The people's voice., 1945-12-14

less the fee is changed by the legis
lature, the law says it shall be 2(
cents per animal unit month. If you
don't think that's cheap, / suggest
that you try leasing some privately
owned range. Or even national forest
range, where fees for the last 10 oI
Is years have been based on market
prices, as they should be. The cur
rent rate in Lewis and Clark national
forest, which is fairly representative
of the east side of the mountains, is
Sc cents per animal unit month. Only
once in the last 10-year lease period
have these forest grazing fees de-
eclined in reflection of a reduced live
stock market value; but the stockmen
have been eager to use these federal
range lands nevertheless.
There is no provision in Chapter
207 as it stands now for an increase
in the 2O-cent grazing fee, or in the
interim fee prior to this appraisal of
school lands, when livestock prices go
up. The law says the legislature can
adjust the fee from time to time, but
even granting the legislature the best
of intentions, it meets only once every
two years and could hardly keep up
with the livestock market Another
point | think important is this: this
low grazing rental has been estab-
prices; from now on the pressure al
most inevitably will be directed to-
ward further reduction, rather than an
increase, in the fees. oddly enough,
that law does provide indirectly for
an increase in rental fees for school
lands used for farming-not grazing.
Farming land is rented on crop
share basis and naturally the states
share will increase in value as crop
prices rise. This looks to me like dis
elimination.
Well that's what has been happen
ing to the public school fund of the
state of Montana. It is not a pleas
ant story to tell, but / was asked to
discuss what public support was need
ed for education, and | can see no
5AN0NCi hhby yOd bCboJ hhoh
this: that you, as citizens, should call
the legislature to account for what
it has done with the money pledged
by the government of the United
States and the government of Mon
tana for the education of your chill
1ren. Specifically, l urge you to ask
your legislators what is meant by
-hese words in Section of Article XI
Of the Constitution of Montana:
"Such public school fund shall re-
main forever invioIate, guaranteed by
The state against loss or diversion"
TX.
Now, to sum up briefly as | can:
A duty rests upon us as citizens to
provide equality of educational oppor-
unity. In order to do this we must |
elevate Montana teaching standards
md improve educational facilities
The defense of the state in all civil |
lied countries" says Bertrand Rus
ell, "is quite as much in the hands
# teachers as in those of the armed
orces."
To elevate teaching standards and
improve facilities, we should: l. Wei
ome federal aid; 2. demand that di-
ersion of funds originally earmarked
or education into the state general
und shall cease unless provision is
made that education funds shall be
reimbursed without the
ecessity of lobbying every biennium
0 get them; 3. demand that the in
ONE from state school lands be re-
tored to fair and just level immedi-
tely and that some indemnity be paid
y the users of those lands, if it is
sgally possible, for the years in which
hey have profited unfairly at the
xpense of the schols; 4. support a
even-mill levy for higher education
hen the present millage tax expires
l 1913; 5. support grant of author
y to the state board of education,
xercised through a chancellor or COM
lissioner, to integrate our higher edu-
alton system, eliminate duplication,
rovide for free exchange of faculty
nd students between institutions and
other ways enhance the efficiency
the six units; 6. demand a broader
iucational service in the Montana /
and participate actively in
1ult education programs.
Also, l think we should call for
)ecial session of the Montana legis-
.ture to enable the state to proceed