The Prescott daily news., 1915-06-09
ABOLISH 6 POSITIONS
 AT UNIVERSITY
Condition of States Finances Hampers Work - President Recommends Hiring Young Men Beginning
 With Small Salaries.

the ensuing two years, on account ot the report made by president J. C. Futrell, at the annual meeting of the Board of Trustees Monday of this week. And yet by careful manage ment and husbanding of resources, the work of the school for the next year will not be greatly impaired.
 The aggregate attendance in all de- partments of the University for the past year is 1869, of whom 744 were students of the college proper for the nine months session, and 635 at the Rural Life Conference which was held for ten days during the summer of 1914.
 That the condition of the states finances seriously hampers the work of the University is shown by this paragraph from President Futralls repore:
 q find that in general it will be nee essary to offer somewhat larger sal aries than if you were able to guaran- tee the payment of salaries in cash. The members of the faculty have bor- rowed money by putting up their vou- chers as security, and they have been compelled to pay 10 per cent per an mum. A few months ago, it became a+;larent that there would not be enough money in the State Treasury at any time this year to take up the state warrants outstanding and that state warrants have been sold at prices ranging from 91 1-2 to 95 per cent. The members of the faculty in addi- tion to paying interest, have been compelled to stand this loss also. estimate the reduction in salaries due to this condition at not less than s per cent It may reach as high as 12."
 2resld,nt Futrall recommends the plan of hiring young men beginning with salaries of 5000 to 5000 9 year and increasing at the rate of $100 a year and fearlessly dismissing those who do not make good or who in a few years have reached their limit of use fitness. He says, "It must be thor oughly understood by the members of the faculty that mans tenure of of flee is contingent only on continued efficiency and good behavior"
 President Futrall unpualifady sup ports the milIage basis for the fnan- cial support of the University. He tOrri,,p, bo l have collected as much information as possible about the methods of se- curing financial support for the state universities in the different state of the union. find that in all those states where the University is com pelled to ask the Legislature for fnan- cial support from the general fund, and to enter inta scramble with other state institutions and depart ments of state government for share of those funds, which are never large enough to allow all the appropriations that are asked by the various interests 1t Is necessary for somebody represent ing the University to be in attendance at the Legislature for the good part of the session and practically to make him lobbyist. In most of the states this duty falls upon the President of the institution and it is the most dis agreeable tasks that he has to per form.
 The best opinion everywhere is that the best remedy for this situation IS to provide for the needs of the Uni versity by a special tax. This mater has been discussed in Arkansas in a rather desultory fashion for a number of years, but it appears to me that now for the first time, public senti ment in favor of such tax is crystal izing rather rapidly. The suggestion has been offered that an attempt should be made to initiate a law of this kind and secure its adoption by the people at the next general election. The friends of some of the other state educational institutions are favorinp a similar law for the support of those institutions. l am of the opinion that 1t will require the combined efforts of the friends of all the state educa- honal institutions to secure the pass age of any such law either by vote of the people or by the Legislature, and that any institution or set of institu tio1 which attempts to secure the pas