Evening star., 1949-02-05
Gloucester Invited Trouble
In Racial Dispute, Many Believe
(LaSt of a series.)
By Alex R. Preston


last of q Series)
By Alex R. Preston
star stoff Correspondent
GLOUCESTER, Va, Feb. S.
There is strong evidence to support
a belief that Gloucester County,
now beset by racial discrimination
trouble, has asked for it,"
This does not necessarily apply to
its school officials, although a Fed
eral Judge thought so when he cited
them for contempt for failing to
provide adequate Negro schools.
In an independent survey made
for another purpose, DR.. William H.
Stauffer, director of research for
the Virginia State Chamber of Com
merce, has shown that Gloucester
County is far behind most other
Virginia localities in meeting local
needs. And a report of the State
Auditor of Public Accounts implies
that Gloucester, like lot of other
Virginia counties and cities, could
incur Indebtedness, if necessary, to
correct its ills.
Board to Meet Monday.
The question of debt will be taken
up Monday when Chairman Stanley
T. Gray calls the School Board for
a special session. Petitions on a
referendum on the question of
whether to issue from $75O,OO0 to
81 100000 in bonds for school con-
struction will be received and. Mr.
Gray said, the board probably will
pass resolution.
The measure will ask Circuit
Court Judge j. Douglas Mitchell to
order the referendum. The three
board members, Mr. Gray, Otis
Hogge and Wallace Fletcher, along
with Superintendent ]. Walter Ken
ney, must appear before Federal
Judge Sterling Hutcheson in April
at which time penalties for the con-
tempt citation will be imposed
Judge Hutcheson has indicated he
will take into consideration steps
taken to equalize white and Negro
schools before then.
A portion of Judge Hutcheson's
opinion indicated that the board
may not have availed itself of all
possible remedies to escape convic-
tions for contempt. The judge said
school officials have not followed a
more direct and expeditions method
for raising funds provided by the
Virginia statute"
An attorney, who refused to be
quoted by name, interpreted this to
mean that the School Board could
have petitioned the Circuit Court
for bond issue referendum on its
own initiative instead of obtaining
the approximately 300 names re-
quired by the method now being
followed.
DR.. Stauffer, the director of re-
search for the State Chamber OF
Commerce, has computed the true
tax rates" on real estate for the
100 counties and "a cities in the
Old Dominion. In that study, DR.
Stauffer shows that Virginia locali-
ties, most of which are clamoring
for a special session of the Cen
eral Assembly to provide additional
State air for schools, are not carry
ing their proper share of the cost.
Prevailing Practice.
The prevailing practice in Vir-
ginia is for localities to assess prop
erty for tax purposes at fraction
of the actual values. DR.. 'Stauffer
computed the true tax rate" for
each locality by figuring the assessed
values against the actual values.
His study placed Gloucester County
seventh from the bottom of the list
of the 124 localities surveyed.
The true tax rate in Gloucester,
DR.. Stauffer showed, is IS cents
per $1O0 of actual value. In 1926
the year the State ceased i'm
posing levy-Gloucester's true rate
was 86 cents.
The average true rate" for coun-
ties was found to be 64 cents; the
average for counties and cities. 90
cents, and the average for cities
was $137.
A report of the State Auditor
of Public Accounts for the year
ended June 80, 1947, indicates that
Gloucester taxpayers were assessed
$11.73 per capita for school pur-
poses compared with $1290 per cap
ita for the State as whole. Yet
the county is one of only II Vir-
ginia counties that pay no interest
on school debts. It is one of Is
counties that reserve no funds for
redemption of debt for school con-
struction.
Bond Prospects Uncertain.
The prospects of the referendum
carrying are by no means certain.
In the first place, the amount, $780,
900 to 100000, seems high for a
rural-type county.
In King George County last No
vember voters approved bond issue
referendum to meet similar situ-
alton. The vote was 322 to 245, but
the amount sought for school equali-
zation was only $150,000 compared
with the higher sum sought in Glou-
cester County.
On the other hand, the amount
to be raised here would be used for
new white high school as well as
for new Negro school.
Another factor that could affect
the outcome of a question involving
substantial debt is that the tax
rate was raised go per cent last year.
1t was increased from ST. to 81 per
$1OO of assessed valuation on real
estate.
The added revenue has been used,
in part, to help equalize facilities at
the Negro school, including the
following items: Equal salaries for
teachers with identical educational
qualifications; $500 worth of books
for the library; new commercial and
workshop classes; acquisition of
workshop and chemistry class equip
ment.
In addition to the increased tax
rate, the general reassessment,
scheduled to start this month,
probably will result in some tax
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