Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1903-10-08

know that IS per day was the rate
fixed by the law. This transaction is
a forcible illustration OF why all such
accounts should be presented to and
allowed by the county commissioners
before being paid.
From a record shown by the super
intendent, II appears that. beginning
with March % and ending with Aug.
ugt "a. 1903, he and Mr.. Montoya held
special examinations Of teachers on n
separate days. examining only one ap.
plicant on each day. at an expense 70
the general school fund Of $40 per
day for the services pf the two exam
liners, mailing a total Of s2f0. This
Ii hardly Che exercise Of a sound dis.
cretion by the examining board. Many
or thesn examinations were for third
grade certificates, and therefore clear.
~ unauthorized and Illegal. None pt
1.-The papers of any Of these examinat
tIons have been sent 70 The territorial
board DIT Santa Fe, III required BY law,
ana in lais connection II III worthy of
remark that no such examination IA
pers have been sent 10 The territorial
board from this county at any time
since 1901, whether OF special or reg
uIaf examinations.
The county superintendent recently
purchased d large number 81 school
desks. and paid for them and Tor the
freight charges on them, the sum OF
$327.79, by warrants drawn On the
general school fund. This Is entirely
unauthorized by law. Ill all such pur.
chases must be made by the directors
Of the school districts but the su.
p~erlntendent's reason, as stated BY
him, would be d good n X the act
did not involve a violation Of law,
He says that by buying IN quantities
he can get better prices and make the
desks cost the districts much less, and
that as the desks are delivered TO the
district each district thus supplied a
reimburse the general fund. II ought
to be possible, however, for the super-
~intendent TO arrange In some way 70
accomplish this desirable purpose
without violating the law,
About tho beginning of tho present
calendar year nearly $500 worth Of
Office furniture was purchased by the
county superintendent and paid for by
warrants drawn on the school fund,
but none Of the furniture 30 purchased
Is In the Office OF the superintendent
In the county court house. but Is In
the Office OF d weekly newspaper pub.
lished In the city Of Albuquerque,
whore the superintendent says he
keeps another Office. However desir.
able Or convenient II may be for the
superintendent to have other Offices
than the n supplied by the county,
the general school fund should not be
bnrdeneI with the expense OF buying
furniture for such other Offices.
On March IA, 1901. the legislature
enacted a law by which IL vas pro
vidcd that the county school superin.
tendent OF counties Of the first class,
Of which there are only TWO In the ter
rltory. should BIO paid the sun Of IS
for each and every day. not exceeding
three days In any N year, for his
services. expenses and time employed
In visiting each school district during
session Of the school III said district
outside of the n In which he re-
sided, said amount % be paid out Of
the general school fund by the board
uf county commissioners, with a pro
viso that said superintendent should
10 no case charge or be allowed pay
for visiting more than 10 districts
during amy one year. on April 4
1901. the then superintendent Of Ber
%nalIllo county presented to The board
Of county commissioners a bill foi
visiting school districts. not itemized
nor sworn to, In the amount OF sdIa,
which sum was paid TO him from the
general school fund. This was only
eighteen days after the law was On.
acted, and that time could not haze
included more than sixteen sehopl
days.
II has been said that the s1perin
tendent employed other persons tu
make part, AZ least, Of the visits for
him, lie collected from the county
two other bills. made like the first
one. each for s675. on january i.
1902. and October 5, 1902. 30 record
was kept OF the districts visited nor
or the dates when the visits were
made nor 81 the persons by whom
they we're made. Up 10 January 9,
1902, there could not have been over
.I75 DAYS OF school sessions Id the