This week in Canton history...

Submitted by Canton1 on
By Sandra Jones Van Zandt County Genealogical Society

Canton Herald, December 8, 1949

Plans and specifications are being rushed to a finish for the Canton school construction program which will be initiated soon after the first of the year.  Separate bids will be accepted on the general construction, the plumbing and heating and the electrical work.

The school improvement program is the realization of dreams for better schooling facilities for the boys and girls of this and surrounding communities and are made possible by the recent $150,000 bond election. The original plans calls for the construction of a new gymnasium and auditorium and sixteen class rooms.  The class rooms are to be used for the grammar school. With the transfer into the Canton school of a number of the rural schools, the already acute school building situation became ever more of a burden.  The added class room space and the new gym and auditorium will give Canton Independent School System facilities comparable to an of its size in East Texas and definitely a system of which all Canton people will be proud.

Van Zandt County’s cotton allotment for 1950 has been cut by 6,000 acres according to figures released by the state P.M.A. committee this week.  The 1950, quota was set at 36,387 acres in comparison to 42,200 acres granted county farmers last year.

According to figures released this week by County Auditor A. J. Riley, 74.1 per cent of current county ad valorem taxes were collected in October by Mrs. Paul T. Mann and employees of the tax assessor-collector office.  Last year 71.5 per cent was collected in the month of October.  The tax assessor-collector’s off collected $499,884.97 in tax monies, during the month of October.  This includes state taxes, county taxes and common school district taxes.  A sum of $20,254.90 was collected for common school districts, while $152,689.40 was collected for state taxes.  Total ad valorem taxes collected in October amounted to $326,129.75.

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