The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-06-21
JELKS MAY RETIRE $5OO,OOO OF BONDS Considers Plan for Saving In-
 tereSt on Issue BIG SURPLUS IN TREASURY Examiner Wilkinson Finds Fault With Books of County Superintendent
 S. A. Lowrey of conecuh.
 News of State Capital.
BIG SURPLUS IN TREASURY

Montgomery June 20.-(Special)-It is perhaps not well known, but it is true, that Governor Jelhs has been disposed from the surplus in t,.e state treasury. to call in $500,O00 of the state bonds due in January, 1906, immediately after the pay ment of the July interest, and later. when the January issue is due, if he finds upon investigation at that time that the sti-te treasury can bear 1t, to take up the remainder of that issue, amounting in all to $9G6 GOO.
 The Governors idea was since the money was in the treasury to anticipate part of the interest on the s5O0.000 due in January and to do this in July, thus saving a part of the January interest to the state. The Governor believes that the whole issue of S966 0O0 can be paid off from the sur plus In the treasury. possibly requiring him to borrow from sl50OO0 to $2OO.0o0 and that for perhaps only sixty days
 He had a conference with the auditor and treasurer. and the matter was re- ferred to the attorney general for his legal opinion. as to whether or not the administration had the authority to do this. The attorney general gave as his opinion that, perhaps, the officers did not have such authority. The purpose was simply to save the interest to the people of the state, allowing the legislature, II 1t cared to do so, to order the resistance of the bonds thus taken up.
 The Governor believes in 1906, before his term expires the treasury will show at the low water mark, balance of at least $500, ,O00 If the Governor was authorized to do so he would undoubtedly retire at least one-half of the January issue or $JO0,0O0 of the bonds, or perhaps all of them, and put it up to the legislature to reissue them, if it saw fit The saving to the state of the interest for one whole is sue and part of the interest on part of the issue for an additional six months would be a considerable item, and the Governor very much desired to do 1t.
 The condition of the state treasury Is very satisfactory, as will be seen from this statement, and particularly satsfac- tory to those who will investigate the subject since the tax rate has been re- duced by one-seventh of the whole amount, equal to s30O,0O0 a year, and the treasury has been able to meet a dis bursement of s45OO00 more each of four years, to the public schools and old sol diers alone, than was ever paid out in any one year by any administration here tofore.
 Reports on Conecuh Officers.
 Assistant State Examiner W. F. Will kinson has passed on the books of the officers of Conecuh county and finds fault with the accounts of former Superinten- dent of Education S. A. Lowrey, and also with the valuation of lands, which he considers entirely too low. Of the others he has nothing but compliments.
 The examiner finds that MT. Lowrey turned over $219S5 to his successor that he had properly paid out the money to teachers but many of his papers were not in legal form. He had not signed many of L,s contracts with the teachers and had not sent those to the state su- perintendent for approval. He had an overpayment of $43S which he said he would refund.
 Of the work of Tax Collector s. P. Dunn, he said: The average value of idnQS ana improvements IS 4z.oS, WHICH is entirely too low" It is noted, how ever, that the tax commissioner has be- gun to equalize values which will raise the average. The other offices reported on are Probate Judge T. J. Dean.
 cleburne Court House.
 Another petition has been filed with the governor, asking authority to hold an election to give expression one way or the other on the removal of the court house of Cleburne county from Edwards vile, where it has been for many years, to Heflin. It is asserted that the petition contains a majority of the qualified voters of the county Some time ago a petition was presented but withdrawn later when it was discovered that it had not a majority of the bona fde voters of the county.
 The friends of the movement to move to Hefiin contend that this town is a commercial center and that people who go there to court can make one trip do for two, attending to legal and busi- ness affairs at one time. As soon as the governor determines whether the peti- ton actually does carry a majority of the voters of the county he will order