Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-05-13
SDrOuL IL, Defense
OF Administration
Ceutinued from Page One


Aed or inaugurated. The people OF
Pennsylvania are progressive and they
will never retrace their course toward
q more complete public service.
"The last three years have been an
extremely difficult time in the adminis-
tration of all governments. In Penn
sylvania the unsettlement and uncer
tainty of the reconstruction period has
been especially felt. Problems unlike
any others in the history Of the State
have presented themselves for solution.
and there have been no precedents or
landmarks to direct us in many in
stances.
"After the adjournment of the Ipgis
lature Of 1910 came a period Of um-
exampled imitation. The costs of serv :
ice, supplies and livelihood mounted to
unheard- Of figures. The expense of
caring for the tens of thousands of
wards of the State-the insane. the af-
hicted. the sick. the stricken soldiers
returning to their homeland and the
workers manned in industry during the
activities of the war years increased
amazingly.
''The best managed institutions in
the State We're overrunhing their ap-
preparations thousands of dollars each
month. The estimates Of the State
Board of Public Charities. upon which
the Legislature acted in fixing the ap-
propriations for tie asylums. homes and
hospitals, were exceeded from 80 to 90
per cent in the actual cost of opera :
tion.
I'VE couldn't neglect these helpless
and suffering public charges and We
couldn't turn them out. so we had "a
do the best We could and meet the sit
uation courageously. The result was
that deficits amounting 10 several mil :
lion dollars had to be met by the Legs- :
lature of 1921. the bills paid and the
allowance increased for the future to
meet costs which have not yet receded
to the pre-war levels.
Schools Were Threatened
eat the same time our public sch0ol
system threatened to break down fol-
the reason that our teaC hers, always
VIGOROUSLY poorly paid, were leaving
tho public employment literally by the
thousands. TO accept places in the
schools of other STAGES at higher sa
aries, or to take places in private en-.
terprise. At that time many teachers
In Pennsylvania We're receiving pittance'
as low as $315 year. At one tim,
we were short 5000 Of our full com,
pIomcHt u tcdCutrs, Vt dDoul one ultl
Of our force.
Our school system was IN a condl
tion of slow paralysis, and Pennsyl,
yania's wonderful crop of boys ant
girls was threatened with a loss Of tn,
y opportunity of an education. bligh
which 1t would have taken a generation
for our citizenship to outgrow. So, il
1919. We made an emergency appro
priation of $4,000 900 to save ou
schools. and iE 1921 we reorganized ou
school system and added 81. 900 900 +
Il the previous school appropriation.
Thus, during the present Admins
tration. no less than $4,000 900 ha
been added to the States contribution
\ toward the support of the schools. an
the allowance from the State Treasur
to all the districts has been increased
and that for the fourth class. or rurs
4. districts, where it is most needed nearl
doubled.
Admits Over. Appropriations
sit is alleged we have over-appro
Z priated over 500, 900 900, and while thi
will be proven TO be fallacious. the tw
kems OF emergency appropriations an
Increased allowances to the schools an
the charities, amounting all told to owe
twenty four millions, alone account fo
more than the supposed over -appropria
ton.
Personally and officially. shoul
\ Rothef have a permanent deficit than I
4 bnve allowed the State, in any emer