Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-05-27
CODE REPEALER
PASSED BY HOUSE
Substitute Went Through Lower
Branch by a Vote of
90 to 8.
STAFF Correspondence of Every Evening

STAFF Correspondence of Every Evening
STATE HOUSE, DOVER, May y.
BY vote of 20 to e, with Messrs
Jones, Lloyd, Lord, Smith CH. 50. Stats
and Warrington q. ID dissenting, the
House of Representatives yesterday after
noon passed, with amendments, the
House substitute for the House bill re-
pealing the School Code and providing
new school laws. One amendment was
rider, making an additional State
appropriation Of Si90, O00 for the school
year l920-2l and annually thereafter,
changing the school budgets in the several
counties for the school year l920-21 and
making State appropriation ol s5u,Ouu
annually for the free transportation oi
pupils in remote sections OF rural districts
The purpose of the rider Is to compel
Governor Townsend to approve the re-
vising act BY Disappearing the bill be
would also veto additional appropriations.
Should enactment OF the proposed mca-
sure be completed. Delaware would have
School Laws" instead of a School
Code, which title is said to be repug-
nant to many citizens
After the substitute had been given
third reading Representative Lloyd pre-
sented two amendments, providing tor
county and special school district reteren-
duns on bond issues for schoo. purposes
Referendums would be at special cleo
tions, with one vote for each dollar OF
school taxes paid.
Pierre ;. du Pont, vice-prcsident Of the
State Board of Education and a member
of the Legislative Commission on Code
Revision appoScd such rcfcrcndums,
stating they would bc undemocratIc and
enable property owners, instead ot ma
joritv of the people. to say whether new
schoolhouses should be built. lie advo-
Gated electing worthy men rs school
trustees and held that If they could not
worthilv issue bonds they could not worth
iy spend money.
Representative Lyons suggested that
in the event OF referendums everyone
entitled to vote ut general elections be
permitted to vote nj special elections
Representative McNabb argued that
persons who have to pay Indebtedness
should he consulted before debts are
contracted.
Representative Sopcr announced that
passage of the substitute depended on
acceptance Of the rider and referen-
duns.
The amendments providing for refer
endums were adopted by vote Of u to
II. rs follows:
Yeas-B -Buckson, Bunting, Clendaniel,
Dean, Hardesty, Hart, Jakes, Jester,
LLOYD Lord, McNabb. Mulrinc, Paradee,
smith u. w. Soper, Staats, Warrington
j. d. and Warrington -. j..
Navs-B Brooks. Danzenbaker. Francis,
Gregg, Hanratty Hastings, Jones. Klair. !
Lester, Lyons, Mulvena, Parker, Snow +
and Corbit.
Representative Jester next presented
the "rider," providing for additional /
school appropriations. I
Representative Lyons interpreted It +
as a slap at the governor and rehom-
mended that it be made a separate bill.
Representative McNabb asked how
would it affect Wilmington
Attorneys William NJ. Hope and
Julian C. Walker said it would not have
an adverse effect, but Attorney c. Sud
ler Richards thought it would
Speaker Corhit deplored the real pur-
pose of the ''rider.'
After being redrafted so as to safeguard
Wilmington the rider" was adopted by
a vote of % to 4. with Representatives
Hanratty, Klair, Parker and COrbit vot-
ing negatively and Representatives Gregg
and Lester not voting. Before the result
was announced Representatives Lyons,
Danzenbaker and Brooks changed their
votes from negative to affirmative
Representative Lyons biAdt AZ
disiiked riders, but he could not vote
negatively on a measure beneficial to
Wilmington
Represen, ativc SOper presented an
amendment, discontinuing school at
tendance officers.
Mr.. du Pont declared such officers are
Just as necessary as farm supervisors.
He mentioned that since the officers
assumed their duties, one year ago, the
average attendance had increased 400
in a total attendance of 2l,000. lie
stated that If the purpose Of the proposed
amendment was to keep children out
of school the educational system would
fail
Representative Soper said that was
not the purpose. He accused attendance
officers of aggravatIng parents.
Representative Lyons asserted dlscon-
tinuance Of attendance officers would
burden teachers.
Representative McNabb opposed bur-
dening teachers and stated the salaries
Of the three attendance officers, 81 900
each. is not large.
Representative Lloyd contended that
Of attendance officers would not
be necessary if their work was given to
school trustees, superintendents and
teachers.
Speaker Corbit read letter from Charles
". Cullen, attorney of the Sussex county
Board of Education. protesting against
the discontinuance of attendance officer