Smyrna times., 1923-03-14
REBATE ON SCHOOL TAXES ARE
ABOLISHED BY HOUSE VOTE
KENT AND SUSSEX HAD NOT
BEEN ALLOWED THIS DISCOUNT
While New Castle Alone Showed a
Rebate of $4,000 From the School
Fund-Debate Was Lively

Oue Ol IHelI peTlOulCdl controversies |
over pending school legislation, when |
Representative HolcOmb called for |
final action on several of the numer-
Gus bills amending the present school |
laws, as proposed by the State Board |
of Education. Four bills were passed |
and two were defeated. On none of
these bills was the vote cast on strict
ly party lines, but the bills objection
able to those who are opposed to the
present school laws which have gen
orally been lined up as opposing the
present administration of the public
schools were defeated.
Bill Prohibiting Rebates
One of the most important of these
school law amendments considered
Thursday afternoon was the bill which
prohibits the paying of rebates on
school taxes when they are due or in
advance. 1t developed during the de-
bate on this act that in New Castle
county the taxpayers have been get
ting a rebate of per cent when they
paid their school taxes in advance or
when they are due and that last year
this refund amounted to $4,000. In
Kent and Sussex counties the school
taXables do not get any rebate al
though in all sections of the State
penalty of one per cent is added when
the school tax is allowed to lapse.
In explaining this bill Mr. Hol-
comb said it prohibits the paying of
any discount in any part of the State
and he told how a rebate is allowed in
some parts of Delaware and not in
others, referring to the practice that
has been followed in New Castle.
This bill, he declared, applied to the
whole State and to Wilmington. He
claimed the school fund last year was
short S32, 900 as a result of the re-
bates and discounts paid in New Cas-
tie county and that this amount should
have gone to the schools. Representa-
tive McManus explained that if this
law is going to apply to Wilmington
it is going to mix things badly in
that city, for the tax bills there are
all made out in one account on which
a rebate is allowed for city purposes
and if this cannot be paid on the
school taxes then there will have to
be separate bills for the school taxes
and separate bills for city taxes. This
would cause an unlimited amount of
extra work, he said. He claimed the
schools in Wilmington do not lose any
thing by the rebate paid on bills that
are settled promptly.
Representative Little thought the
rebate should be State wide on the
theory that it brings the taxes in
earlier. Representative Reynolds Op-
posed the bill because the people OF
New Castle county had not been adj
vised of such a measure and has had
no chance to state their objections ia
it. The bill was passed by vote OF
% in favor of it and z against it.
A lively debate occurred when Mr.
HOlcOmb called for final action on the
bill amending the school code by pro-
viding that the school authorities in
any district shall have the authority
to sell school property when it is nc
longer required for school purposes
An amendment he submitted authoriz-
ed such authorities to give a clear title
= to such property. This amendment
was voted down, 18 to Is.
F. Representative Gray then offered &
second amendment which provided
that when school property is sold the
money received from such sale shall
d be received by the Board of Trustee:
or Board of Education in charge Of
v the district in which the sale is made
i and that they may use such funds al
. their discretion for school purposes
q and the upkeep of that district.
n This amendment was adopted by {
: vote of q to II. The bill itself wa,
then put on final passage, and it was
= passed by vote of 26 to z.
e Prohibit Ninth Grade
y The next school amendment taker
l. up was that which provides that the
e ninth grade cannot be maintained il
h any school district unless there are
e at least ten pupils in the district who
l. are ready to undertake the ninth
4 ora da ctudiac M. uoIoo,,,I -,:I Al.