The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-07-13
PAY OF THE PEDACOCUES.
The Money Now on Hand 70 Be Used
TO Meet Their Claims.

Attorney General Terrell Renders an
Opinion That Treasurer Hardeman
Can Exercise His Own Discretion as
to the Use of the Funds-The Teach
ers May Not Get Any More Money
Until January.
Atlanta, Ga, July 12-Attorney Gen
eral Terrell to-day submitted his opinion
on the law providing for the quarterly
payment Of school teachers by the state,
in accordance with a request made by
State Treasurer Hardeman for his con-
struction of that section of the new law
relating TO the borrowing and repayment
of the $500, 900 necessary to meet the first
quarterly payments last April. The
point raised was that the money belong
ing TO the school fund now in the treasury
should be applied to the repayment of the
$500, 900 borrowed in April, instead of pay
ing it out to the teachers for the
second quarter Of the year ending June
30. If the money had to go to pay back
this loan there would be nothing left to
pay the teachers, and. in fact they would
not get any more money before January,
1895. Then the whole intention of the
quarterly payment law would be de-
feated.
LEFT WITH TIE TREASURER.
Attorney General Terrell takes liberal
view of the law, intending to apply it in
spirit as long as it does not conflict with
any other interest of the state. He
holds that IL is discretionary with the
state treasurer whether the school money
now on hand which is about $3.50, 900,
shall go toward the payment of the $780,
900 loan of last April, or whether it shall
hH
their salaries due for the quarter ending
June 30. The treasurer is to be guided in
his actions by the conditions of the treas
ury and the demands of the state.
When the attorney generals opinion
was placed in Treasurer Hardeman's
hands he promptly announced that the
conditions of the treasury is such as to
warrant the extension of the $500, 600 loan
made to the school fund last April
out of other funds on hand until the taxes
come in next fall. This leaves the school
money now in the treasury at the disposal
of School Commissioner Bradwell, who
will at once proceed to apportion it out to
the teachers, giving each pro rata of the
amount due, the sum on hand not being
sufficient to pay all salaries in full. The
commissioner has already audited the
accounts and will begin paying off at
once. The teachers expected their money
July 1, and have been in suspense since
that date.
ANOTHER WAIT BEFORE THEM.
Even after this payment however, the
teachers will not get much more money
before next January. The quarterly pay
ment law, it seems, does not fit the stu
atoms. Treasurer Hardeman's figures
show that when the next quarter day
comes around there will only be about
$4,000 in the treasury available for the
payment of the teachers. This is due to
the fact that the April loan of $500, 900
was not made just as the law provided
1t should have been made so as to be on
hand now instead of having been applied
to meet the first quarters payment, but
the apDortioning board overruled him.
and the consequence is that the quarterly
payment law, which the school teachers
hailed as godsend is only partially
effective