The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-01-27
NO STEP BACKWARD FOR
SCHOOL OR ROADS.


The suggestion has been made by
some good men that the Legislature be
asked to take a portion or all money
derived from the Raleigh dispensary
that goes to the school fund of Wake
and transfer it to lie road fund.
Nobody will go further in advocacy
OF good roads. but We do not be-
lieye in "robbing Peter to pay Paul.
in the manner suggested. We do not
believe in taking the children's money
to build roads for grown folks. If
the present generation ought not to
be taxed to build good roads it is bet
ter TO issue bonds for road build
ing than to take the money that should
go TO educate the children of the
country. The money that is derived
from the dispensary is given to the
county school fund by a State law
and by the express vote of the people
who put the dispensary III operation
Section sixteen of the Watts law,
which governs the distribution of the
funds derived from the dispensary
is as follows:
Sec. Is. That said dispensary
commissioners shall make quarterly
settlements with the governing body
of said city or town. and that said
governing body SHALL within ten days
otter such settlement pay one-haif
of the net profits of said diSpenSary
into the treasury of said city or town,
and the other half into the treasury
Of the county in which said city or
town is located for the benefit Of the
public schools Of said county.
Some of those who advocate taking
the money from the children and
using it 20 build roads say: 1--WE
already have more school moEey in
Wake than we need" This is q
serious error. With the dispensary
money, there will De three dollars
per capita per year for each child in
Wake county outside of Raleigh. In
Raleigh they have much more. Is 1t
too much? Go to Apex, TO Garner, to
Auburn, to any school district in the
small towns of the county and eX-
anime the public schools. The build
ings are not large enough, there are
not enough grades. and the children
are not given as good public schools as
they need. Go into the rural districts.
What do you find? In many of them
the old fashioned plan of having one
teacher to teach beginners and those
in the higher branches Is still held OH
to in too many school districts. There
ought to be a graded school in every
school district in Wake county--teach-
ers and rooms for the low grades
separate from the teachers and rooms
for the higher grades. When our
school buii dings all have two, three
and four rooms. are made attractive,
and no teacher Is expected to teach
everything from "a Is c to the highest
arithmetic, then will the children at
tend school more regularly, then will
the parents take greater pride in the
public schools. and the children in the
rural districts will enjoy advantages
that will qualify them for the best
positions in life.
Three dollars year more than Is
needed in the metropolitan county of
the State when three dollars a month
is the tuition charged for children by
private schools!
New Hanover has four dollars per
CAPITA for its children without any
special tax, Durham. three dollars,
Mecklenburg and Buncumbe each
about $3.50. Has anybody heard any
suggestion in these counties Of TAX
ing the school money to build roads?
Mecklenburg and Durham have the
best roads IN the State Durham has
the largest fund fer both schools and
roads of any county in the state. A
few years ago some Of the best peo-
pie in Wake wished to be cut off and
permitted to be added TO Durham
county because of Durham's better
schools and better roads. Wake now
has as large z. fund and if properly
and wisely expended can maintain as
good schools rs Durham. And we can
build good roads without taking the
childrens money to do 1t.
Wake must go forward in making
better schools and better reads. and
there is n way 20 do both without TAX
ing the school fund TO put on the
,l.,