Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1914 [PAGE 189]

EXTRACTED TEXT FROM PAGE:

1913]

PROCEEDINGS OE THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES.

187

"Resolved. By the Senate, the House of Representatives concurring herein, T h a t it is t h e sense of t h i s G e n e r a l A s s e m b l y t h a t t h e B o a r d of T r u s t e e s of t h e U n i v e r s i t y of Illinois should a d o p t s u c h a policy a s will in t h e i r j u d g m e n t a t t r a c t to, a n d r e t a i n in, t h e service of t h e U n i v e r s i t y a n d t h e S t a t e , t h e b e s t a v a i l a b l e ^ability of t h i s a n d o t h e r c o u n t r i e s . " T h e L e g i s l a t u r e f u r t h e r s h o w e d t h e i n t e r p r e t a t i o n w h i c h it m e a n t should be p l a c e d u p o n t h i s r e s o l u t i o n b y m a k i n g a t t h e s a m e session b y a p r a c t i c a l l y u n a n i m o u s v o t e a considerable i n c r e a s e in t h e b i e n n i a l a p p r o p r i a t i o n s for t h e s u p p o r t of t h e i n s t i t u t i o n . T h e G e n e r a l A s s e m b l y a t i t s n e x t r e g u l a r session ( 4 7 t h ) in t h e y e a r 1911 i n d i c a t e d its e m p h a t i c a p p r o v a l of t h e u n d e r l y i n g t h o u g h t of t h e r e s o l u t i o n b y m a k i n g t h e l a r g e s t i n c r e a s e in t h e b i e n n i a l a p p r o p r i a t i o n s w h i c h u p to t h a t t i m e h a d been m a d e b y a n y L e g i s l a t u r e . B y f a r t h e l a r g e r p a r t of t h i s i n c r e a s e , however, t w o - t h i r d s of it in fact, Was for t h e benefit of t h e a g r i c u l t u r a l i n t e r e s t s r e p r e s e n t e d in t h e U n i v e r s i t y — t h e a p p r o p r i a t i o n to t h e A g r i c u l t u r a l College a l o n e being four t i m e s t h e p r e v i o u s amount. T h i s a p p r o p r i a t i o n , if c o n t i n u e d a n d wisely a d m i n i s t e r e d , will p u t a n d k e e p t h e A g r i c u l t u r a l College a t t h e h e a d of s i m i l a r i n s t i t u t i o n s in t h e world. B u t the Forty-seventh General Assembly, recognizing t h a t other departments also g r e a t l y needed s t r e n g t h e n i n g , i n d i c a t e d b y a n o t h e r a c t i t s p u r p o s e of p r o viding for t h e o t h e r i n t e r e s t s of t h e S t a t e r e p r e s e n t e d in t h e U n i v e r s i t y of Illinois in a s i m i l a r s a t i s f a c t o r y m a n n e r in t h e f u t u r e . F o r t h a t Assembly passed a bill, k n o w n a s t h e Mill T a x Bill, p r o v i d i n g t h a t t h e r e should be levied a n d collected for t h e y e a r 1912 a n d a n n u a l l y t h e r e a f t e r , a t t h e s a m e t i m e a n d in t h e s a m e m a n n e r t h a t S t a t e t a x e s a r e collected, a one mill t a x for e a c h d o l l a r of t h e a s s e s s e d v a l u a t i o n of t h e t a x a b l e p r o p e r t y of t h i s S t a t e , to be p a i d i n t o t h e t r e a s u r y of t h e S t a t e a n d s e t a p a r t a s a fund for t h e u s e a n d m a i n t e n a n c e of t h e U n i v e r s i t y of Illinois. T h i s is a l o w e r t a x u p o n t h e full v a l u a t i o n t h a n is g r a n t e d in Michigan, Wisconsin. I o w a , or Minnesota.