The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1915-06-17
4 WORD OF WARNING.

pupils, teachers and school officials
with the officials of the State Board
of Health this past year has done The
work that has completely revolution
lied the sanitary conditions of many
rural schools in Montana. Modern
buildings have Deen constructed. old
ones remodeled, the grounds and
buildings cleaned and improved and
sanitary equipment provided. All
have Joined in the good work for the
sake of the boys and girls and each
one is happy as he thinks of the inn
|provements that have been made
and the part he has taken in the
making of them.
In such a good cause as theup-
building of the schools of the Treas
ure State every one should at least
be unseltish enough to aim to give
full value when furnishing equip
ment or rendering service, but UNI
fortunately for all concerned a num-
Der of INSCRIPTIONS agents, whose
main object has been to see how
much they can set out of the school
district aand how little they can leave
lin return for what they take out,
have invaded Montana territory.
Most of these agents have no regular
catalogue, with prices plainly print
led, but work each community for
what they think they will stand.
Others pursuade trustees to issue
warrants before the goods are deliv-
cred, and both the state and county
depart. nents receive letters galore
telling of a sudden of sudden loss
of interest in the delivery as soon as
the payment has been received, while
|still others Will misrepresent both
the requirements and the goods i'll
order to effect a sale.
For example, the regulations pre-
scribed by the State Board of Health
provide that each public school must
be furnished with covered water
cooler, with individual drinking
cups or a sanitary bubbler, and al
most before the printers ink was
dry, the smooth agent appeared be-
fore the school board armed with
tin can that was fearfully and Won
derfully made and a speech some
what like this: '"The State Board of
Health saws you must have it. You
might as we'll buy it from me and
save further time nd trouble. The
price is only thirty-fve, forty-five or
sixty dollars depending somewhat
on the size" He forgot to mention
just what his commission was. Hell
forgot to state that a covered water
cooler could be purchased from any
hardware dealer and that paper cups
could be purchased very cheaply or
constructed by the pupils. In fact
he forgot to state that an earthen
jar that would last just as long, keep
the water just as clean and cool and
pure and bubbling it just as high as
his device, that was built something
like a threshing machine in order to
conceal the smallness of it's real
value, could be purchased from any
we'll established school firm for
something like five Or ten dollars, so
the trade was made. Then three
later when the school was
visited by the county superintendent
it was found that the bubbler had
sprung a leak, that a puddle Of
water on the floor was omnipresent
and that the boys and girls were
compelled to get along with six
months school instead of seven be-
cause the district was short OF FUNDS.
It is not the purpose to wage war
against any legitimate supply house
that puts out catalogue in a regu
lar way and aims to give value re-
ceived, but the purpose is to make it
as hard as possible for certain hui
man sharks to live and thrive on
the funds that belong to the schools
for all the boys and girls of all Mon
tana. Neither is it the purpose to
say that the trustees should not buy
the elaborate and high priced drink
ing fountains, if they see fit; but the
purpose is to put that man out of
commission, who will misrepresent
the position of the State Board of
Health and the State Department of
and break his promise
made to the county superintendent
not to sell to certain schools, and to
make the school money of the dis
trict, county and state go as far as
possible in providing schools and
where teachers, pupils,
trustees, patrons and friends will
meet together, become better &C
quainted and talk over the things
that will mage the grounds more
beautiful, the equipment more USE
full, the instruction more practical
and the association together more
and beneficial In this
good work the cooperation of the
press and he public is asked and
will be gladly given until the
schools of Montana will rank second
to none in the entire Northwest.