Evening star., 1948-10-29
Tuck SeesCosts
Cut in Quonset
Type Schools
Virginia Association
OF Trustees Indorses
Sales Tax Proposal
BY the Assoeioted Press


BY the Asseeioted Press
RICHMOND, Va, Oct. 29.-What
Is to be done about improving Vr-
ginias school facilities and school
buildings?
Is a sales tax the answer, and. if
so, what type of sales tax should
the State enact?
These and similar questions
brought several developments in the
State yesterday.
In Old Point Comfort. Gov. Tuck
last night called the attention of
delegates to the convention of the
League of Virginia Counties to a
new type of school building which
may. he said. be built at less than
half the conventional cost. He ad-
dressed representatives from the
States 100 counties-about half of
which have asked the Governor to
call special session Of, the General
Assembly to enact a sales tax.
Trustees Back Sales Tax.
Yesterday the Virginia ASsocia-
ton of School Trustees - meeting
here with the Virginia Education
Association-also indorsed sales
tax and stood with Virginia coun-
ties in requesting special session.
Endorsement came during the
same meeting in which w. H. Stauf-
fer. director of research for the Vir-
gina State Chamber of Commerce,
said there was no justification for
further State aid to counties until
the localities helped themselves Mr.
Stauffer expressed himself as an
individual, not as member of the
legislative commission on State and
local revenues and expenditures.
Gov. Tuck asked the League of
Virginia Counties to consider the
large Quonset-type building which
has been put to use in Floyd Coun-
ty He said the building was dur
able. we'll lighted and we'll venti-
lated. He estimated it's cost of
erection at fraction of the $1,000
per pupil cost of the conventional
school.
That building, now housing 125
Negro pupils. was erected year ago
at cost of approximately 1887 per
pupil. 1t is estimated that the
current cost of that type of con-
struction would be S400 to $500 per
pupil" the Governor said.
The Governor said he had seen
recent analysis on economic
changes in Virginia counties in
which the counties were pictured as
being in better financial health now
than at any other time. The report
showed the counties in better shape
to support their own services.
Il feel strongly" he said, that
It is not only the responsibility of
local government to meet insofar as
it is able the costs of its local serv-
ices but that it is to the best in
terests of the people of the Com
monwealth to enjoy to the greatest
possible extent self-sustaif1ine gov
ernment."
Leroy Smith Honored.
The Virginia Education Associa-
ton has not yet taken q stand on
the sales tax issue. Wednesday, the
Department of Superintendent, an
other afflliate Of the education asso--
ciation, said that it would support
any reasonable plans" which might
be advanced for the financing OF an
adequate State school program.
Educational observers believe the
education association will consider
its position in relation to a sales
tax before its current convention
ends here.
Yesterday it named Leroy H.
Smith. chairman of the Roanoke
City School Board, as the out
standing school board member of
the year Mr.. Smith, general man
ager of the Viscose Corp. in
Roanoke, introduced the sales tax
resolution before the trustees as
sociation.
Teachers Hear Edwards.
The Association of Trustees yes
terday elected James w. Smith Of
Ashland as its president, succeeding
Randolph w. Church of Richmond.
In Richmond last night, former
Mayor Horace H. Edwards told a
convention of the Virginia Teach
ers' Association that advancements
in Virginia education in the past
must be used as sign posts, not
hitching posts" A candidate for
the State Democratic gubernatorial
nomination, Mr.. Edwards said he
wanted to see boys and girls of
this Nation get the best possible
education that Virginia and the
Federal Government can afford"