Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1902-12-24
.FLEECING Of SCHOOLS
by supply Vendors Sat Upon by
Supt. Hinefnon

Inc heaYy hand Of The law has fall
"a upon sthool-supply vendors who
have for years been engaged in a svs-
tenn OF robbery of the school districts
of the state An order has been is
sued by State superintendent J. H.
Hlnemon, directed to the county ex-
amlners, county treasurers and direc-
tors, cancelling all approvals of such
supplies and declaring all warrants
drawn for that purpose from and after
January E, 1903, shall be null and void
The order is drastic and will be far
reaching IN its effect. Since Super
lntenGent HinemOn has not approved
any OF the supplies, the question arises
whether or not the warrants issued for
such since November / when his
administration began. are also invalid
under the law. If they are, then the
y banks that have already dlscouatcd
such warrant, will be invol Cd, AID
litigation of more Or less genera!
character is sure to enSue.
For some time the department. of
education has been receiving com.
plants from all over the state of the
operation of these map and chart sell.
ers and the evil has become so great
that some vigorous course had become
imperative to prevent it. The WHY
agents have induced directors every
where to believe that as their supplies
had received the approval of the state
superintendent they were virtually re-
quired by law to make the purchases.
and that they could not only eXpend
the special fund of $25 set apart by
the legislature, but make inroads upon
the general fund to whatever extent
they might choose. An investigation
made Of the various counties shows
the following as some of the amounts
that have been spent for these supplies
during the present year: S2,319ft.
Sis71s.5G, $t.5on $1.S79 $2604. $1,000.
One eountrH school district in another
county spent Sic for worthless maps,
charts and globes for plunder and
trash, as superintendent Hinemon
calls it, that Is absolutely SO much
dead WEIGHT UHm the school Term
down 10 nothing. FoG instance.
small country school would be inauaea
= ay false representations 10 pay So for
IA globc whea oae costing $50 Voul9
be as scrvieeabIe.
On October II State saperintend-
'ent J. J. Doyne addressed one of
the firms that have been engaged in
this raid on=the school fund. as fol-
lows:
Letters come to our office very fre-
quently (some of course may be
very much eXaggerated), stating that
school boards We're induced to make
purchases through misrepresentation.
You must pardon me for writing to
you in this way. but | feel that prob
ably you do not know what your agents
are doing in this respect and unless
you take some prompt step in putting
an end to these misrepresentation
on the part Of your agents, you are
likely to get into some trouble in the
courts"
One of the county examiners, in
writing to Superintendent Hinemon,
says:
III you are after the fakirs who are
robbing the children under the guise
of furnishing them modern appliances
for school work, am with you heart
and soul. The best appliance Or help
that any district school can have is a
strong teacher drawing more than
$50 month"
Superintendent Hinemon's Letter.
Below is the circular issued by Sup
/. erintendent Hinemon:
i Department of Public Instruction, Lit
tie Rock, Ark.
X December %, 1902.
To County Examiners, County Treas
urers and School Directors Of the
State of Arkansas:
Gentlemen--Section 7045 of our
school laws provides that school direc-
tors may expend annually out of the
common-school fund not more than
twenty-five dollars ($25) during any
one year for any school under their
control for maps, charts, globes, ETC.,
j provided said apparatus meets the ap-
a 80 %k1 o&o%o in<a Of