The Spectator., 1915-07-16

1 Half of the 155 Arkansas high schools receiving aid from the com. | mon school fund may be closed as q result of the decision of the s'upreme Court in granting an injunction against l the payment of $50,000 annually from the school fund for the aid of high | schools, according to George B. Cook, state superintendent of public instruc- l tion.
 "I can give no accurate estimate of | the number of the schools that may | be closed" Mir Cook said, Tt may be | half of the number receiving aid. | Certainly that many will be disorgan- ized and forced to reduce the length of their courses. The rural high l schools, the small institutions. will be | the hardest hit by the decision. The | high schools in the cities like Little | Rock, Pine Bluff and the larger towns | will not be affected appreciably. for | they do not depend to any extent upon | the state aid fund Little Rock an- nually pays into the state aid fund approximately $1,S00 and receives only $500 in return
 MT. Cook said efforts will be made, to have an appropriation for the benefit of the high schools made out of the common school fund in 1917.
 The growth and development of the high schools has been greatly stimulat ed by the state aid act he said. When we began to work for the up building of the high schools there were only 4,000 pupils in them. Last year there were 16,0OO. The state aid act was a part of the program of de- velopment that brought this increase. The injunction means that many of the smaller high schools will become mixed in their classification and standards and ungraded in the matter of college entrance requirements. 1t is unfortunate the legislature did not make the state aid appropriation at the last session."
 state or country, except in strictly tropical countries, that seems to pro- duce such luxurious vegetation or grow so prolifically almost every form of ffeld and garden product as does the soil of Arkansas" said c. H. Bath rick of Battle Creek, Mich. vice pres .. ident and sales manager for the Nic!i- ols & Shepard Co.,, manufacturers of farm machinery, who Is in Little Rock in the interest of his company. It is his first visit to Arkansas and his ob Servations were based on what he saw on his trip from Memphis to Li.- tie Rock"
 The evident readiness of the people of Arkansas to organize for better az riculture, and their desire to develop the states great resources, was the consideration that finally influenced Dean J. II. Miller to accept the posi- tion as head of the division of univer- sity extension work of the University of Arkansas. according to- President l. C. Futrall.
 Large deposits of pyrites of iron, commonly known as fools gold | Montgomery county according to in formati.n received by state officials It is said the deposit Is unusually pure. but that there are no reducing plants in Arkansas, so that profitable mining of the deposits is impossible
 The Lonoke Rice Mill, one Of sev. eral in the Arkansas rice balt handled l62,000 barrels of rice during the sea son just closed and paid out s600.0HC for rice. A few years ago no rice was grown in Arkansas.
 The Board of Eduucation of Van Buren awarded to G. F. Pope a con. tract for the erection of the new King school. The building will cost about s7,000. and win be completed; by fall
 Judge James Gould has returned to Pine Bluff from Jonosboro and Osceo- la. He bought S50.000 worth of road bonds at Jonesboro and s30O.O0O worth at Osceola for the first modern highway in Mississippi county.
 The Wilson Mercantile Company of Imboden is operating a new flour mill of the Midget Marvel system, having capacity of 25 barrels day. Tho wheat crop in this section is large
 Orchardists are now hauling baskets and crates preparing for the Elberta peach crop which will begin moving in car lots from Russellrille about July 23.
 W. F. Clint. 5S. of Huntington. suf fered broken neck and died iii | Sf u,h bo han