The dispatch-news. [volume] (Lexington, S.C.) 1919-2001, 1921-09-14
MIR. RISER REPLIES in DETAIL
TO DIR. CROSSON'S ARTICLE

no The Editors. The Dispatch News:
read with.a great deal of interest
! senator cr6sson's article in your issue
OF Wednesday. September 7th.
AS q resident and taxpayer OF Lex
ington county. 1 will thank you to
print my reply, to this article in as
conspicuous place as you printed the
article OF Senator Crosson.s
In the beginning. let me say that
have no desire to get into any cons
troversy, with any one, in reference to
the proposed "cut OFF, OF Lexington
county. However. there are some
things in Senator Crosson's article
that think should be corrected, in
order that we may keep the record
straight. rs ef,,a@F S,ss ~,. ,4.y
According to information from
Auditor Dents Office it appears that
the levy for school district No. r2s,
of which Brookland is part, will be
( at least 46 mills this year; that is af-
ter the mills have been taken off,
which Senator Crosson calls attention
to in his article.
The tax levy for school district No.
q in Richland County, OF which Co
lumbia is part, only paid "A mills
last year, and I am informed by the
auditor of RichIand county that it
will not be any higher this year. So
you see that should Brookland vote
to come into Richland county, and
should Brookland township be es-
tablished, that the levy. for Richland
county will be less than in Lexing-
I ton. county. AS a matter OF fact the
tax levy of Brookland township,
should we vote into Richland. would
even be less than the Columbia town
ship levy, due to the fact that there
are several items of taxation which
the people of Columbia have to pay
that we would not have included in
our levy.
+ notice that Senator Crosson says
!, that he is informed that the people
OF Richland county have not paid
anything on the bridge which con-
meets Columbia with Brookland. For
this Information, 1 beg to advise, that
at the time the bridge was made
free bridge Columbia township, and
not Richland county, assumed this
entire indebtedness, which amounted
to, at that time. $4,000. Since that
time this debt has been reduced to
$24,5o0, and there is now in the sink
ing fund s16.802 to apply against this
s $24,600.00 which will only leave a
balance due on the bridge across the
Congaree river of. $7,697.37, all of
which can be easily retired in one
years time by the Columbia town
ship. Let me state right here, that in
case Brookland votes into Richland
county we will not have to assume any
part of this bridge debt, as the bal
ance due Of $7.697.37, will be paid
by Columbia township, and no other
part Of Richland county has ever
paid one dollar to apply on this
bridge.
The tax levy in Richland county
will be two mills less this year, on
account Of the fact that ate the last
session of the legislature the two mill
property tax for good roads was sus-
pended. This will not only apply to
Richland and Lexington county, but
to every county in the state.
Furthermore, Columbia township,
in which the city of Columbia is To-
Gated, pays over three fourths Of the
entire tax of the county. This of
course does not apply to the special
leyies voted by the various town
ships for special purposes.
The senator is again in error when
he states that the indebtedness of
Richland county amounts to $780,
100000. He included in this amount
road bonds, bridge bonds, jail bonds,
etc. AS a matter of fact the bridge
bonds have been practically retired, as
have shown above, large sum has
already been set aside in the sinking
fund, for the jail bonds, and the two
million dollar road bonds are now
being retired. and considerable
sinking fund has already been cre-
ated for their retirement.
Another thing to consider is that
the taxable property in Richland
county amounts to nearly thirty mil
lion dollars, and dare say that when