The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1914-12-09

other.
State Auditor Amos was d member |
of the 1913 visiting committee, and in
his report (as found in the report of
the visiting committee) he has this to
say:
Balance on hand in Improvement
fund May Is, 1913, $S,423.45."
Wherein was the legislature Mig
gardly in its care for this institution
when it had a surplus of unexpended
appropriation of the above amount
from one appropriation
A total of $4,000 for new improve
ments does not tally with Dixie's
statement.
The 1913 Legislature appropriated
1919 more for the maintenance fund
than in 1911-aIl that the managers
asked for
$4,000 a year for the support of
this school that should and can be
made almost self-supporting is not
niggardly.
Mr.. Editor, the following taken
from the legislative journals and the
laws passed in 1913 will help you and
your readers to locate part Of the
blame of this terrible holocaust.
Mr.. Amos says that no effort has
been made toward keeping the expen-
ditures for certain things, such as
food, clothing, ETC., separate, SO that
the cost of any one article would be
available or readily ascel.tained. A
considerable number of these bills
embraced numerous articles falling
under different heads, making it i'm
practical to ascertain the actual cost
of certain expenditures. Also the
bills payable of this institution were
not posted on the books OF the super
intendent, some of them extending as
far back as September, 1912. 1t took
the auditor five days to straighten up
those accounts for less than two
years.
Here is how the legislature acted
on this statement:
Section 10, Chapter $500, Laws of
4
receipted bills shall be filed with the
state comptroller by the 18th of each
month for the funds paid out on bills
for the previous month"
Mr.. Editor, wherein has the legis-
lature neglected this matter?
Again, the committee report reads:
"He (the superintendent is aged and
in feeble health, lives in Mariana
three miles from the school and al
times visits the school daily-and
again his visits are not so often. The
superintendent should live on the
school farm and at the school anc
give it his entire and complete at.
tentiOn."
Part of Section A, Chapter 6529
reads as follows:
"He (the superintendent shall liv'
) at the school and devote his entir,
time to the management thereof"
Mr.. Editor, is there any negligenc,
in the legislature in this report?
Again, the committee report reads
tsThe children are hired out to picl
cotton, to cut wood, etc., to the man
. ayers of the institution and other
and reports show that their earning
do not amount to the expenses of tn
. guard sent to guard them. This be
ing a state reform school for childre
and not convict camp, we mos
. heavily condemn this kind of reforma
tion," etc.
Part of Section 8, Chapter 652!
reads: 1.-THE managers or superintenc
ent of the institution shall not hir
out any of the boys for any purpose
Mr.. Editor, wherein has the legi.
lature been incompetent and negl
gent in this matter?
Again, part of the. report reads
"And windows in both department
where the children are kept are hea-
lily barred and resemble a prison il
stead of reform school; there is bu
one door leading to the hallway ar
stairs from each dormitory, ar
should a fire start and get headws
on the wooden stairway in eth,
main building, there would be no pc
sible escape for a living soul on Il
second and third floors In either
these buildings. This we think is i
excusable, criminal carelessness, al