Cheraw chronicle. [volume] (Cheraw, S.C.) 1896-2005, 1922-03-09
FROM
STATES CAPITAL
March 4, 1922.


Editor Cheraw Chronicle,
Cheraw, S. C.
Dear Sir:
Next week the General Assembly
enters upon what is hoped to be the
final week of it's work. This will
make several weeks overtime with
out extra pay to the members. The
concensus Of opinion among sh'
members. is that the beginning made
in tax reform Is the outstanding &C
complishment. Inheritance. gasoline
and increased corporation taxes are
now the law of the land. An income
tax and motion picture tax appear
certain of being ratified and approy
ed~ The hope is that all Of these
will tighten the burden on visible
property which is now so heavil!
taxed.
The approaching week will deter
mine whether the constitutional
change giving the General Assembly
power to classify property and hS
a different millage on deterrent clas-
es of property will be submitted 10
the people.
The fate of the hydro-electric and
luxury tax bills will also be deter
mined.
Time for the payment of taxes has
been again extended by large major
tiles in the House and Senate even
over the Governors veto.
BY way Of reduction the House has
cut the State appropriation bill
around a million dollars, Nearly
every department came in for
slash. 1t is probable that the Senate
will increase the appropriation some
what, although some Of the members
maintain that in their opinion the
Senate will make even further re-
ductions. 1t seems to be certain,
however, that some of the items re-
uuested by the State Department OF
Education may not be as great as
last year for the reason that last year
there was appropriated money for
some deficits of the previous year IN
addition to the current needs.
According to the estimates made
on the House program, If carried
through in toto, the State levy would
be reduced from twelve to five mills.
Our County levy will be reduced pro-
badly two mills or somewhere
around fifteen per cent.
1t is my pleasure to state that the
most destructive blow ever aimed at
education, especially to education IN
Chesterfield County, was successfully
met in the House of Representatives
and victory was with us. The partl-
cular bill was one to repeal an act
entitled an act to guarantee seven
months term to needy rural schools.
This is State aid to rural schools, and
into the State fund Chesterfield Coun-
tv pays about five thousand dollars
and the State in turn spends about
forty thousand dollars in this County
TO Gerry out the terms OF the acf'
Tho figures are not secret for they
were read time and again on the
floor of the House, and it was show
where so many Counties were PAYNE
in thousands of dollars into the func
and getting in many instances l.
or nothing back. The argument was
that It wasn't fair for all OF thesf
other Counties to be educating childre'
in other Counties when they wer
now loaded with taxes and needed
the money in their own schools. Our
argument was that it would be
backward step to abandon he propo-
ssition of taxing wealth where we
find it and educating children where
they are. 1t scented for while that
the proponents of the measure might
win out, and / understood from Sem
tor Laney that they had a strong
following in the Senate, so we Repre-
sentatives from the poorer Counties
which were benefiting from the fund
we're feeling mighty nervous. A lit
tie personal experience of the writer
about this time was very encourag-
ing. Was talking with Represen-
tative from Charleston County, anu
Charleston County pays into this
fund about forty thousand dollars
and gets back no aid under the act
ond tbic Renresentatiye said to me: