Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1899-09-14
Communicated.

| transfer certificates in order to attend the
schools to which they properly belong.
| Previous to the passage of this amend
ment the School Boards were allowed to
arrange the district lines to suit the con-
venience of the pupils, and the parents
paid their district tax at the rate current in
the township in which their children re-
ceived their schooling, the tax being turned
over 10 this township, and no one being the
loser by the operation.
The per capita cost of education varies
widely in the different townships, and
under the present system it follows that
the township to which the pupil is trans
| ferred often has to provide school facilities
for him at less than cost-unless the town
ship in which he resides Pays more for him
than it costs for those who attend in the
township.
The law provides that when the school
boards do not agree upon the sum to be
paid on transfer certificates the township
in which the pupil resides shall pay three
dollars to the township to which he is
transferred, in addition to the State appor-
tionment per capita for children of school
age.
The district school tax in the different
townships in this county last year ranged
from 1898 to 1857 per capita for children
of school age.
Some of the townships settle for trans
fer certificates at a rate equal to their own
per capita cost of schooling; others pay the
rate prevalent in the township to which the
children are transferred, while others settle
on the three dollar basis prescribed by law.
But no matter how the settlement is effect
ed, there is bound to be dissatisfaction
among the taxpayers, some of whom are
compelled to pay more for educating the
children of others, than they pay for edu-
eating their own.
1t is doubtful if the new process of
issuing transfer certificates that has gone
into effect this year will add to the salts
faction of those affected by it.
Under this plan, a parent or guardian
wishing to have a child transferred, must
fill out and sign an application giving all
the particulars of the case, and specifying
the actual distance from each school.
This application must be approved and
signed by the president and district clerk
OF the school board of the township in
which the child resides. 1t is then pre-
scented to the County Superintendent and
entities the applicant to a transfer certi6
cate, copies of which are filed with the
district clerks of both townships interested.
If this red tape process dosn't cause q
vigorous kick it will be conclusive evidence
that the inhabitants of Gloucester county
are the most patient and long suffering
people on the face of the earth.
In addition to the trouble caused to
County Superintendent, District Clerks and
parents by the issue of transfer certificates,
the District Clerks are greatly incon
venienced thereby in keeping their
financial records and making out their
annual reports. They have nothing to do
with the payment for transfer certificates,
but their books and reports must show all
receipts and expenditures on school &C
count
The County Superintendent sends the
orders for these payments directly to the
township collector, and unless he also
notifies the District Clerk of the amount of
the orders, the latter is obliged to 60 to the
Collector for the required figures, conse-
quently, while the Clerk is held RESPONSE
BILE for the correctness of his accounts, he
must obtain part of mis- figures from
sources over which he has no control, and
often from the very official whose accounts
are used to check his own.
Another source of inconvenience is the
long time that it takes to make the APP
portioDment of State school tax to the
township.
At the school election in March, the
townships vote, upon the estimates Of the
District Clerk, to raise money for teachers
salaries, for books and incidentals, and to
pay for transfer certificates.
Teachers are not usually elected and
| 4 he all
June, after the schools close and the
townships are not informed of the amount
of State tax apportioned to them until
August consequently there is no means of
knowing at the time of the school cleo
lion, how much money will be needed for
teachers salaries. The school census is
uot taken until May, and transfer certifi-
| Gates are not issued until the pupils enter
school the next Fall or Winter. Their
number and the amount required to pay
for them is, therefore, altogether guess
work at the time the tax for this purpose
is voted.
Unless the District Clerk possesses q
evident that his estimates are likely to he
altogether wrong.
| Another clumsy and expensive arrange
the State school tax.
/ The township collectors IN this county
are required to collect and turn over this
money to the County Collectors by the
fourth of November. It must then be
| him paid back to the County Collector and
| thence to township eollectors-the law
recurring that the process shall be COM
H., &l,a tan&b of
| As the law requires that teachers shall
be paid monthly, it follows that the people
of this county have to pay their school tax
| in October and then borrow money to pay
teachers until January very good thing
for the banks, bat rather expensive for the
taxpayers
| The intent of the law providing that
temperance physiology shall be taught in
all the schools is something that every
good citizen is heartily in favor Of But it
is question if the elementary text books
on this subject so hastily forced upon the
schools in consequence of the passage of
this law, will not be productive of more
harm than good.
| Instead of teaching physiology and
hygiene, and showing as a part of this
science how alcohol and tobacco affect
Inc system, lucy cullIoiy buUOfuiDdl6 Tue
former to the latter, and are lectures on
prohibition rather than scientific text
books Not that there is anything wrong in
prohibition, but the doctrine of prohibition
is one thing, and the science of physiology
is another.
By the time the child reaches maturity
be will be very apt to find that there is
quite an array Of scientific authorities who
hold that the moderate use of tobacco and
alcoholic drinks is not necessarily injurious
to the health. He will probably see that
the beer drinking and tobacco smoking
German is not conspieously inferior in
physical stamina or mentality to other
races less addicted to these indulgences.
And having once taken up the idea that
the text books which he has used, are less
characterized by scientific accuracy than
by their enthuastic opposition to tobacco
and whiskey, he will be in danger Of losing
faith in temperance physiology and con-
Guiding that the whole thing is humbug
Many other features of the school law
could be pointed out that are open to OBJ
Lection, but enough has been adduced to
show that there IS ample room for improve
ment. OF course the law Is largely ex-
permentai, and the amendments that are
made from time TO time are tentative and
open to further correction, bat after the