The Daily Alaska empire., 1932-02-29
DISCRIMINATING AGAINST ALASKA.

 A recent press release Of the Interior Department distributed to newspapers throughout the country with publicity for the educational activities of the Office of Indian Affairs as its object, reveals what appears to be rank discrimination practced by that bureau against Alaska This too, in the face of the claim made by Dr. w. Carson Ryan, Jr. Di- rector of Education for the Indian Service, that Alaska will not cooperate with his bureau in educa- tonal activities in the Territory.
 In the publicity statement referred to- Dr. Ryan points with some pride to the number of Indian pupils who attending public schools in the States Continuing he is quoted follows
 In the public schools the Federal Govern
 ment has usually paid a tuition rate for h.
 dian children who were wards" and also
 for a good many others whose wardship has
 become rather tenuous to say the least This
 tuition rate ordinarily amounts to about
 half the cost of schooling, and has been
 paid on the theory that the existence Of
 untaxed Indian land causes a reduction in
 the tax resources available for school pur-
 poses-a principle that has been generally
 accepted by Congress and has worked ex-
 eeedingly well in some places. Under this
 arrangement which exists in more than two
 thousand school districts the Federal Gov
 ernment has not attempted to any extent
 to fix standards dictate the kind or
 quality of education the result being, of
 course that the Indian children take pot
 luck with other Americans suffering under
 typical rural school conditions a Httle more
 than their white neghbors, perhaps, and
 proftng correspondingly when enlight-
 ened local community makes a really good
 educational provision.
 Dr. Ryan might have been describing typical rural school in Alaska, except for the matter of payment of tuition by the Federal Government. It does not pay cent to these schools for that purpose although the pupils of Indian blood at tending such schools constitute considerably more tofa aart
 There are 10se pupils of Indian blood, ranging from quarter breeds to full boods in the rural Territorial schools The per capita cost of education in them is $11636, based expenditures of l9SO- 3l as shown by the records of the Territorial De partment of Education. Thus it cost Alaskan tax payers in that year the of $12671504 to edu- cate children admittedly wards of the Federal Gov ernment. In the public schools in incorporated towns there were 376 pupils in that class The per capita cost to the municipalities and the Territory was SILLY. The education of the Governments wards in these schools required $41,79992 of the public funds last year
 The total cost of this service to the Territory last year was $16851496, all of which out of funds appropriated by the Legislature out of the Territorial Treasury. If the system described by Dr. Ryan being in vogue in the States were in force in the Territory 50 per cent, or $84,257 4o would have been refunded to the Territory by the Federal Government
 If the Office of Indian Affairs is paying tuition for those entrusted to its in the States there is absolutely no valid reason why the policy should not apply to Alaska. This is matter that should be investigated by the proper authority here and an effort made to put the Territory the same basis as other parts of the country. At this time when funds for next years school operation. are of some concern, additional revenue from any source would be more than welcome