River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1880-01-22

ending September So 1879. The in
crease during the last fiscal year is very
satisfactorily accounted for in the ex-
cess of cash ON hand at its close.
Ia my last annual message, referring
to the state tax then being collected,
said: at is confidently expected that
this tax will pay all the expenditures Of
the year 1879, and in addition, very
materially reduce, if it does not en-.
tirely extinguish, the deficiency in the
general fund which has appeared on
each first day of January for several
years last past" 1t gives me much
pleasure to inform you that this ex-
pectation has been more than realized.
January /, 1873, the general fund was
over-drawn $146,4SS 81. January 1,
1870, it was over-drawn $74 880.S8.
January /, 1880, the surplus or balance
on hand belonging to this fund was
$145, 40649
The state tax now being collected is
1856. s71.S9, which is $226, 517.10 less
than was apportioned for collection
last year and more than twenty-three
per cent. less than the least tax in many
preceding years. sincerely hope that
this tax and the receipts from other
sources, with the amount now to the
credit of the general fund, may be
found ample for all the ordinary dis
bursements of the present year, and to
that end invite your most rigid scru-
tiny of all bills approprIstlng money.
ESTIMATES.
The Secretary of State estimates the
expenditures for the calendar year 1880,
will be 1868 sos 54, and the receipts I'M
der existing laws as follows:
Taxes Observation-Disclosures. S207 S55 "a
Railway companies 393.60 "
Insurance companies. ............ 5000 M
Miscellaneous sources. ............. 29,bO0 W
Total. $677, 455 81
If your appropriations do not mate
rally exceed the Secretary's estimates,
q tax levy by this legislature of $780,.
$4,000 will be ample for all purposes.
1t does not need, l think, that should
amplify the views heretofore expressed
upon the subject of appropriations and
public expenditures. 1t is neither pru.
dent or popular to withhold what is nee
essary. The people of Wisconsin are
not stingy, nor do they expect their REP
resentatiyes to be niegardly in the man.
agement of public business. They re.
alize that penuriousness does not con
stitute economy, and therefore will aD-
prove wise expenditures and account
them profitable investments.
EDUCATION.
The report of the State Superintend-
ent shows that the total amount OF mon.
ey expended for the support OF the COM
mon schools of the state during the
1 700 ~.
per cent. of which was for teachers
wages; that 293,286 pupils attended
these schools and received instruction
from 1875 teachers in 5626 school
houses. The estimated value of these
S :hool houses is S4,319, 445 81; of the
sites on which they are located, $736,-
$40 50, and for the apparatus which
they ntain, 1857 .012 30-sn aggregate
investment for common school pur-
poses of e5,214,979.o6. The total num-
Der of children over four and under
twenty years of age, Is re ported at 9o4,'
353, with less than 5000 of them i'll
scnool districts maintaining schools les
than five months in the year.
The expenditures for the four nor
nal schools were $72,708 OF, of which
S57 ,49840 were paid to s'ructois.
The attendance during the year a9gre-
gated 1903 different pupils.
The ca slogue of the state university
shows 4S1 ciderent students i'll atten-
| dance during the year. The Board OF
Regents report SIC, 55816 paid out dur
ing the year for current expenses, OF
which $40 24G.77 was received by IN
j stractoIs.
These statistics are presented for
your consideration, not by way of criti-
cism or complaint, but with the hope
that they will attract to the subject OF
education the attention which It's I'M
portance demands. ! believe our
schools are improving from year to
year, particularly the rural district
schools, whese the mass OF our people
receive their education, and that This
Improvement is due, in large measure,
| primarily to the Jealous and intelligent
labors of state and county supeIinten-
| dents, and the enthusiastic te.optrdtIon
of the professional teachers VINO have
graduated from onr normal schools and
state university, and the excellent col
ieges and other institutions of learning
not in any way aided by the state. 1t
is, therefore, serious misrepresentation
to assume, as / fear many do, that the
only justification and reason for ex-
pending the large sums of money nee
essary to equip and mali t lin our nor
NAL schools and university, are to be
found in the direct and primary results
of their labors in furnishing the oppor-.
tunity and means of education to the
pupils in attendance. These results,
though in and Of themselves by no
means unimportant, are among the
least of the benefits conferred by these
institutions. Their full frui ion is 10.
seen without including the pubic
schools, proper, and the good therein
accomplished.
The ordinary income of the Univei-
sity is derived from the interest upon
the University and Agricultural college
funds. amounting last year to $50 344-
70, and the proceeds OF the one-tenth,
of mill tax provided for in section
800 of the revised statutes, which was
$41 ,31030. These sums appear to be
adequate for all the present necessities
of the institution, and if the present
ratio of assessm ent Is TO continue, their
ID pea pups ~ hSSSnSAUJ ava guy SAi'bSS
in the law; but if it should be increase d,
as it ought to be to represent more
nearly the actual value of taxable
property, there would seem to be man.
ifest propriety in changing the form of
the appropriation from an indefinite
to fixed sum,-such sum, be it more
or less, as the legitimate needs of the
University NAV TeUtIlrp
INDUSTRIAL SCHOOLS.
The whole number of boys in atten-
dance at the industrial school for boys,
at Waukesha, during the last fical ear,
was 435, and the average attendance
425. The number admitted was 125,
as against Isl last year, and the num-
Der discharged 49, The current ex-
penses were $40. 666.72, or at the rate of
s1006 per inmate, IS against $l14 81
last year. The amount paid for sal
aries and wages was S13 ,6103 sc, and for
subsistence $11, 097 Al. The sum of
S13 10000 has been paid towards the
erection of new buildings.
The managers ask for an appropria-
ton of $4,000, in addition to surplus
and the sums to be received from coun-
ties, to meet the expenses of the current
year.
OF the amounts heretofore appropri-
ated for building purposes, there will