The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1900-12-18
WHAT SHALL WE DO FOR OUR PUBLIC
SCHOOLS?

/ ~ ObAAOA oNABSA III 4 uO@
lie Instruction in the history of
North Carolina, with the exception
of Calvin H. Wiley, ever labored as
jealousy and successfully for the
Improvement of our public schools,
as has Hon. Charles II. Mebane dur
ing the four years just past. His
Recommendations to the 1901 Legis-
la.ure," therefore, which made its
appearance on the 18th inst, deser YES
special notice. No one in the State
knows better the needs of the school
children or is more deeply interested
in their welfare. We wish that u
copy of Mr.. Mebane's ''RecOmmen-
dations" could be placed in the hands
of every voter in the Slate, but as
this is impossible, we shall give Il
few extracts from it. And we are
free to say that in our opinion not
one of the following recommended
tions is unwise; we especially en-
dorse his recommendations in re-
gard to railroad taxation. State adop-
ton of text books, and the restOra-
ton of the local taxation act of 1897.
Mr.. Mebane savs:
A SERIOUS MISTAKE OF THE LEGIsLA-
TURE OF 1899.
''One of the most serious mistakes
of the Legislature of 1899, in was the
repeal of the Acts of 1897, regard to
certain townships that had voted
upon themselves a special tax, and
entered into a contract with the
State for three years.
Instead of repeating laws where
by townships had voted special taxes,
it would have been wiser to legislate
to encourage and make it easier to
have the special tax. The future
citizen of North Carolina will look
upon this as d backward step.
ABOLISH COUNTY ADOPTION OF TEXT
BOOKS.
"Why not do away with all the ex-
pense of county adoption and give
the children the benefit of all these
thousands Of dollars in reduction of
prices on text books?
Can it be done? 1 believe it can.
Il advise that the textbooks be
adopted by the State Board of Ex-
aminers, which is composed of edu-
Gators, of school men.
1.-The law should provide that the
maximum price paid should not ex-
ceed seventy-fve per cent. of the
published list wholesale price.
HOW TO GET THE MONEY o BETTER
SCHOOLS.
81 advise the General Assembly to
impose a tax upon the gross receipts
of the railroads in North Carolina
for the benefit Of the public schools.
It can be done. It ought to be done.
We find taxes upon gross earnings in
fourteen States. Why not have it
in North Carolina?
IF the insurance, telegraph and
the telephone companies are taxed
on gross earnings in Our State, and 1
am informed they are, then why not
the railroads pay a similar tax?
THE railroads IN North Carolina
now net five million dollars annually
over and above 4 per cent on the
real value of their property. These
roads could stand a tax of 5 per cent
on their gross earnings, which would
give as $500, 900 annually, and then
leave them 81, 300, 900, to carry out
of the State.
LET US have 5 per cent on gross
earnings, and give it all to the school
fund.
COMPULSORY EDUCATION.
Il am slow to advise d compulsory
attendance of our public schools IN
der u present conditions, and espe-
cially when l remember the charac-
ter of work done in some of our
public schools, but when I call to
mind that in many cases the children
are kept from schools by careless, in
different parents, and sometimes by
lazy parents, who compel them to
work in cotton mills, while their
fathers sit around the stores, talk
politics, and discuss the ways and
means of preserving the government ;
when I think of these cases, I am
compelled to conclude that the State
ought to come to the rescue Of these
helpless children.
AS TO AGE OF TEACHERS.
81 rocOD4non6 that tho TooiC1a-