Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-02-13
SEVERAL IMPORTANT MATTERS
LOOKING TO BETTERMENTs
BEFORE LEGISLATURE.
SUPERINTENDENT EMPLOYMENT
MEASURE PROGRESSIVE PLAN
Authorizes Cities and Towns to Make
Contract For Three Years-6etter
Support For Consolidated Rural
Schools Proposed in Another Bill
State Aid For Vocational Work,
Special to Times Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
| Des Moines. Feb. l3.-Several very
important matters are before the
legislature affecting the betterment of
the schools of the state. They are all
in line with the work done by the
better schools commission, as backed
by the governor and advanced by the
state teachers association, and they
represent the best suggestions of the
| department of public instruction.
| The bill to authorize employment of
/ superintendent of city and town
schools for periods of three years if
desired, is regarded by many as one
of the best bills of the year At pres
ent superintendent are employed year
by year and this system naturally en-
| couraSeS Bohemian existence and
nonladic methods. The bill would per-
nit of making contracts for three
years after a superintendent had been
tried out. Some members felt that the
| bill ought to go even further and per-
NIT election of school principals for
longer than one year period.
i a bill is pending to make it possible
| to provide better for the support of
the consolidated rural schools. The
/ tax limit is now for these schools So
| per capita and in all other districts it
| it S45, for all school purposes. The
discrepancy arose from the fact that
when the limit was raised for teachers
and contingent funds for all other dis
tricts the bill did not cover the con-
solidated districts which stand In a
l n hyy ,N1x H. Il
sire to raise the amount of $50 or $50
each for these districts because of
the larger work they are undertaking.
| Then there is the matter of the state
aid for the vocational work in these
consolidated schools The legislature
made available for this purpose a GER
tain sum but more must be provided
| or the state bonus will have to be
abandoned. There is $4,000 for the
! bonus for the normal work in the high
schools and these now number 1862. To
keep this up will mean about Ns125,000
! for the .tWo-year period. Either the
state must abandon the bonus plan or
provide the money.
For vocational guidance in the CON
| solidated schools certain sums are
available now but they will not be
| sufficient if there is to be continued
the work of consolidation. Either a
millage tax could he provided or some
provision for gradual withdrawal of
| the aid after certain number Of
years.
| : These are among the important
measures proposed as especially help
full to the srural5schools of the state.
| I! is not at all feared that the law
to take the county superintendency out
of politics will be repealed.
| The usual fight between the different
book concerns over the country, uni
formity and free text books has made
it's appearance, but this is not affect
ing the school situation generally.
| The address by Editor Macdonald,
! of Toronto. before the joint assembly
of the legislature on Friday was one of
1.-THE finest addresses ever SO delivered,
barring none of the great orators who
| have talked to the legislators. He re-
peated a large part of the great speech
which he delivered before the state
! teachers association here last year.
with variations suited to the occasion,
| but with the same general thought of
1 the world influence of the two North
| American nations in showing the world
lhow to maintain peace without arms.
! Mr.. Macdonald also spoke at the Grant
iClub last night and charmed the club
members.
! The entire delegation in the legis-
llature from the Second district, to-
gether with the legislature representa-
tives of Cedar county. held confer
| ence last night to consider measures
to secure legislation regarding foot and
imouth disease quarantine. The meet
ling was called by Harry Hull, of Will
lliamsburg, congressman -elect from the
Second district.
| AS it's result Mr.. Hull said, a bill
providing a method of foot and mouth
disease quarantine for the state, was
drafted 1t will be introduced in the
senate today by Head. Of Linn, and in
the house by Tucker. of Clinton.
Mr.. Hull said that the federal gov
eminent at present has no legal right
to enforce livestock quarantine meas
ures in Iowa. and he declared that the
measure drafted yesterday made no
provision for the federal government
enforcing a quarantine within the
state.
1t is understood that the federal
government will not object tc a more
is now provided, and this is what the
bill we propose would do said MIR.
Hull. The measure provides for a
more rigid quarantine at the suorce
Of infection-a quarantine enforced by
armed guards-but that zone of quar-
Iantine may not extend beyond one mile
from the source Of infection.
"a secondary quarantine area is pro-