Newspaper Page Text
Official Organ Ben Hill County.
A Brief Outline Of
New School
Atlanta—In view of the general
interest in the educational bill
which has just become law, State
School Commissioner M. L. Brit-
tain has prepared the following
outline of this important school
measure.
The feature of the bill may be
grouped i under six heads,
place of the old state
hr^Pyof education, composed
mainly of ex-cfficial members,
there is now a body increased as
to number, duties and power. On
this board are the governor, state
superintendent of schools, and
four men appointed by the gover¬
nor. At least three* of these men
shall have’had practical experience
and be of high standing in educa» :
tional work. They receive a nomi
nal salary of $250 annually. The
state board provides rules and
courses of study for the schools of
the state with the exception of the
independent municipal system.
2. The state school commission¬
er is made state superintendent of
schools, and in addition to previ-
ous duties, is secretary and exe¬
cutive of the new state board, re¬
ceiving a salary of $3,000 annual¬
ly. Eligibility for this office un¬
der the new law requires three
years practical experience as a
teacher, or a diploma from a col¬
lege or normal school and high
educational standing in the state.
He has the power to suspend a
county superintendent for neglect
of duty or misconduct and is
charged with the enforcement ©f
the rules and regulations of the
state board.
3. The title of county school
commissioner is charged t:> coun¬
ty superintendent of schools. The
minimum salary is $450 annually,
with the provision of $150 for ex¬
penses besides. This official is
required to visit eveiy school in
his county at least once every
sixty days, ^here j s no ij m jt to
the maximum salary as provided
by the old law, and hence a coun¬
ty board of education has the
right of a city or town board t<?
pay the superintendent in accord¬
ance with the value of his services.
This new law does not change in
any way the election and tenure
of office of the officials recently
Igg^d who enter upon the their spring work of
most part in
4. Three school supervisors
one auditor are to be appoint
ed by the state superintendent in
connection with the state board.
supervisors are charged with
duty of conducting institutes,
have been heretofore under
direction of miscellaneous
frequently without especial
or fitness. In addition,
supervisors are to inspect
id familiarize themselves with
tual school conditions in the
inous counties and endeavor to
tnedy these under the advice and
direction of the state superintend¬
ent. of schools.
The supervisors shall have had
least three years experience in
a diploma from a college
normal school, or five years’ ex-
in actual supervision. •
The auditor is also appointed by
state superintendent with the
duty of auditing the books and ac-
counts of the county superintend-
local school systems, and all
schools receiving state aid.
He is allowed traveling expenses
a salary of $2,000 annually.
5. County boards of education
permitted to consolidate
and to provide transpor-
when necessary, thus giving
for strong central
whenever possible in
SEMI-WEEKLY
Fitzgerald
FITZGERALD , BEN HILL COUNTY, GEORGIA, AUGUST 29, 1911.
Sweeps
Atlantic Coast
Savannah, Ga., Aug. 27.—Sud'
denly appearing off the cost of
South Carolina and Georgia this
morning, a storm that reached a
milc-a-rainute velocity over Sav¬
annah tonight, venting its force
on glass windows, signs, street
lamps and trees, put all wires be-
tween Savannah and Cnarleston
out of commission and at an early
hour isolated that city and Beau¬
fort, S. C.
South of Savannah there is
slight damage to wires, the storm’s
operations being confined to this
city and the region north of here.
At 10:55 o’clock tonight, when
the local weather office closed, the
barometer stood at 29.58 and was
falling.
Earlier in the night the local
wireless station was in communica¬
tion with a number of ships at sea.
The Clyde Liner Apache, from
New York, was off the Charleston
harbor unable to go in on account
of the rough seas. The Mohawk,
of the same line, was unable to
leave Charleston.
The Merchants and Miners’
Transportation Company’s steam¬
er, Cretan, due here tonight, will
not be able to dock before tomor¬
row, noon, on account of the
storm. All vessels in communica¬
tion with the local wireless station
report unusually heavy seas, rising
suddenly.
Very high tides are reported
from Tybee Island and earlier be¬
fore the Tybee Island.
