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I T I I ?g*g===? DILLON COUNTY WEALTH AND TAXATION. * (We are very much indebted to Edgar Thompson, son of Mr. and Mrs.' J. S. Thompson, for the following ex-' tracts from the "Economic and Social Survey" of Dillon county now being prepared by Mr. Thompson and Dewey Stephens, both of whom are Dil-, Ion county students at the University of South Carolina.) , 1. Wealth Statistics. The total wealth of Dillon county in 1920 was $14,178,126 using the State Tax Commission figures as 42 per cent of the total value making us rank 27th among the counties of he state. In 1910 the county ranked: 13th among the counties in the value of all farm property with a total of $10,333,050. This represented an increase of 54 per cent over 1900 dur-: ing which time we were still a part r of Marion county. Our increase in ,.t.1 1. kl. -i o-l n ?/> /uiai laAauic nviu A^JLV UV ^ 19 20 was 79 per cent. Seven coun-!c ties outranked ub in the increase. But the total wealth of a county has relatively little to do with the f prosperity of the people as a whole. I This Is better shown by giving the ^ wealth owned by the average individual in the county. In 1920 Dillon j county had a per capita wealth of t $560 making us rank 26th among1 the counties of the state. While we^ outrank twenty counties in the mat-|g ter of per capita wealth, we should f not be satisfied with our standing.' With our rich soils especially adapt- ;. ed to the cultivation of a wide varte-jj ty of crops we should rank among' the first. It is interesting to note that f, 'our neighboring county of Marlboro; reuses 10th with a per capita wealth! of^728. It should be borne in mind jr that the wealth retaining capacities { of a people count far more than thej ,$T wealth getting capacities. 2. Fnrui Mortgages The total number of farms in Dil- ( Ion county in 1910 was 2.659. Of ;t these 109 or four per cent were mort-i, gaged. Four counties, Beaufort, Bark-jr ley, MariDoro ana Charleston, outranked us in having a smaller per j, centage of mortgaged farm3. ^ The white farmers of the county . owned 2,543 of the farms. There j were 90 or 3.5 per cent, of these white farms under mortgage. The counties of Beaufort, Charleston and Marlboro were the only counties having fewer white farm mortgage than j Dillon county. Negro farmers owned 116 farms ^ and 19 or 16.4 per cetnt were mort- ^ gaged. Twelve coun*!es outranked us In this partic'-.r. The total \alue of all land and ^ buildings on these farms was $461,655. The total amount of our i mortgage debt was $93,455 or 20 per f cent of the total value of the farms. c A mortgage is not necessarily a bad thing. When used for making im- ( provements a mortgage may be made with profit. But if one is given for the purpose of buying luxuries such r as automobiles there is nothing gain- ^ e<J in making one. They arc merely a nieank to an end and the end should t justify the me? is. j il. Banks and Banking Resouitres v In 1920 Dillon county had one Na- c tional apil six State hanks, or one s bank for every 3,125 people. In this j respect we rank 13th among their counties of tlie state. In 1919 our j total banks resources was $3,088,-l? 79 3.47 which was an increase of $l,-|j '942,775.04 or 169 per cent overi 1914. The average increase for the state as a whole during the same pe-| rlod was 140 per cent. Comparing!1 loans and discounts during the same 1 five year period we have an increase)^ of $722,587.79 over 1914 bringing t the total to $1,656,412.67 for 1919 c whicli represents an increase of 77 1 per cent. The average increase for the state during the same period was 1 100 per cent. The increase in'capitaljs stock was not so marked. There was 0 an increase of only $50,000 over v 1914 bringing the total to $270,700 * or an increase of 22 per cent. This ' means that an increase of 169* per 0 cent in resources was effected on an ^ increase of only 2 2 per cent in capi- f tal stock, * Thnen mwv A?itli.Al?f (> a iivoc uivica^rg cur uui riu 11 ci? the result of an increasing popula- ' tion for the population increased only ' 11.8 per cent from 1910 to 1920. It Is largely the result of increased ! thrift on the part of the people and ' was accomplished during an abnor- ' nial business period. \ 1 Our per capita banks resources in e 1914 was $55 which was increased to $122 In 1919. In per capita loans \ ^ the increase was very much less, from $41 in 1914 to $65 in 1919. Our , per capita capital stock in 1919 was only $10.70 which was an increase of 1 just one dollar over 19144. Automobiles. Altho