The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1921-07-18
iMISTAK1NG OUR AILMENT

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of US begin to object. A few days ago
we talked with a good citizen who
was figuring on the way to raise the
sinking fund for the new school
bonds without raising the tax rate.
He said that taxes were getting to
be enormously high, and he seemed
afraid that the people would not be
able to pay.
But. when we make objection to
the tax rate levied by the govern
mental agencies we fail to take ac-
count of the enormous taxes we are
paying in other ways. For instance,
we have in Abbeville about five thous-
and people. Of these, one thousand
are heads of families; perhaps there
are twelve hundred boys and men to-
gether between the ages of 1S and
20. It is fair to assume that at least
five hundred Of these smoke either
cigars, cigarettes or pipes. Whatever
they smoke, the average cost to each
is not less than twenty-five cents per
day. That means that these men are
expending for the pleasure of smok-
ing the sum Of one hundred and
twenty-five dollars per day, or three
Thousand, seven hundred and fifty
dollars per month, or forty-fve thous-
and dollars per year-an amount
larger than the entire expenditure
for public schools in the city Of Alb
beyille last year, and larger than the
amount of school taxes to be collect
lea/in this school district next year,
even if we pay five thousand dollars
towards retiring the new bonds to
be issued. (
We notice that there are about
thirteen hundred automobiles in the
county. These automobiles, we i'm
sgine, cost on an average about sew
Ell hundred dollars each. That means
nearly a million dollars, an amount
greatly in excess of the aggregate
value of all the school buildings and
school property in the county, we
imagine. 81
4 It takes to operate a car and to
keep it in repair great deal of
money. A set of tires for the average
sized car will cost one hundred and
fifty dollars, but if we put the aver
age cost at one hundred dollars, and
allow only the sum Of one hundred
dollars for purchasing gasoline and
making repairs on each car for the
year, we have an average expendi-
ture for the operation and up-keep
of the thirteen hundred cars in this
county a little more than quarter
of million dollars each year, an
amount twice as large, we think, as
the entire expenditures for public
schools in the county.
There are in the school district in
which this city is located at least
three hundred automobiles. Most peo-
pie around the larger places, or at
least a good percentage of them,
buy the larger automobiles. They are
owned almost exclusively for pleas
ure too. These cars cost the owners
an average price of one. thousand
dollars, we should judge: That is
three hundred thousand Sd6ila4s in
vested in automobiles in this school II I sol
district, much more than the cost of
all our school buildings and equip
ment.
People in places like Abbeville use
their automobiles a great deal more
than do the people in the rural Sec
ions. Speaking from experience, we
are of the opinion that the average
cost of operating car in Abbeville,
including repairs, gas, oil and re-
placements (and not including. de-,
preciation) is about five hundred
dollars. That means an expenditure In
this school district for operating. au-
tomobiles of about one hundred and
fifty thousand dollars annually
about five times we believe the
amount we are annually expending