The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1912-10-24

Will allow me enough space in your
paper this week to continue the CON-
parison started by the person who
signed himself "A Tax Payer"
Figures may not lie, but they can
lie made very deceiving to people who
do not know upon what they arr
based. Cavalier and Ward counties
We're compared for the school year
ending June 81. 1910. At that time,
Cavalier had 40 townships, forty dis.
tricts and 173 school and depart
ments: Ward had 164 townships, III
districts and 428 schools and depart.
ments. During that year, there were
no new districts formed Or school
houses erected In Cavalier. In Ward,
there were "a school houses built,
and this required a great deal of rrav-
cling, to first elections and special
meetings, in addition to the regular
work of visitation. In Cavalier, there
were PIG visits made; in Ward, 500.
In addition to these visits in Ward
County, there were about 40 trips
made to get annual reports and be
present at first elections and special
meetings. This additional travelling
was not necessary in Cavalier because
it is a small eastern county, we'll set
tied, with the work fairly we'll sys.
tematized.
This same comparison applies to
Stutsman County during the follow.
ing school year. With a territory
about four times as large, four times
as many schools, and great deal OF
organizing and building being done,
and three times as many deputies,
we drew eight times as much mile
age as NStutsman County. Had we
drawn ten or twelve times as much,
It would not have been out of reason
The total number of school visits
made by all county superintendent
in the state during that year was
1888. OF this number. Ward County
made I'll. not including any OF the
extra work mentioned. Consider this
carefully.
A bulletin from the United States
Bureau of Education contains an arti.
Gle by E. T. Fairchild. in which he
says, "The supervision of country
schools is entirely inadequate and
because of this, some say that they
are not as efficient under the condi.
lions that exist today as they were
twenty-five years ago under condi.
lions that then existed" N. G.. Mac
donald. the state inspector of rural
and graded schools, gives seven un.
desirable conditions existing at the
present time in our country districts.
One of them is insufficient supery,s-
ion. All educators have the same
opinion regarding rural conditions
and I have taken the position that ii
supervision is a good thing. county
should visit country
schools as often as possible.
Before the county was divided we
had territory bigger than the two
states Of Connecticut and Rhode ts!
and, and more than 500 schools At
that time, the people found fault BE-
cause the schools were not visited
enough. Now that we have more time
to devote to country work, some peo-
pie say that we visit schools :oo
much.
II the total mileage expense Zach
. car should be assessed against the
real estate Of the new county of Ward.
It would not exceed fifty-six cents in
taxes for each real estate owner.
The law hxeo the salary and mile
age Of county superintendents ana
deputies and provides for q states 1t.
torney and board Of county commls-
sioners to protect county funds.
There is absolutely no chance to get
IN illegal bin thru. The law also
regulates the number Of deputies for
each county, based upon the number
IF schools. As long as we do the
work we'll and as provided by law. We
feel that it is our privilege to draw
The mileage and salary specified.
We have not drawn excessive mtle.
age, considering the work that has
been done, and I trust that the fair
minded people will learn facts before
believing the personal and political
reports aimed at me. ,....
have worked hard and consci.
entiously and have right to ask ~
reasonable consideration from tho