Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-03-07
COMMITTEE HEARINGS.
CONTINUED from Page One.)

of the State Grange and while the
members are not unanimous the
Grange as an organization is behind
this bill He then slletched the vari-
Gus changes in the Maine school laws.
Mr.. McKcen stated that the aver
age school attendance for the whole
State is a. per cent. of the children
of school age and the average school
year 1853 days There are now in the
public schools 81, 113 and 117.ll3 of
the school age are not in school. In
the first district where the average at
tendance is SO per cent and the school
year 1888 days. under the Grange bill
there will he loss of $74.f46 Twenty
one of the rural towns gain and L
lose. In Portland where the average
attendance is large and the school
year long, the city would lose $32,751.
South Portland with an average at
tendance of 60 per cent. would gain
$31O6. Biddeford with an average at
tendance of 10 per cent. would lose
$27,350.
III the second district the average
attendance is 40 per cent. and the
school year 165 days This district
would lose $27.6S2 under the Grange
bill. OF the towns. So would gain and
"a would lose
If the third district the average at
tendance is A per cent. and the school
year 112 days. This district would gain
SSSH3. In this district the cities of An
SuSta, Waterville and Belfast would
lose and the others gain or break ever
In the fourth district, where the az
eraGe attendance is SO per cent. and
the school year 165 days there would be
gain of $6SS76. The city Of Bangor
WoulG lose $2S1.
OF the counties of the State andre
scoggin. Cumberland, Kennebee, Sag
adahoc, Waldo and York would lose
and the others gain. OF the representa-
tive classes % would gain and y would
lose.
Mr.. McKeen declared that the Grange
bill is not revolutionary and will not
effect any section of the State seri-
ouslv
When Mr.. McKeen had finished his
prepared ADDRESS he was taken in hand
by Senator Murphy. Senator Walker
and Representative Cook of the COM
mittee and given a pretty thorough ex-
animation as to the details of the bill
c. y. Purington of Bowdoinham was
called by Mr.. McKeen and gave some
different interpretations of what the
proposed method of distributing the
fund would Go. Towns that are adj
versely affected, he said, have a short
schooi year. a low average attendance
or d high valuation. The measure he
supported would have a tendency to
t,n
average attendance. There is plenty OF
room for more pupils in most of the
rural schools" said MIR. Purington
we ask You to give the farmers chill
dren a more nearly equal chance in
the common schools. We hear about
the high cost of living and the cry has
heen raised To- go back to the farm,
that there are many abandoned farms
that could he made profitable one OF
the great causes why farms are aban-
doned is because of the poof school
privileges IN those sections. Indirectly.
the business of these farms would
come back to the cities so that the
cities would ultimately benefit under
our proposed law.
Mr.. Mckceu called upon State SUI
nerltendtnt of Schools Payson Smith
to answer a number of questions and
for number of minutes the proceed
ings resemblcd a cross eNaminati ton in
court
on being requested TO speak by Sena-
tor Murphy. Hon. William r. Pattangall
of Waterville spoke against the Grange
bill
IF this bill were passed. declared he
former attorney general. 'it would strike
some of the country towns so hard that
in two years from now they would come
to the Legislature and ask that the tax
he cut down to two mills and possibly to
one and half"
Mayor Oakley Curtis of Portland in OPP
POSING the Grange bill stated that the
cost per capita in Portland for schools
now is 50 cents whereas under the
Grange bill it would be S1.36. Portland
now pays over to the State s46,9$5 more
than ii receives and under the Grange
bill the difference would be $796S6. The
school cost in the county of Cumberland
is 80 cents per capita and under the
Grange bill it would be 6S cents.
Mayor Curtis pointed out the fact that
by the United states census figures
Aroostook county pays taxes on $4,000, coo
less tld1 Tue NdludllOn VI property NOT
counting wild land and other things.
c. \. Perkins of Watervile stated that
he wished to oppose the Grange bill as
the representative of several small towns
in the vicinity of Waterville that would
lose under the Grange measure
State Auditor Callahan pointed out the
fact that under the Grange bin cities
would lose the money they now received
for parochial school pupils and taxes
would have to be increased to make up
for the loss.
A strong plea was made by DeForrest
II. Perkins, superintendent of schools in
Portland, for all the public schools of
Maine. He said the High schools should
be given Just as much attention as the
common schools and that something
should be done to equalze the burden of
supporting these
Senator Morey of Androscoggin correct