The Covington leader. (Covington, Tenn.) 18??-current, 1921-07-21
JUDGES REPORT

Covington, Tenn, July 4, 1921.
To the Quarterly County Court at Its
July Term, 1921.
AS your Judge and financial agent
/ submit the following report foI
your consideration / have drawn re-
ceivable warrants on all revenue off
GERS who make reports to me for the
amounts reported ard placed said
warrants in the hands of the county
trustee for collection. and the trus-
tee has turned over to me vouchers
\ against five different accounts. the
total of which amounts to $109,699.-
4 81, which has been placed to the trus-
tee a credit on the proper accounts.
The statement of the First State
Bank, which is the county's deposit
tory, at the close of business on June
20, 1921, shows that the general
county account has outstanding war
rants charged on their books amount
ing to the sum of S18.184.19. and
that the trustee holds for cancella-
tion warrants against said account in
the sum of S11 ,29762. showing to-
tai outstanding Of S29,48181.
On the general bridge account
there are outstanding warrants in
the bank in the sum of S10334e3
and in the trustees office for cancel
lation $3,908 80 showing a total out
standing of S14243.52.
On the general highway account
there are outstanding warrants in
the bank to the amount Of $6.09498
and in the trustees office the sum of
S31 ,231.14. showing a total outstand
ing of S37326.12.
The budget committee, appointed
by my suggestion at the last Octo-
Der term, recommend a tax levy suf-
ficient for general school and high
school purposes and all other pur-
poses and to pay all previous over
drafts and to run the schools Of the
county, pay off all outstanding war
rants, leaving a small cash balance
to the credit of the general school
and high school accounts, and by
continued economical management as
practiced by the school board and the
amount of money received from the
State, we should not have to be bur-
dened further with paying interest on
money to run the schools for the
next scholastic year.
/ feel it my duty to especially call
your atte4tion to the fact that our
county account is largely over
drawn, and only one-half the fiscal
year is gone, and that we have two
more quarters of said year to run
And | also want to call your atten-
ton to the fact that your general
bridge account is in a bad condition.
and / admonish you Of the import
ance of the urgent necessity on the
part of this court as the men elect
ed by the people to see that these
two funds or accounts are not in.
fringed upon by any other expanding
agencies of the county.
Your highway funds have been ex-
pended, and all warrants drawn to
pay for work from now on will but
add more to the overdrafts now ex-
listing and the interest rate upon
same.
AS shown by the statement rem
dered by the Union Savings Bank the
proceeds Of the sale Of the jefferson
Davis highway bonds. with the ac-
crued interest thereon, amounted to
$155, 051.68, and they have paid out
as the county's part, upon the pre-
sentation of required vouchers, the
sum of $29,104.51, up to July on
the construction of the 5 and 1900
Of miles from Hatchie river to the
north line of the corporation of Cow
ington, leaving a balance in hands of
said bank of $125,94717. No estimate
Of the per cent of the work done on
said part of said highway has come
to my knowledge.
In justice to the taxpayers of Tip
ton county I deem it my duty to rec
ommend that this court at its present
term do appoint three or five sub
stantial, fair-minded citizens who are
in no way under the influence of the
State highway commission to 90 over
and inspect the work that has been
done on said part of this highway
between this town and Hatchie river
to see it it is being done in accord
ance with the terms Of the contract
and to the satisfaction Of the tax
payers.
AS the delinquent tax list as report
ed by vour trustee is LARGER than
ever before. no accurate estimate of
what the cash collections will come
into the trustees hands from the
1920 tax aggregate, and therefore
AL the spending agencies Of the
county should double their diligence
to cut out every useless and avoid
able appropriation possible.
BY manipulated and unnecessary
deflation of the values Of everything
which grows out Of and upon too of
the soil, all land and lot values have
necessarily deprecated in value at
the same ratio of reduction, and our
tax rate for 1921 depends not upon
the valuation Of property, but main
ly upon the amount of money, the
county court, the school boards, the
public road authorities. the work
house bosses and all other spending
agencies in the county may appropri-
ate necessarily and unnecessarily dur
ing the year.
The time has come when the peo-
pie who pay the taxes are going
to demand that we use and practice
"pay-as-you-go" policy, and that
we must cut out all unnecessary APP
preparations are founded on honesty
and justice, however meritorious such
appropriations may be.