Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1910-03-09
WHY The SCHOOLS ARE EMBARRASSED.
Mayor Smoot Gives Some Facts and Fig
ures Which Indicate Utter Rscklessnes of
Former Administration.

Former Administration.
For the information of the pub
lie Mayor Smoot has in very mild
and lmpassioned way laid bare
some of the rsssons for the present
embarrassment of the public
schools of Salisbury. His reasons
are as follows:
Since the action of our School
Committee declaring that tie
public schools should close at the
end of the present school month,
and since much discussion has
arisen as TO the. wisdom of such
action, perhaps it may be we'll as
a member of said CON mittee, to
present some of the reasons why
such resolution was adopted,
and also some Of the factsGwith
which the public may not be thor
oughly familiar.
Last year $4,000 was borrowed
to flush the school term. Prior
to last year SO COO had been bor.
roved for similar reasons. This
money was borrowed from the
State on condition that one-tenth
OF principal and total yearly in
terest, should be paid each year
un5il both principal ands interest
be paid in full. In addition to
this number of notes and open
accounts were due and outstand-
ing at the beginning of the pres
ent school term, These accounts
ran back as far as Prof. Coon's
| administration-19O2 and 1903.
and extend down to coal bills and
other supplies for full term 1908
and Spring term 1909. Of these
outstanding notes and accounts
we have paid between $4,000 and
So. 900 and were compelled to re.
new notes to the amount of about
1900 and open accounts still
outstanding of 5000 to $500 more.
! This has necessitated the borrow.
'ng ef $4,000 this year, nearly al
q; winch 1as Teen applied 8. pay
ing off old notes.
The beginning of the next
school year will find us due to she
State 1900 first loan, $4,000 Sec
ond loan, 3, 900 to local banks and
other notes and accounts about
$1,000, total 1000, of which
sl,O48 to State will be deducted
from our next years fund aud
81, 800 that must be met in some
manner, and trusting that we can
secure extension of time on SIS, 900
aud $4,000 respectively.
Were it possible to borrow 81, =
500 to extend our schools another
three months, we would begin the
coming year owing S15,500 and
no immediate prospect of paying
the same.
How long shall we continue to
borrow before we make arrange.
ments for repaying these amounts.
Again our city, of which we all
feel justly proud, is the only city
in the State SO far as l know, that
does not now, nor has it ever to
my knowledge, paid one penny of
tax direct for the support of our
public schools. The only means by
which We CAN ever place our pub
public schools on safe and salts.
facvory basis, is by levying a spe'
cial tax and holding the same as
sacred fund to be used only for
the education Of our boys and
girls. Our city charter does not
provide for such fund. A tax of
Is cents for general purposes and
20 cents for schools would be suf-
ficient to meet our requirements,
but nothing short of this will
meet the demands.
Now, some may think, and just
ly SO, that $4,000 for schools is
small Indebtedness for city
like ours, and so it would be were
there not a floating Indebtedness
of over $35 900 and a bonded
debt of 1886, ,OOO to demand some
attention ct stated intervals dur
ing the year. But no need t,
dwell further on details of fnan
cial conditions of the cisy. W.
believe we are in much better con
dision Jh4n some others, aud tt
, continue 80, we deem it better tt
stop the school for once in its his
tory rather than 60 further il
, debt. The tax of Is cents and q