Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1907-11-12
Teaching Force Is ADEQUATE.

sSaSnii9 rofce is Adequate.
Des Moines-Cfficial reports from
ninety-four county superintendent
to State Superintendent Riggs
show that 421 schools in
those counties. were closed
on Oct /, 1907, for want of teachers,
while 1873 were closed for a like rea-
son one year ago when county super
intendents had full licensing power.
The inference as well as the report
of the county superintendent is that
the new state certification law is not
responsible for the shortage of teach
ers. For in addition to the fact
that only about twice as many schools
are closed and the number of teach'
| ers wanted is very small, COM
paratively, It is also known that the
county superintendent know of Az
unemployed teachers, III of whom
| will accept schools at fair salaries
and where suitable boarding accom-
modations can be provided. This
would supply all the schools which
now need teachers.
Superintendent Riggs says IN his
review of the reports of the superin,
tendents in counties on the subject
OF shortage of teachers:
The county Superintendent, who
are better able than any other class
to state the reasons for the prevalent
shortage in teachers, 40 not aScrlDd
the shortage in any important sense
| to the new certificate law. Seven
county superintendent express the
| opinion that the false and misleading
reports that have been widely cir.
culated concerning the examination
and the granting of certificates have
mad the effect to brighten some com,
petent persons away from the ex,
amlnations, and in this way their
services have been lost to the schools,
But all recognize that the difficulty Of
securing teachers has been growing
more and more acute for the past five
years. After every effort to secure
teachers year ago, when the licenst
ing power was in the hands of the
superintendent, there were 183
schools untitled for hack of teachers
1t was in response to a series OF
questions sent out to county superin'
tendents on the effect of year uni
der the state certifcation law that
this specific information was received
by State Superintendent Riggs and
has been compiled by him, being
given out from his Office in an official
circular.
Relative to the question of salaries
OF teachers, Superintendent Riggs
says:
For the past five years teachers
salaries in this state have been gra
duaaly rising, but not in proportion to
the constantly increasing cost of liv
ing. Taking the state over, the ad
vance in salaries within the past six
months has been more general and
more marked than for any previous
year. From county superin
tendents reports just made il
is shown that not less than So PEI
cent of the schools Ct the state art
paying teachers higher wages thi
year than last, the increase ranging
from 81 to $40 per month, with al
average of SIS per month.
THE old custom, almost universe
in rural districts, of contracting will
teachers for a term of two, three o
: four months, is giving place to
! more rational policy. Yea rly con
tracts with rural teachers have bee1
+ made this year in many of the dis
+ tricts in at least tifty-six coun ties an
In nearly every instance the count
superintendent reports this numbe
greater than ever before" IL
) a
, Iowa Banks on Sound Basis.
= Members of the Des Moin es cleal
> ing house met in an all-day sessio
y and decided to resort to the issue Q
= clearing house certificates as mean
y of protecting banks of Des Moline
: and Iowa and their depositors.
, 1t has been suggested that tn
i banks in Iowa towns and cities wher
" there are no clearing houses TAX
similar action to that of the De
Moines and other clearing houses
that is, that they will limit tn
amount Of cash payments until tn
present stringency of the Inuney ma
ket is over In this way, it Isl pointe
out, the smaller banks and depos
y tories throughout Iowa Will tide owe
Il the situation and there will be n
V | losers.
# With this action Of the clearin
Il house comes the assurance of ever
h banker in Des Moines, as veal as A,
"a ditor of State B. F. Carroll, that low
= and Iowa banks were never in beta
:, condition than they are at presen
!" but that New York Chicago and othe
l. banks have taken similar action an
y in order to protect the Iowa deposition
1t 1t is necessary for the Des Moine
s. banks to refuse to lend money or i
t. sue currency in excess of any agree
y amount. .
5 AT the same time the decision VIZ
reached to issue clearing house cert
ficates it was decided that Des Moin'
/; savings banks should temporarily r
, quire their deposito1ts to give six
= days notice of their intention
. withdraw their deposits as required I
l. the law.
: Full Companies Ordered
! General Thrift of the Iowa Nations
. guard has issued an order drectir
! that the minimum strength for eac
company of the organized militia
d Iowa shall be for company of i
fantry: Total enlisted fifty-eight, a
portionment as follows: One first Sc
geant, one Quartermaster sergea1
a four sergeants, six corporals, tv
\, cooks, two musicians and forty-tv
" privates. Company commanders W
J.. recruit their companies up to tt
"a required minimum strength of fift
eight enlisted men on or before ia
81, 1908.
4 I