The Colville examiner. [volume] (Colville, Wash.) 1907-1948, 1908-09-12

burse the owner of animals that have tuberculosis
and are destroyed under orders. The question OF
principle enters into the matter, and it is not easy
to settle on a solution. President Bryan of the
state college favors a law that will reimburse the
owner in part. He argues that it is a matter
affecting the public as we'll as the owner of the
animal condemned that the tendency on the part
of the owner would be to conceal the fact of his
animal being diseased, thereby endangering and
perpetuating the disease. The public, he AYERS,
would be glad to know that the animal is diseased,
in order that it may be put out of existence for the
sole purpose of protecting the public and other
animals from contamination. This being the case,
Prof Bryan holds that the public should be willing
to stand part of the oss at least and therefore he
favors the payment Of certain percentage Of the
value of the destroyed animal to the man who
owned it.
On the opposite side are those who argue that
such measure, if enacted into law, would be
dangerous precedent, opening the way for similar
legislation intended to reimburse men in other
ca[ings whose property might become worthless and
be menace to the public welfare. For instance,
they argue, the fruit grower who has infected
fruit that has to be destroyed by the state should
be reimbursed; the dairyman whose milk is found
unfit for food and has 'be condemned should
have a money return for the loss he suffers; the
nursery man whose stock is found to be infected
must be reimbursed when his goods are destroyed,
and so forth. These arguments may be all right
on their face, but it is possible for the law making
body to enact a set of laws that will be an
effective protection against the public being de-
frauded by reason of such statutes being on the
books. The partial reimbursement of owners of
infected fruit or nursery Stock tubercular cows,
gandered horses, etc., has been advocated before
this, but it seems we have not yet reached that
point where we know just what kind of laws
should be enacted. It is certain, however, the
time will come when we will see some such law
placed on the statute books. ks.-Western Farmer.
There are more than 25O, 900 children of school
age, to 21, in this state according to the census
taken in July. This is gain of about 15 900 over
the previous year.
The 1850 schoolhouses in the state in july 1908,
and sites, libraries and other school property are
valued at an aggregate of about SIS, 500, 900 as
against but $12, 448, 291 the previous year, gain
of about So, 100000
The daily average school attendance in the state
aggregates but about 140300 or about Sc per
cent, trihe more than one-half of the school
census population.
The enormous sum of 81, 200, 900 was paid out by
the common school districts of the state during the
year. which is at the rate of more than $51 per
pupil, based on the average daily attendance. The
total common school expenditures for the previous
year was at the rate of about $42 per pupil, being
$5 GAG, $685. This increase of about 81, $780, 900
in expenditures includes many items. There were
6,2O9 teachers the previous year and about 6, 479
the year just closed. These figures are made up
from the annual reports of the several county
school superintendents made to State Superintend-
ent H. B. Dewey.
The facts about state school taxes are peculiar
and not generally known. In the first place, the
amount to be raised, under present laws, is $40
per census pupil. On the present census of 250
900 this would mean $2,5OO,OOO But before
making the levy to raise this $2 50O00O the state
board of equalization estimates the receipts of the
state permanent school fund-that is, the money
to come in from interest on bonds owned by that
fund, from leases of school lands and from interest
on school land contracts In case these sources
are estimated to produce, say $780, 900, the state
board will then provide for tax levy to produce
but So, 900, 900. The board will then decide just
how much of this 81, OOO 600 each county shall pay
Each county's proportion is based not on the
school census population of that county but on the
relation the total of that county's equalized
assessed property valuations bears to the total
equalized valuation Of all property in the state
A county, the assessed valuation of whose prop
erty is, say one-twentieth Of that Of the whole
state, must pay one-twentieth of the state school
tax while its school census may show it has but
one-ffteenth of the school population of the state
Then when the school tax has been paid into the
state still another plan is used to return the money
to the county. This latter plan is under the "Bare