St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1915-03-10
NOT NEW YORK PRODUCT
Lieut.-Gov. Darling and State Auditor
Graham Speak On Educa-
fiOnaI Bill.

A 9@AA&@AA 0pC<1A OAA A<4AN@~
tionaI Bill.
That there is nothing radical in
the educational bill was the argu-
ment of the educational commission
at Montpelier on Friday evening at
the last hearing on III ITO. The SIM
ilarity between the bill and existing
law was emphasized. The action of
the commission in hiring Carnegie
experts in cutting off the colleges and
normal schools and in centralizing
power of administration was defend
ed
Lieut-Gov. Hale K. Darling said
that he drafted the bill early in De-
cember. He said in part:
Sometime last spring, Judge Wat
son told me that the educational COM
mission desired to have me draft a
bill to carry out the recommends
tions to be made in the commissions
report; and l accepted the offered en-
ployment.
'As soon as | was furnished with
a copy of the report, studied it care
fully and in connection with our pres
ent school law as contained in the
public statutes and the acts since
passed. 1t seemed to me that in
stead of having the proposed bill so
framed as to be merely amendatory
of particular sections of the present
school laws, it should take the form
of complete code on the subject of
public instruction; and in this con-
clusion the chairman of the commits
sion concurred.
II therefore prepared draft, sub
stantially as you have it in House
bill No. ITO, adhering closely to the
commissions report, and retaining
such parts of the present law as were
not inconsistent with the recommen-
dations of the commission.
'This draft was submitted to the
commission, and has been carefully
reviewed by the chairman, the clerk,
and other members. l think all of
the mem bers, except Mr.. Vail, have
been present at one or more of the
various sessions held for the purpose
of considering the bill. Some changes
in and additions to, my original draft
have been made, as the result of con-
ference and discussion by the commits
sion, but its general form and scope
have been left intact. Neither in the
of the original draft nor
in it's subsequent amendment, was
anything inserted except with the con-
currence of the commission. And in
all of my work on the bill, have TAX
en- direction from nobody but the
chairman of the commission, and no
body else has assumed to give me any
Instructions as to what l should in |
clude or omit
He noted that the board were Civ
en- indefinite instead of limited ten |
ure, that the appointment of state SUI
pervisors was we'll within the spirit |
Of the present law, that the town unit
Of school control was not iron clad /
IN state history. Vocational educa-
ton is made compulsory instead of |
optional in the high schools. Compul-I
sorry health inspection is a new fea-
,ure.
The Hon. Horace F. Graham went
nto the financial end. 1t calls for
100000 more than has been spent.
Of this, $4,000 would come by in
,reasing the state tax from eight to
5en cents and $150,000 from the state
reasury. Comparing items of ex-
oense the bill gives for supervision
100000 instead of $500; for union
$125, 900 instead of
'63, 900; for teacher training, $4O,-I II
100 in lieu of $1O,750. The state has
'aid $4,000 of a $4,000 cost for
transportation. Under the bill $685.
100 is appropriated for equaliZing OPP
ortunity. Mr.. Graham said this
must be handled by a board with full {
'ower. It's distribution should be
ccording to need, which cannot be {
oreseen by a legislature. The states ]
rst duty is to primary and secondary I
chools. He did not think that the {
tate could afford to help higher ed i
cation. II