The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-01-19
Sale of School Lands and
Relating Certain Appro-
priatiOns Suggested
PLANS WILL BE TAKEN
BEFORE LEGISLATURE
Condition of Treasury Considered Only
Thing That Could Really Neees-
state Extra Session-Remedy
to Reconstruct Finances
BY BERRxMAN G. BETTY

BY BERRyMAN G. BETTY
Montgomery, January 1s.-(Special.) y
While the condition of the state treas
ury is considered to be the only thine
that could really necessitate an extra
session of the legislature, few popular
methods have been suggested looking tt
a reconstruction of the states finances
The revenue bill has been declared in.
adequate to supply sufficient funds tc
meet the states demand; the last legis
lature has been accused of vast prodi
gality in the distribution of the public
money, and the administration has beer
blamed for extravaganza and indifference
in the matter of expenditures.
But few have suggested a remedy
While clamoring for an extra session oi
the legislature for the purpose of reliey-
ing the states financial embarrassment
the question of methods has apparently
received little consideration. The sugges-
tion has been made to increase the rate
of taxation, Notwithstanding the solid
wall of opposition which the people OF
the state would place in the way of such
an attempt The suggestion has also beer
made to require the counties to shoulder
the burden of feeding their prisoners,
rather than tax the state with this ex-
pense. Others have advocated the aboli-
tion of state apartments, the curtailment
of appropriations, the reduction of the
public school funds, and the looping OFF
of expenditures. These suggestions are
all considered methods by which the state
could reduce its indebtedness, but 1t Is
believed that none of them would prove
popular, certainly that none of them
would tend to conserve the states best
interests.
Two New Methods Suggested
But in cropping after methods it oc-
casonally happens that someone strikes
a popular key, and it is believed that
this would be the result were two plans
adopted that were advanced at the cap.
itol this week by a prominent attorney
The first method comprises the sale OF
the sixteenth section school lands in the
state. 1t is. estimated that the value OF
all these lands would be something in ex-
cess of sl,000,000, and the suggestion mas
, been made that the legislature provide
machinery for he immediate disposition
of all school lands. During the past two
years much of the sixteenth section land:
have been sold, but their sale has in mos
cases been the result of petition of the
freeholders of tho various townships /,
which such school lands were located
Under legislative enactment, there is a
statute which provides that sixteenth sec.
tion lands shall not be sold unless a ma.
jority of the property owners and free
holders of the township in which theS
a. tod hos 60. +i,.t., u.
Following the sale of such lands, the
money is turned over to the state treas
urer, and the interest on sue funds is
l reserved for the support of the public
schools.
The plan for the immediate utilization
of the funds to oe derived from the sals
. of all the sixteenth section lands com
| prises an amendment to the statute re-
/ curing that the freeholders shall petition
: for the sale Of these lands. Such al
5 amendment would have the effect of al
l lowing the state to at once dispose of al
the school lands, turn the money iatC
the treasury, and give to the school funt
the immediate benefit of the interest ac
oruing on so large a reserve.
1t is urged that if machinery were pro
vided for the immediate sale of the six
teenth section lands, the state treasury
would be enriched by nearly $1.000.O0o
probably more, and the public school func
increased by abont $4,000 annually.
v Another Method Suggested
o The second plan has to do with convert
ing all the revenue to be derived from
raises on tax assessments into the st1us
: treasury and rebating the general schoo
and old soldiers appropriation. The con
stitGtion provides that the public schools
shall receive three mills on all the taxes
received and that the old soldiers shal
receive one mill. The plan as suggested
allows for the payment of this tax to tn,
/ schools and old soldiers from all the rev
| enue derived from assessment raises. bu
| looks to the reduction from the gent ra
= legislative appropriation of amounts eaua
= to those accruing from all tax raises.
a Those advocating the plan claim tina
= the legislature should provide for {
1 fixed appropriation to the public
schools and old soldiers and that al
> money over that fixed amount accru
ing from tax raises should be turned
into the treasury The public schoo
. appropriation is fixed at $350,000 an
- nually, though the last legislature ap
y propriated $150.000 additional. with
: the provision that it should be released
n at the discretion CT the governor. Ur
to the present time, however, this ad
q preparation has not been available
Fixed Amount for Schools
This is the plan proposed: Let thu
legislature fix the school appropriation
at 100000 or more with the provision
| that such revenue as shall be derived
from the three mill tax on raises IL
assessments be deducted from the gen
eral appropriation. The raises this veal
Were approximately $60,000.000. Under
the constitution three mills of thi'
amount or $1S0,000 reverts to thu
school fund, and $4,000 to old sol
diers.
Had this law been in existence thu
school appropriation would have beer
100000, since slS0.o00 would have beer
deducted from the sum donated by thu
legislature and the deficit would have
been made up by the revenue from ta,
raises. 1t is probable that next veal
the raises viii be at least s25.00o,00'
more than this year, probably $4,000,
more, and it is claimed that Were the
plan of rebating the school and ole
soldiers appropriation adopted, the
state would receive the benefit of th'
entire revenue to be derived from ta,
raises and the schools and old soldiers
would receive the same amount pro
vided for them by the legislature.
To Come Before Legislature
Both OF these plans for raising ad
dttional revenue for the state vii
probably be brought before the legis
lature when that body meets in ses
sion. 1t is understood that the plar
of disposing of sixteenth section schoo
lands ana that of devising a method
by which the revenue on all tax raise.
may be converted into the state treas
ury have found favor with a number
of prominent members of the legisla
49, A.