The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1919-02-01
FIGHT ON THE
XCOMMISSION
House Goes on Record Against
Commission By Vote of
AZ to 81.
BIG LAND OWNERS
DISLIKE PRESENT SYSTEM
Members Not Opposed to the
Personnel of Commission ass
Has Been Reported.

4AoO oOC1 1tONOA LSNs sGcssss3Sss
Columbia, Jan. 2S.-Witffs some OPP
position the bill for the CREATION Of a.
State board Of tax assessors IN lieu OF
the present State Tax Commission was
passed from second to third reading
in the house OF representatives to-
day. The test vote sIowedthat there:
were thirty-one members friendly TO
the continuation of the present sysSs
ITEM and forty-seven opponents, with
forty-six either absent or not voting
Messrs. Noise and Belserxyoted for
the tax commission Mr. Jackson
voted against the commission.
It is not absolutely correct to state;
that those who voted in favor Of the
commission are friendly toward itsl
continuation; some of themshave not
fully made up their minds on the
matter. The fact is that many who
voted against the board of assessorss
bill desired the measure reeommitted
so that Governor Coopers ideaSon
taxation might be given achance to;
be put in concrete form. When the
bill was up for discussion January 2Ss
in the house Joseph A Berry OF Or-s
angeburg, made a motion for recom-s
initial of the bill, for the stated pur
I pose Of hearing from the governor.
The test vote today was on the motion
Of Mr.. Berry, the majority OF the
members of the house seeming deter
mined that the tax commission must
go.
The bill provides for a board of as
SCISSORS of IA members, one from each
judicial circuit, to be appointed bys
the governor upon a recommendations
of the majority Of the members of
the legislative delegation from each
Of the judicial circuits, respectively-@
The measure provides that one-half
of the members shall serve. fcI9 a.
period Of two years, the other haars
for four years and thereafter each
member for four years.
Section of the bill provides that
the board, after it qualities, is to elect
chairman, who may or may not De-
a member of the commission. Re-
quent meetings are provided for, upon
the call Of the chairman or a MAORI
ty of the board, the aggregate OF
such meetings, however, not to- ex-@
ceed 80 days during any one year
Twenty-four hours previous notice ofa
a. meeting is required. The meetings
/, Investigations, ETC., of the board can;
be held in any part of the State. Pro-
vision for. the hire of a secretarys
stenographer and such other expert
assistance as is necessary is made.
The members of the board are to re-
ceiye compensation of SIS per day each
while they are actually engaged III
business together with the other nee
essary expenses. No provision IS
made fer the annual compensation
of the chairman. secretary, stenog-@
rapher and ether necessary clerical
assistance.
Section of the bill reads.
..lt shall he the duty Of the board,
and they are hereby given authority
to authorize and have and exercise all
powers now conferred by the law up.
! on the State board of equalization and
| the tax commission. which said tax
commission, created by an act ap-
| proved on the 10th day February,
1915, shall be abolished upon the ap-
prevail Of this act by the governor. ~
Members Of the house, debating IN
I favor of the board of assessors Dill,
vigorously affirmed today that they
were not opposed to the personnel oI
! the Present State tax commission
as has been stated-but were lnlmlcl
TO the system which they contended,3s
was autocratic They claimed that
the men deivng into the basic life
of the people Of the State, that
the assessment for taxation, should
be nearer the people. They contend.
ed that the placing of the power IN
the hands of the governor to select
three men to pass on all the. wealth.
of the State was wrong in. principle.
They further argued that the bill ZOE
the board Of assessors was q demo-
cratic instrument. in that it provlded
for the nomination of the members
BY the direct representatives of the
people and their appointment by the
governor.
The difference between the debate
on the State tax commission IN tne
house this year and last year is that
now there is not the acrimony dls-
Dlaved nor the eDithets INDUCED IN.
Last year there was a running ire OF
criticism directed at A. w. Jones, WnoS
has been chairman Of the commission
since its creation as a Manning adj:
ministrative measure in 1915. While
there have been no personal allusIopS,
vet there has been plenty Of criticism
of the methods by which the commits
sicn arrived at its decisions, and there
were claims that many Of the countess
had been Disseminated against in the
equalization of assessments.
However. the State tax commission
has also had its defenders, and its
methods Of work and its increases IN
the assessed value of property have
received praise.
\ companion measure to that pass
ed 10 third reading in the house today
is on the senate calendar.
- S;sE:-xS,,: