(6) Electronic equipment, radar, radio, and other radiations apparatus developed for war service.

(c) Visual aids-projectors, films, maps, charts, graphs, and so

forth.

(d) Radio instruments, equipment, and supplies both for receiving and broadcasting and for training purposes in shops and laboratories. (e) Musical instruments and supplies.

(f) Shop tools and equipment for auto and other mechanical training.

(g) Materials for demonstration and practice, such as engines, trucks, planes.

(h) Laboratory equipment and supplies for training in biological, chemical, physical, and other sciences.

(i) Transportation equipment such as chassis, tires, and other parts suitable for the building of school busses the supply of which has now been greatly depleted because of wartime restrictions on material and labor. Jeeps, station wagons, and the like would meet a vital need of attendance officers and maintenance employees.

(j) Miscellaneous materials, such as books of science, mathematics, aerodynamics, health, hygiene, recreation, military drill, and sporting and recreational goods.

2. Without such materials, the schools cannot hope to do the training in the post-war era that will be demanded of them. A few of the most fortunate schools may be able to do so, but a large majority are now having a difficult time to keep going. The post-war schools will be called upon to provide a vastly expanded program. The billion dollar educational program for veterans will call for a great increase in training equipment. The reconversion of war industry will require the retraining of millions of war workers for peacetime jobs.

3. Such materials turned over to the schools will eliminate a large quantity of goods from competition with post-war industry, thereby assuring maximum employment opportunities for returning veterans and war workers.

4. Such materials have been paid for by all taxpayers throughout the United States, who are entitled to their continued use. The only effect of our request is to transfer such property from the custody of Federal officials to State and local officials.

5. We believe that our request is based upon sound reasoning whether considered from the angle of the taxpayer or from the angle of our economic and social welfare. The distribution of such goods to the schools will enable them to improve their program of preparing our future citizens vocationally and socially in the more complicated age in which they will live.

B. We believe that in making these materials available to schools our established educational authorities, cooperating closely at all levels local, State, and national, should have a large part in determining what materials are usable in the schools and how they can most effectively be made available to them. The United States Office of

Education, the State departments of education, and the local school boards, will be able to give advice and counsel in the fields which they represent. The use of these agencies will reduce the costs of distribution by utilizing already established offices properly manned.

C. Do schools need the surplus war materials? One example may suffice to show this need. The Helena, Mont., school district is one of the wealthiest in the State; yet that district could not have trained 7,000 men and women (a number almost equal to one-half of the population of our capital city) for the armed forces and war industry had it not been for the materials furnished them by the various Federal agencies.

L. W. Fahrner, principal of the Helena Vocational School, stated on Monday of this week that he needs $25,000 worth of small tools and instruments right now. These cannot be secured because of the fact that all income now provided for operating the schools is being utilized to its full limit. A special election to vote additional levies must be held in order to prevent a curtailment of the secondary school program.

Other school districts are less fortunate. Our school taxation and finance laws have been liberalized and State funds built up so that today we can secure about twice as much money per classroom unit as we could have under the laws previous to 1929. In spite of this, increased demands and costs have outstripped increased finances.

A present State study shows that by 1960, due to increased birth rate, and demand for more and better educational programs, we shall again have to double the funds furnished for schools.

We are not asking the Congress to tax the people to furnish us with this surplus equipment; we are merely asking that you transfer title or custodianship from the Federal Government to State and local units of government. We oppose placing these materials on the market for sale at personal, corporate, or governmental profit, thereby depriving our schools of needed help and also entering into competition with industry and causing a curtailment of employment for our returning veterans and war workers.

We do ask that provisions for aiding education in this way be made as a specific mandate in legislation to be passed now. Now is the time-not tomorrow-to plan for effective education of the veterans and the war workers who will need to shift occupational skills immediately upon reconversion of war offices and factories to peacetime production. Without knowing now that such equipment and supplies will be available, we cannot plan effectively. We cannot wait for the liberalization of present State laws to finance the purchase of such materials. If the supplies on hand at the close of the war are not made available to schools, the education of both veterans and workers must wait, even thought the Government finance the purchase of new equipment, until the wheels of production have turned it out. This may take 2 years or more.

We ask you to give these thoughts your most serious consideration. (The letters referred to by Mr. Moe as being attached, are as follows:)

Senator JAMES E. MURRAY,

Senate Office Building, Washington, D. C.

APRIL 21, 1944.

MY DEAR SENATOR MURRAY: We are informed that a hearing will be held in the United States Senate on May 5, 1944, concerning the disposal by the United States Government of equipment no longer necessary to the conduct of the War, including radio, visual aids, aircraft and parts, etc.

It is our desire that a part of this material be made available for use in the teaching process by Montana public schools.

Mr. M. P. Moe, secretary of the Montana Education Association, is authorized to speak for our association at the hearing, and we trust that your committee will give thoughtful consideration to his remarks.

With best wishes,

Cordially yours,

Secretary.

Senator JAMES E. MURRAY,

PUBLIC SHCOLS,

Helena, Mont., April 24, 1944.

Congress of the United States, Washington, D. C.

DEAR SENATOR MURRAY: This is to certify that the Board of School Trustees of Helena has authorized M. P. Moe to represent it at your hearing on distribution of war surplus materials before the War Contracts Sabecmmittee.

