Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1881-03-23
A MINORITY REPORT.

The minority report Of the Board OF
Regents OF the State University. for the
years 1879 and 1880. to the Legislature.
Just received. contains some very peril.
nsnt suggestions. and throws much light
upon the University question. II sp-
pears by II that owing to the unfortunate
location Of the University. the institu.
ton is in the nature Of an elephant to
the State, and that II would bs we'll to
give the whole thing to the town Of
Elko.
We learn that tho Legislature, acting
in accordance with the suggestions con.
tanned in the minority report. made the
appropriations for salaries specific. and
passed the deficiency bill payable out
Of the University Fund"
/, seems that the large expenditure for
manure by the Board Of Regents in their
fruitless efforts to raise trees. etc., has
caused much comment. A correspond.
snt writing with reference to the minor
ity report. says: "'Twill be either
school and no manure, or manure and
NO school In future"
Here follows the minority report:
GoLD HILL. New. Feb. a. 1881.
To the Honorable, the Lssisiaturs Of The
State Of ysroda:
Tho undersigned. . member Of the
Board Of Regents OF the State University
Of Nevada, having been unwilling to sub
scribe TO tho biennial report submitted to
your Honorable bodies by the majority of
the Board Of Regents. under date of Janu'
ary 80, 1881, feels IL incumbent upon him
TO state his reasons for dissent from that
report. He. therefore, respectfully sub
mits minority report upon matters relat-
ing to the State University.
While I cheerfully indorse the state.
menis Of Regents stone and Mayhugh with
regard to the ability Of the Principal OF
the University, W. @. Dovey; tho course
Of studies AZ marked out; tho progress Of
the stulsnts attending the schools. and
other statements made In their report,
am compelled to dissent from some OF the
statements which the report contains.
With regard to the details OF manage
ment of tho University. may say that
having had but few opportunities TO bo-
come acqusinted with them. know but
little about them, having attended only
three meetings Of the Board since / &C.
eepted the Office Of Regent about one year
since. A majority OF the Board, being
residents Of Eiko, have attended to the de-
tails OF management; full information
with regard to which. also with regard to
the disbursement Of the Btate appropria.
tion. can be obtained from the financial
statement mado near the close of their re-
Fort.
/ believe that Il should DO the true pol.
icy Of the Board Of Regents to present the
facts relating to the University a. they
exist, to the Legislature, and let the Legis.
lature decide therefrom a. to the proper
course to pursue in future with regard to
tho institution. Believing thus. am
compelled to say that my information and
observation will not permit me to concur
in that part Of tho majority report which
states that tho average attendance OF
pupils at the University two years ago,
when tho present Board camo into Office,
was thirty. II tho majority report had
placed the number at twenty l believe 1t
would have still have been too high.
Tho majority report omits to mention
the fact that the 5000 loads Of fertiliz'ng
put ON the twelve and half acres
Of ground. and plowed in. brought forth
spleudid crop OF mushrooms. hold that
II this portion Of their report was intended
a. a treatise On agriculture, II should have
named the entire product.
With regard TO raising shade trees on
tho University grounds, / may say that
efforts have been made almost every year
since tho University was founded to raise
them, but without success. In the year
1876 the Board procured from Carson
about 800 Lombardy poplars. which were set
out in the grounds. In September of that
year the Board found nearly all the trees
living, while their leaves wero green, and
while TO q casual observer they appeared to
bo in ..an apparently healthy and growing
The next year more trees
were set out. Before they were planted.
large hole was dug. In which was placed
nearly load Of black soil hauled from the
river DOttOul, anu tuc heSs oot ~ 'hAs soaN
soil that was supposed to DO free from
alkali. But those trees died, a. trees be-
fore had died. During my visit to the
grounds in Juno last. l examined the dy-
ing trees. and found lying on the leaves .
residue from the evaporation OF sap, and
that the trees were dying from their tops;
the pores of the wood having become filled
with salt lett by the evaporation OF sap,
which eventually killed tho trees. am
convinced that no trees will live any length
of time in tho soil Of the University
grounds. And I may here say that /
found similar obstacles in the way OF rear.
ing trees in other parts OF the town of
Elko. Hence I feel warranted In saying
that unless something can be found that
will neutralize the alkali In that soil. 1t
will be . waste Of money TO attempt to
beautify the University grounds with trees
and shrubbery.
The dormitory. under the charge OF Mrs.
Wines, is no doubt In good hands. But
the student bosrders who, u was antici.
patetl. would Ali the building. arc still
lacking. And am informed that great
portion OF the time since Its erection 1t
has been without any boardsrs. The ma.
jority report fails to state the number OF
boardsrs there at present, but learn that
there 10 but one In tho building who A.
tends the school.
The dormitory wss built In 1875, at
coat IN the State of $500. IL was placed