* T h e S t a t e A u d i t o r i n f o r m s u s t h a t t h e t a x h a s b e e n levied a n d if collected e n t i r e will yield t h e s u m of $2,343,673 p e r a n n u m for t h e u s e a n d m a i n t e n a n c e of the University. D e d u c t i n g 4 p e r cent for loss in collection, t h e t o t a l a m o u n t a v a i l a b l e for t h e U n i v e r s i t y w o u l d be $2,249,926.08, or $73.92 less t h a n t w o a n d o n e - q u a r t e r million d o l l a r s p e r a n n u m . I t is u p o n t h e basis, then, of t h i s $2,250,000 p e r a n n u m t h a t w e h a v e f o r m u l a t e d o u r r e q u e s t s to t h e L e g i s l a t u r e for funds for t h e u s e of t h e U n i v e r s i t y d u r i n g t h e b i e n n i u m b e g i n n i n g J u l y 1, 1913 ; a n d t h e s u m t o t a l of t h e s e r e q u e s t s foots u p $4,498,980. I n r o u n d n u m b e r s t h i s r e p r e s e n t s a n i n c r e a s e over t h e a p p r o p r i a t i o n s g r a n t e d b y t h e L e g i s l a t u r e a t t h e l a s t session of $950,000. W e a r e a s k i n g in a g e n e r a l w a y — t h e d e t a i l s a r e s h o w n in t h e b i l l s — t h a t t h i s i n c r e a s e s h a l l be u s e d t o e n a b l e t h e U n i v e r s i t y t o m a k e v e r y m u c h n e e d e d i n c r e a s e s in its l a n d s a n d buildings—$200,000 b e i n g a s k e d for t h e p u r c h a s e of l a n d a n d $775,000 for t h e e r e c t i o n of m a j o r b u i l d i n g s . W e a r e a s k i n g , f u r t h e r , t h a t t h e s u m u s e d in t h e erection of m a j o r b u i l d i n g s d u r i n g t h e p r e s e n t b i e n n i u m b e m a d e a v a i l a b l e for t h e s t r e n g t h e n i n g of t h o s e d e p a r t m e n t s of t h e i n s t i t u t i o n w h i c h w e r e p a s s e d over in t h e a p p r o p r i a t i o n of funds a t the last Legislature. T h e S t a t e of Illinois h e s i t a t e d long before it a d o p t e d t h e policy of b u i l d i n g u p a S t a t e U n i v e r s i t y . A s a r e s u l t i t s s i s t e r i n s t i t u t i o n s in t h e Mississippi V a l l e y r a n , ' m a n y of t h e m , f a r a h e a d of t h e S t a t e U n i v e r s i t y of Illinois, especially in b u i l d i n g s a n d e q u i p m e n t . I t i s n e c e s s a r y for t h e U n i v e r s i t y of Illinois, if it is t o become in o u r d a y a n d g e n e r a t i o n w h a t t h e people of t h e c o m m o n w e a l t h evidently d e s i r e it should, t o m a k e v e r y i m p o r t a n t i n v e s t m e n t s w i t h i n a c o m p a r a t i v e l y s h o r t t i m e in b u i l d i n g u p t h e n e c e s s a r y p l a n t for a n i n s t i t u t i o n of t h i s sort. T h e p r e s e n t v a l u e of t h e b u i l d i n g s n o w on t h e c a m p u s a n d t h o s e in process of erection is pr r o b a b l y a b o u t t w o a n d a q u a r t e r millions of d o l l a r s ; b u t during" t h e l a s t twent3 -two y e a r s t h e U n i v e r s i t y of Chicago h a s p u t into b u i l d i n g s in a c t u a l u s e in t h e E d u c a t i o n a l D e p a r t m e n t on J u n e 30, 1912, m o r e t h a n five million dollars, a n d c o u n t i n g t h e n e w L i b r a r y Building, w h i c h Went i n t o o p e r a t i o n s h o r t l y after, n e a r l y six millions of dollars. T h e b u i l d i n g p l a n t of C o l u m b i a U n i v e r s i t y h a s cost c o n s i d e r a b l y over eleven million d o l l a r s ; w h i l e t h e corresponding- v a l u e of t h e H a r v a r d U n i v e r s i t y p l a n t is p r o b a b l y fifteen million d o l l a r s . A n d t h a t in spite of t h e f a c t t h a t t h e U n i v e r s i t y of Chicago h a s n e i t h e r a college of a g r i c u l t u r e n o r a college of e n g i n e e r i n g , n o r h a s H a r v a r d o r Columbia, e i t h e r of t h e m , a college * The following table shows the sum per capita contributed to the state university in the respective states: Minnesota $1.292 California : 0.958 Wisconsin. : 0.912 Iowa 0.903 Michigan 0.677 Illinois , 0.353 The following table shows the ratio of the income of the university to the total true-value of the taxable property of the state: Wisconsin 000723 Minnesota ----000701 Iowa 000663 Michigan ' 000642 California -, 000523 Indiana : 000301 Illinois 000286