Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-03-11


We're towns in the State that took
their school money and divided it up
among themselves, and did not use IT
1or schools at all. That was ferreted
out and stopped. II you can get law
which works against that kind Of bus
mess, and works for the towns and
the communities that send their chill
dren to school, why it is good. The
poor towns Of the State as we'll as the
toWas where there are but a few chill
oren, are hurt by any system Of dis
tr1button that may be devised. The
equalization fund is supposed to take
care OF that and help the poorer towns;
ana IT seems to me that there are two
problems before this Legislature One
ID TO find way to help the towns that
are not able to school their children as
Wen as the wealthy communities are.
The towns Of the State owe a debt to
every boy and girl within the State to
see that they have an education as
good as is comparable with the other
needs OF the State.
The other problem before this Leg
aslature IL to see to it that the money
OK the State which we vote for schools
shalI De paid for work in schools. Now
mat was one trouble with the school
census system. Down in our own town.
q number OF years ago, there was a
large community in which the average
attendance Of children in school was
less than so per cent; that is their
children went to school half Of the
tlme. Now they were getting just as
much money as another community in
the town, proportionately, where the
average attendance was over 80 per
cent. That was not fair. The comuu-
nifty which sent Is per cent. of its
chiloren to school should get more for
II than community that cares so lit
Tie 1or Its schools than it send only 80
per cent. OF its children to school.
ihese are the problems that face the
i'sslslature: To hep the poor towns
That ars not able financially TO have
sood schools, and then to see in some
way II 1t cannot devise a means bv
which the money of the State of Maine
winch we so generously pour out-and
want to say right here that there is
no state in the Union when YOU take
wealth and population into considera-
generously as tie State of Maine: and
we want to see that the money that the
state OF Maine thus expends is paid for
education in schools, and not for boys
roaming about, not for boys working
on the farm, not for boys going to sea.
not Tor girls in stores, but for the
children in the schools who are irving
to get an education. (Arplause>
Mr.. KICKER: would like, Mr..
Speaker, to go little further on that
equalization fund matter 1t started
with $50 zoos until last session when II
was $1,000. This year We have under
amusement in the committee raising it
to $4,000. That will help the poor towns.
Mr.. SMITH Of Hampton: Mr. Speak
er. received a letter the other day from
the chairman of the Board Of Seiectmen
or my town asking that when this mat
ter came up l should SAY a word in
favor OF the aggregate attendance
method of division of the school money
When over to town meeting Monday l
met the Supervisor of Schools Of nv
town, the city of Brewe~ and of Veazie
ale stated TO me that under the census
method there were in his jurisdiction a
money
by that method, and neither Of them in
sehool A former superintendent of the
Maine schools. Mr.. Stetson. stated that
in his opinion it was as fair to divide
the school money Of the State according
TO the census, Of the pigs and cows on
the farm :ts to divide It according to
this method which had nothing to do
with school and the cost of school main
tenance. We do know that there has
been a protest over much of this State
TINT one of the cities Of the State has
used school money, appropriated by the
State for general school purposes, in the
construction Of streets or for whatever
purpose it saw fit outside of school pur-
poses, when large part, or quite a part
of its scholar population was working
and earning money, and not using any
portion OF the money that the State had
voted 1t for the purpose of maintaining
its schools. I appeal to you gentlemen
for fair division l am a Granger
and I think l can say that this is a
Granger measure. 1t is a Statewide or
lganization. and the fact that one town
loses a little and another gains a bit
nope does not enter into our calcula-
tAOiio " d thteIil 10 iilthS US
for or against this bill. (Appfause).
Mr. HILL Of Cornish Mr. Speaker
and gentlemen of the House, have
just few words to say upon this mat
ter. In the first place, in 1928 the State
set aside "a townships of land to be sold
and the proceeds turned into the State
Treasury and 1t was to be known as
the common school fund. Later on they
sold 20 half townships and that was to
be turned in and known as the common
school fund. In 1872 the first mill tax
was passed and that was to be assessed
upon all the property in the State and
turned into the State Treasury and
known as the common school fund. In
1907 they raised another half mill and
that was to be assessed in the same way
and turned into the State Treasury to
be known as the common school fund.
Now, gentlemen, l want you to bear
in mind Pne thing. and that is that all
Of these appropriations which had been
made up TO that time were to be turned
into the State Treasury and known as
common school funds. The object, I will
say. Of that school fund was to assess
property wherever it existed and dis
tribute it among the poorer towns for
the purpose Of helping to educate the
scholars in these towns where the
towns were not able to do it themselves.
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