Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 8.djvu/167

FINANCIAL HISTORY OF OREGON. 159 Common school fund for the year ending December 7, 1858: RECEIPTS. Balance on hand in notes and cash $ 30,896 10 Interest received 1,48084 $ :i2.:?76 94 DISBURSEMENTS. For recording mortgages $ 1425 Treasurer for receiving $1,480.84 interest 29 61 Treasurer for receiving $1,000 on notes and re- loaning 8000 $ 7386 Balance on hand $ 32,30808 Of which $28,728.80 (c) are in notes and $3,789.79 in gold coin $32,513.09 (c). Common school fund up to September 12, 1859: RECEIPTS. Balance on hand in cash and notes. . $ 32,803 09 Interest received 848 10 $ 32,646 19 DISBURSEMENTS. Money and secureties distributed among the counties, to be held in trust by them $ 21,285 78 (d) Administrative expenses 222 05 $ 21,507 83 Balance of common school funds on hand in State treasury September 12, 1859 $ 11,188 36 The movement for the promotion of the cause of public education during this period exhibits an interesting crescendo followed by a diminuendo phase. There was a committee on education in the legislature of the Provisional Government as early as 1845. Two measures intended to facilitate the organ- ization of public schools were considered during this year. The committee on education is found again in the next follow- ing Legislative Assembly. Governor Abernethy, in his mes- sage of December 7, 1847, appeals to the legislature in the following language : * ' The cause of education demands your attention. School districts should be formed in the several counties, and school-houses built. Teachers would be employed (c) The Treasurer's list of amounts of notes on hand sums up $'200.00 more than his addition makes them. There is an additional discrepancy of $10.00 when his "gold coin" is added to the sum of notes. This error of $210.00 is to his gain. Of course typographical errors in printing may have been the cause of this discrepancy. (d) The State Auditor, to whom the county superintendents were by the terms of the law to report the state of the fund in their respective counties, does not give data, so we have no means of ascertaining the sum by which this fund is credited on the books of the county treasuries.