The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-11-14
Educators Are i'm
Session.
I Continued from First

2ss .7lL30- exclusive OF slsI. SIS raised by
local taxation in cities and towns. was
spent for maintenance Of - public
schools. Il is the moral and .sz3. duty
or you and me to see that this money
is expended wisely and economically.
expended IN such manner as 10 do ths
greatest good to the creates. number
OF children, so expended as TO secure
the bes; house and equipment h
best teachers, and he longest terms.
The school tax in North Carolina has
been increased from IL L. cents or
500 and 81 IL on poll To is and 81
cents respectively during the past
twenty-five years. The school fund mas
been increased since 1878 from sS24. IS:
to $1.2e9. us exclusive OF local AK and
yet until the special appropriation Of
100000 In 1900 the school term has beer
heightened only three weeks and the
average salary OF teachers lad not:
been Increased one cen
There are 1858 white and 2.4sl coll
ored school districts in the state. max
ing an average OF 20 children between
six and twenty-one TO each white dis
trict and So children 10 each color-d
district. The minimum number ixei
by law is 65 children. Recent inquiries
sent out from my office show that IN
seventy-two counties from which an
swerS were received OUT OF a total OF
4,2A white districts in these counties
2,096 contain less than sixty-five chill
dren and out Of a total OF l,1S colorea
districts iS5 contain less han sixty
fl children. 1t Is reasonable TO 0.s-
sumo that the same relative proper
ton will be found in the other twenty
five counties. Then 50 per cent. of tie
white districts of the state and Al per
cent. of the colored districts contain
less han sixty-five children. the mini
mum fixed by law except for geographic
nll cnnc ar N cIr IF rnnt,lntf1r
The applications for aid from the sec
Ond 500. 600 for n our months school
term show that 90 per cent. of the
white districts and 60 per cent. of tho
colcred districts applying contain less
than sixty-five children. These facts
clearly indicate an unreasonable null
tiplicity OF small districts and a conse-
quent waste of money upon them.
rs il not q simple business PROPOSE
ton that with a given fund TO be oil
Vided among a number Of districts and
schools the smaller the number OF dis
tricts and schools the larger the amour
of money for each district and school,
Mr.. W. G. Gather, of Perpuimans,
was made secretary of the convention.
There were talks on school district
consolidation by superintendent Coop
err, Of Onslow Hudson, of Caswell, and
Venable, of Buncombe. Secretary But
trick of the general education board
and Charles d. McIver.
AT the evening session of ounty su-
perintendents convention, SuperintCn-
dent Venable of Buncombe, spoke on
location and plans of school houses.
and two architects explained plans OF
same, while suggestions were made by
several superintendent and Superin-
tendent Way, of Randolph spoke on
observed benefits of better houses and
equipments.
State superintendent Joyner discuss
ed the ways and means of raising
money for better houses grounds n
equipments. superintendent Ledfori,
OF Davidson, read an able paper on the
necessity for county school M and
how to get it. State superintendent
Joyner made a report on local taxation
for public schools. and superintendent
j. r. Wharton, of Guilford, spoke on
he benefits of local taxation and ways
and means of securing 1t.
c. D.. McIver and ex-State Superin-
tendent Scarborough followed on this
subject. State Superintendent JoyIIef
is deeply gratified at success and in
terest of meeting. He says eighty su-
p~erintendentS are now here.