The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1901-11-26
lNC0MPETENCY IN
PUBLIC OFFICIALS,
SOME FACTS REVEALED IN REP0iIrS
BEING SENT IN
The Department Of Educat!on- -Chicf Clerk
Mctlheo Talks Eluinly About Some Of
the WoIIS Received from tho S.Yernl
COunllcH
Tho State, 22nl !

Tho State, 22nd
In reply TO al inquiry az to the
progress of thc annual rcp ,rt of the
Superintendent Of Education, Mr.
McGhee Of the State superintendent
Office has givon out tho following in,
teresting facts showing difficulties
encountered:
"We arc still having seemingly
endless trouble in getting accurate
reports from some of tho County Su.
permit endcnts of Education. Several
OF these reports have been sent back
four or five times for correction.
Tho most iiagrant orrors appear in
them; rs, for instance, tho failure of
columns to balance; giving total OK.
penditures one amount on Cno sheet
and another amount on another sheet.
Ono county superintendent had an or
ror Of something over $4,000 in ad-
dition--these in spite of the fact that
the report Of tho county superintend
ent has been very much simphfied
and Supt. McMnhan had printed very
explicit directions for making out
these reports. The county superin
tendents received on an aver
age OF four copies Of these direct
ions at four djiferent times. In nd
dition to these, letters innumerable
and lengthy havo been written ex-
planning points which it is hardly
possible not TO know without expla,
nation. For instance, il has been
necessary to explain IN some cases
that the total expenditures for teach
ers' salaries plus the total expend
tures for all othor purposes make the
total expend; '.cs Tor everything; and
that all the receipts for the county
less all the expenditures for the
county will leave the balance on hand.
"As an example also OF the care
lessness with which some of these
reports are made out, fully one half
Of the reports had to bo sent back for
the addresses Of the chairmen of the
boards of trustees, although this WAS
specifically asked for, ant only q
matter Of few minutes in somo cascs
to give.
"ro illustrate further and more
speciiically in one county there are
nine districts. The county Superin-
tendent reported the receipts from
various sources for each one of these
districts. Whom it came to the State
Superintendent's Office the nine addi-
tions of three items each were made,
and it was found that the county
superintendent had five of these nine
additions incorrect. In this same re-
port there were | | errors in making
out averages.
"Several reports were sent in with
out the additions being made at all.
OF course these were Immediately
sent back. When they returned the
additions were incorrect. After be.
ing sent back several times some of
these are finally in shape to be given
to the printer.
"Such state Of affairs is truly dc
plorable, and we have in this an H.
lustration of the gross incompetency
in some Of our public offices. 1t
seems however, that the grossest and
most criminal incompetency is shifted
off into the educational line. 1t is q
public duty, it seoms to me, devolv
ing upon everyone who has an inter
est, even the most remote, in the cd
ucatioL Of the youth OF our State, to
make efforts to Danish from the CON
troll OF our schools cheap-john poll
ticians. Nothing is meant here
against that class of good, woll mean
ing mon, distinguished for piety and
past services, who by being pnt into
Office thus draw pension for what
they used to be, or what they would
be if they could--except that they
should be relieved of tho manage
ment of the schools"
CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE WORKERS