Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1923-10-31

If the laws Tor the government
Of counties should be revised
upon practical basis, the loss
annually from three million to
five million dollars could be
saved to the tax payers of Geor-
gia.
Speaking of counties in averag-
es, when the tax collector dis
burses the tax payers dollar,
about 81 cents goes to the state
and about 63c to the county.
This hundred cents of burden is
on the citizen, and economy on
the part of the major distributee
Is first aid to the injured
The loss and waste in the
spending of the money of the av-
erage county of Georgia is of the
most serious concern. The blame
les chiefly in the system.
Ancient Laws and Patchwork
The laws regulating county gov
eminent were in the main adopt
ed in the crude days, when roads
were made and maintained by
groups Of neighbors with pick
and shovel, and the sums of
money actually collected and dis
. hursed by the county was negli-
bic. The patchwork amendments
have been confusing and gross
II inefficient.
The law provides that levy
should be only made to cover the.
actual expenditures of the cur
rent year, and nothing be includ-
ed TO create a reserve fund with
which to begin the subsequent
year. Thus, if the law is strict
ly followed, the county begins on
January LIST absolutely without
funds, with no cash income avail
able until taxes are paid the fol-
lowing December 10th, and thus
the county must do business on
credit for II months and 20 days.
Under the law, the county is pro-
hibited from borrowing money
except a very trifIing sum for an
emergency, which even if an
emergency arises is too small an
amount to be Of substantial use.
The county ordinary or COM
nissioners issue to persons or
concerns who supply or contract
with The county warrant on the
treasurer. The warrants must be
held by the payee or trqnsferee
until the funds arise. While in
theory these warrants are nego-
table, yet the author of the
statute inserted one exception
against against the unrestricted
negotiability of same, and this
exception renders them practical
ly worthless as bankable paper.
For this reason the holders Of
these warrants commonly sell
them at a disastrous discount.
Hence, those who supply or con-
tract with the coHnty, knowing
of the discredited scrip with
which they are to be paid, and
knowing, as is often the case,
that the scrip will not be paid
until the end of the second or
third year, or sometimes longer,
forestall the transaction by pad
ding the price. 1t is safe to
state that the average county
pays from Is to % per cent more
for It's supplies and contract
work than do private cash Gus
toners, and these losses in the
aggregate in Georgia are estimat-
ed ground four million dollars.
We are confronted with the
humiliating fact that although
these county warrants are back
ed by the entire taxable resources
OF the county, just as are bonds,
and if properly guarded by law
! would be at par everywhere; yet
/ lacking such protection, the
county credit is crippled and OBJ
legations issued by it are hawkeC
about at a rate disastrous to taH
payers.
A few counties in spite Of the
law meet this difficulty by pro.
Vding reserves or arranging fol
bank credits, but in doing so the
J county officials assume consider,