The board is in favor of distributing materials useful to schools in their educational and training programs and also for making arrangements to distribute these materials through the established educational authorities on the National, State, and local levels.

Very truly yours,

F. E. YOUNG, Chairman,

J. F. MCBRIDE, Secretary,

Board of School Trustees, Helena, Mont.

Senator JAMES E. MURRAY,

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION,

Helena, Mont., April 29, 1944.

Congress of the United States, Washington, D. C.

DEAR SENATOR MURRAY: It has come to my attention that a hearing will be held in the United States Senate May 5, 1944, concerning the disposal by the United States Government of equipment no longer necessary to the conduct of the war, including radio, visual aids, aircraft and parts, etc.

If this equipment is to be made available to the schools of our Nation we wish Montana to be considered in the distribution as Montana schools could make exellent use of these teaching materials.

We understand Mr. M. P. Moe, executive secretary of the Montana Education Association, is to be present at the hearing and will speak on behalf of several groups. Montana State Department of Public Instruction, included.

Yours very truly,

ELIZABETH IRELAND, State Superintendent of Public Instruction,

98534-44-pt. 5

Helena, Mont., April 25, 1944.

Mr. FLOYD BROOKER,

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION,

Director of Films, Federal Security Agency,

United States Office of Education, Washington, D. C.

DEAR MR. BROOKER: I have been told by Mr. M. P. Moe, executive secretary of the Montana Elucation Association, that he is leaving here to be in Washirgton for a conference on May 5. He expects to there on May 4 and I presume that he will at once make contact with Senator Murray.

The occasion of his visit to Washington seems to be the post-war disposal of material now being used by the armed forces. Since a considerable amount of their matériel may be in the field of visual education I have asked Mr. Moe to discuss with you the needs of Montana for material that could come from the Federal Government to the poorer schools of our State.

If you feel that you will have matériel which could be used by the department of visual aids of the State Department of Public Instruction of Montana, we would be pleased to have same and assure you it would be used to advantage. Your very respectfully,

The bearer, Mr. Martin P. Moe, has talked over his trip to Washington on the release of excess materials to schools in the use in educational process. We feel this would be a fine thing and give them facilities they could not afford otherwise and we concur in this move.

Yours very truly,

MONTANANS, INC.

By A. T. PETERSON, President.

Senator MURRAY. I think you take the position that the State educational institutions can be of great assistance in aiding in the proper disposition of this property?

Mr. McE. Yes, sir.

Senator MURRAY. You don't mean that property should be turned over to the State institutions for disposition, but that they should be able to make recommendations as to how it should be distributed?

Mr. MOE. Yes. I did not mean that the institutions would be the agency desired to distribute, no, but simply that their knowledge and informational needs should be utilized so that would not happen. Recently I heard someone received an airplane and the cost of shipping was so much that they could not pay for it, but that only materials usable were to be distributed. We are not in favor of a plan that would distribute materials to schools they cannot use.

Senator MURRAY. If the State educational institutions had information with reference to the character and extent of the property that would be available for distribution, you could make an estimate on the amount that could be utilized in your State?

Mr. MOE. Yes.

Senator MURRAY. And provide suggestions and advice to the authorities who will be disposing of this property as to just where it should be disposed of in the several States?

Mr. McE. Yes. I believe that in carrying on the work of distribution, the State Department of Education, which has its vocational set-up, particularly could give you informational needs in the various. fields of material that may be available, and could do so on very short

notice.

Senator MURRAY. Do you think the legislation that might be enacted should only permit the State educational institutions to have certain priorities, or should there be a firm mandate that they be required to distribute this property to the greatest extent necessary to the educational institutions of the country?

Mr. MOE. Immediately when the war is over, and, in fact, right now, the problem is appearing, but only on a small scale. But immediately when the war is over there will be thousands returning who will want to be retrained. We need that material now, because although we have been furnishing a great deal of material in our training of the 9.000.000 war workers in the past 3 or 4 years, that material is just about worn out and used up. For instance, in this school in Helena in a 2-year period they carried on on a four-shift basis, 6 hours each, for the full 24 hours, and they have actually utilized this material in the 2-year period equivalent to about 10 years of normal service. And we need it now so that we can be ready. We are already training some of the returning veterans in this very school and not some others, and we cannot wait for the others if we are to do the job.

Senator MURRAY. You then urge that legislation should provide ways and means of carrying out a program of that kind?

Mr. MOE. Yes. I do not believe that such legislation would be in conflict with Mr. Clayton's viewpoints. As this is not going on the market to dispose of materials.

Senator MURRAY. No. It would be practically withdrawing it from the market.

Mr. MOE. Yes.

Senator MURRAY. And protecting industry from being flooded with a lot of property while at the same time carrying on a very important function of education and training.

Mr. MOE. Yes.

Senator MURRAY. Which would be valuable to the country?
Mr. McE. Yes.

Mr. GWYNNE. Mr. Moe, your notion is that this material should be turned over to these schools without charge?

Mr. MOE. Yes, as nearly as possible. I did mention that probably the cost of distribution, handling, and so on

Senator MURRAY. Has any Federal agency yet asked you what surplus property you might be able to use?

Mr. McE. None has come to my attention, although Miss Ireland did say that someone had written them stating some materials were available at the present time. But her statement was that the trouble