The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-03-20
MERCHANTS MUST
 PAY THE GUANO TAX Notes For Fertilizer May Not Be
 CoIIectabIe Otherwise SCHOOLS ARE DOING WELL State Examiner Purifoy Returns From Trip of lnspection-some Interest
 ing State Educational Figures.
 Average Salaries Increase.
SCHOOLS ARE DOING WELL

Montgomery, March 19.-(Special.)-A number of Alabama merchants stand to lose on guano contracts if they do not pay the $1 license required by the state for permission to sell fertilizers. Com missioner of Agriculture Wilkinson has been endeavoring to impress the mer- chants who have not paid of the danger of such procedure. The loss will come in the fact that suits for sales may not be collectable if the license has not been paid.
 The courts have decided In several cases that where license is required by the state for line of business and not paid, col leetions cannot be made on suits. For instance, if a man sells a customer a bill of guano and at the end of the note time that customer refuses to pay, on the ground that the merchant had no legal right to sell, the chances to collect the account are materially reduced if not ob- viated altogether.
 To meet this difficulty the larger fer tilizer makers are seeing to it that the merchants they sell pay the license, so that the notes will be good. Commission CT Wilkinson is urging that all pay, there being now something over 100 in the state who have not. This law has been on the books for some time, and many have not informed themselves about it.
 Schools Doing We'll.
 State Examiner Purifoy is just in from a trip to the agricultural and normal schools of the state, and is very much pleased with what he found in every line. All the schools are doing good work, are trying to occupy the fields to which they are assigned in deed and in truth and are taking and holding the confidence of the people.
 Judge Purifoy is very much impressed with the normal schools Each one has students from 30 to 50 counties, learning the art of teaching, and these students go back to their homes for the most part either to teach or to be influences for bet ter things in educational way. 'I feel that there is not a normal in the state where the cost is not well spent by the state and where the good done does not far exceed the outlay. The instruction is per- manent and lasting
 The agricultural schools are meeting the requirements of the law In experiments and farm instruction. They are also giv ing good instruction to all the farmers '"rhe farmers" says Judge Purifoy, do not visit the schools as they might. If they did they would come in for a vast amount of information that would do them good"
 Educational Fiuures.
 In statement gotten up by Chief Clerk Fegin of the department of educa- tion, it is shown that for the current year the state is spending $l,o34, 507 S7 for schools, to which is added poll tax $1000,O00, 1 mill tax in fl counties $2l0,000, supple ments in cities and towns $i00, GOO, total $2 PA DOT. .S7. Since the law for aiding school house building went into effect the state has given $47,5C0, which represents an ex- penditure with the amounts put up by the counties of $1S7500. This was spent on building or repairing 2S2 school houses.
 The average salary of county Superln- tendents of education has increased in year from $777.7S to $1007.72. There are 3s7, AIS white children of school age and 315, 1856 negroes, making D2,S34. In the rural territory there are 6lS,041 children of school age and in the cities and towns S4. 793 White children enrolled run to 26l ,316, colored 195, ,oo0. making a total of 396. .396 children in school out of the IO2,- S34 of school age. The total number of teachers actually engaged in teaching is 7260
 The value of school property in the cities and towns is given at $1,57S,oO0, in the country $2,176,79S. The average salary of white teachers in country is $43.7S month; colored $2327. The average length of white schools in the country is l1S days year; colored SS. In city and town schools the teachers get $5S.52 average;