The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1923-05-29

rected were adenoids and diseased
tonsils. The work did not stop here.
A free clinic was arranged and those
who were not able to pay Tor such
operations were urged to take ad-
vantage of this opportunity. Suthce 1t
to say that in all some fifty opera
tons were performed for the removal
of adenoids and tonsils-all free-and
they were all successful. Again our
home physicians gave their services
without charge and the women fur
nished a temporary hospital, hired
nurses and worked day and night to
accomplish the greatest humanitarian
service this county has yet known.
Other operations resulting from med
ical inspection in the schools, and not
taken care OF by the free clinic will
perhaps run the total number OF
operations to the hundred mark.
Numbers of other cases have been
or are now being corrected by family
physicians all over the county as a
result of medical inspection. AS re-
suit of the relief thus afforded, the
children have been healthier and hap
pier and have been able to do better
work. Aside from this the citizens OF
the county were saved fifteen hun
bred dollars or more by the clinic
alone, and yet it did not cost the
county one cent.
During the past few years there has
been a growing demand TOR education.
This is as encouraging as 1t is whole
some. Such demands, OF course. pro-
vide for a larger and more efflclent
educational program, which III turn
requires a corresponding increase IN
funds. In the face of these facts our
school funds have been steadily de-
creasing and this has happened to
such an extent that the situation at
present is not only embarrassing but
it is positively critical 1t is to this
point that l now direct your atten-
ton.
A financial statement is attached
hereto covering the period from jan
uarv to December 81, 1922. | am
required to to file with the state and
with the spring session of the grand
jury a complete financial statement OF
the previous year.
/ | now wish to supplement this
statement in way that may make the
matter little clearer to you. 1t
should be noted that revenues recelv-
ed from state or county in 1922 may
be and of necessity are very dltter-
ent proposition from revenues recelv-
ed from state or county tor l9ZZ.
Budgets have to be made on the basis
of what revenues will be for any CIV
n,year. Receipts are determined from
the amount appropriated by the state
for any given year and by assessed
valuation of property found on county
tax digest for any given year. AS a
matter of fact the per cent OF state or
county funds paid in varies greatly
each year, and has to be entered in
the year in which it happens to be
paid. Hence this is not the way to
determine our real income.
For instance, tax values on our 1920
digest amounted to $3,876,956. At 5
mills, which is the maximum rate
which can be levied by your county
board, this amounted to the sum OF
! $40, 384.7S received from the county
I for 1920. In 1921 the digest show
ed valuations amounting to $3,265,762
gcst AS the rate could not be raised
the schools lost over $4,000 and the
county revenue for. 1921 amounted to
OllIE 94O.OLCoi LII 1|-A lilO blSNSl
showed valuations amounting to only
S2.858,260, whiclh is a decrease of over
one million dollars from 1920-or over
$1,000 decrease in revenue received
from the county for 1920 and the rev
enue received from the county for
1922
In 1921 the state appropriation for
Terrell county for that year was S25,-
389,48. In 1922 the state appropria-
ton for that year was 1926
! There we have a loss of over $500
| Let us get the figures for the county
closer together SO they may be seen
| 1920 $19,38478; 1921. $16,328.81; 1922
$14291,30. 1T should be borne in mind
that several hundred dollars must be
deducted from figures given above as
| they are calculated from the digest
and it seems impossible ever to col
lect the entire amount
| dislike to make my report tedious
or tlresOme to you. Yet | would bur
den you and every other citizen with
its message if | could. Try as hard
as it may, your county board of ed
ucat1on can hardly stay within its in
come in the face of such enormous
decreases, much less inaugurate
larger program or meet the ever
growing demands.
At this time revenues for 1928 bid
fair to be approximately the same as
in 1922, viz: $38,164.26, with about
Sl,l00 additional received from cor
poration taxes. Estimating terms OF
eight months and five months respec-
lively, two items-teachers and trans
! portation-will consume nearly all OF
this amount H. however, the county
revenue for 1923 decreases as it has
Tor the past two years the situation
will be worse than | have represented.
The truth is, l believe, these enor-
nous decreases on our digest came
about on account OF the fact that the
people sought relief from what they
considered the burden OF taxation.
We did not seem to realize then, if
indeed we do now, that every dollar
lost on the digest represents a loss for
our educational fund. The people did
not wish to cripple the schools, Yet
that is exactly what has happened.
Two remedies are at hand The
| first is a higher property valuation. II
/ this does not come then the different
! school districts vote addition