The Hawaiian gazette., 1907-09-10
FEDERAL AID FOR
STATE SCHOOLS


Congress introduced a bill known as
House Bill 247S7, the purpose OF which
Is to give Federal aid to industrial
education in the public schools Of the
several States. The following sections
OF the bill give an idea of its purpose
and scope:
BE it enacted. etc, That there shall
be. and hereby is, annually appropri-
ated, out of any money in the Treas
ury not otherwise appropriated, to be
paid. as hereinafter provided. to each
state and Territory for the mainte-
nance of instruction in agriculture and
home economics in agricultural high
schools of secondary grade and in
struction in mechanic arts and home
economics in city high schools of sec
ondary grade. a sum of money equal
to 10 cents per capita OF the population
of each State or Territory. respective
ly. as shown by the last preceding ma
tional or State census, as shall be ap-
portioned by the Secretary of Agricul-
ture and estimated for in the annual
estimates submitted to Congress for
the Department of Agriculture: Pro-
vided, That the funds thus appropri-
ated shall be used only Tor instruc-
ton in agriculture, mechanic arts, and
home economics, and that all States
and Territories and all schools accept
ing these funds shall provide other
funds with which to pay the cost OF
providing the necessary lands and
buildings and of instruction in all gen.
eral studies required to make we'll
rounded high school courses of study:
And provided further, That not less
than one-half of the sum thus appro-
priated to any State or Territory shall
be expended for instruction in agricul-
ture and home economics in agricul-
tural high schools maintained under
State authority in rural communities.
and the number of such agricultural
high schools which shall be entitled to
receive the benefits of this act in any
one State or Territory shall not exceed
one school for each ten counties in that
State or Territory.
Sec. 2. That there shall be, and
hereby is. annually appropriated, out
of any money in the Treasury not
otherwise appropriated, to be paid, as
hereinafter provided, to each State and
Territory for the maintenance of
branch agricultural experiment stations
under the direction of the State agri-
cultural experiment stations now es-
tablished or which may hereafter be
established in accordance with the act
of Congress approved March e. 1862, the
sum of $500 for each branch expert
nent station already established by
legislative enactment Of the respective
States and Territories, or which shall
be established in said States or Terri
tories in connection with agricultural
high schools as appropriated for by this
act: Provided, That no State or Ter
ritory shall be entitled to the benefits
of section 2 OF this act until its Legis-
lature shall by law provide for the es-
tablishment of such branch stations and
shall provide annually for the equip
ment and maintenance of such branch
stations a sum at least equivalent to
that appropriated annually to the State
or Territory under section OF this act;
and the sum paid to each State or Ter
ritory under section 2 of this act shall
be applied only to paying the neces-
sary expenses of conducting at such
branch experiment stations expert
ments bearing directly upon the agri-
cultural industry of the United States.
having due regard to the varying con-
ditions and needs of the respective
States or Territories and the respective
agricultural regions therein"
Congressman Davis has sent a COM
munication to the Advertiser explain
ing why he introduced the bill and
what he hopes to accomplish by it.
He says:
In this bill 1 have undertaken to-
give direction to the manifest deter
mination of the American people to
turn the further development of our
public education in part towards tech
nical and economic lines.
During the last twenty years public
schools of secondary or high school
grade have made very rapid growth,
showing that as our people increase in
wealth larger numbers want education
of a grade higher than that provided
in the primary schools. Since only
part of those attending high schools
are needed in the professions, it is
clear that a large number of young
men attending these schools must enter
agriculture and mechanic industries,
arts and trades, and no fact is more
apparent than that a portion of our
high school work for girls should be
directed toward home-making.
This bill contemplates building up
a large class of people trained in high
school courses, combining Industrial
and general education. With patrons
and teachers from such schools, our
primary schools will be able to carry
agriculture, manual training and home
economics subjects into the primary,
rural and city schools. This bill will
do much to bring all classes of primary
schools to higher standards of scholar
ship, as well as to give their courses
more of practical bearing. This Sec
ondary education will also encourage
self selection on the part OF pupils, en-
abling them to better choose for them
selves those lines Of endeavor in which
their ability and interest win enable
them best to succeed. In this way this
industrial education will provide for
our colleges and universities students
better fitted for the several lines of
higher education and for the more or
less technical vocations to which these
collegiate and university courses lead.
mot many of our States have sue