Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1918-10-25
SCHOOL AMENDMENTS TO the STATE
CONSTITUTION.

To the Parish Superintendent and
Members of Parish School Boards.
GENTLEMEN-The Secretary of State
Hon. James J. Bailey, has very kind.
ly consented to give the public school
amendments the first Ave places ON
the ticket to be used in the November
elections. am listing these amend
ments below exactly in the order
which they will occupy on the tickets,
and In the case Of each amendment !
am giving q statement which explains
substantially the provisions of the
amendment. Allow me to suggest that
you organize and make such cam
psign In your parish in the interest of
the amendments as In your judgment
may be necessary to place the voters
In position to vote intelligently upon
these propositions. especially urge
that conferences be held with the ed
itors Of local newspapers with the
view Of having them print the analy-
sis found below and editorials urging
the people to vote for or against the
amendments. l do not believe that
. stat wide, noisy campaign In the
interest OF the amendments 10 neces-
sary, but 1t will undoubtedly be wise
for the friends in the various parishes
OF these highly important amend
ments to make sure that the voters
understand them. When they do I'M
derstand them, my belief 10 that they
will vote for them. Please bear In
mind that these amendments will be
numbered on the tickets which will
be used In the November elections ex-
sctly % they are numbered below.
I. (Act 191 by Mr.. Easthsm). This
amendment provides % State:
A maximum state tax of three mills,
and while one hundred per cent as
sessment IL not prescribed, the assess
ment win 60 to one hundred percent
In case the amendment 10 adopted.
The schools will have no share In the
state three.mill maximum. Should
the Hamley Amendment fail of sp-
prevail, then the maximum state mill
hge win b cot aside for the schools.
b. LEGISLATIVE sct, the state milIase
was hxed ct two and half mills in
csse this amendment passes. This
leaves . half-mill unsppropliated for
emergencies.
(b) Parish: All parish rates of tax
alton are reduced exactly BY half, and
while the amendment does not 90
prescribe, the assessment win neces-
sarily approximate one hundred per
cent OF the value Of property. The
police juries now have jurisdiction
over ten mills for parish purposes.
This will be reduced to Ave mills.
The Constitution makes accessible to
the schools three mills OF the parish
ten mill tax. This will be reduced to
one and half mills. In other words,
should this amendment be approved,
the parish tax will be i've mills, one
and one half Of which will be avail.
sble for school purposes. All special
taxes, no matter for what purpose
they have to be voted, schools includ- |
Cd, will be reduced by half. In the
case Of outstanding bond issues hoated |
for buildings, roads, drainage districts. |
etc., just sufficient money will be col.
lected from year to year to pay in
terest on bonds and retire maturing |
bonds. The purpose OF this amend
ment IL not to raise additional reve-
nues, but to place the assessment on
. moro scientific basis.
2. (Act a2e by Mr.. Hamley). This
amendment provides for state school
tax of one and half mills to be dis
tributed to the parishes - state school
funds are now distributed, namely, on
the basis OF the number OF educable
children in each parish. The amend
msnt does not 90 prescribe bat the
assessment will be approximately one
hundred per cent OF the value Of the
property.
8. (Act 2ls by Mr.. Byrne). This
amendment provides for school tax
OF two and three .fourths mills In the
Parish OF Orleans, and one and half
mile In each Of the other sixty three
p ,rishes. It provides further that there
can b no overlapping school districts
for taxation purposes; and that no
special school maintenance taxes can
be In excess of Ave mills; and that
where maintenance school taxes are
now In existence In excess of 1--WE
mills they will be reduced to five mills.
Z. (Act 2l7 by Mr.. w. Q. Jonss).
This amendment provides that ct least
one- third OF mill OF the state taxes
be appropriated by the Legislature for
the support OF the State University,
The State Normal School, the Louis
ana Industrial Institute, and the
south western Louisiana Industrial In
'titute. This one third OF . mill Ii not {
IN additional tax, bot 10 to be taken I
nut OF the state tax OF two and . half I
mills mentioned under I. {
8. TACT % BY Mr.. McEschern). This {
removes the Constitu.
ional Limitation OF elo, 10000 BY which
10 Lsgislstnrs must BE governed Ia
MIXING appropriations to seuthsss u