The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-01-09

Legislature Will BE Asked to
Pass Teachers Law.
Uniform School Boards Also
Urged as a Need.
TIME TO WIN PAY.
Thirty Years. Service. Required
Before Retirement.
Annual Pension of $500 Plan
Now Considered.
TIME TO WIN PAY

Kansas City, Jan. 9-Drafts of two
proposed new laws, one providing for
pensions for veteran school teachers,
and the other for uniform school
boards in all the first and second class
cities of Kansas, were indorsed at the
monthly city institute of the school
t~acLeI of Kansas City, Kan. M E
Pearson, superintendent of the Kansas
City, Kan. schools, and president of
the Kansas Teachers association, led
the discussion.
one of the proposed laws provides an
annual pension of $500 for teachers who
have retired Sfter 80 years. service in
the schools. The pension fund. or re
tirement fund.-, as some of the more
sensitive school teachers are wont to
term it, is to be provided from three
&ources: First, by an assessment of
not less than 1, nor more than IL per
cent of monthly salaries of teachers
employed in the cities; second, by Il
education of not less than one and one
half times the amount secured from the
teachers assessments; third, by gifts
from outside sources.
An teacher is entitled to retirement
on the annual pension, provided he or
she Las had 80 years teaching expert
ence, 20 years of which has been in the
schools of the city from which he or
she is to receive the pension. Teachers
who are disabled may receive the same
pension. provided they have had %
years experience. Teachers who do not
desire to avail themselves of the pen
81 N fund will not be required to pay
the monthly installments, but after
August, 1911, if the bill is passed, all
new teachers who are employed will
be required to become members of the
pension association
Want Uniform Boards
The bill providing for a unifom sya-
tenn of boards of education in all cities
of the first and second class limits the
membership to six The members Of
the board. if the bill is enacted, will be
nominated and elected at large, with
out respect to ward boundaries The
members are to serve four years, and
are to be elected three at time. They
are to receive no pay.
In hardly any two Kansas cities are
the school boards uniform. Kansas
City, Kan, has six members on its
board; Leavenworth, twelve; Topeka
twelve; Fort Scot, ten. Some of the
smaller cities have as any as fourteen
members. The proposed new law has
the recommendation in Kansas City,
Kan. of the Mercantile club and the
city commissioners. 1t is now neces-
sary in Kansas cities having commits
sion form of government to adhere to
ward boundaries. only because of the
boards of education. All other city Of
ficers are elected at large. The di-
rectors of the Mercantile club at first
desired a bill providing for the creation
of another city commissioner to look
after school affairs, but later voted to
endorse the bill prepared by the Kan
sas Teachers association.
Plan Big Drainage District.
lola, Kan. Jan. "a mass meet
ing of land owners of the Neosho val
~ ,11I CD, ,-fa Il Fliz I
movement to have the legislature pass
an act esta blishing a drainage district
embracing the territory inundated by
the yearly rise of the Neosho river.
Thousands of acres of fertile bottom
lands would be reclaimed by adequate
drainage.
Wants Tax Law Amended.
Peabody, Kan. Jan. 9.-Thomas Os-
borne of Peabody, county assessor of
Marion county, is working on an
amendment to the tax law which he
will ask the legislature to pass. He
says the law is weak in that the pay
ment of taxes on mortgages may be
evaded- When an individual is the
mortgage he is required to pay tax on
the mortgage. When bank is the
MORTGAGE it is not required to pay
tax because 1t pays tax on it's capital
and surplus. Osborne asserts that an
individual may get this bank to buy
certain mortgage, record it in the
name of the bank and assign it to him.
If he does not record the assignment
no tax is paid on the mortgage. as the
law gives the assessor no power to get
at the actual ownership of mortgages
on record in the names of banks.
So RaiIroaders May Vote.
Salina. Kan, Jan. 9.-Senator Fred
H. Quincy will present at the coming
session of the legislature an amend
ment to the laws of Kansas which