Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1920-03-10
LEGISLATURE CLOSES.
Session of Eight Weeks Closed
Early Sunday Morning.
Some Good Laws
Enacted.


yesterday morning and the majority
J of the members. caught the early
trains for their respective homes.
The clocks in the two houses were
stopped at :55 Saturday night.
The free conference report on the
appropriation bill was received in the
two houses around o'clock. The re-
port was adopted Immediately with
out discussion. By 7:30 the bill had
been ratified and signed by the gov
renor. A few minutes thereafter final
adjournment was taken. Total appro-
priations amount to $6,O91, ,241.39,
for which levy of 121a mills will
be required.
The general appropriation bill as
first passed by the house carried $5,-
100000, which did not include $780,
600 it had appropriated by statute
for the Citadel. An appropriation of
$4,000 for heating plant for the
State House was also made in a res
olution passed by the house. A num-
ber of other amounts thus favored
by the house were put into the SEN
ate. When all these hao 3een added
to the appropriation bill in the SEN.
ate and the senate's own increases
put in the total carried by the bill
was S6,731, 900. The free conference
took off about s672,OOO by distribu-
ting the appropriations over two
years, providing for loans and by re-
ductions, thus bringing the bill to ap-
iproximately what it was when it left
The house.
Generous for Roads.
While many of the legislators were
somewhat disappointed in the volume
IIof constructive legislation enacted,
and altsnagh many lsirahlet mease
ures went into the discard, much was
done toward laying a solid basis for
future growth and development. This
can not be better emphasized than
the response tosthe universal desire
throughout the state for good roads
and the generous manner in which
county delegations voted bond issues
for their counties. A statewide levy
of two mills was also put on for per-
manent road building, the amount
each county raises to be spent in that
particular county. Bond issues for
roads and bridges in the different
counties approximate S13,000,000.
Appropriations for public schools
are the most liberal ever made. The
amount appropriated for 1919 was
I$704,337.S3. The amount carried this
year is. s9S1, 900.
Public health activities are to be
encouraged rather than neglected.
The amount last year for this depart
ment was $1O2,241.S3. This year the
appropriation is S220,394.14.
State Colleges Helped.
Permanent improvements at state
institutions are to go forward in
keeping with the spirit of progress.
In pruning down the appropriation
bill the free conference committee
distributed the amounts for new
buildings over two years, instead of
providing the full amount this year.
In some instances provision is made
for borrowing the necessary funds.
This latter provision applies to the
University of South Carolina, the
trustees being authorized to borrow
$4,000 for the erection of nine
homes for professors. An appropri-
alton of 100000 is carried by the
bill for the new plant for the CITADEL.
the 100000 appropriated for this
purpose being distributed through
three annual installments. The old
plant is to be sold to repay the
amount appropriated.
Other constructive work was the
passage of statewide dog law, which
increases the tax from so cents to rs
cents and requires the dog to wear a.
collar with the license tag attached
This should mean much toward en-
couraging the sheep raising industry,
particularly in some of the coastal
counties where farmers attempting
this venture have been greatly handi-
capped because of the great number
of sheep killing dogs running at
large. This measure was pressed
through by DR.. Barnwell. representa-
tive from Charleston, whose zeal was