The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-11-13

Iaaac ". Hull of the State DepartHieh of Education. yesterday transmitted t' Acting Governor Cunningham an ex haustiye report of the work accom- | nlished by his department during thu past two years, the whole tune or Ill l incumbency in office.
 The report deals with every phase oi the educational conditions in Alabams and shows that this Department of the State government has been far from | idle during the two years covered by | the statement.
 Mir. Hill draws especial attention to | the necessity for additional funds for l the rural schools and shows that in l order to meet this necessity the coun- I ties must tax themselves as they are | authorized to do. He sets out his ef- knowledgement of the cooperation he has received from Governor Cunning ham in this movement.
 | The uniform text book law, the re- districting plan, the school census, the ! examination and pay of teachers and | many other matters are treated by Su- perintendent Hill and the report will
 be read with deep interest by all
 friends of education.
 l Full Text of Report.
 l In his report Superintendent Hill
 says:
 Tn compliance with Section 3547 of the Code of Alabama, I herewith re- I spectively submit a report of the De- partment of Education, covering the years ending September 30. 1903. and September 30, 190&. 'The law makes 1t the duty of the Superintendent to devote his time to the care and improvement of the com mon schools and the promotion of ed- ucation. It requires him, as far as practicable, to visit annually every County in the State for the purpose of inspecting the public schools and their management. It is made his duty to diffuse as widely as possible. by per cation, information as to the import ance of public schools and the best methods of their management. It is made his duty, by correspondence, ex- change of official reports and other means, to elicit information relative | to the system of public education ir other States and countries and to dis seminate all useful knowledge regard ! ing the same among the County Super | intendents and other school officers ot l the State.
 Since assuming charge of the office | have endeavored in every possible | way to perform the duties pertaining thereto. have visited a great major | ity of the counties of the State, and | have by personal address and person | al communications. done what could | to disseminate among the people sucI useful knowledge as I could and tC | encourage lively interest in the | cause of public education. That m, work has been at least partially sue.
 cessful is evidenced by the increased II khr.af Ia subject of public education. have | given most assiduous attention to the l rural schools--the common schools. IT l the offices of the Department of Edu. | cation I beg to report that the worI
 has been systematically and prompt, | attended to.
 | Matter of Revenues.
 '"The provision of the present con l stitution, which provides for a specia tax for school purposes, is a great i'm. | provement over the old plan of raising
 revenues. Under the former Constf. tuition 1t meant a fight at every ses. | sion of the Legislature to procure ar
 appropriation for the common schools
 The constitutional provision guaran' l tees a permanent school fund and thi. | fund will not only be increased by ev. | cry raise in the tax valuation of thG State but the Legislature has the pow.
 CT, when the finances of the State will permit. to make an especial appropria.
 tion for the schools.
 l The amount from the special tax re. ported to this ofice on October 1 by
 the State Auditor Is $S79,246.33. This with the Sixteenth Section and other l interest funds, gives for school pur. poses this year the grand total of $1,. | 041,560.97. This does not include tho | poll tax nor the many large appropria. | tions made by cities and towns fol
 the support of schools.
 The Constitution allows counties | under these certain conditions, to lew
 one-mill tax for the support of the
 schools of the County. It is pleasing to note that a good number of countie.
 have ordered elections to be held fol
 the purpose of levying this tax. lief
 ferson, Walker, Talladega, Marion anC
 Tuscaloosa have already levied tn,
 tax. Not a single County in which al
 election has been held up to this da,
 has failed to levy the tax.
 l While the County tax will be O l great assistance to the schools of tn, various counties in which 1t is levied there is still further need for revenue
 There is only one way in which th
 rural schools can be put on a basi
 commensurate with their needs, an, l 1AlS iS Oy dlAOWllS d lOCal IaX Dy 0iS l tricts. The present school fund ca,
 be used for but one purpose-the pay
 ing of teachers. Not a cent can b.
 used for school buildings or for equib | ments or for defraying the actual incl dental expenses of the schools. If al
 lowed local taxation by districts, tn funds raised could be used, if the dis trict authorities saw 1t, for buildin,
 and improving school houses and fo
 other purposes which are absoIutel,
 necessary in order to have an efficien | public school system.
 l As to the School Censua For years there has been a con, | plaint that the school census of th State was padded. As a matter O
 fact. under the old plan of taking tn census. in a great many sections. a,
 actual enumeration was never made | Township trustees. too busy with per l sonal matters to attend to the takin, | of the census without compensation 1 simply made estimates. It is safe f, say that these estimates were neve | too small Seeing the evil whicl
 was naturally arising from thi