The Green Forest tribune., 1915-04-30
this office and found the certificate

l after the passage of the law creating l the State Board of Education and pro- | viding for the issuance of certificates upon credentials. | It has required some time to work out a plan for handling properly the 1 applications, credentials, fees, several grades of license blanks, correspond I ence, etc, in connection with this work, with no additional help provided to do 1 the greatly increased work, the entire | office force of this department con- | sisting of a deputy, assistant and clerk. The committee checked up our re- ports for four years only. It was ex- | plained to the auditor that the records | of old licenses, those issued previous to | Superintendent Cooks administration, were incomplete. For instance, a short 1 time ago Prof. Sidney Pickens sent his l State life license to this office for rec 1 ord, there being no record of this li- cenSe, which was issued before Super | intendent Cook came into office. du- | plicate license issued him, so that | a bound stub record of his certificate would be permanently on file. This du- ] plicate license constitutes 510 of the | technical Shortage" charged against 1 the office.
 The professional license of Prof. c. c. Barnett was issued by former Super 1 intendent Doyne and is recorded. Again, this office has no record of any of the L. l. degrees and normal diplo-
 mas issued by the State University and State Normal, yet these are within | themselves State licenses to teach pub- lie school.
 The fees paid for grading examina-
 tion papers were paid out, according to law for service rendered (Section 7530, Kirbys Digest). Miss Gill, who re- ceived just and legal pay for grading papers is not, as stated in the report high school student. She graduated from the high school in 1912 and was
 thoroughly capable of doing well the work assigned.
 The School Fmp1oyment Association is an honorable business, which is ren- dering valuable service to the schools
 and teachers. It is conducted by Miss Hazel Gill as any other business is con- ducted, and she is justly proud of her success in being able to be self-sup- porting and still not be required to seek employment away from home. The same courtesles are extended the School Employment Association as are extend- ed other teachers agencies and supply companies-and no more The commit tee brings no charges" but does not hesitate to cast unfounded insinuationS against a worthy young woman who is
 engaged in honest. honorable employ ment.
 Did Hold Money.
 The only "irregularity" upon which the committee might justly have com-
 mended is the admitted act that I did, upon my own motion, do as was the general custom, after the general rev. enue was exhausted and State war
 rants at a discount, hold temporarily f in the safe in this department money
 which accrued from license fees This
 money l used in cashing warrants for postage, salaries ,etc. When opportu-
 nifty was afforded, these warrants were cashed and the money returned and fi- nally paid into the State treasury in full. It is only fair to state that I did this without the sanction of Superin- tendent Cook and that no warrant of
 his was ever cashed in this way This
 custom did save the State discount on
 postage warrants, etc, and avoided selling salary warrants at discount. All certificates charg to this
 money were carefully recorded and
 there never Was the least thought of
 misappropriating these funds. Final
 settlement was made before the new
 law regarding the payment of fees
 went into effect and this law has been at all times unscrupulously observed.
 l personally know that there is not the slightest irregularity in regard to the travelling expenses of Superntend- ent Cook. All vouchers for State war rants are made out by myself. Each travelling voucher is always accompa- jed with an itemized statement of ex- penSes, as the law requires, otherwise
 the State auditor will not issue war rants therefor. Railroad fare, where passes are used, is never included in the expense accounts. The law. more over, provides that the State superin- tendent may accept passes, but these are not of service for any part of an IuleISldle journey, ana the passes Cef-
 tainly do not include livery hire, ho- tels and meals, etc. The amount re- ported by the committee includes all travelling expenses for the biennial term, visits to schools, institutes, etc., within the State; and attendance at the National Education Association, Department of Superintendence, Con- ference for Education in the South, and other important educational gatherings officially, attended by the superintend- ent.
 Says Expenditures Legal.
 Robert Hutchins, deputy commis-
 sioner of agriculture, in behalf of MT.
 Page, said that money paid out to an
 expert chemist for alalyzing commer-
 cial feeds and fertilizers had been in
 strict accordance with legislative re-
 gulations. The Legislatures of 1911 and 1913 appropriated money for en. | forcemnt of the feed and fertilizer
 laws. In 1911 the appropriation was
 in blanket form, but in 1913 there was
 S7,500 appropriated for fees for
 chemical examinations of feeds and
 fertilizers.
 Under the statute chemists receiv-
 ed $5 for each sample of food or con- A'A'-A S&S~A
 ples were submitted to the chemist
 by the inspectors formerly provided
 for. The inspectors as we'll as the
 chemist were practically done away
 With by the last Legislature, in that
 no appropriations were made for their salaries.
 w. B. Owen, state highway commis | sioner, issued a statement in answer
 to the supplementary report prepared
 by the committee on the highway de. l partment.
 "In regard to certifying to county clerks the number of tags issued. that | charge cannot apply to this adminis- | tration. The time for certifying these | licenses to county clerks is in July.' l said MT. Owen.
 | Relative to the s700 the committee | says this department had spent for an | tomobile repairs during the last 6O
 days, large part was for the old bills | created during previous administra- | tions, and the balance for new tires.
 procured preparatory to the summer's | work md UTh