SUMMARY OF STATE LEGISLATION 31 



Minnesota. Three important laws relating to teaching of 

 agriculture and industrial work were passed by the legislature 

 of 1911 : 



1. The Putnam Act amends chap. 247, General Laws of 

 1909, providing for state aid of $2,500 annually to high schools 

 maintaining agricultural and industrial education, so as to author- 

 ize rural schools to become associated with such state-aided high 

 schools. The purpose of this amendment is to provide "training 

 and instruction in such agricultural and industrial departments 

 for pupils in rural schools, and to extend the supervision and 

 influence of state high or graded schools to rural schools; one 

 or more schools may become associated with a high or graded 

 school in which is maintained an agricultural and industrial de- 

 partment as herein provided." Each high school entitled to re- 

 ceive state aid of $2,500 per year may receive, in addition, $150 

 per year for each associated school district, and each , school 

 district forming such an association may receive $50 per year 

 (Putnam Act, Laws of 1911). Thirty high schools during 

 1911-12 will each receive $2,500 of state aid. A number of 

 these will receive additional state aid through their association 

 with school districts as provided for in the Putnam Act. 



2. "Any high school or graded school which shall maintain 

 such a course as the High School Board of this state shall 

 prescribe in agriculture and either in home economics or in 

 manual training shall receive annually in addition to other aid 

 the sum of $1,000 for maintaining such industrial courses, to 

 be appropriated and paid from the appropriation made for state 

 aid to high and graded schools" (Benson-Lee Act, Laws of 

 1911). About sixty high schools will receive the benefits of 

 this law during the school year 1911-12. 



3. Encouragement for consolidation of rural schools is ex- 

 tended by the state through the Holmberg Act. Schools are 

 classified as A, B, and C; schools of class A to have at least 

 four departments; those of class B, three departments; those 

 of class C, two departments. Each school of class A shall 



