St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1913-07-12

matter, because they have voted foul
special taxes in three entire ward
during the past year. For goot
example of this, l can point *
the sixth ward where a special tai
Of five mills was voted on the Sc
of last September. and as a result
can safely state that by the end o.
viii have nothing but the very bes'
and modern new buildings with al
equipment thoroughly up to date.
Then the problem Of getting teach
ers for schools in that ward will no
be the difficult one that it has always
been, because teachers will be more
ready to go to place with fine
building and full term, rather than
a place that has the old shacks thai
have been used for school houses
! before this.
Along this line I wish to give {
most urgent request that you will
please consider, today, the matter OF
building rs soon as possible the two
houses in the sixth ward, that arc
now being advertised for. | sha'
give a verbal report in regard to thi
| in which l shall go further into the
details of the matter tt an l can here
1t is absolutely imposs. Die to get the
best teachers to go in.o such houses
as those at Violin, Sin -letary, Ridge
Sand Hill. Hickory Grove, Onville
1 and Ward Line, Bush OF Heiten; ye.
| you have under way, plans that will
give new house to the patrons o.
al of the above before the end
| the coming year, with the exception
| of those at Sand Hill, Ridge and
Hickory Grove. We are going ahead
| as fast as the means at our disposa'
| will permit, and feel that with the
| same conscientious attention to dut,
that has characterized your work thus
far and the same interest in the
| schols from the patrons that We have
had in the past, we will be able te
show much progress, one year from
today.
IN the third ward, the special tax
ara bond issue voted on the 9th of
April has resulted in the money for
the erection of the hgih school at
Covington being ready for us when
we desire it. The committee is now
about ready to start work demolish-
ing the oil brick building, begun
SOME years ago. l recommend to
you that you pass resolution today.
making the Covington school q high
school and authorize me to take the
necessary steps to have it placed upon
the list OF State approved high schools
and thus be in line for the usual STATE
aid.
All claims against the Coviagton
special four mill tax have been paid
including the loan made by the Cow
signed by the members of the Gov
ington town couacil, and We find that
there will be 4 balance left in my
hands. after the 1912 taxes have
been collected. OF few hundred dol,
lars and the REQUEST has hcaN mAAt
to ME by some of the patrons of the
Covington colored school that some
of this be given them for their school
They give as reason for for this
being done the fact that when this
four mill tax was voted it was prom
ised that they were to have some OF
it for their school, and they point to
the wording Of the ordinance calling
for the election, which states that the
tax was for building school house
or houses. They say that they have
been paying this tax ever since ii
was voted and they feel that now that
the white school Is taken care OF
they would like some help from the
money left over from the old Coving-
ton four mill tax. As far as the legal
right for you to grant this request,
do not think there is any doubt, but
it might be necessary for the title Of
the building upon which the money
would be spent, to be placed in the
name of the parish school board.
Should you desire to give them any
help, it, Of course. should be spent
strictly under the direction of your
own body and thus guarantee would
be given that it would be used for
such purposes as you would approve
of.
Before l leave the topic of the col
ored school for Covington, l wish te
again mention the matter of all the
colored schools for the entire parish
and once more to state most emphatf-
cally that / believe the money we
have spent for this purpose in years
past has been about the same a,
thrown away, ana I shall in the fu-
ture as the opportunity presents itse:t
consider some way to stop this leak
in our school finances.
You will agree with NE that We
must give the colored children school
privileges. but the question comes ir
the nature of an education we are
to give them. We have been in the
past years spending money each year
for such schools and then almost
never looking for results; and | al
most said not caring whether there
were any or not. am sure that
there is not single white person in
this parish who ever visited colored
school to see what use was being
made of the money. and this is true
even though the white man paid
large part of the money that was
supporting the colored schools.
| know that among the school OF
ficials they too never take great
deal of interest in such matters. !
venture to say that even the State
Superintendent would have to admit
if questioned that he also would be
found in the same class. Now is this
right? If we are to spend money
for any cause, should we not take
enough interest in the matter to De
sure that it is not conducted In q
careless and wasteless manner! !
am strongly of the opinion that We
should teach our colored school child
rem to work and how to work. For
this reason have taken up with DR.
James H. billiard, president OF the
Jeanes Fund the matter of his assist
ing us in the way Of securing an In
dustrial teacher or rather supervisor
for the colored schools. | feel that
X ;s mora imnnrfanf for the cQlored