Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-06-25

ii should be in conformity with the law
II It is to be continued Hence, ! rec
enact such legislation upon this subject
as your wisdom suggests.
District Agricultural Schools.
The District Agricultural and Mechan-
| lcal Schools having been taken into the
| University system of the State I re.
spectfully suggest that the cooperative
relationship between the State Univer-
| sity, through the State College Of Agri-
culture, and the above district schools
be made closer than they have hereto
fore been. To this end l suggest that
| the Board of Trustees of the State Col
lege of Agriculture appoint at least one
! member from its Board Of Trustees to
! De an ex- officio member of the Board of
| Trustees of the District Agricultural and
| Mechanical School in his Congressional
| District; whereby each of said district
| schools Will have thereon one trustee of
| the State College of Agriculture Such
member should be required to attend
! he annual commencement exercises of
| he district school to which he is as
signed and should have full privilege
! and authority to act with the Board of
| Trustees of the district school at that
and all other meetings of the said dis
| trict school, and should make to the
trustees OF the State College of Agri-
| culture, after said commencement ex-
| ercises, a full report Of the conditions,
| progress, etc. Of the said District Ag-
| ricultural and Mechanical Schools.
| The Board Of Trustees of the State
college of Agriculture should also be
| lothed with power to exercise such au-
| thority over the district schools as will
| use them to conform to q general
plan.
| State University Support.
The demands of modern civilization
| are trendtng toward the greatest devel-
| opment of the human mind That State
which trains. the brains Of its young
| manhood and wOmanhood to the exercise
Of the highest powers is the State which
| by natural process takes and holds the
| leadership over her civic sisters The
strongly developed mental faculties of
| a people have greater weight in the
| control of world powers than the broad
| sides of battleships. Genius makes con-
| quests more abiding than are made BY
| guns, and the strength in the trained
| brains of people holds greater secur-
| lty than strength in the most elaborate
| ly constructed forts.
| And while you are appropriatfnR
money money and enacting laws for the more
efficient and extended cultivation of the
| soil of our State, hold ever In mind that
the cultivation which will bring the
| greatest crops and choicest fruits Is the
cultivation OF the minds of her youth
Hence. | urge you to build up as ran
ldly as Georgia's resources will admit
the State University which our fore
fathers created and which, with its
tional institutions, can develop the men
| tai powers Of our young people of both
sexes for keeping this great State
abreast Of her most ambitious rivals
Before passing from this subject / can
| not refrain from the statement that the
charm OF the University OF Georgia is
us democracy From a close observation
| Of the conduct Of it's affairs for the mast
four years, l am prepared to assert with
| pride that the son of the poorest mar
ents IN the State has equal considera-
ton by the faculty with the son Of the
. Merit and application open the Rates
| of opportunity to all alike and m is
especially pleasing to note that the cit
| liens OF Athens extend impartial kind
ness to all the students regardless of
rank or wealth.
The State. therefore, has a selfish IN
terest, and pardonably so. in every doh
lar she appropriates to maintain to high
est efficiency this, her great brain
trainer.
School Of Technology.
1t is impossible to measure the value
to the State of the School Of Technology.
The high standard which its graduates
hold is finding its reflex in the technical
development of the Commonwealth from
the mountains to the seaboard. The
modern demands for education of This
character in the architectural and me
chanical development of our people are
let this great institution Of learning lose
aught of the high grade of efficiency
now characterizing IT,
It undoubtedly Is true that this school
tors by reason of the inadequate com
pensatton they received. l, therefore
urge you TO appropriate the sum of $10,-
VO0 as an addition to the annual main
tenance fund Of the said school, making
same Immediately available.
also recommend the addition of ST.
000 each to the annual maintenance
funds Of the Georgia Normal School and
the Georgia Normal and Industrial
School.
Payment Of School Teachers.
In my annual message to your pre-
decessors last year / stated that the
condition of the treasury had permitted
the payment of but 10 per cent of the
amount. due for expenses Of the com
the appropriations having increased in
greater proportion than the States in
come, 1t has been impossible to pay any
amount as yet of the common school
appropriation for this year
During the past three months we have
made inquiry into the question of the
payment of teachers; that is, we have
sought to get the truth of conditions
as they are.
The result of the investigation proves
that the evil has not been exaggerated
by those who have decried IT.
Briefly, we found that approximately
one-third of all the teachers in the pub
lie schools OF the State in 1912 were
forced to walt from two to twelve
months for their pay. or, in lieu of wait
ing had to discount their claims at from
to Is per cent.
A great proportion of those who re-
ceived prompt payments were paid with
funds borrowed by local boards of edu-
cation. who were required to pay from
6 to Il per cent for the money.
Concretely, we estimate from the re-
ports received that advances made to
boards or teachers during 1912 amount
ed to approximately 81, 900 900, and that
these advances cost at least s75,0 900 in
interest or discount.
Loss of Efficiency.
Thus It Is clear that the waste in
money due to delayed remittances from
the State is great, and there must be
an equal loss in efficiency resulting from
the Indifference fostered by the faulty
and difficult method Of financing the
schools.
With 81 .000,0O more revenue avail
able during the spring and summer
months the State would be able to make
prompt monthly remittances to the
school systems, and thus would prac-
tcally overcome the difficulties now
labored under, and growing worse.
Therefore, | urge upon you the neces-
sity for taking such steps as will en-
able the Executive Office to make
prompt monthly payments as due on the
appropriation to the public schools.
The informa ton gathered as the re-
suit of the investigation above referred
to is on file in the Executive Office sub
iect to your wishes.
Economy in Appropriations.
While there has been a gratifying in
crease in the taxable valuations Of the
property in the State, yet the demands
for avY4amGaE IN maintain nd