The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-05-05
HORNADY ANSWERS. QUESTIONS ON BONDS AND THREE-M|LLT TAX No Danger of Five-Mill Tax Being Restored in Future,
 States Commissioner BIRMINGHAM SCHOOLS GET BENEFIT OF TAX City Tax Rate of Ten Mills to Con- tinue Despite Statements of Sym
 pathizers of Central High
 School Firebugs

Many confusing statements have been circulated with reference to the bond issue and 3-mill tax propositions to be voted upon Monday, and in order to give the fullest possible information upon the subject, Commissioner Hornady prepared the followist list of questions and an- swers last night:
 Has the city commission the legal right to reduce the sinking fund tax from mills to mills?
 Tt has, the constitutional limitation being upward and not downward
 If the commission has this right, and mills was too much to levy, why was the tax not reduced before?
 Because the full 5-mill tax was needed when the city paid the interest on all outstanding bonds out of this 5-mill fund. When the supreme court held recently in the Mcdonald case that the fund could only be used to care for bonds issued before 1901, then a tax of mills was no longer necessary and the reduction to mills was made. Two mills will take care of the interest and principal on all bonds issued before 1901
 TAX WILL BE REDUCED 'Is there not some danger of the 5-mill tax being restored at some future time? Not the slightest. On the contrary
 
 next three four years, as s1,o00,O00, or more than half of the bonds issued prior to 1901, will be paid off in this time. A few years more and all the bonds will be paid off and the tax will stop automati- | cally.
 "Then there is no chance of the people of Birmingham having to pay an in 1 creased tax as a result of voting the 3-nill school tax Monday?
 Not the slightest.
 If the high school bond issue carries, will both the Central High school and the Eastern Division High school be carried l forward simultaneously, or will one be given the preference over the other?
 Both will go forward without any pref l ererce whatever, the educational authori- ties being anxious to provide adequate high school facilities for all Birmingham children, regardless of geographical loca- i tion. The only advantage between the two schools, both of which are needed greatly, is that plans for the Eastern 1 Division High school have been drawn | while plans for the new Central High school have yet to be prepared.
 BENEFIT GRAMMAR SCHOOLS
 What benefit will the 55 grammar schools in Birmingham derive from the election?
 "The success of the 3-mill tax will mean that the educational authorities will have funds with which to operate all the schools of the city upon basis of eff ciency, and to make improvements thai are imperative if the constantly increas. ing number of school children are to bt provided for. The election is just as i'm portant to the grammar schools as it k to the high schools.
 will all the money derived from this tax go for school purposes in Birming ham.
 Every cent. Birmingham schools dC not get the full benefit of any schoo tax paid at this time portion of every dollar going to help educate the boys ant girls i'll other parts of Alabama, but thi. is 2 district tax, for the exclusive benefi of the district that comprises the city of Birmingham, and every cent will gt to Birmingham schools
 And after this 3-mill tax is levied tn, city tax rate will continue to be 10 mills as it has been?
 ''It will, and the man who says other wise is either misinformed or is in sym pathy with the enemies of Sur publi school system who applied the torch t, the Central High school, to the Prat City school and to the County Higl school at Boyles, thinking thereby to in timidate our people and to interrupt tn great work of equipping boys and girls } mentally and physically, to give to thel country the maximum of service"