The Penn's Grove record., 1913-09-12
Cuts Out School Transportation
Expense

has made a new move to reduce the
school expense in regards to the trans
%pOrtatiOn of pupils and medical in
spectiOn which have added much to
the taxes in the past few years because
of new laws. The Board voted to pay
only the transportation of high school
pupils who live more remote from the
school than five miles. AS the limits
of Pllesgrove are not further than five
miles from WoOdstOwn, that means
that all high school pupils will have to
get to school at their own expense.
The law has been interpreted by the
Board to read that the expense shall
be paid for those who lived ''remote."
Several pupils in the regions of
Woodstown and Salem have been con-
veyed to schools by their parents who
came to these towns daily with their
milk or for other purposes and the
parents have collected transportation.
Of course the Boards of Education
could not discriminate between such
persons and others who had no business
III the towns daily, but the change from
the condition previous to about fifteen
years ago when many of the parents
not only transported their children to
these towns but also paid tuition in
private schools is very great in re-
ducing private expense and increasing
public expense. That was before the
deV elopement Of The high school to
what the academy and seminary board
ing schools were then.
The school law also provides for
education of all up to twenty years of
age. The normal age for pupils to
complete the high school course is
eighteen. The State does provide free
scholarships in Rutgers College, not
limiting the age, if certain examinations
are passed. The State does not provide
transportation to the college, then why
should 1t to the high school?
The school houses in former years
were built by citizens organizing a
district school by mutual agreement
and voting to tax themselves to erect
a building and empty a teacher. These
school houses were erected near the
center Of the district so that few
children had to walk further than two
Oh three miles. These districts were
made without reference to township
OF county lines and were most coll
venient for all concerned. When the
law was changed about fifteen years
ago to make the town and township
the educational unit it made conditions
so that there has been more or less
fiction and less satisfaction than in old
district plans.
The Pilesgrove Board ,f Education
has also made a new move to reduce
medical inspection, by employing all
Inspector 10 examine a child only when
tue supervisor thinks it is needed.
1t use to be thought that children
were naturally i'll a normal healthy
condition until Il disease was noticeable,
but the military rule is now that a
child is not normal until it approved by
medical inspection. Most persons who
live i'll the country see no need of such
expense, while 1t may be needed in the
Giles where people are huddled to-
gether in houses with little ventilation
OF sunlight and some do not have theil
clothes off for weeks. This condition
is mostly among the foreigners.
There are children with defective
bodies by timely attendance could be
made healthy. With defective bodies
they may suffer all their lives and be
Kindred in their ability 20 be as eff
cient producing member of society, and
when poor and aged become all ex-
pense to relatives OF the public.
Statistics how that this State is pay
ing about two and a half millions OF
dollars for the support of jails, aims
houses, prisons, houses for insane,
freeble minded and infrm. Statistics
also show that the lumber and ex-
pense for such is increasing at a greater
rate than population or wealth. One
of the purposes Of medical inspection
of school children and compulsory ed
ucation is to develop a class of citizens
with more healthy bodies and minds
so they will think OH a higher plane
and produce more for their own bene-
fits or for others.