Dillon county ranks 37th in ? size among the counties of the state she ranks 19th in the number of automobiles and trucks with 1679 in L, 1920. She ranked even higher in the number of inhabitants per automop* bile with 15.1 making her rank 9th among the counties. Marlboro ranks first with 12.3 inhabitants per automobile wlkle the state average is 18. . , But these facts arte nothing to be proud of for they show that while h we have been amassing wealth in au, tomobiles we have bcen neglecting institutions which are very .much more essential to the life and prosit perity of the county. .y If we estimate the average price per automobile asfllOO which is a conservative estimate, we have $1,846,900 invested in automobiles in r% Dillon county for 1920. The value of k all school prosperity in thre county, for tnfe same year was $651,028.1 Thlg means that we have almost WHEN IN TROUBLE ' . Call Phone 77 , J* * P. & W. REPAIR CO. *, Painting and Repairing all JF Make Cats L/ * a " 1 THE DILLON HI three times as much invested in au-' tomobiles as we have in schools. During the year 1920 Dillon county cit-1 Ixens purchased 353 new cars. Using the same valuation of 11100 per an-| tomobile this was an expenditure of( 1388,500. During the same year the| :ounty spent only $132,583 for school' )urposes. Figures secured from the State Department of Agriculture and bas>d on the eighth of a cent a gallon stx on gasoline gives 737,081 gallons is the amount used in Dillon county ii 1920. Using 32 cents a gallon as in average price thi8 gives $235,166 as the value of gasol>-> consum'd during the year. The average number of miles per ;allon is 13. This gives a total of 1,582,053 miles. It would be conservative to estimate the operating extenses of a car at ten cents a mile. This would include gasoline cost, ires, repair and depreciation. Such m estimate indicates an approximate iost of operating of $958,205 com>ining the cost of new cars pur- i ha Bed di'ring 1920 with the total i est of operating during the same ear we get approximately $1,346,'05. These fieures lead to aomo oii't- ' V , ing conclusions. They show that in i he year 1920 we spent ten times 1 is much on automobiles and trucks i is we did on education- Also they i how that 58 per deht of^he money ! rom our 19 20 t otton crop was in- I ested in automobiles and in keep- 1 ny them up.,. And the amount we ' tave invested in automobiles is al-i1 nost seven times the capital stock11 if all our banks. |i .">. Itnnds and Railways. !< Dillon county is well served with 1 ailways. The Atlantic Coast Line,|< brough from New York to Jackson- ' ille and the Seaboard Air Line from latnlet to Savannah, completely tra- 1 rrse the county. The Raleigh and-p Charleston, in the eastern t?art of < he county, the Bennettsvllle and 1 Clieraw in the south west portion, 1 .nd the so-called Latta Branch con- 1 lecting Latta and Clio, are all ' tranches of these two main lines, i Cheir total mileage in Dillon county i s 80.70 miles and they own property n the county assessed to the amount ?f $757,228. | There are approximately 80ft miles < if roads in Dillon county at the preset time, only 41 miles of which be- 1 ongs to the state highway system, loads branch out from Qillon to Jullins, Latta. Pages Mill, Nichols, lunbar and Hamer. A county road < onneets Latta and Dunbar and anither connects Latta and Brownsville. ! Ve are well supplied with roads but he county has been very lax in keep- < UK mem up. gians nave oeen made or the future, however, which if arrief^ to completion will put our ' oads in very good condition. A conract has already been let for the ' instruction of 19.77 miles of imiroved roadway for which governuent aid to the amount of $40,000 rill be obtained. This road is part if the county seat to county seat svsem passing through Marion, Latta. -!ttie Rock and Bennettsville and I kill cost approximately $80,000. Antther project being considered is a cven mile road from the town of ' Dillon to Rowland, N. C. This is a art of the South Atlantic Coastal1' lighway and involves the construe- 1 icn of a modern bridge over Little >ee Dee River. <i. Taxation. In 1920 the total taxable wealth of , Dillon county was $14,178,126. In i me i inures were 9:1,02 1, list). 