New Iberia enterprise and independent observer. (New Iberia, La.) 1902-1944, 1918-10-26
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
BATON ROUGE,

~
public school amendments the
first five places on the tickets to
be used in the November elections.
/ am listing these amendments
below exactly in the order whic h
they will occupy ON the tickets,
and in the case of each amend
mellt / am giving a statement
which explains substantially the
provisions Of the amendment. Al
low. me to suggest that you or,
ganize and make such campaign
in your parish IN the interest OF
the amendments as in your judg-
ment may rbe necessary to place
the voters in position to vote in
telligently upon these PROPOSE
tions. / especially urge that con-
ferences be held with the editors
of local news papers with the
view Of having them print the
analysis found below and editor
ials urging the people to vote for
or against the amendments. !
do not believe that a state-wide,
noisy campaign in the interest OF
the amendments is necessary, but
it will undoubtedly be wise for the
friends in the various parishes OF
these highly important amend
ments to make sure that the vot-
ers understand them. When
they do understand them, my be-
lief is that they will vote for
them. Please bear in mind that
these amendments will be num-
bered on the tickets which will
be used in the November elections
exactly as they are numbered De-
low.
/. (Act l91 by Mr.. Eastman
This amendment provides (a)
State: A maximum state tax of
three mills, and while one hun
dfed per Gent assessment is mott
prescribed. the assessment is not
prescribed, the assessment will go
to one hundred percent in case
the amendment is adopted. The
schools will have no share in the |
state three-mill maximum Should
the Hamley Amendment fail Of
approval, then the maximum
state millage will be four mills,
one mill of which will be set aside
for the schools. By Legislative
act, the state millage was fixed at
two and a half mills in case this
passes. This leaves a
half-mill unappropriated for
emergencies.
(b) Parish: All parish rates
Of taxation are reduced exactly
by half, and while the amendment
does not SO prescribe. the assess
nent will necessarily approximate
,ne hundred per cent of the value
Df property. The police juries /.
now have jurisdiction over ten i
mills. for parish purposes. This !
will be redumed to five mills. The
Constitution makes accessible 10 {
he schools three mills of the par I
sh ten mill tax. This will be re- .
luced to one and a half mills. S
n other words, should this
mendment be approved, the par a
sh tax will be five mills. one and s
half mills Of which will be avail S
BILE for school purposes. All t
pecial taxes, no matter for what &
urpose they may have been n
oted, schools included, will be d
educed by half. In the case Of 4
outstanding bond issues f1oated
Or buildings, roads, drainage
istricts. ETC., just sufficient money n
ill be collected from year to year h
, pay interest on bonds and re- t.
re maturing bonds. The pur- d,
ose Of this amendment is not to Il
lise additional revenues, but to b,
lace the assessment on q more NJ
ientific basis. hi
2. (Act 226 by Mr.. Hamley.) 4
his amendment provides for a IL
ate school tax of one and half III
ills to be distributed to the par M
hes as state school funds are or
Nv distributed. namely. on the III
sis of the number of educable bv
ildren in each parish. The an
sentiment does not so prescribe
{ the assessment will be ap-f liz
oximately one hundred per- II,
Mt Of the value of the property. sts
3. (Act 218 by Mr.. Byrne.) no
lis amendment provides for 4 ~;
hool tax Of two and three of
arths mills in the Parish Of Or m,