32 N. H. Agri. Experiment Station [Bulletin 298 



another. In a dormant rural area, however, this trend is slow and the 

 loss in human values is too precious for reliance on this measure alone. 



Schools 



Fundamentally, the location of families and not the existence of 

 children in isolated places results in costly and difficult school situa- 

 tions. The children are not responsible and the educational facilities 

 should be made available to them without reference to extra cost due 

 to their location. But on the other hand if society in general is to con- 

 tribute largely to the education of these children it may well study and 

 perhaps question the location of certain of the families. 



Every habitable place in the rural area is potentially a location for 

 school children and places with and without children should be given 

 equal weight in considering a permanent program. The whole prob- 

 lem should be viewed broadly. The best interest of society and the 

 well-being of the individual families should be considered. 



Fortunately we have accepted a policy of educational opportunity for 

 every boy and girl. Thus the problem of school costs in the sparsely 

 populated areas is not one of relating education to local assets or of 

 curtailing educational opportunities but rather one of making better 

 educational facilities available to all children as effectively and as eco- 

 nomically as possible. 



Within the area are a number of locations which potentially repre- 

 sent high costs in educational services. (Fig. 4) Families with chil- 

 dren of school age occupied some of these at the time of the survey. 

 ■ Nine schools were open in the area.' One hundred and ten of the 167 

 children in the area attending school were transported, or boarded in 

 lieu of transportation, at an estimated cost of $6,093 for transportation^ 

 and $1,044 for board, a total of $7,137. All but forty of the trans- 

 ported children attended schools outside the area. 



One family living on a place assessed for $300 and selling no farm 

 products was responsible for a special transportation cost of $144. Two 

 families occupying places assessed at $1,200 and $2,500 were responsible 

 for an extra expense'' of $720. Such instances as these tend to exag- 

 gerate the average situation because all occupied places are not con- 

 sidered and transportation costs vary from year to year. These in- 

 stances do indicate the possibilities of the public purchasing a farm 

 provided this results in the location of the family near present school 

 facilities. This is especially true where vacant places in these better 

 locations exist. 



While road and school services to scattered isolated families have 

 been considered separately for illustration, the cost of all public and 

 social services should be considered in decisions as to a particular area. 

 Thus on one road of five miles two locations represent a tax revenue of 



^ At an estimated rate of $1,000 per school the total cost of these schools 

 would be $9,000. 



- The cost of transportation was estimated by examining the transporta- 

 tion costs for each town. 



^ Tuition paid to other towns is not included because while this is an ex- 

 pense to one town it is a receipt in the other town. Only costs that are ad- 

 ditional to the normal costs are considered here. 



