The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1913-02-14
BONDS BURNAND BOARD
LOOKS upon THE BLAZE

From Thursdays Daily.
AS the cheerful red glow from the
Intermittent flashes Of the bonfire
played upon the faces of e. +. Scar
ing and w. B. Davies, which were
bent eagerly over the blaze, a smile
OF well deserved satisfaction spread
over their honest countenances and
a sigh which seemed to mean Eat
last" went around the entire gath
eriDg. This bonfire was of more
than ordinary significance The "bon.
fire" was started in the crate of the
fireplace in the meeting room Of the
board Of education in the high school
building last night, and the fuel was
no less than number of bonds, the
value of which aggregated $21,500.
Of Indebtedness on the old high
school building had at last been paid
off and the bonds were forever de-
stroyed. Secretary Soaring report
ed that he had at last located the
bonds in the county treasurer's
vault. 1t seems that they have been
missing for some time. This is the
last of the Indebtedness on the old
school building and the members of
the board Of education were eX-
tremely glad to see the bonds in
flames.
John E. Regain suggested that an
impressive ceremony should take
place with the burning Of the bonds.
but no one volunteered to provide
anything but a match. w. ID. Da-
|vies touched the match to the here.
tofore valuable papers and an impress
sive silence pervaded the room as
the smoke went up. The silence
sisnified probably better than a
speech the qualification of the board
The Indebtedness of the district is
now 100000, which is on the new
high school building.
Automatic Heat Regulator.
Secretary Soaring read commll.
nication from the Johnson Service
company, offering to install in the
old high school building an auto
matte heat regulator for the sum OF
$1G0. This price included the cost
of a hydraulic compressor, and for
$50 more the company volunteered
to put in an electric compressor. Nc
action was taken on this matter by
the board. a letter from the Com
merciai Testing and Engineering
company was read, by which the
concern offered to sell the school
district coal by a new method. Nc.
cording to their plan all the coal
would be tested and the price would
be governed by the amount of heat
contained in the expensive mineral
No action was taken.
Mrs. B. d. Smith, as chairman oil
the school committee, asked the
board to pay a deficit of $17 to the
senior class of last year for deficit
in the publication of the high schoo
ANIMALS. The class has some money
in the treasury but it desires to use
this fund to purchase a frame tc
be put on the freize which the class
f; dedicated to the school district anC
which is now on the wall of the
assembly room. The question wa.
not decided. Mrs. Smith also re
ported a bill of $12 on a piano which
was rented before the purchasing o
the new one. This rent, it was un
i derstood, was to go toward the price
of new piano should the board pur
chase one. but owing to some mis-
understanding through the change il
management Of the ,Kimble piano
store, this was not done.
| W. B. Davies of the finance com
mittee reported that he had DRAFTED
a bill which will be introduced ii
the state legislature by Senate
. Works. 1t reads as follows: "An ac
relating to public schools in specia
districts of not less than 10000 in
habitants and not more than 2O,OO
inhabitants, and to provide fund
therefore. Whereas, be it enacte,
tby the legislature of the state O
Minnesota that special school dis
itrlcts now or hereafter, having no
less than 10000 nor more than 20
oOO inhabitants are hereby empow
cred to annually levy for genera
school purposes, a general school, ia,
not exceeding fifteen mills on tn,
dollar OF the valuation of all taxabl
property in such district accordin,
to the preceding official assessment
thereof Mr.. Davies said that Ii,
mad at first drawn up a bill alIowin;
lor the levyinS of nine mills but a
tSt. Cloud could levy fifteen mills a.
! well as some other schools. it wa
Thought best to raise the levy I,
this amount.
Reelected Superintendent Sperry.
/ John E. Regain spoke of hayin
the superintendent of schools elect
lea for three or five years as i
done in some schools, but no actio,
| was taken in this matter. Superin
ltendent Sperry was unanimously re
telected for another term in the Man
kato schools at his previous sa1ar,
lof $1,000 per year. 'est
There was some discussion abOu
the bills which are OKed eacI
month by the finance committee. /
tseems that many of these bills ar
contracted without the knowledge o
the committee and when they author
ne the payment of the bills the,
40 not know what has been bought
Or. w. q. Beach said that it was no
presumed that the bills were no
fair but he thought that the CON
mlttee should know about them. j
re. Regain thought that the superir
tendent should be responsible 70
making out orders fol, the purchas
OF necessities for the school bu
President Evan Hughes was of th
opinion that a superintendent woul
mot take as much interest in bein,
/, SO economical as would one of til
taXD1yerS w II nay;a.