The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-02-23
'sTEARNtS TELLS Of
NEEDS OF SCHOs Is
Urges Increase of School Levy From
Ten TO Twenty Cents As Tenn
porary Expedicnt.
SOME INTERESTING FIGURES.
II Costs State Seven Millions of Dol
aars to Conduct Schools 14O Days,
and an Increase of $500 900 Means
Less Than Weeks Expenditure.

The senate Finance Committee last
night heard the question of the in
creased school tax discussed, Super
P1ntendent of Public Instruction r. c.
stearnes appearing on behalf of the
schools. Mr.. Stearns spoke, in part,
as follows:
rev persons want to raise taxes.
Most persons. however, have children to
raise Thus it appears that school
taxes are to be treated as special
case and must be based solely on the
theory that the education of the rising
generation is the paramount duty of
the State.
The bill which proposes to increase
tie state school tax ON real estate and
tangible personal property Is tenn
porary measure and is advocated by
the school people on the ground that
relief cannot be ed in any other
way or from any other source II the
schools are neglected while the mem
bers of the Legislature study and dis
cuss theories OF taxation. the results
cannot fail 10 be calamitous in their
nature.
h 1t is perfectly safe to assert boldly
that theories of taxation. rates of as
easement. and the relation OF cities to
the counties are considerations of sec
ondary Importance In dealing with the
urgent necessity of providing a more
adequate revenue for the elementary
schools of virginia--for is it not true
that we are all one family when IT
comes to education?
A Temporary Arrangement.
TT q system of taxation fails to pro-
vide the school funds which broad
a&d enlightened policy demands and
which the closest economy has proved
necessary. nothing can prevent that
theory of, taxation from being con-
dsmned. II may happen that an ex-
ceilent system OF taxation cannot ac-
complish this result right at once, and
that think lie a situation which con-
fronts US In Virginia. In that event.
. temporary arrangement must BE-
made to provide an adequate school
revenue. which temporary arrangement
win ultimately give place to the per
nianent arrangement originally con-
4en pla ted when the new system of tax
49, Was formulated.
Moreover. the temporary arrange
Y.se,.s ~sieh we advocate will. think.
49, st. er'.c. of assisting and hasten
ts~ ia, fs'}l development of the plan
- .sr.sAl aggregation to which the
3aS:esstus is committed. In other
WORKS. ths tsxes segregated for State
purposes rads. ultimately provide not
and Tangible psssonal property whieh
waa reta.nts temporarily in 1915. but
aieo 20. the additional rate OF taxation
on the saC.o classes OF property pro-
posed by this bill. Furthermore the
fnc. that these sums of money must
be tsksn care of under fully devel-
oped system OF segregation VIII be "A
censtr1t incentive TO promote the dis
ccvers of the hidden tntangibles which
ha thus r
f:y assumed by the people at large in
order that they may have the school
ia s'iit!.s whieh they demand
True and False Economy.
"A rigid and scrutiniziug economy
should manifest itself in the admins
ration OF all public aGairs but at the
same time we must remember that
Virginia is not bankrupt and in dealing
with our school problems we must
carefully distinguish between true and
False economy.
at IL false economy 10 increase
the puhisc school r~seaue grad
uaIiy that the added sums of mon
ey must be subdtyfded until the
increases to amy fund or dis
trfct or school arc almost fnhn-
ftesanaI I'm amount. Let us take
for example the &2o0.ooo approprfa-
t1on for one and <vvo-yooz schools
II the entire amount had been de-
voted to Increasing the salaries
81 teachers i'm elementary schools
In eouDties. the average rate of
increase would have been only 10
per cent. II II had been devoted
to lenEtheninx the term of one and
two-room schools, the effect would
have been to give them only ten
days Of additfonal schooling. II
reuvares ~ .oOo,O0O to maintain the
virginia schools for $50 days. This
means that our daily expenditure
for public education In virginia 10
$4,000 and s2oo.0OO adds less than
one week to the yearly session.
when we remember that the school
term in hundreds of our schools To
Eve months or less. the tnsumeien-
cy Of an appropriation of even as
much as 5000, 900 In manifest.
But we are told that II the codn-
kies would increase their assessments
IN real estate the funds would be
nAeouate Let US see. / asked gen
tleman who did not know the purpose
FOR which the figures would be used 10
choose at random twelve virginia
counties ana arbitrarily increase their