The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-05-02
REBUKED,
AnEXpOSe OfState
. College.
The Report Of the InveSti-
eating Committee.
Agriculture Sighted and EX-
penSeS Enormous.
Board of Managers at Kingst0wn
officially Reprimanded.
In Five Years 361 Pupils Taught by Pro-
fessors Receiving $152,93o.

The first special committee of the Gen.
eral Assembly appointed at the last May
session to "investigate the Rhode Island
College of Agriculture and Mechanical
Arts" has made its report and it is
worth reading.
II will reach the House of Representa-
tives next tuesday.
The report Is rebuke, very artistic
but at the same time very emphatic. An
introduction of seven or eight pages is the
sugar-coating part OF the pill and is all
that President Washburn and bis asso-
ciates could desire to hand down TO their
posterity. These preliminary pages con-
tain a descriptive account of the visit of
the committee to the college at its last
commencement and notes the earnestness
with which the students participated In
the exercises.-lt-alse -Aas-seTetai- aiiH--
sions to the agricultural interestS OF the
State which might be advanced by an in
stitution similar 10 the one under investi-
cation, II Ii was properly managed.
The remainder OF this document is very
"bitter pill' beginning with mild remon-
strances against the minor short comings
and concluding with emphatic denuncia-
tion of the Board of Managers of the col
lege and a final Recommendation restrain
ing them from spending any more or con-
tracing any more debts without legisla-
tive authority.
AGRICULTURE IGNORED.
In the iirst place the committee calls
attention TO the fact that the principal
purpose for which the college was estab-
lished is being lost sight of and that the
Pupils are allowed TO ignore the study of
a rp m
this particular:
1.-The curriculum, after the first year,
is now divided into agricultural and me-
chanical courses and the tendency of the
students seems to be away from the agri-
cultural courses towards the more general
education.
This tendency your committee has no.
ticed with regret.
MONEY RECEIVED BY THE COLLEGE.
The report reviews the financial history
OF the institution, giving the figures
without making any comment, and an
account of the several funds from the
time the Hatch act was passed by Con-
gress.
since 1889 the college at Kingston has
received:
From the Hatch fund. 1920, coo
From this State. 145, 600
From the MorriI fund. d.............. i26, 000
Total. ........................ 1921 200
IN addition to the Sl45,0 GOO from the
State in the table of receipts there was an.
other Appropriation in 1895 OF i4,oS9.50
to restore the burned dormitory Tue
sum credited TO the tate also includes
many extraordinary expenses and the
sl26, COO credited TO the Morril fund IN
cludes the $50, 600 taken away from
Brown University.
The regular annual income OF the insti-
tuition which 1t receives from the three
sources, but to which IT has never yet
confined its expenditure is rs follows;
From the Morril fund, 5000 from
the Hatch fund. SIS, coo from the State,
$40 0C0; total, $45, coo
In addition TO thnt the farm receipts of
the institution amount to about $500
and the receipts for examining ferti-
lizers to about $1,000 annually.
ITS REAL ESTATE ASSETS.
The College owns 1iO acres OF land val
ucd at $1,000 -Four thousand dollars
worth of this was given without charge
by the town OF Kingstown and by indi-
viousls and the rsmainder was psid for
out OF the h'st appropriation from the
State.
THE LATEST LAND DEAL.
EerlueS lncfc l4J acres Nhlueu ~ TOOVu
the institution has recently acquired 2S
acres for which IL is in debt TO Mr.. Gardi-
ner &. Sims TO the amount OF $1,000. This
latest acquisition 10, in srear, just one
nth as large as the rest OF the estate al
though the price agreed To in payment Is
seven-tenths of the value of the l4O acres
But in the words OF the official reDort
this 2S acres was sold to the institution
by Mr.. Gardiner &. Sims, one OF its
toard of managers, and warm friend.
The college authorities see no way OF
Immediately settling SO have agreed TO
pay MIR. Sims out of the income from
the Morril Fund with interest at per
cent.
THE SALARY LIST.
An itimized list OF the salaries paid TO
the bachelors of art science and pbiloso-
rhy who constitute Che teaching force Is
made pIblic for tho first time in The re-
port OF the committee.
The language Of the report on this
point Is as follows:
1.-The amount OF compensation paid each
professor and employee has been known
heretofore only TO the board OF managers
aud was communicated TO your commit
tee with the suggestion that such infor-
nation, IL publicly used might cause
Jealousy among the different members
OF the teaching force; u has, however,
seemed TO your committee that this i'm
formation was such ss they had right
wNmaa