Daily Kennebec journal., 1911-02-24
GIVES THE FIGURES,
senator Mllllken Believes He Has
Solved School Mill Fund Problem.

senator Milltken of ArooStool coun-
y believes that he has solved the
problem of the distribution of the
seho"i mn fund tax of the State. His
solution Is embodied in the bill which
is now pending before the LEGISLATURE
providing for the disbursement of the
fund according to the average school
attendance in the schools of the cities
and towns of Maine. The present svs
tenn based upon the act introduced in
the last Legislature by Representative
Fattangall of Waterville, divides the
school mill fund, nethird according
To the number of scholars and two
thlraS according to valuation. The
Osborn or Grange act, introduced at
TINS session by Senator Osborn of
Somerset, divides the fund wholly ac-
e9raing to school population.
/ Senator Milliken starts with the
proposition that every dollar spent by
the state Tor schools which are unat-
tended is wasted; that is that it is
useless to provide schools if they are
not to be attended. For this reason he
contends that the one correct way is
to divide this money SO that it shall
go To those municipalities which get
their pupils to school. Any other
method, he contends, is absolutely un-
fdir. This is not d new theory with the
Afoostook senator. He has been fgur-
inE upon II for u number of years and
the bill which he introduced last week
is the result Of his thought along the
line.
The trouble" said he, has been
thHf discussing hn
body has started in figuring on where
his town was. This is not the proper
spirit in which to approach the matter.
1t must be discussed the same AS a
city or town discusses the raising Of
money for school purposes or for high,
WAYS. Supposing that when the ques.
ton of school money was up in a town
each individual man should start to
figure what benefit lie received and
say: Why | have bat two children.
while my next door Ecighbor has tive,'
what would be the rcsulto He doesn't
do that. He just figures that his boys
ana girls get the same privlt gcs. We
have got To discuss the proposition
with the idea Of doing the most good
That being tn" case we. it seems to
me, must TAX" the oasis OF the average
attendance.
MI MillikCE has prepared a set Of
figures showing the operation of his
proposed Till in comparison with the
present system OF division according 10
valuation. These tabulatiOnS are made
on the same returns as those of the
last distribution namely the returns of
the year 1909 These tabulations cover
all ;ls rfItntipS. in b1 ta 20 ..l,,.
that Washington county has the best
average Attendance III the State and
that as It whole the county gains, in
round numbers, $4,000.
In mis- figures he has, whore avail
able. Included the attendance at High
schools and Parochial schools On
these last the Senator contends that
they must be included, just as much as
though the pupils in them were attend
ing the public schools. for they are at
tending school Further the pupil.
who attend school are credited to tn.
town in which they live regardless Ui
the toWn where they attend school
He says that the figures for the IA
| rochial schools are incomplete. for TIE
only returns of them are for pupils bc.
>
as the law requires that these children
/ shall be in school. AS matter of fact
there are Il number of pupils in schools
of tins kind, who are over Is, yet un-
| der II.
In connection with this al investsa-
tiOn was made in one city of the State
| with the result that it was shown that
there We're double the number of pu-
pills in the Parochial schools from what
the returns showed. This would be an
important factor in determining the
amount which cities like Lewiston and
Auburn would receive, as they have Il
considerable number of children at
tending school i'll these Parochlal insti-
tutionS.
More towns. these figures show,
throughout the State gain under the
Continued on Page Four.)