1 )ur increase in taxable property from 910 to 1920 was 76.65 per cent. { )nly seven counties outranked us in | he increase. Dillon county in 1920 ranked ourth among the counties of the tate in her general levy, state ounty and school, with 35 1-4 mills chile the average for the state was , 19 1-4 mills. The average levy for he county, not including the prinipal town district, was 49 1-4 nulls, n this respect Dillon county ranks irst among the counties of the state >eing a great deal ahead of the avraKe for the state which was 37 3-5 nills. All of our school districts have evied special taxes for schools. Three counties have a higher tax ate- than Dillon county. Our rate 15 1920, state and county, was $3.58 >er- hundred dollars. The county of 'Ickens ranks first with $4.00 for ach hundred dollars worth of proptrty. Next in order come Clarendon, TOBi _ FLI We have i And Ne And a goc Make \ I Our prices are right. Braddy-Whe< DILL01 * ?R4lLD, DILLON, SOUTH CAROLI3 McCormick end Dillon. Our neighboring county, Marlboro, ranks 4 3rd with $2.45 for each hundred dollars worth of property. The present tax system is the only one that can be used under the constitution 1895, and, though only twenty five years old. has already proven itself inadequate to provide for the needs of a fast growing society. The law requires that all property, real, personal and possessory. be listed and returned, assessed and taxed at its actual value. That this provision is not practiced is well known by everybody in the state including State Tax officials so that the State Commission in 1915 found it necessary to recognize this fact officially and openly proceed with the equalization of assessments on the percentage basis of 4 2 per cent. The taxation is a statewide problem and its solution will be state wide, but it will be interesting to mention some of the conditions that have arisen in our county by reason of. the general property tax. The assessed valuation of the 246,504 acres of county real estate in 1920 was $2,591,465. making the assessed value of an acre of land only- $10.50. This is an absurdity when land in Dillon county sells for from two hundred to four hundred dollars per acre and yet we wonder why we have such high tax rates and still not micp siiffipinnf rovnntio *^ increasing demands of government. In addition to this, most of the personal property, both tangible and intangible, which constitutes a large part of our wealth and from which a large part of our taxes should be derived, does not find a place upon our tax books. The land owners and corporations bear the burden of taxation simply because men whose wealth is composed of personal property can keep it off the tax books and landowners and corporations! cannot.. The present tax laws in thej state mak<* such a stat'e of affairs possible. The tax system in South; Carolina must be rebuilt from the foundation up and must provide separate systems for the taxation of tan-t sible and intangible property. Facts About Wealth ami Taxation in Dillon County. Ranks 13?Total farm wealth 13th census, $10,333,050. Ranks 2? Per capita country wealth 1910, $456. Ranks 27?Total wealth 1920, $14,178,126. Ranks 8?Increase in taxable property front 1910-1920, per cent 79. Ranks 26?Per capita wealth 19 20 $560. Ranks 4?Tax rate per $100 assess jd valuation for the tax year 1920 $3.53. Ranks 1?Average property tax j I?IC 1 J u V UII11.1 u 1-1. Ranks 2?Per capita crop values based on. eleven leading crops 1920 $219.95. Ranks 32?Total number of farms 1920 3.440. Ranks 15?Farm land improved 13th census, per cent 51.7. Ranks -3?Average improved acres per farm, per cent 34.1. UUli C'eiiMi*. Ranks 13?Farms operated by tenants 13tli census, per cent 7 2.7. Ranks 5?Percentage of mortgaged farms all of lotal number ofi farms 1910. 4. Number of farms 2.659; Number mortgaged 109. Ranks 4?Percentage of mortgaged farms are of total farms owned b> whites 3.5 Number white owned farms 2,543; mortgaged 90. Ranked 13?Percentage of mortgaged faring are of total farms owned by negroes 16.4. .>umuer uegro uwnea iarnis 116; mortgaged 10. Ranks 19?Number of automobiles 1020, 1679. Ranked 9?Number inhabitants per automobile 15.1. Ranks 13?-Number inhabitants per bank 1920, 3,135. Number of banks 7; population 25,278. Ranks 27?Per capita bank resources 1910", $122. Ranks 11?Per capita bank cap-, Ital 1919. $10.70. Ranks 30?Per capita loans and discounts 1919, $66. I L. D. IJIDE , ! Attorney-at-Law MARION, 8. C \cco JES New Iron w Tools i >d man to Flues See us before you buy iler Company Sf, s. c. llili&i hi ir i Viliiy. torihi 'A, THURSDAY. MORNING, JUNE 2, ANNUAL HONOR ROLL |l OF DILLON SUHOOIiS I |( Attendance. I< Francis Adams, Walter Bethea, Eva i Bridgers, Bynum Bute. Duncan Car- 1 Dtichael, Mary Davis. J. D. Elliott. ^ Louise Fennegan, Gary Fennegan, Joseph Freesland. Artrent B. Gibson, Jimmie Gibson, Margaret Hargrove, | Sara Hargrove, Harrison