Efforts to get into communi¬
cation by wireless with Charleston
also failed and nothing is known
here cf the extent of damage
there. There is a very large num¬
ber of Savannahians who formerly
resided in Charleston ai d there
was considerable uneasiness ap¬
parent here tonight on account of
the failure to hear from that city.
The storm came as a sudden
surprise to shipping. It was born
at sea and struck almost without
warning. Blazing rockets were
sent far into the murky sky above
Savannah tonight, warning inhabi¬
tants of exposed islands along the
Georgia coast.
Mr. Merrill Jones, of Gaines¬
ville, is in the city, visiting his
brother, Mr. H. E. Jones, of the
Fitzgerald Marble Works.
place of one-room schools. They
have the right to consolidate dis¬
tricts as well as schools, although
they are required to submit the
matter to the vote of the patrons
when as many as ten object to the
consolidatioh.
9. Certification of teachers re¬
ceives attention—public school
teachers being required to pass
examination and to have license as
provided by the state board of
education. However, local muni¬
cipal schools may be delegated the
authority to examine and license,
the state board preserving the
right to revoke this authority
whenever a system of schools re¬
laxes the standard or fails to give
examination.
The bill is the result of efforts
made by the educational organiza¬
tions of the state for the past six
years. That they were crowned
with success is due largely to
Representatives White Beck
Foster and Senator Beauchamp,
the first named having prepared
the bill. The legislation is
far reaching than that requested
by the teachers and in this
vision for an active state board,
thorough supervision and
of school funds, it is believed
be the most important
measure passed in years.
J\iry Disagrees
In. Fenn Case
Cordele, Ga., Aug. 26.—Af¬
ter having been out thirty hours
with the jury hopelessly disagreed,
Judge Strozier, in the city court
today, declared a mistrial in the
case of Mrs. A. B. Fenn, of Cor¬
dele, against the Southern States
Insurance Company, of Alabama,
which has occupied practically
the time o f the court since
Tuesday afternoon, The
suit was brought by Mrs. Fenn
for the recovery of $5,000, the
face value of a policy carried in
this company by her late husband
Mr. A. F. Fenn, who is alleged to
have been accidentally drowned in
A palachacola at a point about fif¬
teen miles south of River June
tion, Fla., on April 20, 1910,
while enroute upon the river in a
small rowboat m company with
two other men by the name of
Land and Roberts, who reside near
Tifton.
The body of Mr. Fenn has nev¬
er been recovered, and it is th©
contention of the insurance com¬
pany, owing to conflicting testi¬
mony, that Fenn was not drowned
at the time and place alleged in
the plaintiff’s petition.
Upon the verdict in this case
depends the outcome of a similar
suit brought b y the plaintiff
against the Greensboro Life &
Annuity Co., ©f Greensboro, N.
C., for $10,000.
The case has been hard fought
and has attracted considerable at-
tention throughout the entire
county; owing to the prominent
connections in the case. The
plaintiff was represented by Crura
& Jones, of Cordele, while the de¬
fendant was represented by Hill &
Dennard, of Cordele, and Jackson
& Orme, of Atlanta.
Judge Pa.rker
To Enter Ra.ce
Waycross, Ga., August 27.—
Lacking only the formal an¬
nouncement of the candidate, and
having statements from close
friends to corroborate it, comes
the report today that within a
short time, probably this week,
T. A. Parker, judge of the Way-
cross circuit, will be in the race
for governor of Georgia on the
prohibition issue. Previous to the
announcement of Judge Russell
on local option J udge Parker, re
ceived numerous letters asking
him to make the race as a south
Georgia candidate. Judge Parker
had not fully considered the ques¬
tion, having several sessions of
court on hand at the time.
Local parties have undertaken
the raising of a campaign fund
for Judge Parker and committees
will announce to him the plans
along this list early in the week.
In addition to the pressure that
is being brought on Judge Park¬
er’s entry from this section, vari¬
ous sections ot the state are rep¬
resented in the letters received,
since the whisky question entered
the camoaign. Judge Parker has
always been a prohibitionist, con¬
ducting meetings in many parts
of the state in the cause of this
movement. He takes a strong
view along prohibition lines and
has indorsements of prohibition
leaders in Georgia.
Notice!
