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a children's bureau as a department of the board to supervise the treatment of all dependent and neglected children and makes it unlawful to keep children between two and eighteen in any county almshouse.18 While the legislature has not made adequate financial provision for the work of the state board, the provisions of the above act will enable it to introduce noteworthy improvement in this field of county administration.

Public Schools

The improvement which has been made in recent years in the administration of public education furnished a good model to be followed in the field of charities and corrections. Until a few years ago complete local autonomy for each small school district was the normal condition. The state appropriated annually one-third of all its general revenue to be distributed among the school districts in proportion to the number of persons of school age without regard to the character of the school, the extent of school attendance, or the necessities of the local community. There was a county commissioner of schools who had authority in granting teachers' certificates but neither he nor the state superintendent of education had any power of supervision and control over the schools. A local option law existed, under which a county could provide for the election of a county superintendent of schools, but advantage was taken of this in only a few of the counties.

In 1909, however, the system of county supervision was made compulsory in all counties, the county superintendent having general supervision over all schools in the county except in districts which employ a superintendent who gives at least one-half of his time to supervision. Since that time conditions have materially improved, especially in rural schools. In 1911, the school apportionment law was changed so that the school attendance, length of terms, number and salary of teachers are the important factors in determining the quota of a district. The compulsory attendance law enacted in 1905 has been strengthened but its administration is still left largely in the hands of the local boards of education. Statutory provision has been made for consolidation of rural school districts but not

18 The present legislature has made provision for granting pensions out of the funds of the county to a mother who has one or more children dependent for support wholly or in part upon her labor.

much progress in this direction has been accomplished. Inspection and classification of schools by officials from the state university and the state department of education have done much to improve conditions.

The legislature has just enacted a number of important laws affecting public educational administration. Three of these acts provide for state aid, one for rural high schools in consolidated districts, one for high schools in poor districts which have levied the maximum tax rate provided by law, and the other for first class high schools giving teacher training courses. In all cases the approval of the state superintendent of public schools is required. Other acts provide for paying the traveling expenses of the county superintendent of schools and for annual meetings of the presidents and clerks of all school boards of the county called by the county superintendent for the consideration of questions pertaining to school administration, each official being entitled to receive a small compensation and mileage.

Highway Administration

The decentralized system of highway administration has not favored the improvement of roads. The county courts have, in general, constructed good bridges over important streams but aside from a few counties in which there has been an intelligent public opinion or in which considerable revenue from saloon licenses has been available, little has been accomplished in the way of permanent improvement of roads. Toll roads are still maintained in some counties. The situation has been much better in special road districts and the number of such districts has been increased in recent years. The legislature a few years ago commenced the policy of granting state aid but for the most part this has not been based upon any stimulative principle and has not secured any adequate returns. The state board of agriculture has appointed a state highway engineer who has given valuable advice to local officers and has promoted local activity in road improvement. He has not had, however, any supervision or control over local officials of highway administration.

The present legislature has passed a number of laws affecting highway administration. Perhaps the most significant is one creating a state highway department under the administration of a state

highway commissioner appointed by the governor. This official will take the place of the state highway engineer in giving information and assistance to local highway authorities. The act provides, moreover, that he is to perform all duties with respect to the construction and maintenance of roads that may be provided by any system of state aid which may be adopted.

An opening for a system of central supervision and control over highway administration has been furnished in another act of the legislature, providing a system of roads connecting all county seats in the state and creating for this purpose a county highway board consisting of one member appointed by the county court, one by the state highway engineer, and one by the governor. If the county has a county highway engineer, he is ex officio a member of said board. The act provides for state aid and the state highway engineer is to assist in selecting the route and to audit all accounts to be paid out of the state treasury.

Public Health

Outside of cities, there has been little effective sanitary administration in Missouri. The county board of health is composed of the judges of the county court and a physician appointed by them. It has quarantine powers similar to those possessed by the state board of health, and is required to enforce such regulations as the state board may prescribe, It would be difficult, however, to compel the county authorities to take positive action in this field and little if any effort has been made in this direction. A few years ago the legislature gave the state board control over vital statistics with authority to divide the state into registration districts and to appoint local registrars.

Miscellaneous

The control over liquor licenses has been left to the county court subject to the local option and other laws regulating the liquor traffic. On account of the political influence of saloons in large cities, this power was taken away from the local authorities in the city of St. Louis, which possessed the function of a county in this matter, and was delegated to an excise commissioner appointed by the governor. The present legislature has passed an act giving the mayor the power of appointing a bipartisan excise board.

reserving, however, to the governor the power of removal. While this act was passed in obedience to the demand for "home rule," the same legislature provided for the appointment by the governor of a bipartisan excise board for the county of St. Louis. This county adjoins the city of St. Louis and open violations of the Sunday closing law have been the rule.

Under the local option law the majority of Missouri counties have prohibited licensed saloons. The present legislature has passed a county unit bill which will extend the dry territory by including many cities with over 2,000 population which have previously voted independent of the county on this matter.

The abolition of licensed saloons increases violations of the excise laws. Those who are opposed to prohibition succeed frequently in electing local officials of police and judicial administration who refuse to enforce the excise laws. In a few counties, this condition has become notorious but the legislature has declined to give the governor power to remove such officials though he may direct the attorney-general to prosecute cases in such counties. In the three largest cities of the state, the governor has had the power of appointing and removing police commissions which have full control over the city police systems. In this way the enforcement of state laws in excise and other matters has been secured. On account of the demand for "home rule" the present legislature has substituted the mayor for the governor as the appointing authority in the case of the St. Louis police commission, but the governor retains the power of removal.

The counties have full charge of all matters relating to elections. In St. Louis and Kansas City, however, administration of such matters is vested in a board of election commissioners appointed by the governor.

COUNTY AND TOWN GOVERNMENT IN ILLINOIS

BY JOHN A. FAIRLIE, PH.D.,

Professor of Political Science, University of Illinois.

Local government in Illinois has received considerable attention from others than those directly engaged in its operation, as illustrating important phases in the development of local institutions throughout the United States.1 The best known accounts, however, have been based mainly on the statutory provisions; and have not given sufficient attention either to the earlier history or to the actual operation of local government in recent years. Since 1900, more thorough studies of some of the historical phases of the subject have been made, through the efforts of the Illinois State Historical Library, the Illinois State Historical Society and the University of Illinois.2 During the past year, the writer of this article has prepared for a joint committee of the general assembly of the state a general survey of the historical development and a descriptive and critical discussion of the existing system and its operation. This survey forms the basis of this article.

Historical Summary

To summarize briefly the main tendencies in the development of local institutions in Illinois is more difficult than is indicated by the sweeping generalizations of previous writers. A careful analysis of the complicated mass of detailed legislation shows many conflicting provisions; and the broader lines of movement have at times been seriously interrupted by counteracting and cross currents, which tend to confuse the situation. The most salient characteristics may, however, be noted along two main lines: the movement from a simple and concentrated organization to a highly differentiated list of local officials, as yet lacking organization and correlation; and

1 Elijah M. Haines, Township Organization: Its Origin and Progress in the Western States. American Social Science Association, 1876; Albert Shaw, Local Government in Illinois. Johns Hopkins University Studies in Historical and Political Science, 1883.

2 Publications of the Illinois State Historical Library and Society, Nos. 2, 3, 9, 11, 12; Bulletins of the Illinois State Historical Library and Society Vol. I, Nos. 1, 2; Illinois Historical Collections, Vols. II and V.

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