The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-11-13

southeast Alabama towns, it has some thing to show for 1t. From the funds derived from the sale of these bonds the city built school houses, water works and electric light plant. and these 1t owns and controls today.
 Public Education.
 Public school and popular educational facilities are the watehwords here, as elsewhere in this entire section. The peo- pie are welded to the idea of graded schools, and the man who opposes them is politically dead, if not socially ostra- cised. Troy is the seat of the State Nor maj school. This school occupies a handsome brick building a gift of the city of Troy. The enrolment this year is about 300.
 The city has just completed a large, handsome, modern graded school at cost of s2s,0O0. This school has an en- rollment of 400 or more. The public schools are under control of a board of education, elected by the city council The doors are open for nine months in the year, and the doors of private schools open no more forever in these parts.
 The Municipality. The municipality has a progressive ad- 1 | mayor and the aldermen are Messrs. B. M. Tolbert, ". c. Windham, James Wal ters, H. D. Boyd, Jr., J. F. Youngblood . and E. R. Griffith.
 The city tax rate is only one-ha1f of per cent.
 Troy ran the open saloon until about six or seven years ago, and then by vote closed up and established a city dispen- | sary, which I am informed nets about i $12, 900 per annum, one-half of which sum goes directly to the public schools the /, other half to the general fund of the 7 city.
 The police expense is very light here only four men being employed in that de- pertinent.
 Business in Cotton. I There are six large cotton warehouses ir Troy, and they are all quite busy and 1 full just now. They received this year | 1SO0O to 20O00 bales of the staple from wagons besides a vast number of bales which come to the compress here for re- | shipment Cotton men of Troy seem quite modest in estimating receipts, claiming nothing except what comes to this market for sale.
 The Standard Chemical and oil com l pany, large corporation owned by local men, has here two immense plants, which ] give employment to many people, and ship their product to all parts of the 1 state.
 Troy has three f1ourishing banks, two | of them national banks. They have com bned capital and surplus exceeding $325,- 900, and average deposits of nearly Sl,- 1 GOO, GOO.
 l The churches of Troy are many. They are imposing buildings and have large memberships. Just now the Methodists are erecting a beautiful edifice in the very business center of the city, which is to cost $30,000.
 County of Pike. This county of Pike is one of the thriftiest in the state. For years 1t has produced the necessities of life at home. The surface is rolling and the soil gen. orally light, with valuable exceptions The county is watered by the Conecuh and the Pea, with numerous creeks and branches.
 The Atlantic Coast Line and the Cen tral of Georgia railroads interseet at this point, both affording frequent schedules to the people.
 The farmers of Pike are reported to be in excellent financial condition this sea- son. They owe but little money, as is evidenced by the fact that, although they have picked practically all of their cot ton, not over 65 per cent of it has been marketed. They seem to be in no hurry about that matter.
 | The relative position of Pike as a cotton growing county of Alabama Is placed by the federal census as third or fourth; but I am informed that this is not altogether fair, as Pike claims to produce more cotton, according to acre. age than any county in the state. The people of this county are quite pro- gressive in their views. They voted last Tuesday a bond issue of $150000 for the improvement of public roads, and will use the sand-clay system as the best and most economical for this section.
 The City hotel. T. M. Mabson, proprie- tor, does the real hotel business of the city, and it is one of the very pleasant stopping places on the road. Goou ser vice and courteous attention are observ- able at this hotel.