The Monticellonian., 1903-06-11
SOUTHERN
 EDUCATION
RAISING THE SCHOOL FUND.
InefIiciency of County md Local Taxation and Need of state Aid
 for Public Schools.

In some southern states most of the school fund is raised by state tax and is distributed to the conn ties in proportion 10 their scholastic population; ill others the fund Is raised almost entirely by county tax ation, minimum limit being re- quired by law. This last method is used in North Carolina, Tennessee and some other states. As it ap- breaches local taxation it involves a right principles; but its inetficieney and the need of q good large fund raised by state taxation and apPor- toned to the several counties of the state on basis of school population and regardless of wealth is shown by the following statement i'll regard to certain counties in Tennessee.
 Of the 96 counties of Tennessee, 24 possess less than $500 of taxable prop erty of all kind per capita of school population. In these counties onc mill tax would produce less than 30 cents per capita of school population The range is from S119 in Hancock. S14S in Union, S160 in Gnicoi, $f70 in Overton and $1S6 in Sesier and Pick cit, in which counties q ene-mill tax would raise $0.119, SOILS, $O.160, S0.11O and S0.1S6 respectively, to $50 In Maury, Ss51 in Knox, S995 in Shelby, Si,107 in Hamilton, and $1,207 in Da- xidson. in which counties a one-mill tax would raise $0.S50 $0.s51, $0.995, SHOT and S1.207 respectively. From this it is readily seen that ten-mill tax in Hancock county would raise a smaller amount per capita of school population than would be raised by one-mill tax in Davidson. In many counties in Tennessee d tax levy to the full limit now permitted by law would not raise sufficient funds to run the schools properly for four months. In others q seven months school term can be had with little more than the required levy of 1% mills and $1 on polls. But the rich counties are more able to pay high tax levy than the poor counties are te pay lower lew. Railroads. telegraph companies, and similar corporations pay taxes on about SG0.000. 900 of the $400, 100000 of taxable property in the state, and nearly all these pay taxes in the richer counties. X smaller per cent. of the property in the poor counties Is noa- taxable personal property than Ill the rich counties.
 Another reason why the poorer counties need help is found in the fact that in these counties there are
 .I,s Hs,t in tba richer counties. Tn Claiborne county 40.6 per cent. of the population are of school age: in Carter, 3s.3; in Seyies, 4O.9: in Hancock, 40.s; in Union, 40.6; in Hawkins. O.; in lfadwood, 42; III Favette. 43.5; while in Davidson only 362 per cent. of the population are ot school age; in Shelby, only 314; ln knox, 33.7; in Hamilton, 33.j; in Mau- ". %2.1.
 A levy of a one-mll tax on all the property of the state would raise a sum sufficient, if distributed to the counties on the basis of school poPn= lation. to give about 52 cents to each child of school age. Of course the rela- tive aid this would give to the schools in the several counties would depend on the proportion the fund thus re- ceived would bear to the present fund. In some counties it would be about one-third the present fund, in others not more than one-tenth.
 But should the richer counties be asked to help educate the children or poorer counties? Does the educatlon of the children of these poorer coun- ties concern the welfare ot the state as whole? The answer to both ques- tions must be the same.