Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1923-02-16
Friday. Morning -..-February l6, 1928.
GOVERNOR RICHES ADDRESS.

On saturday ABOUT SeVenty'HVe OF IN
Maryland Editors. at Governor Richie
invitation. gathered at Annapolis to hea
discussed the problems Of State Govern
ment. Governor Ritchie's address. which
was followed by all present with thu
closest interest and attention, was re
view of all the States activities. Refer
ence was made to Schools. Roads. Publii
Health. care Of the Insane. prisons. work
mems compensation, agriculture. merl
system, National Guard Judiciary, Ia,
Revision. Aviation. and tax rate. Ir
part, the Governor said
The Reorganization and Fewer Elec
tons. These two measures, both adopted
by the Legislature Of 1922. represent per
haps the most far-reaching steps which
our Legislature has ever taken in gov.
ernmental way. The former revolutionizei
the machinery for performing the State:
departmental work The latter revoiu.
nizes a long established political order.
OF the Reorganization plan the Cover
nor said the eighty odd boards. commits.
SLAMS and departments of the State Gov.
eminent. which existed before. have been
reduced TO nineteen. This has been done
by abolishine some aud By grouping and
merging into one department all agencies
whose work is Of an allied or related char
acter. The result promotes system, econ.
omy and efficiency.
The Fewer Elections Amendment pro-
vides. in brief. that beginning with Nov
ember. 1926, all State and County cleo
tive officers. except Judges. shall be cleo
ted by the people for four-year terms,
and that elections therefor shall be held
every fourth year. the elections thus al
ways falling in Congressional election
years. but never in Presidential election
year. The result is to abolish all cleo
tons in the State. except municipal cleo
tons. every other year.
The saving to the taxpayers in election
expenses alone will amount to several
hundred thousand dollars each year, but
consider this secondary to the saving OF
the economic waste which general and
primary elections every year always
cause.
In considering the problem of education,
he said: The State expects its boys aud
girls to grow up into highest type Of citi-
zenship. The State has no right to ex-
pect that that OF them unless it stands
ready to educate them fully 10 the obli-
cations Of good citizenship.
We are striving for this standard. To-
day the State approoriates annually S.
100000 for public schools. exclusive Of
construction work. as compared with ST.
OOO,OO9 when the present administration
beean-an Increase Of rs per cent.
The outstanding things in the present
school PROGRAM are % higher salaries for
teachers (2) more aid to high schools,
80 better teacher training. both in the
Normal Schools and afterward and al
the Equalization Fund.
The equalization fund is the biggest single
thing that has happened for the schools
Of Maryland since the enactment of the
new educational law in 1916 Some coun-
ties cannot afford to carry the school pro-
. gram Tor higher salaries and better train
ed teachers without taxing their people
unduly high. After painstaking consid-
Grafton it has been decided that a county
school tax Of 81 cents is all that a comfy
should be required to impose Accord
ingly. any county which is too poor to
carry its part Of the program with 81
cent tax rate. is entitled To make up the
deficit from the State equalization fund.
The fund is $23s.OOO for this year, and
is counties are entitle to share in il.
What is to be the future OF the Univer-
sity of Maryland.-is ii to evelop into a
great State university along the lines OF
some Of the great State universities of
tho Western States, or should its general
university activities. as distinguished
from lis agricultural work. be more re-
stTicted 7
What is the future of the ate-aided
colleges in the States program for higher
education Some of them at least could
not survive without Slate-aid, and the
State aid now being given. is not enough
for their needs. Should these colleges all
continue along their present lines. dupli-
eating their work to large extent. and
receive increased help from the State to
make them more effective; or should the
State cease to aid them and let some Of
them die: or should they be converted
into colleges junior to the University of
Maryland. and each be assigned to some
specific part in a general Statewide edu
cational program
Agriculture. The farming situation In
Maryland must be studied in the light Of
the conditions which actually exist here
Many of the difficulties which confront
the farmer in other States do not confront
him in Maryland at oil
For instance. in some OF the mid
Western States the average farmers cap
ital investment is as much as $4,000. In
Maryland il is somewhat less than So.
OOO.
In Maryland We have long used ferti.
lizer and adopted crop rotation. The
Western farmer is just beginning to feel
the necessity of either.
The Western farmer is usually situated
a great distance from his principal con
suDing markets and must bear the high
freight rates charged against him In
the East the farmers are surrounded by
all manner Of transportation facilities.
and none OF them are more than a few
hundred miles from one or more great
cities.
The great present problem is more or