The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-02-24

The Ramsey county delegation met
last evening at the capitol, and after a
three hour session decided to pass the
bill introduced by Senator McGill, pro-
viding for an additional mill and a
half levy for school purposes.
The bill providing for the coroner,
after 1900, being placed on a fee basis
was recommended for passage, as were
also the two bills repeating the present
law relating to the salary Of the alb
stract clerk and his deputies. The bills
make no change until after the term
Of the present abstract clerk expires.
The bill to provide for the payment
of water frontage tax for the five years
after the main was laid in front Of the
property was laid over until the next
meeting of the delegation.
The bill now on the senate calendar
providing for an additional levy Of one
and a half mills for school purposes
was discussed at length.
Gen. J. B. Sanborn, one of the COM
mittee from the chamber of commerce,
held that it would be unw1se to in
crease the taxes. 1t was question of
how little the schools could get along
with, and not how much could be eX-
pended. The chamber of commerce,
WlIIlOuL dlly uiSSellC, was VI Tic oPillioli
that one mill additional levy with half
a mill for Improvements and buildings
exclusively, would be sufficient.
w. H. Lightner corrobOrated the
statements Of Gen. Sanborn. The
chamber of commerce was interested
in having the schools properly cared
for. The city had in the past few
years reduced taxes as well as the city
debt. A mill additional for school pur-
20
schools, and an additional half mill, as
proposed by the bill, would raise the
amount to $546,000. The schools had
been run for several years at from
$500, 900 to $430,000, and it would seem
as though with 100000 or more the
school board could certainly get along
President Zimmerman, of the school
beard, explained that the bill author
izing the one and half mill levy was
not mandatory. The council need not
levy the full mill and a half If it was
to show that the cost Of running the
schools with 1900 pupils in 1891 had
been $620,000, while in 1898, with 24,000
pupils, 1t was only $4,000. The school
population was increasing at the rate
of about 1000 per year, and the board
could not furnish accommodations,
even with renting stores and buildings
for annexes. AS it was now, the pupils
in the primary grades We're attending
was simply the agents of the council
as to the expenditure Of money appro-
priated.
The salaries paid to 425 teachers in
1891 averaged 1904, and in 1898, with
545 teachers, the average salary was
$685.
w. H. Lightner took exceptions to
the figures quoted by Mr.. thinner
mann. claiming that only $424,O0 was
spent in 1891 for schools. He argued
that a mistake was made by using the
number of pupils enrolled instead of
the average attendance, and this made
the large reduction in the per capita
expense.
Director Corning, of the school board,
stated that 100000 could be we'll ex-
pended in repairs on the forty five
school buildings. The expenditure of
that sum now would be true economy,
as In a very few years the buildings
would be so far gone that it would
cost double that amount to put them
in condition.
Prof. Davis, another member Of the
board, said that he had not been a
member long enough to thoroughly
acquaint himself with the situation in
detail, but he knew increased accom-
mOdat1OnS were demanded In all 10
calities, as we'll as repairs.
Assemblyman Albrecht called atten-
ton to the fact that of the $4,000 ap-
propriated by the council for the
schools, only so per cent was available.
II one mill additional levy was made
only $4,000 would be available under
the 50 per cent rule. It would cost
about $26, 900 for two new buildings and
another $4,000 to run the two new
buildings each year. st. Paul was
spending less for schools than any
other city of the same size in the coun-
try.
Senator McGill stated that the levy
in Minneapolis was four mills and the
delegation from that city wanted one
and a half mills more. The fact was
that from $4,000 to 100000 was needed
for repairs to put the present build
ings in order This expenditure would
not remedy the matter of more accom-
modations which were needed. The
levy in other cities and towns in the
state was fifteen mills for school pur-
poses and in ST. Paul but two and a
half mills.
The chamber Of commerce was an
ancient and honorable body and it's
members undoubtedly paid large taxes.
The man who paid less taxes and had
children to send to school. however,
was entitled to consideration.