Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-11-25
PROSPERITY
PROVED BY
REVENUE
Municipal Treasury Will Have
$4,000 Unappropriated Sur
plus at End of the Year.

Impressive evidence of Atlanta's
prosperity is shown by the record in
crease of more than s1S,500 0o0 in tax
returns for 1913 over 1912. 1t not
only is a greater amount than any
former years increase but exceeds
by approximately 100000 the in
crease anticipated in the final revi-
sion of the city budget. With city
officials winding up the business of
the year the figures show an unappro-
priated surplus of about $4,000 in
Atlanta's income.
A compilation of the figures was
completed Tuesday by City Tax Re
ceiver George Beauchamp. The total
assessments aggregate s173,327.427,
against s154,S27, 4S7 in 1912. OF this
amount approximately Si59,320 900 is
made up of real and personally as
sessments of private citizens and cor
porations, and $14.000,0o0 in real and
personally assessments of public util-
ity corporations.
The increase in assessments on
private property is s16,514,672: $780,
100000 for 1918, and s142,So5, 1928 for
1912.
Public Utilities Increase.
The increase on public utilities, as
sessments on which are made by
State Comptroller Wright, is approx
imately S2,O00,000. The assessments
on the utilities for 1912 were s12,022. =
1859. He has not made a final addi-
ton of the assessments for this year,
but a conservative estimate is that
they will exceed $4,000, 900.
Mayor Woodward and the Council
anticipated a substantial increase, but
the figures have gone beyond their ex-
peCtations. When the January budget
was made up, Mayor Woodward pre-
vented the committee from following
the old custom OF appropria ting
conservative estimate of the increase
No increased revenue was added to
the budget until it was revised N
June, and then only the amount ac-
came time to revise the budget again,
the Finance Committee attempted to
include the total of the increase in
revenue The figures to-day show
that they failed by about $4,000, al
though there were demands far in
excess of the amount made available
for expenditure.
The city treasury, therefore, is
found in a condition never known be-
fore. Since the year is so near a
close, it is likely the money will be
carried over to the new Council to
spend.
In fact, Tax Receiver George Beau
champ is making every effort to keep
the figures secret. He has shown
them to Mayor Woodward and few
friends. but only few of the Coun-
clmen know of the situation.
Tries to Keep Figures Secret.
Receiver Bauchamp Tuesday re-
fused to give out the official figures
When he completed them Tuesday he
locked them in his desk and left the
City Hall He said that Mayor Wood
ward had advised him to keep them
secret for fear members of Council
might attempt to appropriate the
money for needed improvements.
Mr., Beauchamp, however is maxi
ing his last show of authority. A
measure passed by the last General
Assembly abolishes his office as a
separate department and makes Of It
a clerkship under the three Tax Re
ceivers, j. l.. Harrison, c. D. Meador
and j. n. Malone.
The figures given above, while not
Mr. Beauchamp's official figures, are
correct within a few dollars OF the
actual amounts,
The phenomenal increase and the
assurance from the Tax Assessors
that next year also will show a big
gain will develop an interesting sit
uation when the new Finance Com
mittee meets to make the new budget.
Mayor Woodward will insist that no
anticipated revenue be appropriated,
but there will be such a heavy de-
mand from the schools and other city
departments that the committee will
be sorely pressed to loosen the purse
strings.