The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1934-01-25
SAYS SCHOOL
HOUSES DON'T
MAKE SCHOOLS
Supt. Latham Gives Linn
tied Praise To N. {.
Plan Of Support

North Carolina has plenty Of
school houses. and while it is to
the credit of the state that the
doors of all necessary school
buildings are open, there are not
the same number of schools, Supt.
Rowland Latham of the Asheville
school system reminded the Hen
Jacksonville Kiwanis club in an adj
dress this afternoon.
"a child in school house is
much better off than he is on the
streets or in back alleys, but
something more than the teaching
of the three RS, to which the
schools now are almost limited, is
necessary for a rounded educa-
tion," Supt. Latham said. "The
last legislature received serious
proposals that all schools in the
state be closed for two years, but
to their everlasting credit our
legislators recognized the fact that
children will receive some kind of
education whether they are in
school or not and that it would
be impossible to turn them loose
for two years and then go back
and resume their instruction
where it was left off, ....
Supt. Latham said also that
rural schools today are far better
off than they would have been had
the state not taken over their sup
port, for the reason that three
fourths of them would have been
closed if they had been dependent
on local support. He added, how
ever. that the keeping. open of
many rural schools was accom-
plished at the unnecessarily high
expense of almost destroying the
city schools in wealthy counties.
Supt. Latham declared the state
put up all the money it could ia
support the schools but it should
have left some room back home
for local support and control. Lo-
cal governments can levy almost
any tax they wish without vote
of the people except a supplement.
tai tax for schools, he added.
The speaker asserted that the
heavy tax burden now on the peo-
pie is not due to schools, only Is
per cent of a bonded Indebtedness
of $500,000,000 in state, counties
and cities having been spent for
schools. and not more than one
third of the peak expenditure of
$100,00O,000 having been paid
out to support schools of every
kind and for every school pur-
pose.
Supt. Latham said that schools
ten years hence may be supported
by federal, state and local funds,
(Which would not be bad if they
were largely under local control"
He said a bill had been prepared
for introduction in the present
session of congress appropriating
100000 to keep schools open
this year and $100,000,000 to in
sure their operation next year.
Prevention of the collapse of
schools is as important as federal
aid to railroads, he asserted. At
present 100000 children be-
tween six and fifteen years of
age are not in school; 100000
teachers are without employment,
and 10000 teachers are receiving
less than $3.50 a year.
"One-half of the qualified teach
ers now unemployed could be abb
sorbed by reduction of the average
class enrolment of 40 to 81 pu-
nils to even 35," he asserted.
Supt. Latham, for many years
had of the Winston-Salem school
system and the legislative chair;
man for North Carolina school
forces during the last Legislature,
was introduced by Supt. F. NJ.
Waters of the Hendersonville
schools.