The Herald And News

ASSESSMENTS SHOW DECLINE

DECREASE IN COUNTY OVER THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND

County Real Estate More Than One Third—Automobiles Outnumber Wagons and Buggies.

The total assessed property value for the purposes of taxation in Newberry county has decreased over the last assessment a little more than $300,000. In fact a statement from the comptroller general of the State shows a decrease in thirty six counties of a little over five million dollars. In some of the counties the decrease was very large, Anderson for instance, a little more than a million dollars. In Spartanburg the increase was a little more than a million.

The auditor of Newberry of course has finished his abstract for some time, because the treasurer is now using it for the collection of taxes, but The Herald and News got a few facts about the assessment of property in Newberry which may be interesting to some of the readers of The Herald and News. The abstract shows that real estate pays over half the tax of the county, the assessment of all real estate, towns and county buildings, shows a total of $5,088,520, distributed as follows:

396,291 acres of land assessed at $2,501,890; 7,889 buildings on this lands assessed at $1,111,210; total of county real estate of $3,613,100.

2,324 lots in towns assessed at $441,810; 1961 buildings on these lots assessed at $1,033,610, making a total of town property of $1,475,420.

The personal property of the county including corporations of all kinds is assessed at $4,544,310, banks railroads and cotton mills, etc.

Machinery under which head comes cotton mills, oil mills and such is assessed at $1,482,865.

Railroads and power lines assessed at $1,565,850.

Merchandise assessed at $493,250.

Banks assessed at $191,850.

There are 4466 mules in the county, according to the assessments valued at $179,285.

There are 617 horses valued at $20,725.

There are 4434 cows valued at $60,570.

There are 2237 hogs in the county valued at $8,700.

There are 191 sheep and goats valued at $235.

There are 2715 wagons and buggies valued at $30,850.

There are 2735 automobiles valued at $195,920.

Ninety three watches valued at $1500.

Household goods valued at $243,500.

Moneys and credits $10,250

The total for the county $9,632,830 against $9,934,710 in 1925.

These figures will give you a basis for much thought and study. Of course the assessments are never at actual value. You will see that in our county of Newberry the real estate is bearing more than half the load of taxes and that the farm lands more than one third of the entire tax of the county, and for several years it has been the least productive of any property.

Automobiles outnumber all the wagons and buggies in the county, and that the number of sheep and goats is negligible, and we have not near as many hogs as we should have if we are to furnish Ballentines with our proportion of the fifty thousand that he will buy during this year, and have any left for home consumption.