The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1901-07-06
SATURDAY, JULY 6, 1901.
POLICE JURY PROCEEDINGS

The Police Jury met this day. July
2nd, as a Board of Reviewers, with the
following members present: IL. Delhaye'
A. Dobicbaux, j K. Drackett, A. For
tier, G. Henagriff. }. +. Lassus. Alb
sent. Frcre and lbert.
Tie meeting was called to order by the
secretary and on motion duly seconded
IF. Lassus was elected president pro
TEN.
Assessor w. T. Jones presented his
books and there being no opposition the
assessment rolls for the year 1901 were
accepted rs presented.
There being no further business the
Board Of Reviewers adjourned.
J. f. LAssUs, President pro tenn
DUDLEY BERWICK, Secretary.
The Police Jury met in regular session
on Tuesday, July I'd. with the following
members present: II. Delhaye. A. Robl~
chaux, J. r. Drackctt, A. Fortier, G. I.
HenaSriff, J. T. Lassus. Absent, Frerc
and bert.
On motion duly seconded J. F. Lassus
was elected president pro TEN.
The reading of the last minutes was
dispensed with and approved.
On motion the police jury went into
new organization for the ensuing year
The following resolution was pres
cnted and on motion Of j. r. Bracket,
seconded by c. =. Hcnagriff was adopted
viz:
Be it resolved, That this body, the Po-
lice Jury of the Parish Of ST. Mary, re-
elect the present ncumbents to the foi>
" lowing offices: President, secretary,
treasurer and the public printer for the
ensuing year.
: Wilbur Kramer. superintendent parish
schools read the following report and on
motion duly seconded it was ordered
spread on the minutes Of the police jury:
GESTLEMEN-Ib beg to submit herewith
tcanclal statement of the receipts and
disbursements Of the School Board of
this Parish for the past nine scholastic
months. This is practically an annual
statement, for during the coming three
summer months Of vacation. the School
Board enjoys no revenue and has little
expense.
All the Indebtedness of the School
Board has been promptly met and there
is no outstanding indebtedness. The
close of our schools find us with small
surplus in our Treasury. 1t has taken
exceedingly close economy to accomplish
this, and it has compelled the Beard to
view every transaction from the stands
point of pure business. In. II few
transactions the action of the Board
has seemed little hard, but in no case
has the interest of the Public Schools
suffered. l en- proud to say that the
Board has ever taken the stand that in
every TRANSACTION, the interest Of the
schools must come first. The School
Board will not enjoy as large a revenue
for the coming session as it has in the
past. and it will be hard problem to
solve tornn the schools with an increas
ing enrolment anda demand for more
schools and teachers on less money than
we have had this year. We can now do
little more than pay teachers and buy a
limited amount of furniture. The school
houses will soon need repairs and more
furniture. can see no possible solution
to the problem other than local taxation
for the Parish schools.
The School Board will do the best that
il can by each community, and will have
to look to each community to supplement
its work with funds raised by local taxa
ton.
l feel that would be derclict in my
duty to not call your attention to your
actien,in not wishing to include the town
of Franklin in your mill Parish budget
for the Public schools.
Without taking up the question Of
your legal right to excuse any one section
of the Parish from its support of the
Public school system, wish to call your
attention to the great wrong you are do
ing the general Parish.
The Parish is the unit of local govern
ment, not the wards or towns The
Parish government must be carried on
first and should take precedence over
every other form of government within
its domain. If community wishes to
incorporate and take up the burdens of
local government this must not be done
at the expense of the general Parish.
There are two things which every town
should be required by the Parish to do
before it should be relieved of Parish
Taxation, to turn into the school treas
ury the same amount as would be collect 4
ed within its jurisdiction before incor-
poration by the Parish, and to pay it's |
proportion Ofifs Criminal expenses.
contend that the town of franklin is not |
doing either bnt Enthusiastically The |
criminal expense Of the Parish is some.
thing more than the board Of prisoner.
The sheriff draws salary as a criminal
officer, the District Attorney draws
salary, jury commissioner, grand sjurics
and petit juries and witnesses are paid
by the Parrish as well as the board of the
prisoners, and the town of Franklin
should be required to pay its pro rata of
the total criminal expense Of the Parish.
This matter does not come within my
province, and l touch upon it merely
because your motion excusing the town
OF Franklin from paying its full school
tax gave as its reason that the town was
paying all Of its criminal expenses; which
am prepared at any time with figures
to show that it is not.
The School Board has the right to ask
that each citizen or community make
the same contributions towards its
revenues as all the other citizens or com
Of the Parish are contributing.
The School board has not the right to
make any distinctions between its citi-
zens and communities in furnishing
them with school facilities, and endeavors
10 give each community school COM
ncnsurate with its needs. Thesneeds of
The Franklin High School are great and
he money. appropriated towards its