The Arizona sentinel., 1879-08-09

tion to the number of children in each. Formerly the appor. tionment was based upon numher of children in actual attend ance during certain months. If, there, fore, any district ran short oi funds and could employ no teach CT during those months, it would get no share of the school fund at the next succeeding apportion- f1aent.
 These statements were made on information obtained from the Journals of the Legislature and from our Delegation.
 We now find from perusal of the only copy vouchsafed this County thus far of the Acts of the Tenth Legislature, that the law has been changed since it was passed, or else the reports of our members and the journals were false.
 We advocated a change in the law as follows, in our issue of December 14th, 1878:
 Section 5 of Chapter 23 of the Compiled Laws says:
 "It shall be the duty of the Governor, subject to the super vision of the Territorial Board of Education, to apportion to the several counties, on the second Monday of January, June and September, of each year, the amount of money to the credit of the School fund to which each County shall be entitled under the provisions of this Actin pro- portion to the average number of children that have attended school in each of said counties curing the three months prior to January lst of each year."
 Why or g basis of attendance at school for three months, and why select these particular months?
 |. Previous to 1876 the basis of apportionment of funds for the public schools was that of the number of children in each County between the ages of six and twenty-one years" This basis seems more just than that Of the present law. An epidemic, illness or death of teachers, i'm element weather, and many oth CT causes may prevent the attend ance of children during these months, and they must suffer the balance of the year because of this basis of apportionment.
 There is no reason in it; every child has right to the benefit of its proportion of school money, whether it is prevented by any cause from attending school for the three months prior to Janu- ary first or not.
 Every property holder pays his quota towards the School Fund. and his children have right to the benefit of tiff not this year then next.
 It offers inducements for fraud, for School Trustees, to rush a large attendance for these three months so as to draw school money; to teachers, to make false returns for the purpose of having money to keep longer term.
 No such law is in the statute book of any State or Territory but ours their money goes for the benefit of the children who might or would go to school between the ages of six and eighteen ; not for that of those who only go for certain three months; and so it ought to be in Arizona. We pay the money and employ the teach CTS, if children OF parents do not take advantage of the public schools, it is their loss, end not the fault of those Who wish to keep these schools open and with competent teachers. The tax is levied for teaching the children, and should be apportioned on the basis of the number of children in the County.
 But by some hook or crook of the smart Yavapai Delegation, whose interest it is to have the old law stand, the enactments made and passed by the Legisla. ture were either not enerossed upon the original bill or have been purposely clipped.
 The only change in the new law, as published, from the old is that we have fancy Superinten. dent {perfectly worthy and com. petent and whom we much es- teem,) at a salary of 5000 per year a Prescott Pet. Yuma County bids fair to have no part