The Detroit times., 1911-01-25
Commission After Two Years In
quiry Also Recommends That Pub
Lilo Funds Be Used in Advancing
Instruction in Agriculture.
Would Have These Branches Taught
in Public chools-Special In
stitutions Not Favored.

Osborn, the superintendent OF puon'
instruction, and the commissioner o.
. labor In Lansing, Tuesday.
II is most comprehensive compila
ton. showing that the commission
made a careful and exhaustive In
vestigation. The commission was ap
4 nointed by Gov Warner In April, 1909
pursuant to the creation OF an &C
az the legislature for the purpose, thu
CITY Superintendents association hav
inr requested such legislation. Those
& selected by the governor to compose
the commission were wellington r
Burt. Saginaw; Shattuck o. Hartwell
Kalamazoo; II. e. Kratz, Calumet
George A. MCGEE, Cadillac; Charles
II. Johnson, Detroit; Eber w. Yost
Trenton. and Walter Fl. French, Ian
sing. The commissioners afterwart
elected Mr.. French president anS
Mr.. Hartwell secretary.
II was specified in the act that thu
commission should serve without pay
INIT the State Teachers association
provided a fund of $500 for the In
vestigation and friends of industrial
and agricultural education added
like amount.
In July. 1909, Mr.. Kratz was
obliged to retire from the commission
because OF leaving the state. Fred A
. LETTERS, OF Painesdale, was appointed
The commission spent severa
months investigating the work done
A. agricultural and Industrial schools
N Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota
and other states, with the result thai
the following recommendation. are
Z made:
In view OF the fact that In many
rural districts OF the state the
school population OF single dis
tricts Is SO. small and fiuctuatfng
& that the best school conditions
cannot be maintained, we believe
that consolidation OF these dis
tricts or the organization OF the
districts in. a geographical town
ship into one district will much
better conserve educational inter
ests. give equal educational priv
ileges ant ..lso tend TO economy
in administration; therefore. the
commission would respectfully
recommend the enactment OF a
township district law for the en-
tire state with provision for at
least one high school in each
township.
81 The commission would recon-
end the enactment OF law pro
viding that a high school within
the meaning or the statute shall
consist of four years of work be-
yond the eighth grade.
The commission would respect
fully recommend the introduction
as soon as possible OF courses in
agriculture. manual training and
home economies In all high
schools OF the state.
The commission recommends
that the general school laws be so
amended that any village or city
a having a population of 5000 or
more may establish trade depart
ments in connection with the
public school system: also may
provide for continuation schools
We recommend that a law be
enacted providing for the certiflca-
ton OF all teachers of agricultural
and indu~trial subjects.
State supervision of all agri-
cultural and Industrial courses in
the public schools sho.,d be pro-
yided by law.
We recommend the enactment
OF law providing for a limited
amount OF state aid for schools
wh..i introduce high school
courses in agriculture and home
economies or trade schools or con-
.inuation schools, according to
the following general plan; and
that this state aid should not be
or teacher employed.
The law granting state aid
should provide that the total
B amount OF state aid under the law
should not exceed, for the first
year, $4,000, for the second year
$4,000, nor in any subsequent
year 100000.
The apportionment OF state aid
between courses in agriculture
and home economies on the one
hand and Industrial courses on
the other should be equal.
Schools applying for state aid
must(be duly certified to the aud
nor general by the superintend-
ent|of public instruction. the or
der and priority of certification
10 be determined by statute.
Any high school In the state In
any township or city OF less than
10000 In population may be certi
fled for state aid for courses In
agriculture and home economics
TO the following amounts. viz:
$500 for the first teacher employ
ed and $3.50 for each other teach
err employed, provided that no
SCHOOL district shall receive an
allowance for these courses of
more than $1,000 in ALL
Any city or village having
population OF 5000 or more shall
be entitled to state aid for estab-
lishment of one or moro OF these
schools, viz: ~ an elementary
Industrial school; CD trade
school for boys JIG years or more
OF age; CD a trade school for
girls is years or more OF age.
Said city may be duly certified to
receive through its regular board
OF education state aid TO the
amount OF ave hundred dollars
for the first instructor and two
hundred and fifty dollars for each
other instructor employed, up 20
limit o. four instructors In all
Tor these schools or de- artments.
Cities with population Of 20
600 or more may In the same way
b. certified for continuation
schools OF trades up 10 limit Of
U.0oc f.r tree teachers en-
Dlo<ed IN said school
Any schools drawing state aid