The news & observer., 1901-03-13
USE FUNDS on HAND.
Governor Aycock's Solution Of the School Book
Problem

The Governor sent in a message 10 The
General Assembly yesterday which is OF
the greatest interest al this time. II
recommends the passage Of law author
izing the Board of Education to turn over
to the Treasurer the money they have
on hand and the proceeds from the bonds
they have, if it shall be necessary to
meet the appropriation for the public
schools OF course, this Is not to be done
il the receipts from tho ordinary revenues
are sufficient 10 meet the appropriation
made for the schools.
The full text of the message is as fol
lows:
To the Honorable the General Assembly
Article g. section 4, Of The Constitution
provides: Tho proceeds of all lands that
have been or hereafter may be granted
by the United States to this State and
not otherwise appropriated by this State
or the United States; also. all moneys,
stocks, bonds, and other property. now
belonging to any State fund fer purposes
of education; also the net proceeds Of all
sales of the swamp lands belonging o the
State, and all other grants, gifts or de-
vises. that have been or hereafter may
be made TO The State, and not otherwise
appropriated by the State, or by the
term of the grant, gift or devise. shall
be paid into the State Treasury; and
together with so much Of the ordinary
revenue of the State as may be by law
sc apart for that purpose shall be faith
fully appropriated for establishing and
maintaining in this State system Of free
public schools, and for no other uses or
purposes whatever"
There is now in the hands Of the State
Board of Education 32,543.19 in moncY
and bonds amounting at their par value.
TO $145,250. We arc confronted with cx-
penditures in excess Of our current reve-
nues. Your Honorable body has just APP
propriatcd 100000 for public schools and
that amount will be necessary to bring
the schools UP to the four months required
by the Constitution. l. therefore recon-
mend to your Honorable body the passage,
of law authorizing the Board of Edu-
cation to turn over to the Treasurer tho
money on hand and to sell the bonds
and turn over to the Treasurer the pro-
cecds thereof if it shall be necessary to
meet the appropriations for tho public
schools This course will not taken by
the Board Of Education If the receipts
from the ordinary revenue arc sufficient
to meet the appropriation heretofore
made. There are those who think that
The fund hold bv tho Board of Education
cannot be used. or at least ought not to
be used in the manner indicated, bit IL is
evident that they have not considered tho
history of our Constitution. The Consti-
tutio nof 1868 expressly forbade the use
Of the body of the educational fund. but
permitted only the appropriation of tho
income arising thcrcfrom but in 1877 tho
convention, which framed our present
Constitution, struck out this provision and
directed the appropriation Of the fund Il
self TO tho use of the public schools and
an act was passed in 1881 forbidding any
further invcstm but requiring tho dis
tribution from inc TO time of all funds
belonging TO the school fund. poor and
unlettcrcd people cannot afford TO hoard
funds for tho purpose Of education in tho
future They need the money now. BY
this expenditure now those who como
after us will be the better enabled to
educate themselves. II may be urged
that tho educational fund will not be
necessary to pay the $4,000 appropria-
tion. but if this be true The funds be-
longing to the Board of Education will
net be used for that purpose. If it is
necessary those funds ought to be so used
rather than TO issue additional bonds.
Cause Of education will be helped and
not hndorcd by the utilization Of funds
on hand rather than by ieSuing bonds
and putting further burdens on the pco-
pie Taxes and bonds haze never been
prime favorites with North Carolinans
and education will grow in favor by using
what VIC have rather than By increasing
the burdens Of the PEOPLE.
Very respectfully,
CHARLES y. AYCOCK.
By The Governor:
r. NJ. PEARSALL.