The log cabin Democrat., 1922-01-18
CONWAY'S SCHOOL
 PLAN IS FEATURED LADIES' HOME JOURNAL
Article Tells of IS. o. S." Tax Sys- tenn Used in This City to Keep
 Public School in Operation.

ems diatribes on Arkansas, and con- taning several inaccuracies, an ar ticle by Charles A. Selden in the Feb ruary Ladies' Home Journal, out to- day. refers to the Conway plan of assisting in the maintenance of its public schools by sales and luxury taxes
 Despite the errors in it's description of the plan and the uncouthness of it's illustration, the article, which IS entitled How we Neglect Our School" at least aeeredits Conway with originality and suggests that 1t would be worth while for other com- munities to adopt the plan. There is no record of any other place in the | United States having had the Conway experience" the author says. Would it be worth while to try the Conway experiment or some modification of it in a few negligent and indifferent rural districts to see what would hap 1 pen? Various public school author ites and members of educational as sociations have thought that it would be worth while."
 With a circulation of more than 100000 copies the Ladies Home Journal is the leading woman's mag azine of the world and it is unfor- tunate, both from the standpoint of advertising value to Conway and the benefit that might have been received l h,rt ,l, b, ba+ plan of school support was net more faithfully detailed
 The most serious errors into which the writer falls are the statements l that the town officials" had failed to provide enough taxation to sup port the schools; that the community was indifferent, and that 10 per cent tax was added to all sales of gro ceries, dry goods and other household commodities to be added to the school fund
 ~ "The town of Conway in Arkan- sas,' says the article, ''offers the best evidence in support of the state school authorities hope that the pub ! lie is beginning to wake up. But it required a sensatonally bad situation | to bring forth the evidence Last year Conway found itself without any provision whatever for public school education. Not enough taxation had been provided for by the town off cials to pay salaries to teachers or to meet the other expenses of keep l ing the schools open. The communi- l ty was indifferent. But when it came time for the children to go to school | and there were no schools for them to go to, the people became ashamed.
 "So unofficially and as volunteers they set out to remedy a bad situa- tion. They improvised scheme of self-imposed taxation by getting the local storekeepers to add 10 per cent charge to all their sales of groceries, dry goods and others household con- modities, with the understanding that the extra amounts collected should l be turned into a general fund for the payment of teachers. The plan sue ceeded.
 l bought 10-cent cigar paid II cents for it, and perhaps got added satis- faction from his smoke in the thought that he was contributing penny to the cause of education"
 As every one in Conway of course knows, it was no fault of the town officials" that enough taxation was not provided to support the schools. Voters of the district, following their custom since the town was founded. had levied the maximum rate of 12 mills permitted under the state con- stltution to support the schools-but owing to greatly increased costs of maintenance this levy was insuffi- cient. They were not indifferent, be- cause only the year before they had subscribed $25,000 in money-an aver age of more than $25 for every fam lily to supplement the districts rev enue and maintain the schools. They did not wait until 'it came time for the children to go to school and there were no schools for them to go to-" The sales tax plan was conceived in June of last year and was put into operation in July preceding the regu- lar opening of the schools in Septem- Der. The system has been produc- ing an average of nearly $1,000 a month, increasing the annual fund of the schools by about one-third and making it possible to operate the school where it would have other wise been impossible.
 Of course, no such tax as 10 per cent on groceries, dry goods and
 household commodities is imposed The "sales tax" collected on this class of goods is one per cent, or tenth the amount stated by the Ladies' Home Journal writer. No tax is col lected on purchases of less than 50