The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1920-12-13
OVER NINE MILLION.
ASKED Of STATE
DEPARTMENTS MAKE
RECORD DEMAND ;: FOR AP.
PREPARATIONS HARD TASK
AWAITS NEXT LEGISLATURES
GOVERNOR WILL ;. PUT MAT
TER soUARELY: UP, 10 HOUSE
AND sENATE-MUcH MONEY
NEEDED TO CARRY ON
WORK ADEQUATELY.

NEEDED ~ SANNA A>
WORK ADEQUATELY.
The cost of running the state
government and its allied work Tor
1921 will reach over $9,O0o,00O if
the next general assembly complies
with the requests of the various
state Departments for - appropria-
tions. Theb udget commission had
Just completed it's work 'on its, re-
commentators to the general as
sembly and the figures given out
Yesterday show that. the total re-
quests are $s,s6s,2o6.5s.
This total is the request for the
1921 appropriations and not the
recommendations of the budget
commission. The commissions re-
concentrations will not be made
public until the convening OF the
legislature in January.
Members of the general assembly
are already discussing the requests
and they admit that hard task
awaits them. The various depart
ments are asking an <increase of
s3,771, ,O65.2O over the. 1920 appro-
priation. Although no announce
ment will be made as to the budget
commissions recommendations un-
til January, it is known that the
recommendations will be the largest
in the history of the state. Cover
nor Cooper made this known at a
public meeting here last week. 1t is
said that the recommendations will
reach around $9,O0U,o00.
Much For Education
Of the requests for $9,S6S,206.-
so the executive department is ask
ing for se,604,7s1.73. This depart
ment embraces all the state offices,
the educational institutions, public
schools and other branches Of the
state work, such as the charitable
and correctional institutions, the
regulative work and miscellaneous
activities.
The legislative department is ask
ing for s1O4,e7e.2o and the judicial
department for s15s,79s.
A discussion that is old was
brought up by several state officials
several days ago and at least two OF
these officers made the point that
South Carolina grumbles about such
high cost of running the state gov
ernment, when in reality, it is con-
tended, most of the money, appro-
priated is for other purposes and
not for the government. It is claim
ed that the constitution says that
the general assembly shall levy
taxes and make such appropriations
as are necessary "for running the
state government" The point at is
sue, these two officials say, is that
all the educational appropriations
for public schools, colleges and 9th
er institutions are not an expense OF
running the government and should
not be so designated. It is further
contended that a good case could be
made out before the supreme court
on this point and sufficient grounds
are said to exist to prevent the gen
eral assembly from levying taxes
for the various other. purposes other
than running the state govern
ment."
Cost Keeps Rising
An examination of several years
shows that the cost of keeping the
grand old state moving is continual
ly rising. It might be interesting to
the average tax payer to know that
in 1916 the general assembly ap-
propriated $2,4s6,14o.2s for all
state purposes and to raise this sum
a levy of six and one-half mills was
sufficient. In 1917 the appropriation
reached $3,336,875.2s and levy of
eight and one-fourth mills was nee
essary to raised the figure. In 1919
the appropriation jumped to $3,-
s74,522.7s and a nine mill levy. In
1920 the appropriation went to &c.
077,381.43 and IL nils.
Governor Cooper has said that he
sees no way to cut the expense and