The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1927-03-18
BUT ONLY Sc HAVE PASSED,
BEEN SIGNED BY THE Gov
ERNOR AND BECOME
LAWS.
FACTION IN SENATE is
MUCH DISPLEASED WITH
GOVERNMENT REORGAN-
IZATION ACT.
By R. w. HITCHCOCK
Representative, Goth District

By R. w. HITCHCOCK
Representative, Goth District
St. Paul, March 16-At the begin
ming of this week 1919 bills had been
introduced in the huose and 905 in
the senate but only Sc had passed
both houses, been signed by the gov
ernor and become laws. Bills will
pour into the hopper in lively fashion,
however, between now and March %,
the last day for their introduction;
even after that date a few, backed
by the request of the governor, will
squeeze in. Roll calls will grow
more and more frequent and it is
likely that when April 2, the day of
final adjournment arrives, between
400 and 500 new laws will have been
enacted.
Mrs. Andreas Iceland.
Having no official connection with
the legislature, Mrs. Andreas LELAND
whose recent accidental death so
shocked the whole state, was never
theless a very integral part of it.
Mrs. LELAND had been a lobbyist in
the legislature so long that we do not
remember to the contrary. She was
a persistent lobbyist, but a most
pleasant one. She was as regular in
attendance at the session of the
legislature as the most faithful MEM
Der and many legislatures and many
members owe something for their ac-
complishments to her. Mrs. LELAND
was the gentle but answering cham
pion of forward looking measures.
She had vision and faith that car
ried her through many defeats to
final victory. In every legislature
for many years she bore the torch
that lighted the way to better legis-
lation. Members and their constitu-
ents rejected her proposals again and
again and again only to accept them
in the end. Heading a delegation of
enthusiastic and devoted women she
urged upon the legislature, session
after session, the comprehensive, for
ward looking program Of the
League of Women voters. The fund
amental things for the betterment of
home, school and society were things
that Mrs. LELAND stood for; we
learned them from her, and however
we may have differed, we usually
agreed in the end. She was a help
and an inspiration; we loved her,
and we miss her woefully.
Senate Going Strong.
1t has been many sessions of the
legislature since the senate looked
with entire favor on the %appropria-
tions for state aid to schools. It
was the senate four years ago which
attached a rider to the educational
appropriation bill providing that if
the amount of money appropriated
was not sufficient to pay the state aid
in full all aid except the supplement-
al aid should be paid in full and the
supplemental aid should be pro rated.
The result of this rider was that the
schools of the state which needed the
money most were cut $1,359,436.
The senate is now repenting heart
lily of this action and proposes to pay
this 1923-24 deficit at once. In or
der to make amends more complete
ly the senate also proposes to pay the
state aid in full for the coming BIZ
ennium, a proceeding which the SEN
ate has heretofore vigorously pro-
tested. This program involves an
increase in state aid to schools of
nearly $2,500,000 over the amount
granted two years ago.
Who Pays the Bill?
These two proposals., urged by a
large number of members of the leg
islature and already approved by the
senate finance committee will make
somebody dig down in his pocket for
nearly $4,000, 600 more than he paid
for state school aid two years ago.
They will increase the state tax rate
about ~ mills. They will add to
the taxes of st. Louis county for next
year $525,000 or more and to the
taxes of Duluth nearly $4,000. For
this outgo the schools of Duluth will
get back perhaps $4,000 and the st.
Louis county schools outside of Du-
luth about $225,00O.
Schools Hard Pressed.
Outside of a more or less evident
desire, mostly manifest in the SEN
ate, to balk Governor Christianson
in his economy program, members of
the legislature are urged to this
school aid program by appeals from
city and village schools, many of
which find their public school estab-
llshments very, very expensive. The
case of one southern Minnesota school
is illustrative-and many northern
Minnesota schools are in far more
desperate case. This school has in
creased its high school teaching
force from three to sever teachers,
with consequent additions to it's
buildings and equipment, not because
of any growth of the community, but
because boys and girls from the
country have flocked to the school.
Out of an enrolment of 100 students
in this high school, 81 are non resi-
dents. This school district taxes it
self 46 mills and receives very large
grants of funds from the state but
still finds it hard to get along.
A Good Law.
The supplemental school aid law.
enacted by the legislature of 1928 has
strikingly demonstrated its efici-
ency. 1t provides that in any school
district in which a tax levy of 20
mills will not produce $40 for each
pupil in the district the state will
pay the district a sum sufficient to
make $40 per pupil. This act dis
tributes the aid of the state to the
districts that need it the most. But
for ifs 0nQrafion dr,ripn fbo noe4 fo,,,