Turner County herald. (Hurley, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1912-05-09
UNIFORM BOOK Law
ATTORNEY GENERAL JOHNSON
SHEDS LIGHT ON OBSCURE
PHASES OF MEASURE.
OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST
From the Capitol City, the Various
State Institutions and From
Many Different Parts Of
the Sunshine State.

Pierre.-At the request of the de-
partment of public instruction, Attor-
ney General Johnson has made a very
exhaustive Interpretation of the uni
form text book law. He finds that the
instrument was very loosely drawn,
hence there are very many irregulari-
ties and apparently conflicting parts.
The special difficulty comes in deter
mining who shall constitute the coun-
ty board, which selects the books for
fve-year periods. Such boards meet
this year.
The law provides that it shall CON
sist of the county superintendent of
schools, the president of the boards of
education of independent school dis
tricts, the county auditor, the states
attorney, the board of county commits
sioners and one representative from
each commissioners district The an
swers to the several queries are: A
member of a school board of an inde-
pendent district cannot be member
of the county board. The boundaries
Of the city Of Watertown are cock
tensive with a commissioners dis
trict, hence the independent school dis
tr1ct of Watertown is represented by
the county commissioner and the pres
ident Of the city board of education.
Section 226 of the school law pro-
vides that independent districts may
select otner books than those provided
for the county. The opinion holds
that this does not exempt it from the
use of the county books A county
commissioner of an independent dis
trict is entitled to two votes. The
members from the country districts
may be elected either by ballot or by
vivi voce; but there is no provision
that the election be held in the dis
trlct, and if proper notification is given
to the local board members, it may,
though not advisable, be held at some
other place, as the county seat. The
member must be resident OF the dis
trict from which elected. A munici-
pality which owns and rents its own
system of text books is held exempt
from the action of the uniform text
book law
The legislature seemed to be hazy
in its definition of the local districts,
and it is held that both where the
country schools are districted accord
ing to commissioners districts and
where districted according to other
plans that either kind is entitled to a
representative on the county board.
Plenty of Seed.
Pierre.-Seed grain sufficient to put
in 1858 acres, has been handled this
spring by the VanDusen Elevator COM
pany, in its elevators at Midland, Phil
ip, Cottonwood, Quinn, WALL Wasta
and Owanka. OF this the acreage was
wheat 45,400; oats 21,30O; barley
2.S40; fax 2,450. This was only the
seed brought in by the elevator COM
panies, and handled through their
warehouses. Besides this there were
private shipments which did not go
through their hands which will easily
bring the small grain acreage in that
section of Stanley and Pennington
county up to fully 100000 acres Be
sides this crop of small grain, the far
mers are preparing to put in a large
acreage Of corn this year, which will
help swell the amount of land which
will be put in crop along the line of
the Northwestern road in the coun-
try from Midland west. No doubt as
much more is being done along the
line of the Milwaukee road. with much
OF the northern part of Stanley sup
piled from the Fox ridge line of the
Milwaukee, which is nearer to that
section than is the Northwestern line
across the county. The indications
are all for large amount Of crop, and
the conditions such as to cause the
farmers to push ahead with the acre
age put in this year.