The Ellensburg dawn. [volume] (Ellensburg, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1910-08-11

approximately l42 per cent, III five
wears, the lew is nearly as high
During the year 1909 there was
I levied for tax purposes throughout
the State of Washington, for state,
county, municipal and all kinds of
direct taxation, grand total OF
S24 ,9O5. 1908, while five years
previous in 1905, the grand total
of all taxes levied for he same pur-
poses was so, 1852 ,0oS. /, an in
crease of l27 per cent i'll five years
Analysing these fignres, we find
that there was levied for road pur-
poses and for the state highway
fund from 1905 to 1900, a total of
S14,O7S, go 90. The rapid growth
of this tax burden for roads is il
Illustrated by comparing the amount
which was raised for all road pur-
poses in 1905, i. c., S1565, $500,
with that of the year 1909, which
was 81, 270, 004 90, an increase in
the road tax of l72 per cent. The
omount levied for the public schools
of the state, including all kinds of
schools except the state universities
was for the year 1905, s., 934 sos.
For the year 1900, the total levy
for all public schools of the state
was IS, sos, $40 90, showing an in
crease of 10 per cent in five years.
During the same time, however,
the school population of the state
had increased only about q per
cent, the school census showing
$50, 3O7 pupils of school age i'll
1909 against POI 900 pupils in 1905
In addition to the levy for school
purposes for the year 1909, or s.,
sos, $40 90, the total bonded and
warrant Indebtedness of the school
districts of the state has been con
stantly growing. On June 5Oth,
1905, the total bonded and warrant
Indebtedness of all the school dis
triCts of the state aggregated ST.
1913. 100. 90, while on June 3Oth,
1909, the total bonded and warrant
Indebtedness of all the school dis
triCts of the state was 81 ,OS5, sos
an increase of indebtedness of near
" five million dollars in five years.
The FIVE higher educational instltu-
tons of the stateNhe State UuiVer-
sity, the State College, and the nor
NAL schools receive their appro-
priatlOns from the state general
fund. The appropriations for 1909
and 1910 for these institutions was
81 .54.S 4OS 90. The tax levies for
the state direct for school purposes
together with the appropriations
for the maintenance OF state col
lcges, and the income derived from
the state school funds, makes
grand total of SO, OPS, 92S.O0, as
representing the cost to the state
for the wear 1909 for the mainten-
ance of our school system.
Commenting on the public school
Superintendent Dewey has recently
said:
THE rural schools are running
in debt. This condition prevails
in spite of the fact that the times
are prosperousand it is not right.
Ever since Washington became
a state the deficit has been piling
up | warn you against a to frequent
change of text books. Changes
cost too muchmoney.
Commenting on the same subject
the state board of tax commission
ers, in its report for the year 1906,
gives the following language:
THE interest debt of the school
districts is accommodating at such 4
rate that if all the income
from the permanent school fund
and from school land leases were
applicable, it would not annually
redeem the interest debt of the
school districts, nor would all the
current school funds derived from
the administration of the public
school lands, suffice to have paid
by the sum of $745, 913. ST, the to-
tai interest in the public school
debt. -
THE unselfslness of taxpayers
when drawn upon for educational
purposes should be requited by a
conservatism and thrift on the part
of all public officials having to do
with the schools. y
Again in the tax commissioner S
report for 1908, the tax commits
SlOnerS say:
Public money cannot be better
invested than in education, but
where complaints are so generally
made against high taxes it may be
we'll to consider the amounts we
are taxed to pay for our schools. y