Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-07-26
pEamaxemr SCHOOL FUNDS.


State Superintendent Of Schools Stetsor
| ID sending out from the department circu
lars regarding the important MISTER OF 10
eating school lands and the funds deriv'
from them. The communications are being
sent to school superintendents aud munich
pal officers.
Thu following is the circular which is tt
be sent OUT
TO School superintendent and Municipal
Officers: ,
The purpose of this circular is to call
the attention of school superintendent
and municipal officers to the Importance
If scrupulously guarding the 'perma,
nent school funds of their towns, ana
the necessity Of devoting them 70 INC
purposes for which they were granted
The reservation of 1000 acres Of land IN
every township. commonly known as
school lands, comes from an Old rcguia :
ton of Massachusetts adopted Wnic
Maine was still Il part of that common
wealth.
At that time our State was known as
the District of Maine, and was divided
into the counties of York, Cumberland
and Lincoln. The unsettled portions OF
the territory were commonly referred TO
by the Massachusetts legislature as the
Eastern lands In order to encourage
the settlement of these Eastern Lands
the legislature of Massachusetts In l'sS
enacted a law providing that IN tne dlspo-
sition of all towns thereafter. four lots,
of go acres each. should be reserved Tor
certain purposes in each and every town
ship. whether sold or granted.
The purposes for which these lots We're
reserved were as follows: The first was
for the first settled minister In the
township and was known as the minis
ter lot" The second was for the use OF
the ministry and known as the minis
tcrial lot" The third was for the sup
port of the common schools In that TOWN.
ship and became known as the "schoo.
lot" while the fourth was reserved Tor
the future disposition of the state, and
was known as the State lot.
BY the articles of separation OF ls2o
when we became an Independent State. II
was provided that Maine should carry out
all the regulations regarding the sale and
settlement of the wild lands. embraced in
the plan originally adopted by Massachu-
sets, unless the consent of that state
was obtained for any change i'll policy.
Consequently for several years after
Maine became State, In the sale or
grants of all Maine towns for whatever
purpose. these several lots were reserved
n accordance with the plan adopted III
l1ss In 1882 Maine changed the law pro-
viding for the disposition of these lots
for various purposes. to take effect when
Massachusetts, consented 10 the new ar
rangement.
by the new law the minister's claim
was ignored except in cases where the
title had become vested; for by the new
provision all the land reserved in each
new township fthe acreage having been
previously changed 10 1900 for each full
township was To he for the support of
the schools In that township. The fund
created by che sale of grass and timber
from these lots. together with the money
received for the land itself, was To be a
ft4,Y.f fs.r hon 1f hh
schools. The selectmen. treasurer and
clerk OF the several towns were constitu-
ted board of trustees to care for this
fund. using the interest only, for the
purposes indicated.
In several towns of the State this fund
is still kept intact and the interest is add
ed each year to the funds derived from
other sources for the support OF schools.
In other towns. in order to simplify mat
ters The money was loaned to the town
and these towns raise. in addition to the
amounts required by law. a sum equiva-
lent to the interest on this fund. In
still other cases the fund has been used
for general town purposes and all record
of Ii has been either lost, or overlooked.
At least they fail to raise any money for
school purposes In addition to the amount
REQUIRED by law.
No town has ever had the right to APP
propriate its permanent school fund to
any use except to that for which 1t
was originally intended. The law pro-
vides that this fund shall be permanent
forever and every town has accepted this
obligation. and towns that have failed to
meet these obligations should restore the
funds that have been misapplied.
1t may be well to state in connection
with this subject that in all unincorpor-
atcd townships the State is the trustee
and has kept good faith in every in
stance. In the unorganized forest town
ships long term permits to cut timber
and grass have been sold and the pro-
ceeds of such sale credited, on the books
of the State treasurer. to the several
townships to which they belonged. By
the terms of these permits all rights of
the grantee cease when the township is
organized for plantation purposes.
During the time the township Is plan
tation the care of these reserved lands Is
in the hands of the land agent. who is
authorized to sell the wood, grass and
lumber from them. turning the net pro-
ceeds of such sales into the State treas
ury each year. and the plantation re-
ceives from the State treasurer each year
per cent interest on the fund In addi-
ton to the regular school funds arising
from .he bank and mill tax. When the
township is Incorporated, however the
title to these lands passes directly to the
town and the State treasurer pays to the
trustees of the school fund all moneys in
his hands received from sale of grass and
stumpage. and the town is expected
thereafter to guard this fund carefully
and honestly and to devote the income OF
ii to the support of common schools
In some plantations, however. there
have been gross Irregularities. In years
past the aSsessors have assumed author
ity to sell stumpage. The money received
at these sales has been used for planta-
ton purposes, instead of being deposited
in the State treasury. These funds be-
long to the public schools of the several
towns. aud If any towns have intention
ally or carelessly allowed them to he lost
or msapplied. the loss must be made
good and the fund restored to its original
amount.
School superintendent will be called
upon to report the amount of the school
funds In their several towns, how these
funds are invested. the amount of in
come derived from them and such other
details as will give complete history of
the original funds and disclose their pres
emit amount and condition.
Respectfully,
w W. STETSON,
State Superintendent of Public Schools.