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DAILY EAST OREOOKIAN, PEKDLETON, OREGON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, MAY 19, 1920
PAOE ELEVEN
Vote 310 YESHigher Educational Tax Act.
Vote 312 YES--rs, Sailors and Marines Wwl Aid Revenue I.
Vote 314 YES-State Elementary School Fill Tax.
Vote for These Three Educational Bills
af fhe Primaries Friday, May 21
Twenty-three Umatilla count y organizations have reported reso lutions favoring the adoption of the HIGHER EDUCATION TAX
ACT. They are the Pendleton Commercial Cluh, American Legion Post, Pendleton, Pendleton Parish Aid, Milton, Stanfield and Pilot
Rock Teachers Institutes, Umatilla Couuty School Directors, Umatilla Farm Bureau, Hermistpn Post American Legion, Umatilla Com
mercial Cluh, Hawthorne, Lincoln and Washington Parent-Teacher Associations, High School Parent-Teacher Association, Parent-Teacher
Council, Rotary Club Pendleton, T hursday Afternoon Club Pendleton, Current Literature Club Pendleton, School Boards of School Dist
ricts of Umatilla Co., Athena-West on Post No. 69 American Legion, Pilot Rock Commercial Club and Pendleton Woman's Club.
' COLLEGE MILLAGE TAX
Onc Cause of Crisis is the Remarkable
Increase in Number of Students.
SOLDIERS' EDUCATIONAL AID
Since the original millage bill went
into effect in 1913, the number of full
time residence students at the Agricul
tural and the State University has in
creased one hundred and fifty per cent.
At the Agricultural College in 1918,
there were 1364 full time students;
there are now 3378. At the State Uni
versity in 1913, there were 691 fulltime
students, there are now 1746. The insti
tutions have tried hard to make income
meet maintenance cost in the face of
tKis remarkable growth but have been
unable to do so.
Meanwhile Their Income is Further
Reduced by Great Upheaval
of Costs.
Not only has the number of students in-'
creased one hundred and fifty per cent,
but in the same seven years the cost of
supplies and equipment has doubled.'
(This is not true of faculty salaries,
which have necessarily been increased
very little.) The buying power of the
dollar of 1913 is today about 45 cents.
The experience of the three institutions
has been the same as the experience of
every Oregon family. It is as if a family
of four in 1913, with an income of $2,
000, has been increased to. a family of
ten in 1920 with an income of $900. And
with the attendance one and one-half
times as great, and the buying power of
the existing income cut squarely in two,
the millage tax revenue has remained
almost unchanged.
The Soldier, Sailor and Marine Edu
cational Law enacted by the people one
year ago has been taken advantage of
by more returned service men than the
authors of the bill anticipated.
The annual appropriation of two
tenths of a mill on the total taxable
property of the state, which the voters
authorized at the special election, June
3, 1919, for the purpose of aiding the ex
service men in educational work, will
produce in 1920 the sum of $198,087.09.
This is all the money available under
the provisions' of the present laws for
the purpose of paying the aid author
ized by the state. Under the terms of
the law, a maximum of $200.00 is al
lowed each ex-service man annually in
the pursuit of educational work. It
was supposed that there would not be
to exceed 1500 ex-service men apply
for aid, and that the $198,087.09 pro
duced annually under the present pro
visions would be more than sufficient
to cover all Of the aid asked for by re
turned service mdh; and further that
not all of the applicants would ask aid
for the entire year. Instead of such
being the case, there has been filed with
the Secretary of State, more than 3700 ,
applications for state aid, under the
ter,ms of the law so generously enacted
by the people df Oregon at the special
election, June 3, 1919. It seems that
there yet will be many more who will
take advantage of the law and pursue
courses of study in the various educa
tional institutions throughout the state.
In view or the fact that the sum of $198,087.03 is
grossly inadequate to cover the educational aid which
the ex-service men will require to January 1. 191.
the time of the next annual state levy of taxes, the
special session of the legislature appropriated an
additional $350,000. The purpose of the present pro
ofed law is to double the amount which the people
appropriated under the act approved by them. June
3. 1919, so that substantially $400,000.00 annually
may be raised for 1921. 19SI. 1938. The entire $400.
000.00 will probably be required for furnishing edu
cational aid to those ex-service men who are taking
advantage of the law.
Elementary Education Bill The Children's Bill
4,600 Oregon children lack school facilities this year. Unless
something is done the number will be doubled, or trebled, next year.
230 Oregon school rooms closed their loor this year lack of tea
chers and funds to pay them with is the reason.
The number of teachers leaving Oregon schools to go into other
professions has more than doubled during the era of high cost of living
'Teachers leaving to go into other lines of work have more than
doubled their salaries by so doing. The increase is 102 per cent.
Do you know what Oregon pays the educators of her children?
Look at these figures: 1,300 one-room teachers from 30 Oregon coun
ties receive $18.73 a week for a 32-week year; 1,246 grade teachers in
two, or more, room schools from 29 counties, and including town and
city schools other than Portland receive $20.44 a week for a 33 to 34
week year.
Wage scales have advanced 52 per cent since 1914.
, The increase in living is estimated as between 88 per cent and 94
per cent.
The buying power of a dollar has depreciated from 100 cents to
about 30 cents.
Teachers' salaries have increased less than 25 per cent.
This space donated by Former College Students and Friends of Education.