The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1921-05-21
live QUESTIONS
FOR SIDE-STEPPERS
by EDWIN ,. BROWN

| ON olD6"o ! GI 7 EkkS
by EDWIN ,. BROWN
I0e Csiumbis street
There is some lively side-steppfne.
dncking. backing. filling and coveYa,
ing up on this tax problem in Sea
ue, King County and the State q
Warrington just now.
when the late Governor ErnNef
Lister died this state was out Of
| debt and on a cash basis The state
now has 100000 deficit. 10
$4,000. 600 in debt. and by the tine
Governor Harris term expires the
state Will probably owe $50. 600, 1oo--
but that is not 80 bad when we Coz
slider that the Seattle School District
has deficit for 1890 OF s1,2se.o0o.
and by next March will owe
The people Of this city -
county have taken the advice Of Ard
reposcd confidence in such institu-
tons as the Young Mems Repubiicsn
club. the Municipal League. the Bolo
for many years. and have usually
elected their choice 10 office. and
u has been their choice thss No.
hreuxht the sssrDsus tax hur1ea -
the people.
move that the Municipal Leagus
and the Boio Club take a vacation
until the taxpayers get out OF debt
VIII some one please amend this
motion TO include ex-schooi beard
member. George walker: Mr.. & p.
Lombard. Secretary Of the Minuse
Men: George ID. Conger. State Supof-
intendcnt of the Anti-Saloon LeeGno
Ton cold sforagel. and Jim Weed.
who has charge Of the verbosity 1e-
A SQUARE DEAL FOR CHILDREN
children in Seattle getting : -seosre
deal. Are they getting value -
ceived for what Is taken from
| taxpayers for public schools, II %
who Is responsibie. and what 10 tAO~
We sure are on our way, % lees
sec where We are going.
In 1910. Seattle had 10000 ehiIApoa
In school, and the administrafioo ~
s ses on, cost s. .,.,. Pc. ye:Jt q @
In the United States in everything
except attendance by the Rusoou
sage foundations
In is.o-lsai.. Seattle had txoeo
IDENTIFY paddedD II cost siss.7il. ~
1859 each for administration aloaa.
Thus. Mr.. Taxpayer. you see TIT
while our increase in school atte1D~
increase cost OF administration 49,
IL over 200 per cent
Portland. Ore gon. with St.ee5 ch13-
dren in school. spends 3ss.s<o ~
year for administration. MinneapD~
lis. Minnesota has So. sos school ch1l-
dren and spends slss.sT5 for sdmn-
istration- Milwaukee. with 50.f16
children in school. spends s53.3e1 ~
administration. Los Angeles. Gil
school. spends only siss.ios for
ministrasion.
scattie's school budget for iol
1874 provides for s310.I7o for admin-
istration--an increase OF 2 per oeat
o.
tie s3s.2s per pupil for instructi9n.
In 1890. IL cost S65.si per pupil IT,
instruction-an increase OF ~ ~
cent. and in 1891. IL Is costing te41&
or &c per cent more for instructton
per pupil than IL did In 1890.
Special attention IS called 70 ~
fact that administration costs hoNo
increased over 200 per cent -
against 10 per cent increase for -
struction from 1910 TO 1920.
The cost for operation OF plnufD
has decreased ! per cent over W.
and the cost for mainte nance -
repairs has not increased.
SEATTLE SCHOOL DEBTS
Our school properties are value4
at $40, s0o.s6s. Our bonded scho1L
debt is now $e,s6s.ooo. or over $lSo
for every pupil In other words
Seattle Is In debt by over so per cent
OF the valuation of its school prog
critics. There are ss.oo0.ooo in bonde
yet to be sold. To-day; our schools
pense. Seattle holds first place %
the amount OF money we spend.
There Is money sinS-hole in our
school expense called '.miscellaneoue
expense" In 1870. sit7.tos.os 80
business man could allow this cat
in-a-bag method and succeede N
1870. the miscellaneous cost 40
sse.5sT.7s. and in 1921 this tcat-t3
.x<4. .tt IL
grow TO s272.soo tsome CATH -
per cent increase over 1890. I91pf
item represents money spent
things not wanted known or show
or for whims. fancics and frilis ~
empires.
DEBT INCREASE
Prior to 1916. our schools were -
a cash basis. In December. 1915. -
went on a warrant basis for e53t.1
Last March. we owed ss.s25, 600. n@4<
month our school will again sto!<
on n warrant basis. and by .neX
OF $4,000, 600, as we are going behI
over sT50.00o per year.
WHO IS RESPONsuBLEt
To be exact and up to date.
increase in attendance for 1s20-J
over 1910 is 60 per cent The
crease in maintenance and rcp9.
over 1890 Is nothing. The ope ratly
Of schools. such as janitors. eng
GERS. fircmen. etc. is l per cent -
than 1a19-fa2o. The increase
teachers salaries is es per CO
over 1910. but the increase in
cost of administration is zoe per g.
more. This supervision scheme q
cost results either from the effofx
to organize around our schoole
political machine. or the school prt4s
cipals are Incompetent for the
positions. In either case the taxpAE
crs cannot have relief until a chau0
of head or business managemeoS
is had. -
Seattle is wasting $4,000 ~
year for supervisors. directors -
supervisors and political assistans
superintendent, a duplication that
usurps the duties and functions OF
school principals. We should dis
pense with one or the other, thereby
avoiding waste. This dual system
has disorganixed and destroyed our
teachers efficiency.
The remedy for high taxes 70 20
stop waste by employing those Wno
Will regard and conserve the -
payers money.