Evening star., 1948-01-18
Moses Bill Asks
OF School Buses
Senator Will Press
For Passage; Tuck S
Budget Awoited
BY thu A..esio,.d Pres.

4
RICHMOND, Va, Jan. 17.-Sena-
tor Charles T. Moses Of Appomattox
whose school study commission re-
port recommending q general sales
tax collided head on with the tax
program proposed by Gov. Tuck
disclosed today he was preparing a
bill carrying out one OF his COM
missions major suggestions State
operation of school buses.
Senator Moses announced insist
ence on this phase OF school legisla-
tion came as members of the 1948
General Assembly awaited the Gov
ernor's budget message Monday and
his message on the reorganization
of the State government Wednesday
The budget recommendations, dis
closed by the Governor, to total in
the neighborhood of $500 ,000, 900 will
include an additional 1880, 900 for
public education, only a little more
than a third Of the $40 ,000, ,000- plus
the Moses commission report sug-
gested. The study commissions s
majority report recommended a two
per cent general sales tax to finance
the increase.
Speech Is Quoted. y
But the Governor, in careful Ian
guage, said in his address to the
opening session of the Assembly last
Wednesday,:
II am opposed to the sales tax,
except as last resort"
On the matter Of possible sales tax
legislation, Senator Moses indicated
he would have something to say
later.
II believe I know what the peo-
pie want" he commented, "and I
have great deal of correspondence
in my files to support my belief"
The sales tax his group recon-
mended would, among other things,
provide an additional $400 in State
aid for each teachers pay against
Gov. Tuck's recommended $3.50, and
would take oyer ownership and op-
Grafton of the pupil transportation
system now owned and operated by
the localities.
Senator Moses said his bill en-
powering the State to operate the
school buses would be drawn along
the lines of the proposal made in
his commissions report.
Conditions Criticized.
'Unless we can get some sort of
order and schedule in the operation
of these Buses" he said, I'VE may
as well go back to the one room
school which, at least, were scattered
about sufficiently to be reasonably
near the pupils homes.
"We now have situation exist
ing where children OF or are
spending several hours. daily wait
ing for the buses and being trans
ported to and from school in them
His report cited a comparison of
the cost of pupil transportation in
North Carolina, which has a State
owned and operated school bus sys-
tenn, and Virginia which has not.
The figures for the 1856 term
showed that North Carolina trans
ported 312,701 pupils at a cost OF
SO ,433, TIC while Virginia's cost for
transporting only 199,043 was $3,-
548,867.
Thus" said the report, cit Is
evident that for $115,148 less ex-
penditure, North Carolina, with a
State-owned and operated system
transported over one-third more
pupils than were transported in Vir-
ginia, with locally owned and op-
Grated transportation systems"
Moses Sees Savings.
Senator Moses said he felt a State
operated system would mean much
In facilitating the consolidation OF
schools in many counties and that
substantial savings could be effected
by Standardization and quantity
purchasing Of buses and other
equipment.
His recommendations put the cost
of taking over the bus system at
ST $50, 900 for the 1948-49 fiscal year
which included $3.175,000 in nom
recurring outlay for the purchase OF
new school buses. ..
The Governors Office said yester-
day dozens of kilograms and letters
on the message had been received
which generally they were favor
able in tone although some asked
that he provide more financial as
sistance for schools. A number con-
graduated him on his opposition to
the sales tax.