Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-03-23

intendent of schools of Bangor, VINO
said it did not meet the needs and
that it was the outgrowth of hasty
desire on the part of the State School
Department to introduce such a bill.
Mr. Mountain said that they had
present a man who was a recognized
authority on educational matters and
that he would call upon Edward w.
Murphy Of Portland, former mem
Der of the legislative committee on
education.
Mr.. Murphy said that he had stu
died this bill day and night for the
past three weeks. He could not ap-
prove it's provisions. He was present
in the interests of Cumberland coun-
ty and the city of Portland and this
bill did not favor them.
He complimented DIR. Thomas upon
his work and said that there was no
necessity to come to this hearing
and ask questions concerning figures,
all any one had to do was to go to
the Office of the school department
and the figures would be provided.
He found in the bill and the esti-
mates which had been provided pro-
vision for taking out 100000 for
teachers pensions. This should not
be, as it would be provided for by the
measure now pending before the Le-
gislature to provide this money
1.-THE records show" said Mr..
Murphy, that Portland has more
money behind each scholar than the
average, but don't forget that there
are plenty of hungry hounds after
1t; the police department. the fire
department, the department of pub
lie works, and all the rest And
when we want to build a new school
house we have to issue bonds to do
it WITH
Mr. Murphy went into detail in
connection with the distribution of
the school funds to the towns in
comparison with the cities and re-
ferred to the fact that Portland has
found it necessary to increase the
salaries of teachers $500 per year
to keep up with the other cities of
the same size in New England
"Why is it," said the speaker,
that the recommendations of the
the school situation was not given
any attention in this new bill ?" In
view of the probability of the pass
age of the Smith-Towner bill, why
would it not be better to withhold
the passage of this measure until
the federal fund would become
available and then distribute it upon
a basis Of equality?"
Charles F. Payne of Bar Harbor
represented that town in opposing
the proposed measure. bar Har-
Dor is being taxed to DEATH" said
Mr. Payne. He told of the decrease
in valuation and population during
the past 10 years and of the fact
who established their permanent
residences there a few years ago, are
returning to the cities, because of
the fact that they are being too
heavily taxed. 1.-The new BILL" said
Mr.. Payne, appears to discriminate
against the cities and the larger
towns in favor of the smaller towns
and rural districts which owe their
very existence to the larger cities
and towns"
Right Rev. Louis S. Walsh, bishop
of the diocese of Portland, opposed
theb i'll, speaking as a private citizen
of Maine and not as bishop. II
believe that the bill is an injustice
to the cities and larger towns of the
State and this injustice would be ELI
minated, with but a slight change
in the BILL. making the basis of dis
tribution the total aggregate attend
ance at all the schools of the State
and that the children of Maine be
used with absolute equality in the
elementary schools.
1.-The deductions from the funds
as the figures of the department will
show, go to the rural districts in
preference to the cities and large
towns" he said. 1.-THE rural schools
are babies in the arms of the spon-
sors of this bill"
Bishop Walsh took up the matter
of towns contracting with academies
for the education of their children
and objected to the manner in which
this fund is turned over to the towns
andi is distribution left entirely in
ed out that practically all of the
funds appropriated by the State to
several of the towns are turned over
to the academies with which the
towns are under contract. Il don't
want to inject the matter Of religion
into this hearing and I desire to
mention in passing, merely as a CO.
incidence, that all these academies
are religious institutions" said the
Bishop,
He then inquired of DR.. Thomas
whether, if all the children in the
Catholic schools of the State were in
cluded in the aggregate attendance,
there would be any money to go out
to the rural districts from those
places where such schools were To-
Gated. The State superintendent said
that there would be. Figures, incom-
plete, which the department had in
dictated that there were about 1850
in those schools. Bishop Walsh said
that the completion of the returns
would show nearly $4,000 in the
schools, and declared that if they
were counted there would not be a
cent go out of those towns to the
country towns. The bishop then read
q list of the Is cities and towns of
Maine in which parochial, or as he
termed them, Catholic public schools
were located and called attention
that, under the pending bill, they all
lost, The total which they would