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Show The Schools and Princip s. The Telegram has received the following communication com-munication from, a subscriber: To the Editor of The Telegram: . In vour editorial of today referring to the tuition scheme for keeping the schools open you saia. "The situation ahould impress upon the members (of school board) the necessity for stricter economy In the conduct of school ax-fairs." ax-fairs." "There should be an end of extravagance. I have heard of a good deal along the same line both In the papers and out of them, but aa yet. have not heard any one etate specifically wherein the Board of Education has been extravagant. Will you kindly oe specific and through your valuable paper etate the lines along which economy shouWl be practiced. Where have there been needless expenditures this year, which had stricter economy been practiced would , have made It possible for the schools to have been kept open the full school year. SLBSCRIBfc.Il. Salt Lake City, April 23rd. The Telegram's complaint against the school board is embraced in one sentence: Business principles prin-ciples have not been adhered to in the management of school affairs. Every successful business enterprise en-terprise is conducted on the principle that the expenses ex-penses must be made to conform to the receipts. This time tried and fire tested principle of business' has not been followed. The board at tho beginning of the school year knew to a cent the sum it had at its disposal for the term. It could have figured to a cent the running expenses of the school year. When this was done and it was seen that there would be a deficit, that there would not be sufficient money to complete the term, then right there the board should have applied the first principle of business. It should have reduced its expenses so as to bring the cost of the full school term within the fund at its disposal. Any business firm in Utah would have followed this plan. The Board of Education Edu-cation knew ten months ago that its running expenses ex-penses were exceeding its receipts and that the present deplorable situation would result. It has not suffered any fire losses. Xo extraordinary expense ex-pense has been incurred. The board is now trying to solve a problem it should have settled at the beginning of the term by making its exjenses conform con-form to its receipts. Mr. Charles O. Whittemore's figures show that it cost $ 04,434 more to run the . schools this year than last. The increase in attendance attend-ance this year over last, was only 677 pupils. Borne of the increase has been occasioned by an advance of teachers' salaries amounting to $29,000. An actual ac-tual increase of $18,000 ocCurs in the cost of repairs, re-pairs, bringing this total up to $40,000. The cost of books was $19,000 over last year, making the total amount expended for this purpose $:0,000. The increase cost per capita of instructing the pupils pu-pils is shown by figures prepared by William Nelson. Nel-son. Last year itjeost 27.4 per cent, and this year the increase amounts to 31.9. The total amount received re-ceived by the board from city, county and State, and from State land tax, was $334,757. The total expenses for 1902 were $390,9:31. For 1903 the expenses ex-penses will amount to $455,230. No capable business busi-ness man will contend after considering these figures, fig-ures, that had business principles been followed from the start in the management of school affairs during the past year, there would have been any occasion for the embarrassing situation which now exists. |