Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-08-22
1T is TRULY "a PLAIN CASE.

The salt Lake paper that makes a
speciality OF attacking and mlsrepre-
senting the city Board OF Education,
persists in It's assertion that the school
board Numbered, In making its cstl-
mate of the amount required for school
expenses for the coming year. That
paper says
1T should have certified 100000, say,
instead OF $4,000 II did certify; then
all would have been plain sailing and
the BIZ mills would have been allowed
Indeed Well, the board certified that
the sum OF 1852 800 would be required
for the years expenses There was no
"blunder" in that, and this certltlcat,on
has not been changed either by IAN
other blunder," as charged, or in any
way at all. The board expected to re-
celve 100000 from the county school
tax on the rate Of levy requested On
that basis, 100000 was all that would
be necessary from the city school tax
considering the amounts from other
sources. Why then should the board
have asked for s205OOO, as now absurd
ly suggested by our contemporary?
When the commissioners decided not
to levy the rate for the county request
ed by the school board, but percen-
tage that would yield for It only $4,000
instead OF 100000, the board then ask
ed for an increase on the city rate to
make up the deficiency as far as pos
slble. The limit allowed by law Is 5h
mills. The commissioners thought that
1--WE and two-tenths mills would be
enough to net the $4,000, which would
have been all right II the 100000 from
the county had been allowed. But the
shortage Of sS3, 900 ensued not from the
estimate made by the board, but from
the rate fixed by the county commits
sloners,
But suppose the woud-be wise but
belated suggestion Of our contemporary
had been carried out and the school
board had asked for i2O5,OOO when but
$4,000 was needed on the basis OF It's
other requests: would all have been
plain sailing" then? Not by any
means That would have yielded but
$4,000 against the deficiency Of $4,000
caused by the action Of the county
board in furnishing 1900 instead OF
100000 asked for from the county tax.
Now as to the change OF the city rate
requested by the school board. The ad.
dtional three-tenths Of mill de-.
manded, would not make up the de-
fciency occasloned 10y the shortage ex.
planned, but It was all the law per.
mltted And that the call for the In
crease came too late, was occasioned
by the fact that the levy by the coun.
~ board was delayed so that legal pro.
cedure failed to effect the partial rem.
cdy desired.
We are not defending the action OF
the school board in trying by man.
damus to compel the commissioners to
raise the city rate, nor In dividing up
the amounts among the different sourc.
es OF revenue as guide for the COM
mlssioners. But we want the facts TO
be known. so that the Board Of Edu-
cation may not be uniustly censured or
placed in false light before the public.
when It Is evident that II made as
straight and economic an estimate rs
possible at the date required by law,
and when the shortage which now
stares that body In the face, was not
occasioned by it's certlhcatlon Of the
sum required. The truth ought not |
to be perverted by partIsanship, by
spite. or By mistakes Of reporters. Fair
play Is the right thing, every time.