The Ronan pioneer. [volume] (Ronan, Mont.) 1910-1970, 1913-01-10

Il. Marshall has handed down a
decision in the matter of the pc
tition to divide Arlee school dis
trict. This petition was filed by
residents of the district living
near the town of Arlee, in the
extreme southern limits of the
district. While Mrs. Marshall
was averse to ruling on the mat
ter from technical standpoint
the petition was so faulty she
could not overlook it and was
compelled to take notice of the
fact. In denying the prayer to
divide. Mrs. Marshall gives the
following reasons:
l. That the petition does not show
that the children named therein reside
within the proposed new district,
2, That the petition does not show
the children named therein reside moro
than two miles from an established
school.
3. The number Of school children Of
The petitioners are nine. Under the
laW there must be at least ten,
4. The petition fails to state Wheth-
er AL the children OF school 8re men
toned reside in the proposed new dis
trict or not
at is rot my wish concludes Mrs.
/ Marshall. ''to allow a technieality TO
I influence my decision. yet in the face
of the above faets ] refuse to Grant
the PRAYER Of the petitioners to divide
the dstrict'
AS has been said before. this
matter comes up at regular in
tervals and will probably have to
be decided upon it's merits sooner
or later, but Mrs. Marshall has
shown a disposition to be wholly
fair and her decision should be
allowed to settle the controversy
for the present year at least.
The board of trustees have en-
deavorcd to satisfy the people
who are complaining and last fall
engaged the services of a man
and team to convey the children
! living remote from Arlee to and
from that school. end they then
expressed themselves as being
satisfied with the arrangement.
but shortly afterWard circulated
another petition.
Without knowing all the civ
cumstances. it looks from this
distance as if thev had been much
better treated than many other
portions of the district, in that
their children have been convey
ed to and from school, while in
many other places the people
were compelled to build school
houses out of private funds in
order to have school at all.
The district is large one. said
to be the largest in the United
States, and the taxable property
is not as great as might first ap-
pear. Much of the land is not
taxable and the personal proper
ty alone will not provide revenue
sufficient to maintain all the need
ed schools and were it not for the
railroad property there would not
be funds to run such schools as
are absolutely necessary. We're
the district divided as petitioneA
for the greater part Of the rail
road valuation would be taken
from the larger portion of the
district and many of the schools
would be forced to close. The
individual resident in that part
which sought division does not
pay any more Of the tax than
their ncighbors in other parts OF
the present district, 50 they can
not csmplain on that score. They
might be relieved of few dollars
in taxes paid for special assess
mcnts, bat that would be a selfish
motive entirely and not consist
ent with western ideas and the
progressive disposition Of most
All western people.
The proper spirit would have
been to let things alone fora few
years more and then all portions
would be ready for a division and
would be prepared to care for
themselves independent Of the
others.
Mrs, Marshall appears to have
done the right thing in this in
stance. as she has always done
heretofore.