Douglas Island news., 1918-03-15
OUR PUBLIC SCHOOL

consider the personnel of those who are to be chosen to man the municipal ship for another year.
 In our opinion the public school is the paramount institution for fostering in Douglas at the present time and only those who favor maintaining the school at its present standard of efficiency should be chosen aS members of either the city coun- cil or the school board.
 The present Territorial law which pro yidcs scycuy-fyc per cent of the cost of maintaining schools in incorporated towns ortbc class of Douglas is a most liberal one and it is, indeed, a poor municipality that cam uot "scc" the ante ou a three to one basis
 During thc past year the tax levy of our town was but tmcc-fowthS of what is fixed as the limit. being one and ouc-half per cent. of the valuation. OF fifteen mills on the dollar That the town could be run and was run ou that levy is a tribute to the mem hers of the city council serving during the past year
 But something like four thousand dol- lars of the money coming into the city treasury last year was from saloon licenses and that is just that much more than will come from the same source this year. Sa- looms are uou-cNistcut in Alaska and other sources will be required to supply money for carrying on the schools.
 Suppose however that the full tax levy is required to meet the expense of conduct ing thc schools for the coming year, will amy very great hardship be worked on the tax payers of the town! Take, for example. thc person who pays taxes ou am assessed valuation of S1O0O Last year his tax amounted to Sl5. With the limit applied i would amount to S2O. Is that anything iu comparison with keeping our public school up to the standard that permits of our hoy> and girls being educated at home Thcmm who pays tax ou St,OOO will mot be materially injured by being required to pay SSO instead of only S6O. Collectively thc last half of one per cent. means neat sum of money but individually it does not amount to a Tow of pins to the tax payer who has the interest of the community n which Inc lives at heart
 Hc is indeed pubic-spiritcd who desires to pay heavier tax than is necessary to the maintenance of public institutions but when a bcucfccnt Territorial government blanks down thrcc-fomths of the amount of money required to run our school. Inc i> a mighty poor citizen who objects to going into his pocket and digging up one-fourtl more than his ordinary tax to do his Sharl in making up the ouc-fomth of the amount fo school purposes which the town is re q1ircd to furnish. The amount is a baga- tc'Ic to the small tax payer and strikes the heavy tax payer in the same proportion.
 This paper demands that every man whose name is placed before the caucus to- night as a candidate for election to either the city council or the school board, be re- quircd to define his position on the school question and commit himself as to whether or mot Inc favors keeping the school up to its present standard of efficieucy on two per cent. tax basis or of allowing 1t to de- trrioratc that onc-half of one per cent may bc saved.
 Douglas was hard hit last year owing to thc disaster which overlook a number of thc Trcadwcll mines, but if the few who would remain regardless of conditions are to hear owls hoot at midnight from the towers of our churches and school house, let the present efficiency of the school be lowered.
 While it is cheering to know that so sue r.ssLI Lns boon tLn conservation of meats