Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1906-12-14
PEOPLES FORUM.
A Few Facts Regarding State Finances.
VEIN. Nov 81 1905


VEIN, Nov. %, 1906.
/ Ed. STANDARD:
! l wonder how many of the good
citizens Of our State remember the
enactment, during the session of 1895
whereby the Legislature was induced
to pass law providing for the con.
struction OF two normal schools, one
at Cheney and the other at Whatcom!
The damphools reasoned that the
buildings would cost the State moth
ing; that the construction of them
would be paid for out Of that mex
haustible and unknown fund described
as the general land grant. As near as
| can learn, the State was to issue
TlOO,OOO per cent. bonds for the crea-
ton of fund, against which 100000
per cent. warrants were to be drawn.
No provision was made for the payment
OF interest on either the bonds or war
rants and, Of course, there was no sale
of bonds under this watering project
of legislative high finance, but the
uditor issued the warrants 100000
u per cents), and the two buildings
were erected without a "bean" in
sight to meet the payment of principal
or interest. The buildings were pnt
up and equipped, the contractors and
artisans paid, aud the Z per cent. rate
of interest secured the lucre. Ten
years after their issue, the Supreme
Court decided that the law authorizing
them was illegal, or void. It was
passed in violation of both the Consti-
tuition and the Enabling Act. The
warrants, no doubt, were bought for
one-fourth their face value, and moth.
ing is surer than that the holders of
these warrants will endeavor, during
the coming Legislature, to have those
warrants legalized by special enact.
ments, so as to draw face value and
accrued interest since date OF issue.
Grand scheme! Forewarned is FORE
armed. Oh, we are great people
/ have just read in the P-L., OF Nov.
Goth, a very interesting article entitled
d" Public School Resources" which l
think if generally understood would
open the eyes of the taxpayers. Ac-
cOrding to the PTS statement we
find the following: "In violation of
constitutional mandate, and without
authority of law since 1895. the sum
OF $l3, ll3.6l2, derived from direct tax.
alton has been distributed among the
public school districts From the cur.
rent school fund 1921 1891 have been
apportioned, making in all an expen.
diture of $l6.3S4,943, upon which the
State has no auditing check and for
which it has no adequate accounting.
Reports made to the Superintendent
OF Public Instruction show that of the
$50, $50 1859 expended upon the public
schools since 1890 a balance sheet that
ought to show a cash reserve in 1906
of $ll.746,84l discloses only $780,.
976. When it comes to q specific &C.
counting OF all the disbursements,
which come under the headings,
"Total outlay on all school property"
Total amount paid teachers" Total
interest paid on warrant debt and
bonds" the discrepancy is increased to
$l2,397 ,SS9. Between the recapitulat.
ed account and the specific is q differ
ence, for the period of Is years, of
$I,9S5,6l2. Mr.. P..L. says: "These
figures should make people sit up and
think" and l believe he is right for
once, if he states facts and is not play
ing ]. Howard Watson on our credu.
lily. He further says: "The investi.
CATION of the Tax Commission brings
out the fact that since 1891 the bond
and warrant obligations of the public
school districts have increased from
$2,Ol5,99l to $7,814.657. In the year
1906 the school districts paid out OF
their taxes $418. 22O in interest alone,
which is $4O2 1913 more than was paid
out as school debt interest in 1890.
The per capita cost of teaching the
enrolled children during Statehood
has increased from $765 to $l4.4 or
nearly double.
Say, don't you think little reform
would be advisable in Washington, un.
der the circumstancesf
Don't all speak ct once. ]. c. Coo.