The Sauk Centre herald., 1937-03-11

are mostly visionary. Then, too,
how can we know that In only "a
years other zealots will not want
to wreck this proposed building on
the pretext, for example, that back
In those dumb days of 1887" the
Board Of Education did not know
enough to construct the roof Of
the building suitable for the land
Ing and housing of students air
planes?
Again, let us grant that there
are profits. These profits are pre-
dicated upon a continuation of
state aid and state allotments on q
par with the present. What right
have we to believe that they will so
continuei If we gave the matter
one half minute thought we would
know that they cannot so contin-
ne. Why, 1t would require the Per-
feet Optimist to assume that a
state whose total Indebtedness Is
at present s9O0,00OOO0 can go on
pouring $12O00,000 year into our
schools. And it is on such absurd
and groundless fancy, 1t is upon
such a flimsy uncertainty that the
whole scheme underlying the build
ing program and Bond Issue Is set
up.
ROclxne On State Debt
Let us see what Mr.. A J. Rock
ne, Chairman of the Minnesota
Senate Finance Committee had to
say about this state contribution
on January 27 last.
We quote: "The annual contribu-
ton by the state to individual
school districts runs about $12,-
900, 900, by far the highest in any
state in this section Of the coun-
! try. Wisconsin, Iowa, Indiana and
Nebraska, all of them situated
! financially on a basis similar to
that in Minnesota, do not come
near in their combined contribu-
tions to their schools, the burden
borne by this state"
We quote further: iowa con-
tributes only $401, ,450 to its rural
graded and high schools. Nebraska
contributes but $942,292; Indiana
gives its schools $2,454,007, and
| Wisconsin, $6,695 900. The Mime
sofa contributions have gone up by
leaps and bounds, increasing 5000
during the last 20 years while at
the same time the school popula-
tion, now $4,000, has increased but
1870. I want every boy and girl in
Minnesota to have a good educa-
tion but it seems to me we have
gone crazy pouring money into the
schools and we are not far from
the point where we shall have to
stop. Increasing Indebtedness In all
matters of school affairs Is sad
ding on the school children of to-
day who must pay the bills when
they grow up, $1700 each in Mime
sofa alone"
This, of course has nothing to do
with the Bond Issue which would
have to stand on it's own legs
namely $165,OO0 at 8.4 school rate
tax for 80 years. But it has every
thing to do with the maintenance
cost. If special aid revenues or al
lotment revenues (per pupil as
sistance) were cut in halves as
many legislators think immediate.
ly imperative, the city of Sauh
Centre and the District could
hardly stand it. Our present rate
is 1873 mills. An added 8.4 for the
Bond Issue brings the amount uI
to 46.7 mills. Special taxes upor
the entire district would bring
Sauk Centres rate up to more
than SO mills and probably very
, much more. That's what happened
. to Sedan and Willard and Burtrun
and the taxpayers lost their home!
! and their farms and their shirts
It is startling what school rates
can do to a District that over
reaches itself. We have before u!
tax receipts from Aitkin Count.
: showing Shovel Lake with It
{ school rate of 5242 mills ant
, White Elk with it's 663.7. Ou
townsman, Mr.. Sinclair Lewis
!. wrote a book, 'It Can't Happel
5 Here" But Mr.. Lewis was not dis
e cussing school tax rates.
e Gentlemen, you tell us to max
t haste! Hurry! Hurry! Hurry
/ Come early to the voting booth
: We may lose out on federal aid! /
reminds us of the clamor and tn
: glamor of a basement bargain sal
q at Dayton's where people crowd !
d to buy at bargains things they d
n not need.
r Gentlemen, we do not need
: 100000 school building. 1t woul
f be a splendid acquisition for ou
n town but we would have to mair
l. tain the thing as well as pay fc
+ it, through hell and high waite
l. No. We cannot use it at $165 90
e You will have to peddle 1t to Glel
d wood or some other town that buy
bargains it does not need.
l. And why cannot we use 1t? Let
n stop kidding ourselves and tai
IT one great, big, long look at SON
If plain, unadulterated, prosaic fact
IS, Sauk Centre! And we love Il
It old town,-every one Of US! Crow
n 1850 in 81 years! No shops,
" factories! The only whistle tn
A. blows is the fire whistle 450 me
,r women and children on Relief
ID day, either Direct or through w.
o, A. Get that! 1870 Of our enti
n population on relief! Another IL
G. of our population on the "bord
n line" of Relief! Merchants adm