The Brunswick news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1906-2016, 1909-07-15

Leo and McGarvey; nays, Alderman
Ludwig.
Brunswick, Ga, July 10, 1909.
Hon. Mayor and Council, Brunswick,
Georgia
Gentlemen: Your standing commit
tee on finance, to which was referred
the subject matter Of an address by
President Wood of the board of ed
ucation before your honorable body
on July 8th with relation to unpaid
appropriations due the board and fl
nanctal matters in general between
said board and the mayor and coun-
Gil, begs to submit the following: 1t
is difficult to take up in detail all the
features of an eXtemporaneous ad-
dress, as unfortunately we do not
all remember alike and are liable to
be mistaken as to what was actually
stated, but in view Of the statements
appearing in the public press ac-
credited to and alleged to have been
made by the president of the board of
education and the weight that should
attach to the statements of an Off
Ger so closely connected with the
board as its president, the impress
sion would be created, wholly unin
tentionally we are sure, that the
council of 1909 is responsible for tie
cramped condition Of the boards f.
nances, has not treated the board as
equitably as its predecessors, and I'M
less this council came to their relief,
the schools must close ard stop.
In the Brunswick News of the 9th
inst. the president Of the board is
credited with making the following
statements:
If the board of education is not
going to gel money and regular
and definite aid from the city of
Brunswick then the schools will
have to stop.
President Wood at the request of
the board, made an address to coun-
Gil in the interest of education in
Brunswick. 1t developed that the
schools have not received a cent from
the city except the small rentals Of
Town Commons in two years, al
though in 1908 and 1909 council had
appropriated $4,000.
President Wood said that the state
and county did not furnish a sufficient
sum to maintain the schools. Bruins
wick contributes" he said, zone ninth
the per capita of any city in the
state towards its public schools. Way
cross last year gave to it's public
SCHOOLS $4,000 and it certainly looks
as if the local board is not given
square show. People think that we
get an enormous sum out of Town
Commons, but that source of reve-
nue. is one of the curses OF the board.
Only small sum is received annually
from this source
In view of these statements we
submit the following figures taken
from the official records on file at
the city hall:
If the schools have to stop on ac-
count of not getting regular and def
site aid from the city, it will not
be chargeable to the council of 1909,
but as will be shown from these fig
ures, will be because the board is not
able to conduct the schools as sue
cessfully as they have been conduct
ed since 1903, with just a little more
consideration from the council of
1909 than from its predecessors.
On March 81 1903, Alderman du
Bignon introduced resolution in
council appropriat'ng $4,000, "to aid
in the construction of a suitable
building by the board of education
in that portion of the city of Bruins
wick known as New Town"
This was the first special appro-
priation and was paid in cash Deem
Der %, 1903, ten months after it
had been appropriated. On April a.
1904, the committee on education, Al
der-an du Bignon as chairman, re-
ported in favor of another special APP
preparation of $4,000 "to meet the
estimated deficit of the board fer
1904
Six months afterwards on October
18th, note payable December &c,
1904, for $500, was given, and the
remaining $3.50 paid in cash Deem
Der 81, 1904.
This appeared to set the precedent
for these $4,000 appropriation and
in Mayor Hopkins first years adj
ministration, en- February %, 1905,
$4,000 was Appropriated BIZ special
resolution. Seven months afterwards,
on September Is. 1905, a note due
December 20. 1905, for $4,000 on ac-
count was given Of the remaining
$4,000 for 1905, $500 was paid in
June, 1906, and the remaining $1,000
was paid at the close of the second
wear of Mayor Hopkins' administra