The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1917-07-18
Alcohol.

Alcohol.
introduced. a bill, which passed
the Senate but did not pass the House,
further regulating the handling of
Alcohol by Druggists. 1t met the
approval of good Druggists and no
doubt will be passed by the House at
the next session.
Matters of Minor Importance.
also introduced bill, which pass
ed the Senate, making 1t crime to
use an automobile or bicycle without
the consent of the owner. Under the
old law a man could 60 joy-riding
with another's automobile or bicycle,
and if the jury believed that he did
not intend to steal it no crime was
committed.
Senator Sinkler and introduced a
bill relating to the right of dover. 1t
would give widow dover in all the
land owned by her husband at his
death, but it would make it unnec-
essary for dover to be renounced on
deeds or mortgages. The recording
of remuneration of dowels amounts to
thousands Of dollars a year, and the
frequent impossibility of being able
to find out if the grantor in deed
was married thirty or forty years ago
renders a large number of land titles
uncertain and unsafe. I'm order that
the Government Land Banks and 9TH
ers who are making long loans at
small rate of interest shall do the
most good, every effort must be made
to eliminate as far as possible chances
of defects in titles. This was not
passed but is still on the Calendar and
will be fought out next session.
County Financies.
The county seems to have been
steadily falling behind and depending
upon long term bond issues to make
up deficiencies. The levy for 1914
and 1915 was four and half mills,
but in 1916 bonds were issued for
$20,000.00, which, as I then UNDER
stood, paid the back indebtedness
down to the first of January, 1915.
In January, 1916, before the Legis-
lature met, the delegation met with
the County Board Of Commissioners
and we were informed that they had
practically gone through on the levy,
but needed a little more in order to
carry on the countys affairs proper
ly. Accordingly in 1916 we raised
the levy to five mills. In 1917 we
were surprised to find that there was
a considerable back indebtedness, the
amount of which no one knew def
nitely. The amount steadily climbed
from $8000.00 to $10,000O0, and from
100000 to $12,000.00, and finally to
$15,000.0O, which all accrued prior to
1917. Some of these claims that are
outstanding were issued in years
prior to 1915, so that the bond issue
did not pay all Of the back indebted
ness when it was made. We were
confronted with the problem of rails
ing the money to pay these legitimate
claims, and Of trying to provide a
plan by which these deficiencies would
not again occur.
Back Indebtedness.
We had the choice of twenty year
bonds, or short term notes, or a four
mill extra levy to pay the back in
debtedness. Of these we chose the
plan of notes for a term of four years
and levy of one mill with which to
pay them. The bill was introduced
in the House by Mr.. Mellette author
izing the borrowing of the $12,OO0OO
which was the amount the Supervisor
thought was needed. 1t passed the
House and came to the Senate and
we were advised that the Supervisor
had found it would take $15,00000
to pay the back claims. Accordingly
I had the bill amended as to the
number of notes and amount of each
and changed the total amount from