Attention is called to the adver¬
tisement of the Georgia Southern
and 1 lorida Ry., appearing else¬
where in this paper in regard to
the excursion to Jacksonville, St.
Augustine and Tampa, Sept. 1?.
Don’t fail to read it.
Union Waging Gree\.t
Fight To Maintain
Cotton Price.
Union City, Ga., August 28.—
National President Barrett, of the
Farmer’s Union, today made his
first official expression regarding
the attitude of that big organiza¬
tion in the battle that is coming
this fall to maintain the price of
cotton at a proper level,
“The Farmers’ Union,” says
President Barrett, issues an
tation to the entire south to co¬
operate with him in saving to this
section many million dollars on
the cotton crop of 1911-12. It is
for the merchant, the business
man, the banker, the smallest citi¬
zen, no less than the farmer, to
figure the ditferenee between 8 or
9-cent cotton and 13 or 14 cent
cotton. The fight we are going to
win is not alone in behalf of the
farmer. It is waged in the interest
of a southern business world as a
whole. To that degree it is not
only the duty, but the individual
profit for every element in the
southern states to join hands with
the banners’ Union to the end
that the powerful machinery of
this organinntion may be brought
to bear with complete success up¬
on the present situation.
“hold your cotton.”
To the farmer, whether or not a
member of the Farmers’ Union,
my imperative advice, is ‘hold
your cotton.’ It is worth infinite¬
ly more than the price now quot¬
ed. Yon should first go to your
local banker, if you are in debt,
and borrow sufficient money, with
cotton as collateral, to enable you
to hold. Your own banker knows
you best and it is to his interest to
aid you in the tight. Should he
fail you—and I don’t think he
will—you can depend upon us for
assistance.
The Farmers’ Union does not
intend that a clique of bear gam¬
blers or domestic and foreign
spinners shall combine to dictate
the price of our product or rob
the section of a tremendous sum
of money. It is for the soutn we
are working. Now is the time
for every southerner to prove his
business insight and it is not the
time for hypocritical pretensions.
It is a cold matter of dollars and
cents. If the farmer suffers, the
business man, every business in¬
terest suffers along with him.
It is no longer possible to pro¬
duce cotton for 8 or 9 cents at a
profit. If we could return to the
old prices for mules, supplies, farm
machinery, land itself, the propo¬
sition would be feasible. But as
we cannot the farmer must insist
upon the price of his product be¬
ing maintained upon a level with
that of every other product.
CROP NOT SO LARGE AS REPORTED
The south ought to be abund¬
antly able to finance and hold its
own principal product. The ac¬
complishment should be a matter
of pride as well as of common
sense. Practical men realize that
the cotton crop of the opening
season will not be nearly so large
as it has been reported. We, who
have investigated, know that there
will be a demand, at a fair price,
for every pound of the staple pro¬
duced. The main thing is for the
farmer, large and small, organ¬
ized and unorganized, to gat to¬
gether and resolve that he will
not be cheated out of the result of
his toll.
Every solitary southerner is in¬
terested in the same result. And
to each one, in whatever calling,
I extend a cordial invitation to
work with us for his own mone¬
tary interest, no less than that
the farmer. As for the latter,
Damage at Charleston
Told in Nutshell
Twenty lives reported iost.
More than a score of persons in¬
jured.
Property loss estimated at one
million dollars.
Wind velocity, 94 miles an hour.
Bridge across Ashley river,
mile in length, destroyed.
Street cars stalled in the streets
throughout city.
No telegraph, telephone lines
since Sunday afternoon.
Considered more serious than
the great storm of same date,
eighteen years ago.
Low sections of the city are en¬
tirely inundated.
Train service to and from
Charleston i s badly crippled,
trains being unable to get within
two miles of city.
Wind velocity so high in weath¬
er bureau tha't the register breaks.
All mills lose their smokestacks
and many roofs are blown away.
U. S, SKovild Control
New Cape Cod Canal
Monument Beach, Mass., Aug.
26j|—August Belmont believes that
the Cape Cod canal, now under
construction, should be taken ov¬
er by the federal government. In
a statement given out here the
financier says:
The United States government
should intercede in this canal mat¬
ter and make it deeper and wider
so that it would be navigable to
the largest ships of the navy. If
the canal is to achieve its highest
usefulness it should accommodate
the largest naval vessels and
should therefore be 9 feet deeper
and 100 feet wider. It is now 25
deep and will accomodate all coast¬
wise shipping.
