The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1925-01-23
CONTENTION WAGES ON
ALLEGED STATE DEFICIT
While House Votes Money for State Buildings,
and Mclean Urges Legislators to Show .'.
More Speed in Work

Our Raleigh correspondence
was lost in the mails this
week. and readers will miss
Bob Powell's usual snappy
news letter of the doings of the
General Assembly. but this
newspaper will give some light
on the most interesting things
now going on at the State
Capital. To begin with. inter
est ccntcrs chiefly in the alleg-
cd deficit in the states finances
Of eight to nine million dol
lars.
Figures in the hands Of the Bud.
get Commission and Governor A.
W. Mclean place the State deficit
at between SS.000.0o0 and S9,0OO,-
600. the News and Observer said on
Wednesday. Governor Mclean will
insist that no official statement Of
the amount he made until all State
officials and departments ore agreed
upon an exact figure.
All of the deficit. wit, the ex-
ceptiOn of around one million dol
lars, was incurred during The nd
miniStration Of Governor Cameron
Morrison. i; is understOaa
Heads of AL State institutions
have been called TO meet with the
Budget Commission this morning mt
ten O'Clock To present revised csti.
mates of their needs. The commits
SIGN will hold its recommendations
as 10 permanent improvements as
close 10 S3,00O,00O as possible and
will cut the recommended mainten-
ancc appropriations to the actllnl
needs Of plants already built. Gov
crnor Mclean will meet with the
commission during part of this scs.
sion.
The figures on the Stale dcfici
when finally announced will prOL
ably he based on June 20, 1925, nj
thought ii is possible statemeD,
wifi hr7gypr az or DaGScinbtT 81,
1924.
In the report of the Board of 4
scSSmcnt. transmitted to the Gt4Ieru
Assembly Yesterday by Governor
Mclean ii is predicted that the rcyc.
nuc from the income tax which Is
due and payable on March IL vii.
hc 5000 COO less than WIS rctciycd
1921. The prediction is based
upon conditions in the textile In
dustry and conditions existing
throughout Eastern North Carolina.
The report shows thpt while the
revenue received during thc fiscal
year 1923-I92f was $6,JJ0, 0,916.I II,
that during the calendar year 1924
only $G.39l .074.S3 was received.
showing collections i'm the fall OF
1923 10 he Sl59.ST1.59 better than in
the fall of 1924
Payment Of the huge State deficit
which will be done over a period OF
ten years. will ncccSSitatc the use Of
nearly Il million and Il half Of the
revenues coming into the state dur
ing the next year. million the Sec
Ond year and lesser sums each year
until the entire amount is paid
Governor Mclean is determined
that the deficit shall be definitely
before il Is announced
in order 10 prevent Il recurrence OF
the controversies on the subject dur. .
Ing the last two years. All State Of
ficialS will he heard on the amount
and their difference.
from the sum as stated will bc eX.
aminrd and if valid embodied in tbr
sum when il is reported. .~.r.
Authorization of an additional ap.
of SljO.0OO for the new
State Department building for the
Use of the automobile licensing bu
rcau and the highway department
was voted by the House Of Repre-.
ut Il half hour session
night. \ half million dol
lars for the building was apprOpriat-
cd by the special session last
August.
Reports of IN organized fight on
the additional amount, led by en-
plOycS Of the State Highway depart
mrnt. failed Ia matcrializc in the
House but it is understood that
,,, Ip,.,n E'f.nA