The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1914-10-23
18TH SfCTION LANDS.
Discussed BY County Superintendent
of Education.


Editor Sentinel
We are going to ask you for space in
your valuable paper to discuss briefly
the sixteenth section school lands and
the funds belonging to the same, In
1903 the U. 8. Government gave the
sixteenth section in each township to
the support Of the schools. The state
of Mississippi in 1918 gave the county
courts of the differs mt counties control
over these lands with the authority to
lease them. In 1924 IN act was passed
BY the legislature, which authorized the
election OF three trustees in each town.
ship, to preserve the school lands. to
lease them, and to apply the fund ar1s.
ing therefrom to the building Of school
houses and the employment Of teachers.
These lands were never to be sold. but
were to remain always the property of
the schools and the interest on thu
fund derived from the leases was 10 be
used for the support Of the schools.
The above sets spilled to all the lands
obtained from the Choctaw Indians Of
which Grenada County 10 . part. The
first lease was made in 1893 and
since that time It seems that every six
teenth section in the county has been
leased for term OF ninety nine ye>ts.
with one exception, though in MANY
cases the lease he's never been recorded.
Some Of these lands were leased for
. period OF ninety-nine years for twen-
ty five cents per acre. In 1852 forty
acres was leased for the pitiful sum Of
$3.50.
Your editorial in last weeks paper
on Timber Depreciation" was timely
and to the point. The board Of s,,per
yisors have no desire to disturb the
citizens who are in peaceful and lawful
possession Of the sixteenth section
lands, where the lands are used as the
law directs.
But timber depredations have been
made, some Of recent date, which shall
not 60 unnoticed. One section In par.
ticular has been stripped of all the mer-
chantable timber bv nonresident of
the state and shipped in fragrant viola
ton of the law TO foreign markets. We
are going after these people, not that
we love them less but We love the chill.
dren more. II seems that land was not
valuable years ago or else the children
were NOT entitled to much considsratiop.
If either proposition Il true the p60ple
and the courts have conspired together
for a hundred years to cheat and de-
fraud the children out of their lust
dues. 1t seems that the funds derived
from the leases on. the school lands
were mingled with other funtla and the
board of supervisors in 1882 passed an
order which gave 100000 to the six
teenth section fund and this amount
was invested in u, s. Government
bonds. ff
The bonds were sold in 1900 and since
that time the money has been lent out
to individuals, but mind you the schools
have never been given the accrued in
terest as the law demands. The in
terest was collected and paid into the
county treasury to the credit of the
permanent school fund" This money
has been lent at 6 per cent interest at
time when money was IN great de-
mand at 10 per cent.
Just why money belonging to the
schools is worth less than that belong
ing to banks and individuals has never
been explained.
The board of supervisors on the rec
ommendation made from this Office
passed an order at their last meeting
not to lend this fund at less than per
cent. The board was also advised to
lend this money to people of moderate
means who need help and especially to
small farmers who are not in touch
with the money markets of the world.
During the month of January of this
year the board employed an attorney to
make an abstract of all the sixteenth
section lands in the county. The work
has been finished In neat, attractive
manner. bound ina book for this pur-
pose, with other valuable information
pertaining to the school lands which
will be valuable in the future to those
having this duty in charge.
The funds on hand amounting to
Sll657. "a has been set aside, to remain
always permanent school fund and has
been pro rated among the different
townships. This money will be lent
out as it has been in the past and the
accrued interest applied to the support
OF the schools. The time has come
when the schools must be consolidated
and the one-teacher school must go.
We will need larger and better school
buildings and the accrued interest,
amounting to over $500. 90 each year.
will serve useful purpose.
At the next meeting of the board three
trustees will be appointed for each
township whose duty 1t shall be to ap-
ply the accrued interest to the schools
as they think best and to carefully con-
serve and manage these lands for the
benefit of the children of the county.
Your governor, land commissioner
and state superintendent of education
have recently mailed out literature ask
ing the officials having these lands in
charge to see that the funds are proper
y handled and applied and all depreda-
tlons stopped. Your county officials
after many years have come to the
conclusion that the childhood of Gre
NADIA county 10 entitled to their care
and keeping and in the future will dis
charge their whole duty in regard to
this matter. Sincerely yours,
v. r. JAMES,