Arizona republican., 1921-03-10

portionment as is city superintendents, and in some cases even more 50. One would take it in the criticisms of those most prominent in the fuftheranee of this county unit bill that even ordinary intelligence was not displayed, yet we find that the country schools have ample equipment and good teachers and still come within the limit of the small apportienment now provided Tor them
 California some years ago aweke on. morning to the expose Of tremehoo@Y' graft that had been going on for years in the text book purchase Tor tnat state. Thousands of dollars of the tax payers money had been sauandered annually and simply from the fact tnat those responsible were pohticai pointees. Why invite similar conoi- ton in APizona2
 If a county unit system is good TOT the smaller schools it certainly would also be good for the larger schools Yet the bill eliminates the latter when though using vastly more supplies ang ] equipment do not favor eentraliZtf l buying for themselves.
 l For several years the smaller schools l in Marieopa county organized for the purchase of their supplies The prac- l tice resulted in such universal dis
 satisfaction that last year it was dis continued and each school now attends 1 to it's own buying as before,
 Would it not seem then that there might ba some selfish motive in throw
 ing the control of county school man agement into the hands of distant gov ernors, the majority of whom are not | directly interested in the welfare of the
 school districts which they control and give them the right to arbitrarily close ! various schools or consolidate them with nearby city schools? This. ar rangement of course would materially
 benefit the city schools as they would
 then absorb the apportionments when
 would otherwise accrue to the small
 districts.
 We are very young state and our
 school districts are widely scattered.
 Schools are maintained in various lo-
 ealities most convenient to the in habitants Many of the pupils are re l duired to work more or less around Itheir homes. Few live more than a
 mile or two from the school and if is
 therefore possible for them to perform
 their home duties and attend school
 without the loss of much time in going
 and coming. Then too the country
 school houses are used for community gatherings This privilege could un-
 der the county unit plan be taken ar bitrarily from them.
 1 As to. any advantage to the pupi | by being forced to attend the cits schools by reason of enforced consoli- | datien there is none. Pupils of smaller schools enter the high school with jus : as high rank as those of the city schoo
 and it is claimed with better discipline IT owing to the closer and more direc IS supervision that is possible only il g schools where the attendance is com ' paratiyeiy small.
 r, The county unit. measures met de. 'r feat at the last session of the legisla a ture through opposition of t',& smalle 2, school districts, also through the ef {. forts of MT. C. O. Case, for years stat superintendent of public instruction who opposed the measure after ,s thorough study of its possible effec le on the schools of the state. MT. Gas , through his years of educational ex ',, perience both as teacher and state hea ss was better qualified to pass judgmen in on the bill than are those who are nor ,d attempting to force it through ,et Let us hope that in justice to tn n- children of the state, the county un se bill will be defeated.
 to Yours very truly,
 is tSigncd) PHIL c. ENSIGN, al Clerk of Alhambra School Boar m No. 6s Also Maricopa County RepuI
 lican Committeeman.