The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1906-07-28
TEN DOLLARS
FOR EACH CHILD.
Authoritative Statement as to Amount
School Boards Can Expect on
Primary School Account.
Lansing, July 26th, 1906.


Some discussion was had some
time ago, when it was first assured
that the primary school fund would
receive large acc ession from the
result of the railroad tax suits,
whether the entire amount would
be apportioned to the districts at
!. once, or be distributed over series
OF years. The law places upon the
auditor general the duty OF making
the apportionment. the distribution
being made through the department
OF public instruction, and Auditor
General Bradley has decided that
there is no authority for withhold
ing any part Of the fund which shall
be on hand October 1st, and that
the whole amount must be distri-
buted in November. 1t can also
now be stated very closely what the
amount will be-in the neighbor-
hood OF seven and half millions Of
dollars, apportioned pro rata among
the counties upon the basis of their
number of children shown in the
school census; and the apportion-
ment will be very close to ten dollars
per capita-varying but a few cents
from ten dollars for every child Of
school age.
1t is interesting in this connection
to make comparisons with amounts
distributed in recent years. There
are two distributions each year, in
May and November. In 1900 the
amounts were fifty cents, and a
dollar sixty-five, a total OF 81. Is.
The next year it went to $2.40; in
1902, to So. 62; in 1903, to 80. 10; and
last year it reached $3.50. This
year for the first time the May ap-
portionment reached one dollar, and
now the November distribution will
make the rate for 1906 about eleven
dollars per capita. A few years
earlier the amount was only about
one dollar per year. That steady
increase and now this big jump, are
the results of republican legislation
and republican administrator.
These moneys, derived from
specific taxes are devoted by law to
the payment of the interest on the
primary school fund, which
is derived from the sale Of
lands granted to the state by the
United States for primary school
purposes. That fund at the present
time amounts to 1912, 1896. SO; and
there are university, agricultural
college aud normal.school trust funds
similarly derived, amounting to over
one and half millions more. The
state has sold those lands and
invested the proceeds for the bene-
fit OF the schools, and the schools re-
ceiye the income. How was the
money invested? Why, in one OF
the best investments in the world |!
and the only one available that was
absolutely secure. 1t was invested
in the property and enterprises
of the state OF Michigan. We have
built state institutions with it, saw
ing that amount OF cost to the tax
payer, and are paying interest on
the amount, In the nature OF rent;
, and we devote these specific taxes
to that object. Why not pay off the
debt, then, stop the interest? Be-
cause the terms of the grant do not
permit it to be paid-it is perpet-
ual fund and it would not be good
policy, If it might be done. The
same money would have to be
paid In some form for the support
of the schools, and, II raised by
the districts Independently, neither
the burden nor the benefit would be
SO wisely or beneficently distributed
as now. The burden now rests most
upon those best able to bear it,
being distributed on property values
and earnings, and the benefit is
realized most by those whose need
is greatest, being distributed on the
child population. Horton. ,