The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1910-01-14
The Annual Message OF
Gov. Martin +. AnSei
Transmitted to the General Assembly at the Opening
Days Session on Tuesday,

the returns Of the taxpayer. The
oath should be administered and the
party fully interrogated as to his or
her control with the valuation there
! of. When this is done the neighbors
who may be present will know
whether the valuation is correct,
and the Ftax dodger' will be re-
quired to answer correctly or take
the consequences.
Sinking Fund.
I wish to call your attention to the
report of the Sinking Fund Commis-
sion which will be placed on your
desks during the session. The as
sets, as shown by said report, are as
| follows:
Cumulative Sinking Fund (for re-
demption and payment of South
Carolina Brown 4 IL per cent.
bonds), s7Oo,853.58.
Ordinary Sinking Fund, $79,2O8.47
Sinking Fund for insurance of
public buildings, $51, ,928.99O.
Several losses have been paid dur
ing the past year from this last
named fund. The largest being the
insurance on the dormitory and
school building Of the Colored Nor
NAL College at Orangeburg, which
was destroyed by fire in December of
last year, the amount paid on this
loss being. $3.50.
| The Sinking Fund Commission, in
accordance with the power granted
| it by the last act Of the General AS
sembly has contracted to lease the
old State dispensary building in the
city Of Columbia for term of three
years, and the automatic sprinklins
apparatus is now being put in the
building as authorized by said Act,
The rental price is 81, 200 per annum,
and eight per cent. upon the amount
Expended on the improvements made,
By making this lease We save to the
State the five dollars per day and
night that We now have to pay fo1
watehmen and Will receive twelve
hundred dollars per annum and
eight per cent. on the amount Of the
expenditures for the improvements
put on the building.
In obedience to the last Act OF
your honorable bodies, we advertised
the property for sale at the upset
price you placed upon it, but reeeiy-
ed no bids. We then made the lease
labove mentioned.
Education.
Marked progress has been made dur.
ing the present year in the educa,
tional institutions Of the State. The
increase in attendance In the com
mon schools, as well as in the high
shcooLs and colleges, is greater than
in any year in our past history. A
reference to the admir- bile report Of
the State Superintendent Of Edqca,
ton will verify the above assertion
New and better sheool houses are be-
ing built, and many Of the school
districts are taxing themselves, in
addition to the ordinary three mills
tax to run their schools from eight
to nine months in the year. We
have now 131 high schools in the
State, and the good work they are
doing will, in my judgment, fully
/. compensate for the appropriations
you have made for them. The re-
strictions you have made Of an ex.
lpenliture Of not more than five pei
cent. Of the appropriation to any
one county, I recommend be changed
so that the Slate Board of Educa
ton may use more than that amount
in a county where it is needed, il
some other county does not qualify
for the full amount it would other
wise be entitled to.
The appropriation made for thu
rural schools last year. has been o:
great benefit to many commanitie
in the State, and L respectful,
; recommend another and larger ap
preparation for the next scholasti
year.
The South Carolina University ha
Ibeen doing splendid work this yea
and has enrolled a larger number o
students than in any year of its his
tory. President S. &c. Mitchell tool
full charge in June last and ha
shown, by the very excellent work h
is doing, that he is the right nal
, for this great Institution.
The new school building was fin