Putnam patriot., 1924-04-18
Hartford. April 16.

Hartford, April 16.
 Among educators and. for that matter, among the people of the state generally, there is a cleavage on the subject of public school education. IL does not refer particularly to the cities and other eenters of population. which are amply able to take care of their school systems without help from the state. It concerns the country schools. Some people are committed to a policy of consolidation of schools in small towns and to the establishment of large central schools, and others are strongly in favor of continuing the lit tie red schoolhouse and fostering it by more generous attention. It will cause no surprise if this cleavage is sharply accentuated at the next session of the general assembly.
 The two sides to the question are devoted with equal sincerity to the ed- ucation of the youth of the state. It Is on methods that they disagree. There is no use in denying the fact that rur- al education in Connecticut is utterly deficient. In it's deficiency a great wrong is done the boys and girls of the country towns and 1t adds seri-
 
 youth are handicapped when, in after life, they have to compete with those who are brought up in the cities and who have had their early schooling in graded schools.
 The authority of the state extends over rural communities and urban pop ulation with equal completeness and equal responsibility. The poverty of the small towns should not be accept ed as an evitable reason for the con- tinuing of the inefficiency of the rural schools. The state is lavish in it's ex- penditures for everything else. The only service that is eonspicuously i'll paid is that which is rendered by the country school teacher and the only public building that Is not considered 1 inadequate is the sehooIhouse at the crossroads, even when 1t is dilapidated as 1t sometimes is. A revision of the payroll of the state, in all it's aetivi- l ties, would reveal rate of compensa- tion in many instances that is exces- sively high for the services rendered. A just and fair application of the pruning knife 10 salaries would effect a saving that could well be applied to ] the improvement of the public schools of the country towns of the state. The policy of consolidation of schools in the small towns does not take due notice of | the fact that the district school Is very often community center and, as such, | has an important value for the district which residents of cities and large towns do not readily appreciate.
 To Reduce State Expenses
 It is believed that the next legis- iature will concern itself more eif- actively than t has done for years with the reduction of the expenses of the state. In nine years the expenses have trebled. For the last fiscal year they amounted Go S21 .203,977. It IS about time to call halt in the ten- dency to increase the state budget. The legislature should go further and l take the initiative to reduce expenses. The necessity for a reduction was recognized few sessions since when a commission was appointed to look into the praetieability of adopting the Illinois plan of which Governor Low den of that state was the author. The commission made report to a succeeding session but its reeommen- dations were not pathetieaey con sidered and nothing in the way or economy was done The report of the commission, in it's plan of consoli- dation. was opposed by interested officials and the opposition was strong enough Co defeat it.
 Governor Templeton has had an eX- perienee of the futility of bringing about a change in a system with oiii- E n. .......s.a4..4 s.. a.ssa s.tu IT 4g believed by many that the budget of the state could be materially re- duced by increasing the power of the board of finance and lessening the authority of the committee on appro- priations. Under the present system the state board of finance, which Is in intimate touch with the financial aif airs of the state all the year round, prepares budget for the general assembly but it is sometimes disre- garded by the committee on appropria- tions which has it's first acquaintance with if when appointed at the opening of the session. It is impossible for the committee to give to financial propositions the close attention and adequate consideration which are necessary.
 A Question of Recount
 The Republicans of Hartford do not object ta a recount of the votes cast at the recent municipal election. Their position is that there is nothing to show that there exists necessity for | it. They have no doubt that recount will reaffirm the declared result of the 1 election, namely. that their candidate for mayor, Norman c. Stevens. was elected by majority of l72 and that the other candidates on the Republi- can ticket were elected. too. with vary ing but substantial maiorities. The board of canvassers made up of Dem ocratic and Republican majorities, and which is the official board to pass on the election returns. has declared May or Stevens and others elected. To se- cure q recount. after the declaration