Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-06-09
STATE HOUSE.
Information RegardingPer-
manent School Funds.
Addition Hearings Assigned for
Franklin County Petitions.
Dates for Summer Terms at Cas-
tine and Gorham Schools.
STATE HOUSE CALENDAR
Next Meeting of Governor and Council
Tuesday, June %, at P. M.

The following circular of inforna
iion regarding permanent school funds
Which has been issued BY the educa
t'ona! department. viii be OF general
interest:
The purpose of this circular * :.
call the attention of school superin-
tendentS and municipal officers to the
lnportanc" of scrupulously guarding
til, pc rmanent school funds of thei,
towns, and the necessity of .levotine
tltf' l" the purposes for which they
We're granted.
IN" reservation of 1000 acres of land
IN every township, commonly know,
as >jhcol lands comes from an old reg
u'au'n OF Massachusetts adopted
Whl!c Maine was still a part of that
Commonwealth
Al That time our state was known
as the District of Maine. and was di-
Vldcd into the counties of York. Cum
h"rl"nd and Lincoln The unsettled
portions of the territory We're common
H. referred to by the Massachusetts
III l'Hs enacted I. law providing that
in the disposition of all towns there
after, four lots. of 32O acres each
should be reserved for certain pur-
poses in each and every township
whether sold or granted
Tn" purposes for which these lots
were reserved We're as follows:
The first was for the first settled
minister" in the township and was
known as the minister lot" The sec
ond was for the use of the ministry
and known as the "ministerial lot.
LII.
common schools in that township and
becan" known as the "School lot,
While the fourth was reserved for the
futG disposition Of the state and
was known as the "State lot"
BY tho articles Of separation Of $50
when we became an independent stat"
il was provided that Maine should
carry out all the regulations regard
ing the sale ana settlement Of Tho
wild lands, embraced in the plan orig
| inally adopted by Massachusetts. an
less the consent of that state was obs
tanned for any change in policy.
Consequently for several years att"I
Maine became Il state. III :he sale 81
grants of I'll Maine towns for what
| eyer purpose. these several lots W'r,
rcs' r"cd in accordance with the plan
adopted in l7>N. In 1882 Maine changed
the law prov iding foretho disposition ri
hes lots for various purposes, to talk
effect when Massachusetts consented
| to Iii" new arrangement
by the new law tl,. minister's chain
| was ignored except in cases where Iii,
| title had hrcOm" vested for bN the
| new provision all thu land reserved il
| ,,l. l,.,,,
| ing been previously changed to lGG'
for each fun township ANA at the
same rate in all tracts less tliaf ful
| township was t. be for the support
| Of TIA" 81 hrul~ in that township; hence
| al townships surveyed from llSN L
| lS32 would have reserved lands If l2S'
acres go acres Of his tU" tn" state
| leaving $50 acres for tn" benefit OF
| schools
| tn. find created by the sale Of grass
| and timber from these lots, toS' tlIrl
with the money received for the lant
| itself was to be permanent iund ioi
| the benefit of the schools. Thc select
men, treasurer and clerk of the S"Nera
towns were constituted "A board o
trustees to care for this fund, using the
| interest only. Cor the purposes lndlca
| ted
| In several towns of the state thl'
fund is still kept intact and the inter
es. is added each year To the funds de
rived trom other sources for the sup
| port of schools. In other towns, II
order to simplify matters, the money
was leaned To the town, ana these
towns raise. in addition to the amount!
required by law, a sum equivalent t'
| the interest on this fund
In still other cases the fund has beer
| used for general town purposes. ah'
| all record of it has been either lost. oil
| overlooked At least they fail to rais
any money for school purposes in adj
| dition to the amount required by law.
| No town has ever had the right tt
aoproDriatp it's permanent school fun6
| to any use except to that Tor Whlc'
| it was originally intended. The law
provides that this fund shall be p nr
manent forever and every town ha:
ACCEPTED this obligation. and town:
! that have failed to meet these obllga
| tions should restore the funds tina
| have been miSapplled.
| If may be we'll to state in connection
| with this subject that in all unin'
corporatcd townships the stat" is the
| trustce and has kept good falth II
every instance
In the unorganized forest townships
long term permits to cut timber an'
Grass have been solo and the proceeds
Of ench sale credited, on the books o
the state treasurer. to the seNera
|, n,,ns,,ins to which they belonged.
c
! Rv the terms of these HeiH'i'o "a
! rights of the grantee ceaS' WY" CIV
| l1i1pl for plantallpI