The log cabin Democrat., 1920-12-02
TORRFYSON TALKS
 ON SCHOOL TAXES
FAVORS REMOVING LIMIT
Defends Proposed Amendment At tackled by School Board at
 Fort Smith.


 amendment, which came to light witl the mailing of letters of remonstranct by the Fort Smith school board tC every district in the state, is move in the wrong direction, in the opinion of President B. W. Torreyson of the State Normal School. A copy of the letter of remonstrance was received today by w. B. Clayton. secretary of the Conway school board and was shown to MT. Torreyson. The amend ment which 1t opposes would remove the limit on taxation for school pur- poses and would permit each district to vote its own rate of taxation, and would authorize the legislature to vote an unlimited tax for state or county school purposes.
 Composing the proposed amendment is wrong," Mir. Toreryson declared. "The situation is this. The people of Arkansas are determined to have bet ter schools and to support their ! schools with more money. If the amendment is not carried. the alter native will be 100 per cent valuation of all property to produce the revenue. What will that mean? It will mean that instead of paying a slightly higher rate of taxation for school pur- poses. the people will pay more taxes for every state purpose-roads, pen sion, general revenue and the others as well as education. To defeat the proposed amendment would not better the situation, but would make it worse"
 Copies of petitions in behalf of the amendment, were circulated here at the recent meeting of county school directors, and other copies have been given circulation. So far as known, it has met the approval of educators and citizens generally. Under pres ent statutes, the maximum levy for school purposes is 12 mills
 Two features of the proposed amendment meet the opposition of the Fort Smith board It favors un- limited taxation rate so far as voted by each district, but objects to vest ing the legislature with authority to fix unlimited taxation on each county for state and county school purposes On this point, the Fort Smith board suggests that the taxation rate be left with each district and county. The second feature to which objection is made is the proposal to authorize the state board of education to assign the basis of apportionment of state school funds collected under the unlimited authority of the legislature. As re- vision, the board suggests that a basis of apportionment be fixed by the amendment
 The sixth and final objection urged against the amend ment is on the point of creation of three administrative units: state and county and district Here the Fort Smith board objects to placing the administration of city schools in the hands of county officers, predicting that the arrangement would result in conflict between city and ru- ral populations seeking control of the county board of education. Should this be carried out, the board declares that both city and rural schools would suffer as a result.
 The Fort Smith board concludes it's statement with the following appeal: If the reasons which we have as- signed seem valid to you, we hope and trust you will work against the pro- posed amendment, and that you will your efforts toward having the leg islature submit an amendment to the constitution which will leave the ad- ministration of school affairs where it now is, which will authorize the people of each county to vote on the the amount of county taxes to be lev jed for school purposes, which will permit the voters of each county to vote on the amount of county taxes to be levied for school purposes, which will permit the voters of each school district to vote any amount of school district taxes to be expended by that district, which will place limit on the amount which each legislature may levy for state school taxes, and which will provide on it's face the method by which state school taxes are to be apportioned among the respective school districts of the state"
 The agitation launched at Fort Smith will not affect the movement started by the State Normal for in- creose of it's mipage tax from one ninth to two-ninths of a mill Under present laws, the state school tax is limited to three mills, and the Nor r,a''s arrortiorment definitely fixed at one-ninth of a mill. The amend ment, which could not under the most favorable circumstances become opera tive shorter than three years would authorize an unlimited rate of tax