. The members of the coun- ell will, 1t is expected, reach Montgomery Sunday night, November [. Headquarters have been arranged at the Exchange hotel.
 This meeting is an important one inas- much as many matters of much signih- | canoe will come before 1t for attention. l Among other things there will be a con | sideraton of the question of permanent | headquarters, the arrangement of plans 1 for the publication of regular periodical | by the confederation, and the inaueura- | ton of several new plans for extension | and development The council will also take into consideration some suggestions l ,olo