The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1919-01-14
GOV. RI MANNING'S ANNUAL
MESSAGE TO LEGISLATURE
Continued from page 6.l

N.AAh' 49,
commission ascertained what the av-
erage assessment of banks was at the
time il began its work This average
was found to be forty-two per cent. OF
the actual value of the shares, and the
commission applied that percentage 10
bank shares throughout the State. Be
fore this was done the assessed value
of harl. stocks in the same county ran
from less than twenty per cent. to
more than sixty per cent. OF their
value. The average assessment OF
bank shares in one county was as low
as twenty-nine per cent, While IN an
other county the average was as high
as ninety per cent. OF the actual value.
II was found that one bank was assess
ed as low as nine per cent. OF It's
value. Now bank stocks are uniform
ly assessed throughout the State at
forty-two per cent.
The tax commission then took up the
equalization of the assessment OF live
stock. The assessment of mules varied
from twenty-eight dollars to one hun
dred dollars. The assessed value OF
horses varied from an average OF
4wenty-seyen dollars in one county to
ninety-two dollars in another county;
cattle from an average of seven dol
lars in one county to an average OF
fourteen dollars in another. Tne e1-
fort of the commission has been to put
such livestock on forty-two per cent.
basis taking each county as whole
but euualizing the value OF such
stock among individuals has not been
effected because many of the local as
sessing authorities have not carried
forward that work.
The tax commission next took up
the assessment Of cotton mills, when
varied from twenty per cent. OF Their
value to seventy per cent. All cotton
mills have not been placed by the com
mission on a forty-two per cent. basis
of the actual value. The result has
been that some mills have been In
creased from twenty per cent. to TO.
fy-tvo per cent, while other mills
have been reduced from seventy per
cent. to forty-two per cent. The net
result has shown an increase in the
txable value.
Similar discrepancies existed in fer
tilizer plants and oil mills. These
have all been placed on forty-two
per cent basis.
In the case of power plants it was
found that the average assessment OF
snch property was about twenty per
cent of their value The commission
by increasing the same to forty-two
oer cent. added more than six million
Eve hundred thousand dollars to their
assessed value. In one case power
nlant was assessed at less than ten
per cent of the value thereof. The
commission increased the same TO
forty-two per cent Street railways
are included under the head of power
plants.
In 1918 the commission took up the
assessment of farm lands. which, as
/ stated, could only be re-assessed
once in four years, the four year pc
riod having been reached in 1918,
that is, the first time that real estate
could be assessed since the creation
of the commission. This was the most
difficult task the commission had yet
undertaken. The commission ascer-
tanned the average valus Of farm lands
in each county from all available
sources of information. The United
States census figures for 1910 were ex'
amined. The price paid for land
through judicial sales and private
sales was also scruitnized. After thus
ascertainin gthe average value OF
lands by counties, forty-two per cent.
thereof being the basis Of assessment
for all other property which the com
mission had equalized, the same per-
centage was applied to the value of
farm lands. The result was that in
some counties no increase in the av-
erage assessed value of farm lands
was made, while the general increase
ranged from ten per cent. to one hun,
dred and fifty per cent. of the former
average assessment.
For illustration, s7o7O,72o, the as
sessment for Union county in 1917, at
91-2 mills, woulf be s67,171.S4. T.
S07, ,420, the assessment for 1918, at
S1-4 mills, would be s64,411.21, which
means that Union county, under the