The canal will be completed in
1913, opening up one of the most
picturesque sections of New Eng¬
land.
another season or two of fair pric¬
es mean absolute emancipation
from debt. That thought snould
be sufficient to nerve him for the
battle, especially when he is as¬
sured assistance in its winning.
OKLAHOMA CONVENTION
Captain Reuben F. Kolb, com¬
missioner of agriculture of Ala¬
bama, has called a meeting of the
commissioners of agriculture of
the southern states and of all in¬
terested parties, barring none, to
devise means for maintaining the
price of cotton. This conference
will follow the Farmer’s Union
convention to be held at Shawnee
Oklahoma, September 5, and the
convention will be liberally, if
not as a body, represented at the
conference, I urge all southerners
who realize the importance of the
occasion to meet with the com¬
missioners and with members of
the Farmers’ Union in this con¬
ference. Let all come, not to dis¬
cuss the farmers’ greatness, which
may be taken for granted, nor any
other subject but the securing of a
proper price for cotton. That is
a big enough job for a gathering
composed o f the south’s best
brains, and it should not be inter-
ferred with by hot air or discus¬
sions admirable in their way, but
without any bearing on the para¬
mount issue.
Prompt action taken by this
joint conference, following] the
policies outlined at the Farmers’
Unionjconvention, will bring “tri¬
umph in a campaign which no
southerner, however humble can
afford in self-interest and patriot¬
ism to ignore.
Official Organ of Ben
Hill County. $f.5G
a Year.
‘^AAA A /V W
VOL. XVI NO 55
The Sydney luvenile
Quartet At Lyric
The Sydney Juvenile Quartette
scored a big hit with the audi¬
ence at the Lyric Theatre last
night. The quartette is compos¬
ed of a young lady with her
three younger brothers, each one
of whom is a talented musician.
Their program last night consist¬
ed mainly of violin renditions
and vocal selections, and each
number well deserved the hearty
applause which came from the
large audience. The quartet will
be on again tonight and tomorrow
night with something new each
time, and for furnishing high-
class amusement, they are hard
to beat.
First Woman in Charge
Postal Savings Bank
Los Angeles, Cal., Aug. 28.—
When the postal savings bank
opens in Los Angeles, about the
middle of September, it is to be
in charge of Mrs. B. C. Shelton.
Mrs. Shelton for years has been
assistant superintendent of the
money order division in the local
postoffice and was formerly con¬
nected with the auditor’s depart¬
ment in the general postoffice
department at Washington. It
is believed that Mrs. Shelton is
the first woman to be placed in
charge of any postal savings
bank.
Of
School Children
The work of registering the
children in school is going on.
About one hundred weie register¬
ed Saturday and Monday. Parents
are urged to send their children
promptly, to avoid a rush at the
end o f the week. This work
be finished before Saturday.
It is especially important that
those who have conditions to re¬
move should come early.
The registration of pupils thru
the office enables us to get more
information concerning each pupil.
It also enables us to keep up with
the ‘pay’ pupils better. Further¬
more it will lessen considerably
the work of opening the schools
next week, it is hoped that the
parents and pupils will see it as
forth above and will respond
wilfingly.
We cannot urge too strongly the
and desirability of
child’s entering school next
Monday, Sept. 4th. A certain
who never lost a battle,
as the reason, “I always got
there first with the most men. ”
Now let every one get there the
first day. An old saying is,
“that a good beginning is half the
battle.” There is no question but
that starting on the first day is a
good beginning.
So let us see that our children
are there the first day and let us
make an endeavor to keep them
there every day of the school
yoar. Promptness and regularity
of habits is just as important as
the mathematics, English, geogra¬
phy, etc. Then let us begin early
and persist in this character form¬
ation along the right lines.
E. E. Sams, Sup’t.
Automobilists in this section
and the general public will be
interested to know that the
Irwinville Bridge across the
Allapaha river, has been [rebuilt
and is now ready for use.
For profit read The Leader ad¬
vertisements.