No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 273 



ijrades aud employ a teacher for each grade. Our teachers' salaries 

 last year was P,733.75, fuel aud hauliug .f299.88, repairs and labor 

 103.89, hardware $2U.17, lumber |57.40, total, p,175.09. 



With this plan the great question is how to get our children to 

 some central location. With wagous thi«i v/ould be indeed a tedious 

 and expensive task; but with the advance of trolley roads I think it is 

 feasible. Examine our township and you will notice that there is an 

 electric road running very near three of its four borders. With 

 •six miles more track in the centre of the township our pupils would 

 have better accomodation than they have at present. I believe if 

 the company were assured to carry our pupils they would built the 

 track. I also believe they would convey our children for single fare 

 round trip. Thus, with an average daily attendance of 400 pupils, 

 which is about the number we have, would make a cost of |20 daily, 

 and for 140 days would be |2,800. The salaries for seven teachers at 

 an average of $00 a month would be |2,940, the fuel to cost |160, 

 the hauling |4(), repairs flOO, a janitor |2()0, or a total expense of 

 $0,240. 



In such a school you would need but six or seven teachers, who 

 can do better work than the fifteen at present. There is a bill in the 

 legislature at present requiring the establishment of a township high 

 school and also provides for the conveyance for pupils. This alone 

 costs half what »uch a school would cost in that it requires an addi- 

 tional building and teachers. I say better make a whole job than 

 half of one. This, too, would place us out of the grasp of the law 

 for at least 50 years; as we do no more than what is law and that 

 which we do is simply because it is law. 



We want graded schools, we want township high schools, and we 

 want agriculture to be taught in our rural schools. This is the 

 cheapest way that I see. Here the pupils are in grades from the 

 lowest to the highest, here is a township high school for advanced 

 puf)ils, here is an opportunity to teach agriculture to our pupils, and 

 here is a school that furnishes to our country children all the advan- 

 tages a city school can have and we can yet enjoy this blessed dis- 

 tinction that our children are healthier than those of a city, and the 

 results in turn be better. 



You have noticed that this would necessitate an additional mill 

 to our school tax. To this many will raise objection; but consider- 

 ing the other side of the question, our ,0015 tax rate is at its end. 

 Please do not grumble if the school board raises the rate, as it can no 

 longer get along with the present. In this township, out of neces- 

 sity, a graded house m.ay be built next year. This will make an ad- 

 ditional yearly expense. I also leave to yourselves to decide which 

 you consider the cheaper school, the one we are having now at .0015 

 tax rate, where anything but perfect work can be accomplished, or an 

 18—6—1901 



