Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1910-06-25
The SCHOOL
BOARD HAS
BUSY NIGHT
DIRECTOR LAFIIY SWORN IN
AND CLERK JOHNSON RE-
ELECTED - BILLS AUDITED
AND BUSINESS CLEANED UP.

board meeting at the high school
last evening and raising his right
hand he was sworn in as a member
of the board by retiring Chairman
Epley. The oath he took prescribes
that he shall faithfully, diligently
and ably discharge all the duties de-
volving upon his shoulders by rea-
son of the office to which he was
elected. He entered upon the dis
charge of those duties last night
quietly, unassumingly and earnestly
and he presented the appearance of
being a man who will measure up to
all the high standards demanded by
the people.
A Man of the People,
Mr.. Lafky halls from the Dakotas.
Some time ago he became interested
in the west and decided to make it
his home. AS he said last night he
had a family and he desired to To-
cate some place where there we're
good schools. He had heard of the
excellent schools of Salem, and he
came here to Investigate. AS he
said, he spent six months in investi-
cation and one of the results was
that he decided that Salem had bet
ter schools than the average city of
it's size-that they were as good as
many of the large cities, and au-
other result was that he decided to
make Salem his permanent home.
When the time for the school cleo
tion rolled around he was in some
manner discovered by the people,
and they, realizing that Mr.. Lafky
was conversant with their wants
and their needs; that he had child
ren attending the schools, and that
he was equipped with ability and in
tegrity, they nominated and elected
him, and that is how it happened
that he was present at the board
meeting last night and was sworn
in as a member.
He Wants to Know.
Coming as he does from the peo-
pie he is naturally a plain man.
There are not any frills about him
He is quiet, unassuming, but a man
Of pronounced views and convictions
and has the courage to express them.
Like Councilman Lachmund he real.
ICES that conversancy with a subject
is necessary to intelligent action in
relation to it, and he wants to be
conversant with it before he votes
away the taxpayers money. II he
is not conversant with 1t he starts
out to strike up an acquaintaneeship p
with 1t and one of his methods is to
ask questions. He started out on 8
knowledge hunting expedition last
night. He commenced by asking the
old members of the board series
of questions and they having consid-
cradle of that omnodity-that Is
knowledge in stdre-gTa6ious al
lowed themselves to become separ.
ated from a portion of it, and what
he did not get that way he extracted
After securing this information he
mapped out line of action, and the
first blow he struck was for economy
by seeking to reduce the salary of the
clerk. OF course he did not succeed
and he probably did not expect that
he would, but he had fulfilled his
duty as he saw it.
What the Clerks Duties Are.
After the transaction of the rou~
tine business of the board and the
appointing of committees, the mat.
ter of the selection of a clerk came
up for consideration. Having seen
service ON the board but a few min
utes, Mr.. Laf6y naturally wanted to
know just what his duties were-in
fact, pretty nearly everything about
him in his official capacity. He
learned that the clerk is the custod-
ian of the funds and that he gives
bond fixed by the superintendent
for their safe keeping. He learned
bAAob NhC NACA n hASW Oil AliS wal
for the payment of bills and that
once month he drew warrants In
payment of the salaries of the teach
ers, and current expenses. He fur
ther learned that he prepared all the
notices and kept the minutes of the
meetings. OF course, these are not
all the duties of the clerk. He also
learned by the way that the salary
up until two years ago was $500 in
stead Of $500 for the performance
of the duties of clerk of the school
board
There was before the board the
question Of electing a clerk and Mr.
Johnson was nominated for the place
and he was elected. Lafky voting
against him. Lafky was Of the opln-
ion that the work Of the clerk could
be done for less than $500 a year.
and after the election, when the mat.
ter of the salary came up for con
sideration he made a motion that the
salary be reduced to $500 but IT was
lost for the want of a second and
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