Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1905-12-19
airy appurtenances for keeping
and working the same.
Pensions

We feel assured that pensions
Ire being paid which do not come
within strict construction of the
aw governing such cases and, be-
-ieving that just such conditions
must exist in other counties in the
state we would respectfully recon-
mend that our representatives in
the Legislature lend their efforts
towards the passage of a bill to
provide for special agent who
shall revise the pension list in
this, as well as every other county
in the state.
Clerk of the Court
Upon investigation we find the
clerks books properly and neatly
kept, and we congratulate the
county upon it's type written
records.
Tax Receiver
A special committee was subdi-
vided into several subcommittee,
composed of two or more represen.
tatives from each district of the
county. Such special committees
receiving pay only for the time
spent in passing upon the returns
from their respective districts,
thereby minimizing the expense
of the work at hand. In this man
ner we have carefully gone over
the digests with our tax receiver
and, while we find most of the
property returned at fair valua-
ton, yet, in many instances we
find property returned at less than
its valuation, even in some cises
at less than one fourth it's value,
thus making it more burdensome
to those who return at fair value.
In all such cases we have marked
the same up to what, in our opin-
ion, seemed just and fair vaIua-
ton, and we would especially
recommend that the tax receiver
use his best endeavors to have
all property returned at these
marked values.
Justices of the Peace
An accounting in all cases was
made as required by law, and we
found the books correctly kept.
Public Schools
A recent report published by
the county board of education,
giving a detail account of school
affairs of Sumter County, shows
a most business like admins
tration which has given our coun-
ty place in the front ranks of
educational endeavOr. The report
shows that SO schools were in
operation last year, % for white
children and % for blacks, with
a total enrolment of 3, 523 and an
average attendance of II percent.
of the total enrolment.
The Board of Education holds
deeds to twenty one of the school
buildings which house it's white
schools, valued at $4,000. with
furnishings valued at $4,000.
The school funds have been so
wisely managed as to not only pro-
vide these comfortable school
houses, comfortably furnished, but
enough money was set aside to dis
charge months payroll so that
now the teachers are paid regular
ly at the end of the month instead
of having to wait for weeks, and
sometimes months, as was the case,
and is now the case in many coun-
ties of the State.
To the futher credit of this very
efficient management it is announ-
ced that the schools this year will
run tor eight months, a longer
school term than is maintained by
any other county in the State.
But this splendid showing indi-
Gates nothing more than that the
schools have reached the crucial
point, they must go forward, or
backward. Now is the time to
put Sumter far and away in the
lead by organizing her schools in
to one correlated system crowned
by central high school, equipped
and maintained by a direct tax,
towards which every boy and girl
may look for course fully fitting
for the practical duties CT lite
and with one course at least lead
ing up to the college.
Ours is a purely agricultural
section and to the farm we must
look for all prosperity, therefore
it is the best sort of business fore
sight which will give to the coun-
try just as good school as can be
found in the town, thus removing
the necessity of so many of our
very best citizens leaving the farm