Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-02-11


formation. and not conjecture and mis-
representation from a SUMMARY On page
$50 Of The last report OF this department.
II there appears that for the year ISL
Qo the teachers were paid S2.99T ~ W,
and the other expenditures foot up SDJ"'-
402 10. The editorial says, aud proba-
bly, any one would understand the Austin
correspondent 20 mean. that no part OF
this was used for school equipment.
There was no necessity for making this
impression The items composing inc
$500 400. 10 were before the correspond
ent. In fact he had 10 add these items
10 get his total Of 500, 4u2 %. why
did he not give themt lie could nave
made everything plain by doing so, md
would have saved the editorial force from
falling into an obvious and palpable er-
ror and the readers Of the community
would have enjoyed the opportunity OF
Judging for themselves whether any part
of this sum was used IN school equip
ment. l am cory he did not have time
TO give them. They are as follows;
"Fur supervision Of schools, S009O9.30;
for building school houses, 81 'ys1Wli
for rent Of school houses, S5l,4tO:4i-i Ior
repair of scnuol houses. S64, lt43Oi Tor
school furniture. SI6.033.3l, for apparatus
and supplies, SBl,tSJ.O3; amounts trans
ferred. Slu6,966.gl; for treasurers' com
missions, S31, 1Jl.I0; for all other pur-
poses. S219,624.G9
'Certuiuly 10 the face of all these fig
ures the News will wish 10 correct as
editorial statement that no part OF this
was expended for school equipment. ! ne
figures show that SlOG,96BJl was really
not expended, but was transferred from
some counties and Independent districts
10 others. This brings the total down 10,
say, SsO0OO0. OF this sum the figures
show that more than S45O000 was ex-
pended on schOO. equipments houses, tlir-
niture and supplies, leaving less than
S3JO,OOO. OF ulis, $'G,9OJ.3O was paid
TO county superintendents, county judges
and city superintendeuis for their sefY-
ices. which for 22I counties and 1I3 towns
| and cities Is certainly not extrayngnni
being an avera &c OF less than 500 per
annum, or a little over so per month
1t certainly cannot he said that the
amount paid for supervision Is paid
for 'et cetcras. Unless all Inc experts IN
educational affairs and school systems are
mistaken, supervision is absolutely indls-
pensabe TO efficiency The SCI, l0l.TO
paid treasurers for receiving, holding and
discussing the funds, being less than
per cent of the funds handled, requires
no remark. The only item remaining 10
be noticed Is the sum Of S21962l59
for all other purposes. This is reported
largely, IL not chiefly from the towns
and cities that levy local taxes which are
authorized in each case by tw0-thiris
vote OF property taxpayers, who have an
easy way of abOlishing the tax Whenever
they find it useless or burdensone.
Among the other purposes are included
| ianitor services, insurance on school
| houses and fuel for the schools but not
| q dollar for any school officers SALARY.
| Hence, the editorial statement Of the
| News that no part of these ovnendit,tres
| IL for school equipment and tho jnsinua-
| t1n of It's Austin correspoDdrnt thar All
| this money is dissipntcd in tolls and sal
| aries 10 school officials are equally in
| correct and unfounded.
| AS to the COSTS of assessing and cnl-
| le,ting the school taxes. there seems 10
| be little excuse for the. course of the
| News CORRESPONDENT in nretnnling
| to make an estimate when no
| figures were ut hand. But instead Of
! taking the figures given In Tho ,ontntrni.
| ler's report, he estimates this eynense
| at S5SO,OOO. What are the comptrdller's
| figures? Here they arc for rho wear 1So1
| For assessing, sol. 1913 ~; for collecting
| 72TSTG6; total, S100911.45. See Inc
| Thus the difference between 4bop oct,,oi
| figures AS given hy the compirnlIer and
| the estimate of tho NawA' corre,snond.
| emf Is more than S(0OO0D
SIN other words the estjinate az tba
| News correspondent Is nearly thrne anI a
half times ne large MS fhc a,t,,ai ul,l
| / should think anyone cnulj f,,5ha
criticism on ANYTHING, If be wnrs no.
mitted to make both lis facts md irfer-
cnccs II il tr1e that fhe cost az os tlses
| ing and collecting local scbool tavo,
should be added e tbe amonnts vy ro, t"He1
hy The c6inntrolIor Sn I'" ~ repofteu
| these charges M NOR cont S,r "a assi nHes
and per cent for coII,ctjn," 'SS,sS S,l,ii
| avs section AZ T',n a,,,'.,,,,t7 90 ~
from heal scho,l toys,s w sn95 ia ~ ~
and . nor cont of tbis am, 'i i'i9' q
Hcnoe il seems cntirel,, safo $500 .,,1 -,
the estimate by the News corresp5ndent
is more than three times as largo rs tbe
| actual cost. At any rate, n seems 70 mo
TO he incumbent upon those who nnder-
| take to discuss public financial ouestions
10 give The actual facts and figures rs
Us far Ms they are at hand, Instead of
substituting crratic statements by whom
| socycr made Thus does the hit,b.bi,yrn
sensational statement Of the News and
| iis correspondent that oue.tbird or dc
available school fund ia dissinsted In tat
ccteas' shrink when II Is pnncfnraJ bs
the 'unportc and unfeelng facts az III.
| case We 'i''
But perhaps the efforts Of tba Nor.s,
correspondent TO show thar tbcre ie .nor
| .f.ifa, .,,l - 49,, 80, r. e l'A-