The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1921-09-09

Columbia, Sept. o.-Ine SIaIe VI
South Carolina is up against the same
kind of fiscal predicament that
Georgia is facing. She has been bor-
rowing from Peter to pay Paul one
year, and from Paul to pay Peter
back another year until the thing is
getting unbearable.
This year she has borrowed $3,-
100000 to pay back S3,500,OOO that
she borrowed last year.
In the meantime, in desperate
effort to get out of the hole, the leg
islature raised the tax rate for 1921
to a gross of IL mills, and served no.
tice on the state tax commission that
it must stiffen up the assessment to
AZ per cent. of the reasonable cash
valuations.
With this increase rate, however,
the state is facing another borrowing
spasm in January, and there is ap-
parently no legal way in sight to
avoid it.
With this condition creating al
. most a tax pandemonium in some
of the counties, where local taxes
have also been shot skyhighward, the
fiscal problem. in South Carolina is
Just about as acute and nervewrack-
ing as an attack of choleramorbus
after eating green apple,
Be 1t said to South Cardinals
credit, however, she has not permit
ted a single one of her institutions,
educational and humane, to suffer the
slightest financial embarrassment
which could only mean in the educa-
tional line a setback to progress
and she has not stinted her common
schools. i,
On the contrary, she has kept the
schools, Aigh and low, in the very
front ranks of the new postwar re-
construction procession, her great
Clemson Agricultural college being
one of the finest, best maintained and
most useful institutions of the kind
in the south today. How does it do
it?
Property Tax the Main Revenue.
Let's look at the states fiscal sta
tus and system for a moment
South Carolina raises IS per cent
of her entire revenue from a tax
on property-and the ad valorem in
the state has perhaps more complete
ty broken down than in any state in
the south.
This years gross valuations are
only $448,0O0, 900, in round numbers
The ad valprem rate of IL mills
is exclusive. of constitutional common
school tax of 8 mills, which goes ex-
elusively to the respective counties
from which collected.
From all other sources beside this
income from the IL mill levy the state
will not receive a total of more than
s1,25o,OOO.
The appropriations of the state
\, for 1921 amount to slightly less than
S7,000,000, and the IL mill levy will
amount to slightly more than $4,000
600; so counting the $1,250,O0O plus
revenue, from all sources combined
it still looksk that South Carolina
continues to be getting out of the
hole ike the cat in the we'll that
climbed three feet and dropped back
four.
While all of these facts are facts
it must be remembered that South
Val oiilia SIdIS SoNSIIiuSHI - Uc-
ing conducted more economically
than that of any other state in the
union. Her salaries are among the
lowest. She has only 46 counties; !;
and 100000 people, SIS per cent of
whom are colored.
And with these troubling and
troublesome conditions to grapple
with South Carolina, in comparison
to her per capita wealth and white
population, is one of the foremost
states in the union in educational
progressiveness.
She is, the twelfth state in agri-
cultural activities; and her marvel
Gus common schools including her
mill school activities, are stirring
examples for the south.
Har proot IIn;vorsitv Militia rv