The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1946-08-12

lowing the legislative caucus
held in Tampa not long ago, the
big question at the next session
of the lawmakers is going to be
"who gets what and how much?"
The schools and the munich
palities will lead the pack that
has already started yelping at
legislative heels (no pun intend
ed, and other interests equally
concerned are busy with plans
that they hope will insure them
a slice of financial pie before the
show is over.
Last week, State Senator Ray
mond Sheldon, gubernatorial as
pirant, who loves the laboring
man, Gf he carries a Union card),
the school teacher (if she's old
enough to vote) and the old folks
(if they are dependent and un-
derprivileged), set the mouths
of county school authorities to
watering when he pointed to the
bullying general revenue fund and
limited that surplus of $4,000
600 is lot of dough to be lying
around loose without tag on it.
Hillsborough, the Senator's
county, has been toying with the
idea of issuing two million dol
lars worth of bonds for school
improvement. This sudden eager
ness to do something for the
schools being brought about by
an energetic campaign in the
local press disclosing the deplor-
able condition of buildings and
equipment.
The Senator doesn't like bond
issues; he recalls the misery and
suffering of over-burdened tax
payers who staggered about fol-
lowing the boom, all weighted
down with liens for paving, sew
ers, drainage and other bonded
indebtedness. He suggests that
taxpayers delay such action and
wait to see what Santa Claus
puts in their stocking.
He doesn't see why Hillsbor-
ough or any other county should
go out and handicap itself with
a lot of high bond pressure when
the State has a $20,000,000 sur
plus in the general revenue till.
He suggests that instead of let
ting all this gravy lay around, we
ought to divide it up among the
counties for school improve
ment; that would give Hillsbor-
ough the 100000 it needs and
would give school authorities a
lot of nice money to play with,
whether they need it or not. He
would divide, the money: on the
basis OFFS faveiage / daily atten-
dance" the same way the State
aid to teachers salaries is dis
tributed.
The .distributionAofe this surplus,
he contends, would eliminate the
necessity of increased local taxes
and put an end to this silly
business of issuing bonds. He
says he "sees no reason why the
1947 Legislature cannot divide
the money among the 81 counties
for the benefit of our schools and
does not anticipate any opposi-
ton to the plan because lin all
probability" the next session will
be unable to decrease present
taxes by any appreciable amount
and the same balance would be
accumulated two years later.
While school authorities will
probably applaud the suggestion
with gusto, it is doubtful if it
will receive an enthusiastic re-
ception from all quarters. Not
that we don't love our children
and want them to have every adj
vantage, but because $20,0OO,OOo
is a lot of moolah to be pouring
down one rat-hole, even though
actual pictures of the rats have
been published in the public
prints to astound and horrify the
humble citizen.
The municipalities won't stand
by and see all that dough turned
over to somebody else without
howl. They will probably counter
with disgusting pictures of over
flowing garbage cans that are
awaiting collection, open sewers
that cry for attention and top