Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980, 1920-03-03
DEFEAT Of MEASURE
TO AID SCHOOLS OF
STATE HELD DANCER

Defeat Of the two mill state tax foT
the support of the elementary schools
Of the state will force additional teach
ers from the profession into more re-
munerative employment during the
next few years. increasing the serious
handicap under which the educational
system of Oregon is already laboring'
according to the proponents or the
measure in an argument filed Monday
for publication in the official voters
pamphlet
''At time when the very founda-
tion of our democracy is shaking, our
schools are facing a great crisis" ce-
clares the argument prepared by the
Oregon State Teachers association III
behalf Of the state tax measure. With
our democracy shaking, our schools
are facing a great crisis. With short
age of 100000 teachers in the United
States, 500 In Oregon, including those
temporarily employed but wholly un-
fit, the supply of new teachers re-
quired each year, about 1900 in Ore
gon, is appallingly inadequate both in
number and in quality. When strong
men and women are needed as teacn-
ers as never before, many who have
invested years of their lives In a sery-
ice they love and in which they have
proved their worth are leaving because
Bn 1fxrfn
such conditions ii is not strange that
the average young man and woman of
ability are refusing to enter upon a
course of training for an occupation
with so little promise. Underpaid, un-
appreciated, discontented teachers,
smarting under sense of injustice,
can not be expected to keep up their
morale even in work whose appeal to
ones nobler nature is most like that
of parenthOod.
Teachers Starvation Wages.
Teachers wages have long been far
below scale commensurate with their
services. During the 191S-1919 school
year. the average monthly salary of
1890 one-room school teachers in Ore
gon was $74.92; of 1246 elementary
grade teachers. including town sno
city schools other than Portland, was
0S1.7S. This is $1S.75 a week fop a
32 week school year for the rural
teacher and $20.44 for an average 33
to 34 week year for the grade teacher.
The Oregon commissioner of labor
report for the year ended September
80, 1918, (the latest available official
statistics) gives the union wage scale
OF number of occupations including
the following: bakers, $50 per week
BARRIERS, $24 carpenters, s31; electri-
cal workers, $685. hod carriers, $50;
machinists, $33; milmen, $33; paint
ers, $32; plumbers $40; printers, $2S;
average $50.
Must Have More Revenue.
In addition to more money for teach
ers' wage, the schools must pay more
for maintenance, repairs, building, etc.
Many school districts have reached the
limit of special local taxation and can
not do more. however willing, under
the present school laws. The proposed
mill state tax will bring relief to
such districts and to others desiring
more revenue but unwilling to levy
higher special taxes,
The proposed tax is not necessarily
an addition to the present school reve-
nue.. 1t may be used, If desired, In
place OF some of the district tax or in
place of the extra county tax above
the minimum requirement. With Its
apportlonment on the teacher basis II
will remove good deal of the inequal-
ity existing in every county In ad-
joining districts one may have a high
valuation due to railroad, timber, etc.
and the other low valuation. The
former may levy a mill special tax
and the latter 10. or more mills In or
der to get the same return, This Il
undemocratlc and unfair. A 2 mil
state tax will place all the property OF
the county back of the education OF
every child, The education of ever,
child, regardless of residence, is q
proper charge against every citizen, re-
gardless Of residence
Emergency In Education.
Were there no emergency today II
the schools. this measure is timely fol
the reason that Oregon is one of only
seven states, which to not provide
state revenue, in addition to interest
received from the irreducible school
tund, In support of schools. The per-
centage of school revenue provided
from state sources in Oregon Is SIS
II the proposed mill tax is approved
1t VIII raise oregon's percentage OF
state school tax TO 2s, based on iast