Evening star., 1946-01-10
Darden Calls for
WideReviisiionof
School System
Urges Consolidation
In Final Message
To General Assembly
By the Associated Press.

10 0enerol Assembly
BY the Associated Press.
RICHMOND, Va, Jan. 10.-Gov
Darden yesterday recommended a
program of elementary and high
school consolidation, to cost between
SO and go million dollars in build
tngs alone in offering to the General
Assembly sweeping program TO,
revision of the States educational
system.
The Governor, with characteristic
brevity and directness, placed more
than a score of recommendations
before the lawmakers at the rate of
one a minute in his final message
before he turns the executive Offices
over to Gov.-Elect William M. Tuck
a week hence.
Gov. Darden did not attempt an
analysis of the reports of some go
study groups transmitted to the
Assembly, but he commended them
and offered his views both pro and
con On some of the recommended
tions.
The Senate. and House convened
shortly after the noon hour and
quickly completed formal organiza-
tioe before meeting in Joint session
to iiear the Governor.
Opposes Capitation Tax.
1ncsors1ng abolition of the capita
ton tax as a prerequisite to voting,
he said that in a free society the
ballot should rest in the hands of all
persons of demonstrated competence
who evidence an attachment to and
interest in the welfare Of the State,
without any payment OF money be-
ing required.
He differed with the commission
studying suffrage laws in a num-
ber of particulars and offered some
recommendations of his own. He
agreed with the commission recon-
mendation for State Board of
Elections to supervise and control
the election machinery, and sug-
gested that the secretary of the
commonwealth be an ex-officio
member at the same per diem al
lowed other members.
The Governor agreed with the
recommendation for three Judge
court to try election contests and
favored continuation of absentee
voting under safeguards recon-
mended by the commission.
To Be Paid for in IL Years.
He told the assemblymen the
huge program of school consolida-
ton should be paid for in IL years
and the buildings constructed in
from six to eight years. An addi-
t1onal program of road construc-
tion to serve the schools and make
the consolidation feasible. he said.
will cost SIS 100000 from highway
funds and require eight years for
completion.
He said that 1923 per cent of ele-
mentary school children in 81
counties are in one and two room
schools. darlington, Norfolk and
Elizabeth City Counties were not
included in the study, being con-
sidered urban areas.) The program
of consolidation, he said, will reduce
the one-room schools from 1856 to
and zthe two-room schools from
ITO to 40
Jobless Benefit Extension Urged.
Other recommendations included:
Extension of unemployment COM
pensation insurance to employers
OF one or more persons instead of
the present eight, and increase in
maximum compensation to 500 for
20 weeks instead of SIS for 16I
weeks. Repeal of the War Emer-
gency Act providing for reduction
of potential benefits in cases of dis
qualification.
Extension of industrial insur-
ance to establishments where
one or more are employed, and in
crease in compensation up to COL
per cent of the average weekly
wage from the present SIS per cent.
Affirmative action on recommen-
dations having to do with pollution,
which, he said, had converted many
rivers into open sewers" Asked
for creation of a pollution control
board and efforts to encourage mu-
inequalities to construct disposal
plants for treatment of raw sewage
Authority for the board to formu-
late rules for disposition of indus
trial waste and to proceed against
industries unwilling to comply, ac-
tions of the board to be subject to
review by the courts.
More Money for Instruction.
While reserving transmission of
the biennial budget until next Mon
day, the Governor revealed that it !
would increase money available for
public school instruction to $1,100I
per teacher unit in the first year of /
the biennium and $1,140 in the sec
ond year. He said the amount had
been advanced from $610 in 1912 to
S1,050 in 1945-6-an increase of IA
per cent.
In the field of agriculture the
Governor said many of the recon-
mendations of the special commits
sion headed by DR.. John r. Hutche-
son, president of V. P. l., did not re-
1SAAS AS6AAoAoeiollB WV 01o iCQullC Z CA
tension of present facilities of v. P.
l., Radford and the State Depart
ment of Agriculture.
Favors Proposal on School Boards.
Other recommendations in the
field of education included:
That county school boards be
chosen, as the Denny Commission
suggested by boards of supervisors.
That the State Department of
Education be authorized to create
a division school board functioning
for two or more counties or a city
and one or more counties, and that
superintendents be chosen from a
list prepared by the department.
That a Virginia Council of Higher
Education be set up. Instead of
council organized by the superin-
tendent of public instruction the
Governor recommended that it be
appointed by the Governor, and
that the council, as it's first task