The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-09-28
SUPT. JOYuER REFUTEs
Mr.. COON's STATEMENT

viii. UUUH j uIhIlWLul
Mr.. Coon Declared Before the Atlanta
Meeting of the Conference for Edu-
cation in the South That North
Carolina is Likely Spending Only
s4O2,65S on Her Negro Schools,
Leaving $26,539 of the North Caro-
lima Fund Which Never Reached
the Negro in 1908 - Mr.. Joyner's
Figures Show Maximum Estimate
by Negroes Was S~25S,979.5S, the
Amount Expended Upon Schools
for the Education OF the Negro in
1908 Being 6O,015.49.
At the Atlanta meeting of the Con-
ference for Education in the South,
Superintendent G. L. Coon, of the
Wilson public schools, delivered an
address on Public Taxation and Ne
gro Schools" in which he said rs
the negro public school in the South
a burden on the white taxpayer, and,
If so, to what extent?" He presented
that the negroes in North Carolina
in 1908 paid "$429197 into the pub
lie school fund, and that the total
cost of negro school in this State
for that year was only $4O2, 658. This
leaves $26,539 Of the North Carolina
fund which eve reached the negro
in 1905" stated Mr.. Coon.
The New York Evening Post and
other papers have discussed the ques-
ton raised, accepting Mr.. Coon's as
sertions as being correct. The News
and Observer knew that Mr.. Coon
was in error, but hat the whole
truth might be presented at once,
with figures that cannot be refuted
and with facts from only authorita-
tive and perfectly reliable sources, the
editor of this paper requested State
superintendent J. Y. Joyner to furnish
him with a tabulated statement ta-
ken from the official reports of his
office and from the official reports
Of the State Auditor. Mr.. Joyner and
his co-workers were engaged several
days in the preparation of this state
ment. He concludes 1T by saying:
Upon the most careful estimate, it
seems hat In 1908 the r re-
ceived for the maintenance Of their
public schools in North Carolina about
twice as much Is they paid directly
OR indirectly for this purpose. I
think this is about in accordance with
the experience and observation Of
those familiar with the administration
of the public schools in North Caro-
lima"
The investigation disclosed that the
negroes in 1908 paid $253,979.58 for
schools and hat the total spent for
negro education in the public schools
was ~$460,015.49.
The full text of Mr.. Joyner's tabu-
lated statement is as follows:
The public school funds Of North
Carolina are derived from the follow
sources:
1. A general property tax Of is
cents on every hundred dollars of
assessed property n a general poll
tax CT $3.50 on every taxable poll.
3. The net proceeds Of all fines, for
FIXTURES and penalties imposed and
collected by all State and municipal
4. All liquor licenses and a part
of the profits Of all dispensaries. (This
source of income was, OF course,
abolished with the adoption of State
prohibition in 1900.
5. Special State appropriations, de-
rived, of course, from the general
tax on all property levied by the
State for State purposes.
2. Special taxation on all ope
and polls in special school districts,
levied by a vote Of the people in
those districts, and used only for the
schools in those districts.
The following table taken from the
Official report of the State Superin-
'endent of Public instruction for the