The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-06-28
PROPOSED TAX
ON STUDENTS
At BERKELEY
A Special Meeting of
Regents Is Called.
GAGE is HEARD FROM
CALIFoRNIANS ARE
NOT OFFERING ASSISTANCE.
The Governor Pocketed a Bill to Re
imburse Money Advanced to
Help the Destitute
Farmers.
GAGE is HEARD FROM
LIBERAL CALIFORNIANS ARE
NOT OFFERING ASSISTANCE.

The Board of Regents at a recent
session voted to impose a registration
tax of $50 on each student attending
the university. This measure was
adopted to cover an anticipated deficit
Of SAT 600 The professors strenuously
objected to any reduction of their sal
aries and the sense of the board was
against the abolition of a single exist
ing department Of the institution. The
finance committee failed to find way
other than that of imposing tax on
the students. The proposition was Wig
orously resisted by Judge Wallace,
John E. Budd and H. S. FOote. but the
majority of the regents favored it.
When Governor Gage heard what the
regents proposed to do he wrote a let
ter expressing his dissent and suggest
ing a special meeting to reconsider the
action of the board. Judge Slack, who
voted in favor of the tax is of the opin-
ion that the regents will cheerfully &C
quiesce if some other plan of providing
for the money can be presented He
supported the measure to tax the stu
dents because he saw no other way to
overcome the deficit The committee
in preparing the budget found that
certain sum of money was required for
the maintenance of each of the depart
ments of the university, and that the
aggregate sum demanded exceeded the
estimated income by SAT, 900.
In making estimates of the revenue
which the university will derive from
the State on the 2-cent tax, the regents
figure that the valuation of taxable
property for this year will not show
an increase as compared with last
years valuation. The alarm of the re-
gents may be premature. If the AS
SCISSORS of other counties of the State
shall show as much enterprise in the
work of expanding the assessment roll
as the Assessor of San Francisco is dis
playing the university VIII have sur
plus rather than a deficit.
Governor Gage may be able to con-
vince the regents that the increased
valuation Will render the proposed tax
unnecessary. 1t is noted that the agi-
tation for money to maintain the uni
versity has not induced citizens of
wealth and public spirit to signify
readiness to advance coin on the credit
of the State. Eastern people hearing
so much about our great university
may regard it as rather remarkable
that so much clamor should be made
of a small deficit of s47, 900. They must
naturally infer that the millionaires of
California do not manifest much con-
Germ in higher education when no one
offers to help the university. The East
erners may not be advised of the fact
that California recently contributed a
rare specimen to the gallery of freak
Governors, and therein lies the reason
that public spirited men of means are
not offering to assist the State.
Our freak Governor holds that money
advanced on the credit and honor of
the commonwealth should not be re-
paid The fact will be recorded in the
annals Of California that Governor
Budd on the credit of the State pro-
cured $4,000 from a generous citizen to
assist settlers in a drought stricken dis
trict The money was disbursed by a
commission appointed by the Governor
and consisting of the Mayor Of San
Francisco. the president of the Mer-
chants Association and the president
of the State Agricultural Society. The
accounting showed that every dollar
expended went to the relief of some
destitute farmer. Both houses of the
Legislature without dissent passed the
bill to repay the money so advanced
on the credit of the commonwealth
When the bill reached Governor Gage
he put it in his pocket and denied re-
payment of the sum advanced. In view
of the transaction, it is not likely that
there will be a rush of literally in.
clned citizens to assist the State Uni
versity When money advanced to help
the settlers is not repaid, there can be
no assurance that an advance to as
sist the students will be recognized as
an hOnOra BILE OhIiga ton