White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1933-12-07
Liquor and Schools
Worry Legislators
BY Jimmie X. Browne

Washington's fourth special session
Of the Legislature during the past 81
years is now sitting, the first OF tne
kind In the new state capitol building
Two great vital problems face the
members:
1. The financing Of the common
schools.
2. Control of liquor traffic by state
statutes.
Both are closely intermingled, the
hope, expressed and implied, being that
the Legislature will be able IN some
manner to work out revenues enough
from liquor control to provide large
percentage if not all of the needed
school money.
The 1888 Session provided, through
the Showalter school bill, the state
would pay IS cents per school census
child in each and every district.
This has been found impossible But
the state office of public instruction did
notify the districts that each would
rely upon the state furnishing l6 cents
per school child census.
Now it has been found that only
about II cents is to be had. The re-
suit has been disastrous to many dis
tricts and the Legislature Is now be-
ing asked to devise ways and means OF
providing an additional five cents by
some hook or crook.
In round figures it means that the
common school fund needs seven OF
eight millions of dollars. This shortage
is serious.
No one who has studied the situation
carefully but is anxious to meet the
problem in some satisfactory way, bu
all are equally agreed that the rlgh
way to meet it is not by attempting tt
squeeze more revenues out OF an al
ready dried up source-industry ant
business, property, or incomes.
The problem is one which must b.
, met equally by every person IN I'M
, state. This is the general concensus o
: opinion among the more conservatlv
: members as we'll as most of those WI
: last winter were characterized as TN
l 'reds"
Students of taxation are becomin
more firmly convinced that a sale
S tax. statewide and all inclusive, Shout
be adopted at least as temporary eX
= pedient
. California has tried it out most salts
factorily This state will be forced TO
ultimately.
= What the revenues from liquor cor
- troll or liquor traffic will be Is mo'
- mathematical. However, sales tax re
turn can be more nearly estimated, an
there is every reason to believe that
will take care of the common scho
% fund at least, leaving additional incon
n from liquor control to go into the ger
+ eral fund for helping lift the tax loa
'. There is hardly a department OF sta
government but needs financial alo
= the way of appropriations. There Is n
an institution of higher education D
= thinks it must have more financial al
Tax payments are slow. Year by ye
tax payments are falling off, but u
cost of government based upon pro
Ia pective 100 per cent levies continue
that each year the state is going deep
. into the quagmire of debt.
he For many weeks it has been an op
" secret that unless the special sessl
~ could provide machinery whereby sol
~ municipalities could go into virtual
:. ceivership, bonds and interest would
s defaulted upon obligations.
~ Some years ago cities and towns
no Eastern states faced similar futures
ils the Legislatures provided machine
lac whereby all were able to extrlc
,ra themselves through receivershlp q
tatorS.
This state is going to be forced
adopt some similar kind OF leglslatl
and there is feeling among the me
~ hers that it might be done this sessl
Republican members of both
The Senate and the House are keenly an
If ous TO handle all pressing state pr
I'LL lens, keep out all others and
rr- through the session as easily as pf
ma lille for the tax payers
as In this they have the support
the majority of the Democrats VINO 90
an like to face the coming campaign
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