The Sauk Centre herald., 1932-11-24
'"U' Has Program to Save
Million President Saws
Request to Legislature Says in De-
cade Attendance Has Increased
20 Per cent

Minneapolis, Nov. 21-A program
that would save Minnesota taxpay-
ers $1,059,32 during the next bien-
mum, has been sent to the state
budget commissioner by President
L. u. Coffman of the University OF
Minnesota as the Official request Of
the University to be placed before
the 1888 Legislature. The program
was approved by the Board OF Re
gents at meeting 10 days ago.
This reduction in the states tax
load is suggested despite the fact
that the university is operating this
year on budget $324,O00 lower
than that of year ago. Further
more, it has suffered shrinkage in
trust fund income, student fees and
as result of the smaller volume
of turnover in campus service en-
terprises.
On the day the request was sent
to the budget commissioner unlver-
sity employees received the first
pay checks from which the volun-
tary salary contributions, approved
last summer, had been deducted. To
equal two weeks pay for those get
ting over $1,000 and one weeks pay
for others, the deductions will be
made in ten installments, each talk
ing 10 per cent from checks due in
November, December, January,
February and March.
The request of the University is
for $3,125, 900 as maintenance and
support appropriation in each year
of the biennium, and, to continue
appropriations for special projects
as made in the past -$402, $50 for
the first year and $384,750 for the
second. In the two years these
items would provide a saving of
$500, 900 from maintenance and $751;
500 from the support of special pro-
jects, to which Comptroller w. T.
Middlebrook has added an esti-
mated saving to taxpayers of $780,
327 due to reduced yield of the
% mill tax that goes to the insti-
tuition. -
To accomplish the remainder of
the saving, the university states its
willingness to forego all building if
that be the pleasure of the Legisla-
ture. This would accomplish a
saving of $661 500, the amount spent
on buildings in the past two years,
made up of 100000 year from the
annual building fund and -S61 500
voted by the Legislature for spec
ial building propects at agricultural
exnerinnent stations
The statement points out that re-
duction of the maintenance appro-
priation will be possible if the uni
versity can continue to operate at
the rate that enabled it to save
$16O, 700 from income during the
past two years.
In a message accompanying the
requests, President Coffman de-
clared that of the university's total
support the state now provides 43
cents of every dollar, although the
entire 100 cents are spent in ser
vice to the state. Fifteen years
ago sc cents of every dollar came
from the Minnesota taxpayer. He
also pointed out that if the univer-
sity's cost were completely eimi-
mated, the average Minnesota tax
payer would save only $1.05 from
every $100 spent in taxes.
"This is the price at which his
children obtain their life's opportun-
ity to an education at the univer-
sity," he said.
Furthermore, following the de-
preston of 1920-21, university en-
-rollment grew by 70 per cent in the
next decade, while its state support
was held down to an increase of
only seven percent.
'Tn the last fifteen years the cost
per pupil for all children enrolled
in the public schools of the state
has increased 1913 percent; for pu-
pills enrolled in the graded elemen-
tary and high schools, 101.6 per-
cent; for pupils enrolled in the un-
graded elementary and rural
schools, 1872 percent, while for
students registered in the university
there has been a decrease of 23.7
percent per student" President
Coffman said.