The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-10-15
ROBSON TALKS ON
 EDUCATIONAL NEEDS
Local Taxation Only Solution
 Of Alabama Problem
WILLINGHAM CONCURS
Hobson Is Organizing Another Party Of Experts To Make Tour Among Farmers of the
 Sixth District


 sixth District
 Congressman Richmond P. Hobson, who was in Birmingham yesterday, stat ed that the third expedition of the Sixth Congressional district is now being organ
 zed and that the tour will be made by a party which will be composed of ex perts adequately equipped for demon strating still further along the lines al- ready formulated by the expedition the methods of improved farming. The in troduction of live stock, in particular will be emphasized, and there will be ad- ditonal experts dealing with the sanita- ton of the farm and home economies.
 Congressman Hobson hopes to secure the services of two expert women who will go with the party to hold confer ences with the farmers wives and other women of the district.
 He emphasized the fact that in addition to the regular topics to be dealt with on the tour the question of elementary edu- cation would be taken up and treated at length.
  cation in Alabama is nothing short of alarming said Captain Hobson. "The prohibition, by the constitution, of local taxation by school districts has left the small rural school in decadent condi- ton.
 Tn no state in America, in no state in any civilized nation are people forbidden to tax themselves locally for purposes Of elementary education. State aid is wise, | and has been adopted by Ill the states of | the Union, and by all nations of the civ | ilized world. but 1t must be understood | that 1t can only be an aid. Local pri- mary schools, upon which depend the ed ucation of the masses of the people or rural districts, cannot properly be main- tained wholly by state aid.
 Dependent On State Aid "At present 67 per cent of all the school funds of Alabama are dependent upon state aid, and it's utter inadequacy
 weighs heavily upon the primary schools | The total amount of revenue for school cents on $100 of real property value,
 cents on s100 or real property value, whereas for the whole southern states it
 Is 20 cents, and they are the lowest in America The total amounts to 10 cents per capita in Alabama. whereas for the | southern states it Is $1.25, and they are | in this respect also the lowest in the | land.
 This woeful condition weighs most heavily upon the rural sections, and one result is that not only Is farming in backward condition, and progress toward scientific agriculture very slow, but rural diseases, which have sprung from ignor- ance are sapping the vitality of our far mers in an astounding degree. Typhoid | fever averages 46 deaths per 10000 per year. whereas for Alabama 1t reaches 93. | The same alarming conditions apply to Cochin China dysentery. malaria, amoe- | bic anaemia, and the anaemla caused py | the hookworm.
 'This state Is on the threshold of the greatest opportunity for develop
 ment that any community in this coun- | try or in any other has ever had-op- | portunity built upon wonderful agrl- | cultural combination of soil and cli- mate. and an industrial development | grounded upon the possibilities In boundless quantities of raw material | from manufactures, along with coal and water power The possibilities for 1 transportation are equally unlimited, | particularly quick transportation to | tidewater, to the gulf and to the clear
 ing houses of the world, when the Pan-
 anna canal is completed. This event
 will turn the eyes of the world upon | the south Our land values and other values are now abnormally low, ana there will be great rush to the south like the rush to the west 50 years ago. | Must Have Elementary Education | "If our own people do not wish to | be disinherited we must give them. in | the mass, efficient elementary educa- | ton. The greatness and security of | the state depends more organically upon this than upon any other fac- | tor: and under existing restrictions.
 and really anomalous and absurd con-
 ditions. we cannot hope for rapid pro-
 sress, if any, along scientific lines un- iii greater facilities shall have been
 offered for educating the masses.' | H. J. Willingham. state superintend- ent of education, speaking jointly with Congressman Hobson, said: Local tax
 ation by school districts Is the para mount issue for consideration by the | friends of education In Alabama to-
 day.
 .'The state as a government Is spend | ing nearly as much upon the public
 schools as can be Judiciously expend- | ed, while having the state as a unit of distribution. The counties are per I
 with the county as the unit of dis | tribution The people in each district ought to have the privilege of levy | ing an additional tax upon their own | property to raise the needed supple | ment to make the schools absolutely | free, and of sufficient length In term | to secure a really educated citizen ship.
 | We have only been playing at the bir aslx before us of driving out ig-
 norance, and of preparing the boys i and girls for life and for living.
 "The controlling political party in this state adopted local option as one | of the vital principles in It's platform.
 Then why not apply this principle to
 the most important interest affecting the people, the education of their chil- dren? Yes, I am in favor of asking | the legislature to submit for ratif- | cetion an amendment to our state con-
 stitution which would allow the peo- ple of each school district to tax them
 selves to support their own school" | Captain Hobson was in the city en | route to Gadsden, where he spoke last
 night in behalf of the democratic tick | ct in the beginning of a number of
 engagements he Is to fill at other places
 in north Alabama.
 MT, Willingham Is here in attend
 ance at the conference committee of the Alabama Educational association.
 which has convened for the purpose of I selecting the place and date of the next
 meetinr of the association and the topics that are to be discussed at that time.
 I