St. Landry democrat., 1885-09-26
The Sixteenth Section School
Claims.
sneciaI 10 the TimesDemoerat.

BATON ROUGE, Sept. 14.-In conver-
sation with Hon. o. B. Steele, State
Auditor, to-day relative to the dlflcul-.
ties in the way Of prompt settlement
of the sixteenth section school claims,
The Times-DemOcrat correspondent
obtained the following statement OF
facts, which threw additional light on
the subject: -.
In February last the State Auditor
issued circular in which he stated
that article 293 of the Constitution likes
the debt due by the State to the school
fund at 81 ,130,967 so, and as the limit
has not been reached the several town
ships which by error or omission nave
not received the amount to which they
are entitled, will, upon satisfactory eV-
idence, be given the proper credits.
Capt. Steele explains that the contu-
sion in these accounts extends from
1849 to 1878, and was partly caused by
the creation of new parishes and the
frequent changes in the parish lines.
Many school land warrants for shortage
were issued through error, sold, and
placed to the credit of townships. At
terWard the moneo thus placed was
refunded by act of the Legislature.
Also the sales of many sixteenth sec
tions of school lands have been an
nulled, yet no evidence of such appears
on the township ledger, and the lnterst
has been paid on them regularly.
Capt Steele states that many notes
have been prescribed, and Others have
been collected by parish treasurers and
district attorneys, and il they were ever
paid into the State Treasure no evil
dence can be found of the honey. In
order to prevent the townships in one
parish from drawing the interest due
to townships in other parishes, as has
| been the case, and to obtain proper
credits the Auditor suggests that School
| Boards in the several parishes OF the
| State should examine the records in the
office of the recorder of mortgages for
| the purpose of ascertaining what parts
of the eighteenth section school lands
have been sold, and to whom sold,
what sales have been annnlled, and
| to ascertain what suits for the collection
sixteenth section notes have been filed.
He states that the records in the Audi
tors office are too incomplete to at
tempt to attempt to give the proper
credits, and to do such will necessitate
an examination of the records, extend
ing back to 1849. The limited clerical
force in the office of the Auditor will
4 pACFCuU 41OAll NOIA4% OdAS W va ~
without aid from such parishes as may
desire or ask for corrections or addi-
| tiOnal credits.
The Auditor states that he has been
unable to obtain the data from which
the constitutional convention fixed the
amount due the Townships. It is evi-
dent to him that there was good deal
of guesswolk on the part of the COM
mittee who made such report fixing the
debt due the townships.
Capt. Steele states that all moneys
which have been paid into the State
Treasury from sales of sixteenth Sec
/ tion school lands, made since the adop-
tion of the Constitution of 1879, have
been invested by the Governor, Treas
urer and Auditor in Louisiana pei
cent. bonds, which at the present price
of the State bonds will give an annual
interest of over per cent, which being
in excess of the interest fixed by law
the surplus will stand as an accumulat-
ing fund to the credit of the township
so that that the townships who had
such credits prior to July last will be
able after Jan. next to obtain their in.
terest without waiting for legislative
apprOpropriation.