The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1911-03-02
System
Growing Greet

a.
taking all the branches and 10 cents
idr those not taking more than hall
Ne branches, instead Of $500 and
A.OO in each case respectively as
they are now. This scale will PRO.
vide for all necessary expenses IN
conducting the examinations and
nothing more should be collected.
G. ] recommend that the State
make provision for free text books
for all her children at the earliest
practicable date. This is not a per.
sonal preference on my part. Per.
sonaliy. l have a prejudice against
the plan but we owe it to ourselves
to profit by the experience Of other,
and the experience Of other cities and
States favors free text books. The
Legislature of 1909 asked that
should collect data on the subject d
free text books. That data will be
found farther on in this volume.
The Juvenile Court.
q I most earnestly hope tina
some of our legislators Will take IT NJ
through better child labor laws ant
themselves to work out and, worI
a proper juvenile court law for oul
State. The higher the value we place
upon childhood and the better the
protection we give to it, the more
prosperous and happy will be the
next generation of the people of this
State. The civic associations will,
gladly furnish information on the
former subject, and on the latter the
city code commission offers some
valuable suggestions
The Rural High School.
s. The high schools OF the State
are increasing in numbers and devel.
oping rapidly. but in many cases
they succeed only by the severest
kind Of struggle. Their beneficial
influence Is beginning to be left in
numerous rural communities but the
number OF these schools is all toe
few and in the case of most of them
there Is need of assistance. In ac.
cord with the State high school sup.
eryisor's report published elsewhere
in this volume, / recommend an ap.
propriatino of State funds for partial
assistance to rural high schools, es-
pecially II we can get the funds from
the proposed production tax on gas
or other proper source.
8. Sections 81 and % of chapter
S45 of the Code relating to school
levies should be re-enacted so as to
relieve their provisions OF doubt and
ambiguity. Possibly some of these
provisions should be amended. I'm
less provision is made for tax on
gas and q part Of that revenue is de-
voted to the purpose, the present
limit on the levies, especially for the
building find, should be raised.
While West Virginia is among the
foremost States in this section Of the
country in providing for her public
schools, still there is no room for
doubt in the mind of careful students
that the State would do well to ma
terialiy Increase her investment in
the education Of her young people
No other than a liberal and progress
sive educational policy will enable
the State to realize the best Of her
extraordinary possibilities.
10. A teachets' pension law, a
county unit system. a classification
code for independent districts, a new
provision saving some of the unnec-
essary expense in publishing district
estimates and an improvement in the
compulsory attendance laws, are
among the other matters worthy of
careful consideration as soon as the
Legislature can find time to give at
tention to them.