The Columbus courier. [volume] (Columbus, Luna County, N.M.) 1911-1920, 1917-08-10

"hi'n hppIoNeu hpplchtiOnh hit
now on ille. Unfortunately the state
aid fund has been depleted for other
state purposes. The books OF this
department show that there Is, OF
should be, available In the state aid
fund total Of s2O.565.27. As a mat
ter Of fact less than 5000 is in the
fund and the state auditor properly
rofuscs to issue warrants against
the fund for money not there 10 pay
them.
Briefly, the reason for this con-
dition Is that on July ~. 1915. the
state aid fund, then showing cash
balance Ia the treasury Of si1.0OOOO.
was drawn upon Tor sJ7.5OO0 with
which Ia pay for the cost Of the 1915
rodillcaiion of the laws Of New
Mexico The authority for this
draft was found m the law author
izng the codillcalion which pro-
INided that payment of the costs
thereof should be- made out Of any
funds ~ the state treasury other
than Those for Interest ON The state
Idrhl and sinking fluid. The cost
Iof the rodiiicalion, m other words.
WAS provided for hy a blanket order
I"n the treasury Unfortunately II
,u happened that our state and Tor
Iwrah school districts fund was the
'uull one which al that time had a
halaurr large enough iu pay the hill
lur the rudihcaliuu The state aid
fund. therefore. wus the one lo ,uf
frr Later iu the saruc year. on
lrrumhrr .. the state AID fund was
tapped for 49, iuO more. ~ an ad-
',anrr Ia the experiment station %
the state agricultural rollrgc. We
do not know yet exactly upon what
authority tins udNanrr was made
rhc amount Is relatively small and
the experiment stations funds soon
will permit repayment
We wish It clearly understood
that this statement is not a criticism
Of the lcRislotors or Of any one else.
The department of education is in
tcrcsled only in finding a way out
of our difficulty so that the state
aid so urgently needed may be ex-
tended 10 the schools. This is sim
ply a statement of facts So that the
people of the Interested districts
may know why their aid Is displayed
and so that the position Of the de-
nnrlm"nt Of education may not be-
misunderstood.
"On August Is. 1916, $4,000 of tlc
money taken out Of our state aid
fund Tor the consideration of the law
was rrpald tu the fund, aud on Sep
icmhcr ~, 1915, $4,000 more was
returned, The fund Is still short
Si2.jOO Of funds withdrawn for the
'odincation, aud the ~. 800 advanced
"a the agricultural college, or total
nf si5,9OO. As has been stated, our
hooks show balance Of S2O.36j.21
in the state aid fund. From this,
however, must be deducted the Si5,-
800 which should be there and is
not.
This is the reason, and the only
reCson, why applications now On flle
have not hrcu allowed and paid
They total sls, i5a and every one is
Ipruprr | have approved every one
lof them know the needs uf these
school districts Many of them have
a total of taxable property ranging
from 5000 Ia 5000 year, which
at the highest possible rate Of taxa
ton would not enable them to pay
Ia teacher much less to build a
srhool They can not proceed with
their school work without this stat,
laid. The department of education
,s doiug everything It can to gel M
adiuslmrul of tins situation aud t.
,crurr The return uf the funds taken
Iout of the state aid fund, without
waiting for the next session of III,
Legislature. We will continue /,