Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1937-05-13
State Capitol News
BY A. I. HARRIS

tinues as legislators are preparing
7 for the special session May "a. The
Senate proposal received a setback
this week as Senator A. L. Almen of
Balaton, normally of the conservative
bloc and himself a schoolman, came
out in favor of the House plan as
going much farther in equalizing
educational opportunity throughout
the state"
Differences between the House and
Senate plans have been outlined by
Representative William Ost of New
York Mills, who points out that the
House income tax bill provided that
$40 per pupil of compulsory school
age be allocated to the districts
wherein they reside, as at present.
There are approximately 100000
children of compulsory school age,
between 8 and 16 years, in Minnesota.
$41O,OOO,OOO was therefore allocated
to pay this amount.
The balance of income tax pro-
ceeds, after this $41O,OOO,OOO had
been paid, was to be transferred by the
state commissioner of education into
an ''income tax school fund" to be
used with as much of the appropria-
ton of state aid as necessary to pay
state aid to schools in full. The House
plan, Representative Ost points out,
safeguards all income tax money for
the schools.
The Senate plan specified payment
of $40 per pupil and originally the
ages were the same, but at the fourth
conference the senators changed the
age group to include all pupils be-
tween the ages of 6 and ID. The
$40 per pupil, moreover, was to be
paid not to the district wherein they
reside but to the district in which
they attend school,
The effect of this proposal is to
discriminate against the common
or rural, schools for the benefit of
the large school districts by ex-
tending the age limits and by allo-
eating payments to the school district
where they attend school. Small,
rural school districts have no kinder
gartens and have no high schools
to take care of children in the ages
below 8 and above 16. The younger
and older children, if they attend
school, must attend in the towns and
cities.
The Senate plan also discriminates
against areas where large proportions
of children attend private schools
Children who attend private schools
will not be counted in the per-pupil
payments, SO that all residents in
that district will have to pay higher
local taxes to meet school upkeep in
that district, regardless of whether
their children attend public or pri-
Vate schools.
Representative Ost also scores the
Senate proposal for providing that
after the $40 per pupil is paid, the
balance of the income tax pro-
ceeds are to 60 into the states gen.
eral revenue fund. This gives no
assurance that state aids will be
paid in full-in fact, indicates that
the senator's obvious intention is to
prevent their being paid in full, else
they would not object to safeguarding
the funds for state aid to schools
exclusively.
Hearty approval of the people of
Minnesota will no doubt be given to
the news that the LaFollette COM
mittee investigating civil liberties in
United States has undertaken a probe
of Minneapolis Citizens Alliance &C
tivities. Subpoenas have been served
on several officials of the Alliance,
now Associated Industries, for ap-
pearance before the committee in
Washington together with production
of books and records pertaining to
its espionage system. Revelations
are expected which will prove con-
clusively the anti-labor activities of
the Alliance.
Soothing words fell on the ears of
members of the Associated Industries,
formerly Citizens Alliance, last week
from the lips of George Sokolsky,
One-time liberal journalist He be-
lieveS that there are not enough laws
protecting industry and curbing labor
and doesn't see why workers should
have the right to organize and bar
gain collectively. He attacked the
Wagner Act and minimum wage laws
and demanded minimum profit laws.
No wonder he was applauded vigor-
ously by men who often spend more
for one evenings entertainment than
their employees get for a weeks work!
A new tentative tax program de-
signed to balance the states budget
on all current and fixed charges and
at the same time reduce the state
levy on real property, is being drafted
by the House interim committee
headed by Speaker Harold H. Barker
of Elbow Lake.
The committee at its first meeting
May voted to recommend to the
House re-passage of the bill to ex-
empt city and farm homesteads from
the state real estate levy for the
first $4,000 valuation. The House