The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-06-16

Subject of Investigution
was in a bankers office the other
| ua!' not IN RicAmona. tut IN another
e." LA town, anu wa. e [
was talking with the head Of the es-
Ia pi shment Two handsome young wo-
men walked in. on business intent
gave way, OF course, and the young
women mad auqi zee .i.m this .ank-
en- was SO situated that | could not
help from overheaTing what passed
one or the young women wanted to
borrow sum OF money. Offering her
father as endorser. The other wanted
smaller sum. Offering her sister as
Shoofser, TIC banker took both the
! loans and told them 20 come around
when they were ready for the money.
Ihey thanked him and went out with
smiles. Then the banker resumed BUSH
ness with ME. He told me that the
Two women were teachers in the pub
lie schools of that town Under the
rules and regulations CT the schools
,hey are required to attend a teacn-
ers institute somewhere in the State
'his summer and pay their own eX-
penses.
because Of the sparseness of their
salaries as teachers they had barely
made buckle and tongue meet during
'he past term. and so to meet the re-
PulFements 10 attend teachers in
s'itute' they had to 60 in bank and
borrow money. They got 1t. thanks
u the goodness and Observation-Disclosures
OF that particular bank@r. but what is
! TO De said OF this hard and fast rule
III Virginia that underpays school
teachers and then requires them to
Keep on paying for certain kind of
summer education in order that they
may hold their places as educators
"ho are the higher educators who
pretend to educate these Others at
the summer institutes? Do they work
Tor nothing and pay their own ex-
penses. as these two women represen-
tatiVes OF the underlinss are required
! 10 90! What about these summer
hormals," or whatever they call them.
! anyhow? Are not the lecturers and
instructors in these summer insti-
tutes already in State employ lust as
these women are? Ana If so. why
should they not also work for moth
Ing and pay their own expenses. as
,hese two women am talking about
mad TO do the other day. 1t strikes
me that this summer normal business
Is being overdone. Shouldn't wonder
II it needs a little Investigation
from all parts OF Virginia como
reports of an immense hay crop from,
me hrst cuttings. Alfalfa leads. but
timothy herdsgrass and the other
grasses are right in the swim. and
Lucius Gregory, Of Mecklenbure coun
W tells me that an acre of his thai
was seeded In COW pasture MIXTURE"
Whatever that may be. banned out for
MIN greater things than all of the
other grass crops. All IN all, Old yir
Slnla is getting TO be the hay croppinr
State of this big Union.
AS to Taxes.
got hint the other day from Tom
Geooy. the clerk of the courts of
James City county. Geddy is n man
who thinks a great deal. He lives IL,
town and county in which people
nave great deal of time to think
he was talking 10 me about ta2 prob
lems and he threw out n hint worth
thinking about. i will Just give the
hint and not his language:
why should a man be taxed es
necially hard on his own industry and
MS better Judgment OF things. y
young man fresh from an agricultural
college or elsewhere improves land
makes good crops, makes profit on
MS work, increases the value of his
land and is assessed for taxes nc
oordingly. tlH out of-date neiehbor
makes no improvements does nothing
&c increase the value of his land. and
is assessed at the cid rate. The
young fellows land is assessed, saw at
500 per acre. and under his twentieth
century way of working it, that land
Ii worth its assessed value
The old fogy, living Just across the
road, has done nothing 20 improve his
/ land and II has not improved. and so
ian assessment of $40 per acre seems to
be about blight. because under Il =.
poor management of tho land is worth
| no money The suggestion Is to all
intents and purposes that the old Sfogy
ought Nto Sbe- assessed into, twentieth
century business or out of his land.
I (CoptiDno6 ~ civth