Omaha daily bee., 1903-04-13
TEACHERS ASK MORE WAGES
How to Secure Increase Principal Topic of
State Convention.
CLOSING UP THE STATE CONTRACTS
Council Bluffs Firm Gets the one
for Putting n New Copper Roof
on the state Capitol
Building.
CLOSING UP THE STATE CONTRACTS
cFrom a STAFF Correspondent

CFrom a STAFF Correspondent
DIES MONIES, April 12.-(Special.)-The
question Of compensation for the teachers
In the schools Of Iowa and the betterment
OF their social and financial condition will
be the topic uppermost at the next meet
ing OF the Iowa State Teachers association,
scheduled for Des Moines December 2s next.
This topic was decided upon at the last
state convention, when the topic was given
the State Educational council as a special
one to be reported on in one year. But
aside from this 1t was decided at the meet
ing held here the past week by the mem
bers Of the executive committee of the as
ISOLATION that on the program there should
be topics like manual training in the rural
and town schools of Iowa, the effect OF
the new compulsory education law, the
better utilization Of school property and
the frightening of the school terms, AL
ready, as the result Of the agitation COM
menced by the state superintendent and
prominent educators last winter, there has
been material improvement in the wage
question as 1t relates to the teachers Of
the state and reports indicate that next
year better prices will be paid in this state
than for many years. The manual training
subject has been put before the people
vi II NhV e
law is working we'll. AS a part of the
question of increasing the annual COM
pensation to teachers the frightening of
terms is being urged. Des Moines will next
year have ten months Of school instead of
nine and this is the tendency in the state.
This matter will be given a place on the
program next winter. The members of the
program committee will be given some
time to plan for the work and then a meet
ing will be held to exchange ideas. No
person has as yet been selected to deliver
a lecture before the association. 1t has
been customary to secure someone from
outside the state who is not engaged di-
rectly in educational work.
State Superintendent Barrett held a
conference with county superintendent at
Waterloo on Tuesday and Wednesday OF
last week. This week he holds a similar
conference in his office in the department
Of education for the superintendent Of
central and southwestern Iowa. On Thurs
day he also holds the last of the series Of
such conferences In Sioux City.
Duty of Caution at Crossings.
The supreme court has Just passed on a
question in relation to the duty Of per-
sons at crossings, not before the court in
any other case. 1t was in the case OF
Defriese against the Illinois Central Rail-
road, in which the plaintiff was injured by
a train at a private crossing which was
near a public crossing. The question was
whether the person crossing had a right to
rely on the usual signals given for the
public crossing. The court holds that
there is no law requiring any signals at
private crossings, but, following the line
Of preoedents established in this state to
their logical conclusion, the man had a
right to rely on the signals which should
have been given at the public crossing
nearby. This does not excuse hin from
the necessity of caution, which is required
and expected Of every person at every rail-
road crossing. The question was an en-
tirely new one.
In a suit from Muscatine county the
court has held that the county need not
pay for the cost of cleaning UP premises
where there has been smallpox and i'm
posing the disinfection.
H. G. McMillen, United States attorney
for the northern district of Iowa, is plain
tin in a suit Just appealed to the supreme
court. He sued the American Express
company for the value of a Jersey COW in
jured in shipment to his farm at Rock
Rapids and obtained Judgment for $143.
The company has appealed.
Closing Up state Contracts. .
The state capitol commission has just
closed the contract for the new roof to
be placed on the capitol building. 1t will
be of copper and the contract goes to the
Grahl- Peterson company of Council Bluffs
for $40, 178. The work will be commenced
at once. The state capitol now has a slate
roof, but 1t is badly in need OF repairs.
The contract was let by the board Of
control for a complete system of water
works at the states School for Girls at
Mitchellville. 1t includes a large water
tank and water mains, with thirteen
~hydrants and standpipes in the buildings,
so that the state property there will be
entirely safe from fire.
The board has Just let the contract for
two chimneys at the state hospital at Mt.
Pleasant and the penitentiary at Fort Madi-
son, respectively. They will cost the state
$13, 800.