Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1915-12-23

! cost money. and VIII continue TO cost
money. As long as we insist upon
having these things we must be willing
OF pay for them, and those who are put
| forward to serve the public make
fatal mistake if they fail to distinguish
between false economy and true econ
omy
As an illustration. take cur school
| system. The County Commissioners
and the School Board know that every
| community in the county insists upon
having good teachers. good school
| houses, and adequate equipment The
| people of any one community know
! this for themselves Ii is not alto
| gether question of the tax rate with
| the community that needs and cannot
get proper school facilities when it
| asks for them Perhaps they have i'm
sight another community which is bet
ter equipped than theirs. and is gain
ing in population. in improved neigh
bOrhood conditions. and know them
! selves TO be as much entitled to school
facilities as the other. They pay taxes.
I tOo,for public schools upon exactly the
same theory. They are entitled. other
, things being equal,to as good a teacher
II is the business of the school board
TO furnish them with one of training
and ability to meet their particular
needs in the school ROOM How is the
county going to get the kind OF teach
ters it ought to have? Only by paying
them fair salaries.
Living Salaries For Teachers.
In an address before the State Teach
ers' Association three years ago I said
some things about this question that
are even more applicable now Eff
ficiency is worth a reasonable money
cost; inefficiency is too dear at any
price in public education. If Anne
Arundel county is to have and main
tain a satisfactory degree of teaching
efficiency, we must pay better salaries
/ then advocated a minimum salary of
| not less than forty dollars a month"; and
said and still say that fifty dollars a
month is only fair compensation for
a thoroughly satisfactory teacher in
! our county schools. This class of our
teachers is a part of the teaching force
] that deserves, and for the common well
fare must have proper consideration.
and our Senator and Delegates may
rest assured that they will have the
hearty and almost unanimous support
of the people of this county in helping
/ the Teachers Alliance 10 get the legis-
lation it asks.
Compulsory Edncation.
{ -.
lie schools has been kept in the back
ground as long as it can be We can
look for legislation this winter on this
line I do not stop TO discuss its pros
ana cons, but every taxpayer knows
| that it is very live subject, and with
| the ewomen of the county and State now
! so deeply interested in it, results are
/ certain
! Amendment of Road Law Necessary.
Another thing in which everybody is
/ vitality interested who pays taxes and
lives in this county is good roads. Our
road expenditures have enormously
| increased since twenty-five years ago
/ but many improvements have been
! made. We cannot lose sight of the
| fact that while large amounts have
been spent on our public highways in
| most cases corresponding improve
ments have been made, until today we
| have a road system and condition of
| the highways that will compare favor
| ably with other counties. ! do not
| mean to say there are not any defects
our present road law, and that its
/ administration is not free from
faults In the original design Of this
statute as prepared fifteen years ago
by the Taxpayers Association no di-
| vided responsibility of the road engi-
neer was contemplated by creating
district assistants It was intended to
place the whole responsibility upon
! one competent and central head. and
hold him TO strict accountability The
average cost of this defect in ad-
ministration of this law has been in
the neighborhood of five thousand do
lars year, the greater portion of
which has been unnecessary expense.
With each County Commissioner in his
district having oversight of the work,
and now being paid for exercising it,
the organization might be vastly inn
| proved and made less expensive.
Costly Roads and Bridges.
1t must be borne in mind that this
an exceptionally difficult county in
which to build roads. because of the
many hills and large number of bridg
es. These call for heavy items Of ex-
pense that other counties do not have
The replacing of many small bridges
with culverts, has necessitatted large
expenditures. Although the original
cost has been so great. it has been wise
economy, for a concrete cuivert under
the roadbed is permanent, and does
away at once with repair bills Tor
wooden bridges, besides absolutely in
suring safety to travel
Taken. all in ALL most encouraging
beginning has been made in good roads
| and this work must 90 on Taxpayers
and property owners will not be con
| tented until every road in the county
has been improved to that degree com
mensurate with its traffic and import
| ance TO the community And we can
carry on the work in the light Of past
| experience, more rapidly and econom-
| ioo1lv