The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1918-12-10
Boost Of $40 a Month Is
Pledged at Public Confer
enCe Held in Courthouse
Tuesday.
LEGISLATION WILL BE
MEANS RESORTED TO
Board Of Education Urges Me-
CeSSity Of Material Increase
in School Tax Rate to Liqui-
date Debts.

Frank n Fuller, senator elect and
chairman Of the Shelby county legtsla
tive delegation, Tuesday assured the
committee Of teachers who attended the
public session of the delegation, held
in the county courtroom, that the dele
cation would do all in its power to see
that the teachers are given raise OF
$40 each
Those present were Chairman Fuller,
Frank Rice, senators elect and Ernest
s. Bell, John Galella, Carl Larsen,
George Canale, Hunt Phelan and w.
), McCalman, members of the lower
house
] The teachers left the meeting salts
fled that the raise viii be forthcoming
They declared, however, that they do
not understand the increase would be
limited at that figure indefinitely.
Chairman Fuller explained that II was
up to the school board to make further
Increases after the boards proportion
OF the tax rate had been increased.
School Board Present.
Members OF the school board also
were present at the meeting Hardwig
Peres president OF the board, was
spokesman for the board He said that
the boards need for funds was occa
stoned by the failure In the past on the
part Of the lawmaklng bodies to give
the schools more than 20 cents on the
nu0dreN dOllAfS OF the LAX rate, lneTe-
BY forcing II to float bonds for mainte-
nance Of the schools He said that while
| the schools had property valued at 81,
| 600 900 II had been compelled to float
bonds to the sum of 81 900 600 and that
paying interest and maintaining sink
| ing fund for this indebtedness had
| worked a hardship on the schools
| He urged that the legislative delega-
| tion should see to 1t that the schools
proportion Of the tax rate be raised
| from 40 to so cents, tnasmuch as the
city commissioners had pledged to urge
| the delegation to accomplish this by
| legislation. This agreement he said,
| Was made to prevent a recurrence OF
1 the recent teachers strike,
MIR. Peres said that the raise in the
schools proportion would increase the
schools revenues by $l20,00O, tmat 1t
weuld take $4,000 to meet the new
salary demands of the teachers and that
the balance would be used to take care
1 OF apcrdrafts.
4 Chairman Fuller asked Mr.. Peres to
/ fltaslsh the delegation a financial state
1 HSnt showing expenditures for the past
| few years N 4
Asks for Budget,
Senator elect Rice asked II the school
board could not furnish the delegation
with copy OF Its budget for tho COM
| Ing year, and he was assured that
such document would be In the dele
cations hands before the legislature
| convened Jan I.
James L. MCRee said that he thought
the delegati ton should stand RESPONSE
BILE for its act In getting through leg
islation for increase for the schools.
but Chairman Fuller said that the dele
CATION Wouln be responsible for all It's
acts, but would not be responsible for
this legislation until the school board
Had first presented financial state
ment, showing how the board had ex-
pended its money in the past.
The matter Of cutting out the So
called nonessential studies In the
schools as a means Of procuring funds
for increasing the teachers pay was
| not mentioned in the meeting, al
though several of the Legislators had
expressed themselves as favOring cut
ting out the so called nonessentals.
Mrs. Reese and Anthony Walsh, Of
the school board. also spoke Former
Superintendent Kincannon appeared as
representative for the legislative com
mittee of the Chamber Of Commerce
and Dan Wolf for the city club,