The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1933-02-03
SCHOOL Term
fight BEGUN
M'Lean's Campaign Open
ed With Introduction
OF Bill

RALEIGH, Feb. 3.-The fight
/ for state supported eight months
school term without ad valorem
taxation, has been on since Sena-
| tor A. D. MacLean of Beaufort
county and Senator G. l.. Bailey,
of Washington county introduced
their bill for an eight months
school in the senate Wednesday.
The bill is virtually a replica OF
the MacLean bill introduced in
1881 for state support of the SIX
months term, the only difference
that this bill would re-enact the
MacLean law and make it apply
to an eight months term.
The bill carries no appropriately
makes no provision for pfovfdiGg
the necessary $3,000,000 Of addi-
tional revenue needed and sets up
no machinery. In these respects
| it is virtually identical with the
original MacLean bill directing the
establishment of the state-support-
ed six months term without adj
valorem taxation" 1t merely de-
clares that the state shall maintain
and operate an eight months
school term without any ad valo-
rem taxation and passes the buck
Ito the finance and education COM
mittees to find the money and set
up the machinery. &c.,. ~.
in 1881 MacLean secured the
enactment of his six months state
supported school term law at the
opening Of the legislative session,
then used it as club with which
| to hold it in, session for five
months while it tried to find the
money with which to finance it.
indications are that if he can Sc
cure the, enactment of this new
leight months bill, he may follow
the same tactics, point out that
k"it's a law and virtually compel
1.-THE general assembly to stay in
session until it finds the necessary
revenue. -.n..
! Although the MacLean law in
1881 was represented as a mea5
Isure designed to reduce taxes on
property-which it did to the turt
of about $12,000,000 enactment
THAT did privately owned property,
Tor that it would have, had not the
general assembly greatly .increas7
led all the tax schedules on the
various corporations to make up
for the reduction in ad valorem
takes resulting from the MacLean
flaw and state support of the six
months school term. So as tax
Production measure for the cor
operations, he original MacLean
bill was more or less of flop,
lalthough it was undoubtedly in
tended to be that.
| There is no doubt that the pres
lent move for an eight months
lschoof term is also more of a move
Ito relieve the corporations of adj
lditional property taxes than any
Thing else, although it is also re-
Igarded as an indirect move to
Icompel the enactment Of general
lsales tax. 1t is agye ed that if the
| state should take over the cost OF
the eight months term it would re-
Imove fully $5,000,000 in property
taxes, of which at least $4,000, 00G
lis paid by corporate property. The
removal Of the Is cents ad valo-
Irem tax will also remove another
t$4,000,000 in property taxes, of
(which at least $2,500;000 is paid
by corporations. SO both of these
together will take off fully $4,-
100000 in property taxes from
corporate property.
| The hope and intent of those
backing this movement is un-
doubtedly the substitution of a
general sales tax to provide the
trevenue lost from the removal of
/ these property taxes. Some also
are hoping that the sales tax will
be made large enough so that the
present income, franchise and cor
lporation franchise tax schedules
Imposed upon the corporations and
business generally can also be re-
duced. There is already a we'll de-
fined movement in that direction
observable.
However, there are indications