HOUSE DOCUMENTS.

REPORT of Select Committee.

The select committee, to whom was referred the petition of Sam'l Doty and eighteen others, inhabitants of Washtenaw, praying for the extension of time in collecting a school tax, levied in school district No. 6, in the township of Manchester, roport the following statement of facts, with the opinion of the committee on the same, and the action which they would respectfully advise in the premises.

From the statement of the petitioners, corroborated by the testimony of Dr. Magoon, a member of the House, it would appear that the electors of school district No. 6, in the township of Manchester, county of Washtenaw, voted a school tax of two hundred dollars, for the erection of a school house in said district; but, that from the fewness of the inhabitants, and the unfortunate destruction of their crops during the past season, they have been rendered unable to meet the incurred liabilities without great pecuniary sacrifices.

Although your committee, under the apparent equity of the claim for an extension of time, have been induced to recommend a partial concession of the Legislature, to the prayer of the petition, they would, at the same time, express their conviction of the doubtfulness of that policy, which, if often or indiscreetly sanctioned, would embarrass and ultimately subvert our educationary system, by undue in terference with its laws.

Your committee deem it unwise to interfere with the operation of a settled and equitable system, by legalizing errors, or relieving from self imposed responsibilities. But while they would assert the correctness of the principle, they would, in this instance, advise a trivial departure from the great embarrassment to which the improvidence