The Wilson times. [volume] (Wilson, N.C.) 1896-19??, 1921-04-22
RETALIATION IN
THE STATE IS NOT
ENTIRELY KILLED
TAXATION SYSTEM HURT
TAXATION SYSTEM HURT
Personal Property Valuations
This Year Will Fall Far Un-
der 1920 Mark. Probably
Drop Three Hundred Mil
! lions. Several Supreme
Court Opinions.
(By Max Abernethy)

Raleigh, April 21.- Counties
warning on the revaluation act are
not expected to bring the general
average in property reductions un.
der fifteen percent from the 1919.
1920 valuations.
When the county commissioners
acting under instructions from the
1921 General Assembly, first began
pruning taxationists in the State de-
partment it was thought Revaluation
was going to be utterly destroyed
Action of the commissioners in
many counties virtually meant its re-
peal and first reports reaching the
capitol indicated that the knife was
being sunk deep into the heart of
former Governor Bickett's taxation
system. There was none who thought
the slashing would end before it was
too late.
But later reports to the State Tax
Commission, which is functioning
until May l when Col. A. D. Watts
assumes the duties of taxation COM
missioner, show better signs Of Re-
valuation life; the tax clerks believe
it is going to live after all. From
about fifty counties that have so far
sent in reports the average reduction
in assessed property valuations will
barely exceed twenty-five percent.
With one hundred counties reporting
it is expected the general average will
be around fifteen percent.
The fact that there were reduct-
ions as high as so percent made in
some counties does not mean that the
general average will be great. Many
counties made no horizontal reduct-
ions whatever and because of this
fact the Is percent average is ex-
pected to hold on the final county.
Personal property valuations this
year are going to fall far under the
1920 mark, in the opinion of Com
missioner Maxwell of the commiss-
ion. He will not be surprised if the
valuations on this kind of property
do not drop from nine hundred mil
lions to around six hundred millions.
If the commissioner is right in this
assumption it does not require a
student of taxation to understand
why the counties are going to be
financially out of luck at the close
of the fiscal year.
Associate Justice Stacy writing
the opinion for the Supreme Court
this week reverses Judge Jim Webb
who allowed the Southern Public
Utilities company a non-suit in the
case of l.. A. Loggins' whose 9-year
old son was killed by an automobile
on the streets of Winston-Salem when
he stepped from street car.
The little Loggins lad had left the
car but went back to get lunch box
and had just stepped from the car
when an automobile driven by Louise
Holland struck him. The associate
justice thinks jury is the proper tri-
bunal to say whether the public utili-
ties company was guilty Of negligence
along with the driver of the automo-
bile.
The suit Of G. E. Lemmons to re-
cover $500 from F. W. Sigman, reg
lister of deeds, for issuing a marriage
license to his daughter Alma Lem
mons, and John w. Galloway, without
his consent, the girl being under 1S
years of age, will have to be tried
before a jury also, Judge Stacy find
ing that the non-suit allowed by
Judge j. Bis Ray in Davidson coun-
ty superior court violates the spirit
Of the law.
The board of directors Of the East
Carolina Teachers Training school
will meet with the governor next
Monday, April Is. This is the first
meeting Of the board under the
Morrison administration and the
governor will, as he has done at all
other board meetings of State insti-
tutions. outline the program he hopes