The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1913-01-18

the various tax districts. Such survey
would he of great value to the State.
IN increasing it's revenue and securing
more equal administration Of the
tax laws, and lead 20 the improve
ment Of its school system in the va
rious districts, which would tend to
the avoidance Of law suits growing
out Of Indefinite desc iptions and loca-
tions Of lands in deeds and mort
cages, facilitate the issuance and sale
Of school district bonds, and the de-
Nelopment Of the agricultural and
other industries Of the state
The following is a letter from the
chief Of bureau Of soils, United States
department of soils, to Commissioner
Watson with reference TO the status
Of the survey being made under its
direction and probable cost Of COM
pletion:
Hon. E. j. Watson, Commissioner of
Dear Sir: Your letter Of January
4th, stating that the comptroller Of
the State desires TO take means to
expedite the soil survey work in the
State in order that the State can be
completed at the earliest practicable
date, has been received.
t1oo
hand, l estimate the State Of South
Carolina has 1856, 500 acres Of land
surface. OF this, the bureau of soils
has completed to date 7,571,S52 acres
in soil surveys. We now have five men
in the State and hope to complete by
March 1st the remainder of Orange
burg county and all of Bamberg coun-
ty, which will make by the first of
March S,252,172 acres or ABB per
cent Of the State. There remain to
be surveyed 11,264,62S acres or 57.7
per cent. Our records show that up
to date, but not including Bamberg
and a part Of Orangeburg counties,
the sum of $3S,9O923 or an average
of $3.50 per square mile or half a
cent per acre has been expended in
the State.
Since my estimate TO you of 1909,
salaries have considerably increased,
the subsistence Of the men and liv-
cry charges have increased, and the
work has been done in more detail.
From all Of the data available to me,
estimate that the completion of the
state Will cost about $57, 900 or allow
ing for the putting on of the school
district and township boundaries il
will cost, say about 100000 to COM
plete the work. This estimate. of
course, includes only the cost of the
field work, as the bureau has hereto
fore and will continue to pay certain
overhead charges such as the prepara-
ton of reports, inspection and map
drafting. l should also recommend
to the secretary and to congress, if
this is necessary, that as the county
surveys near completion the bureau
make some necessary revision in the
earlier field work and assemble ali of
the areas into a State soil map on
such scale as may seem desirable.
Rega riding the completion of the
county surveys, it has been the policy
of the bureau for sometime past to
put at least an equal amount Of money
into the work that the State contri-
butes, and if this policy can be con-
unued in the future, as l hope and
think it can, you may count upon the
bureau standing at least one-half of
the expense of the completion of the
detail soil surveys of the State, besides
doing inspection work, the map draft
ing and the preparation of a State
soil mao when the field work is COM
pleted. The completion of the field
work would thus require about $780,
600 from the State and the same from
the bureau, and the work could be
completed in two or three years, de-
pending upon the availability Of the
funds and the number of men who
could be assigned at any one time.
1 enclose a sketch map showing the
progress of the soil survey work IN
the state.
Very truly yours,
Milton Whitney Chief Of Bureau