Hayes, Sara Herring. Bruce Hursey. Ida Lupo, Mary Murchison, Edith McDufIfie. Bennie Raspberry, Alice Salleebv, Rhoda Saleeby, Saleetn Saleeby . Thelnia Seals, Jessie Reaves. Len Tntum, Graham Watson, Marion Webster. Scholarship. Francis Adams, Francis Bailey, Holmes Bell. Louise Bethea, Walter Bethea. Fitzhugh Betbea. Milwee Iiritt, Irene Carniichael. Evelyn Caldwell, John C. Cottingham, Frances Chandler, Rheba Cook. Mabel Croxton, Kate Croxton, Mary Davis, Mary Smith, Josephine Saleeby, J. C. Lupo, Jno. D. Regan, Wilson Saleeby, Beulah Easterling, Louise Ellen, DeLeon ( Freesland. Sara Hargrove, Rebecca F. XT, _ol .... T> ~ tl : c? " - i viioim, u ic nrniiiK, oani npiring Powell Jones. Elizabeth Jones, Frauces Knight, Sarah F. Manning, j Lois Moody. Legrande Moody, Billy i Murchison, Edward McCutcheon, Au- , I , Wp have opened an Optical Office^ itt Dillon, S. C. At the present time! we will be at the Hotel Wheeler ev-, er> Second and Fourth Mondays* in each month. We examine and fit | glasses. Call and see us. I,. A. WOOlHU FF, I)-Opt. Eyesight Specialist * NOTICE. Take notice that the summer term o; the Court of General Sessions for the County of Dillon will convene at Dillon on Monday, Juno 13th, 19 21, at ld:30 o'clock in the forenoon. Sam McLaurin, 5 19 It. C. C. C. P. & G. S. FINAL DISCHARGE NOTICE .Notice is hereby given that Lloyd Thompson, administrator of the estate of Ellis Thompson, deceased has made application unto me for final discharge as administrator, and that Monday, June 6th at 10 o'clock in th0 forenoon has been appointed for the heariner of the sni<t netition All person? holdinP claims against the said estate are requested to file them with the admir?isti*at?r on or b^for^ 10 o'clock in the forenoon of June the 6th or this notice will be plead in bar of their recovery. JOE C VBELL DAVIS. Judge of Probate. 5 5 4t. Dillon County. The rema Light-Six low overhead fact that it Ci 1 _1_ _ 1 _ jiuaeoaKer in automobile because its a B & Taurine Cart and Rom LIGHT-SIX TOURING CAR SPECIAL-SIX TOURING CAR SPECIAL-SIX 7-PASS. ul 4-PASS. BIG-SIX TOURING CAR At-L STUDEB> 1921. 31 ey McLean Eleanor Niernsee. Biliy Olive, Otis Pu.?e. W 'lllam Roberts, Carlisle Roberts, Saleeinby Saleeby, Carrol StacKhon.se, Sarah Smith, Mar- _ ha Staekhouse, Eugene Stanton. I Leu Tatnin Schubert' Watson, Miriam 1 ilatson, Graham Watson. '"Oil SALE MM> llusliels >li\e<l I'eas at $4.25 per bushel f. o. b. Dillon. | Get your orders in at once. I). J. Chandler, Minturn?6 2 ltp. I p MOTHERS I 11 Tj- Thr?M Generations Jjl I V} H?vj Made Child-Birth rjlj U Lj* L?si?r By Using ?? ,.1 ITirOR BOOKLET ON MOTHERHOOD ABO TNE DART, rati Sradpield Reoulator Co.. Dept. D-D. Atlanta 6a. I? fW cd cd There is Silver or ; v. ~7 for the brida wil1 find ?ur' im. h.ghw.a usual suggesti appreciative And you ir anygiftfromt Holder and Spoon, Sterl- fni 1 r \TPO rc n v r Idk, 4 In. ?Ule $4.50 lvJUl y vcl lS CA | stand behind A lute satisfacti ff yC The items sho \&{&P to meet your e n aT^TT. represent the Tra Ha 11 with chjiia Paul-GaleLargest NORFO E. -$? |v j J pouiar, 112-inch whmrlbate J Si485 f. o. b. South Beod I rkably low price o ?a ?]|?A 4"*"* M*?nMSaS?> lo uuc iu i|uanuiy , small profit per c; is completely manui i the newest and m plant in the world Studebaker." This is a Sti B Auto Si DIlyLON, S. C. Price. f. ?. b. factory dtfrt Conwi . $14*5 UGHT-2IX COUPr. ROi 1750 UGHT-SiX SEDAN ROADSTERS 1750 SPECIAL-SIX COUPE . 2150 SPECIAL-SIX SEDAN IKER CARS ARE EOUIPPED WITH C< SSSBBBBi MOODY'S MARKET 1 few Prices on Fresk | Meats i5 Prices that iuuke you think of the ol?l before the war days. For tiie next few weeks or until further notice ull meats at our market will be sold at the following prices: Koast beef, per lb 23c. All Steaks, per lb __25c. W e sell chickens, eggs, butter and fish at the market prices. ? Fresh fish on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. If you want the lH*st to be had at a first class market call on us or phone. Courteous treatment to all iH our motto. , Moody's Market On the corner next to Seals' Store, bark of the Bank of l>illnn. r tficSricle , no gift like Sterling genuine hand-cut glass 1 remembrance. You catalog filled with unons of appropriate and gifts. lcur no risk in ordering ;'n{ hisoldstore. Seventy, >erienceand reputation the gaurantee of absoon. wn here are guaranteed very expectation and to best values obtainable. 0 Greenwood Co. Jewelers South LK, VIRGINIA itablithed 1347 u (lu. af so they 1 f the New production, ir, and the Factured by iost modern ?D It. .. UU/ IL ldebaker Year ales