The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-09-25
Believes Measure Will Stim- ulate Local Taxation to
 Remarkable Degree
ENCOURAGE COUNTIES
 TO HELP THEMSELVES
Will Tend to Level Educational Dis- ] parties in Poorer Counties of State.
 Part of Comprehensive Scheme to
 Better Educational Facilities

Montgomery, September 24.-(Spe- cialo--In signing the educational bill today providing an annual appropria- ton to the various couties of the state that may levy a special county school tax during any scholastic year. Govern which he expressed the belief that the operation of the new law will stimulate local taxation in Alabama to such a degree that the state will have sui ficient funds within the next two or
 three years to finance comfortably all schools.
 The bill provides that counties that are levying and collecting a 1-mill county tax at the beginning of the next fiscal year shall receive 5000 each to be used at the discretion of the county board of education; that coun- ties leyying and collecting 2-mill tax for the fiscal year beginning 1s17 shall receive s2o0o. and that counties levying a 3-mill tax for the fiscal year begin ming 1918, shall receive 5000 annually The governors statement was issued in explanation of his action in vetoing a number of measures carrying appro- priations, both to institutions of high CT learning and to the public schools of the state
 In concluding his statement he said: "As much, therefore. as feel 1t my duty to withhold approval from any measure looking towards increasing the demands on the state treasury, I am unwilling. in the light of my previous utterances and of my confidence in the wisdom and bearing of this measure on other edu- cational legislation, to go on record as putting an obstacle in the way of the full and complete popularization and en- forcement of the recently enacted laws, which. in my opinion. are fully abreast of any in the country and will most surely tend to force Alabama to the front"
 Henderson's Statement
 The governors statement In full fol- lows
 My official action hitherto in vetoing certain measures carrying appropriations both to institutions of higher learning and to the public schools, has been ac- tuated not by any lack of appreciation of the needs and ambitions of the sev- eral institutions, but by the more im- perative duty of first looking out for the financial welfare of the state. Ac-
 tuated by this principle, therefore it was my deliberate purpose to propose an amendment to house bill 1897 which looks toward the encouragement of local ta xation in the several counties Of the state. The fact, however, that could not give my consent to an increase or the direct appropriation from the treas ury to the public schools, and the fur ther fact that $67 900 of the fund for the erection, repair and equipment of rural schoolhouses must come from the $350.0 900 annual appropriation, made it ap- pear to me entirely unfair to the counties of the state to permit any further re- auction in their funds for the current year, especially In view of the fact that the supreme court has ruled both in the cases of rural and city schools, that trustees have no right to charge more than a reasonable fee as a condition pr precedent to the admission of pupils to school The question for me to decide, therefore, was whether l would favor an immediate appropriation of $46,000 from the general fund for the encouragement of local taxation. or whether would veto the measure.
 Under house bill 1897 those counties that are levying and collecting l-mill county tax at the beginning of the next fiscal year will receive S1000 each to be used as in the opinion of the county board of education will best promote the cause of education in the county. This means that the 46 counties of the state which are already levying and collecting the l mill county tax will share under this provision in tho scholastic year 1slb-l6 and that any or all of the remaining M counties may also share the benefits or this act in 1816-17. provided they are will ing in the meantime to vote the l mill county tax The bill further provides that after 1917 an additional amount of S1O00 shall go to those counties levying and collecting a 2-mill county tax. and an additional 5000 to those counties levy ing and collecting a 3-mill county ta2- Reasons for Approving Bill "Inasmuch as only 6S counties are levy- | ing and collecting the tax at the present time, these are the only ones that could receive the benefits of the law In 1Slb-16. and for the following year the appropria- 1 tion would be the same, unless additional counties should vote the tax. Despite the l fact that the state treasury is in no position to take care of any increased expenditure, l cannot consistently fail to
 approve the bill and for the following ! ret sons:
 | '1. It will give to aii sections Of the l state req sonable encouragement to help l themselves in the provision of suitable | school facilities. This in turn as expcri- ence shows, will result in community in | terest and local initiative. solf-hep be- l ing the sine qua none of healthy educA- ! tional conditions.
 .2 It will tend to level up educational dispa rites and inequalities that exist in lthe poorer counties of the state where the difference in the length of term, char acter of the teaching forces and school facilities in general are clearly inferior t, those in our more populous and wealth. fer counties No one can deny that equality of educational opportunity does not exist in all portions of tho ;Eate, nor
 even in different portions of the same | county. 1T
 "a. It la part of a comprehensive schenie looking toward the improvement of all phases of our public elementary school system.
 s'The educational measures adopted py the legislature of 1915 are. inFthe main. parts of one related whole. They con- stitute scheme which. for their best op- ere ton, required that every one be en- forced The casnal observer would prob Iably suspect that this measpres bears como relation to the local ta4 amend
 ment, and 70 the lAw for makipf t oper-
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