Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-03-12

I ot2Sl0ftS tVWuS WoutN ~
for their schools II SO uncertain a
/ method of distribution OF state funds
should prevail.
| Shall We make mistake If we keep
! to the present method until some plan
I is proposed upon which the people
, viii agree that there is a reasonable
! certainty of the results they desire?
/ While am speaking on this point
i want TO mention the fact that Maine
/ has already done great deal for
| education by creating a three mill
State tax for common schools.
! From the discussion we have had OF
/ this matter of school funds the i'm
/ preston may have been crested that
I Maine is not as a State acting gen
ercusly in the support of schools.
! Gentlemen. there can be no just ac :.
cusation that this State as compared
with other states has been negligent
| OF her duty in this matter. The
| State now raises as a State three mills
| for the support of common schools.
/ You will search IN vain the laws OF
| all the states TO find an instanc :
! where by direct taxation any other
state has made more liberal pro
, vision than that. -s
| Among the New England states
! there is no other that does half as
we'll as Maine in State support OF
. education. I do not mean by this
! the total Of school support. do
mean the proportion of. school sup
port borne by the State as compared
! with. that borne by the towns and
! cities.
/ When people speak on this State
! school fund they ought to understand
| that in spite Of any possible defects
! in the method Of distribution the
| State is making a generous appropgia-
+, ton for school support.
| Because the present method Of dis
! tribution involving principles that are
well established in the laws Of the
State going back nearly one hundred
/ years; because some consideration is
I due to those localities that supportei
the wild land tax of 1909 and sup
ported it as tax measure and not as
an education measure; because a re
cess committee of the highest ability
( found il impossible to agree on bet
| ter plan: because there IS no appar
ent general public. demand for
change in the method; and because
: this measure which is before you is
/ extremely uncertain in its effect, I
ask YOU to adopt the majority report
! Of the committee on education.
! Mr.. MURPHY Of Cumberland: Mr..
President, l have mad the honor 20
serve on the Educational Committee
! four times out Of the last five sessions
/ of the Legislature. / have served on
| the Portland School Board ten years.
l have made a study Of the question
Of education from start to finish. g.
| Anybody would have the impress
sion that the State of Maine vas
| is a mistake We want to correct
that impression The state of Maine
is the best State in the Union TO sup
port education. Il does the most for
it Of any State in the Union. No
! ether State in the United States take ;
all the people three mills on the dol
lar and distributes it in the proper
ton that We do among the people %
the State. The state of Massachu-
sets sets aside a few hundred thou
sand dollars 10 relieve few needy
towns; that is their extent.
Again. l want to say that this State
| Goes more than some of our friends
are aware Of for education. For in
stance, hear a lot about the wild
lands OF the State, the small towns CT
the State. and the bare-footed boys,
and all that sort Of thing. Our OPP
ponents never give the Educational
Committee credit for the good work
done, and We have been doing good
work in the last session of the legis-
lature,. and 10 a greater extent than
ever before.
For instance, we will take the Wild
| lands. l never hear anyone mention
the fact that we appropriated last
year $4,000 to be expended in the
~iid- land coun,Eg.. in tine 1frlorganized
IpwnshipsA exclusively - Somerset.
-Franidiu. zPiseafdeuis. X enHebec and
| Oxford counties-S23. geo expended to
bring in less than one thousand boys
/ and girls 10 The schools in the unor-
ganized townships, paying their
! board, paying their conveyance, furn-
ishing fuel and teachers.
WHAT Is this wild land tax they are
talking SO much about? ASK any OF
! them, if any OF them can answer the
! question. II vas $4,000. 900 a year
ago. Il wi,l=-b s45.o00.e $40 or SAT. =
/ 100000 for the next few years. How
much is that at three mills? One
/ hundred and thirty-fve dollars ap-
! proxiInately. Two mills Of that is ap-
propriated just as the gentlemen want
it here-rhe majority Of then-two
I mills on census. That means dis
tributed on scholars, whether they go
> 10 school or not; each town gets so
4 much per scholar for every individual
! between the ages of five and twenty
| one years. whether they go to school
I or not. That is the way they wanted
it; that is the way they contended
here for years, up to within two
!; years. ~
/ That leaves one mill still on valua-
/ ton, $4,000. We are willing to ad-
nit that we get some of that $4,000 in
/ Cumberland county It was intended
that We should. Cumberland county
| participated in the making of that
bill; they knew what they were doing.
So do all the other counties get as
much in proportion.
To go back-there is over $4,000
added to that fund from the banks
and trust companies of this State.
Y Il